Welcome!
Thank you for visiting! This blog is just for YOU--eighth graders and your teachers at Gettys Middle School. Please use it for discussing the Readers' Choice Award nominees--your thoughts, your reactions, your responses. Feel free to write about your likes and dislikes among this year's selections.
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Just Listen: A Novel
When Annabel, the youngest of three beautiful sisters, has a bitter falling out with her best friend-the popular and exciting Sophie-she suddenly finds herself isolated and friendless. but then she meets Owen-a loner, passionate about music and his weekly radio show, and always determined to tell the truth. And when they develop a friendship, Annabel is not only introduced to new music but is encouraged to listen to her own inner voice. with Owen's help, can Annabel find the courage to speak out about what exactly happened the night her friendship with Sophie came to a screeching halt?
This book was amazing!!! It related to so much of my life and I loved reading it. There was so much anticipation and description and I just enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to read some more books by this author and would totally recommend this booke to someone else!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. This book was amazing and very descriptive. The ending was one of my favorite parts; I loved all the characters and really related to Annabel overall. I look forward to reading other books by Sarah Dessen and would absolutely recommend this book to someone else.
DeleteI started to read this book and I found it hard to follow. What I read, I couldn't really relate to. Maybe I hadn't read enough of it to relate to it so maybe I might give it another chance. The way the author wrote it made it kind of confusing for me to understand. I am not saying you should never read this book, you might or might not like it. You never know until you try.
ReplyDeleteActually I found this book to be an easy read and I related to it almost exactly.
DeleteI thought this book was really good and that a lesson learned from Annabel was "In the everything will work out and if it doesn't, then its not over." I recommend this book for everyone.
ReplyDeleteH2 Honeycutt-
DeleteYes, I agree with you on the theme, (the central idea which unifies the whole work). I loved how Owen forced Annabel to believe that even though she didn't want to. I like how the theme can even be used outside the book as well. It is definitely something that can be used in all aspects of life.
I thought this book was alright. It was really predictable and although it had a good plot, it was not a very challenging read. I really liked Annabel and how she learned from Owen that although it's bad right now, it won't be bad forever. Owen also taught her to love music and "respect it" which I thought was funny. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book but it was okay.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree with you on the fact that it was predictable. Events in the book that reveal the reasons why she acts like she does and says the things she does most definitely were a huge shock for me.
DeleteI disagree with W1Goodwin. I didnt think the book was predictable at all! I was very suprised in most parts of the book!
DeleteAt first I thought this book was going to be a girly book. I thought to myself "Oh I wouldn't like this at all." When I found myself in an "I need to something long to read over the weekend" situation I grudgingly checked it out (as it was the biggest book I hadn't already read). AS I got farther and farther into the book I got more and more into it. I found myself relating with many of the characters and situations so easily. Mrs. Dessen's characters were so relatable and seemed so real. The way Mrs. Dessen wrote about music was absolutely amazing. As a "band geek" I have a huge appreciation for the amazing and pretty accurate descriptions of what music is to some people. The suspense in this book was not overwhelming, but it was well done. This book was an easy read, but a good one, which I enjoyed very much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with W2Willis. It was very easy to relate to on a personal level. I had picked this book up thinking it was going to be to much drama in one book, but it was well thought out and put together nicely. I can't wait to read another book by Sarah Dessen.
DeleteI loved this book! I enjoyed looking at situations through the prospective of Annabel Greene. I love how her family and Annabel faced hard times but were able to overcome them. I love romance in the books I read, and this also had that as well. I will defiantly check out some more of Sarah Dessen's books. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book; the situations that Annabel went through were very relatable for me personaly. The book was so descriptive that I thought I was expirencing what was happening. I also liked the ending because it leaves you knowing, but not knowing what is going on between Annabel and Owen. It almost left you to imagine what would happen for yourself.
ReplyDeleteThis book is one of the best books I have read. I loved the relationship between Annabel and Owen. It was one of my favorite things about "Just Listen." I also loved Owen's passion for music and how he expresses it. It was really easy to relate to the characters in this book, and just to the book in general. I found myself not able to put the book down. I really recommend it.
ReplyDeleteThis book is probably my favorite one out of all the books I read. I can really relate to Owen and his passion for music. I thought having a relationship build between Annabel and Owen made the book even greater! Although sometimes I just wanted to scream at Annabel for being so stubborn, I would still recommend this book to everybody I know.
