Poerty: Can You See Me?



I know this has nothing to do with the poem, but I enjoyed drawing
this and I thought since a fish is silent and so it the feeling
of being invisible, they kinda went together.

Can you see me?
I know others can.
They know my name,
They know who I am.
But do you know who I am?
To some I might be someone,
To some I might be no one,
But who am I to you?
Can you see me?
I do not know.
You might see me as another snowflake upon the snow.
Can you see me?
I different, not the same.
I’m unique, not plain.
Can you see me?
I hope you can.
Can you see me,
For who I am?

Originally, I wrote this in 7^th grade after I read this about a girl who felt like she was invisible. I don’t remember the name of it anymore, but I really liked it and as you can see it inspired me to write a poem. Come to think of it, I haven’t written any poetry in a very long time. Which is sad because I really enjoy it.

Do you enjoy writing poetry? Who’s your favorite poet or which is your favorite poem? Leave me your answers in the comments. Also, if you liked this poem, let me know!

*Please do not steal me work. If you would like to use it, email me  butterflydreams1114@gmail.com <--- I know it's weird =D

Book Review:The Silent Boy

 Lois Lowry
★★★★★
Reading level:Ages 12 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Laurel Leaf (January 11, 2005)

The Silent Boy is told by Katy Thatcher, an old woman in 1987, about a critical period in her life from 1908 to 1911. Katy, whose father is a community doctor, dreams of becoming a doctor herself. Katy takes an interest in Jacob, a “touched” boy from a neighboring farm, who can't speak, but somehow humms quietly to himself, and seems able to communicate with animals. Jacob occasionally comes to the Thatcher home to be in the barn with the animals. Katy shares Jacob’s love of animals and comes to feel she can communicate with him in a rudimentary but empathetic way.
When Nell, the sister of Jacob, has a baby out of wedlock by Paul Bishop, Jacob is aware of the trouble. He abducts and brings the baby to the Thatcher's house on a stormy night, hoping to save it the way he has saved orphaned lambs by bringing them to a substitute mother. But it does'nt go the way he had planned it to. Later, Katy marries Austin Bishop and becomes a doctor. 50 years later the Asylum closed and Jacob was never seen again. There were no records of him there.

　I’ve read this book a few years ago, and after rearranging my bookshelf I found it hidden away, still is perfect condition.

Lois Lowry has touched us through many of her works, like The Giver and Number the Stars (which I’ll be doing a review for), but rarely have I heard, or frankly ever heard of, The Silent Boy. And, truthfully, it’s one of my favorites!

The story is told through Katie’s POV as an old woman looking through a photo album and recalling her memories. I particularly loved Jacob. He was strange and curious. Today, perhaps, he would have been diagnosed with autism, but in the 1900’s he was just different, but that never seemed to matter to Katy, who connects with him and understands him when no one else does. This was something I found truly amazing. This wasn’t a “love story” in the terms of romantic love, but a love in friendship that I enjoyed. Another thing I found truly amazing was Lowry’s way of creating a complete early 1900s in such a short novel without leaving anything to the wayside. Honestly, is there anything that Lois Lowry cannot do?

If you love Lois Lowry’s books, but have never read The Silent Boy, you will not be disappointed when you read it.

Where to find Lois Lowry:
Amazon: Lois Lowry Books
Her Website: LoisLowry.com

Book Review: POSSESS

Gretchen McNeil
★★★★★
Reading level:Ages 13 and up/ Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (August 23, 2011)


After stressing over school work, I’ve found little time to read ANYTHING! But finally, after much homework and studying for mid-terms, I’VE FINISHED POSSESS!

So, this book follows 15-year-old Bridget Liu who just want to be left alone, by her mother, Matt Quinn, and the eerie voices and can suddenly hear- which are demons. And unfortunately for her, Bridget posses the power to banish them. After being enlisted by San-Francisco’s senior exorcist Monsignor Renault, she begins to come to terms with her new abilities. But then she receives a startling message from one of the demons, and one of her oldest friends is murdered, she realizes she is in farther than she thought. Now, she must unlock the secrets of the demon’s plan before it’s too late.

