The final final final post is awesome

Now we finally have read the whole book. From the beginning to the end both Matt and Ursula have changed. And it's all because the bomb-rumour. Ursula get more self-confident, and goes from "ugly girl" to Ursula.  Matt then, he gets smarter, and don't laugh before he really understand why. The book ends with a kiss...

This was the last post on this blogg. Don't cry too much  we'll be back ;)

Matt becomes an "Ugly boy", p 57-130

As we alredy knew, Matt is being accused for wanting to blow up the entire school and gets suspended for atleast three days while the investigation continues. But Ursula gets enough and since she heard and saw what Matt really said and did, she goes to the principal to tell him about it. When the principal dosen't really wants to belive her, she calls in a friend who heard it to and with two witnesses the police has no other option then to put down the investigation, clear Matt and try to repair the damage they've done. But everything is still not ok...
Matt is no longer the happy, funny student he used to be. He's almost not "Matt Donaghy" anymore, he's an outsider, an outcast. His friends dosen't want to talk to him anymore and most of the students at Rocky River High is ignoring him, probably of fear to get dragged into the whole mess. Even Ursula ignores him, but of fear for her own emotions. She's starting to feel very weird about Matt and of course "Ugly girl" can't fall in love. Especially not in Matt Donaghy!

The book is kind of predictable in a way, you could almost see surten things happening. Ursula becomes Matt's knight in shiny armor; the strong stands up for the weak. The popular boy becomes an outcast; the outcast girl gets friends and probably they will fall in love later on. Or at least I think so.

The story isn't told by any of the caracters, but it shifts between Ursula's and Matt's perspective so you understand them both. The narrator is someone unknow. Becouse of this the story is kind of seen from above in a way, I don't really know how to describe it. Maybe the book would be better if the caracters were the ones to tell the story...

The message of the book... I agree with the others about their theory; that it's about friendship and learning who your true friends are, but I also think there's a message that "Lonely is strong" ("Ensam är stark" in swedish) and that being alone maybe isn't always horrible. Even if Matt was surronded with friends he can get by without them and Ursula has been managing it so far. But sure, it is nice with friends. Hihi.

Chao for now, again/Ellen og
(P.S. If I write my name in purple, I'm cool. D.S)

Book talk 3

I think the words and sentences are good written since the actual text isn´t supposed to contain “slang words”. That would make the impression wrong. You wouldn’t want to read a whole book with only slang words. But when they talk or in the emails it can be more “talk-language”, there is a difference because usually when you talk you doesn´t say the words correct or use real words. Therefor there is “text-language” and “talk-language”. I think the author have written a good text with the different sorts of text and the emails is really good, just like teenagers write to each other today. I agree with Frida about that Matt writes a little bit more properly than Ursula. I think that the text is pretty easy but there are some different words.

The most memorable scene for me is the first one when the detectives pick Matt up. I think it was very good since it caught my attention, made me want to read more, and really started the story well.

Friendships and Email conversation

I don't think the author have made some kind of research or spent so much energy of studing the language of teenagers today. Or maybe, The author have choose this kind of old-fashioned language to make it all more serious. It’s a serious situation, therefor this kind of language. Why I think it’s so old fashioned is because of the fact that it’s no kind of “slang” words, except “fag” one of the “big boys” yells at him in the “fight”, in the text. 

I think the language, both form Ursula and Math are a little bit to “beautiful” written and it’s all very vocabulary. So, I don’t  get  the feeling  that these teenagers are about the same age as me. Because, I don’t think this is different in the U.S, like the American kids would be like more educated than Swedish teenagers. Instead I think it is the opposite! Haha, maybe because I, myself, is a Swedish teenager.

When I read Maths and Ursulas email/chatt conversation I find myself in this opinion. Very beautiful  vritten and almost no slang words. I prefer this instedt of all all the modern American slang I don’t know about. 

When I read Maths last letters to Ursula I understood all of maths behavior and actions. He tells Ursula his deepest thoughts and that’s very brave and very emotionaly scene I think. The boy who all people hated and avoid shows he’s feelings for a person in a kind of same situation and they both understand. Maybe Ursula don’t have the same cabability as Math to write down her thoughts, But I think Ursula maybe feel that Math puts down her words to. Like Math says the unspoken words both for himself and for “Ugly girl”.

