sapo y sepo son amigos

This book is about two friend's that are frogs one of them is Sapo and the other one is Sepo. They are very happy with each other because there all ways together and they are basically brothers because of how much respect they have for each other. I like this book because this kind of reminds me of my self and my friend's we all respect each other and help each other out when we need it. I don't like disrespectful my friends because there all ways there when I need them, I its just something you never want to lose. That's what most of us count on and have left most of my friends are closer then my parents are.
Or even most of my other family members. We are like them in many ways because we like being together and that means most of the time and as much as possible.

And we don't get bored of each other because we always find something to do even if we don't have money. Because most of the people say you need money to have fun but I know that not true . We hardly have any money in are pockets but we have fun. Like Sapo y Sepo they always find something to do and they don't have money because they are frogs or have any pockets. Its almost the same thing so we are very alike. Even thought this book is very childish you may say its pretty fun well at least I did. This book has been around for a long time buy its pretty fun. So if you don't have anything to do and you feel like reading a book. Sapo y Sepo is going to be handy to have around when you feel like reading a book. And I read the Spanish version to. So it was kind of hard because I'm not a really good Spanish reader even though I'm Mexican. So it made it even more fun because I had to go over it and check if I was reading the words right. So it was kind of difficult for me even though its a child book.

You try reading a Spanish book when your not really good at reading Spanish. I think that have friends is one of the most important things a young teen could have. And if you have a best friend like them to are you can have a best friend for ever. And all ways have fun with him no matter how poor or how rich you are when you grow up. If he is a true friend he will always be there for you in the good times and bad times to. But you to have to be there for your friend like he is for you. And your bond will never brake and always be friends and be happy with your friends or your best friend. This book shows all this because they all help each other in any way the can even if it means take most of your day up just to help out a friend in need. And after a while you will see him as a brother and not like a friend any more.

Stones from the River, by Ursula Hegi

Stones from the River, by Ursula Hegi was an interesting book. It takes place in the early twentieth century (1915-1952), in Germany. It descibes the life of a zwerg girl, or a dwarf, named Trudi Montag. From the very beginning of her life, from when she was first born, her mother knew there was something different about her. She wouldn't touch her own child for the longest time. Her mother suffered from severe post-pardoned depression, although it never actually clarifies that in the book. She would run away from her house in the middle of the night, and end up stark naked in from of the town church. She did that on more than one occasion, among other things. Eventually, Trudi's father had to lock her up to keep her from hurting herself or running around. That only worked for a time though, because she eventually learned how to escape from the sewing room that she was locked in.

As Trudi got older, her mother learned to accept her, and started treating her as a mother should treat their child. That only lasted for a time though, because she was in and out of asylums and then died when Trudi was around four years old.

Since Trudi is a dwarf, she is not accepted by the other children her age. She struggles with this for awhile, praying day and night for her to grow, and even trying to stretch herself out by hanging from doorways until her arms hurt. Her first friend, Georg Weiler, the neighbor boy whose mother dresses as a girl and is therefore unaccpeted as well as Trudi, is the only person there for Trudi. They would play games together and were basically inseparable. Then, once they started school, Georg befriends other, "normal" children and Trudi is once again left on her own.

Trudi goes through few friendships, and suffers through many hardships before learning how she fits into society. She learns that by becoming the town gossip, people will come to her for information about goings-on in the town and about other people. She has a natural talent for this, having been able to tell what people are really thinking, what they are really up to, right off the bat.

During World War II, Trudi watches as her lifelong neighbors, acquaintances and friends are taken from their homes in the middle of the night, simply for saying something about Adolf Hitler, the Furher, or the government, for supporting the Jews, or for being Jewish. She does what she can to help these people by finding out beforehand if there is going to be an arrest or offering to store their belonging in the pay-library that she and her father run.

As I said before, this was an interesting book. It was written in an odd style that is very descriptive rather than action-filled and exciting. It didn’t have the normal plot, with the problem, the climax, then the solution. It was more the entire life story of Trudi, and what she had to go through with being different. It also includes some bits and pieces of other people’s stories, as sidebars from Trudi’s life. I would recommend this book only if you were a very patient reader and had a lot of time on your hands to sit and read for long periods of time. Although, it was a very good book and if it weren’t so long I would recommend it for anyone.

Written and Published by Amy Sutton

The House of the Scorpion. By Nancy Farmer

"I'm a lonely, small boy in this old creepy house. I have no contact to whatever is out there." That's probably what Matt, a clone, is thinking as he lies in a beat down house, miles away from any civilazation, until one day three shadows past by the bolted window. That is the first contact of human beings Matt has ever had, other than with his "Mom." That was the begining of Matt, A.K.A the Beast, according to the Alacran families dad.
Matt is a small clone of a teribble man. He hardly knows any english, and he' clueless about anything, even how he was born and how he got to the house hes in now. Matt is left in the dark until a sweet girl named Maria, of the Alacrans, finds him when his "Mom" is away working. She helps Matt with reading, speaking and all the basic things a human needs to know to survive.But Maria has no idea about what Matt really is.
My favorite part in the book is in the begining when Matt breaks the window on his house and jumps out to meet the Alacran kids. He so dumb that he jumps into the broken glass and hits the floor as quikly as he jumped out the window.The author was so descriptive in describing the situation and saying how the samll fragments of glass were piercing his feet so he couldn't move made it all the better.
All though this book is long it's worth reading because of all the suspense and action.
written and published by Matthew Hernandez

The Mayor Of Central Park By Avi

Ther is a squirrel named Oscar Westerwit and he lives in New York. He also is the mayor of Central Park, also the short-stop and maneger of the Central Park Green Sox. Mostaly the whole book is about Oscar and his baseball team. He looses his best pitcher and cant find him, the downtown gangsters told him to leave or he would die. So then the gangsters find out about the Central Park and that they have a lot of money that they can steal so they move up there. When they get there his daughter runs off and later finds Oscar. The gangsters whan to take over the whole park so they tell everybody to get off the park. After that they form an army and plan to take it back over, and at the same time Oscar's friend Sam was trying to see what was happening at the park and got shot. Thats how Oscar and the gangsters daughter Maud met, Maud was a nerse and heard that his friend needed help so she went with to help. Then Oscar and his army's plans got told to Mr. Dudds the big gangster by Oscars uncle and so it was no longer a suprise attack. So after they got defeted Oscar asked Dudds to make a deal and the deal was if Oscar won in a baseball game then they get the park back and if he looses then they will leave them alone. So Maud said she would find a really good pitcher just like the one that got sent away. The next day they all were waiting at the baseball field for the good player and then she came out in a baseball uniform, and the Central Park Green Sox won and got there land back.
I liked mostally this whole book it was actually like one of those books that you start to read and get into unlike how some of the teachers say, but what i kind of didn't like was that the pitcher didn't come back. The charecters were pretty tight Oscar wasn't scared and went into battle anyways,Mr.Dudds was a gangster, and his little hench men knew what to know when to know it.It was also pretty easy read, it wasn't hard to read and it was at a slow pase so there wasn't really hard words. I thought the book was pretty believable because it sounds like something everybody would do besides the war part.I recomend this book to others because it is not to challengy and its really interesting.

