British vs Americans or Socs vs Greasers

Authors Note: This essay is going to compare how two books (April Morning and The Outsiders) show similarities in the theme defining stereo types.

A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone regardless of cultural differences, or location It could apply to anyone at anywhere during anytime. Some examples of themes are survival, loss of innocence, and defining stereotypes. In the historical fiction novel April Morning a boy named Adam has a decision to go into the Revolutionary War or not to go into the war. He decides to go into war with his father. When tragedy strikes, Adam doesn’t know what to do. There is a lot of stereotyping in this story. There is also stereotyping in the drama fiction The Outsiders there are two different groups, the greasers are a gang, they are the tough kids and the socs are the rich and proper kids. They stereotype each other a lot as well. April Morning has two different groups as well as The Outsiders, April Morning has two different countries and in The Outsiders they are two different types of gangs. The books April Morning and The Outsiders both have the theme of defining stereotypes, though they show very different plot lines and settings.

Everybody gets stereotyped if it's at the mall, by another basketball team, or maybe even for what clique you are in. In The Outsiders the greasers get stereotyped by the socs for being greasers and in April Morning the Americans get stereotyped by the British for being Americans. Other than the greasers and the Americans being stereotyped, the greasers and Americans stereotype the socs and the British as well. As I said before everybody gets stereotyped. The British stereotype the Americans on page 111, a British solder said "The Americans are tricky devils; the Americans are not to be trusted." What did we do to be tricky? We are defending ourselves from the British. Also in The Outsiders the greasers are normal people but the socs think that they are mean and not rich enough for them. We are all people! We all have the same right to be here as everybody else.

The books April Morning and The Outsiders are alike in more than just stereotyping, in both novels a main character dies from the rival. In the novel The Outsiders Bob dies from a greaser, the opposite group or rival. This is the same thing as what happens in April Morning, the main characters dad dies from a British solder or the opposite team. This is the same thing that happened in the historical fiction The Outsiders. These books are a lot alike in many ways.

As you can see these books are a lot alike, but these books are different too. In the historical fiction April Morning the time period is in the 1700’s and in The Outsiders the time period is in the 1900’s. Not just is the time period different but because the years are way different that means that the way people talk is different and the technology is way different! A second way that these books are different is they explain two different wars. The war between the socs and the greasers in The Outsiders isn’t really a real war, it's a rivalry. But the Revolutionary War that is in April Morning is a real war. It is not just two groups not liking each other, it is a big ordeal that actual happened and went down in history. These books can be alike but they are also very different.

In conclusion the two books are similar and different in many ways. The novel The Outsiders is about a war between two ”gang” groups that was small and didn’t really go down in history. But the Revolutionary War really did happen. It was a war against two countries. The books April Morning and The Outsiders are similar in a couple ways, one way is they both have a main theme of defining stereotypes, but they are also very different. Which book would you rather be in, a real war or a war between two gangs?

Me Personally...

Right now I am reading Kiss and Blog by Alyson Noel. It is about a girl named Winter, who had one great friend and they planned on becoming more popular in school. Winter's friend Sloane made it big with the popular girls and left Winter behind, alone with no one. I personally would absolutely hate this! I have great friends right now and I don't know what I would do without them. Winter left and visited her dad for a week in New York to get away from everything. She met a boy there named Easton they had a thing but then when she left everything went away. Finally Winter made a friend with the new boy at school. They became great friends, but once she started crushing on him a new girl came into the picture. After a little while Easton came back into the picture. This is where I ended. I am really enjoying this book and I can't wait to finish it!

Stay Smart Adam!

Author's Notes: This essay is about April Morning and how the cause and effects, effects the story during the climax.

Dear Adam,

I am reading your story in Social Studies and I am so intrigued that you would risk your life to fight against the British. I do not know if I have that much courage to fight like you do. I could not leave my family, friends or home to fight for my country. My name is Madison Giordano and I you should think more about your decision on going into the war.

You are ever so brave for entering the war. Going to war is defiantly the most important part in your story! Your story has changed my life; I think it is so cool that you could have that much courage to fight for your city and country being a teenager. If my older brother went into the war I would be devastated. My brother is a role model, a mentor, and a best friend to me. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to him. You remind me a lot of my brother; you are brave and will do anything for your family. You are so courageous. I just want you to be careful during the war!

Even though you are brave for going into war you need to think before you make the final decision to go into war. I understand that you want to go to war. I understand that it would look good for Ruth and it would be fun, but you need to think about what is right for your family! You Ma needs you at home, to take care of your little brother when she isn't home. What if something happened to your dad or you? You need to stand up to be the head of the household. Your family needs you at home. I don't think you should go to war with your father. It is more dangerous than it is smart! As I said your family needs you more now than ever, with your dad going to war. Your mom needs you to watch over Levi and Granny if she has to do anything outside of home. Please do what is right and do not go into war.

As I conclude I think you should think before you act. I want you to be very careful in making choices. I do not want anything to happen to you, don't go into the war! If you end up not taking my advice, I wish that you watch your every move and look after your dad! Don't let your dad out of your sight. My name is Madison Giordano and I want you to make the choice that you think is right. Please don’t go into the war. All I ask is for you to think about all of your decisions.

Stay smart,

Madison Giordano

What If?

In April Morning by Howard Fast a young boy named Adam is struggling to get along with his dad and he is trying to make up his mind to go into the war or not. The book April Morning is in Adam Cooper's point of view, but if the story was in Levi, Adam’s little brother's point of view the story would be very much so different. The story April Morning would be better if the story was written in Levi’s point of view.

Even though April Morning is in the point of view of Adam, it would be better in the perspective of Levi. Levi has more emotion than Adam because Levi would have to live alone with and be an only child if anything happened to Adam. I know it’s Adam’s life that its depending upon but Levi’s whole life would change significantly too. Levi’s life would change by not having a brother anymore, worried he’s going to lose someone he loves, and being alone and worried about his brother 24/7. That would be more interesting to read about then about how he is doing in the war. One example would be when Adam was at the well. Wouldn't it of been interesting if it was in Levi's point of view. Howard Fast could have written I was walking in my yard toward the well having a great time. Then I see my brother at the well and he is mouthing words to himself. Then I remembered a couple months ago Adam got yelled at for saying a spell while pumping water out of the well. Well let me go talk to him, I’m thirsty anyway. I can use me seeing him saying that spell again against him for me to get a drink. And so on and so on.

From a different perspective people might think something totally different. Just like in the book Kiss and Blog by Alyson Noel, Winter is a geek at her school but is trying to become popular but maybe her best friend Rey thinks she is really cool. This story would be different in Levi’s perspective because people would see what the point of view would be of a sibling of somebody going to war. I believe I would like the book more if Levi was telling the story because I could relate to it better. I also think other people would like it better because other people can relate to a sibling leaving to go to war; than they could relate to themselves going to the war. Not just would it be different because more people could relate to it, instead of reading about an annoying little brother you could read about a heroic big brother who changes his little brothers life. In the book Levi said “A redcoat soldier” saying what he can hit with a rifle. And we get the perspective that Adam thinks Levi is a little kid that doesn’t know much, but in Levi’s mind he might be trying to prove to Adam that he knows more than he thinks he does. Back in this time period if you talked about red coats it was like swearing now. As you can see the Story would be different but more interesting in the point of view of Levi instead of Adam.

How would you feel if your brother went out to war? I know I would be very devastated. To me my brother is a role model, a mentor and a best friend. Even though April Morning is in the perspective of Adam, the story would be better in the perspective of Levi. In Adam’s point of view Levi is a annoying nuisance and in Levi’s perspective Adam is a role model who he loves more than anything and happy that he is his older brother. If Levi was telling the story it would have more emotion and let people relate to it better. People really don’t know how people would feel if they went to the war, but they do know how they would feel if a sibling went to war. This story is good even though in my mind it would be better in the point of view of Levi rather than Adam.

