Friday, May 10, 2013

All These Things I've Done

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Book One: All These Things I've Done
Book Two: Because It Is My Blood
Book Three: In the Age of Love and Chocolate

32 comments:

  1. All These Things I've Done is set in Manhattan in the future a few generations after us. Everything is rationed even paper. Also caffeine and chocolate are illegal. The setting is important because Anya is the daughter of a dead mob boss so it had to be set in a place where there was a lot of people and crime. If it was set in a small town nine of the crime would be able to take place, there would be less people so the rules would be easily enforced. In a big city like New York there are a lot of people and it is harder for law enforcement to enforce the laws. Anya is one of the main characters. She is brunette and very responsible. When her dad died she took it upon herself to take care of her brother and sister. She is also a realist. She says "Other than the respective textures of our hair, the main difference between Natty and me was that she was a romantic and i was a realist" (Zevin 47). She sees what life really is and has to deal with it. Win is also a main Character, he is tall and thin will blue eyes. Win's is very confident and follows the rules.
    Autumn L

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    1. I agree with you. If it was set in some place like St.Charles none of the mobs would be able to take place, people would be getting thrown in jail all the time, but from what I understand about this novel they're not."Not long before my father was killed..."(26). Instead of the mobs getting thrown in jail other mobs just come and kill them.

      -Brooke H

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    2. I agree too. Even if you think of another big city, New York just fits that mob-run, cluby, dark atmosphere that the story needs to be so intense. like when it says "The lakes had dried up or had been drained, and most of the surrounding vegetation had died" (20 Zevin).
      ps I sure hope there aren't any mobs in St Charles!
      Christina T

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  2. The setting is a city that could be described as less than friendly. There is a lot of crime and dangerous people around; "Natty was behind the glass section of the enormous building that used to be an art museum (now a nightclub) and she wasn't alone. An incredibly skinny child, ... was holding a gun to my sister's head. 'Now your shoes,' he said in a squeak of a voice." (Zevin 21)
    Clearly, this novel is going to put Anya in a lot of danger; from both her family and random criminals that just so happen to pop up.
    Anya - a smart, realistic heroine.
    Win - the subtley clever love-interest.
    Leo - the older brother, who is mentally challenged.
    Scarlet - the dramatic best friend.
    Natty - the flirtatious younger sister.
    Nana - the, sharp-as-a-tack, dieing grandmother.

    Christina T

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    1. I think the put you put up was a perfect example of what this whole novel is about. Crime and mobs. This quote was also one of my favorite quotes I've read so far. "The killers came while Daddy was working. Not only had Natty and I been home, we'd been in the same room with him."(83). This really shows how messed up this novel really is.

      -Brooke H

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    2. I agree that Anya will probably be put in a lot of danger throughout the novel. I also think that the quote you used helps to show the type of environment kids in the novel are growing up in. It showed that very young kids are becoming criminals either out of necessity or because it’s all they see around them.

      -Alyssa H

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    3. I like how you described the city as less than friendly, i competently agree. They know its not a safe place because Anya said" come on Natty i yelled. Its not safe" (21). everything about the city is unsafe. There is a lot more danger in store for everyone. Especially when it was a little boy that attacked her. It is a desperate time and people get violent in desperate times

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  3. The setting of this novel is in New York a couple decades into the future. This is important to this novel becsuse New York is a much different place than how we know it now. It is filled with lots of crime and mobs ( Anyas dad happened to be inone). The main character in this novel is Anya. Her dad and mom died when she was 12 so she made it her responsibility to take care of her younger sister, older brother, and dieing grandmother. Another main character of this novel is Win. He is the new boy whos fsther is top cop. Even though Anya wont admitt she likes Win she does. "'Scarlet. You should tell Scarlet that you like Win.' I shook my head. 'I dont like Win.'" (47)

    -Brooke H

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    2. I agree with you on the importance of it being set in New York. New York has a high crime rate. it it was set anywhere else it wouldn't fit. Also i think New York is important because it is a very social place. Anya talks about going to clubs and how "it was only a five-minute walk to the club..."( 69). New York is a big social place with clubs and other places just to go. if it was set anywhere else it would be hard to picture. No kids walk to clubs in St.Charles.