I have to say that there were many pros and cons to this book. Much like every book. Some things really bugged me (which I’ll get into in a sec) but I have to say this book was actually refreshing and a new twist I really enjoyed.

Let’s start with the cons (just because there isn’t much): I really didn’t care for Bridget’s attitude when she found out different aspects to her power. I mean, there was this one part, where she was freaked out that she could possibly hear angels and well as demons. It was just so baffling to her. Come on, you have to know that if you can hear DEMONS that angels are not that different. And then when Father Santos told her the story of how she came to be (meaning possessing her power and all) she just couldn’t accept it. If you could hear demons-DEMONS- why is the story of angels so hard to accept?But while those things bothered me, it’s not that bad especially when you compare it to how AWESOME the book was. I actually found that those things didn’t bother me after a while.

McNeil’s style of writing was somewhat unusual but flowed smooth and effortless. Written in third person, McNeil focuses on Bridget’s thoughts and does not stray. Bridget’s natural wit and sarcasm is utterly hilarious and fun to read. McNeil does not bore you with an abundance of description, nor does fail to bring the scene alive.

Her characters are absolutely perfect: Matt is hot and sweet, everything you want in a guy; Alexa is just evil; Bridget’s friends are comical; and the priests are like wow. McNeil’s plot flows effortlessly and even though you think you know who’s evil, she will just slap you in the face when you find out the truth. I kept guess and tripping over my own thoughts as I started to piece together the story just as Bridget did. There were points that were made that, at first, I thought she was just going to drop when she never mentioned them again, but then they came into play and it was just awesome. I literally had chills at some point in the book. I just freaked at the part with the doll shop, I mean scary, possessed dolls- crap my pant, that was horrifying!

I love McNeil’s spin on the whole fallen angels/ Nephilim, good vs. bad concept. It wasn’t that “Oh there were good ones and bad ones” she actually explained to us how they came about (and while I’d love to tell you how, you should read and fins out).

Plus, look at her cover design, is that now spooky and totally and awesomly sick! I just love it, one of the best cover arts I've ever seen!
This was a great debut novel that I am hoping will be the first in a fabulous series! A must read.

Other places to find Gretchen McNeil:
Twitter: @GertchenMcNeil
Amazon: Possess[Hardcover]
YouTube: Monday on YARebels
Facebook: Posses by Gretchen McNeil
GoodReads: Gretchen McNeil and Possess Book
Author WebSite: GretchenMcNeil

There's Only One Rule of Exorcism: The Spirits Lie

Book Review: The Chosen One (Grimsley Hollow #1)

★★★★★
Nicole Storey

Age Group: MG/YA
Format:Kindle Edition/ Paperback
File Size: 527 KB
Publisher:Nicole Storey; 1 edition (August 24, 2011)

The Chosen One, the first in the Grimsley Hollow series, tells the story of a young boy named Gage who has autism, loves Halloween, and has no friends. But then he meets Eve, a young witch from the magical world of Grimsley Hollow. But after an evil witch threatens to destroy the safety and peace, Gage and his friends must fight to defeat the evil witch and save Grimsley Hollow.

Let me start by saying that I usually do not read a lot Middle Grade (MG) novels. Mostly because many try to copy the awesomeness of Harry Potter while failing completely. But after reading the summary- and in dire need for a great novel-I bought it on my Kindle-PC, and was not disappointed.

I love Mrs. Storey’s way of description. Her characters- vampires, witches, pixies, dragons, and even a demon doctor- are so fun and crafty I wish I knew each one of them. After tagging along with Gage on his wild adventure filled with mild violence (which is very acceptable in my book) and the joy of friendship, I was craving more when this novel was finished. The fact the Gage was autistic added a charm to the book that few rarely capture. Instead of being helpless, Gage was a hero.