You'll Always Have Family

Author’s Note: This is an essay of the definition of family. Do you have to be blood related to be family? I don’t think so. It shows how the story The Outsiders is involved with family.


Did you grow up in a happy family life, with people who love you more than anything in the world? I know I did, I am thirteen years old and have a loving family. With all families, we have our fight however we get over them. Family is such a huge part of my life. If I ever have a problem, I need to talk to my mom or if I have a question I ask my dad. If anything ever happened to my family I would be devastated forever and would not know what to do. Even though I love my blood related family, I would never give up my family of friends. However not everybody has a great family life. One of the main themes in the story The Outsider by S.E. Hinton is definition of family. In the story The Outsider the characters learn that even though they are not related by blood, they can still be a family that helps each other through thick and thin.

The Curtis brothers are a united family but they are missing the loving parents that they had before the car accident. Ponyboy, Sodapop and Dally’s parents died in a car crash when they were young. Being the oldest Darry stepped in as the father figure. Darry quit school and got two jobs to support the family. It would be like your older brother taking care of you. You would feel weird with him telling you what to do; it would be very different. It shows in the story that Ponyboy doesn’t always like it, because Ponyboy and Darry don’t always get along the best. Just like every other family they fight through their problems. Even though the boys love each other very much they will do anything for the greaser’s gang as well. The boys learned over this period of time that not only do they need to appreciate what they have, but love every minute with your family.

Ponyboy, Sodapop and Dally aren’t the only ones with a family that is not completely perfect; Johnny has a hard family life too. Some people may believe Johnny’s life is normal but they are anything but normal. He lives with his parents but his dad beats and yells at him and his mother. It would be hard living in a house without a loving family or someone to ask “How was your day?” In the story Johnny says, “I actually kind of like it when my dad beats me because at least he knows I’m here”. That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard! Can you imagine that, actually being happy getting beaten. Just so Johnny knows that his dad sees him standing there. Because he has never had supportive parents he is a different person. Johnny is more reserved and keeps more to himself now because he never had anyone to talk to about his problems.

Johnny, Sodapop, Ponyboy and all of the other boys in the greaser gang are each other’s family. If they need to get away they just walk in to each other’s house. They tell each other everything. If they need anything, they just go to each other. They truly are “non-blood related family”. During the story Johnny was having a tough time at his house so he leaves and sleeps at Sodapop, Ponyboy, and Darry’s house. Another example of the boys being family is when Dally was in trouble right before he died; he called Darry to tell him everything. Hearing all of this makes you grateful for what you have. I am so grateful for having a loving family.

In conclusion family doesn’t have to be blood related. I love my friends and I consider them my family. Some of my friends I am closer to than my cousins. I love my blood related family but my friends are my family too. In The Outsiders, The Greasers have broken families. The greasers are each other’s family even if they are not blood related. Johnny, SOdapop, Two Bit, and the rest of the guys are ever so close. They will never fail each other. This proves that you do not need to be related by genes to be family.

Nothing Gold Can Stay Forever

Author’s Note: This is a piece about the theme loss of innocence. I am writing about why it relates to this theme. It tells you about a poem written by Robert Frost. It shows you what this poem means and explains thing that people might not have noticed about the book The Outsiders.


“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold” was Johnny Cade’s final words to Ponyboy before he passed on, in the book The Outsiders. Johnny is referring to the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. Ponyboy taught this poem to Johnny before he had died, but Johnny was the one that ended up giving Ponyboy advice using this poem.

“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay.”

This poem shows us the theme, loss of innocence. Johnny told Ponyboy to “Stay gold”. He is referring to this poem as he states that. This shows loss of innocence because he is practically saying don’t turn bad and always stay pure. The “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold” means when you are born you are innocent and pure. But as you grow you become less and less innocent. “Her early leaf a flower, but only so an hour” is saying that when your little you are innocent but that chances rapidly. “Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down today” explains that not everything good stays and that Eden became sorrow. Finally “Nothing gold can stay” Nothing pure can stay and as you grow you become lass innocent. Johnny uses this line brilliantly by telling Ponyboy to stay who he is and never change. He has to stay true and pure and don’t turn cold like Dally did and never lose your innocence.

I agree with Johnny’s remark completely, Ponyboy has to stay gold and never grow up. Johnny was my favorite character; he always had good points and always had a good attitude. Johnny is telling Ponyboy to never lose his innocence. Ponyboy has a little bit of a mind of a child still. He really has never grown out of it yet. You always just have to remember always “stay gold” and never change that.

Charlie Bohn

Hi I’m Charlie, Charlie Bohn. I have kind of long brown hair gelled back. I am seventeen and I’m a socs. I am not a very popular socs but at least I’m not a greaser. Boy do I have a story for you. Here goes nothing. I never talk about this, I get very emotional. This day had been an epoch in my life and that will never change.

I am walking in the park late at night and I hear screaming! I think to myself, who would be out this late at night and screaming. I walk cautiously looking for anybody. I have a great feeling that this is going to be an epoch in my life. My heart is pumping like a drum at a music concert. I turn the corner and see five socs and two greasers. The only one I’ve seen before is Bob. He is kind of the leader of the greasers. Then I noticed that the greasers looked very scared and they were the ones screaming. Except it wasn’t really screaming it was more like, yelling stop. I realized something was wrong.

All of a sudden Bob took one of the greasers head and started drowning them in a fountain behind them. I watched cautiously seeing if anyone else saw this. I looked for help for this boy. The other greaser is sitting there helpless. Then he grabbed something out of his pocket and stabbed Bob! Bob is lying there, I am afraid he is dead. I’m looking for anyone to help. The rest of the socs get scared and run away. Bob is laying there and the two greasers are talking. Nobody knows I saw this; I have to report this to the police.

I left when the two greasers were sitting there talking against the fountain. I went straight to the police. They went to the park after like five minutes of me sitting there, shaking. The police go to the park and all they see is Bob laying there, dead. The greasers no where in sight. The cops told me to go home and don’t worry about anything.

I follow the cop’s directions but all I can think about is bob lying there with a puddle of blood around him. I just can’t get this out of my mind. I am forever changed. Tp this day I have this picture in my head, of one of my old friends. A great guy that almost everyone loved.

I Am Truely Shocked

Have you ever read the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton? It doesn't seem like a great book at first, but it is! The Outsiders has shocked me. I have read a little over half of it and now I am kind of attached.The Outsiders has cliff hangers that just keep you so engaged in the book and you just can't put it down! The book also has drama and surprises that no one would think would happen. I mean Johnny killing someone? Just you wouldn't think that that would happen. Once you start reading you can't put it down. I am a head of the class with reading because of I can't put it down. So I have to remember to keep my mouth shut in class. I would recommend this book to everyone. I believe anyone can read this book and like it. It is short however very good. I really can't wait to read to see what end up happening to Johnny and Ponyboy. I am as busy as a bee with this book. My favorite character is Johnny because he is the most down to earth and he will do a lot for his friends. Also I feel bad for him because of his family life is so bad. I'm really happy that I have found a book that I really like. I really don't like reading most of the time, however when I find a good book. I love it; I have found that "wow" book. I am a great advocate of this book.

Kiss and Blog

Right now I am reading Kiss and Blog by Alyson Noel. I am a quarter of the way done with it so far and I have an idea with what is going to happen. I don't want to spoil it so I will let you read the book. So far I like the fact that this is a realistic fiction because i can relate to it in a lot of ways, because all of the girls are in high school I know what they are talking about even though I am still in Middle school. I can relate to the fact that the main character named Winter feels left out at school sometimes. I don't feel left out hardly at all but I have before. This is a really good book and I can't wait to keep reading this book!