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    3. I agree about why the setting is important. I think it is very important, because it would make no sense to have mobs in a small town. I also think the time is important, because knowing that her grandmother was born around the same year we were really shows how much things can change in only two generations. “Since 1995- the year my grandma Galina was born.” (Zevin 4).

      -Alyssa H

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  4. The setting is in a crime-ridden american city, two generations in the future, where caffeine and chocolate are illegal. I think the setting is important because Anya will probably get caught up in some crime, since her family owns a chocolate business. Anya is one of the main characters. She is a junior in high school, and is pretty mature for her age, since she has to take care of her sick grandmother,Galina, her mentally challenged older brother, Leo, and her younger sister, Natty. She is also very religious. “I skipped fourth period to go to confession” (Zevin, 10). The other main character is Win. He is the son of the head police officer in the city. He is pretty confident, and likes hats.

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    1. I agree with you that Anya is probably going to get into more trouble.I think she it trying to stay away from it as much as she can but her past is following her. She was already arrested in connecting to her boyfriends poisoning and she didn't even do anything. She says "After they took my fingerprints and a picture, i was locked in a isolated cell in the police station" (108). It doesn't matter if she didn't do anything, but because of her father she will always have trouble.

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    2. i agree with what you said. I mean she's not totally religious, but she still believes a lot of that stuff; like when it says "Sure, I wanted to believe in the possibility of an afterlife and of redemption and salvation and reunion and maybe, most important, a forgiving God" (51 Zevin). So she's not a die-hard religious girl, but it definatly innfluences her a lot.
      Christina T

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  5. An internal conflict in this novel is whether or not Anya thinks she should date Win or not. Anya likes Win and he likes her back, but Wins father has warned Anya not to date him because of his position in the government and Anya's background. I think, even though they aren't supposed to, Anya and Win will date.
    An external conflict is one between Anya and when she gets sent to Liberty. They treat her very poorly "Delacroix notice that one of my injection sites was inflamed and was oozing pus. 'Did this happen to you here?' he asked me in a gentle tone."(140). Anya told Dr. Delacroix about how she was treated at Liberty and I think he will eventually take care of it and Liberty will be shut down.

    -Brooke H

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    1. I like the external conflict you said. Any was treated very bad at liberty. Anya was stuck in a small dark room for making Mrs Corbrawicks mad. She says "In reality, it had only been seventy-two hours"(134).She was treated terrible at liberty but I disagree with you on the fact that Wins dad is going to do anything about it. Mr. Delacroix says "I suppose ill have to someday. but the city has so many serious problems and I frankly don't have the resources to deal with everything at once"(140). I think he has a lot of stuff to do and that Liberty is not at the top of his list or even close.

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  6. Anya is struggling with her family and the past that is always interfering with the present. She is haunted by the wisdom of her father’s words. She can’t do a lot of “normal” things because everyone knows who her father is and what he has done. I think the only way for her to be OK with her father’s past is to continue with her families business. Only this time, she’ll be the boss and not her father. And I think Nana thinks so too because she says “’Always remember that you are powerful beyond measure. This power is your birthright. Your only birthright! Do you understand? I need to know you understand!’” (227 Zevin).
    Zevin has created a dark and sinister mood, but she fills the story with lovey-dovey stuff and a lot of heart warming moments. So you can tell it’s dark, but that feeling is dulled.
    -Christina T

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    1. I really like the mood of the book that you chose. I completely agree with you. She describes the city of New York like it is run down. Anya says "the view from the boat did not necessarily encourage me: several low-rise gray concrete structures, bunker like windows, surrounded a pedestal. New York is a very pretty place, and the statue of Liberty is amazing but she makes it sound sad and depressing and dark. the fact that this great monument is now a horrible place just adds to the dark mood.

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    3. I agree about your conflict. She brings up things her dad said a lot. “Daddy always said that we have to be mindful of those who are less fortunate.” (Zevin 23). Even though she doesn’t want to follow in her father’s footsteps, I think she will end up doing it anyway, since it’s such a big part of her life. I don’t think she will ever be okay with her father’s past or with her future, but I think she will realize it’s the best way to keep her family safe.