I personally enjoyed this story. Instead of whining that he could not do something, Gage triumphed through magical danger and came out victorious. It not only tells a MARVELOUS story, but sends a message that I think everyone, not just kids can learn: Just because people have special needs, does not mean they are disabled from overcoming difficulties…no matter how magical.

This is a great read for all ages, especially those craving for a book as great as Harry Potter.

Where you can find Nicole Storey:
Facebook: Nicole Storey Fans
Twitter: @Nicole_Storey
GoodReads: The Chosen One
Amazon: The Chosen One: Kindle Edition

I Won A Book Contest! "POSSESS" by Gretchen McNeil

Recently, I entered a contest via http://cjredwine.blogspot.com and won a signed copy of Gretchen McNeil's novel, POSSESS.

Here are some pics:

It was sooo awesome to get this in the mail! Best Friday ever! I have already started POSSESS and I loveeee it! Will post review soon. So, keep an eye out and happy reading!


Check out Gretchen McNeil, CJRedWine and myself on twitter
@JessieKnite
@GretchenMcNeil
@CJRedWine

Elements of a Short Story:

Sorry, I haven’t done a blog post in a while.(Homework does not usually involve reading book and then blogging about them or other stuff :D) But to make it up, here is a little information for writers etc. Remember, I am not a professional-all information below is what I have acquired through English classes etc. and in no way is THE way for writing, etc. (By etc I mean like drawing and stuff, because I find this information a bit helpful for that also.)

Elements of a short story:

Plot: the storyline or actions and events in a story.

Characters: The individuals in a work of fiction. They can be well developed or they can be minor characters about whom we only know 1 or 2 characteristics.

Theme: The meaning of the work of the life lesson the reader should learn after reading the story.

Conflict: The main struggles or the many struggles a character faces; without conflict there is no story.

Point of View: the angle of perception of the from which the narrator tells the story. The POV affects what a reader knows about the characters and the action of the story.

Setting: The location and time in which the story takes place. Sometimes it is simply the backdrop of the story, but sometimes it factions as a character, influencing the meaning or mood of the story.



Look out for more detailed information of each of these literary elements in blogs to come.

Follow me on Twitter @JessieKnite

Like on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessie-Knite/219448461444365

Book Review: Divergent

Veronica Roth

★★★★★

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Hardcover: 496 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

　

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.          During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

  I really enjoyed this novel! After all the hype about it, I bought the book, but I really did not expect all the book had to offer. I had my doubts about it being a thrilling dystopian, but I was proven wrong. With 2011 being the year for YA dystopian novels, some have fallen short. The book lagged in places and I felt at times that I knew what was going to happen (which turned out I was right about the things I guessed on) but Ms. Roth never failed in her writing.

The characters were fun and defiantly beyond the norm in YA fiction. I loved the concept the author portrayed and it showed how afraid people can be and how power is a ruling “drug” in a sense. The was fast pace and almost impossible to put down at times. I loved the heroic and brave qualities of Tris and just all in all the fact that she was no damsel in distress. Facing one’s fears has never been more enjoyable!

Ms. Roth created a world that made it so that I was not reading a story, but living and experience. I loved this story and I can’t wait for the next installment. Let’s hope the movie is just as great!

Before Changes: BIG NOVEL PROJECT

Ok, so here is an excerpt from the original version to my "BIG NOVEL PROJECT" (I'm going to call it that because I've been working really hard on this project, I've gotten so much done, and yet still so much to do). The plot and most of the characters are new and different, but I was looking this over and it made me realize how much your writing can change over time. This really won't give you much about the story, but I hope you like it =D