Proud to be a True American

Authors Note: In this piece I want to tell the reader all of the great things about America and why I am proud to be an American.


What does it mean to be proud? To be proud means to feel satisfaction over something honorable to oneself. I love that we stand up for what we believe in and take stand. I love America and almost everything about it. America is a great place to live because it’s a free country and it’s a beautiful country and I’m proud to say that I’m American. Overall I’m not just proud to say I live in America, I’m proud that I’m an American.

Have you ever looked out the window and seen something that is so gorgeous you actually gasp? America is such a beautiful place to live with breath taking ocean fronts and overwhelming fall foliage under the mountains. But underneath all of the beauty, most of the people are beautiful on the inside too. I’m proud to say that men and women are sacrificing their lives and their time to keep the people of the United States of America Safe. In America people don’t get chosen to be in wars, we volunteer. It’s a great quality that is telling people we have brave people in America. Every day in Iraq people are dying for me and my family and I thank those people from the bottom of my heart.

Secondly, Americans have freedom of speech, which means we have the right to speak our minds and opinions. If people could say their opinion without a consequence then people would get miffed at a lot of people. If the government officials were the only people that could say their opinions, then we could get some very unreasonable laws. I am very glad that we have the freedom to speak out minds.

Besides having freedom of speech and people fighting for our country, woman and men are treated fairly. In the early days women and men were treated very unfairly, women couldn't vote and they always had to stay home with the kids and women didn’t get much respect, but now they do.

To conclude I am very proud of America. It’s such a beautiful place, it’s free, and people get treated fairly. Before I close I want you to think. I’m truly proud to not just live in the United States of America but I’m proud to tell people that I’m an American! What would life be like if you didn't live in America?

$50,000

Author's Note: This is a false story about a girl that found money and her and her family have to figure out what to do with it.


One day I was walking in Sam's Club and sit down in a very comfy to find an envelope. Tucked way back in the cushion of the chair clearly placed there with a lot of thought. I grab the envelope very carefully unsure with what was in it. I felt it with great cautiousness, it was soft. I put my finger in the flap on the back of the envelope. I slide my finger, ripping the paper. I open up the envelope and flip open the flap, to see a whole lot of green. I flip my fingers through all the money. It has to be thousands. I have no clue what to do, I am breathing really heavy now. I am starting to hyperventilate, not knowing what to do at all. I am shaking and dizzy. I take a seat in the chair where I found my money. I don't know what to do at all!! I sit and think, even though I have found this money and no one left a note or anything to tell me whose it is why can't I keep it?

I walk over to my mom and dad and they can tell I'm acting weird. They don't ask about anything. I am hesitant to tell my parents about the money. What would they think? We should keep it; I can keep it, or turn it in? I ask to go to the bathroom. I go wash my face and freshen up. I come back feeling better. I stand there staring at the floor; a deep voice behind me says "Are you okay?” The voice was my dad. "I'm fine" I respond. After we leave I'm sitting in the car silent. I have decided to tell my parents about the money. Here goes nothing. "Mom dad, when we were in Sam's Club I found an envelope. I opened it and it has thousands of dollars in it. I didn't know what to do and I was really scared, with what to do."
"Are you kidding, let me see" my mom says with a smile. "Well, finder’s keepers losers weeper" My dad says with a smirk. "What will happen if we keep it" I ask my parents. " " The worst is that people look for it and put papers up looking for it and we will see if there is a reward or not and decide what we are going to do" said my mom said matter a fact like. "Ok fine, I am willing to split it with you guys." I was hoping you were going to say that “Says my mom. The whole ride home we talked about what we were going to do with the money. We counted the money and it came out to be $50,000 in total. But all I could think about was what is going to happen if we get caught.

The next day I get home from school and my parents are at work. I sit on the couch and turn on the television. I see the news, "Breaking News, A local woman loses her $50,000 pay check and it was all in cash. She is offering a reward. She is hoping someone found her money and is a honest enough person to believe her. She is not going to share the reward until the person hands in her money. If you know anything about this case please call the number on your screen" I write down the number on my hand with a pen. My heart just about dropped to my feet. I am blown away that this woman has gone to the extent of going to the news for help. I don't know what to do; I picked up my cell phone and called my dad. I told him about the breaking news. He sounded devastated but also a little relieved. When my parents get home, we sat down and talked about what to do. My mom was way wrong with the whole worst case scenario thing. We decide to see what happens in three days and see how bad it gets.

People know that there is $50,000 out there, somewhere, one way or another. You can tell when ever you go anywhere people are looking through books and on the floor and through garbage's trying to find this money. My family and I keep calm. We try not to get noticed much. We are just going with the flow. But two days go by and we start getting noticed and everything starts blowing up in our face. People start asking us about the money and if we heard about it. We have to lie, even to our closest friends. It was getting harder and harder. My parents start fighting about what to do. They have never fought before; well they have just not very much. This money is ruining our family life. I decided to find this woman who lost the money. I have the number of the news but I don't want to call the news about it. I look up the woman's name and phone number. I tell my parents I am going to call her. The agreed and I called the woman. Her name was Shirley Charleston. We talked and I told her the whole story. She understood why I didn’t give it back right away but she was very thankful that I called.

In conclusion Shirley Charleston was so very happy to have found her money. She was depositing it into her bank and she dropped it in Sam’s Club. Shirley was a really nice woman and my family is back to normal. This whole experience taught me to always be honest and turn in anything you find. It sure was an epoch in my life and I am glad it happened. Shirley gave me and my family $1,000 as the reward. I made a new friend out of this experience and I am very happy how it turned out. Now I have a great story to tell and a great lesson to teach. Always think before you act or take.

School Uniforms

Dear Mr. Ron Johnson,

Do you know someone who goes to a school where you have to wear uniforms? Are they ugly or are they hideous? At my old school I had to wear a uniform. I hated it! My uniforms had to be red, white or blue collared shirts and khaki pants or a skirt or a jumper. The uniforms were so hideous. This is why I think uniforms should be banned from every school in Wisconsin. There are many reasons schools should not have uniforms such as it helps creativity and also people wouldn't know your style if you are wearing an uniform.

Uniforms are scrofulous and really boring. I don't know about you but I look forward to picking out my outfit in the morning to picking out my outfit. If you can't pick out your clothes in the morning then people can't see your style. If people can't see your style then people could portray you wrong. Like if you have to wear the same type of clothes as everyone else then you don't go shopping with your friends and have as much fun as we do at Asa Clark Middle School in Pewaukee. Have you ever looked at just really ugly clothes and say “wow I would never wear that”, things like that make me vexed! I go to ACMS and we do not have a uniform but as I said before my old school had uniforms. My old school was such an epoch in my life and I think it would have been way better without uniforms! I am not saying that schools should not have dress codes but I think we should be able to wear anything we want within reason. Besides not showing your style, if you wear uniforms you don't get to use creativity. Creativity is a huge factor in life. If you work for a business that sells anything and you don't have any creativity you will most likely not keep your job very long. Picking out outfits in the morning or at night helps gain creativity. Also almost all uniforms are really ugly. My uniforms at my old school were hideous. They were frumpy and very unflattering. I know boys do not care as much about clothes as girls do but I am just asking you to please think about this.

Uniforms are unsightly and don’t let you show your style, that’s why I think they should be banned from all schools in Wisconsin. When I get older I want to be a fashion designer, and people like me would never have the chance to pick out clothes in the morning if I had a uniform. I would always try and make everything look better but my school had so many restrictions I couldn’t. Have you ever thought about uniforms? How ugly or how people can't do anything in them. Again I am not saying there should not even be a dress code but just please let us wear things that we picked out not what the school administrators want us to wear. I feel it is unfair! As I conclude I want to say that I would love for you just to think about my idea. Almost all uniforms are ugly and very frumpy.

