2012-2013 MVMS 7th Graders discussion

What motivates the main character in the book you are currently reading? Use evidence from the book to support your statement. Be sure to provide both the title and author of your book. (If you’re reading nonfiction, what motivated the author to write about the topic? What is your evidence?)

I just read a book called Trash by Andy Mulligen. It was an awesome book! I think what motivates the main characters in this book is pretty clear. It constantly mentions this man named Jose Angelico who is a big part of the story and whenever the main characters are in trouble, the author constantly refers to Jose Angelico and the characters feel much more brave. I think that bravery is the motivation for the main characters in "Trash."

In my book Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shephard, (a mystery book about four girls), I think that the characters are motivated by the fact that the really want to know the truth, and to do that they need to keep trying and working at solving the mystery. So I think that hunger for knowledge is a big drive in the motivation of the characters in my book.

Sasha,

If you could use one or two words to name the motivation, what word(s) would you choose?

I am reading The Book Thief. This question is absolutely perfect for the book, as the main character, Liesel, has a few certain objets, memories, and people that motivate her. One person that motivates her is her brother, who is dead. Loved ones motivate us to good things. Her brother motivated her to take a book that she found at his gravesite. This book and her love for her brother motivate her to want to learn to read the book. Liesel then learns to read, all because of this motivation. Another motivation that makes her want to learn to read is to get in a class with people her age. She is in a younger class and she feels as though she sticks out. A lot of times trying to fit in motivates us. Sometimes not in the best ways.

I am reading the first Lord of the Rings book by J.R.R. Tolkien. The main character has a magical ring that an evil dark lord wants. If the Dark Lord gets the ring, he will rule the world, and probably kill most people on the planet. The ring needs to be destroyed and there is only one place where it can be destroyed. The characters are motivated to destroy the ring by pure fear.

I am reading The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger. I am still just starting this book so I don't have a clear idea of who the main character is. From what I understand the main character may be a man named Bobby. Every month Bobby goes fishing, (in particular sword fishing) these trips are both dangerous and long. Bobby has a fiance and would much rather be at home with her, but money and being able to take good care of his soon-to-be wife is what motivates him. I think that Bobby is the kind of person who thinks for others before himself, and fishing will help him raise a family with lots of money.

My book The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. I think what motivates my character is the truth behind herself (just a year ago Jenna Fox got into a accident causing her to almost die!) All her parents have told her is that her body is 90% fake and that she only has 10% of her brain. Jenna is having a very hard time because she feels like she doesn't belong in this world. She also is wishing that her parents would have let her die in the accident instead of creating a fake Jenna Fox.

I am currently reading FABLEHEAVAN BY BRANDON MULL. Seth, one of the main characters, is trying to get a statue. He is getting it to destroy an evil creature. His motivation to get the statue is the bad creature because the creature is up to something mysterious so he needs to stop him.

Right now I'm reading Rascal by Sterling North. Sterling (the main character) has a baby raccoon named Rascal who is his best friend, but his neighbors want to get rid of his little raccoon, and he's determined to keep him. I think that Sterling is motivated by the fact that without his mother, and his father almost always at work, Rascal has become not only his friend but also his family.

I just started a new book so I don't know much about it ( 33 Things Every Girl Should Know) it's a bunch of stories and lessons about girls and their life, but what drives them is setting a goal. One girl (who couldn't walk) did swimming and she wanted to learn all four strokes, and she did! But she also had her family.

I just read the book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. It was a really good book and very interesting. Katniss the main character is fighting other people to the death in the Hunger Game with her friend Peeta. She is trying to keep Peeta alive because last year they were also in the Hunger Games and Peeta tried to keep her alive. What motivates Katniss is the fact that she loves him and that she wants him to be safe.

I'm reading this book called Beautiful Chaos. It is a classic magic, problem, can't be together love story. The main character is Ethan, and he is a Wayward, the guide, who leads the people through trouble and danger.His motivation is that the Order of the world is broken, and the world is going to end. Also, he is in love with a magical girl named Lena, and he is trying to protect her and like always,is failing. But they love each other and he will sacrifice himself for her. That is what motivates Ethan.

I am reading a book called Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It is a nonfiction book about girls around the world and how they are treated, and fighting for women's rights. Although there are many different girls stories that you learn about in the book there is one thing that motivates them all. That one thing is that they all know if they fight hard enough they can stop their husbands abusing them, they can become part of the government for their country, and most importantly they learn that they can do anything the men can do. Basically, motivation and courage is what drives the girls in my book. When that one girl stands up to her husband hitting her, its a ripple effect, the more girls that do it, the more thought the men will put into women's rights. But without that one girl who stood up, none of the progress would've been made.

