The book  Upstate by Kalisha Buckhonon is about this boy named Antonio , and he's in jail because they accused him of killing his father. In his defense he was defending his mom. To me Antonio is a strong and brave character because he still manginess to keep his head up high and maintain his relationship with his girlfriend. 

For example, in one of the letters Antonio tells his girlfriend that he confessed and said what really happened to the jury, because he couldn't stand to see his mom cry. I feel like this was strong of him because he didn't really mean to stab his dad , but he's still taking full blame for it like a real man should. I agree with his desion because he's being honest and excepting the truth. His mom and girlfriend don't agree with his desion of being honest and just coming out and saying the truth , but I agree with it because it's showing that he can step up and except reality. 

A way that Antonio is also being strong is because he's holding on to his relationship an he's not giving up on it. Which I find romantic & nice. Because he's in jail yet still rights Natasha ever chance he gets, he's always telling her that he loves her, and to marry him. This is also a sign of hope because if they weren't hopeful of him getting out of jail why would they still be engaged ? Why would they still continue with the relationship ? . The little things that these characters makes a big difference in the book, & it gives hope on what's gonna happen next is good. Also that he might get out of jail. 

This connects to the world in many ways, because it shoes you not to lose hope, & to always be honest. Honesty and hope can help you a lot in life, 2 of the main things actually , things will go better for you of you actually are honest & do believe in what you say or the future or just in general. You should always be strong & don't lose hope. 

You'll Always Have a Friend :)

In class we read the book "FOX", and it"s about this fox that's lonely and doesn't  have friends. so in order to satisfy himself and not feel so alone he tries to ruin someone else's friendship. There's this dog and bird that are very close friends, so fox gets jealous and tries to ruin the friendship by tricking bird and taking her away, which in my opinion isn't fair.

People get jealous all the time, but I don't think it's right to ruin something because your jealous because it's not fair towards the two people that your affecting, friendships are very strong, especially when you have that type of friendship that you need each other for everything, and that's the type of relationship that dog and bird had. Now it's kind of bird's fault because she left, but in the end of the story she tries to find her way back, which I think is the main message of this story which is yeah your friendship can get ruined but at the end of the day it's worth fighting for no matter what you go through, because that's always going to be a friend. The journey to get back where you where at in the first place is not gonna be easy but it's worth the fight and journey.

I think this is a good message for kids because little kids especially get jealous when there "BFF" gets a new friend and doesn't really pay attention to you, so you get lonely and angry and go out you way to ruin the friendship which is understandable  but shouldn't happen because why can't we all be friends? , why do we have to be specific groups?, if its a true friend they will always be there, also when you ruin a friendship or do something to effect it your going to be friends again, not like the way you first were but you are. This message isn't only for kids but for teenagers and grown ups too, because we do ruin friendships and we don't try to put them together because we're either scared to be rejected or scared that friend isn't going to be waiting for you, which you never know they might be.

   

Everyone Belongs & Need They Love

In the book "Because I Am Furniture" by Thalia Chaltas. Is about this girl named Anke that feels like she's invisible, her dad hit her brother and her sister, but never lays a hand on her. she wonders why. She's always hiding her voice and opinion and keeps things to herself a lot. Anke doesn't get attention at home, her mom doesn't show her any real love and attention.Her sibling are mean you could say, they tell her things that shouldn't be said.

I feel like this book relates to me because I know what it feels like to be stuck in the middle of things and feeling like your being forgotten. For example when she says "At times I still want to sigh,curl into her, nourish in her motherness.....But she doesn't welcome that, and when he"s there all her motherness is spent on him. This makes me feel sad and disappointed in a way, because every girl needs her mother there for her, and needs that attention that every other girl gets. I completely know how she feels because sometimes i feel like my own mom pays attention to other things and not really on me. I'm not saying that I need attention at all times, but it would be nice to feel like she care and show her love..When Anke talks about her mom giving all her motherness to him she means that when her father is around, all she does is focus on him and what he wants. Which I believe is not fair, nor right that she only pays attention to the father when he's there. I think that Anke is missing love and needs someone to tell her that they love her everyday, which everyone needs that one person that does that for you everyday.

Another example that Anke's brother and sister are always putting her down, and not really making her feel good about herself. For example, they told her "You don't look like us your noise is different you don't belong" then they told her she was the mailman's child. Thinks makes me mad because, to have someone tell you that you don't belong can really hurt your feelings but the person that your saying it to can kill themselves or do something to end there life. I feel like her brother and sister should've never said that because everyone belongs and everyone is equal. Nobody should be excluded from something, or be told these things.

In a way I feel like her family is just distant and there not really a family. They pretty much do there own thing when they want to, which I think you shouldn't really call a family. This book is going to have a lot to do with not only bullying outside of school but inside your home too. This isn't right because your home should be a place that you want to go home everyday, and you feel safe. In Anke's case I think she feels safer in school then at home,it's not somewhere where you wan to go home to everyday.

We All Do Different Things That Make Us Happy

In the book Its Kind Of A Funny Story  By Ned Vizzini. Is About this boy named Craig and he's a kid thats always depressed and he doesn't really have a lot of people there for him. But there's one way that Craig gets his anger out.And that by drawing maps and just drawing in general. When Craig was younger he couldnt draw maps because he thought they were to "hard to draw" & he couldnt do them. And now that he's older he can draw and now that's the way he gets he's anger out on paper.