I really was dreaming. Flying out of my bed, I stood in front of my full length mirror and stared at myself. My auburn brown hair was tousled chaotically about me; my fair skin was flushed; my autumn, honey dark eyes were slightly red from the lack of sleep and I had dark shadows beneath them. My breasts pressed against my t-shirt and I was sure other things were still in place.
Satisfied that everything was were it should be and that my dream really was a dream, I shock my head at my silly checkup. Doves cooed outside my window and peeking out, I saw that the sun was just rising. Perfect, the first day of summer and I get up at the crack of dawn.
I decided to take a shower and head down to breakfast. The sun had risen just enough to cast a deep red glaze over the ocean and it was all mine, for the time being. The best part about living on the beach in Florida, was that I could look at the sun rise and set everyday. It was all mine: the piles of sand, the buried shells, the fading messages in the sand; all mine. All mine until beachgoers arrived and I had to share the serene seascape.
Higher the sun rose and life began to move once again. The red changed into orange, then gold. The sun cast a runway across the ocean, a haloed doorway to heaven. Birds soared along the rich background, peppering the sky in triangular formations. The sun shimmered along the water, baking it rich as butterscotch. The sand lay flat and untouched; a golden tan of wet grains. The wind blew the water softly, spraying the air with a salty mist.
The sun seekers began to swarm the beach and my family also found the ability to hurl themselves out of bed to feed their rumbling stomachs. One by one, they walked sleepily into the sun drenched kitchen. I had just finished my breakfast on the back porch that over looked the beach, when I walked into the kitchen to find bowls of cereal being eaten.
“What are you doing up so early,” Elizabeth, my eldest sister, sneered the words at me. She wasn’t much of a morning person.
“Bad dream,” I said simply, walking over to sit in the stool next to hers. It was the same stool that I had silently claimed as my own since we moved into this house with Peter, our new step dad.
Peter and my mother, Molly, recently got married and were off on their week long honeymoon, which was now three days in. Lizzie, now eighteen, was to take care of my two younger sisters and myself. I was second in line at sixteen, Roxana and Violet were fraternal twins at thirteen.
We all sat on the high stools, descending in age, staring out the glass door to the beach when the strangest feeling rippled through me. It fizzled in my fingertips and tugged at my stomach. A pounding sound hammered in my ear, blotches of black impaired my vision, and it felt like the sun was inside my house. My hands clutched the counter, my body swaying back and forth. A feeling like metal sending vibrations rippling through water, pulsed through my body. Then it stopped; just like that.
The blotches cleared and the pounding stopped. My hands still gripped thecounter, my breathing rushing in and out, making me lightheaded. No one seemed to
notice my minor episode. They each sat there, shoving spoonfuls of cereal into their
mouths, no one even slightly aware that I was hyperventilating.I jumped when my cell phone began to buzz in my pocket. Roxana looked at me like I was crazy. To play off my anxious reaction, I stuck my tongue out at her and reached into my pocket. The screen flashed that I had a text message.
Hey, meet me at the pier? - Nate
Yeah, I’ll be there in a sec. - Addie