The last book I read was Barefoot Gen: After the Bomb. Most of his family died in the bomb but, the only reason he isn't giving up is because he is the only able bodied person in his family. One reason he is motivated is for the love of his family. Another reason he is motivated is because he found a orphan that looked exactly like his dead brother. They have adventures together. Friendship is another motivation.

I just finished reading Flush by Carl Hiaasen. In Flush Noah's dad for sinking a big casino boat because the casino boat is dumping sewage into the ocean but his dad has no proof the the casino boat is dumping the water. I think the main character is motivated by the fact that he needs to prove to everyone that his dad isn't lying and that the casino boat is dumping wast into the ocean.

I am reading a book called Out of Sight Out of Time by Ally Carter. Cammie, the main character in the story has had her memory stolen by an ancient terrorist organization. Cammie is motivated by the idea that she might one day be able to remember what happened over the summer.

I'm just sitting down after reading an amazing book called The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin. Winston Breen is very peculiar. He will never put down a puzzle. He finally gets a chance to solve this old puzzle left by the founder of the town. Winston soon finds out that there are others trying to crack the puzzle that this rich man left. There not trying to figure it out for the same reason Winston's wanting to. There going at the puzzle for the prize. A million dollar ring. Winston, on the other hand, is motivated to solve this puzzle because he just loves puzzles. Throughout the story you can tell Winston has a real passion for puzzles because if he gets stuck on a puzzle he just does another one until he's ready to go back to the original.

I'm reading a fat book called the Inheritance apart of a four book series about Eragon, a Dragon Rider, and her Dragon Saphira. This book talkes about his journey to being a Dragon Rider. It is defiantly a good vs evil. Eragon works hard to help the Vardan ( the group of warriors against the evil Galboratrix). He works hard for the people of Vardan, himself, for Saphira, and to defeat an conquer Galboratrix! It's a really great book!;)

The book I am currently reading is called Schooled by Gordon Korman. The main character, Capricorn grandmother is hurt and taken to hospital and Capricorn has to go to school and live a normal life in the city. What motivates him is hope because he wants his grandmother Rain to get better so he can move back to his tiny hometown Garland and live happily just with Rain!

Right now I'm reading the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The main character, Jacob, has just experienced the loss of his grandfather. All throughout Jacob's childhood, his grandfather told him stories about his life in his extraordinary orphanage. He showed him photos of all the peculiar children with super powers. Lighting fire with there hands, being invisible, levitating, and more! Not until just a few years ago, Jacob decided they were fake, edited photos and shunned his grandfather because of those lies. Jacob now has proof that his grandfather's life might actually be true. His motivation is to prove to everyone that his grandfather's life wasn't just a big lie.

Right now the book that i am currently reading is Glow, by Amy Kathleen Ryan. There is two main characters a boy, Keiren and a girl Waverly. The book is set in a boat that is traveling in space trying to reach earth, and 100-150 people are on this boat. One day people from another boat called the sister boat has people invading their boat! The other sister ship takes Waverly and all the other girls aboard. The story is about Waverly and Kieren's lives in a different situation. The characters motivation is love. They want to get back together; everyone together before it is to late.....

I recently read a book called Dovey Coe. It's about a girl named Dovey who lives in a small town. In the town, there's a huge rich snob named Parnell Caraway and Dovey hates him. He's always acting like he's better than everyone just because he's rich and Dovey hates that. One day Parnell is found dead in his father's shop and Dovey was at the scene of the crime. She soon finds herself on trial for killing Parnell. Dovey knows she didn't do it and she knows that all evidence points to her but the thought of breaking up her family with her in jail motivates her to try to get through the trial and prove to the world she's innocent.

I just finished Divine Madness, by Robert Muchamore. James and his sister lauren live in a secret training facility were lauren (11) and james (14) train with many other kids to go on missions because know one suspects them as spys. James is trying to uncover a link between a group of religious cults and a terrorist group called Help Earth who blow up things that ruin the environment. What motivates him is that is surrounded by people who will paddle him so hard he has to sit on a rubber ring. They are also armed with assault rifles and he doesn't really want to feel that. James wants to save the cult from killing many but is it to late for him? Thats just another thing that motivates him to save the world.

In Through the Looking Glass By: Lewis Carroll Alice's motives are pure curiosity. She finds a strange land called the looking glass land and she finds many peculiar things. When she arrives their she discovers that it was possible for her to become a queen. Becoming a queen is another one of Alice's motives. The book is about her journey through the looking glass land until finally she becomes queen. This book is a very confusing but good read. I really enjoyed it.