By COREY WOOD

Exile by R.A Salvatore

Exile! Drizzt Do' Urdan of House Do'Urdan has been exiled from his family,city, and Race. He know lives in the Underdark( a vast series of tunnels) with only his magical Panther. His race puts a extrememly high bounty on his head, and his family does an extremely powerful ritual to animate his fathers dead corpse as a wraith and send him to kill Drizzt.

This book is one of my favorites that R.A Salvatore has written. I really enjoy fantasy and his books are truly wonderful. They are full of Exitement and Suspense. Each ending leave you wondering whats gonna happen next and makes you want to read the next novel.

Each series of books leads you on another chapter of Drizzt Do'Urdans life and another adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy. I give this book 5 stars because I really enjoyed it.


~Bryan Atlee

The Da Vinci Code by: Dan Brown

Robert Langon, a college professor and cryptologist, is in Paris for a speech, that night he gets a call informing him that the Curator at the Louvre has been murdered. The crime scene is surreal, the Curator has left a mystery for Langdon and the Curator's granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, to solve. Robert later that night discovers that he himself is a suspect for the murder and that's where the action begins.
The Da Vinci Code was a brilliant book. This was one of those types of books that once you start, you can't put it down. The author, Dan Brown, put the perfect amount of puzzles, art, history, and twists to make this novel perfect.
The characters in this book were one of the reasons it was so good. Robert Langdon was a very smart character that was able to figure out secret codes in the art that the average person could only dream to be able to unriddle. He was probably my favorite character in this story because of his brilliance. Another character that was intriguing was Sophie Neveu or Princess Sophie :). She too was able to unsolve huge mysteries. I also enjoyed Sophie's character for she had such a huge past which all ended up tying into her grandfather's death. One character I wasn't very fond of was Silas. It wasn't because he was in a sense a 'bad guy', but he just seemed like the kind of person that would creep me out in real life, though he did add a good effect to the story.
This book is probably my favorite book ever now. It was filled with such mystery and suspense that I couldn't stop reading. The story line was very clever and I thought it was amazing how Dan Brown could find a way to add such clever riddles in the story and still apply history to make them realistic.
I would most definately recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is a page turner and though it can be almost too suspenseful at times, it is probably the most exciting novel that I've read. Dan Brown proves himself to be an excellent author in this book and honestly I don't think you can go wrong with it.


Written and published by: Megan Ann (Maggie)

Saving Private Ryan by Max Allan Collins

Private James Ryan wasn't any different from any other soilder but beside the fact he had three brothers in the war, he was dropped behind enemy lines into the brutal war going on in Normady with the 101st airborne infantry, while his three brothers were helping fight the war else were. But little did he know that his three brothers were all killed in action. After the invasion of Omaha Beach, Captain Miller and his small group of eight men are assigned to go deep into the middle of the war and tell Private Ryan about his brothers and bring him back home, and even though they save him, all eight men die trying to rescue one soilder.

I really enjoyed this book it was well written, and realistic. The author kept you at the edge of your seat though out the whole book and the characters are what made the book even better. And the book was loaded with all the usually stuff that makes a good war novel, guns, death and F-bombs. when I first started reading this book I thought it would be different from the movie but the only thing different was the movie was filmed and the book was written.

I would probaly recommend the movie over the book, even though the book was good, because they were very similar and you could spend two hours watcing the movie and the book takes like a couple days to read.



Written and published by Matt Gutierrez

Life in prison, by Stanley Tookie Williams

Tookie Williams had a ruff life at 17 hanging out with his friend Raymond Lee Washington they decided to make a street gang in south central L.A. that would protect them from other rival gangs. They got the first thirty people all there friends and made the gang called "Crips"

Raymond in 1979 was killed by a rival gang two years later Stan was found guilty of killing four people in two bank robberies. Stan was sent to San Quentin's Death row on April 20,1981.

when in prison Tookie keeps track of growing copycat Crips gangs across the nation and around the world they are 43 states and in parts of western Africa,south Africa,Sweden,Canada,Germany, and France. Now Stan greatly regrets the violent history of the Crips gang while he spends his last years of life on death row writing books to change kids minds about starting gangs.

As for me I thought the book was believable and that Tookie try his hardest to make his wrongs turn to wrights as he wrote these books to educate his reader about how starting gangs and ending up in prison or dead is not a good thing to do and why you should avoid being in a gang and making sure what happened to Tookie does not happen to you.

on the day Tookie Williams was to be put to death hundreds of people came out to protest and tell them that Tookie should not be executed because he wrote these books that would change peoples lives and make sure that there wont be any more gangs as long and the children of the future read these books and understand the consequences that can hurt you for the rest of your life.

Tookie Williams Sentenced to death in San Quentins Death row on April 20,1981 Executed with lethal injection on December 13,2005. People say "Goodbye Tookie Williams"

Tookie Williams gets 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for extraordinary youth violence prevention and intervention work he has created from a "condemned Row" Prison cell in Californians san Quentin state prison.

by, Matthew Palmer

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Just like every young child, innocent Scout lived a carefree life filled with exploring and playing with her older brother, Jem and friend Dill. Her summer days also included acting out the mysterious life of the never-seen Boo Radley, who they were so intrigued by. Soon Scout and her companions would come to learn the evils of the world, the injustice of human nature, and just how unfair people can be because of the color of someone's skin. When Scout's father, a lawyer, is assigned to defend a black man for a crime he did not commit, the reality of discrimination really comes into play for Jem and Scout. They see how cruel people can really be to others, and are forced to face the evils of mankind. Atticus tells his kids, "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." (Pg.220) Their father's guidence help these kids make sense of these difficult issues. As you can see, their father's wise instruction plays a significant role in their childhood.

I really admire the characters in this book. The author gives them such unique personalities that really come alive throughout the whole story. She does such a great job of capturing the kind of characters and attitudes the book needed to make it the kind of story it was. There's Scout, the feisty tomboy girl who doesn't understand why things are so unfair. She looks up to her older brother, Jem, who's learning to comprehend some of the darker aspects of human nature. He's smart, and wants to be just like his dad. Also, he's very protective and understanding of his little sister, and can always explain to her what's going on. Then of course there's Atticus who's the dry humored, hands off, yet unconditionally loving and caring father who sometimes thinks, "I'm a total failure as a parent, but I'm all they've got." (Pg. 288) People say that, "Atticus Finch is the same in this house as he is on the public streets." (Pg. 46) This shows that he's a consistent man. He's also very respected. His children look up to him and believe in everything he is. He is an extremely calm and wise man who fights for justice and does the right thing no matter what people think of him. He doesn't tend to worry, and has impacted his children more than he'll ever know.

