The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
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A Friendship for Today - Patricia McKissack

A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Realistic Fiction

Image result for a friendship for todayBlurb (on back of book): Spirited twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson is about to make history. She is among the first African-American students in her town to enroll in what had once been an all-white school. Rosemary is ready for the challenge, but when her best friend is suddenly diagnosed with polio, she must face the frightening first day of school alone.
Stares and whispers follow Rosemary wherever she goes, and the worst offender is Grace Hamilton, a girl who makes no secret of both her and her family's racism. But as the school year progresses, and Rosemary struggles with her parents' rocky marriage, she forges a most unlikely friendship with, of all people, Grace Hamilton herself.
From award-winning author Patricia McKissack, this gripping, lyrical, and important book reminds us of the power friendship has to transcend all barriers.

 MY OPINION: *****

This book was amazing!

I feel like I always start my posts with that sentence. But it is so true for this book!!!!!

This book was an incredible whirlwind of adventure. I loved reading it! It was a total cliff-hanger, and definitely one that keeps you reading till the end. I finished this book in two days, but it was still a memorable book.

This book was one that stuck with me. It was a real eye-opener and I think that it really makes it easier for readers, especially kids, to understand how integration of African-American people, and white people caused many problems, though it did help greatly in the long run. It also helps to see how people felt about this new change in life.

Rosemary is a strong character. She makes mistakes like any other ten-year-old child, but she forges through her mistakes, and tries to make everything right. She is only a child, so she doesn't fully understand why integration has to happen: she liked being in an all African school. But Rosemary is a determined and brave little girl, who has to brave new changes all alone, what with her best friend being sick, and her parents having issues.

There was this one part in the book, which was really sad. A group of bullies say very rude things to Rosemary. This almost made me cry as I read about how unfair people, even ten-year-old girls, can be to other people because of their own personal prejudices. I think that we should never judge someone by how they look!

Please please please share this book with your friends, family, etc. A Friendship for Today really brings out a strong message that most people take for granted in this new world. I think that what you can understand from this book is that you need to treat everyone as equals!

 TREAT EVERYONE AS EQUALS

 Overall, I would recommend this book to EVERYBODY, so please share it with people you know!!!!!

Main Character: Rosemary Patterson
Sidekick(s): Grace Hamilton, JJ, Estelean, Kevin, Stuart, etc
Villain(s): Racism, change, etc
Historical/Realistic Fiction Elements: This books takes place in the 1950-60s and has real places and events. It is entirely fictional, except for settings and some of the general events. It can happen in real life (or it did), but it does not necessarily mean that it will.

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