What's In a Title?

What's In The Title?

Q1. Do you think the author's title is the best choice to sell the story? In what way does it capture the feel or the flavour of the read?

The author gave the series the name - Percy Jackson And The Olympians. This title that appears on all the Percy Jackson books, is a really simple and easy to understand title. It means Percy Jackson is the main character and the Olympians is referring to gods or demi-gods. The actual title of the book "The lightning thief" really connects with the book so much. I personally didn't know why they chose that title until a bit past a 1/4 through. Except this was not a bad thing because I was reading like crazy because i was so intrigued to find out what that title actually meant. In the book when I was reading I came across the words "someone had stolen Zeus's master lightning bolt." It clicked straight away that that was what the title meant. Like I said it kept me on the edge of my seat eager to find out what that title meant. The book had  like pulled me inside it, I was in a different world.

Q2. Think of an alternate title for the novel. In fact think of 2 possible alternate titles that the publisher didn't go with?

-> Who Holds The Bolt

I chose this title because when I was reading my book I was wondering who had the bolt. It was racing through my mind "Who has the bolt, who has it."

-> World War 3 is near?

This title I chose because if the master bolt wasn't returned by the summer solstice they would be war between gods. This means that the gods will create a new leader of a country like Adolf Hitler, this would then cause WW3. I put a question mark there because it's like asking the reader, will there be or won't there be. 

Q3.  Create 2 new names for the title of the series. 

-> The Quests of Percy Jackson

I chose this title for the series name because it's simple and easy to understand. It obviously means that Percy Jackson is going on a quest in each book.

-> Son of the Sea God & Friend of Water

This title I chose because Percy Jackson is the Son of the sea God and he connects with water, so I called it Son of Sea God & Friend of Water.

The Blurb on the Back Cover

The 'Blurb' on the Back Cover-

Q1. Did you choose this book based on how the blurb made it sound exciting or appealing in some way?

The blurb did catch my attention when I picked it up. The Blurb asked me 3 very interesting questions. They are:

-> Why are monsters attacking him from all sides?

-> Since when was he fluent in ancient Greek?

-> How come the father he's never known suddenly needs his help?

These questions were swirling around in my head as soon as I read thems. I thought that they were very good questions the author has put out to the reader (s).

Q2. What parts of the blurb grabbed your attention? Any particular words or phrases? Offer specific examples.

This line caught my eye - Sometimes, an ordinary kid is the only thing you need... This line was a real attention grabber. The line was written in bold red on the bottom of the blurb, I think the author did this because he wanted to make the reader (s) see that line.

Q3. Think back to your first impressions about the book - what was your initial response? Once you'd finished the book, did you feel the blurb gave a fair account of the overall experience?

My first impression about the book was - this is just another ordinary book, but no it was actually a good book. The blurb pretty much covered the story, except the blurb did not give it away, It just immediately got you on the edge of your seat.

Q4. What other aspects (visual / symbolic / colour / design / dimensions etc) of the back cover appealed to you?

The back cover had the same colours as the front, purple and gold. The blurb writing itself varied in font colour and size, the author did this to make the different coloured/sized/font look more eye-catching. The author might have wanted the word, words or phrases more important by making it look different.

Q5. Now, pretend that the publisher has decided the existing blurb isn't good enough and it needs to be totally re-written. You've been asked to come up with a different, better, more engaging blurb. Write what you think should appear on the book's back cover.

Percy Jackson is just an ordinary kid who thinks that he has an ordinary life, but this is not true. When Percy realises that he is not just your ordinary neighbourhood kid, he finds himself arriving at Half-Blood Hill, a camp for demi-gods. 

When Percy arrives he sees the sky changing from blue to dark grey and also sees the seas raging. Before Percy knew he was offered a vital quest, a quest in which if you do not succeed there will be a WW3. His quest is to find Zeus's master bolt and return it to him.

Percy is pushed to his limits as he fights monsters and Gods with Grover the satyr and Annabeth the daughter of Athena the God of Wisdom. 

The main thing Percy has on his mind is Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks Percy has stolen the master bolt and making Zues angry is the worst of ideas...

Think About my Reading Experiences

Think About your Reading Experiences- 

Q1. Some students struggle to "get into the zone" when it comes to reading, or finding time to read. Do you have a favourite place to read, or somewhere that makes reading especially relaxing or appealing?

I enjoy reading on my bed or when I'm surrounded by nature (fauna & flora). When I am reading in nature laying on the grass I like to hear the birds calling and the nice breeze blow on you. 

Q2. Is there a particular time of day you find reading enjoyable or easy?

At night time, I love reading. Reading at night is a relaxing way to end your day (especially after a busy day). 

Q3. Think about the authors whose books you enjoy.
- Who do you like?
- Why do you like them? What is it about their style that attracts you?
- Have you enjoyed all their titles, or only some? Why is that?

My favourite author is Matthew Reilly and I like him because he goes well into depth in his description of characters and settings. Matthew also has a great imagination because he comes up with brilliant stories. I like all the books I've read by Matthew Reilly because the books are so easy to read, his books are fast-paced and they've got lots of action in them. 

Q4. Think about the book(s) you've been reading this semester.
- Does the style of a particular author remind you of another author you've read previously?
 

What this author does is not like any plain old author, he's got great ideas for stories and his books are packed full of action.

The Design of The Novel's Cover

The Design of The Novel's Cover-

Q1. Write about how the colours / cover design / illustration / imagery / font appealed to you. 