Memorable scenes and languages

Most memorable scene

In some reason I like the scenes with Matt and his dog, Pumpkin. I do not know why, but I like it. Pumpkin is a golden retriever bitch, not a bitch as a bad ass; of course I mean a female dog. Pumpkin is always happy and can mostly cheer Matt up. Since Pumpkin wore a retriever she liked to hunt. Sometimes Matt felt guilty because he was not a hunter. To make the best of the situation Matt used to throw Frisbees and sticks to her to catch.

A golden retriever dog. http://www.multimedia.skolverket.se/scripts/view/bildarkiv.asp?i=21766

The language in the book

It is not that much old fashion words slang in the book. It is quite easy to read, not that much hard words or long sentences. But in the book there sometimes is email-dialogues and there is a huge different in mails that Matt send to Ursula to the emails Ursula send to Matt. Matt writes properly with whole sentences and spell his words correct. Ursula does not care as much as Matt about the way she writes.

Ursula and Matt, p. 1-56

Hmm, how to describe Matt and Ursula...
Let's start with Matt Donaghy. Matt's a boy, obviously. He's sixteen, a junior at Rocky River High and a good student. Matt is somewhere in the middle of everything; he's not popular but well liked, he's not the best-looking guy but he is still pretty cute and so on. For those who dosen't know him, he can be a lot of things; a "Big mouth", a ladies-man or a computer geek but to his friends he's just a nice and funny guy. There is also a deeper seriousness inside of him but he dosen't show it in fear of beeing seen as a weirdo. Matt has freckles and a quick smile.

Ursula then...
Ursula Riggs is Matts exact oposite; she's a looner by choice, defines her self as "Ugly girl", has a very harsh sense of humor and a laugh that dosen't invite anyone to join in. "Ugly girl" so afraid of getting hurt or betrayed that she dosen't want any friends and she sees her self like a "Warrior woman" for being without. The rest of the school sees her in different ways; some admirer her for being so strong and lonely but most of the students almost despise her for being so special. Even her family is divided; her sister secretly looks up too her, her dad is inpressed and her petit mum seems kind of disapointed that her daughter didn't turn out like her. Ursula is really good in school when she wants to, but on many exams and test "Ugly girl/Warrior woman" takes over and she just quits or leaves. Sports is her favorite and when she's in the game, she's is REALLY in the game, not paying attention to the world around her. "Ugly girl" has different moods, there's "Fireing Red" wich is her aggressiv game mood and there is "Inky Black" wich is almost like a depression. Ursula is tall, robust and, according to me, not very pretty.

Chao for now
/ellenog

Big mouth takes a break.

In the beginning of the story, as I wrote about in my first post, Math was a positive person and a guy who always thought the best of everything and everyone. But, who can survive this kind of accusation in a good mood?

When the "bomb threat case" was over for the cops was this just the beginning for Math. In school, his so called "friends" stopped talking to him, no one spoke to him at all in fact. I don’t think it was because they were afraid that Math would bomb them, they were ashamed! They were not ashamed of their friendship with Math or something like that, they were ashamed for their own behaviour when Math needed his friends the most. That's my thought anyway. 

At this point, when no one cared about Math he started to harden! His attitude to the teacher was no longer the happy, funny Math. It was a bitter, aggressive and a totally new Math. I think this attitude appears because of his loneliness and he's helpless situation. I understand Maths anger and I feel for him. I would probably develop the same sort of behaviour if I was in that kind of situation.

Ursula, who I just thought was a heartless bitch shows a caring side of herself. I think accualy Ursula is the one who make the school and the cops to stop this false accusation. Ursula make a really stupid desition when she's trying to help Math I think. She can be put in registers but despite that, Ursula, who don’t even know Math in fact, takes a fight for him.

Like Lisa wrote, "That you should think about who your real friends are." I also think that’s a hidden message from the author and it is a little bit of the books purpose, to get people to think about false and real friendship. Something like "how do you know who your real friends are and are you so sure about that?".  Sometimes you’re friends appear were you at last expect them to be. To think of, The first impression you get of a human is necessary not the right one.