This book is exceptionally good at showing you just how humans really are. It teaches so many great lessons, and the author did an amazing job of capturing those lessons and themes without telling you too much. Scout, Jem, and Dill learn the hard way that people don't accept, and are cruel about things and people that they don't understand. They're scared of them and therefore assume the worst, like the characters did with Tom Robinson, the black man who was accused of rape, and Boo Radley because he never came outside. In this book you see how prejudiced most people are, and deals with a lot of issues involving racism, and discrimination, which really has an effect on the outcome of certain issues. This book definitely opens your eyes and lets you walk around in each person's shoes, allowing you to see things from a variety of perspectives. And that's really kind of cool because all the characters have their own opinion about things, and they're all so different, yet also alike.

Yes, it's true. This book does start off slow. It seems as though the narrator is just rambling on. But then towards the middle, the random observations and stories are intertwined with more of a purposeful storyline. Later you see that the narrator was actually skillfully setting the stage for the kinds of people there are in Maycomb, and all the major events that take place. So really, all the little things are actually very important to the story.

Harper Lee did such a fabulous job writing this book. She used very colorful writing that got her many points across, and helped capture what the book was saying in just a few sweet, well-chosen words. It was a really unique style of writing that was partly what made this book so phenomenal. "Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." (Scout) (Pg. 11) I also liked the way the book was laid out. At the end of each chapter, the author/narrator would leave you hanging about what unbelievable thing just occurred, or how so-and-so reacted, which made it so you had to immediately start in on the next chapter. You never really knew what to expect next, or what the next amazingly- written chapter would bring. It was hard to put this epic story down.

Set in the early 1830's, this timeless classic went above and beyond. It was just so believable, and was written with such care. Harper Lee really captured the mood of the period. She did a wonderful job of keeping me intrigued, and every time I opened the book, I was taken back to a nostalgic time. Also, I really liked how the book included so many different events that caused a variety of emotions and responses. Not only did this book teach many great and useful lessons, it also dealt with many regular life issues that we can all relate to, and does it with thought-provoking insight. I most definitely recommend it to those who can grasp some of the deeper issues of life, and who want to really get something out of a good book. I found it perfect for snuggling up on the couch with on a rainy day, and for a breezy sun-filled day out on the lawn. You won't regret reading this American classic.

The Greatest, Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Meyers

The Greatest, Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Meyers is one of the best books I have ever read. If you like to read biographies like I do, you should read this one. I like this book a lot because you do not only learn about his boxing career, but about his life. You learn about his childhood, why he got into boxing, his stand against the Viet Nam war, and the problems he had to face in his life. One of his biggest problems was dealing with racism. Even though he won the gold medal in the Olympics for boxing, he was not allowed to eat in some restaurants in the South because he is Black.

Muhammad Ali is one of my heroes because he has done a lot of great things even though it was very difficult for African Americans to live in the United States when he was growing up. The way Walter Dean Meyers describes Muhammad Ali’s life is very believable. It almost feels as if you are experiencing his life along with him. The author’s writing style flows easily and keeps you interested. There are many actual photographs of Muhammad Ali from when he was a teenager all the way through his fighting career.

I thought that the book was believable because the book is a biography. I had huge connections with the book because Muhammad Ali is one of my heroes. He is my hero because I am Black and when he was famous there were still a lot of racist things going on. I am interested in knowing the kinds of things Black people went through back then. He is also my hero because he got drafted to the army and he did not want to kill anybody or shoot a gun. I agree with his decision to face jail instead of going to war. I would recommend this book to whoever likes boxing and whoever likes Black history. The reason why I would like to recommend this book is because this is the only book that I have read and wanted to read again.

First French Kiss, by Adam Bagdasarian

Will,basically like everyone. This is the basic story of everyone's lives that we cant get enough of hearing just to make ourselves sound normal. Will is the main character of this story, he is like everyone else, he endures the same school, girl, and those long thoughts off what's the point, or what's the bigger picture (in other words the slight depressed thoughts of who knows) problems. He moved away from his young life without even really knowing it. He then moved into a big house that just keeps getting smaller as he grows psychilogically and physically as you follow his life through multiple short stories.

In this story there were many of important characters, but of course the most important is Will. I thought will was a lot like myself with the same thoughts as me and of course middle school fights and other familiar problems. This book almost scared me about how he and I thought about a lot of the same things, such as going so deep into thought that you wonder what its really all about.

I thought the strories that were told in this novel were good representation of what everyone goes through. I also thought most of the stories were kind of funny. I have even gone through a lot of the same scenerios as Will except some changed around slightly, like when my sister left the house, and how I got into a fight just like him kind of for no clear reason.

Overall I thought this book was very good. It was kind of short but in that small amount of text there was a whole life, which I though wast awsome. This book kept me reading late into the night until I crashed with the book over my chest. I thought it was a definate page turner, and it was somewhat exciting because I was always waiting for what was next, in some instances it was a like a reality TV show. And don't judge it by its cover (guys), its about a guy going through all those boy to man situations we experiance in life
by Ben Bachelor

Slam! by Walter Dean Meyers

Growing up in the hood can be rough. Greg "Slam" Harris has all the skills he needs on his domain. The basketball court. On the court he's the man and he knows it. But his game is struggling off the court. He knows when the ball is in his hands the games under control. So does everyone else. But his hot-headed temper causes him trouble with his coach and teammates. But off of the court the ball is right in his hands and he can't handle it. His grades are pretty bad and he knows it. His school tries to help him but he doesn't want to take it. Slam has to deal with troubles from his girlfriend, his main man Ice, and his parents.

I loved everything about this book. I could sense how "Slam" was feeling at times. Slam narrated the story so there was a young sounding voice that was easy to understand. I never felt like i could get bored with this book and it always kept me wanting to read more. I like that i could relate to most of the topics in the book. The characters in this book were great. I could visualize every character in my head and they were identifiable with me. I could feel what all of the characters were going through. Any great story about basketball would make my day. But "Slam!" gave me a positive feel about reading. The author was very descriptive about every scene and I could visualize everything. The in depth thoughts going through his head while he is playing in his basketball games really elavated the heartracing writing in the story. "Slam!" is the most unique book I've read yet.

