Sunday, January 16, 2011

Private by Kate Brian

Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy — the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in. Until she meets the Billings Girls. They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle. Reed uses every part of herself — the good, the bad, the beautiful — to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private.

1) If you were Reed trying to get into Billings House would you do the things the girls told you to do even if they were wrong or against the rules?

2) If you were to go to a new school, would you try to fit in as much as Reed tries to?

32 comments:

Morgan O 7-8 said...

1) I think it depends on what the rules are and if they are worth breaking. Some rules are put in place that don't necessarily make sense or apply to all situations. I might be willing to break the rules depending on what they were however I would not be willing to go against my own morals to get into this inner circle especially if they didn't want anything to do with me.
2) I would not try to fit in with these girls simply because I would rather have a close group of friends that i fit in with and accepted me the way I am, than be in the most popular group always having to fight my way into the group having to sacrifice who I really am.

Abby M. 1-2 said...

1. I would hope that I'd keep my morals while trying to get in. Something like that is important, but sacrificing your morals just to get into a group of friends isn't right and its not worth it.

2. Yes, I think I would try to fit in, to some extent, but again, I wouldn't sacrifice what I believe in just to fit in. I would rather be individualistic.


Ms. Frank, PLEASE accept this even though its a minute late!!!!!

Sevgim A.1-2 said...

1. No I wouldn't do what the girls told me to do. If they weren't going to accept me for who I am then I wouldn't want to be around them.

2. At first I would probably try to fit in but not to the extreme like Reed did. I would be myself and hope someone will like me for who I am.

Laura P 7-8 said...

1.) I would probably not so what the girls wanted me to do, because I would feel like true friends wouldn't ever make you do things that went against your values or that you were uncomfortable with.
2.) I would definitely try to fit in, hopefully I wouldn't go as far as Reed did and try to be something I'm not. I'd hope that I'd find people that like me for me.

Sara D. 7-8 said...

#2 Yes, I think I would try to fit in. However, just like everyone else, it would be to a certain extent because I wouldn't want to give up all of my individuality.

Tyler W 1-2 said...

In her situation, i would try to find the people in the school most like me and hang out with them. Being popular isn't eveything.

Andrew C 7-8 said...

Like Tyler I think i would try to find the people i get along with the best at least in the beginning but then i might try to fit in once i had been going to the school for a while.

Andrew C 7-8 said...

Like Tyler I think i would try to find the people i get along with the best at least in the beginning but then i might try to fit in once i had been going to the school for a while.

Anna W. 1-2 said...

1. I were trying to get noticed by a poupular group I would try to fit in as comfortly as I felt. I wouldn't submit to their rules if I felt I would be hurting my own standards. Giving into something you don't believe is really stealing who you really are.You are throwing away your self respect just to be so called "popular".

2. If I had to break rules just to fit in what is labeled as popular and cool I wouldn't do it. It takes more character to stand up for yourself than to break your integrity and sumbit to someone elses standard. If you sumbit to someone's else just because they want you to you are becoming their puppet essentially and losing your dignity. It is not worht it to me to gain a few friends, but lose what I feel confined to. As Abby said individualistic is more important. If you don't sumbit, they may later change thier course of actions.

Natesa W. 7-8 said...

1. I probably wouldn't even try to get into the "popular" group. It's better to just be who you are, than to change everything about yourself so that people will like you.
2. I'd like to think that I wouldn't, and that I would just try to be myself and find my friends that way. But when going into a new school, where you know no one, it can be very nerve wracking. I would probably try a little bit to fit in.

Anonymous said...

1. I would not do everything the girls told me to do, especially if they were things against the rules. If I had to do something against the rules just for them to accept me, then they are not the kind of friends I want to be around.

2. If I went to a new school, I would do everything I could to make friends and fit in. I would try to find friends that I have things in common with so I would get along well.

Sarah N. 7-8 said...

1. I agree with Laura, I don't think that if people were truly wanting you to be their friend, they would tell you something that makes you uncomfortable. It depends what they told me to do, but I wouldn't break my own morals.

2. I think that everyone wants to try and fit in and have some friends. However, I think that there are enough people that you should find someone who likes you for you.

Josie D 7/8 said...