The front cover really encaptures the greek god type theme by the symbols and the type of writing used. The colour gold I think might just be another effect for the greek theme and the colour purple resembles the lightning. Also I think the author has put the lightning and the sea together to really involve Zeus, the god of the sky and Poseidon the god of the sea, fighting against each other.

Q2. Did you choose that novel based on something that sprang out at you from the front cover? 

No, I did not choose my novel by the look of the front cover although it is appealing. I chose the book by the blurb.

Q3. What elements make for a good front cover? Explain.

The things that I think make a good front cover are the title, the colours used, the type of font used and sometimes it is good to have the front cover connecting with the title of the book. My book did this by putting lightning in the background with the title being "The Lightning Thief."

Q4. Have you ever been won over by a book's front cover, only to find that the story turns out to be nothing like you expected? Explain.

Surprisingly, I haven't ever been won over by the books front cover and found out that it is nothing like I expected.

Q5. Ask the student next to you if you can have a look at the current novel he's reading. Check out the front cover. On first glance, what impressions do you form about the story? Explain. 

Trash- From first glance the book Trash looks like their are 3 kids that always go to the garbage dump. Someone finds something and then something goes terribly wrong. I got this idea from the front cover when it says "You never know what you'll find."

Electronic Literature

Electronic Literature- 

Q1. Does this kind of e-literature appeal to you? (Perhaps more so than traditional novels.)

There isn't that much difference between e-literature and traditional reading, the main thing is they still both have words. But if I had to pick one I would find it more appealing to read from a book, than read off an electronic device, mainly because you can carry a book any where with you and you can put it down in the position you feel most comfortable for reading. 

Q2. What features of 'Inanimate Alice' would be attractive to young readers?

I think the borders and the colourful surrounding would be attractive to a young audience, simply because young readers like colour and easy reading.

Q3. Think of some of the possible disadvantages of e-literature.

-> It is not good to stare at a electronic device for to long so you should take a 5 minute break for every 30 minutes.

-> If your house has a black out you cannot read any more of your story because your electronic that you were just using has been switched off.

Q4. What other digital forms of literature have you come across?

I've read 1 or 2 books on the app books on the iPad and it is just the same as reading on a computer except you can move it.

Learning About Authors

Learning About Authors-

James Roy-

Q1. Have a look at what's on their site. How have they designed their site in a way that tries to appeal to their readers?

I believe James Roy's target audience is for school kids because his site is like a book, that has exercise book lines with handwriting on it. It also has ripped of bits of paper on it.

Michael Gerard Bauer-

Q1. Have a look at what's on their site. How have they designed their site in a way that tries to appeal to their readers?

He has tried to make it an easy site to get around, it's not like a complicated website. It's not a very colourful book except maybe that's the author's personality - plane.
Q2. Authors often remark about how they began their careers in writing. Compare how these Australian authors got their start, when they started, their inspiration for writing.

Michael used to be an english/economics teacher, but in 2004 he resigned and started his full-time writing career. Michael says he has always been interested in writing since he could actually write.

Steph Bowe-

Q1. Have a look at what's on their site. How have they designed their site in a way that tries to appeal to their readers?

She has not got much on her website/blog but it is very eye appealing and grabbed my attention straight away, but when I started reading it and scrolling down the page their isn't much information compared to the other authors.

Q2. Authors often remark about how they began their careers in writing. Compare how these Australian authors got their start, when they started, their inspiration for writing.

She started in 2011 as her first book was published then.

LM Fuge-

Q1. Have a look at what's on their site. How have they designed their site in a way that tries to appeal to their readers?

It's not actually her website it just has one blog of hers, but it still has some good information.

Q2. Authors often remark about how they began their careers in writing. Compare how these Australian authors got their start, when they started, their inspiration for writing.

What surprised me most was that she started at 14 and got a call when she was 14, this totally just blew me away just the same as the person who was on the phone to her.

Steven Herrick-

Q1. Have a look at what's on their site. How have they designed their site in a way that tries to appeal to their readers?

Steven Herrick's background is very eye appealing by putting all of those different books together.
Q2. Authors often remark about how they began their careers in writing. Compare how these Australian authors got their start, when they started, their inspiration for writing.

He wanted to be a writer since early age, and told his mother he wanted to be a author when he was 18.

Michael Hyde-

Q1. Have a look at what's on their site. How have they designed their site in a way that tries to appeal to their readers?

This blog was probably the worst blog I saw, except I've heard his books are actually quite interesting.

Other Questions-

Q1. Every writer is different. Choose 2 different authors and find out what makes their style their own and what people enjoy about their writing.

Matthew Reilly-

People love Matthew Reilly's books because of his own style of writing, he describes characters and settings like no other author has done before. I guess you could say he's a descriptive writer.

Derek Landy-

He has only made a few books, except the ones that he has made are very popular but I don't know why. To me his books were interesting except they weren't stunners.

Q2. Think about the book you're currently reading (or maybe the previous one). Track down this author's website and record a summary about him/her. 

Rick Riordan was born June 5, 1964 in San Antonia, he spent his time growing up and going to school there. He tried to get his first book published when he was 13, it unfortunately didn't get published. This didn't worry Rick, as he carried on writing. He used to be a teacher of mythology and stopped to become a full time writer which he now loves so much.

Now a Movie

Now A Movie-

There is now a movie that has been made. It is directed Chris Columbus and in my opinion it is nowhere as good as the book. The movie has got a little different story line except the movie is still well made.