Sincerely,
Madison Giordano

Blog to Sam Kingston

Authors Note: This is a blog that Lindsay, Sam’s best friend’s, Lindsay’s cousin who made this blog named Madison. She really wants to let Sam know what she thinks she should do.


To Sam,
10/11/11
7:00 am
I have heard your story about how you relived the same day again and again. It was very interesting to me. I should probably introduce myself first. Hi, I'm Madison and I have heard about your story. I am your friend, Lindsay Edgecombe's cousin. I am 17 years old and live in Wisconsin. I play sports but I am not the most popular girl at my school. The most popular girl at my school is Juliet! Lindsay has told me all about your story and how great of a friend you are. I was so fascinated that I wanted to make this blog about you, so you can see what I think of your story. I would rather blog than write to you. I know this might be kind of weird but I really needed to tell you what I thought of your story. I was so intrigued by your story!
Sincerely,
Madison


To Sam,
10/11/11
11:00 am
I thought your idea to try and help Juliet not to commit suicide was an excellent idea. It seems like you have a great idea on what to do. I can't wait for Lindsay to tell me what happened after that. I know you are reliving the same day over and over. I think it is awesome that you are telling Lindsay everything that goes on in the 7 days that you were reliving. In my mind it would be fun to relive the same day over and over for only like 4 days but not seven! It would be so hard. It would be fun to do some crazy things for a day and then just hang out for the next and not care what's going to happen because you know it’s not going to be real tomorrow, or today or well you understand what I mean. I am super excited for you to try and help Juliet. I think it is an awesome Idea.
Sincerely,
Madison


To Sam,
10/11/11
3:00 pm
I have been giving your situation some thought. Even though I think your idea is awesome this is what I would do. If I were you I would go to her house right after school and try and hang out with her the whole day. If she doesn't let you stay, insists on staying. Make up excuses like I don't have a ride home or I don't have anything to do at my house. I would help her get ready for the party and then when she goes to the party with you maybe she won't yell at Lindsay like she did when she wasn't with you. Then don't let her leave your sight. Act like you guys are best friends and don't care what anybody thinks of you. If it doesn't work then it would have never happened because you would have relived the same day again. I hope this helped!
Sincerely,
Madison




To Sam,
10/11/11
6:00 pm
Not to freak you out that some random person has made a blog about you. You might have heard of me. Does Lindsay ever talk about me? Its fine if she doesn't we are pretty close. She has told me like everything. She thinks you are so great and she loves your Personality so much. :) I hope all of this helped you get through your problem with the same day! Good Luck.
Sincerely,
Madison


To anyone who has been following this blog,
10/12/11
12:45 am
I just got a text from Lindsay. She told me really bad news. She has just told me Sam got hit by a car and is dead. I am very, very sorry to anyone who knew Sam. Please pray for her and her family. But the only thing that came out of this is that Juliet didn't kill herself after Sam died. Also that Sam stopped reliving the day over and over again because she is not longer living. I am sorry again who was interested in this blog and most of all Sam's family. Be safe everyone and I am sorry.
Sincerely for the last time,
Madison

Fall and Things to do in Fall

I love fall! I just love all the colors. Reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. It is my parents favorite season. In fall my house looks so pretty because it is gold and a whole mess of trees are behind it and it looks so cool. It’s the same thing in winter because everything is White and then my house is gold it looks so cool. I love
racking leaves and then jumping in the pile its so fun! I have friends over a lot in the fall for Halloween and for haunted houses, AWESOME! My favorite thing to do in fall is go to haunted houses. I go every year with a couple friends to the Hubertus haunted house. I love it. And last year I went to the scariest haunted house in Wisconsin the Waukesha county expo house it was FREEKY! I loved it though. Its awesome. I love fall!

Authors Note: My favorite thing to do around Halloween is go to haunted houses and corn mazes. They are soo fun!

Best Friends

Jennie- Funny, twenty-four (TV show) , basketball, good listener, and smiley
Abby G- Fast, Basketball, funny, trustworthy, athletic
Avery- Loud, Knows her music, always joking around, fun to be around, and Lady GAGA
Mason- Annoying, fun, Sports, FUNNY, and skinny

Authors Note: This is a list of some of my best friends in life that are close to my age. I picked these word because they describes them. I love all these people.

Leaving Friends and Schools

When I was in fourth grade I changed schools. We changes for many reasons, one reason was we wanted to go to the public school and we were at a private school. I went to Queen of Apostles and I went there from k4 to October, 15th in fourth grade. I had many teachers but my favorite was Mrs. Hansen, she was awesome. Anyway, I feel I am more outgoing and a better student than what I would be if I stayed at that school. It was a good school, but it had a lot of problems, one was it didn’t have air conditioning. It was always soo warm in that school! I don’t fear anything because of it I just love this school.

On my last day of school there no one knew I was leaving I went up to my best friends Andria and said I am leaving schools, today is my last day. She looked at me and Cried. I remember we were reading and every time we looked at each other the other one would laugh and start crying. Andria had to read out of the book and she was crying we both busted out laughing and she couldn’t read the teacher ended up calling on someone else to read. I kept in touch with some people from that school, and some people left that school after I did. I liked that school, but you cant love it more than Pewaukee.

Waves

I love the sound of the waves crashing and smashing up against the sand at the ocean. My grandparents live in Myrtle Beach South Carolina and we went there over the summer. I love it there its soo fun. I love jumping the waves, swimming in the waves, and most of all putting a chair in low tide and just sit there in the waves. My dad grew up around the ocean and he loves it and so do I. It is so fun to run, jump, and skip around in the sand. I had a catch with my brother in the low tide and I caught a fish in the ocean. It was a spot. Its kind of like a blue gill but with a black spot on its right gill. The ocean is awesome! I wish I lived by an ocean, so in the summer I can go run and jump in the waves.

Eating

I like to eat. To eat a lot you need to exercise so you don’t get fat. Some people eat for enjoyment others eat because they are hungry. But sadly some people don’t get to eat. Homeless people don’t get to eat because they don’t have the money. I always feel bad for them because they are so skinny. I like chocolate I only like chocolate for candy. People think I'm crazy but I'm not. I exercise a lot, but my mom is worried about my sugar intake. I am trying to cute down. Man I wish I could eat some chocolate to perk me up or something. I love chocolate.

Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga

Have you ever listened to the song Born This Way or Never Say Never? Which did you like better? Born This Way is by Lady Gaga and Never Say Never is by Justin Bieber. I love Justin Bieber; he is so kind and generous. On the other hand Lady Gaga is crazy and not very kid appropriate. Lady Gaga might be a good person but she needs to make her image better! Justin Bieber is so much better than Lady Gaga, as a person and a singer.

Justin Bieber, he’s 17, kind hearted and loves to give back. Sure a lot of people like him for his good looks but he also has a great heart. Lady Gaga, she’s 25 inappropriate and is crazy! She does wear many clothes and when she does it is so see through. Justin Bieber is pure and will always be nice and kind. He just finished up his world tour and his movie just came out on DVD. Lady Gaga had a world tour in 2010, but didn't have a movie. I know a movie doesn't mean they are better. In most Pictures of Justin Bieber he is either smiling or in a photo shoot. Lady Gaga is usually wearing some clothes where you can see everything because it is so see through. Justin is the manager of a fundraiser called Pencils of Promise, helping kids without education, going on right now. That isn't the only fundraiser he is doing. Lady Gaga just launched a fundraiser for people in Japan. They are both good people but Justin is better, he is more kid friendly and is a great influence.