1. I agree with Morgan, it really does depend on the rules. If the rules were ridiculous and put in place to hurt people, then following them would obviously not be the right choice. Aside from that, I would not break my morals just to make those girls like me. If they need me to do things I do not support, then they are not worth it.
2. I do not think I would try that hard to fit in. Sure, I would try to make friends, but I would not go out of my way to make other people like me. Making friends should not be a battle, if it is you're trying too hard.

Heather B. 1-2 said...

1.) I think I would only go to the extent of what I felt was right, whether or not that meant following the rules.

2.) I would rather find friends who did not demand that I change. I mean I understand that she was new and she wanted to fit in, but there is more than one "group" or "clique." She could fit in somewhere else.

Ashlyn W. 7-8 said...

1) I would hope that I would stick to my morals and values while trying to get into the group.
2)I wouldn't try to fit in as much as her because I would want to find a group of friends that accepted me for me.

AnaleeL7-8 said...

2. No i would not try to fit in as much as Reed did because its no fun to live in a world where everyone is the same.

Nicole H. 7-8 said...

I wouldn't over try to fit in. A good friend will accept you for who you are and not turn you away.

Unknown said...

2. I would try to fit in and find good friends but I would not go as far as Reed did.

Ashley B. 1-2 said...

I would definitely be the one to follow the rules even if it meant bring an outsider. anyway a true friend would accept you the way you are. the original not a copy.

Sydney S. 1-2 said...

1. I would not try to fit in. A true friend accepts you for who you are, and would not make you do crazy things.

2. I probably would try to fit in to some extent. I wouldn't go changing myself, but in a new place with new people, I would atleast want a couple friends.

Monica J. 1-2 said...

1. YES I WOULD DO THE THINGS THE GIRLS TOLD ME TO DO BECAUSE EVEN IF IT AGAINST THE RULES ITS FUN AND I WOULD WANT TO FIT IN AT THIS NEW PLACE.
2. yE SI WOULD TRY TO FIT IN. MAYBE NOT AS MUCH BECAUSE I WOULD WANT TO KEEP MY INDIVIDUALITY BUT I WOULD STILL TRY TO FIT IN.

Rafiq O. 1-2 said...

1.) Nah, I don't think I would try to fit in to that extent, only because I'm more of a rule-follower than a rule-breaker :)If friends tried to encourage you to do anything wrong then they obviously aren't true friends...

2.)Nope, I wouldn't try to fit in as much, but I wouldn't exactly want to stand out in a way that's not positive...

"The nail that sticks out the farthest gets hammered the hardest."

Freddy B. 7-8 said...

1. It really depends on what you would have to do. I might do some things to fit in but nothing really crazy.
2. I agree with Rafig. I wouldn't try too hard to fit in but at the same time I wouldn't not try. Being an outcast doesn't sound fun.

Garret Edward Patrick Graehling 1/2 said...

I agree with Stump a true friend accepts who you are for you and anyone else is not a friend at all.

AnaleeL7-8 said...

1. No I would not do the things the girls told me to because I would not go agaisnt what I believe is right.

Nathan S. 7-8 said...

2) I would do what i want to do and hopefully there would be a group of people who were like me. If not, then fitting in is not worth not having fun.

Hannah J. 7-8 said...

1. Probably not, I dont see why I would care in the first place. There are other people out there for me to befriend.

2. Probably not, I would continue my life the way I wanted despite what the new people thought of me, I would be myself and see if they like me.

Sarah H 1-2 said...

1) No i wouldnt because girls like that arent worth the friendship and being cool. There are plenty more people to find.
2)Probably not because other people's opinions of me don't matter as much to me as long as im happy.

Avi D. 7/8 said...

1. I agree with Sara H. These girls do not seem to be like the friends I would hang out with. They seem to have all the wrong morals and might just be out to humiliate me.

2. I would try and find the group in the school that fits my interests and goals. If they are of a lower social status in school I would not care. If they are of a high social status that is a bonus!

Garret Edward Patrick Graehling 1/2 said...

I would just be myself if I was reed. People look up to trendsetters and different people because they are different not because they are trying to fit in

Millie W. 7/8 said...

2) Sometimes you have to have the self confidence to go in solo, making friends and trying to fit in shouldn't be a sort of thing that effort needs to be put into than a natural thing.

Mrs. Sherwood said...

Thread graded and closed