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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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Trash
In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three "dumpsite boys" make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It's up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat-boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money-to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.
"Trash" is probably my favorite book I have ever read. It reminds me of how corrupt the world is, by what the Vice President does in the story, and all of the bribing that goes on.
ReplyDeleteTrash is an amazing book that will make you ask so many questions, I would highly recommend it to anyone even people that aren't doing Reader's Choice. This book has so many riddles and even an awesome code inside. This book will leave you shocked so many times
ReplyDeleteI found this book very enjoyable to read and I'd recommend it to anybody. I feel as though the plot and sequence of events was all to predictable. There was no plot twist and the only remote plot twist wasn't even that exciting and led nowhere (for those who have read it, I'm talking about Pia Dante).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the ending of the book. It wasn't very exciting compared to the rest of the book. Pia Dante didn't really add much to the story.
DeleteI agree with you W3Turner. The end of the book was terrible compared to the rest of the story. Pia Dante didn't add much to the story. But other than that, the book was great!
DeleteAnd I agree with you as well, W2Bomar, Pia Dante was a bit of a confusion but I suppose her "special" thing that she contributed was the ultimate goal of the boys. Still though, her presence was unneccessary and irrelevant. I did however enjoy the ending, especially the imagery that went into it.
DeleteTrash is a fantastic read the plot is well built and the characters are anything but boring. The author ,Andy Mulligan , definitely knows how to create suspense and keep you interested throughout the narrative. My only concern is about the ending it is very vague and seemed rushed. Other than the previous issue it was a magnificent read.
ReplyDeleteThis book was extremely amazing. It has an extreme amount of detail, and that's what I look for in books. I can't stand those dull unsuspenseful books, and this book was nothing like that. It was greatly suspenseful and kept you on edge. There were many delightful parts and I loved this book. So many plot twists!
ReplyDeleteTrash is a great book it has something that many other boooks cant achieve Captavation. It had me reading from the time I picked it up until the time I finished the book. I would recomend this book to someone that doesn't like just any old book.
ReplyDeleteTrash is an incredible book. If you like mysteries you should read this book. It is full of suspense and mystery. In this book you never know whats going to happen. Reading this book kept me on my toes because of all the excitment. Although, this book could get confusing at times, not know who the narrator was or whose point of view the story was being told,but overall this book is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. At the beginning of each chapter, it said the character's name that would be narrating. If i ever forgot, I just looked to the first page of the chapter.
DeleteYes, your right, at the beginning of each chapter it did say who was speaking. Although at the end of the book, in one of the chapters it was adding in people, left and right. As well as you though, I also had to look at the first page of the chapter several times.
DeleteI half way agree with W2Hayes. "Trash" was a great book but it was very unsuspenceful in certain parts. Part 4 was the best part and was very suspenceful because they were so close to finding the money, but part 1 was boring because it just told who everyone was, and what they found.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this story was a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. It starts out making sense when Raphael was telling the story, but after that, I got lost. At least 3 or 4 times I had to go back and read a chapter again. Also, I think the story would have been more enjoyable if the narrator was the same person throughout the book. Although, the suspense did make up for the changing narrators.
ReplyDeleteI loved every suspenseful second of this book! The suspense it created made the book have an amazing plot and required you to make an image in your mind. A good example of a very suspenseful moment is when Raphael first finds the money and the cops come to question him. I believe this book had a great effect on me emotionally also. It really touched my heart to see and basically experience how hard some people's lives are.
ReplyDeleteI liked "Trash" a lot, but the ending wasn't that good. There could have been more added about Rat, but it wasn't a bad ending. The part that took the longest was the beginning, but it sped up, and it was very suspenseful in the quiet classroom during PASS.
ReplyDeleteFrom the moment I read the description of Trash, I knew I HAD to read it first. Trash, in my opinion, was the best R.C. book in the library. It has it all: action, suspence, emotion, great characters, and an amazing plot. The struggle of three boys who live in trash, work in trash, and who are treated like (you guessed it) trash, is an inspiring story of overcoming fate, police brutality, and corrupt government officials to bring the money stolen by a corrupt and greedy man, and freedom, back to the people of their city and country.
