Exercise 3

I pretty much clicked on random links that came up when I hit the review button on Teenread's website. The reviews I came across include Wither by Lauren DeStafano, Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard, and . Chomp by Carl Hiaaser. I'm glad I read the review for Wither, it made me really want to read the book! All of the reviews begin with a long plot summary, generally the kind of stuff you'd read on the back of a book cover to see if you want to read it or not. They also contained a small amount of commentary about the author, like "She obviously did her research..." or "She succeeds in writing the story from a male viewpoint." Some of the reviews also said what kind of people would like the book, or posted warnings about inappropriate material. When writing our own reviews, it may be a good idea to compare the book to other books that people may have read already.

Exercise 2

5) "Who can't even CONCENTRATE TO WRITE this because her little sister will NOT shut up," announces the narrator illustrating the harsh reality to her life.

6) Lynda uses lyrical words and is poetic.

7)  By the way Barry starts her story kind of foreshadows what the story will be like by what she says, "cruddy time on a cruddy street"

Of the paragraphs I read, I liked Vivir, Sonar, Leer's post the most.  She is very descriptive and uses strong vocabulary.

Exercise 1

Repetition and grim imagery in Lynda Barry's Cruddy establishes a pessimistic tone that characterizes the narrator's aggravated state of mind. Rather than simply stating that her life in general is cruddy, the narrator continuously repeats the word "cruddy" when describing nearly every aspect of her life, including her neighborhood, home, and family. Even though the word "cruddy" is stated over and over again, the dismal portrayal of setting provides descriptive yet dreary imagery of her run down town. However, the narrator also seems to bitterly embellish the miserable conditions of her home. Because the source of her harsh words may merely stem from her being grounded for a long time, her exaggeration of mildly bleak circumstances characterizes her as young and immature.