Justin Bieber isn't only a better person but he is a better singer too. I will admit they are both very good singers. They both preformed at the Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden is the most famous arena in the world. Justin Bieber sold out the Madison Square Garden is 22 minutes and was the headliner. Lady Gaga sold out Madison Square Garden in 1 and a half hours. Justin has so many more fans and sold out his whole world tour in 2 hours. That is just a little bit more than Justin Bieber sold out just Madison Square Garden. They both play instruments, Justin plays four and Lady Gaga plays only 2. This means they know the notes better and a better singer.

As you can see Justin Bieber is a better influence and a better singer than Lady Gaga. My final note is Lady Gaga means Lady Crazy, she sure is crazy. Justin Bieber came from a small town and wasn't even trying to get famous when he did. He had a dream and he followed it. He is just so inspirational. It is so annoying to see people so obsessed with a lunatic. One thing I want to say is Never Say Never and always think before you act.

Please comment on who you think is better.

Monolouge from Drama

Hi I’m Bailey the Basketball. I live in a cage in the Pewaukee High School’s gym; it’s cold but pretty awesome! It’s almost always dark until someone comes in to play with me or my friends. All the kids want to play with me! I am the best ball ever! Everyone loves me, I’m awesome! People call me “Da ball”. I am Da Ball. Whenever they use me in a game only one team loses! That is like really cool. No one ever ties; I make the choice if I want to go in the hoop or not well sometimes. If they catch me off guard I don’t get to pick it. But I love being a basketball except when people hit me on that board! It is so annoying. Wait AHHH... … … … … … … … … OW! OW! AH! OO! My Head, ah my head, ooo my stomach, OW my stomach! This bratty, red haired kid is bouncing me on the ground and again! Then she stopped fewf and now she threw me in the air ahh! Ow! I hit a glass board on my head ugg! I'm now in a net and on the floor again! Then she screamed "Yay I made one!"It hurt my ears so bad! My lases cringed into my orange tinted leather. This old man with gray hair then came and said "Cindy we need to leave now" Cindy put me in a cage! Its cold, but my home. (Sigh) The old man turned the lights off. This time I was talking to all of you. You got me caught off guard. Thanks Guys I hurt my head! Love you too!*Whiney* I’m tired! I’m getting sleepy and sleepier then, (sigh/snore/zzz) *Whisper * I am a sleep.

Fundraiser

Kristie and I are trying to do a fundraiser. We are hoping to do a Field day activity after school. We would have so many games and activities. One game we were thinking of doing was a kick ball tourney. Also, we would be doing a movie night type thing. And my mom also gave me some great ideas! Like a tye-dying booth or something like that. We also might do a basketball tournment. We are going to be raising the money for kids that either don't have school or they are going to be getting a better school. The school we are helping is Houy Thong Primary School. It is all 1st and 2nd graders. I can't wait to meet with Mr.Daul on Friday.

Friends Writing journals (2)

I have a lot of friends, at least I think I do :). With my friends I love to hangout with them. We like to go to the mall or just having sleepovers. The latest I've been up at a sleepover was like 4:30am at Jessie's house in fifth grade! I was so tired the next day! I love having friends over too. I have a lot of friends over too. I'm having Avery over today, maybe. I love having friends, but I hate having Drama! Friends are awesome.

Live, Love, Laugh.

Short Story (2)

True story.

It was spring break for this young group of friends. They were all seniors and they wanted to go to Aruba for their class graduation trip. Right before they graduated their whole grade was invited to go on a school vacation. Natalee Holloway was one of the girls going on the trip with her friends. Why they wanted to go to Aruba is because the drinking age is a lot lower than 21.

Natalee Holloway went on this vacation it was her last night there. All of her friends and Natalee went to. She met a boy there that was her age, his name was Yoran Van Der Sloot. They started having fun together. That was the last time they saw her. The next day when her friends went to bored the plane they never saw Natalee. Nobody saw her the whole day. They never found her body.

Natalee's mom never stopped looking for her. Yoran even admitted to either selling her for a slave or killing her. There is many stories, but it's still a mystery for six year. I wish I could help, Natalee's mom now has a TV show trying to help people find missing friends or family.



Not done yet

Basketball Writing journals (1)

Basketball is my favorite sport. I just got my teams for next year and they are the exact same. I am happy that we have the same teams because i had a lot of fun and we won a lot of games. My dad is the assistant coach. I really like having my dad as a coach. I really like basketball because I like running and getting into shape. I love basketball.

Creative piece (1)

Short Story.

The hard gusts of wind blew Nick's perfect, blonde hair as he came outside to do yard work with his parents. Nick has been dreading this day for a long time. They could be outside for hours planting flowers, planting grass in different spots and picking and hauling rocks. Nick was for sure not looking forward to this day. On top of doing grueling work, it had to be 80 degrees outside and humid. Outside it felt like 100 degrees! But Nick's parents needed his help.

Nick's mom yelled across the yard to Nick and said " Nick can you please go help your brothers and sister haul and pick rocks?" Nick sighed but agreed. He went over to his brothers and sister. Nick thought to himself and said, hey it doesn't look that bad over there it actually looks kind fun. He said "hi" to his siblings and started picking rocks all over his yard. The five siblings made up a song to make them work faster and have more fun. Nick didn't think all the work was as bad as he thought it was going to be. After three hours they were done! Nick said he actually had a little fun today. Everybody was very tired and they all wanted to hang out for the rest of the night. They rented a movie and all curled up on the couch. They all fell asleep. Nick really had fun this day.

Authors Note: This story is made up. There is no purpose to any of the characters or anything. But I have been through a lot of the things Nick did in this story because I just moved.

Garbage

One day I went to Starbucks and ordered a double chocolate chip frappechino and a birthday cake donut. I got my drink and I sat down and one of my friends, Abby walked in. She ordered an Iced Chi and a mini white donut with sprinkles. They sat down and I accidentally knocked over my drink. So I got up and got a Starbucks napkin. After that I grabbed a card game. I had to take the instruction card and read it to I knew how to play. According to the instructions I needed a pen to keep score. So I looked in my purse and found only a pen cap. So I went up to the counter and asked for a pen to borrow. It had a spoon twisty tied onto my pen!

Later that day I bent over and my button popped off. So I had to go to my sewing kit and sew one back on. I ran out of needles so I had to use a tooth pick to sew a new button on my pants. After I was done sewing on my button I saw that the toothpick gave me a cut, so I had to go to the bathroom and find a band aid. The band aides were wrapped around with a rubber band and the rubber band snapped and broke so I had to throw it away!

Spring Break

For spring break my brother is going to florida. He is so lucky, he is going with his best friend and he is leaving me at home with my mom and dad. It's not that bad because my parents said we are going to do little day trips to like Missouri and Kentucky. I hope we get to go shopping. I am very excited. I hope everyone has a great spring break!

Snow White

Right now I am participating in the school play "The Rockin Tale of Snow White." In the play I am the Angel, I am the good conciounse of the huntsman telling him not to kill Snow White as the Evil Queen told him to. I get to sing a solo but with two other people. But when I am singing it is only me singing. I really like my part, I have a fun costume. My wings are white and shiny, my dress is white with silver sparkles all over. Tonight I have a play and also tomorrow, the play is at 7 and is about an hour and a half long. I love acting and it is one of my favorite things to do. Hope to see you there.