There was no real specific plot in "Slam!". His whole life living day to day was the plot of the book. This made the story line more believable. The problems that Slam went through in the story were problems that many people deal with every day. Even if they're not in the hood. "When I got home it was like my whole head was going to explode. Moms wanted me to talk about it, but I didn't have enough words to say how i felt. Bad wasn't enough. Terrible wasn't even enough."(pg. 260). I really liked that passage because it shows some of his feelings while being overloaded with issues he couldn't explain. I know many, including myself, have felt that way before.

I definately recommend this book to anyone looking for a great book with great characters and great story line. Not only does this story talk about the rough life of an athlete growing up in the hood with many distractions, but it has writing that will make u never stop reading


by FINCH (Bilal Finch)

First French Kiss, by Adam Bagdasarian

"Will", whose last name was never told in the book, had many odd incidents throughout his life. These incidents are being told by himself in the book I read, "first French Kiss." Everyone knows about the good, the bad, and the ugly times that have occurred in there life. Although, know one has had experiences quite like will. Because Will is the younger than his brother, he feels, well, a lot of things. When he goes from being the least popular, to the most popular, and then back down to the least popular kid in school, it's always hard to keep up with how Will really feels. His brother tortures him by once putting duck tape in his hair, to getting his first "French kiss", he's still trying to figure out where he really belongs in life.

This book I thought was odd but yet unique at the same time. Odd in ways like never putting the short stories that occurred throughout the book together. Never having a plot, setting, or time. Unique in ways like keeping the reader always on the edge of their seat,never understanding Wills personality, still trying to figure out what's going on.

I think that the author did a good job of never ending the chapter, or the short story being told. It seemed like the reader would always be ready to move on to the next chapter, ready for the ending of the previous story, and then, nothing, just a whole new story. I also think that the author did a good job having Will, the main character, tell each story. It made it seem like you were at the scene , always in Wills shoes.

Not only is this an up beat, always on the edge of your seat book, it's allso an adventure of one boys life. I like how it never went off of his life, foccussed on his life at all times. No good book would be good without a good ending right? Wrong. This book was fine without an ending at all, just short stories, and ended at a certain point. I definately wish that this book would continue. If only there were a few more short stories on Will's life. Adam Bagdasarian should definately make a sequel, maybe a when he has grown up. I reccomend this book to those who love a good thriller, comedy, drama, and real life situations all in one book.

By: Spencer B.

The Maze By Will Hobbs

Sitting, wasting away, just waiting for your break to come. “Hey,” people say, “at least you’re normal. Your one of the ones who turned out okay.” Turned out okay? Sure, Rick may have turned out better some of the others that are also in his situation, but still, he is in the Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center. How can he possibly be “okay” and still be in a place such as this? Rick Walker is just 14 years old. His only real parent figure he ever had that actually cared for him was his Grandma, who raised him since birth. After his mother gave birth to him, being only 15, she panicked, leaving Rick with her mother -his grandmother- and gallivanting off to Los Angeles. After his Grandmother passed away, Rick was sent to numerous different foster homes and orphanages, but never seemed to find the right fit. He ended up in a youth detention center, a center that housed kids with problems that ranged from petty theft to murder. When Rick’s name shows up “on the cigs” Rick comes to think that staying at Blue Canyon is out of the question. He escapes from Blue Canyon and finds his way into the bed of a pick-up truck, rolling across a broad expanse of slick rock -in the middle of nowhere- with canyon walls towering hundreds of feet above him. When it all comes together, Rick finds himself working closely with the mysterious Lon Peregrine, a government employee working to help save the endangered California Condor, and finds that bird-watching is riskier then he first thought. It could mean his life.

The way the characters in this story are portrayed is incredible. The way you come to learn about their lives and perspectives on life, it seems to put you directly into the story. You feel almost as though you are a character, watching from the spires of the nearby canyon walls. I think that was what really drew me into this book. The way Rick sees life is so uplifting after he meets Lon. He has been waiting his whole life for the one time when he can break out and become his own person. He is always searching for his way out of ‘The Maze.” I could not stop reading the book. It was so enthralling, it just dragged me in and kept me turning the pages.

The plot in this novel was unbelievable. The way that it included all the feelings of passion, hope, caring, intensity and adventure was truly awe-inspiring. The story is not that of the stereotypical adventure novel, and the unexpected twists and turns really give the book character, a character that most books do not contain.

If you are worried about reading a book that does not seem to capture your imagination and your mind right off the bat, worry no more. The intensity of the book continues throughout, cover-to-cover. The book never has a dull moment.

The only frustrating part about this book for me, was that Will Hobbs has not come out with a sequel as of yet. I am sure that if -or when- he does, it will be just as riveting as its prequel.

Don’t get stuck in the maze. Find your way out.

Written and published by Ryan Bakken

An Owl Too Many

Wednesday, May 3, 2006
An Owl Too Many
by Charlotte Macleod

Meet Professor Peter Shandy. He, like most Professors at Balaclava Agricultural College, Farms. But he also has a very strange hobby. Detecting. And not just any kind of it either, it usually involves a murder. So, no big surprise when a so-called site engineer gets pulled up in a net, stabbed to death in the back of the neck, and gets dropped back down, out of the tree, like a hot potato, right? Well, not really. So how, later in the book, do the Norse President of the college and Professor Shandy find themselves being swept down a swollen river in a runway Tugboat? Well, you will just have to read this totally awesome book to find out.

I thought that this book was great. The characters were clearly well planned and thought out. I mean, for example, the Norse president, Thorkjeld Svenson. Said to be just as tall and burly as his Viking ancestors, who, like most Norsemen, can be extremely frightening at times. Then there is Professor Shandy. He has a wife and one cat, invented the Balaclava Buster. Those two along with countless others have back grounds from other books and this one. So to get the full effect of the characters, you need to read four or five Peter Shandy mysteries, by Charlotte Macleod.

The plot and story are stupendous. Not only is it a murder mystery, but it is also a mystery involving financial fraud. As you will find out when you read this. It is based around a person who has just inherited a bunch of money from her Grandfather. It involves two other people. One trying at all costs to get money and support out of her, and keep her from helping the other the other. The other, trying to keep the support they already have.

I hope that you will enjoy this book as much as I did , and that you will check out more from books from the same series from the library. Enjoy!

Written and published by Zachary.

UNDER THE BLOOD-RED SUN By Graham Salisbury

In this book " UNDER THE BLOOD-RED SUN," Graham Salisbury plays an eighth grader boy named Tomikazu, who gets in a lot of trouble. This time takes around September 1941. Tomikazu is Japanese American living in Hawai'i. Also called Tomi. His grandfather and parents are from Japan and moved to Hawai'i to escape from poverty.

While Tomi is still a kid he doesn't care what's going on, instead he is more focused on playing baseball with his team named the " Rats." Tomi's grandfather would always say be nice to the people around because you don't know what would happen to you.

