A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, by John Green is a story which is part of the book, Let It Snow. it is about 2 guys and a girl (Tobin, JP, and Duke (Duke is the girl)). They are all together in Christmas Eve, by themselves in Tobin;s house, and they are watching a James Bond marathon. Tobin's parents are in Boston and can't get a flight to go back to Gracetown. Keun, their friend, works at a waffle house and invites them over because a train crashed in front of the restaurant and it was filled with cheerleaders, so they all went and crashed over there. The thing was that they had to get there before the other waiter’s friends cameo ver because they could only have one group of friends over. The problem was that Tobin, JP and Duke couldn't get out because of the storm and they would take hours, but the guys didn't care because it was a restaurant filled with "really hot cheerleaders". So they grabbed Carla, Tobin's mom's car, and started driving up the hill to get out of their neighbourhood and drive to the Waffle house. Because of the snow, the car went up only half way and then it went back down. Duke said that it wasn't worth it to try again but they did and they even talked to the car in order to give it "support”. After pressing the pedal for a long time they were able to make it out of there. They driving perfectly fine, 20 miles per hour and talking until a turn came up and Carla didn't make it, so they crashed into a big pile of snow and they even lost a wheel. Some time passed and they saw the twins, Timmy and Tommy, and they were driving, so they asked if they could give them a ride to the waffle house but they said no. JP got mad so he kicked the mustang and it flipped around. The twins said that they were going to kill the three so they started running. After running for a long time, the remembered that they forgot the Twister, so they had to go all the way back but through another road because if not the twins would see them.. JP was also about to get to the waffle house but Timmy got there first but JP managed to somehow get in before Timmy. Then Duke and Tobin arrived and ordered some food. After that Tobin started flirting with a cheerleader to make Duke jealous, and it made her go outside. Tobin followed her and after a little talk, they both realised that they were into each other so they kissed. Then they went back inside and fell asleep. 

“Let me be perfectly clear: there has been a Cheertastic Christmas Miracle at the Waffle House. I am looking at these girls right now. They are so hot that their hotness could melt the snow. Their hotness could cook the waffles. Their hotness could-no, will- warm the places in my heart that have been so cold for so long that have been so cold for so long that I have nearly forgotten they ever existed.”

(Green, 129)

This passage makes me feel kind of uncomfortable because it makes me feel weird to think that that is what guys think of us girls. Yeah, it is okay to like girls but the level that is described in the story is actually creepy. It is also pretty exaggerated because of the part in which he says that they warm places in his heart that he nearly forgot existed. 

“The Duke, as usual, had a plan. We were still parked on the middle of the road when she shared it with is. “So the problem was that we ran out of speed on the way up the hill. Why? Because we didn’t carry enough speed to the hill. So back up as far as you can in a straight line, and then gun it.  We’ll hit the hill going much faster, and the momentum will take us to the top.”

(Green, 145)

I couldn’t believe what this passage was saying because I never thought that they would try going up the hill again. I thought it was actually kind of pathetic, because there was a huge snow storm, which is very dangerous since that snow could make the car slide and it could kill them. And it didn't make sense that they were just going because they didn't want Timmy and Tommy to get to the Waffle House because their friend didn't want to stay alone with them. 

This story was not one of my favourites because you just by reading the first chapter you already knew what the rest of the story would be about. It was pretty predictable that Duke and Tobin would end up falling in love and that is something that I really don’t like in stories. I prefer stories that have lots of riddles and that are unpredictable since they keep you hooked and make you want to know more and more, but this story was so predictable that it disappointed me. 

The Jubilee Express: Love, Love, Love

         When Jubilee woke up it was already Christmas morning. Rachel, Stuart’s little sister, was jumping and dancing all over the place. Only Rachel opened her presents because she was a five-year-old girl and couldn’t postpone that, but Debbie and Stuart didn’t open them because they felt sympathy for Jubilee. After some time Jubilee made a phone call to his parents that were in jail. They were really worried when she told them she was in Gracetown but Debbie spoke to them and that she would take good care of Jubilee. Then Rachel went upstairs to put on her snowsuit with her mom. Meanwhile Stuart and Jubilee talked about Noah, Jubilee’s boyfriend. When Rachel went outside to play Jubilee and Stuart were left alone in the house and he convinced her to break up with Noah because she called him and told him about the problem she had and he didn’t care. So Jubilee went upstairs to Stuart’s room, picked up the phone and broke up with Noah. Stuart came up and comforted her but that ended in to a kiss. Jubilee freaked out after the kiss, and Stuart was called to his neighbor’s house, Jubilee got all her stuff, changed clothes and left through the back door.  She was determined to go back to the train but she only walked in circles until Stuart called her and gave her a hat. Then they talked a little and Stuart kissed Jubilee again. This time she didn’t feel any awkward. After the kiss they went back to the house, talking and laughing.

