Analyzing Conflicts

In my book there seem to be small problems inside of the mental hospital rather than her focusing on how she can get out of the hospital. In the beginning the conflict consisted of her getting out of the mental hospital in which she was in for 21 days. She slowly forgot about this conflict as she got to be involved in group projects. Towards the middle and the end her conflict was trying to get this boy to like her which was cute and nice at first but grew dry and all she could talk about. It almost made me sick. Both conflicts are resolved by the end of the book. These conflicts were both internal because these conflicts had to do within her; her problems that got her into the hospital and love. I hoped to have more conflict throughout the book but I didnt get it. With more and interesting conflicts I think that would have definitely benefitted the plot of the book.

Review

I am sort of close to finishing the book but I honestly don't want to because it's awful. I was waiting for something exciting to happen the whole time but it's basically just her talking about her countless encounters with this boy (which is creepy because they are both in a mental hospital). Her thoughts are kind of idiotic really. " On the elevator down to school, Justin finally stood next to me. We both stood really still, staring straight ahead. Nothing happened for the first few seconds (Minutes? Hours? It seemed like forever), but soon I felt a little tickle in the back of my right hand. At first I was going to jerk it up and scratch it, but as it became less tickly and more warm and smooth I realized it was Justin's hand." (Halpern 80). Like seriously? I mean I wouldn't blame her; being in a mental hospital you wouldn't have anything better to do I guess. I also think it's a tad bit inappropriate. The main character swears too much at times that can be said perfectly without dropping the F bomb every 2 seconds. She also talks about other girls and judges them which isn't a good message. I know the author is trying to be "hip" and wanting to connect to a younger audience but this is just dumb. Maybe this is for an even more relaxed teenager because this book is not for me.

Why I chose this book

At first, I hadn't even known anything about this book, truthfully it was a completely random pick. But as a did some research about this book, I started to get more interested. I love books that aren't formal, I like how it's from the character's perspective to really get into the story. I feel as though young adult books are successful at it because the author is trying to capture the typical teenage life. The cover only had a frowning face that said Get Well Soon. The title made me think that maybe somebody was sick and it would include a lot of drama. The description said that it was about a teenage girl that was sent to a mental hospital. I hadn't really known about mental hospitals but they've always intrigued me. What makes a person think and act differently that they are sent to a facility to rot as people think they are getting better? I think it's even more interesting that it's a teenage girl as oppose to a grown adult as many people believe that its the common age.

The Best/ Worst things about my book

In my book, the main character, Anna, gets "promoted" to getting privileges as the mental hospital treats its patients with levels from how they act to make them a better person. My main character speaks to a therapists and gets to be around other patients and things such as going to school at the hospital, eating lunch in the cafeteria, and going to group meetings. At group meetings she meets many new people but mostly boys. They all are supposed to say positive things in order to get points to move up levels and hopefully get enough to have a better chance of leaving the hospital. Anna falls in love with a tall and shy boy named Justin. She is starting to like the hospital than she did before, with her only motivation being him. What I really enjoy about this book is that it isn't formal. This is her perspective and makes it casual so the reader can really connect to the main character. What I don't like is that there isn't really a plot to the story. She just describes her stay at the hospital to her friend.

About the Author

My book, Get Well Soon was written by Julie Halpern. She is an american author that writes popular young adult books. Her books are about the challenges that teens face who are outsiders. Some of her books include, Get Well Soon, a teenage girl in a mental institution that suffers from panic attacks, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder which is about a girl who challenges "fitting" into high school when she meets a group of friends who plays Dungeons and Dragons, and many more. Get Well Soon got Best Adult Book of 2007 by Kirkus Reviews.She is married to author and illustrator Matthew Cordell. Together the both created the children's picture book, Toby and the Snowflakes. Young adults would definitely love her work.

Predictions for My book

My book Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern is about a girl who is currently living in a mental hospital. I currently dont know her name because its from her point of view. So far, she is writing to her friends, Tracy and Teresa about her experience so far. She is frustrated because she is at a level 2 of self harm, which means she could commit suicide. Because of this, doctors are unable to give her any objects, as she might hurt herself but she believes she is fine. A question I have is , why was she sent to this mental institution?  Some predictions I have for the future is that she will have the trust to be given objects. Maybe she will meet someone there to help her with her problems.

Fahrenheit 451

In Fahrenheit 451, the main character Guy Montag is a fireman that burns books for a living. When he meets Clarisse McClellan, who tells him about the past which was completely different. He then  started to think more about his life and society. When he is faced with a problem about reading a book he offers his wife, Mildred to start at the beginning. A prediction I have is that he will rebel and find out about society. Mildred can either turn him in or "rebel" with him even though their relationship is not perfect. Captain Beatty will not be happy and could possibly burn him with the books. Maybe he will become a leader?