One day Tomi found something and he thought it would be nice to show it to Keet. Keet is a tough boy who likes to beat up on people and is also Tomi's friend. Once he got to Keet's house he showed it to him. Keet then took it and left Tomi out on his porch. Tomi knocked on Keet's door to get it back, but Keet just shoved Tomi. Tomi didn't want to disgrace his family so he left, but in his mind it was his, so Tomi knocked on Keet's door again. Once Keet opened the door Tomi had a fist and punched Keet. After the fight Tomi came home with bruises. Tomi's grandpa and parents were asking him where he got the bruises. Tomi said that he had got in a fight with Keet. His parents and grandpa had all said that Tomi just disgraced his family. Tomi's family felt shame falling upon them.

During the end of the book Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. U.S. declares war on Japan. Tomi's parents, sister, and grandpa were taken away by the police.Tomi is the only one who could save his family. Tomi rushes to his team the "Rats" to ask them if they can help save his parents.

By: Joshua F.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
By: C.S. Lewis

One day while exploring the old Professor’s house, young Lucy found a secret wardrobe which contained a secret world of magic, strange creatures, talking animals, living trees, and so much more. As Lucy goes into this world (Narnia) and she meets a Faun, Mr. Tumnus, who sends her back to Earth, in fear that he will be penalized for even talking to a human. When she tells her older siblings they all doubt her until they saw Narnia for themselves. Now they all have to fight together to save Narnia from the White Witch, who is trying to take over Narnia!

I thought that everything in this book was amazing, from the Characters, to the setting, and the emotion. The Characters bring the life to this story, the way they express their feelings is incredible.
Seeing the motion picture of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” gave me a great visual of the setting. From the snowy mountains to the rainy forests.

The thing that I didn’t like was the Witch dying. Why? Because there would be an excellent sequel(s). C.S. Lewis already has sequels to the Narnia addition, but I personally think that the story of Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan would have been way more interesting.

The plot of the story was amazing! From the Turkish Delight to the sacrifice of Aslan. The battle for Narnia was written incredibly. I take off my hat for you, C.S. Lewis. The battle set a great picture in my head. I could hear the swords clinging and the Knights yelling.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a book full of fantasy, magic, adventure, suspense, horror, love, and so much more.

Handing on to Max by Margaret Bechard!!

In the book "Hanging on to Max",Sam is a high school father at an alternate high school. With his son ,Max, homework, school, and work, life is tough. What is he supposed to do when he can't handle it all?

I really liked this book, and if you've read it already, you can see why. The characters are very realistic and the situations are real.

Not only is this a great book, but it is a great book with a great message. That message is basically to get informed about HIV/AIDS.

This book is a "teenage problem" kind of book, but also a confusing love story, you don't know what will happen next with Claire and Sam.

The end of this book is very annoying. It leaves you hanging. All you can do is guess what happened. I really hope that there will be a second one.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes books about teenage problems and solving them.


By Natalie

Frightmares

My book is called Frightmares It's about two kids who find themselves in a big situation that happend during noon after they came from school when they got home they didn't find their cat at home or their Grandmas cat. They thought she probably went out for a walk but later that night they found out that she didn't went for a walk. They were worried and didn't know what to do later they thought that she might have been stolen or kidnapped by some stranger. It was kidnapped. Nobody in their neighborhood wanted to find their Grandmas cat so they had to find her themselves they said. At the end .............. Well you'll have to find out yourself by reading this book.

What I thought about this book was that it was a good book to read and to be into the book. I also thought that it was not as good as other books because it seemed more like a kids book to me then a middle school book or a YRCA book so I didn't like it as much as other books it's more easier and not as challenging as others, so it was pretty good but i liked it.

What I thought about the characters is that they were unbeliavable and brave to go out there and save their Grandmas cat but they were kind of weird in their own kind of a way that I'm not sure how to explain it but they seem weird to me in my kind of way that they talk like adults and try to save a cat I mean who would save a cat definetly not me because I dont really like cats at all that's what I thought about them. Oh yeah and the stranger I did not like because his mean in stealing a cat. That's my thought about all this.

Hector T.

"FAHRENHEIT 451" By Ray Bradbury

To tell you the truth, I am not a person who likes reading very much. The only time I read a book is when I have an assignment or a project at school. When I was looking for a book to read for a project at school, I saw my sister reading this book and I asked her if she liked it. She told me that it was very good and that I should read it.

When I first read the title I thought that it was just one of those weird books. When I started reading the book, I found out that the meaning of the title is the temperature at which paper burns. The setting of the book took place some time on the future. All civilizations were banned from reading books. “Fire Men” burn the books that are found and the house that they were found in. The owner of the book was either put in jail or put to death. The ironic thing is that instead of putting out fires, “Fire Men” start fires.

In the story there is a fire man named Montag. Montag meets a teenage girl who shows him that what he is doing is wrong. Montag starts reflecting about himself and his life, but that ends up causing every thing to fall apart.

In this story, I think the author is trying to show us that in the future everyone will be wasting their time doing useless things. This brought to my attention how I should manage my time. I mostly waste my time doing things that do not benefit me, when I could be reading a book or learning something new.

People always recommend all types of books to me, but this one really got to me. I really like how the author uses the story as a metaphor to point out the problems in our society today. I regret not finding this book sooner and not trying to find books with the same idea as this one. Schools all over the world should introduce this book to every student. I think there should be more books like these, books that people can learn from.

Written and published by Youcef.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

There are many books about the past discrimination of blacks in the South, and there are many books about children who grow and come to realize more about the world in which they live. But in the story To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee binds these two seemingly tired plots to create a fascinating story unlike any other.


This story is brought to life from the perspective of a young girl, Jean Louise Finch, lovingly known as Scout by her family and friends. With days consisting mostly of taunting their mysterious neighbor and fun and games with her brother Jem, her life bursts with the carefree joy of childhood. That is until her father Atticus, a lawyer, is assigned to defend a black man against rape charges of a white girl. Atticus chooses to accept the case in order to do what he thinks is right even though he knows he is choosing to fight in a loosing battle. Scout and Jem are suddenly faced with disapproval and disgust from many members of their town who disagree with their father's role in the case.


At a glance, this book is about the discrimination of African Americans, but looking deeper I find that the theme to this book is of a slightly different nature. I found that this story was more about the growing up of the children and them finding who they are and what they believe in. Even when the children are in an environment where they are met with much disapproval, they are able to come to these realizations by looking to Atticus for guidance and encouragement. This book is also about how after you become certain of what you know to be right, you must stand by those beliefs no matter the amount of opposition you face or the number of odds against you. "Simply because we're licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." (87)


Not only did I enjoy the plot to this story, but I also really admired the author's style of writing. This book was worded in a way that was unique and different, but still got to the point. I also liked the fact that the author left a lot for the reader to infer on their own, rather then just telling you things, the author would provide you with just the right amount of information so that the reader is required to think and draw their own conclusions.


