Blog post # 3

I just started reading a new book, called Grist, by Heather Waldorf. I'm on about the thirtieth page, and yet know alot about my main character, Char. This is the first book I've ever read where any charcter has the same nickname as myself, although Char's full name is Charlena where as mine is Charlotte. I know for a fact, Char is stubborn. At one point in the book, Char is called into her english teacher's, Mr Pollen, to discuss her grades. Char is an amazing writer, but does not reach to achieve what she truley can, which affects her marks. In the text Mr. Pollen is desperately trying to get Char to redo her assignment, because he knows she can do better, but she does not want to do so and over reacts. Referrig to the text on pages eight and nine of my book, it says this.

Mr Pollen thrust the assingment back at me. " I realize that classes are over, but my final grades won't be submitted until next Friday. You have a week to redeem yourself. Just slide the revised assignment through my mail slot at home."

"And what if I don't?'

"You'll get a C-minus. And that, Charles, won't be a mystery, it will be a tradgedy."

"That sir," I shouted, gesturing at my pathetic assignment, " is the best I can do!!"

From what I've learnt so far, sixteen year old Char, lost her mother when she was young, and she lives with her father. Her best friend, has gone to Australia for the summer, her dad will be away for the summer working out of town,so she's left with three options for her summer. Option one would be to go to be a summer camp counseler at a camp that doesn't pay their staff, option two would be to go spend the summer in Toronto with her father's plastic girlfriend, or her last option would be to go spend the summer at her Grandmother's cottage up on Lake Ringrose. None of these options tickle her fancy, so she has not  been the happiest person in the world lately. She is jealous of all the others her age who get to spend their time tanning by the pool.

I think Char will end up deciding on spending her summer with her Gradmother because she did not seem pleased in the slightest to go spend time with her father's girlfriend at all. Char referred to her as Botox Barb, making me think she doesn't have a liking to her. The second option would have been to go to be a summer counseler at a camp. She seemed to hate this idea more because she wouldn't get paid and she does not want to spend her summer babysitting whining children. Which leaves the final option of going to visit her Grandmother. I'm sure she'll be sour at first, because none of these option are how she intened to spend her summer, but once she gets settles at Lake Ringrose, I'm sure she'll enjoy the peace and quiet, and beautiful scenery.  I think this will effect Char because her whole summer (and the whole story) will now be about her going up to her Grandma's into a remote part of Canada and sending two months there. Obviously, the plot would get a little dry if all the story was about was Char visiting her Grandmother. So I think, Char will find something to do, or someone to preoccupy herself with that will cause suspense and drama within the text. From looking at the cover, and reading the back of the book, it seems as if when Char gets to the cottage, she'll go on a out trip. I think this partially because the cover of the book shows Char at the lake looking very nature like, with her hair all over the place, and she looks wild. From my own experience of going on a five day out trip, I know that you begin to look wild after the first two days. From the text on the back of the book, I can also infer from that she may be going on an outrip.