EDITED VERSION

3. My favorite quote in the book is a letter that Hallie sends to Codi (224) basically telling her to stop whining, and to start dealing with things. More specifically, it is about Codi thinking that Hallie is "all that" and Codi having negative thoughts about herself. I liked this quote because early on in my life I had to learn to stop wishing things were better and learn to start dealing with it. More recently, I've had an experience with a person who felt like they "didn't know who they were" or "can't find themselves". Codi's actions and thought processes remind me of my experience personally and the "lost person" mentioned above. Having had to deal with poor self-confidence and other personal image issues such as Codi has, I can more accurately predict what will happen in terms of Codi and her life. Animal Dreams has many well developed and fun characters, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be Loyd. I like Loyd because he truly believes in family values and has an interesting past that is being told throughout the book. Most people would think that Loyd, if they were being stereotypical of males, would like Codi more because she is only offering sex and doesn't want a real relationship. Loyd isn't that way. Sure, he enjoys what she has to "offer", and this is what I like about him. Loyd isn't shallow and with Codi just to "get some", he truly cares about her, and even hints about marriage. Mainly I like him because he is wholesome (to some extent), honest, and values family. Loyd's many values will hopefully rub off on Codi in the book. At first I thought the book was boring and was going to be one of those books where it just drags on, but I was wrong. It has great content along with exciting events that take place. The most important scene from the book is Hallie's letter to Codi (which is also my favorite quote, see above). The scene shows that love doesn't just mean being nice, it also means taking care of people, and if you have to be blunt to get a point across, then be blunt! I think the scene is important because the book so far has been focusing on Codi complaining about this and that, and to have the most important person in the world to Codi step up and say it, really impacted Codi. The importance in this lies in what will come; the letter itself is just a letter, but the words in it will hopefully allow Codi to realize how she has been acting and to start dealing with her issues not just complain about them.