      -Alyssa H.

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  7. An internal Conflict is Anya's feelings for Win. She has feelings for him but since she is a mob bosses daughter and he is the son of the DA she has to try to ignore them. Anya says "Had I been a different kind of girl with a different kind of life, I would have maybe kissed him right there" (Zevin 176). She wants to be with him but she cant because of who her family is. Win and Anya end up not being able to resist being together but I feel it is going to end badly. I think Anya is going to have to end things with Win to keep him safe. Anya's family is a criminal family and her liking Win is bringing him into that.
    Zevin has created a tragic and hopeless mood for this book. Nothing can go right for Anya. She is already considered a criminal because of her father. both of her parents died in horrible ways, she got arrested and had to spend a time at Liberty, and they treated her badly there. When things finally seem to being going well her Grandmother dies. When things finally start to look up something always happens.
    Autumn L

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    1. I completely agree with you. Her life is just one let-down after another. And I think it's only going to get more gruesome; though, I'm not sure it can. First it was lasagne, then puss, what's next? (That was sarcastic, by the way.) Nana may have known too, since she didn't want Leo to work at the Pool; "'Good, good. Because I've been thinking about it,' Nana said. "I'm not sure it's such a great idea [to work at the Pool]'" (150 Zevin)

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    2. I agree about the internal conflict. I think she is very confused about what to do about Win, and whether she should obey his dad or do what she wants to do. “I knew that nothing Charles Delacroix had said to me really mattered. And yet, I also knew that it did. (Zevin 162). This is a very important internal conflict in the book because her decision affects a lot of things. She flip-flops on her decision, and it ends up being a bad thing.

      -Alyssa H

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  8. An external conflict is when Anya gets treated really badly at Liberty. She gets bullied by the other girls and by the person who runs the place. She also doesn't get proper medical care. "one of my injection sites was inflamed and oozing pus" (Zevin 140)

    An internal conflict is when Anya is trying to decide how much involvement her and Leo should have in the chocolate business. She isn't sure what would keep her and her family safer.

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  9. I like how you brought leo and the business into this. I think leo has more involvement in the business than we realize. i mean he changes pretty quickly; like when it says "'it was fine,' he said, and in a style uncharacteristic of my brother, he left it at that" (169 Zevin). And that was after his frist day on the job. I can't help but wonder if he mops up blood. o_O
    -Christina T

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  10. I have to disagree on the mood being dark and sinister. I found the mood to be more serious than anything else. For example when Natty and Anya are fighting and Natty runs ahead. She gets a gun pulled on her. "Natty sniffled as she bent down to untie her shoe laces" That to me is an example of a "serious" mood not dark. The mood is lightened when Anya saves her friend by standing up to the gunman, but it's a very serious situation, not dark.
    -Marvin R

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  11. The book was great in my opinion, but Anya often acted out of character after she started dating Win, and it made her look "soft". Other than that, i thought the book was good. I was NOT satisfied with the ending though. This book was probably chosen as a reciepent of the gateway book award because of how you can emotionally connect with a female protagonist like Anya. I do not look forward to reading another part of this story mainly because Anya has mostly never acted like her instincts would have made her act.
    - Marvin R

