Relationships With ConnerAlex’s emotions for her brother Conner change throughout the book. She becomes frustrated with Conner and then she becomes closer to Conner. It's like mixed emotions expect with her twin brother. They both have their differences from each other but would always be there for each, and have each others backs. “Alex couldn’t have been more embarrassed by her brother. Besides sharing looks and birth date,she and her brother couldn’t have been more different. Conner may have had a lot of friends, but unlike his sister, he had trouble in school…mostly trouble staying awake.” (page 17) Conner had a very hard time staying awake during class, and paying attention. This would embarrass Alex all the time whenever they would be in class together. Apart form that Alex, loved her brother no matter what. I mean he was her brother, which meant that her emotions or feelings would change for him. “You’re alive!” Alex told him. She had never been so happy to see him.” (page 82) As you could tell Alex’s emotions change toward her brother. She starts to appreciate him more and more. The reader may think the reason why Alex's emotions change for her brother is because her brother changes and makes different decisions throughout the story, which could cause Alex to have different feelings toward for brother at times. “Alex was rather grateful her brother had come after her. They had lived together all their lives and had been in the same classrooms since kindergarten. She didn’t know if she could handle being in a different dimension by herself.” (page 86) If Conner hadn’t chased Alex into the book everything would’ve been different, she wouldn’t be able to stand being alone, she wouldn’t be able to be able to think without her brother. Alex doesn’t always get along with her brother but at least but at least she loves him, and they would always be there for each other.
Relationships With DadAlex’s feelings for her father stay the same throughout the story, they never change. She loves him, and misses him throughout the whole book. Ever since he had died she missed everything about him the big and small things. She missed him telling her and her brother stories. She missed talking to him about the problems she had and the struggles she had. He was practically her only friend, or someone that she trusted to talk to. “Their father had grown up in the woods and would spend hours each day telling the twins his adventures as a kid: all the trees he’d climbed, all the streams he’d swum, and all the ferocious animals he’d barely escaped from. Most of his retelling were highly exaggerated, but they loved this time with him more than anything else in the world.” (page 19 & 20) Alex loved his stories and adventure he would tell them. She loved everything about him. It was like she adored him like he was her role model. “The twins and their mother had been anxiously waiting for him at the dinner table when they got the phone call telling them their father wouldn’t be joining them that night, or any night after that. He had never been late to the dinner before, so as soon as the telephone rang, that had known something was wrong.” (page 31) The twins and their mother must’ve had been very devastated when their father/husband had died. The death must've been hard on all of Mr. Baileys loved ones especially Alex. Alex was very very close to her dad, so it must’ve hurt her the most. “ Everything had happened so fast after that.It was har d for the twins to remember what order it alll had happened.” (page 31) It was really hard for Alex to think once her father had passed. She didn't know what to do or say anymore. It was very hard on her, she missed him, but who wouldn't miss their father after they died. The reader could believe if Alex, had one wish she would bring back her dad. I think anyone would. “A full year had passed, and the twins still didn't understand it. People had told them it would get easier with time, but how much time were they talking about? The loss seemed to grow deeper each day without their dad. They missed him so much sometimes that they expected their sadness to swell out of their bodies…….They missed his smile, they missed his laugh, and they missed his stories...“ (page 32) When Alexś dad passed she seemed to be depressed because of it but the author didn really make it seem that way. She was really sad, and had no friends after that, she didn really talk to anyone, she would just do all her homework and have good grades. Alex missed him very much. She missed him telling her stories, she missed his smile, she missed everything about him. The day her father passed she didn't get loose a friend, she lost a part of her.