The book I am reading is called Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass. This book has 3 main characters, not just one, so I will list all of their motives.
Ally: Ally is a 13 year old girl who lives on a campground called Moon Shadows. As the family prepares for the big eclipse that is about to come, her parents reveal to her that after the eclipse they are moving to a city. Ally is terrified- she has never experienced civilization before. Her motivation to stay at the campground is extremely strong.
Bree: Popular and pretty, Bree has her way with the social chain. But when her parents tell her they are moving to take over Moon Shadows campground in the middle of nowhere, she is shellshocked. She has a strong motivation to convince her parents to stay.
Jack: Overweight and socially awkward, jack wishes for friends and...well... a life. When he is chosen by his science teacher to go an a trip to Moon Shadows campground for an eclipse, he finds an inner motivation to make friends that he never knew he had.

I am working on finishing up my duet speech book FREEDOM WALKERS: The Story Of The Montgomery Bus Boycott. It is a nonfiction book that tells the story of the begging of the civil rights movement. I think that in my book that there is not only one main character. Even though the question varies since it is a non-fiction book I believe that I can answer the original question. I like to think that in this case that the "main character" is actually all the leaders of boycott movement that participated in the event. I think that they are motivated because, and I quote, "Tired! The only tired I was, was tired of being pushed around."- Rosa Parks. I think that with the right leadership the black community began a new era of inspiration and determination. Leaders such as E.D. Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Attorney Clifford Durr, and many more. These people motivated the black people of montgomery and the black people of montgomery motivated the world. The bus boycott had gone on for more than a season and yet no one had given up. Even the elderly such as Mother Pollard had yet to give up when it seemed that the boycott would end because of the physical hardships of the the old. Mother Pollard had said, "My feets is tired, but my soul is rested." I definitely think that with out the motivated few leaders and believers that the whole black community of the southern united states would be stuck tolerating the unbelievable behavior of the white community at the time.

I am currently reading a book called Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The main character's name is Ethan Wate, who is a part in both the mortal and Caster worlds. The Casters are a group of magical people, including his girlfriend Lena. Ethan has to fix the Order of the world, or else everyone he knows will die to the villains of the Caster world. One of his main motivations is Lena, because he loves her so much. Of course, also because the world is ending if he doesn't try to stop the villans. He knows he will have to sacrifice himself when the pain of sadness gets to an unbarible point.

The book I'm reading now is called "Behind the Curtain," by Peter Abrahams. The motive for the main character, Ingrid, is to find the truth. She doesn't look for trouble, it just seems to find her. When she tries to fix things and move on, she falls deeper into the mess. When she's in so deep that calling the cops would be smart, she's broken too many rules to confess.

I read a book called "The Butterfly Clues" the main character in this book had motivation throughout the whole story. When someone would tell her she was was wrong, she listened to her heart and did the right thing. She solved a mystery all by herself. People told her to stop but she didn't, she wanted closure.

I'm reading the book "Breathe, a ghost story" by Cliff McNish. In this book the main character, Jack, is, I think, motivated by Jack's father who died and four ghost children who's souls have been stolen. Jack wants to save the four ghost children from the Ghost Mother who sucks out ghost children's souls so that she doesn't have to go through the Nightmare Passage. The Nightmare Passage leads to the Other Side which is like the Underworld and only ghosts exist there. This is where Jack's father and Jack is desperate to find his father's ghost.

I just finished All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg. I think that the fact that the main character, Matt, thinks that the death of his brother is his fault motivates him. I believe that it motivates him not only to be kind to others, but to be the star of the baseball team at school so that he can do something good for the team. Being good at baseball also helps him feel included, for he doesn't always because of his race as a Vietnamese child.

I am reading a book called Uglies by scott westerfiled.I think the main character is motivated by friendship and love.Tally is told by this special secret group to go find a hidden town. She is given a pendent that she can use to call them when she finds the town. But in this town lives one of her best friends but she agrees to it because a major life change is on the line.When Tally arives.After 2 or 3 months Tallly still hasnt turned in the town. She has learned that The town has a very strong community and her friend is really happy right now. She also meets a guy there that she eventually loves and she doesnt want to take her friends happiness away and the boy she loves home away from him either.so she makes up her mind and throws the pendant away.

I'm reading Alex Rider and his fathers death is what motavates him.The deal is, if he does the mission he is given he will be told how his father died.

My book is called Alex rider by Anthony Horowitz. He is motavated to do his mission because the deal was if he does his mission he will be told how his father dies. "So if I do the mission with you, you will tell me about my father's death?" asked Alex.

I'm reading Black and White by Paul Volponi. In the book there are two main characters, Eddie(White) and Marcus(Black), who live in Long Island, New York. They are best friends, and are both being heavily recruited as high school basketball players. They get into trouble when they try to make a little extra money by robbing people. After Marcus is caught, the motivation turns from sports, to Marcus not ratting out his best friend, but if he does, he might still have a chance at a college scholarship.

