Every kids dream

Dominique Edwards

Kingdom Keepers is

Things don't always appear as they seem. A group of teenagers who live in Florida have a strange experience happen to them within the walls of magic kingdom. The kids somehow appear within the park at night after hours. It all seems exciting and fun until they realize one strange thing about the park, the attractions moved. It turns out that at night time the characters from the rides are actually evil and do things in the park when it's closed. It's up to the kids to stop the evil characters but also keep it w secret that they transport to the park after hours when they fall asleep.

I haven't finished the book yet so I cannot fully say whether I recommend it completely but so far I've enjoyed what I've read and I'm eager to read more. In my opinion, I believe that this book would be good for people who enjoy Disney and also fiction or problem solving adventurous stories. If people aren't interested in Disney or Fiction I believe they might struggle staying focused on this book and also not really be able to get into it. The book has been interesting but definitely very slow and I get impatient at times because I want to know what happens next. The mood or tone of this book can be seen as adventurous and inspiring by when they say quotes like "if you don't believe in yourself who will?" and definitely thrilling from all the scary experiences and chances of the kids getting caught. Reasons why I liked this book was because I am a huge fan of Disney and I also always think going in abandoned/empty places is scary and cool. My family goes to Disney every year and we are huge fans so when they mention certain areas in the book I can totally understand and really step in the narrators shoes and go along with it, just as they say in the book "you can't get ant cooler than Disney world." This book definitely is one of my favorites because it takes your average day happy Disney and puts a whole new perspective on it. The language was advanced enough so that teenagers close to the main characters age could read and understand, the worst the language got was someone saying "shut up!" to one character in the book so really it all depends on how advanced the reader is. I would recommend this book to fans of disney, fantasy, horror, and nonfiction. This book really covers a wide spectrum of genres so many people could read it however a love of Disney and an understanding of characters definitely would have an effect on how much the reader enjoys it.

Heroes Get Remembered But Legends Never Die

THE HARD HAT

BY JON GORDON

BLOG POST BY CULLEN MILLERICK

On March 17 of 2004, the Cornell University lacrosse team faced off against the Binghamton University lacrosse team. During the fourth quarter of the game George Boiardi, the defensive midfielder and captain of Cornell was struck and killed chest by a shot from a binghampton attacker.George Boiardi wasn't just another player he was a great friend an even better teammate and an inspiration to many. The way George had played and acted as a teammate had inspired Jon Gordon to write The Hard Hat, 21 ways to be a great teammate. The Hard Hat uses George's story to teach others how to act on and off the playing court. Throughout the book Gordon uses some of Goerges old teammates to share stories of how Goerge had affected them. For example Rob Pannell, a current Major League Lacrosse star narrated chapter 21 and shares story on how his Cornell team (he didn't even play with George) was inspired by George to make a comeback against Duke in the semifinals of nationals. He says " Unfortunatly, I have never met George, but I feel as if he has been teammate and leader to me during my five years at Cornell and is now a friend helping me through everyday life"(75).

   It was obvious how significant the impact George left on the Lacrosse and sports world. To this day the Cornell lacrosse team gives a Hard Hat to the player that had the best game that day.The Hard Hat isnt given to the player that had the most goals that game but to the player that hustled the most and played the least selfishly, this was how George would play everyday and this was the type of impact he had left on the Cornell lacrosse organization. In the book Gordon gives 21 ways to be a great teammate, all of these were in inspired by how George acted and played.

    When I got this book from my Hockey coach to read I was slightly concerned that I wouldn't enjoy it, however it was the most I've enjoyed a book in a while. The way the story is told isn't the best but it is the details that matter. As an athlete and a lacrosse player I was able to relate to the kind of "lay it all on the line for your team" type of attitude so I was able to fully understand the book and enjoy it.If you are an athlete or a hard worker you may be able to relate to the story the most but if you aren't this book gives many life lessons and stories that can teach you how to become a better everyday person. It teaches you how to help others  and be one with yourself.

In conclusion I would highly suggest this book for someone who is going through a lot and wants to find themselves or someone looking to read a good story. The writing overall by Gordon wasn't the best but the great storyline of the book made up for poor writing techniques. (If anyone is looking to find this book to read then they can ask Mr. McGuire the business teacher and hockey coach I'm sure he'd be willing to lend it out to anyone that wants to read it.)