The Hundredth Dove

How would you feel if you had to kill 100 of your favorite animal, but it is something you love to do? Would you feel in distress, excited, or maybe hatred? This is Hugh’s dilemma in the story The Hundredth Dove by Jane Yolen. Hugh was sent by the king to kill 100 doves for his wedding dinner, of course Hugh the fowler accepted. Even if this story is fiction it shows a lot of dedication and I can relate to it in a way that some people can’t.
Dedication is when you are committed to something very strongly. In the story The Hundredth Dove Hugh, the fowler is very dedicated to his job. As I said before the king sent Hugh out to go kill 100 doves. When Hugh left to go out and kill the birds, one bird kept escaping. Once he finally caught the only white dove, the bird turned its head and tried to bribe him by talking to him. Hugh would not accept any bribe he was dedicated to his job and would not let a bird change that. Dedication is not just needed at work but at school and also in sports. In school you need to be dedicated to get good grades and to study. Once you start studying you are going to get better grades. In sports if you practice at home, come to all the practices, and come to the games you are dedicated. If you are in a sport you need to be dedicated and work hard. Hard work is related to dedication because dedication involves a lot of hard work. Always be dedicated to everything you do and most likely you will be successful.

As I said before hard work and dedication is needed in everything you do, even hunting. My brother, Mason is one of the most dedicated hunters I know. He feels sad whenever he kills a mom animal just because he knows that it might have babies or cubs somewhere. He loves animals but he also loves the feeling of hunting. The feeling of just being in the woods and sitting there surrounded by wildlife and the soft breeze of a fall or winter morning brings him enjoyment. My mom’s sides of the family are all hunters so Mason and I both know a lot about it. They hunt for pretty much everything they can see up north in the Wausau area. How this relates to the story The Hundredth Dove is that Hugh the fowler is a dedicated hunter and even when a bird tried to bribe him, he had to get a job done and he killed the bird. Turning down wealth, being famous, and love from the queen was hard but he ended up being able to turn them down. Hugh knew he had to kill 100 doves and without this last dove he would have 99, so he had to catch it. All he had to do was just kill the white, beautiful dove, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. This relates to my brother because he is a hunter and he feels bad when he kills a mom animal and Hugh felt bad when he killed the final dove.

You can see Hugh and Mason are both dedicated hunters and love hunting, but they both know it comes with some unhappiness or sadness. Dedication is needed to be successful, not everything will be perfect and with no regret but almost always it comes out well. I can relate to this story even though it is fiction, it shows me dedication and reminded me of my brother. Overall I feel many kids and adults should read this story because it really tells you that dedication is the key for success. Not everyone is dedicated to their job but I feel I am dedicated to a lot of things I do, such as school work and sports. Hugh should be very proud of himself; he turned down great things just to get a job done, now that’s dedication.

Ice Cream

I love ice cream.
It is in my sweet dreams.
Cookie dough ice cream is my favorite treat.
It sure beats eating meat.
I can eat it in a seat,
or on my feet.
Ice cream is so very sweet.
Its my very favorite treat.
You can love it or hate it.
It is a nice bait for little kids.
Overall, my favorite is cookie dough.
It is so yummy!

Metaphor

1. I am a deer running through the woods loving every second of it.
2. I am a colorful piece of paper.
3. I am a little kid playing dress up.
4. I am a cheetah chasing after their prey.


Author's note:
These are personal metaphor's abou

t me.

Golden Girls

Think, is hockey only a boys sport? Can it also be a girl sport and girls still love to play it? In the story Golden Girls by Johnette Howard it tells you that not only can hockey be a girl sport, but girls can love it too. In 1980 the U.S. Woman's Ice hockey team won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics. In the story Golden Girls it shows us that hard work,dedication and the will to never give up is needed in everything you do.

In this story it doesn’t only tell us to give all you got and never give up, but also it tells us what hard work really is. If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot. This wise quote was said by Robert Townsend. Hard work is needed in everything you do. It isn't just needed in the office or class room, but also in let's say the gym when you are practicing a sport such as hockey. In this story these girls worked as hard as they could to win this gold medal. After they thought they were the best they could be they tried harder to become better. For example LeBron James, he grew up with nothing and was a poor kid who never went to college. He was drafted right from his High School. For his to be drafted from High School means he had a lot of determination, dedication to basketball, and hard work to be good enough to go to the NBA straight from High School. My brother's favorite NBA player is LeBron James, not just because he is good but because of his inspirational story.

Not only does this story show about hard work and dedication, it is very inspirational and tells us to never give up! Inspiration is something that someone can give or someone can receive. I have been inspired by someone also, that is Justin Bieber. Before I saw his movie, Never Say Never I didn’t like him very much. But now after I saw the biography of his life I was inspired. He is such a sweet person. For his 17th birthday he asked anyone who want to give him a gift to donate money to a cause that helps give people clean water. He along with LeBron James, grew up poor. But when he was discovered he became rich. He said that with the first million dollars he makes he is buying him mom a new house. How this relates to the story is that the story tells us that if you try your hardest you will achieve and never settle for anything less than what you know is your hardest. The U.S never gave up and they worked as hard as they could during all of their games. The ice hockey team didn’t just have one good player, they were all good and all got along like family. In a team it is very important to have a good relationship and bond with your team every once in awhile.

As you can see the U.S. Woman's Hockey Team fits in with having a great purpose. The purpose is to tell the reader to never give up, and that you need hard work in everything you do. I was inspired by this story about a team who was going to give up on Hockey and then dedicated them selves to getting better and ended up getting a gold medal in the Olympics. Over all this story was a great story because it has a lot of great qualities in showing us how to be a great person. Always think before you give up.

Mexico

When I was 7 I went to Mexico. It was my first time leaving the country and I was more excited than ever! I got to skip the last day of school and go to Mexico was is better than that. Plus my mom packed my luggage for me! We took a plane and the ride seemed so long! Finally we arrived in Mexico. It was soo HOT!

I went to my room change into my swim suit and was off to the pool. We like owned the whole place we were almost the only people there. There is only one problem, I DIDN'T know how to swim! That's kinda big when you are in Mexico. I always hated swimming lessons. My parents told me if I learned to swim in Mexico I didn't have to go to lessons anymore. So I had a lifeguard teach me.

Besides learning how to swim I learned never to have your mom pack for you. My mom forgot to pack me underwear. For the whole week I had t live in my swim suit! I didn't have any underwear. I know crazy! Also I would always order rum fruit punch hold the rum. It was soo good. The best drink I have ever had. But the last day I got one and I said
" Mom this tastes gross!" She responded "Madi, you have been drinking this for a week and now its gross" Ends up, there was rum in the drink. INTERESTING right? It was a weird taste. :)

I feel that me going to Mexico impacted me a lot. First off, it showed me how other people live in different countries and it helped me with speaking Spanish. Second, I learned to swim in Mexico and you need to be able to have to swim. Also it was cool to just get away for a week and be able to go on a plane. Also it was cool to use other money besides dollars, we used pesos. I thought going to Mexico was amazing and i would go back any day of my life!

Volleyball

I recently joined a volleyball team. :) It is a school volleyball team. I've had 2 games, our first game we tied and the second game we lost. :( I like playing volleyball and it is fun to watch too. Yesterday we had an away game and they had really low ceilings. I hit the ceiling a lot. I feel my team is pretty good. Overall I like playing volleyball! GO PIRATES!

Wisconsin Dells

Wilderness,O Wilderness.
What a glorious place.
We played basketball, like an ace.
Our steels were slick.
The next day we all were sick.
People got a bad case of the pukes, ICK!
But while we were there Japan had a Fluke.
A nuclear power plant blew up, but it was a nuke (a bomb).
Many people are spooked.
But back to the story.
While we were there we got some glory.
The A and B team played each other in the championship.
Of course the B team lost and got second.
The game was an exhaust.
But in the end second got nothing.
First got something, only a T-shirt.
But it's way better than nothing.
My coaches were so proud of us for getting to the championship.
We were the only B team to make it to the Ship!
I was so happy.
After we went to Wizard Quest.
It was Da Bomb.
Over all It was amazing except for the getting sick part.
YUCK!!