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  12. All These Things I've done is a science fiction novel written by Gabrielle Zevin and published in 2011.This book is set in New York City sometime in the recent future. In this future caffeine and chocolate are illegal and everything is rationed. Anya Balanchine is the daughter of a notorious mob boss. Both her mother and father were killed so now it is her job to take care of her mentally handicap brother, Leo, and her younger sister, Natty. No matter how hard Anya tries she can’t seem to avoid trouble. Whether it’s with school, the law, or dating the new DA son she just can’t seem to stay out of it. No matter what trouble Anya gets into and no matter what happens her family always comes first to her. So when her older brother Leo gets in trouble with the law and the family Anya has to make the choice whether to protect her family or be happy. All These Things I've Done was I very well written book but I feel that Zevin set up some characters and then just moved on and didn't develop them. When Anya was at liberty Zevin has the character mouse and you think that there will be more about her but then she just goes away and it leaves you with a lot of questions. Other than that I thought I thought this was a very good book. The ending was a little predictable but I still thought it was good. One thing that I really liked about this book was the fact that it thought you to lead instead of follow. When Yuji was talking to Anya he told her that her father told him "Yuji, you can either be a bystander who lives his life in reaction to the decisions other make, or you can be the leader who is making those decisions" (281). It shows that you either follow what other people do you or you follow your own decisions. Overall I would give this book a 7 out of 10.I think this book was a recipient of the Gateway Book Award because it teaches people to make choices for themselves. Anya tried to keep her head down and do what other people told her to do and it never work, but then she started taking action things started going better for her.
    Autumn L

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  13. All These Things I've Done is a novel by Gabrielle Zevin about a future where chocolate and caffine are banned and a great many other things are rationed. It is set in New York city and is told by Anya Balachine, a serious and talented girl, who is the daughter of a deceased mob boss. Anya must choose between protecting her family and loving a boy named Win, the son of the police chief. But trouble finds her wherever she goes.
    I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was good and taught the reader a lot about how your choices affect the people around you. You have to choose things you don't want, but sometimes it's the right thing to do.
    I was unsatisfied with the ending, but only because it's not an ending. You have to continue for the loose ends to get wrapped up. This is only part of the story.
    I think this book was chosen as a Gateway because it teaches teens that you are a kid and you should try to stay that way, but there are times when you will be faced with hard choices and you must make a choice knowing that it affects everyone around you, for better or worse.
    -Christina T

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  14. All These Things I’ve done, a futuristic science fiction novel, was written by Gabrielle Zevin and published in 2011. The setting is 2 generations in the future in New York City. In this book, chocolate and caffeine are illegal, and many everyday necessities are strictly rationed, including water. Anya Balanchine, the daughter of a mob leader who was murdered, is getting pulled into the chocolate business against her will. She wants nothing to do with the chocolate business, because she wants to protect her family. If she gets involved with chocolate, she thinks her brother and sister, Leo and Natty, will be in a lot of danger. I think that All These Things I’ve Done was a good book, with a good story-line, though I wish Gabrielle Zevin had developed some of the characters more, such as Mouse. ”My name is Mouse. I am mute. I can hear you but I will have to write my reply.” (Zevin 121). It seemed like Mouse was going to be an important character, but Mouse was only was only mentioned while Anya was in jail, and her story wasn’t really told at all. I would give this book an 8 out of 10. I think it got a gateway award because it shows that you sometimes have to re-evaluate what is important to you and how you protect the important things in your life. At the beginning of the book, Anya thinks that avoiding the chocolate business as much as she can is the best way to protect her family. As the book goes along, the chocolate business keeps getting involved in her life unexpectedly, and she isn’t quite sure what to do. She starts to realize that maybe if she was more involved, she would be able to make sure it didn’t touch Leo and Natty, and she would know things sooner, so she would have more time to prepare and react if something does come up that could harm her siblings. I want to read the sequel because I am hoping that Zevin will elaborate more on some of the characters that she set up in the first book. I especially want to know what happens to Mouse, and whether she becomes a more important character in the story. I was okay with the ending since there was a sequel, but if there wasn’t a sequel I wouldn’t be satisfied with the ending, since it left a lot of questions unanswered.

    -Alyssa H.

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  15. Wow , sounds like a really good book. might have to look into it. The book sound like there is some action in it because of the way you said could harm her siblings. action books are the best.
    Kaylee c

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  16. This book takes place in futuristic New York, where we meet Anya, a chocolate gang member by familial ties. When her father, the mob leader, is killed, Anya is sucked into a world she has never known. I would recommend this book, it's a nice read, and it has some essential values tied in, but it isn't exactly memorable. This is one of those books that fades from your mind after a while. It's a great book, but there were a lot of loose ends, and while it was thought provoking, it wasn't inspiring. But I fully encourage you to give it a read, maybe you will feel differently.

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