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Given the nature of the 2011 summer reading program, you had significant autonomy in selecting the books you would read. While you were responsible for completing a proposal, you were not given other assignments to complete over the summer. As indicated on your proposal form, you are required to write a letter to your 2011-12 Language Arts teacher that demonstrates your thoughtful reading of your book. We have chosen to break this down further into three focused "Power Paragraphs" for two reasons, one, to introduce you to the idea of a power paragraph, and two, to assist you in covering all aspects of the assignment.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __ //**A Discovery of Witches**//**, by Deborah Harkness, met all of my high expectations and more! On my Summer Reading proposal, I said I chose to read this book because, "A family friend recommended it, and it has all of my favorite genres in it". This book had the perfect balance of romance, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, and i've never read a book that met all of those genres so well. The book setting is in present day England, but humans are oblivious to the Vampires, Witches, and Daemons that live in their world with them. The book starts out with the main character, Diana Bishop, a powerful witch, falling in love with a Vampire, but it’s against the code of Immortals. The book takes off from there and becomes an adventurous story about the two lovers. //A Discovery of Witches// is written very well, and it is a great page turner. “A tale of passion and obsession; the collision of magic, alchemy, and science; and the closely guarded secrets of an enchanted world” (Harkness).** Good work using evidence and clear ideas. The challenge now is to tighten up your paragraph a bit. Can you cut anything that is repetitive and combine some sentences?
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ **I believe every story has a lesson to be learned, and the main lesson I learned is that you should fight for what you love. Throughout the entire book, Diana Bishop fought for her family, her soul mate, and her way of life. It changed my perspective, and now I learn to appreciate my life so much more. Towards the end of the book, Diana has to risk her life to save her vampire husband, "'Giving him your blood like that was unspeakably dangeroua. He might not have been able to stop drinking.' A note of admiration had crept into her voice. 'Ysabeau told me the de Clermonts fight for those they love'." (Harkness 509). The way the she fought, even on the verge of death, she always prevailed. A challenge around every corner, threatening everything she loves, and she still seems to be happy, strong, and brave. I’m grateful for my peaceful, happy, safe life that I love; even if it doesn’t have as much adventure as Diana's.** Take a look at your topic sentence. Does it strongly and clearly establish the focus of the paragraph? __ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ I recommend this book to any adult or teenager that likes to read history, romance, and/or adventure. This is one of my favorite books, and it is only the first book in a great trilogy. The book ends at a great cliffhanger, "'It's time.' Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown" (Harkness 576). I loved this book, and anyone who loves European History, will love it too. Review the structure of a power paragraph. The second sentence should develop/clarify the topic sentence.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **

Harkness, Deborah. //A Discovery of Witches//. New York: Penguin Group, 2011. 509. Print.
 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **

// An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: You have a strong start here Emily. You have good evidence for your points and clearly state your feelings about this book. I would like to see you practice using the power paragraph format because it will help you to convey your ideas more clearly and with strong focus. //
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly establishes the focus on the prompt
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your book (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning