Maddie's Books Blog

     In the novel titled, Twelve Long Months, by Brian Malloy had a very predictable ending of the story. It was obvious that Molly Swain's fantasized relationship would not work out with Mark Dahl when she figures out that Mark wasn't interested in her in any way, he wasn't even interested in girls themselves. The reader know learns that Molly could not be his companion or soul mate, yet she does attempt to be a supportive friend. So to conclude, it was not suprising that Molly went through heart break but in the end came out to have a different kind of love story of frienship. 

   I believe that in the book, The Circuit, Francisco Jimenez wanted to share from his point of view and others about Mexican Immigration and what it's like having to get through that rough period of time for them. His point was to show and explain his experiences through him as a young boy and his family's perspective. I believe this because in the book Jimenez explains "... to voice the experiences of a large sector of our society that has been frequently ignored." (pg. 115) 

  The charater Panchito reminds me of my uncle. He is a very strong, determined, focused, and positive person. He reminds me of the charater Panchito because they both share many similarites. Both of them are very understanding when things don't go as planned, and both at a young age dealed with a lot of moving and that came with many struggles. 

    I can definetly say that I enjoyed this book because I can feel for him and relate to some of his feelings. I knew I liked this book from the second or third chapter where the reality and depth of what he was going through really sank in. The way that the author explained the experiences of school and moving helped me make my decision that I liked the book. I'm very glad I got the oppurtunity to read and experience Francisco Jimenez stories in The Circuit.

 The main characters of this book are Billy, Kevin, and Lori. Billy is the middle child of the family who doesn't feel loved, and is careless about others feelings until something goes wrong for him. He's a regular teenage boy. Kevin is the oldest stuck up brother, who cares only for himself and his college degree. Lori is the sweet, innocent, and youngest girl of the family, who is sick of how everybody babies her.

  The "perfect" so called Kessler family takes a wrong turn when all things go bad for them, and the children's world gets turned upside down. Throughout the novel the Kessler kids go through a journey of hurt, happiness, and recovery while trying to keep up with the world surronding them.

  I learned from this book that even when I complain or say my life is bad, it's really not and I should be thankful for what I have because people have it worse. I also learned to really cherish my time with my family, because anything can happen any day.

  I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy books like drama or tragic love. I would agree that the author did a good job writing this book, he really explains the feelings that the charaters go through and experience.