Blog Post #2 Taming the Star Runner.

So this past week I started Wuthering Heights. So far it is pretty boring, and I am in the mood for a bit of a faster read, so I started Taming the Star Runner by S.E. Hinton. I read her first book The Outsiders three years ago and really enjoyed it.

Now that Travis knows he likes Casey, I think he will ask her out and/or try to like horses. Upon this happening, I think his friends in the city will start to tease him because he used to be the most popular kid in the school and now has no friends. He also used to spend all his time with his guy friends and cars, not girls and horses.

I think Travis is going to try to like horses to gain Casey’s’ attention, and, ultimately, affection. In the end there will be a major decision to be made by Travis. He is already starting to like life on the ranch, but he misses the city, so he will have to decide which he wants more. In the city is abusive, if now partially brain damaged, Stan, and at the ranch is annoying and clingy Christopher.

When Travis let Jennifer approach him instead of the other way around, I think it was because he doesn’t know her or know a lot about girls. Travis feels like a loner and an outcast because in the city he fit right in, but here everyone is smaller town style and he hasn’t found any friends. This makes me wonder how small this town actually is. It is just small compared to the city, or is it actually really small?

I pictured Casey as a girl in my class, not only because of the resemblance in names, but also the minimal descriptions given are similar. This book doesn’t give much description on the ranch, but in the meantime I have been picturing it quite the same as I pictured the farm in the book series Heartland. I see Travis waling with a bit of a city strut, although now that he is getting less and less arrogant, I see it going away. I see him wearing jeans (not baggy) and tight t-shirts. I could also see him wearing a leather jacket from time to time. He has light brown hair, a nicely toned body, and moderately tall.

The author included the section when Kristen broke her leg to show the connection between Casey and Travis, or at least to start the connection. It gave us a glimpse of what might happen.

I can’t exactly remember where I have heard of stuff like this, but they are pretty common story lines, this is just a combination of them. A kid doesn’t like the step parent and gets sent away; kid almost accidentally kills someone and gets sent away; kid moves in with uncle; oddly matched crushes; comparison between city and country life, etc.

Travis kind of reminds me of my friend Taylor, just in his attitude and his looks, not his actions. Casey reminds me of a girl in my class for most of her looks, as I have mentioned, but also of my cousin Carrie in the way she loves and has a way with horses, are both short, and also have an air of authority.

If Travis hadn’t smoked, then he wouldn’t have had the smokes in his hand when he went into the barn. Kirsten wouldn’t have rode past him and stolen them, he wouldn’t have chased her, her horse wouldn’t have slipped in the mud, she wouldn’t have broken her leg, and Travis wouldn’t find out that he is falling in love with Casey.