The only thing that I found to be any less than excellent in this book was the slow beginning. It takes quite a while for the story to get going. But, I do see the necessity to this, if the author hadn't taken so much time in the beginning to let us draw close to the characters, then the ending wouldn't have been nearly as powerful.


I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well written story that will leave you refreshed in your hope and encouraged to stand up for what you think is right. I urge you to read To Kill a Mockingbird in the hope that you will get as much out of it as I have.


Written and published by Katie S.

Eragon By: Christopher Paolini

Going on adventures can be very exhilirating at times, but also very tiring and frightening at others. When Eragon finds a blue stone on his way to get meat one day, his entire life changes. At first, Eragon has no idea that this "stone" that he found was actually an egg, but one night, it hatches. After word gets out that the egg hatched, Eragon becomes a huge part in the war going on in the empire. Everyone thought that all of the dragons were gone, but Eragon just found one. When his uncle is killed and his house is destroyed by some of his pursuers, he has to learn to become a great fighter. On his adventure to get revenge, a man named Brom teaches him many things about fighting.

The character descriptions in this book are amazing. Eragon starts out as a normal boy, but after training with Brom for months, he changes drastically. The author describes him so well, that I could actually see Eragon in front of me in my mind. When Eragon looks in a mirror one day, this is how it descibes him: "Any baby fat was gone now, his cheek bones were more prominent, and the line of his jaw was sharper."(198)

The plot of this book was also amazing, but suspenseful and startling too. As you get farther into the book, many more things unravel. It turns out that Brom the "storyteller" was once a dragon rider who defeated another rider named Morzan. And one of Eragon's friends is actually the son of Morzan! Many other things are surprising, and for me it was almost impossible to put the book down. It always kept me in suspense.

Once you read this book, you can't just stop, it isn't like that. The end of this book, isn't really an end, which is why you have to read the sequel, Eldest. I have not read this book yet, but from what I hear, it is also a very good book. But that isn't where it stops either, this is a trilogy so the third one is what will end it. I highly recommend this book to you, along with the other two, and I hope you enjoy Eragon as much as I did.

Written and Published by: Paul

Peter and the Starcatchers By:Dave Ridley and Barry Pearson

New phenomena’s are always amazing and a little bit scary at the same time. When Peter discovers that there is a chest of star stuff on the ship he is on, he is bewildered. His curiosity soon takes hold of him as he finds himself sneaking around after dark in restricted territories trying to figure out what the star stuff is.

When Peter first meets Molly, her intelligence, beauty and her unnatural green eyes fascinate him. Peter soon finds himself having to make a life threatening decision; to trust Molly or do what he thinks is right.


The characters in this book are very interesting. Peter is an orphan along with all his other friends who boarded the Neverland ship. Molly is one of the more high-class people on the ship. While Molly has buffets and bread and delicious food, Peter was forced to have bugs, lard and rats, and that is how it all began. Peter was looking for food when he found the star stuff and that’s why this whole fiasco happened, which turned into a very interesting, breath taking book.


This book is very adventurous, fast action, and humorous. From fighting pirates, to battling floating crocodiles this book covers all the bases.
“An undergarment of fantastic size, as if made for a giant women” (102). This is just one line of the book where the pirates designed their sails from a women’s undergarments.


I loved this story, it is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Unlike other books, this book takes a hold of you and just wont let go. You will end up staying awake for hours just to find out what happens next, and just when you find out what happens another interesting twist will happen. If your are looking for a short action filled book “Peter and the Starcatchers” - is the book for you! It wont take you very long to finish because you wont be able to set it down. I highly recommend this book and I hope you find it as amazing as I did.

Written and published by: Kailey

Bras and Broomsticks, By: Sarah Mlynowski

Bras and Broomsticks
By:Sarah Mlynowski

This book is about a teenage girl named Rachel. Rachel is your average teenage....nerd. Until she finds out that her sister is witch, then everything changes. She has her sister put all kinds of spells on her, like to make her a better dancer, have clear skin, and to make her soon to be step mother ugly. With her new dancing skills, she tries out for the fashion show. All the popular/A-list girls and boys are in the fashion show. So when Rachel joins, its like she is a completely different person. Everything is going her way, she is invited to parties and she is asked to the spring fling by Raf, who she has had a crush on forever. Her life Is perfect until….well you have to read it to find out.

My favorite character in this book is Tammy. She is Rachel’s best friend from the start. She is forgiving, understanding, and just fun to be around.
I really liked this book. I would defiantly recommend it. It is funny, sad, fictional, but it seems as though it were true.

The first thing that comes to Rachel’s mind when she finds out that her sister is a witch is this, “If I could cast a spell, the first thing I’d create would be seven day weekends! And school? So yesterday. Knowledge would be downloaded into our brains. But…Where would we meet boys?” I like this passage because it sounds so real, if I found out that me or my sister was a witch, I would be trying to think of a ton of things that I could do to make my live way more fun, and easier.

One thing that I really liked about this book is that it seemed so real. All the problems she has anyone could really have, like having your dad remarry or being a nerd or even small things like being excited about something and you could almost see how excited she was in some parts. I think that the author did a very good job writing this book.

By: Anna

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Life seemed good for King Trinian and his friend Jewel the Unicorn. They had received word that after many long years, Aslan had returned. Birds, squirrels, and many other creatures said that they had seen Aslan. But a centaur, named Roonwit, said that Aslan had not come, the stars did not say so, and only evil hung over Narnia. He also said that the stars never lie, only the inhabitants on solid earth. While Roonwit, King Trinian, and Jewel were talking, a Dryad came warningly, telling them that many of the talking trees, where many Dryads lived, were being cut down. King Trinian then jumped up in fury and he and Jewel went to inspect what was going on, while Roonwit went to get warriors for aide. On the way to examine what was going on, Jewel and King Trinian spotted a water rat floating down a river on logs lashed together. The rat said that the cutting of the trees were Aslan’s orders. As the book goes on, many things began to unfold and friends from another world arrived to help fight against the evil that Roonwit said that hung over Narnia.


The characters in “The Last Battle” are amazing; they are very heroic, noble and brave. King Trinian, a skilled swordsman and a great leader, always had an idea of what to do and what was right. Jewel, and all of the other warriors who knew what the true story was, were very loyal to King Trinian, Cair Paravel (the city where King Trinian lived), and Narnia. C. S. Lewis describes all characters marvelously, and it is very easy to visualize them.


The plot is astounding, especially since it’s the last book. Many creatures that have no idea of what’s going on are doing what “Aslan” tells them to do. Therefore, King Trinian and all the creatures of Narnia have a very short list of allies. The plot is perfect for the ending of Narnia, the land where many stories took place.


