I selected The Last Book in The Universe: A Reader's Log for my portfolio as the most
difficult piece for me to complete because it was the longest assignment. The
book was hard for me to read. I am proud of myself for finishing the book and completing the
assignment. This piece deserves to be in portfolio because I worked on it very hard
and for a long time. If I were to do this over I would describe more clearly what happened in the story because it would give the
reader more information. My greatest strength in this piece was my summary.
My greatest weakness was attention to details. My greatest obstacle my frustration when I lost one entry because I did not save it and I had to retype it.
The Last Book in The Universe: A Reader's Log
Reader’s Log Entry
#1
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 7-30
Date: 2-8-12
Summary
In the beginning of the book the
author describes the characters, place and time of the book. It takes place in
a messed up future world. There is a 15 year old boy named Spaz who is ordered by
his gang leader, Billy Bizmo, to steal from an older man named Ryter. Ryter
surprises Spaz by having all of his stuff by the door, ready to be stolen.
Ryter was expecting him.
Personal Response
I like the title of the book. It is
very intriguing and it made me want to read the book. The first 30 pages were
confusing because the author was still explaining the characters. I wasn’t sure
if the setting was in the past or the future. Now I know that it takes place in
the future. The book so far is very interesting and I can’t wait to read more.
Reader’s
Log Entry #2
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 30-46
Date: 2-9-12
Summary
Spaz goes back to Ryter to steal
Ryter’s book but Ryter is waiting for him again with a smile on his face. Ryter
wants to know about Spaz’s story. Spaz talks about his sister Bean and when he
goes home a messenger is there and says that Bean is dying and she wants to see
him. But she is on the other side of the Urb, so he has to ask Billy Bizmo if
he can get a safe pass to go across, but Billy Bizmo says no.
Personal Response
I am excited and intrigued to read
more. I want to understand the characters more now. Billy Bizmo seems like a
mean character. Ryter seems like a nice character. I think that Spaz is going
to go and find his sister, even though Billy Bizmo says he can’t.
Reader’s
Log Entry #3
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 47-70
Date: 2-10-12
Summary
Spaz explained that his sister
almost died when she was eight years old . Spaz decides to go to his sister, even
though Billy Bizmo said he couldn’t. He
gets his stuff and goes to the edge. At the stacks, Ryter decides to go with
him. They travel by the pipe and they get to a place where there are sky
scrapers made of glass that had fallen. Then they get attacked by monkey boys.
Personal Response
I thought it was interesting that Bean
(the sister) had almost died before. I was happy that Ryter was going with Spaz
to find his sister. I am confused about how and why he spaces and blacks out at
random times. I can’t wait to read more and learn what happens with the monkey
boys.
Reader’s
Log Entry #4
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 71-91
Date: 2-13-12
Summary
The monkey boys got Spaz and Ryter
and took them to a fortress. The teks fought and took Spaz and Ryter to see
their leader, Mongo the Magnificent but it was a hologram. So Ryter told the
boss tek to take them to the real mongo the leader. When they went to mongo’s
room, mongo had been loop probing for a year and had become weak and almost died.
Ryter told the tek boss to take the town over and to let them go. They got back
to the pipe.
Personal Response
I was scared of the monkey boys and
I thought the author described mongo’s room very well. It sounds very disgusting.
I am glad that they got away. I want to know more about Ryter’s book.
Reader’s
Log Entry # 5
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 92-113
Date: 2-14-12
Summary
Spaz boy and Ryter get to the end
of the pipe and there is smoke and fire. There are mobs catching stuff on fire.
A proov girl is being attacked and they save her. They get in her takvee and
drive to safety. Ryter asked if she
could take them to Bean.
Personal Response
I think it is a good book and I want
to read more. I want them to find Bean. I am glad Spaz and Ryter met up and
saved the proov girl.
Reader’s
Log Entry # 6
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 114 - 137
Date: 2-27-12
Summary
Spaz, Ryter and Lanaya (the proov
girl) go to the Latch where Bean lives and meet Lotti, the boss of the Latch.