ReplyDeleteThis book is trash! All kidding aside, I really enjoyed this book because of how great the protagonists were. The narrator shifts dozens of times between Raphael, Gardo, and Rat, not to mention all the side characters. I found it hard to believe how brutal the police were interrogating Raphael, and relentlessly chasing the boys through the streets.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you, W2McMahon, about how the police treated the boys. They were just children, and I kind of felt that the author didn't have to put in that much detail. Even though, I felt like I was right beside Raphael when he was being interrogated. It was horrifying!
DeleteW2McMahon, I nearly cried when I read the part at the police station. Every time I think about it, I wonder if police there are really like that. It also makes me want to ask the author how he got the idea of writing a book so emotionally devastating. I try to picture myself in his position, every time feeling even more crushed.
DeleteThis book was extremely well written. The author, Andy Mulligan, used the element of suspense to capture the readers attention. Aso, I loved the character Rat. He may have been a poor, homeless boy without any schooling, but he really was smart. I would reccomend this book to anyone that likes an adventerous mystery book.
ReplyDeleteTrash really gives you a feeling of what the life of poverty is like. Andy Mulligan really used this story to teach a lesson that just because your poor doesnt mean you dont have the wits. My favorite character was Rat.... I love how secretive he can be. This book really gave a image in my mind of what the dumpsite looked like and even gave me a feeling of what it smelled like at the dumpsite. I would definitely recommend this book, it really opens your eyes.
ReplyDeleteNot one of my favorites I would have to say, at times it felt like the characters where on a rail and doing things pre-determined and that really took away from feel of being on the run with the usual uncertainty that SHOULD come with it. However that was my only real complaint with this book, besides a few nit picks this story was amazing, the character were diverse and so where the settings, however unrealistic they may be. There was the constant fear of being caught (even though it's not as strong as it should be) but you could always count on the boys' ingenuity and cunning to allow them to escape. If you enjoy the action genre with that little bit of mystery and suspense and don't mind unrealistic settings and the drawn out feel I would recommend this book, however since I didn't enjoy as well and think the flaws it has could have been fixed I'm giving this a 6/10.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, W1Wilson, it felt like all of the characters actions were zalready planned out before they did them. It was a pretty good book, though.
DeleteTo be honest, this book was a little confusing. Then when I finally understood what was going on, it gets boring and I know what will happen next. Once the boys figured out what to do they didn't run into any problems or conflicts, they just followed the "trail" left for them.
ReplyDeleteHa Ha very funny W2McMahon, but I must agree on one thing and that the protagonists and its was the brutal reality that most third world situations have meaner than average protagonist. I mean they would have to because they live in a horrible living situation, for crying out loud, most of the population is living in the trash or begging to go to jail for decent food and shelter. And the people who is taking advantage of this crisis are even bafoons then anyone could have ever think. You may think that I am being mean, but truth hurts. Also this is not a reply, but a blog
ReplyDeleteI thought this book was pretty descent. There were some parts that were kind of confusing, and some parts where I got really into the book. and I agree with W3lawing, it reminds me of how we have it made, and there are some people out there who don't.
ReplyDelete"Trash is a very good book. It has a strong plot and alot of action. Ithough it does have a slow start it make up for it in the end. If you like action and adventure, I would recommend the book. This also show the corruption and madness of our society and some of our governments.
ReplyDeleteThis books plot, to me, was pretty predictable. Even when they found Pia Dante, it almost screamed at me that there she was. The knowledge that some of the things in the book is likely happening today probably threw me off even more, as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading the book, I felt so hurt. I couldn't imagine that people actually live in garbage and dug around in it. I just kept trying to put myself in his position. I feel like it was a little predictable. But I really enjoyed reading it. I recommend this book to everyone.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning o the book, I really didn't even like it that well. It was just not exciting to me. Then, as the book progressed, it started getting even more interesting to me. I think the best part of the book was when they found Pia Dante. Overall, I'd give the book a high 3 because it was just boring for me in the beginning.
ReplyDelete