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Relationships With GrandmotherAlex’s emotions for her grandmother stay the same throughout the story. She loves her and loves visiting her grandmother. I believe that any reader could easily think that her grandmother is the only memory or close thing she has to her father. Alex and her grandmother seem very close to each other and get along easily. “One of the things Alex and Conner looked forward to the most when they were very young had been the trips to see their grandmother. She loved up in the mountains in the heart of the woods in a tiny house that could best be described as a cottage, if such a thing still existed.” (page 19) As you can tell Alex was very close to her grandmother. She loved visiting her and bonding with her. Alex and Conner's’ grandmother was the only part they had of their father. Of course Alex loved her grandmother who wouldn't, but Alex has unconditional love for her grandmother. “At night the twins’ mother would help their grandmother cook dinner and, after they had eaten, as soon as the dishes were done, the family would sit around the fireplace. Their grandmother would open her big storybook, and she and their father would take the turns reading the twins fairytales until they fell asleep. Sometimes the Bailey family would be up until sunrise.” (page 20) Their grandmother would read Alex stories and I believe that's why anyone that reads, “The Land of Stories“ would think Alex is so close to her grandmother because she would read her stories like her father did. Although Alex and her brother loved seeing their grandmother they rarely saw her and when they went to go see her it would be cool for them. Alex loved visiting her grandmother, but she would never visit her a lot. She would always visit her a couple of time a week because her grandmother, and their mother would be too busy and have no time to. “They only saw their grandmother a couple times a year and were stunned to see her in their driveway with no prior warning.” (page 53) Like I said, Alex rarely saw her grandmother. When their grandmother arrived at their house for their birthday they were very surprised. It must’ve also been an exciting moment for Alex and her brother. As you could tell, Alex’s emotions towards her grandmother stayed the same throughout the whole story.
Relationships With Mom Alex’s point of view for her mom changes throughout the story. The death of their father/husband left a mark on everyone. Mrs. Bailey had to work extra shifts and rarely saw her kids a day. She would barely even talk to them, but the time she had she would try to communicate with them. The way to Alex’s point of view she felt like she lost her mother when her father died too. “She was a nurse at the local children’s hospital and was forced to work constant double shifts to support the family since her husband passed away. Mrs. Bailey was already gone before the twins wake up every morning and would get home after the twins had gone to sleep. The only time she had with the twins anymore was on the brief lunch and dinner breaks she spent at home.” (page 36) Alex’s mother had rarely seen her kids and would barely talk to them a day. It’d be sad for Alex but the reader would think that she got use to it, although it never quite said that. Ever since their father’s death everything sort of started to go down hill for Alex and her brother. If you were close to someone would help you with the bills or help you out, and they just got up and walked out of your life, or died if would’ve been hard. It would be hard in just an emotional way but in a physical way too, because there would be a lot of bills to pay and a lot more other things that would make it harder. “In a way, the twins felt they had lost both their parents after their dad’s death.” (page 36) Alex didn’t necessarily feel like her mother was there for her but then again she would hardly ever see her mother. Alex must have felt lonely since her mother always worked, her father was dead, and her brother didn’t necessarily talk to her often, and it’d be really lonely, like no one was really there for her. Again her Alex seemed very depressed, as if this were a depressing sentence, which was on the most part was. “She had a huge, caring heart and loved her kids more than anything else in the world. Unfortunately, they hardly ever saw their mother.” (page 36) Back to what I was saying, their mother hardly ever had time to spend time with her kids. One of the reasons that might put Alex down and make her seem depressed, or getting into a depressing stage.
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What the main character is mainly pressured by and other small pressures.
One obstacle Alex has to deal with is her father's death. Mr. Bailey died in a car accident near his book store; Bailey's books. Mr. Bailey would always help Alex with her problems and was basically her only friend. He would read her and her brother fairytales and tell them stories. Once he passed Alex and her brother; Conner they missed him terribly. Which leads to the second obstacle, there mother. Mrs. Bailey never seemed to have time for her children. She would never see or spend time with her kids unless she went to their rental home for quick lunch break. Alex and Conner often felt like they lost both of their parents after their father's death. The third problem, Alex had to face is watching the house they grew up in get sold. That house had so many memories with their whole entire family, and watching it get sold must've hurt bad. The last obstacle Alex had to face was being lonely and having no friends. Alex was very different from her brother, he had a lot of friends unlike his sister, and she didn't fall asleep during class unlike her brother. Sometimes Alex was so lonely it would be hurt her, all the pain inside her, all piled up inside her. Alex was affected by many things but the top two things that bother her the most would probably be being lonely and having her dad passed.