She says that they can’t see Bean unless they find her the probe runner. Lanaya
has the idea to figure out where to buy probes to find the probe runner. They
go to Traderville and find Vida Bleek, the leader of all forbidden trades. They
ask him for probes and he tries to them. All of a sudden, the floor starts to
shake and Lotti and her army attack Vida Bleek in their jetbikes. Spaz, Ryder
and Lanaya escape and get back to her takvee and drive to Bean.
Personal Response
I am a little confused now about
what is going on. I hope it becomes clearer. There are too many made up words
for me to follow the story easily.
Reader’s
Log Entry #7
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 138-152
Date: February 28, 2012
Summary
They get to Spaz’s old house where
bean lives. They find Bean in a bed and she is really sick, thin and pale. The
remedy that saved her last time she was sick was not working. She went to bed
and didn’t wake up. The doctor said she was in a coma. Ryter and Lanaya had the
idea of taking her to Eden. They were thinking that it might cure her. They
started driving in the takvee to Eden.
Personal Response
I think it is sad that the sister
is probably going to die. I am interested in reading more to figure if she does
die. I hope she doesn’t.
Reader’s Log Entry #8
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 153-183
Date: 3-1-12
Summary
Spaz, Ryter, Lanaya and unconscious
Bean get to Eden. The author describes how beautiful Eden is with a blue sky
and green ground. Spaz and Ryter have never seen a blue sky or green plants
before. They get to the Prime where the med-teks take Bean and put her in a
class coffin looking thing. Ryter says that in the back times that there used
to be a cure for Bean’s disease, but it was lost so the proovs decide inject
her with new and improved genes. Three days later Bean wakes up from her coma.
She is very weak but getting better. They go back to Lanaya’s house.
Personal Response
I found it interesting that Spaz
and Ryter had never seen blue skies and green grass before. I hope Beans gets
better. I am now hooked into the story and I can’t wait to read more.
Reader’s
Log Entry #9
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in The
Universe Author: Rodman Philbrick
Pages: 184 -207
Date: 3-5-12
Summary
Bean is now better. While they were
in Eden many changes occurred. Bean learned how to play chess. Little Face, an
orphan kid who couldn’t talk, learns how to talk. Bree, the mother of Lanaya,
decided she wanted adopt Little Face, even though it was against the rules to
have people from the Urb in Eden. While Bean and Spaz are in an apple tree a
skydee (a flying takvee) comes and two proovs come out and handcuff Bean and
Spaz. They take them to Stadium where the masters decide the kick them out of
Eden.
Personal Response
I am glad Bean is better. I was sad
they all had to leave Eden, because they all really wanted to stay there. I am
mad that just because they were not genetically modified to be perfect like
proovs they had to leave Eden.
Reader’s
Log Entry #10
Name: Adrian Botran
Novel: The Last Book in the
Universe Author: Rodman
Philbrick
Pages: 208-223
Date: 3-6-12
Summary
Bean, Spaz and Ryter get put into a
takvee. Bean gets dropped off at her latch (her town) and doesn’t even have
time to say goodbye to Spaz. Then they drop Spaz and Ryter off at the stack
boxes, where Ryter lives. The next day the latch is on fire. They find out it’s
because the proovs made all the mind proovs stop working and so mobs of mind
proov addicted people were running around like crazy. They blame it all n Spaz
and Ryter, since they were just in Eden with the proovs. They capture Ryter and
destroy his book and kill him. Spaz finds out the Billy Bizmo is really his
real dad. Before Ryter dies he tells Spaz that he is the last book in the
universe. Now people call Spaz “Ryter”. He is the new “Writer”. The End.
Personal Response
I am sad that Ryter dies and that
his book gets destroyed, because it was about all of his life’s adventures. I
was kind of already expecting Billy Bizmo to be Spaz’s dad because he always
took care of Spaz. I am happy for Little Face, who gets to stay in Eden. I
think this was a very good book and I would recommend it.