Papa's Parrot

How would you feel if one day your son never came to your candy shop and he use to come every day with his friends? Would you feel abandon or maybe like you want to cry? I would hate that if I was a parent. One day your dad had a heart attack and you had to take care of his candy store and his pet parrot. Then something unexpected happened at the store? These are some of the things that happen in the story Papa's Parrot by Cynthia Rylant. Even though this is a short story it has a big purpose and I can relate to it in a scary way.

Papa's Parrot's name is Rocky and Papa loves Rocky but Harry, Papa's son is embarrassed by his dad. This story has a great purpose; the purpose is stay with people you love for as long as you can because one day they might be gone. One day your dad might have a heart attack and you might have to carry out his business and you can't talk to him or anything. In the story Harry's dad had a heart attack so harry took over is dads business until he got better. Then Harry's, dad's bird said "Where's Harry" and "I miss Harry" repeating things that Harry's dad had said. I would feel so bad and unaccomplished. I would run to the hospital and give my dad a hug because I would think I was abandoning my dad. I feel bad when I leave my parents for a sleepover when I was supposed to do something with them that day. Every teen loves their parents, just sometimes they don’t show it. It is sad; I don’t think I will ever be like that.

Even though I don’t think I will ever be like that where you hate your parents but my brother is slowly getting older and every weekend he goes to his friend’s house and leaves my parents and I. I don’t like when he leaves, he is one of my best friends. Though we fight I still love to hang out with Mason (my brother). Mason does things with my family and he spends time with us too and not just his friends. Mason is not as bad with staying away as Harry is but it is still annoying sometimes. Harry is embarrassed by his parents and I don’t think Mason is because my parents aren't the parents to be embarrassing, they are fun and cool. My dad hates it when we go to a sleepover because when one of us is gone they don’t sleep very well. I miss my brother not being home all the time and soon he will be driving. Then I won’t see him at all. I will miss him even more.

Papa's Parrot is an overall good book with a nice purpose. I really connected with this story because of Mason. It taught us to stay with your family as long as you can because one day we will be in college and never see your family. I won’t like going college and I know my mom will cry, a lot. Papa's Parrot is a short story but I like purpose and I can relate to it in a good way. Always stay at home when you can and for as long as you can.

First Kisses4: It Had To Be You

How would you feel if you had your own column on the schools newspaper, to give people advice to? Would you feel happy, excited, confused, and scared? Then one day you went to look at your column in the summer and someone already asked for advice? Would you answer it, even if his name is Romeo-14? This is what happened to Emma in the story First Kisses4 It had to be you by Sabrina Jordan. Even though this is a story with teenage situations, it has a nice way to tell you how to give advice.

Dear Daisy is the name of m column; it is one of the best things that have ever happened to Emma. The first day she got something from Romeo-14 Emma was excited, but she just got a new neighbor named Kyle. Emma thought Romeo-14 might have been Kyle; her neighbor that she thought was really nice and cute :). Emma also thought that Romeo-14 was asking advice about her. Would you tell your best friend about your column and Romeo-14, even if you were told not to tell anyone?

Although Emma wanted to figure out if Romeo-14 was Kyle, she still had to give him good and useful advice. When Emma got a question on her Dear Daisy column, she had to respond. But before you respond, you would have to understand the situation? How would you give advice? Would you go to the library and read up on it, would you not do anything and just go from memory, or would you just kind of make something up? In my opinion you would have to know a lot about the situation to not read up on anything. But how do you give good advice? How do you know if it is good advice or that, what you tell the person is the right decision? You really don't know. You just have to go with your gut feeling.

Advice is very important to follow, but only if it is good and you trust that the person you got it from is not trying to give you bad advice. If I were in Emma's situation I would be honored to get to make people’s lives well. I would feel so accomplished. Over all this is a good story for teenage kids to read because it shows and explains how to get through teenage situations. What would you do if you were Romeo-14 and figured out that the person you were writing to was the person you were writing about?

Minocqua

Ove mid-winter breakI am going to Minocqua. We stay at the Waters Resort and have a blast!! My dad has a client up there, so when we go up there my dad meets with them so my dad doesnt have to drive 4 hours with no one. I can't wait for this weekend. We are going to rent snowmobile's and ride them on the trails. My dad's client said Minocqua is dead in the winter, meaning there is no one there. Last time I went to Minocqua Michael Jackson died! I hope nothing bad happens again this time. Im soo Excited!

Before I Fall

How would you feel if you kept waking up to live the same day over again? Would you feel angry, helpless, confused, or panicky? Would you tell your best friends that you love more than you family? That is how Sam felt in the story Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. You could be the most popular person in your grade and something like this still happen to you. Even though this is a total fiction story it teaches us the importance of making good decisions.

Even if the beginning of this story is happy and normal, the story takes a quick turn and turns sad. I could not picture what I would do if I would wake up after dying and relive the same day over again. What would you do? Would you freak out or be calm? I would be so confused, it would feel just like déjà vu. I would tell my parents, but I don't think I would tell my friends I would think that they would think I'm crazy. If my parents thought I'm crazy then I have no clue what I would do. I guess I would just think I was dreaming and thought I would wake up the nightmare that I was in. I would try my best to try and figure out what was happening, I would read up on it and if that didn’t work I would go to the doctor. I would try to make it better and stop. If none of that works I would sit and think, if I could get out of dying, just like Sam did and then it stopped. Sam jumped for joy with her friends, I would too.

Although I wouldn’t know what to do or how I would tell, Sam got out of it. Sam didn’t tell her friends, but I think Sam's friends were getting suspicious of her. Sam's best friends are the best ever, but they lead each other to make bad choices. Almost everybody at this high school drinks alcohol and/or smokes. Every body goes to parties and get drunk. In fact at this party is where Sam and her friends all die in a car crash and then wake up the next day. Do all of Sam's friends have the same problem that Sam does? Then after Sam didn’t go to the party she didn’t die so her life went on. But that night they woke up from phones ringing of the hook. It was the neighbor of one of the girls that Sam and her friends hated and bullied, she killed her self. She shot herself in the head. They cant believe it. What would you do in a situation like that? Would you still be their friend? Would you tell them to not be so mean? What would you do?

If I could achieve all that Sam did I would be very happy with myself. In this story Sam achieved many things, such as making better decisions by quitting smoking and not accepting alcohol at the age of 18. Over all I feel this book left a great impact on me. It taught me what harmful things alcohol and smoking can do to you. Also it taught me just to have fun in life and cherish what we have. I believe everyone should read this book. Just think, close your eyes and think, what would you do if you lived the same day over again?

The Best Summer Ever

It's summer vacation and your parents say "If we could go anywhere, where would you want to go? It's your choice where you would go. Pick. Make it a good one." I responded "Let's go to Florida, no Hawaii, or Belize, maybe Jamaica." All of the places are the most beautiful places ever. In the end of it I choose to go to Hawaii because I have never been there.

The plane ride was longer than ever! When we got off, I screamed and stretched out. I look up and my mouth dropped. I saw the biggest and most beautiful volcano ever!! I couldn't believe I was here. I went into my hotel and my room was huge. It was the best ever!! I whirlpool and also a great view. I jumped on the bed like crazy and got all happy and then we went out to eat.

The next day we went hiking and it was so awesome. I couldn't believe I was there. It was the prettiest thing ever and then I saw it the volcano. It was steaming and it was so huge!! I was technically on the bottom of it! I wanted to climb it but we had reservations so we had to head back. We ate and the food was better than ever!!

The next day we left. the plane ride was very long, even longer than the way there. I loved every minute of it. Best Summer Ever!!

PACKERS!!!!