What I didn’t like about the book is how little fighting there was, but there was a lot of mystery and suspense. There was probably very little fighting, because there was so much to unfold, and there were very few creatures and people that were friends of Narnia to have much of a real battle.


There may be one or two weak features about “The Last Battle”, but the good out number the bad by a long shot. For example, some good things were the characters, the plot, the mystery, and the suspense. The only weak feature I could find (I tried hard to find more, but failed) was that there was very little action. I strongly suggest that you read the rest of the series before you start “The Last Battle”.


Written and published by: John Nice

1984, by George Orwell

I am going to start by telling the summary. This book, which was published in 1949, takes place in 1984. It is about an imaginary future where the government basically controls all aspects of life. The government controls what people do and even what people think. The state is called Oceania, and is ruled by a group known as the Party, the leader of the Party is Big Brother. One guy has rebellious thoughts and keeps a diary, but the thought police will most likely figure him out. A guy named Winston starts to have an affair with a girl named Julia, and any sexual relationship between Party members is strictly forbidden. So they are secret about it, but a guy named Mr. Charrington tricks them into being caught by the thought police. So Winston is tortured and brainwashed into believing the way of Big Brother, yet he is later executed.

I found it funny that the people back in 1949 thought that in the future it would be controlled. I would think that in that time the governments must have been corrupt, so the people thought they would have total control. This thought came to me many times while reading this book, because of the things described, such as when it says, "Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power."

My thoughts on the characters were that they were very interesting. Winston and Julia were interesting because they were secretive and were hiding from the government. Mr. Charrington is interesting because he was deceitful. But the most interesting was the Party, because just the fact that they controlled everyone interested me, but they were such a high power that it made it seem interesting when Winston and Julia would hide from the Party. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and fiction.

By, Alex Mullen

Wanted!!! By:Caroline B. Cooney

You can imagine how Alice (the main character) felt when she heard the tragic news about her fathers death. Unbelievable, Alice was being accused of her fathers death. Earlier that same day, Alice received an anonymous call. When she answered the phone,it happened to be her father telling her to drive his corvette to the place where they usually buy milkshakes and give him two disks that were titled "TWIN." Surprised in shock from the mysterious call, barely recognizing her fathers voice Alice gently reminded him that she was just fifteen years old and that she didn't have a drivers license. Her father abruptly responded, "IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

So Alice takes her dads corvette and drives an aggressive drive to the milk-shake parlor. Alice waits for her dad patiently. He never shows up or even calls. Then Alice decides to call her mother to have some informationof what was going on. I can imagine that her heart was beating really fast that you can probably hear it. Alice's mom tells her about receiving her daughters confession. At times I think that Alice had a really hard time believing her dad or as she may say "daddy" was dead. You can tell that Alice thought a lot throughout the entire book. She probably thought mostly about the many differences her parents had and how much she wanted to have a close relationship with both of her parents. Alice was very adventurous, after she ran out of food , she always found what she needed. It would be hard to be Alice, she was very calm and brave. While you read yhis book you will find out who Alice loved so much."She needed daddy. She loved daddy." The mysterious plot keeps your blood pumping. While reading this book you can visualize every scene. Once you start rezding it, you won't want to stop. Written and Published by:Yoshi c.

Thunder Cave By:Roland Smith

Jacob Lansa is a 14 year old boy who is going threw some rough times. Things get worst when a family member passes away and he is forced to move to Nebraska. He then remembers his dad who lives in Kenya and who he hasn't talked to in over two years. His father is a field biologist, which is why he's in Africa, and is trying to stop poachers from killing elephants. Jacob goes to Kenya and finds out surviving in the bush is a lot harder than it looks. After being saved by a Masai named Supeet with a quest of his own, they team up to achieve their goals.

To me, this book was very creative and adventures. The author was really detailed on how the environment looked and felt. He usually did this while Jacob was in the bush, which is very hot, dry, and for the character, exhausting. The characters and what they did was also very detailed. During one part, Supeet covered his entire body with dirt to camlefloage him self from poachers and animals. That was one of my favorite parts.

The characters were very unique. Jacob's dad is totally obsessed with his work as a field biologist, who works for the Wildlife Research Institute. He loves animals and to protect them. He also doesn't seem to mind to travel a lot for his job. Jacob's grandfather (Taw) is a very strange man. Near the begging, Jacob explains that Taw has insomnia a lot and lives in a type of day-care. Besides needing someone to watch him everyday, Taw is and can be very wise. Other times he can be a bit unuasul. Jacob is someone who fights for what they believe in ( like his father). He likes adventure and things planed out. To me, he seems really nice and knows what he's doing. His friend Supeet is always aware of everything. He would be a really good leader, as he was in the book. The author chose really good characters for this type of story.

During this book, Jacob has one goal. That is to go to Kenya and find his father. On the way, he finds Supeet and they tell each other what they must do. Supeet's goal is to bring rain to the dry land. Jacob soon learns he must help him to complete his own goal. The plot is for Jacob to find and help his father and help Supeet with the ritaul he must do at the thunder cave. Because of the plot, this book isn't believable to me.

Overall, this book was very interesting and well written in many ways. There were a lot of parts that made me react differently. Most of the time I kept on thinking what it would be like to be in Jacob's shoes. This is a great book for any reader that's into adventure, animals, and survival storys. I think this book is incredible and I highly recommend it.

Written and published by Gage

Bloomability, by Joanna Cotler Books, and Sharon Creech

Bloomability. What does bloomability mean to you? To me, it means to grow into something better, but not always better. I think of flowers because flowers start as a seed, and turn into a beautiful flower with a mind of its own, where sky is the limit. I thought this book was wonderful! It was full of mystery, adventure, happiness, sadness, and a little bit of romance. This book is about a girl, but I think a boy could read it, it might be a little to girly (not pink or fluffy or anything, but from a girl’s point of view). This book is kind of like a diary, but without the dates or headings.

There are three main characters, then about five characters that still have a name. Domenica, Gunthrie, and Lila.

Domenica is the main character and the point of view is from her perspective. She starts out quiet, and not very interesting, but as the year goes on, she gets more adventurous, more talkative, and very interesting. Occasionally, there will be a blurb of her dream; it usually has something to do with how her day is going. Gunthrie is wild, full of energy, and very observational. Guthrie makes the sun come out and the clouds go away. He shouts out everything wonderful that comes to mind. When he jumps into a cold river, he shouts fantastico! Lila, the pistol, does exactly what everyone calls her (the pistol) if something makes it mad she never fails to tell people about it, whether it’s the food that tastes bad, or her roommate that snores. She is also Domenica’s best friend. Domenica doesn’t even know why.