“I’m going to the pier.” I said, grabbing my side bag off the couch and slinging it over my shoulder. I checked myself in the hall mirror before I walked back into the kitchen.
“Why?” Lizzie asked, “Meeting someone?” She wiggled her neatly plucked eyebrows, moving it like a wave across her forehead.
“ Yeah,” I said, grabbing a few granola bars and shoved it into my bag, “ Nate.”
“Are you guys dating,” Violet asked, swirling around in her stool.
“No, we’re just friends,” I said
“You’re totally dating,” Roxana said, mimicking Vi by swirling in the same direction until their legs collided and they started to laugh.
“Addie and Nathan sitting in a tree, k-I-s-s-I-n-g . First comes love, then come marriage, then comes a baby in a baby’s carriage,” They sang and danced around, Lizzie laughing at their childish rhymes.
“You know, I’d really like to sit around and have you sing about my nonexistence love life with my best friend, but I gotta go,” I pointed to the glass door and headed in that direction. I could still hear them singing and laughing as I walked down the beach.
My bare feet sunk into the sand and it took some effort to maneuver around all the tanning bodies. The sun was beating down, bathing me in a sheet of perspiration. Hands over my eyes, looking down, I didn’t notice the heavyset woman walking toward me. I had bent down to pick up a shell and when I straightened, her large bust was directly in my face.
“Well, hello, Miss Lysette,” Mrs. Roswell, my old art teacher, was a tall, large, busty old woman with a blond wig that sat on her head in an odd position. She’d fallen in love with my art work in the our resent class and had been trying to get me to join her “Future Artiest of America” club, which I chose to respectfully decline because all the other kids she pulled in were majority talented and looked at me like I drew stick figures instead of the work I really created.
“ Good morning, Mrs. Roswell,” I said looking at her fleshy face.
“Kevin,” she said, looking down at a scrawny boy with bad acne and large glasses who stood beside her, “ This is Anrisella Adeline Lysette, an old student of mine. Talented, this one.” I hated when she pronounced my full name. She looked down at me, then to the boy. I assume an indication to say “hi”.
“ Hello, Kevin,” I said, putting out my hand to him.
“Hello,” Kevin said. He had a nasally voice, something like the dorks sound in cartoons. He took my hand but didn’t know what to do with it. He just held it and I had to bite my lip before I stared to laugh.
“ I have to go,” I took back my hand and stepped back, “ It was nice to meet you Kevin. Mrs. Roswell,” I said, nodding like in an old western movie, and walked off.
The pier was just ahead. People were set all around it, sunbathing, and some were on top, fishing, as far as the pier went. No one was underneath and I knew that was where I’d find Nate. Being best friends since I came to Florida when I was five, now eleven years later, we had a bond that usually forms with close friends. Habitually we could sense when something was wrong and lately I felt like something was wrong. He had left with his parents for a cruise after my parents’ wedding. He wasn’t thrilled by the idea of spending time with them and neither was I.
I found him hiding behind a pillar, covered in darkness. He heard me coming, I made no secret of my approach, and turned around. The bruise around his eye was the visible indication of why both he and I didn’t want him to be around his parents. I’d met them and they seemed perfectly fine to me, but when I leave, they’re not the same. Nathan’s step mom didn’t want him around, so she’d complain and Nate’s dad would hit him.
“ Hey,” he said. He walked toward me hanging his head and tilting it away so I didn’t see the blue and black monstrosity that painted his face.
“ When did you get back,” I asked simply. I didn’t know how I could form the words to ask what his dad did.
“ Last night,” he said, walking next to me and reaching into my bag. I lifted off my shoulder so he could look better. “What did you bring?”
“Granola bars. Peter’s sister, Mary, is coming over later and she says she’ll bring food,” I said. He took out the bar, ripped the green package like a hungry bear, and began to scarf it down. “ Why didn’t you call me? You could have stayed at my house.”
He looked at me while opening another granola bar. “ You would have been asleep,” he said
“So?” I questioned.
“So, I didn’t want to wake you,” he looked down at the sand, decided he’d sit, and plopped on the damp grains. He pat the space next to him without looking at me, consuming another granola bar. “The beach was nice though,” he mused, leaning back on the palms of his hands, “Now I know why you like the beach all to yourself. I used to think you were selfish for saying that it was yours, but now I know why you felt like that. The crashing waves, the serene seascape. It was like heaven. I felt like it was all mine. It was just that beautiful for me. Only me. Then people came.” He looked out onto the sun drenched beach and I looked at him.
I’d never say it to him, but I thought he looked handsome. Except for the bruise he’d filled out and he no longer looked like the dorky kid he once was. At seventeen, he was 5’7”, had a medium build, black eyes, black hair, that was short and tousled, and a light tan that glistened, even in the poor lighting.
He looked strong. His muscled arms and stomach flexed slightly as he breathed, the air expanding his chest. Yet, he wasn’t strong enough; he still had the bruises. He noticed me looking at him and tilted his head to the side. I saw the ugly discoloration and I felt a pang of hurt in my stomach.
“Does it hurt,” I blurted out.
“Not anymore,” he said, looking away again. There was complete silence between us. I looked out through the pillars at the crashing waters. Even though we were silent, the masses sure wasn’t. Kids laughed and threw sand at each other, girls flaunted around in skimpy bikinis with their boyfriends trailing behind. The sun blazed down on the exposed flesh of sun tanners and fisherman on the pier tried to avoid capturing silly beachgoers who wandered to close. It was, all in all, a perfect day to start off the summer.
I looked in the direction of my house and saw my sisters walking around, trying to find a place to settle down to sunbathe. I wanted to go and join them, to take in the summer sun into my skin, but I wasn’t going to leave Nate.
“Let’s go into the sun,” he said, standing up and putting out his hand to help me up.
“But your…” , I trailed off, pointing my finger to my eye and made an invisible circle around it to show that I meant his eye.