Staying Together

Staying Together
Caroline Crowley

Sisterhood Everlasting
 By Ann Brashares      


       Could you ever imagine that a pair of old pants could keep a friendship alive during the most difficult times? In the book Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares, a pair of pants keeps a Sisterhood alive for over five summers. In the book, there's a group of four college girls who have been best friends since birth. Lena, Bridget, Tibby, and Carmen may all be very different from each other, but the one thing that they all have in common is that a pair of pants fits each of them perfectly. The pants symbolize the Sisterhood that the four girls created four summers ago, the summer going into their freshman year of high school. Now, the girls are celebrating their fifth summer of the Sisterhood, and will all be attending different far away colleges in the fall.
            So far during the start of summer Bridget is flying to Arizona to attend soccer camp, Tibby is working at a local grocery store, Lena is attending an art school, and Carmen is spending time with her dad in Washington  D.C. While the girls are separated from each other for at least the start of the summer, they will be sending the pants to each other with a note that explains what adventures they've faces. Lena’s grandfather lives in Greece and he gets very ill over the summer. He wishes to see Lena very soon because he fears that something very bad will happen to himself and he won't be able to say a final goodbye. I haven't got to the climax of the book yet, but will the magic of the pants bring the four girls together and help Lena reach the person that needs her most in her life?
     
       Based on what I've read so far and from other book sequels of this book series, I think this book is great. This book demotores how important it is to stick together and battle through the obstacles in life with your family and friends. I would recommend this book to teenagers because it shows how to deal with friendships during the ups and downs in life, how to move on in life when something goes wrong, and how to become stronger as a person on the inside and out.

The Hunger Games Doesn't Leave Anything On the Table

  Jake Gustafson                                                                                                       6/14/17
         
        
     E.qual'i.ty (i-kwol'i-te) n. The idea of possessing the same privileges and rights. Wouldn't it be great if all people were equal and no one was treated worse than others, well that's a false hope in district 12 of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. 

     The novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dark story that shows the realest sides of society. The book is about a young woman named Katniss Everdeen. She is a very intelligent and witty. She goes about her life with her mother and sister in a place called District 12. District 12 is a grimy,poor,withered place where Katniss and her family reside. District 12 is the last of 12 districts which each lowering in wealth starting from 1 ,and thus making district 12 the poorest out of the twelve districts. The districts are in a circular shape and they all revolve around the capital. The capital is where all the richest and high powered individuals live. Capital people are snobby and stuck up  and get what ever they want. While the district people are hard workers who do the best with the little they got. So, since the people of the Capital are so stuck up they run a brutal annual fight to the death called the hunger games. The games are when the Capital randomly picks a male and a female from each of the twelve districts ,and then makes them fight to the death until one person remains. There is no point behind the games ,but for the people of the capitals amusement and to show that the capital has power over the districts. The people of the districts think "Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. 'Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen'"(Collins 18-19).  So, the picking of the games comes around and its Katniss's last year ti be eligible to be picked for the games ,but on the other hand its her sisters first. 
So, the picking is happening for the games and the first name called is Peeta Mellark ; the son of the baker. The next person called is not Katniss ,but her sister Prim. Katniss being the great sister she is sacrifices herself to save her sister when she yells "'I volunteer!'" I gasp. "I volunteer as tribute!'"(Collins 22). So, the rest of the book is pretty much is the intense battles the soon ensue in the games. While this is going on, Katniss finds love with the baker's son Peeta Mellark,and much more interesting events happen ,but ill leave that for the reader to read because this book is great.

    I love this book. This novel was a solid ten out of ten ,and if it was possible I'd give it an 11 out of ten. I've never been a reader ever. I always thought reading was a snooze-fest with every word you acknowledge a ten pound wait was put onto your eyes. However, this book was way different. There was a real enjoyment while reading this book. With each page I flipped I got more and more into the book. I think I can say that partially happened because of Katniss's character. She was just a great person and a hero. Which made me want to see what would happen to her because I liked her so much. For example, when she volunteered to be the tribute to save her sister that was one pf the most heroic things I've ever read. Katniss must've known that it was almost certain death going into the games ,but she still bucked up and stuck her head out for her sister and this made the book so much better. Also, Collins does a great job painting the picture of the districts and the capital. Through her writing she some how did such good job that I started to hate the capital with a burning passion. So, like I said I don't read that much ,but when I read my next book I'm going to look for something of that affect ,because I was just amazed by how her writing made such an impact on me. The final reason why I loved this book was because of the violence. This may sound cruel and terrible ,but I really couldn't care any less. I love violence. Ever since I was a little kid it was just fascinating to me and it just drew me in. So, after saying that its already pretty easy to guess whats in the novel and theres a lot of it. I can strongly say that after the first few chapters there is a large a mount of violence in every chapter after that. The violence is great it keeps the booking moving along at nice pace while also making it suspenseful ,and I appreciate this very much. So all in all, I would recommend this book to everyone because its a great book with little to nothing wrong ,and has great things going for it like I already mentioned and much much more. So, read the book!