This book takes place in Europe… Italy… at a boarding school. It is the most wonderful boarding school though. There are breathtaking views, rivers to swim in, nice hiking trails, and cold, snowy mountains to climb. Domenica doesn’t live in a dorm though; she lives in a house with her uncle because her uncle is the headmaster. She still attends school like everyone else though.

I thought this book was superb and hope you read it to. It is called Bloomability, by Joanna Cotler Books, and Sharon Creech.

Written and published by Violet

The Doll People By:Ann M. Martin and Laura Gogwin

"Auntie Sarah, where are you?" My auntie Sarah has been gone for 45 years and I have not seen her since then (pageI). This book was about Auntie Sarah missing and how Annabelle Doll had to go look for her auntie....... and so on.

The Doll People was a great book, it had so many interesing things going on. It was those kind of books that are mystery, and funny at the same time. Some of the things I really like was that it didn't tell you right away were Auntie Sarah was. It was up to Annabelle Doll to go look for her auntie.


Something that I did not like was that it would repeat over and over about how Kate (the human girl ) would wake up, play with dolls, and go to sleep. It would never say really what she did. I felt that the characters were very smart to make plan to capture Auntie Sarah, and also that they care for each other, and that they are really nice to each other.


The writing style was really easy to understand, it was not hard to read I bet anyone could read this . I felt that the book was not believable it talk about dolls that are alive. But really dolls can't come alive.


One connection I made with the Annabelle Doll, was that if I had a auntie that was missing I would also go and look for her because she is part of the family, and that's what family members do, they help each other out either good times or bad time. Something I found interesting was the life of the dolls because they had lives like really people do they would sleep,walk, see, eat, and they could also talk to each other. Also I like when Uncle Doll said "Well Annabelle, if you are going to go no matter what, then I am going with you." (page 43) I felt that shows love between family, caring for each other no matter what happends.

This book was so cool, and it gives other to think about how to treat other, how to love family members no matter what, and to do any thing to have the family together. I do recommend this book to other, because it would show you how to do something for family members.

By,Gloria

"Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen (Victoria)

I read the book, "Dreamland", and for once, it turned out better than I thought it would. Usually, when you pick a book off the shelf, you think to yourself, do I really want to read this, or am I just reading it because Mrs. Foster is making us pick a book? Funny, really, I was leaning towards both ways. Even though I read it because I had too, it was still good. After doing a math assignment from Ms. Shuette, reading the book put me somewhere else, as corny as that may sound.
Speaking of which, the author made a good job of putting you in the place that you were reading. It seemed as though the book took really long to even get through the chapter, but, hey, at least it was a kept-you-going type book. The characters didn’t really seem "down to earth", as some people would call it. The main character, Caitlin, goes through both emotional and a physical crisis. Her sister runs away, which would put anyone through stress, as well as getting a new boyfriend.
Teenagers today think that it’s a right of passage when you have a "boyfriend or girlfriend", and Caitlin felt for it. Her new boyfriend, Rogerson, may seem all peaches and cream at first with his blond hair and L.A.Looks gel with the best of Abercrombie. However, he beats her on her back, legs, arms, stomach, practically everywhere...., and that's where the story really gets started.
Some of the connections I made with the book were the hobby for photography, and the main character develops that as more time goes on. Also, she as a sister, but in this connection, my sister doesn’t run away. I guess you could say that the plot and the book itself seemed realistic however, there were a few parts where it’s just like "whatever" or "come on, like that would really happen". The sad thing is, it can happen, just like how anything can happen. Other than those boring parts, the majority of it was great. I have a connection that could relate to the world, when it comes to the difficulties and complexities of adolescence, where almost any teen can relate too. For me, I can't say that I relate to the characters fully, for various reasons. First, they make bad decisions, not that I never make mistakes, but they make decisions like smoking, violence, drinking and basically, the stuff you see on TV. I would definately recommend this book to others because its not too boring, or plain, or just blah...its just right. :-)
Overall, the story wasn't good, it was great!

Written and published by the fabulous Victoria

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"Once on a yellow piece of paper with green Lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Chops"
because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
And he let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born
With tiny toenails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the girl around the corner sent him a
Valentine signed with a row of X's
and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it



On a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn"
because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the Kitchen door
because of its new paint
And the kids told him
that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
And sometimes they would burn holes
that was the year his sister got glasses
with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed
when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why
his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never ticked him in bed at night
And his father got mad
When he cried for him to do it



Once on a paper torn from his notebook
He wrote a poem
And he called it "innocence: A Question"
Because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A
And a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
Because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end
Of Apostle's Creed went
And caught his sister
Making out on the back porch
And his mother and father never kissed
Or even talked
And the girl around the corner
Wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her
But he kissed her anyway
Because that was the thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed
His father snoring soundly


That's why on the back of a brown paper bag
He tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
And a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
Because this time he didn't think
He could reach the kitchen"

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a book of letters. Charlie is writing to someone who he just wants to listen. He uses different names and never puts return addresses on the letters because he doesn't want the person he is writing to to know who he is. Charlie is an amazingly compelling character. He starts writing letters when he starts high school as the friend of the guy who killed himself. Throughout high school he goes through a lot. He gains friends, loses friends, witnesses a girl getting raped, keeps his friend's huge secret abut being gay, tries drugs, drinks, gets his drivers license, and much more. In the end, he learns all about the outside world and himself.

I enjoyed every word of Charlie's letters. I couldn't put the book down. My favorite thing about the book was the way Charlie saw things. He was a very deep thinker and each letter put me in his mind. He was also a very sensitive and caring person. Once Charlie was shopping for a Christmas gift for his dad with his mom and sister and he started crying because he couldn't find anything. His sister told him to just buy a tie for his dad, but he really wanted a gift that would mean something to him. I loved that about him. He cared about other people more than himself.

The author's writing style was perfect. The letters were written just like a teenager would write if they were being honest. For example, sometimes he would just say I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me." This made the whole book more believable and realistic to me. Like I said, I felt as if I was inside of Charlie's head. The plot of the book was perfect, too. The end was great because it wasn't a fake "happy ending" but it was a realistic closure. I also enjoyed how the end was in a way a surprise ending. My jaw actually dropped.

I can't say I had a favorite part of the book because I adored it all. Above is a poem in the book that really proves how great the book is to me, because I think this is one of the best poems I have ever read and it is very similar to the book. To me the book and the poem both talk about life and the different stages of it. Charlie is a teenager just like I am and I was able to connect with him. I haven't been through a lot of the things he has, but I think I understood the book better because I could connect to some of the feelings he was having.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an intense and incredible book. It is definitely not for children and may be too adult for some teenagers, but if you think you can handle it then trust me, you will fall in love with Charlie and all of the other characters.

~Written by Abbie K~