  

“Even worse, if it could get any worse, which apparently could…I was the balm that healed her son’s wounds. Her Christmas miracle. She was going to keep me here forever, stuffing me with cake and dressing me with oversize sweatshirts. I would be bride Flobie.”

(Johnson, 84)

I think that Jubilee is overreacting a little bit because of some simple words that came out of Debbie.  She should actually be happy and thankful for all the trouble that Debbie has been through so that Jubilee could fell just as in home. Jubilee doesn’t have the need to freak out because of Debbie whom is just a mom.  She thought about all that because of only a few simple questions and a little talk about Stuart’s ex girlfriend.

“This was the first time that Stuart actually looked up at me. I had dropped the horrible grimace by this point. He stepped forward, lifted my chin, and kissed me. Kissed me, kissed me. And I didn’t notice the cold, or care that the girls who now had my phone came up behind us and started going “OoooOOOoooOOoooh”.”

(Johnson, 116)

This part of the book was something that I was already waiting for. I knew from the beginning of the story that they would eventually fall in love. I was really happy when I got to this part of the book because I thought that they were meant to be.

         These last chapters of the story were the most interesting ones because they were about everything that Jubilee went through once she was already at Stuart’s house. I loved this story because I love all books that are related to romance. This story was different to others because it started really weird and then it turned to be much more interesting and fun. So far I think that this book will   be one of my favourites.     

The Jubilee Express: Storm Trouble

Jubilee is a 16-year-old girl waiting for Smorgasbord on Christmas Eve. Her parents were taken into custody because they were part of a huge fight for some pieces of a Christmas Village. Since she couldn't spend Christmas by herself, her parents decided to send Jubilee all the way to her grandparents' house down in Florida. She had to ride a train since there were no flights because of the snowstorm and also because it was Christmas Eve. Everything was going fine in the train; Jubilee met a guy named Jeb and she was having a  decent ride, but then the train crashed into a huge pile of snow. Jubilee didn't want to stay in the train until it got back in track because that cold take hours or even days, so she decided to go across the street to The Waffle House. When she got there she ordered some food and met a nice guy that had some plastic bags in his head and hands. His name was Stuart and they became sort of friends so he invited Jubilee to spend the night in his house since the train wasn´t working. Jubilee agreed. In the way to Stuart's house they both fell into a frozen creek in which the ice wasn´t frozen enough. When they managed to get out they both were so cold that they could barely walk. When they got to Stuart´s house they both took hot showers and then put some cozy PJ´s and then ate some dinner. After a while, Stuart set up the couch with some pillows and blankets so that she could spend the night there, and after a while, Jubilee fell asleep.

"I'm going to get back to my house," he said, slipping his hand across the table as cushioning and preventing me from doing myself any damage. "Why don't you come with me? At least it's out of the snow. My mom would never forgive me if I didn't ask you if you needed somewhere to go." 
(Johnson, 41)

I was really impressed when I read this passage because not any person offers a stranger to come over to their place. I was kind of shocked of how kind Stuart was. He was so sweet and amiable and he was willing to risk inviting a stranger over to his house.

“Poor thing,” she said again. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get you warm again. Sorry I couldn’t find anything to fit you better. Those are Stuart’s, and the only clean ones I could find in the laundry. I put your clothes in the washer, and your shoes and coat are drying on the heater, if you need to call anyone you just go right ahead. Don’t worry if it’s long distance.”
(Johnson, 59)

This quote also really shocked me because Debbie (Stuart’s mom) was so welcoming and so warm with Jubilee, as if she were her own daughter. She offered everything she needed even a long distance call. She didn’t care that she was a stranger who was going to sleep at her house, the only thing that mattered to her, was that Jubilee was warm enough and well fed so that she could feel just as in home.

         These first eight chapters were really interesting because I’ve never read any other story that has so many things going on like this one. Jubilee has to go to Smorgasbord, meanwhile her parents are in jail and she has to go to Florida because she can’t spend Christmas alone. Then her train crashes and she goes to a waffle house.  She meets a guy that invites her over to his place so that she doesn’t spend the night alone in the waffle house. Then Jubilee meets Debbie, Stuart’s mom and she lets her spend the night with them and treats her just like a daughter. It is a lot of stuff for only eight chapters. This book is a little weird too because it is written by three authors and it has three different stories and they are all different except that they all take place during winter.