Because Survival is Insufficient

Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel

If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you miss the most? The stereotypical teenage response might be the internet, cell phone, or computer, but there are so many other luxuries that society has normalized to the point where people think they deserve them that most people, once without, would find life much harder: professional haircuts, dessert, laundry detergent, air conditioners, same-day shipping, airplanes, swimming pools, cars, movies, concerts, medicine... and this is only "an incomplete list" (31).

Describing the plot of Station Eleven is a bit difficult; there are at least five different character viewpoints placed throughout the novel and two time periods that are twenty years apart. To be brief by way of the book, it's about a man named Arthur Leander, a celebrity actor who dies of a heart attack on stage while performing a production of Shakespeare's King Lear, playing the title character. The same night he dies, a plague known as the Georgia Flu begins to sweep over the entire world, killing billions of people within months. After the chaos dies down, several people who had known Arthur in some way manage to escape the crisis: Kirsten Raymonde, who played Arthur Leander's character's daughter in King Lear when she was eight years old; Jeevan Chaudhary, the ex-paparazzo who tried to save Arthur during his heart attack; and lastly, Clark Thompson, Arthur's best friend from before and after Arthur was wildly famous.

The story follows these three, post-apocalypse, in their respective journeys. Kirsten, in particular, joins a group called the Traveling Symphony as a teenager, who believe in keeping art alive even after everything has come to an end, "because survival is insufficient" (58). Jeevan, pre-apocalypse, had a dream of becoming an EMT after years of being a tabloid journalist and photographer; in order to keep the dream alive, he becomes an impromptu doctor in everyone's time of need and hones his skills for the twenty years after. In Clark's case, he lives with a group of people inside the Severn City airport in which he has stayed from the day he landed, almost a week after the imminent flu outbreak in North America. Since he is getting old and weaker, he has devoted the rest of his life to maintaining the "Museum of Civilization", which pays homage to the obsolete artifacts from before the Georgia Flu, including iPhones, laptops, stilettos, and a motorcycle.

However, don't let the whole 'post-apocalypse' description fool you; Station Eleven doesn't contain the action-packed life-or-death situations that you would expect that genre to have; instead, it explores the deeper meanings of being human and how civilization still lives on after it seemingly comes to an end.

Even though Station Eleven switches between time, setting, and point-of-view frequently, it manages to do so in a way that is concise and easy to follow. Much of the story's contents seem pointless at first, but it turns out to be very rewarding watching all of the elements start to come together, bit by bit. Nothing is put in without purpose, and finally getting to that aha! moment at the end made me feel like this book was worth it.

However, I do have my complaints, as always. The writing is absolutely fantastic, but I don't think it would hold the interest of the average teenager, which is part of the reason why it didn't make it past the first round of the Read-a-Thon. It's almost painfully poetic at times and a bit slow-going; there's little action and no teenaged characters. It's more suited for an adult, I think; I don't want to sound pretentious by saying that after I said I enjoyed it, but I do think I may have been able to relate to it more if I read it for the first time after going through some of the domestic struggles that Arthur & Co. go through in my late twenties or early thirties.

That being said, there's also the matter of character development; Kirsten, who's marketed as the story's main protagonist, which I very much beg to differ, has almost no depth to her whatsoever. She's broody and oh-so-clever, but it's never really clear what her goals are or how she changes emotionally throughout the story since she conveniently remembers nothing from before the first two years post-apocalypse. I prefer Jeevan and Clark to her; they were both adults when the plague arrived, so naturally, they remember how life used to be and it's clear how this turn of events affected them in the beginning and in the long run and that's portrayed beautifully.

All in all, of the three dystopian stories I read and wrote about this year (Ready Player One, Brave New World, and Station Eleven), Station Eleven wins first place by a close margin. Ready Player One was light and fun, and Brave New World was a good kind of creepy, but I think that Station Eleven has a much stronger message than the others at play: notice the things you have and don't take them for granted; for all you know, they could be gone tomorrow.

(A quote from one of the book's positive reviews that I liked, as a sidenote...
"A superb novel... [that] leaves us not fearful for the end of the world but appreciative of the grace of everyday existence." (San Francisco Chronicle) )

Some Things Aren't So Peculiar at All

Emily Butler

Some Things Aren't So Peculiar at All

For years, movies based on books have been an absolute joy for avid book readers. We love to see the characters we've read about imagined on the big screen. However, when it comes to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I watched the movie before I had even read the book. I thought the movie was great, but this isn't a movie review. So, I set out to discover if the renowned novel, by Ransom Riggs, is just as good as it's visual rendition. 

In Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Jacob's grandfather tells quite the stories - stories of a strange orphanage full of children with impossible abilities, paired with photographs. As Jacob grows however, he deems his grandfather's stories fictitious and the pictures tampered with. One fateful night, our protagonist ends up finding his grandfather dead in the woods, and secrets return to the surface. Throughout the book, Jacob discovers that the impossible is much less impossible than he expected, and he finds himself in a whimsical battle of good against evil. As our protagonist is told, "there's a grand plan in motion, Jacob, and you'll be part of it" (195)

Let me be honest - it's quite hard to write a whimsical novel while still remaining sophisticated and targeted towards an audience above the age of 10. However, I find that Riggs manages to combine fantastical elements with a relatable and believable protagonist. Throughout the novel, Jacob continues to feel the same way many teens do about several aspects of life: work, friends, and family. This adds a sense of realism to the novel that lures in young adults looking for an adventure on the page. The imagery is absolutely magnificent and dark, while being complimented by a humorous and sarcastic edge to the diction. As the reader progresses, they will find themselves in a state of suspense and pure admiration for the well-written characters. Specifically, Jacob's grandfather provides a humor to the beginning of the story, being the stereotypical crazy grandpa. However, his death scene in the woods reveals a sinister side to his life that is pleasantly surprising, when he gives Jacob cryptic instructions as his last words: "Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man's grave. September third, 1940" (23). Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will continue to surprise you and change the way you think about what is possible in this world. 

There are so many strengths of this book that it is hard to find a downside to Riggs' work. Occasionally, I found myself tripping over sentences that seemed much too long for the style of the story, although they weren't grammatically incorrect. Other times, I found that some truths that were eventually revealed were no surprise to me - there is a drop of predictability among the twists and turns. The Jacob and Emma love story was inevitable - their relationship was full of the clichés you may find in young adult literature. These setbacks are easy to overlook, however, after acknowledging all the wonderful parts of the story. 

Random Riggs manages to bring out the child still hidden deep within a reader's mind. The storyline seems more plausible than some realistic fiction novels. For that, I give this book an A. Summer is approaching, and if you're looking for a book to read by the water, I recommend checking this one out!

Anything is Possible

I Beat the Odds the Story of Michael Oher

By DonYaeger

Sometimes the worst possible situations in life can have the happiest endings. Michael Oher, the kid with eight siblings, dad who left his family, and mom who was a drug addict and alcoholic had a horrible life where he was. Him and his broken family lived together in the projects, but a lot of times they had been sleeping on the streets together because of his mother needed people to come into their home and check on her to make sure that she hasn't been on drugs or alcohol for the safety and benefits of the family. He had nothing going for him in his life, until life changing events saved Michael Oher from being a washed up nobody.
       No one at school ever liked Michael and never wanted to interact with him despite how nice of a person he really was. There was never a serious reason in why people did not like to talk to him, every body was just scared or didn’t like him because he was a homeless, big, and black kid who had a torn apart family. Even though Mike had always been a big intimidating kid, multiple reports of his childhood say that he would never hurt a fly if he had the chance. Not only was it bad that he had little to no friends at school, he also missed out on a lot of love at home. Michael said in an interview that every time his mom got high or drunk, she would begin to get angry at her kids for no reason by yelling at them which lead to physical abuse. Because she was the way that she turned out to  be, Mike’s mother did not have a job to fully support her ten children family. She was able to put food on the table for the kids but Michael said that every time she went food shopping, there was hardly enough food for all of them, especially considering that their mother would eat most of it herself. The kids eventually learned to fight each other so they could get food for themselves and eat it quick before it gets robbed by another sibling.  Later on in his life, him and his family all got split up by the government coming to the decision that the way that the family was living was not safe and so they either got put in a shelter, or with another family. Michael got put in a shelter. He never really liked it there because he was never used to being over treated by his guardians so he decided to leave and go live on the streets. It didn’t take long before a family named the Tuohy’s found him and went through the long process and took him under their arms. Michael was greatly blessed by his new family who saw his potential and pushed him to be a great person, honor student, athlete, and high school and college graduate. He excelled at being an amazing football player thanks to the determination of his new younger brother and himself. He was the star of his high school team, which gave him success, pride, and a family like bond with an entire football team. Oher went on to be a football player at The University of Mississippi which got him drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.
       The story of Michael Oher is not only a true tear jerker, but an inspiration to anyone with a goal in life. His journey goes to show that even if you come from nothing but have people who love and care for you and have your back, you can be anything that you set your mind to. I Beat the Odds by Don Yaeger is a great book which tells an amazing story of a determined, passionate kid using great writing and interviews with family members of Mike and Mike himself.