ReplyDeleteAs a band student, I have learned to appreciate and love many types of music. The love Owen has for these types of music is odd to me because didn't think the meaning it has to him was expressed very well. Most of the time, music is a way of relaxing. I think it was for his anger management, but he never really said why this type of music impacted his life. You may not agree but the lack of explaination really downgraded my read. But other than that, Annabel's journey and Owen's guidance really made this a really great book. I'm a sucker for romance, and the romance in this book was intruiging. I could relate to this book. I got very emotional with Whitney's story. Heartbreaking.I defintely recommend this book. Great read. I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThis book was an outstanding book. I loved the realationship between Owen and Annabel. I also liked that the author added whitneys story about her eating disorder into the book. At the end of the book it go it got a little slow and it was hard to finish the last coupple of chapters. Owens love for music really related to me because outside of school I listen to music almost 24/7. I would still give this book a 5 because for most of the book it kept you entertained.
ReplyDeleteI also listen to music all of the time, W1Lamb, and I think it helped me to connect to the book better because of Owen. I also agree with you that I would give this book a five because I loved it so much. I agree that the relationship between Annabel and Owen was really cute. Lastly, I think it was crucial to add Whitney's eating disorder in the book and it was inspiring to know that she got better at the end of the story.
DeleteI completely agree W1Lamb. The book was absolutely amazing! I love Owens passion for music. I dance so music is also a big part of my life. When reading this book I didn't want to put it down. I was extremely surprised by what she did in the ending. I would give this book a 5 and recommend that you read it if you have not.
DeleteI thought that this book was one of the best books I've ever read. It was absolutely amazing from start to finish, and I'm definitely going to have to look at other works by this fantastic author. One of my favorite things about this book was that it was very realistic and all the things that occurred could actually happen in real life. The characters were so real and perfect with the flow of events. I also loved how it taught a bit of a lesson too. Annabel had the life that everyone dreams about.She then went through life-changing events that caused everything to become different. Sarah Dessen also helped us get a view on the importance of being grateful for all the little things. Similar to “don't judge a book by its cover”, you can't judge a person you don't know. This book really helps show that anything can happen, but everything happens for an important reason. I loved how one of the biggest themes was music. In my opinion, just like this book states, music will always be there for you even if someone else isn't. Another thing to always remember is that you have to learn to sometimes save your words and just listen.
ReplyDeleteI agree w1mclaughlin this book proves that anything can happen, and not matter what happens, it was for a reason.
DeleteThis book is fantastic and an easy read too! I really saw the decisions she made in order to where she is now in the book. At first in the book I was so confused, but then I got towards the middle I couldn't stop reading. Oh my gosh, I love this book! I especially loved how the book had a little passion for music in it. It really related to my love for music. This is a must read.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this book! I especially loved the two characters Annabel and Owen. Owen was very passionate about music which I can relate too even though he listened to a lot of different types of music than I do. The climax of the story was really interesting because I wasn't expecting what Annabel was hiding from everybody and why she stopped being friends with Sophie. Speaking of, Annabel faced a a lot of internal conflict throughout the book and I was glad Annabel was able to speak up about it once she met Owen. I was also very glad that this book had a happy ending and I think a lot of people would enjoy this book!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book. When I first read the plot I thought it was going to be cheesy, girly, and not enjoyable. I was obviously proved wrong from the very start. This book shows real problems that teens, and families, face everyday. Annabel's family faced hardships that most would be scared to talk about and overcame them. I also loved watching Annabel and Owen's relationship unfold. They started out as complete opposites, but ended up connecting on a special level. The main thing I loved was the fact the Annabel was able to accept and overcome the problems she faced throughout the book. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone.
ReplyDeleteThis book was so good. While I was reading it, I didn't want to stop. I like that the author explained in detail the problems her family members had. I also loved Owen passion for music! I love music too because I am a dancer. I was surprised but happy about the ending. I give the book a 5 and recommend reading it if you have not.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this book! Most people say its too long, but I really didn't mind because of how great the book was. This book has some really good life lessons that could apply to anyone. The title of the book kind of tells you the main lesson. I loved reading about Annabel's life and her growing as a person. I also really enjoyed reading about Annabel and her "boy" getting to know each other. Every good story has to have some type of love. I wouldn't tell guys to read this book though. I think this book would make guys real uncomfortable. They probably wouldn't even pick it up because of the cover. On the other hand, it's a great read for girls even if you don't like predictable books...
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down, because little by little Annabel started to unravel. I actually feel like I connected to Annabel, and Owen. Annabel keeping up her "little" lies, and Owen's appreciation for music. Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite writers, her books have actually helped me in my life.
ReplyDelete