I am so excited for the superbowl! Packers are going to be amazing ( I hope). Why should you cheer for the Packers? Because they want their trophy back, the Vince Lombardi trophy. Vince Lombardi and Earl "Curly" Lambeau lead the Packers to win the first two superbowls. Green Bay is named #1 for the biggest homefield advantage. What else is so amazing about the Green Bay Packers? Curly Lambeau lead the Packers to win 6 championships, a record. The Pitsburg Steelers and the Green Bay Packers are tied for 1st in the NFL ranking for the best fans, and Green Bay has a populoation of only 101,025 people, with Pitsburg having 308,689 people.

Snow day

We had a snow day yesterday! It was so fun, I watched movies, ate a lot, shoveled and played in the snow! I built a fort but it was all drifted in by the end of the day :(. It was pretty cool and the had chairs and little cubbies. It was so fun to make and I was disapointed to find out we couldn't even have fun in it. Anyway, I had so much fun yesterday, but I had to shovel with my brother. My brother has a job at the neighbors house because they are in the Carribean on a cruise, but they had so much snow we had to scrape off like 6 inches of the snow on the top. We had to do that because our snow blower wasn't tall enough. It took us like three hours to finish and my brother was getting paid. All and all I had an awesome day yesterday and I didn;t want to come back today. Atleast it feels like a monday and its friday.

Snow Day

I really want a snow day tomorrow! If i had a snow day i would for sure sleep in. After I get up I would make pancakes and eat them as slow as I can to savor the flavor. After my delicious breakfast I would hang out all day. Playing Wii or XBox 360 with my brother. would not want to sit around all day inside, I would go outside and play in the snow. I would have to make a snowman and fort with my brother. I can't wait for tomorrow. I really want a snow day!!

Deep Water

If you were drowning in a pool how would you feel? Would you feel helpless, powerless, just floating all limp? Would you just give up? That’s how William felt in the story Deep Water by William O. Douglas. Even if you are the most athletic person and were drowning and was swallowing as much water as William did, I don’t think you could have felt much better than what William felt. Although this is a sad story, but happy in the end it still has a purpose and I can relate to it in some way.

Even if the story is sad in the beginning and the middle by the end of the story it starts to look happier. Nothing like this has happened to me, but I can still relate to it in some way. If I ever got thrown in a pool and couldn’t swim I would be hopeless. When I didn’t know how to swim and I went in the pool I would doggie paddle (just like any other little kid) but if I went under without knowing I bet I would do the same as William did. If my legs were limp and motionless until I reached the bottom and try to jump up with all my power. It didn’t work, Try it again and it doesn’t work iw ould be so lost. I seriously would have no clue what I would do. It would be so hard. I would just keep telling myself someone is going to come and save me. When I would feel that person come and get me I would be so relieved. My brother’s friend is afraid of water and a lot of other things too but at a baseball tournament he went in the pool at the hotel we stayed at. His mom was shocked but very happy that he pushed himself to get into the water. this is like Deep Water because at the end f the story that is the same thing William did. he pushed himself to get back into the water and learn to swim. Let alone go back in the water but swim two whole miles, wow! I bet his parents were very proud.

I can relate to the story, but I can also find the purpose in and of the story too. The purpose was if William could overcome his great fear of water. Not just overcoming his fear but getting in the water and swimming two miles and loving every second of it. William thinks if he can do that he and everyone else should be able to do anything. I agree totally, it is a huge accomplishment. I hope somewhere in my life I can do something amazing like William did.

If I could achieve something as big as William did, I would be super proud of myself. This is a sad story with a happy ending and I could find the purpose and a comparison to myself in this story. Overall I liked the story, I believe it was a great message and a lot of people should read it. I hope I can achieve something like this in my life.

Alternate Ending

Kino scaled the side of the mountain very cautious with Juana and Coyotito close behind. As they find a cave they hear trackers they quickly get into the cave in hiding. Kino is thinking of going down and killing them all. Kino ends up going down and attacking them and Coyotito ends up getting shot and dies. Although the book The Pearl by John Steinbeck has a great, unexpected ending, I would like it to be happier.

If the ending was happier I think it would be more interesting. Even thought the story was interesting it wasn’t as interesting as I would like. I always wanted to put the book down and be done and a book I like I never want to put down. It was so sad when Coyotito got shot, I wanted to cry. I needed that part to be way happier. I am going to change Coyotito being shot and also Kino is not going to kill the people following them. Here is my version of the ending.

Kino scaled the side of the mountain very cautious with Juana and Coyotito close behind. As they find a cave they hear trackers they quickly get into the cave in hiding. Kino is thinking of going down and killing them all. “No stay here and lets go to town” says Juana. “But what if they hear us and kill all three of us?” responds Kino. “They won’t, we will be fine just stick close together and move slowly” Juana responds firmly. “Alright let’s wait here then leave in like 5 minutes.” “Sound good to me” Juana said.

Five minutes later, they were off to town where they were going to sell the pearl. They arrive in the town in the middle of the night now they don’t know where to go should they find a spot to sleep go where to sell the pearl or just stay awake and watch for people. They decided to stay awake and watch for people but all the climbing tired them out. They ended up falling asleep on a bench. The next day they woke up to many people walking in the park. So, they got up and started walking around to see if anyone wanted to buy the pearl from them. Some people wanted to but Kino thought that the price ranges they were to low and that they could do better they pearl was worth way too much. He went to the town hall and asked if they would buy the pearl. They got the buyer and he agreed but Kino wanted to know how much he was getting. The buyer said it will be more than what you have been offered before. He left and came back with ten thousand pesos. Kino was so happy to see the stack of money he handed over the pearl in enjoyment. He told Juana and Coyotito to wait outside; Kino goes outside with a big grin on. He was snotty now he was back to his normal self but rich. Juana saw the packet of money the buyer put the money in for Kino and she was so excited to see he sold it. “How much?” She asked. “10 thousand pesos, we are going to have a better life!!”

Even though the book had a sad and unexpected ending; I felt it needed to be happier and that is exactly what I did. I made it maybe not as interesting but some agony because you don’t know if he is going to sell it or not. The book ending was good and unpredictable, I like it to be cheerful.

Final Pearl Reflection

I thought the book was slow and kind of boring but it had a good message. The message was to never get so hooked on to something and get to crazy over it. Also it's cherish what you have . I try to cherish what I have and are honored to have when I can. I pray every night before I go to bed an din church every week. I pray for the sick, lonely, and anyone in need now. I think anyone who doesn't go to church should because you get remember things you have. Anyway, the book had a nice message but it was too boring for my liking. Overall I didn't really like the book it wasn't interesting enough for me.

Journal Reflaction for The Pearl

In this chapter Kino found the Pearl of the World and then the priest came up and was talking to Kino. Does the priest want the pearl or is he asking to give money to the church? I was confused. The book is kinda slow but it is not so slow that you don't want to read. So far I like all the quotes in this book. They are kinda interesting and fun to read and figure out. I like the book better now than I did in the beginning.

Will the pearl destroy the family?

Why does Juana believe the pearl will destroy her and Kino? How will the pearl destroy them? Give examples to support your opinion.

Juana believes the Pearl will destroy her and her family because she knows something bad will happen to her and her family. She just has that feeling, just like the feeling that you have when you feel you forgot something but worse. Juana's family is the most important thing in her life, she loves her family with all her life and doesn't want anything bad to happen to it. Every mom feels that way if you think about it. It would destroy their family because people are going to try to steal the pearl, or just get it some how. Also Juana and Kino's most important thing in their life is their baby so, if someone wanted to get to them they would do something to their baby, Coyotito, such as hurt or kill him or make him sicker rather than better from the poison. Speaking of making the baby worse, I believe the doctor purposely made Coyotito worse, with something to do with the white powder that the doctor gave him. It was some kind of drug or something to make him worse. It was weird how the doctor knew in exactly 1 hour he will get worse and he did. This is just my opinion but I strongly believe the pearl will destroy her family.