My book is called Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. The main character in this book, Elizabeth, is trapped inside the afterlife. Which is a place called elsewhere. After landing there it is clear that she want to get back to the real world and life her own life, when here dead grandmother says "everyone ages backwards here." she get extremely mad because she is only 15 and she wants to be 16 instead of aging backwards till she is reborn. I think she is going to try everything in her power to get back onto earth and out of this place called elsewhere.

I am reading the book Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick. In this book the main character is struggling with a war between to non human spices. Her motivation to go through with the war is that if she doesn't her spices will be possessed for all eternity. She knows this because in her world there has been a war brewing for ages and she was left with a few details and the army in her hands.
-Sasha

I am currently reading The Westing Game. In this book 16 heirs are chosen to find a murderer and their motivation is two hundred million dollars, as stated in Sam Westings will. They are all paired into groups of 2 and get to words as clues and the will says "It isn't what you have it is what you don't" All of the heirs have to overcome many obstacles on their way to find the murderer.

The book I'm reading is Something, Maybe. I think what motivates the main character is everything her dad has done to her. Like leaving her and her mom, never calling her, and etc. Her dads behavior basically makes her go through everything, like getting good grades, not getting in trouble and etc.
if I could describe motivation in a word it's pain that motivates the main character in my boook

The book I am reading right now is called The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. In this book, the main character, Macy has a dead father and a boyfriend who is "perfect" at everything. I think Macy is motivated by the fact that she wants to do everything perfectly and get outstanding grades. Also, she is motivated by school work and college. Instead of hanging out with friends on weekends, Macy forces herself to study constantly to impress her boyfriend.

Currently, I am reading the book The Secret of Zoom. In this book the main character Christina, her mother dies when she was very young. She lives with her father who is a very popular scientist. There are many secrets in the house. I think Christina's motivation is a orphan she meets. She isn't allowed to talk to other children especially the orphans. I think this is her motivation because its kind of fate that she met a orphan and they try and find the secret to zoom and find out really what happened to her mother.

I am reading Broadway Lights by Jen Calontia. What motivates the main character is the support of everyone around her. she has a mom and a dad who aren't the best at supporting her. luckily she has a best friend a boyfriend and her assistant to keep her going. She has a ruff life because everyone is always telling her to do things and she is super busy. She can always count on her best friend. One time she got super overwhelmed and passed out but while her mom was figuring out how to tell the press about her friend was keeping her calm and listening to her needs. you need that one person that you can always talk to. I do and i appreciate that everyday.

I'm reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The main character, Liesel, has some sentimental items that motivate her. For example, when her brother died, she found a book at the graveyard called The Grave Digger's Handbook. When she goes to her new foster family, she can't read or write, but she is determined to read the whole book because it is the last time she saw her mother and brother. Also what motivates her is getting out of the class she was put in, a kindergarten class, because she feels like a giant. She wants to be in a class with kids her age. Those two things motivate her to learn to read and write.

I just finished All the Broken Pieces by Ann E Burg. The main character
Matt Pinn has many things that haunt him, but motivate him to! For example, when Matt was airlifted out of vietnam, he still has memories of his little brother and one particular mishap they had, his brothers legs got blown off! I think this motivates Matt, because he thinks of his family in Vietnam and does not want to dissapoint them.

In my book The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson, the main character is Jenna Fox, a girl who survived a car crash that no one thought she would and now she's living illegally with her parents and grandma. What motivates Jenna to keep on trying to figure out more about herself is curiosity and anger. Jenna is angry with her parents for keeping her alive, because she doesn't believe that she is actually human. She thinks all she is is neutron chips and downloaded information. So she is driven by her anger and frustration that was formed by her parents.

I am reading Holes by Louis Sachar for my paired reading book. The motivation for my character is pretty clear. He was convicted for stealing a pair of shoes so he was sent to a "camp". He wants to go home and see his family again. It is shown when he is feeling bad, and he starts thinking of home and his family.

my book Isn't on giant story. It is a bunch of anthologies put together and put in a book. the stories are about on paragraph long.

The charecter in my book is a wizerd and is motivated by his will to help people. Sadly he has to run away from this evil creature that will kill him and possibly kill every one it can. Thats what drives my charecter.

I am reading Trash by Andy Mulligan, and the main character is (VERY)poor and inferior to most, but he is risking his life, and his family just to unfold the mystery of a man killed while being interrogated by the police for stealing six million dollars from the rich, and merciless leader of a corrupt country in the not-so-distant future. He, and his friends are motivated by the unjust way the government treats the poor people, motivating them to find out the truth, and stop the horrible things the country is put through.