Kelly-Madison

Dear Kelly,

This book ended on a sad and happy note for me. Although I don't like what Bobby stood for, I felt bad that he overdosed and had to go to the hospital. I was also sad to see that Cindy had to see that. We have to remember that she thought she loved him and seeing someone harm themselves is NEVER easy. I was SO happy that Cindy's mom finally listened to her! It's about time! Raffie was obviously one unkind guy, but love blinds everything. You are correct in saying that this could happen to anyone. It doesn't take a certain type of person or anything. Cindy finally had more respect for herself. I think that's very important. If you don't have respect for yourself, you certainly can't expect others to respect you. She became more independent. Honestly, if I was Cindy, I don't know how I would trust my mom again. Although I would still love her and be happy that she finally paid attention to me, I just don't know if I could trust her. At least, not until she proves herself trustworthy. I absolutely agree! I think that this story needed to tell me what happened to Raffie and Bobby. I guess I need the comfort of knowing that Bobby didn't kill himself. Mostly, I would like to know if Cindy's mother became more of a mother figure. I really hoped she changed. Cindy needed that more than anything. I really like this James Baldwin quote. It reminded me of the theme in a way. //"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."//

I'm very glad you enjoyed the Chicago trip. I also had an extreme amount of fun on that trip. The Blue Man Group, although I wasn't in the rain section, was still AMAZING. You could just see how they loved music and they put on one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life. You were very lucky to be in the rain section! Although, when I went, they spit chewed up twinkies at the rain section! Yuck. Navy Pier is gorgeous. My favorite thing about it is the ferris wheel. I love how you can see Chicago for miles and miles. The boat trip is great. I'll never forget all the things I learned on it. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

I loved taking part in Reading Rocks with you. Thank you for being a great partner. I'm so sorry I was late on my week 3 entry! I'm too much of a procrastinator. I'm very, very sorry. Remember to scroll down to read my other entry! Have fun at graduation. It is a great experience!

Sincerely,

Madi

Dear Madison, The book ends with Bobby going to the hospital and Raffie going to jail. I loved how Cindy’s mom changed in the end and listened to Cindy about Raffie and she didn’t bail him out of jail when he was arrested for selling drugs. I really loved this book, I loved it because it was so real, and these kinds of things happen all the time everyday all over the United States. Any teenaged girl having troubles with her mom or an abusive boy friend should read this book because it shows that if you open your eyes and actually look at what’s happening around you, then you’ll be better off. Cindy went from being a dumb girl blinded with love for a boy that was completely addicted to drugs to loving her mom more and caring about herself and her friends. The theme of this book was to open your eyes and ears wider then you do your mouth and see what your friends are trying to tell you. I would like to know how Bobby first got addicted to drugs and I would also like to know more about Bobby’s family life like why they allow their son to stay out and do nothing but drugs and cause trouble. I think I would change the end of the book by extending it to say what happened to Bobby after the hospital and to say what happened to Raffie, but what I would change the most about the ending would be to include the way the relationship between Cindy and her mother progressed just so you know that they stayed close.

Chicago was way cool. I love the bus ride as much as I did the rest of the trip. Navy Pier was awesome; I loved the color of the water. I have never seen so much blue water in my entire life. The boat ride was cool because I got some really god pictures of the buildings; my favorite building was the one with the gold top that looked like a champagne bottle. I love the Blue Man Group; my seat was right behind the splatter seats so we could see really well. I loved how I could feel the music on the inside just as well as you could hear it on the outside. When I was sitting there in my seat, my necklace was bouncing up and down from the beating of the drums.

I loved the Chicago trip and I loved the book. Thank you so much for taking part in Reading Rocks. I loved reading with you.

Sincerely,

Kelly Wiggins

Dear Kelly,

I am terribly sorry I am so late. I am a week behind!