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” he waved his hand as if to push away the thought, “It’s summer, let’s go and enjoy it.”

Excerpt from my Novel...Care to Read?

This is a short part in the novel I am currently writing.

This is copyrighted to me. If you would like to reblog etc. please ask my permission FIRST! Email me at butterflydreams1114@gmail.com I will hunt you down if you don't. Ok, enjoy.

Maybe it was my imagination, maybe it wasn’t. No, I’m definitely dreaming. It really is the only explanation for what I was seeing. For surely if I were awake I would not be seeing that of which I were seeing, because if what I was seeing was not a dream, then dreams are what I always see and not what is undreamed for my dreaming eyes to see.

The disfigured clown walked toward me. Its deteriorated naked body was solid white, sexless, and bleeding from its eyes, mouth, ears, and back. There were two arrow shaped cuts on the shoulder blades where it bled profoundly. Its arms were bent in impossible positions; both hands had fingers pointing toward me. Its right arm was wounded several times at the elbow and wrist, the bones jutting out; it rested it on its right hip that was pushing through the skin and look like an armrest. The left arm was raised till the elbow was leveled to the shoulder, it too was severely twisted at the elbow and wrist.
Anchoring just feet from me, it dropped to the ground. One leg spread out right to the side of it, the other held the body from touching the ground. Its bald head had two faces. On one side, on the back of the head, was a face of a happy clown, it makeup in clownish perfection, laughing psychotically . The other, that I had originally been staring at, was a face of a wide mouthed creature that barley looked like a clown. It had hollow black eyes and a mouth that gaped open into a dark abyss. It was crying.
The head best down till its chin touched the bony chest. The laughing clown stopped, and it’s face twisted into itself till it disappeared leaving a blank white head. The crying clown threw back it head and began to scream. My ears burned and I tried to cover them. My eyes shut and I fell to the ground screaming along with the clown. When it stopped, I opened my eyes and it was gone. I sat up and looked around me only to see myself staring back.
Mirrors, that were not there before, were set in a circle around me. My reflection flashed lethal smiles at me. It was not my emotions they reflected. I stood up and stared at each of the faces that looked like mine. Each shook its head when my eyes flitted over them and nodded at the one next to it.
Round and round my head turned. Tears began to stream down my face. My arms started to twist at the elbows and wrist, my hair began to fall to the now bloody floor. My clothing fell to the floor and I saw my flesh began to shrink till you could plainly see my bones.
My eyes hollowed out and my mouth dropped open into a gaping black hole. My skin lost it color and I was paper white. I looked into the mirrors and saw what I knew I would see. I was now the disfigured clown. Naked, paper white, sexless, and bleeding from my hollow eyes, ears, and gaping mouth. I could feel my blood running hot down my back. It leaked from my shoulders, flooding down my back. My arms were twisted in strange positions, pointing at the image that looked at me but was not me. Strange, overwhelming emotions surged inside me and my head bent till it touched my deteriorating chest. A laughing face was attached to the back of my head. Something pulled at my stomach, sucking me into sever pain; the laughing clown stopped. I threw back my head and began to scream.

Ok, let me know what you think :)