We all have different ways to take our anger out so that we don't have to take them out on other people.For example some of us play football or just play sports in general. Others sing,dance, write, read. What I do when I'm mad I write. I write different stories & on different perespectives. I don't necasserly write about myself and what's going on with me I just write realistic fictiom stories or "young adult" stories.

I think that it's important that we all have these different hobbies because if not we would all be fighting in the streets. Well ok maybe not fighting but taking our anger out on other people and getting angry at other people for something that they probably never even did. I thinknthat Craig does the right thing by drawing maps and other things because thats what makes him feel better about himself. And makes his depression stop while he's doing it.

Always Be Yourself

     The story Am I Blue  by Bruce Caville. Is about this boy named Vince who's trying to figure himself out. I think that the over all theme is that you shouldn't be afraid to be who you want to be or do what you want to do, because youvthink that they're gonna critize you or judge you. Cause you never know the person that's bugging you about things might be like you , and just taking out they're anger out on you.  One day Vince gets knocked out and everything but then when he turns around he sees that theres this guy above him. This guy is his "fairy godfather" and is there to help Vince and is there to try to help him out with his problems. He's also there to help Vince realize that there's a lot more people out there like him . Vince sees something very intresting he closes his eyes and then he realizes that about half of the people around him are either blue or turning blue. This is because they're either gay or turning gay.

       As I said before the whole general theme is to be who you want to be and do what you want to do and stop worrying about what people are going to say because they're always gonna talk.  I feel like a lot of kids that are unsure about themselfs should read this story. The boy that was bullying and bothering Vince about things his name is Butch. So in this story Vince gets three wished and one of his wishes he was to turn Butch blue, but when the fairy godfather went to make his wish true he came back and said "you still got one wish left kiddo, Butch Carrigan was already blue as the summer sky when I got there" . This proves the first theme of the story. That you should hide from someone because your scared of the way they might react because they might be just like you.

       Kids that are gay need to realize this because yea of course people are going to judge you but you also have to think about the people that are like you and the people that support you because the judgemental friends and the bullies are going to be out numberd by the people that actually care about you. You also have to ecept yourself before anyone else can.

You Should Always have Confidence in Yourself

  The Drummer Boy of Shiloh By Ray Bradbury . Is about this young 13 year old boy around there that has to go into war . But Joby in the beginning of thr story feels disconfident , scared and fearful to go into this war , I mean who wouldn't a 13 year old boy going to war so young must be tarrifing . But then towards the end of the story Joby starts to get more confidence in himself , he sees that he shouldn't be scared because it all might be worth it in the end . This was because a general from the battle/war came and talked to Joby and told him that he didnt have to worry about it ,that he shouldn't feel discourged. Because he could to it.  

      I think that everyone , should have a person like this , kind of like a life coach. That tells you that everythings going to be alright . And that you are going to make it through certain things . Because not everybody knows that , and sometimes us people do feel discourged and fearful and never have someone there for us . Weather its a friend or a family member you always need someone there for you to boost up your confidence because you might not know how to be confidence in yourself . Or someone to tell you that you need to take risks in life and that you shouldn't be scared to do anything . Because you might not know how it might work out in the end . 

      My book is about this girls boyfriend that , kills half a dozen kids at his school . Then just points the gun at himself . The school actually considerd her a hero because she saved this one girl from getting killed . But there's also rumores that she had something to do with the homidides . But she wasn't this girl has diffrent views on what happen, for example she feels that in a way she really did have something to do with it . Somedays she feels like she really is a hero , but other days she just wishes she had died right along with nick .

        I think that the main theme is that you shouldnt always be or think you are what other people lable you as , and that you should move foward with life when bad things happen . Because you never know what could happen next . In the beginning of the book she felt like it was her fault and didnt want to go to school . But I think that the school , her mom and her theripist kind of helped her get through her feelings and helped her open up more .

Summer Reading Response about "The Giver "

      The Giver is about these diffrent of zones & its very organizad things are always in order . For example all kids depending on their age get to do diffrent things . Like when your 8 you can learn how to ride a bike or something . This kid Jonas is 13 years old and he's getting ajob . But in these zones you just don't go out to find a job they pick your jobs . Jonas got the job as the "giver" which is a job that isnt given out to every person . With this job Jonas goes through physical & mental pain . The man that was choosen for the giver , 20 years before , has to give Jonas his "powers" & his mentallity . With these power Jonas can see things that the other people from his town cant & can feel things that  the other people can't . For example like he can see colors & can feel really sharp pains & much more . But Jonas can't share his powers or tell anyone what its like to be learning for a giver .

     This book is has alot of discription and diffrent details . It's intresting how the author uses the people that dont see or do what Jonas does , & their diffrent opinions . How he reacts to their questions . I also like that the author uses colors to represent diffrent things . I like how the people can't really see or feel or even react to anything . But then here comes Jonas and he could do what us humans can do . So you can say that the people from these zones aren't your normal humans , you can say that their pretty much like robots . That cant do anything without rules & regulations. But this book has a lot more of conflicts . For example , Jonas gets a brother , but he might get killed off because once you have more one boy in the family and you get another the second one gets killed off. But Jonas doesn't want this to happen . So he does some intresting things to help privent this . The Giver is a great book I really recommend that you read it.