Sunday, December 23, 2007

W5 B(145-190)

Dear Carl Deuker,

Mick has recently begun using sterroids and is hooked upon the wrong path. I really enjoyed the way that you give Mick fierce anger and depression to really make us readers feel his anger and depression. It is clear to me now that sterroids really can harm you in numerous ways, apart from the zits and boobs. The first bieng income. Mick has been spending every last penny that he's earned on the new D-bol and later, "the stack" (which was even more expensive). He has no money at all to really liesurly spend with his friends and have fun with. When Kaylee and the others wanted to enter the volleyball competition for 50 dollars, Mick refused to pay because all of his money is going to the gym trainer for the sterriods.The second way its affecting him apart from the physical traits is he os losing his freinds and social life. He has no time to hang out due to his intense workout plan and gym times, and when he does hang out, he is afraid to even take his shirt off because of his new appearance with the zits and enlarged breasts. Overall, i think you give an excellend viewpoint to readers about Micks new problems without even stating them. Thank you very much for this great read thus far.

Sincerely,

Teen Reader Arman

W5 A (145-190)

Vocab:

1) Augsiliary (pg.167): Additional, supplemental
2) Queer (pg 184): Strange or odd.

Figurative Language:

1)"Mick with these supplements You will progress like a rocket" (pg 150)(similie), compares with like
2)" You need to be the rainmaker Mick, not DeShawn, you!" (pg 167) (personification) People cant make rain.
3)"Mick a coach to an athelete who abuses themselves is a helpless lion tamer..." (pg187)(metaphor) Compares without using as or "like."

Quote

"Look, sooner or later youre gonna' find out so you may as well find out from me, those protien supplements and all will do a bit, but the D-bol is the ticket. Listen to the word, testicle, testostirone, they are born to be together. It wont harm you to add to your body what it is already producing." (pg 178)

This quote shows the gym coaches attitude towards Mick. Clearly he isnt getting the results he wants so the coach puts him on D-Bol, or sterriods.

Theme:

Failure, Mick is going into downfall and depression from taking the sterriod supplements more and more. He wants to get huge, at the cost of zits and man boobs. He is embarrased in public, especially around Kaylee, his crush.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

W4 B (pgs101-145)

Dear Carl Deuker,

I've just finished reading pages 101-145. In your novel Gym Candy, I've begun to realize that ever since Mick turned sixteen, he has really began to mature. I very much enjoy the fact that you allow Mick's Dad to treat him very different after his sixteenth birthday. I first realized that his Dad was going to treat him differently when at his birthday party his Dad said you will get your present from me later. The present was the Jeep taht he had owned for about fifteen years and he'd just taught Mick how to drive it. Then when he took Mick to the shooting range to fire his first gun, I further realized that Mick is no longer a child. The way you have Mick's father treat him really forshadows the kind of situations Mick will soon be getting into. Mick purchased a couple of boxes of expensive protein powders and performance enhancing vitamins and minerals which he will be taking in appropriate amounts along with weight lifting to bulk up for next season considering that he's been bumped to starting running back. Now Mick is beginning to discover that that may not be all he needs to keep up with the other players in the other team. According to some players on his team, many players in other schools are using steroids. I really like the way you've layed out Mick's character thus far. He's much unlike his Dad, he's a very responsible young man that seems to me like he's the kind of guy who knows his limits. It will be interesting to me to find out if he does give into the steroids or not. I really hope he doesn't because he is a good kid and i know he is smarter than that. This novel is quite intriguing thus far and I'm excited to keep on reading.

Sincerely, your reader,

Arman Shahriar

W4 A (pgs101-145)

Vocab:

1) Aspiration (pg. 104): strong desire
2) Omnipotent (pg. 132): almighty in power

Figuraive Language:

1) "Mick would you please gun those passes, i know you're not a qb and all.." (pg 102)(personification) passes cant be gunned
2) "Jesus Christ should I have known that two days sooner i would have kicked the old hags ass like a cougar on a gazelle"(pg133) (similie) compares using word "like."
3) "Shwham went the tv flying down the stairs" (pgs 123-1240 (onomatopoeia) makes sound in real life.

Quote:

"...im tellin ya you can lift all you want, but that ain't gonna do nothin'. This I can guarantee results with just a bit of excersize." (pg 137)

This quote really sums it all up until this point in the book. Mick has movd up to starting running back and needs to bulk up in the offseason. This quote is prettymuch the start of his research and experience with perforacne inhancing things. Now this particular one is talking about protion shakes and capsules. But it will soon get more intense.

My newest emerging theme is strongly DISCIPLINE. mick is getting to the point that he really needs to make the choice between working hard and succeeding or half assing it and takins supplements of enhancers. His discipline will furthermore show throughout the novel.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

W3 B (pgs.68-100)

Dear Carl Deuker,

I am a teenage reader of your novel Gym Candy at Edina High School, and i just finished reading pages 68-100 of the novel. I think the way you portrayed Mick Johnson in these 30 pages was phenominal. He progresed so much in so little time and it was only due to his hard work and effort. Also, i really enjoy the way you include his father in the novel. At the beginning he seemed like this "ultra-cool" dad that no one could ever resist, and a huge sucess with football and life in general. But as the book went on I (even before you layed it out in front of me) realiezed that this guy must have done something wrong in his life, and Mick finds that out as well. He had a major attitude problem that had caused him to get into alot of trouble and eventually booted off the San Diego Chargers. Mick seems to "look down" on his dad for a while after finding that out, but his head pops right back up once he makes the Varsity team at Foothill (which I thought was geneous of you to keep the flow of the book going and not lag about the simple topic of his dad). Mick as you have portrayed him in the last 30 or 40 pages ive read has come across as very different from his dad in that he is an extremely hard worker and wont ever give up/ say what the coach wants him to do is unnecesary. He worked his way up to started (partially due to Drager's problem and the trouble he got into)(Drager is the starting running back). Now around page 90 you made Mick fail in scoring that winning touchdown which is a major turning point. I see the way you are going, you are making us (the readers) feel his pain in not being as strong as the other varsity players, and wanting to get stronger, which in my opinion is going to lead to steriods, but that is only for me to find out.

Great novel thus far...

Yours Truly,

Reader Arman Shahriar

W3 A (pgs.68-100)

Vocab:

1) Agitated (pg 80): excited;disturbed. To move of force into a violent, irregular action.
2) Stingier (pg 93): relictant to give or spend; not generous.

Figurative Language:

1) "Like a lion spots its prey across the sahara, i spotted that endzone." (similie) because it compares two things using the word "like."
2) ""eeehhh", sounded the halftime buzzer and I was in deep shock that this game was still within our reach." (onomatopoeia) the sound eeehhh acutally "sounds like it sounds."
3) "I am the new cheetah and my legs need to work like a cheetahs now that i am starting. If only i had more time to lift a bit more, bulk up..." (metaphor) "i am the new cheetah" human's can't be a cheetah. Comparing without using like or as.

Quote:

"And then I was down. I looked at the ball, looked at my hands stretched out as far as I could reach. I was twelve inches short."

Mick Johnson has worked his way up to starting running back for Foothill high and is appearing at his first start this night. He struggled a bit in the beggining of the game but then caught his groove and eventually broke out for a touchdown. They are playing the best team in the league. Last play of the game, he was tackled right before scoring (12 inches shy) and was humiliated for getting leveled by that linebacker. This quote sums up his feelings after the play.

The most recent emerging theme, I could say right now, is strength. Mick is realizing that he needs to be stronger in order to suceed on this team and without the right strength he'll never be able to do anything in the red zone. He needs that extra bulk and he is starting to look for ways to get it.