I agree that Cindy is the protagonist. I think she made an excellent protagonist. She did what a main character should, represented real life issues and how to handle them. I never really understand why she hated going to school in the first place. I think that's something I wish the book shared with me. Cindy was quite attached to Bobby at the beginning. I like how the book had her focused on Bobby because of her mother's neglect. Cindy is like many, many girls in the way that she thought she was in love with a boy and focused on that, solely. Sadly, you will see more of this when you get to high school. Independence is not a common trait. I wish more girls held on to that. Cindy should have, but she was in a different situation. I think my favorite character is actually Harold. I really wanted Cindy and Harold to fall in love. I thought he was a great character, although he didn't have a very big part of the story. He was intelligent and knew right from wrong.

Bobby, although not a good influence, was a good character to read about. I like characters that are troubled. I think they make the story more interesting. Also, when reading a book, people acknowledge bad behavior from a character more than any other type of media. It really gets through to people. Although I disagree, I think Cindy's conflicts were more based on her mother. She was troubled because of her mother's neglect. I think it drove her to Bobby. Bobby actually paid attention to her.

I wish that Cindy would have listened to her friends about Bobby. Especially since she knew what he did to Jamee. I believe people can change. I truly do. However, while Bobby was on drugs, he could NEVER be a good boyfriend to Cindy. I think my favorite part was when Cindy figured out the truth about Raffie. I didn't like that her mother didn't believe her. I don't really understand how a parent could choose her boyfriend over her own daughter. I mean, blood IS thicker than water. I'm glad Cindy finally realized what kind of person Bobby was at the party. It was horrible that she had to go through that much to see it, but those sorts of lessons you have to learn for yourself. I think you are right, if you believe you love someone, no one can convince you otherwise. I did like this book alot.

By the way, I know people are going to be telling you to NOT be scared for high school. I think they are correct in saying that, but I think you have to understand what is coming. Junior high is a small taste of what high school is. Have courage and don't compromise your character. I like high school a lot, but I won't lie to you. It is overwhelming at first. One of my favorite books has this quote.."Things change. People leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody." This applies to high school. I'm glad you are staying in band! I'm very excited about the Pirates show. Competitions (and band in general) are very fun, and a great way to meet new people. Also, joining clubs like FCA and math club are great ways to get used to high school. If you ever need anything or have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Madi

Dear Madison,

Cindy is the protagonist; I love the way she changes throughout the story. In the beginning she really hated going to school and she fought with her mother all the time. When Bobby came into her life she kind of changed for the better and the worse. All she thought about was Bobby this and Bobby that, that and she was the cartoonist for the //Bluford Bugler// where the only reasons that she went to school. She really thought that she loved Bobby. She thought she loved Bobby so strongly that she didn’t even listen to her friends when they told her that he wasn’t a good person. I think that Cindy is a lot like every single girl in America, when she decided she loved someone she wouldn’t listen to what anyone had to say no matter if it could have saved her from being hurt by Bobby.

Bobby is the antagonist; he was kind of mean but Cindy really thinks that he has changed. He caused Cindy all the problems and lied to her about the drugs and being clean. Most all of Cindy’s problems were centered on Bobby. Bobby was the reason that she went to the party and he was the reason she had on such a revealing costume, he truly was the antagonist he made all the bad conflicts happen.

I loved this book so much. I cried at the end when Cindy’s mom told Raffie that she wouldn’t be coming to bail him out. I also cried when Bobby overdosed and hit the floor. I know Bobby wasn’t a very good person, but the sight of what an overdose to someone is really scary, especially when the person you think you care about has overdosed. Overdoses are really scary and I feel really bad for Cindy that she had to go through seeing one. Once you see one overdose the mental pictures stay forever. I really hope you loved the book as much as I did. I have to read another one of these books, I devoured this book so quickly and I remember everything that happened. “Grandma says that if love settles on a garbage can you can’t make the person smell the stink.” That quote is really good, I now have it taped to my door, it is so true you could fall in love with anyone and no one could change your mind about how you feel. :-)

Sincerly,

Kelly Wiggins