Blog 9

I have now read a few books in the Alex Rider series, but Skeleton Key, which I just finished, is my favorite. There were many reasons why I liked it. First, I enjoyed how there were two different mysteries, one at Wimbledon, and one at Skeleton Key, and it kept me thinking if the first was going play a part in the second one. Also I liked how at the end they created the illusion that Alex was killed. Anthony Horowitz had it sound like a guy shot Alex at the end of the chapter. Then, at the beginning of the next chapter, Alan Blunt, Alex's boss says, "We've lost Alex." What really happens as you find out is that the guy shot himself and the boss comment meant that Alex was tired of working for M16. I liked this part because in all of the mystery books I've read that are in a series, the main character never dies because then the series couldn't continue. Considering this I was totally taken by surprise until I realized what had happened. This book was written somewhat like Silverfin, so for those who liked that book I recommend this book. But beware, once you get to the climax, you won't be able to put it down and the climax is basically 3/4 of the book!

Blog #8

Hey, right now I'm in the middle of a book called, "To Give a Boy a Gun." It is about two boys who committed suicide. It is also about the greater issue of depression and suicide nationwide as a whole. It was interesting because in the book there were many quotes from people that had something to do with the two boys. A few of these boy's friends said they would hear the boys talk about revenge, killing, suicide, running away, saying no one would miss them, etc. I am in Health and in our book it says kids that talk about revenge, saying no one would miss them, talking about suicide, etc. are signs that this individual might have thoughts about suicide. I couldn't help but think that if one of these kids had this knowledge that they might have been able to help or even save these boys. Another interesting thing the book has is at the bottom of most of the pages there are facts. Among these are facts like, "15% of high school kids have seen a student with a gun," or "guns kept in houses for safety are 30% more likely to get someone killed than to save someone." This book was interesting because it shows that if the knowledge of this subject was more widely accepted, it might lessen the problem.

Hey, I recently finished the Westing Game. I had read it before, but it was very confusing, so I decided to reread it. One thing I do like about it is that the author, Ellen Raskin always keeps you on your toes. You never know what is going to happen next. Also, you think Sam Westing is dead the whole book, but then he dies at the very end. It was definitely a hard book to make predictions on. My favorite character was Turtle because you thought she was just a little brat, but she turns out to be very smart and ends up being the won who wins. I thought it was a good book and I would recommend it, but you need to read it slow and make sure you understand it. This book deserved the Newbery Medal.

P. S. I commented on Sam's blog

Hey, I just finished reading another sports book, "Gym Candy," by Carl Deuker. It was a good book because it shows how some athletes get pulled into using steroids. In the book, Mick Johnson is a high school running back. He has skill, but he doesn't think he is strong enough, so in addition to lifting he starts to use steroids. I also liked how the book showed all of the down sides of steroids. They cause depression, change your body, and give even more problems after your career. This book showed how hard it is to be a running back without any performance enhancing drugs. Many players in the NFL take steroids because the NFL doesn't test for them. The depression proves to be very dangerous when Mick attempts to commit suicide. Finally, the book shows that friends can always be there for you. Drew (Mick's best friend) ends up being the one who saves Mick.

Hey, I just finished reading The Perfect Shot. It is about a boy named Brian. His girlfriend Amanda gets killed and the police suspect her father. I liked the way the author wrote it because he incorporated history. In the book Brian does a history project on a case where someone else got arrested for something he didn't do. I like Brian because he is always trying to do the right thing, but he realizes his mistakes. He blames himself for Amanda's death because he didn't let her play basketball with him. Also he is very determined to find the actual killer. As he does his history project, he learns form history and won't let it repeat itself. It is interesting how this book show how easy it is for history to repeat itself. This is a great mystery because you learn things along the way, but you never know what will happen next.

Fallen Angels

I've started to read Fallen Angels. It is about a seventeen year old boy Richie Perry, who join the army during the Vietnam War because he needs money. He meets four others that have joined for different reasons. I like the book because it leaves nothing out; some books about war just tell what the reader wants to hear. This book shows how terrible even the camps are. (I haven't reached an actual fighting part yet) Everyone in the book is talking about how the war is almost over, how they probably won't shoot a bullet, and how they'll just get their money and get out safe. I am making a prediction that they are terribly wrong because if they were correct, it would be a boring book. Finally, I like the character Richie because he seems to try to do the right thing. Another part of why he joined the army is to try to help his brother get money to go to college.

Having Technical Difficulties

Hey, now I have just started Raiders Night. It is about the football team at Nearmont High School, where the football players are treated like royalty. They are always going to parties and hanging out with friends. All the players on the team take steroids expect the running back, because he is afraid it would lose him his quickness. I think that he is scared to take them, but doesn't want to be accused of being a team player because he was very defensive. Now they are headed of to training camp. Since there hasn't been a major problem introduce yet, I'm guessing that something is going to happen at the camp. I think it is interesting so far because it shows the ups and downs of being on the top of the world. For example, they go to lots of parties, but they get drunk sometimes. Also, everyone want to talk to them and it seems to get a bit annoying. Finally, I like the authors enthusiasum for sports as I have read other sports book by him like "Heroes of Baseball."

Hey, I have started to read Freak the Mighty. In the book a strong, massive boy, (Max) who lacks brains, and a whiz kid, who is disabled and can't walk, join to form the invincible Freak the Mighty. I can related to that because my coaches, hockey and baseball, are always lecturing us on being a team, and that Together Everyone Achieves More. Anyway they go on many adventures together. I think it is a fantastic book for vocabulary because Freak in always using interesting long words that he must define for Max (and me).

Re-post!

Hey, I'm Ryan and I am reading a book called The Mental Game of Baseball.
I usually like fiction, but this is a great nonfiction book. It has
helped my game tremendously, and I'm not even done with it. In part 1
it discusses establishing proper goals, expectations, dedication,
responsibility, attitudes, confidence, learning, preparation,
visualization, concentration,mental discipline, and relaxation. In part
2 the book discusses the specifics to hitting, pitching,fielding,
and baserunning. There are also many examples of players being help
with their mental aspect of the game such as what happened to Doug DeCinces.
He replace Brooks Robinson (now a Hall of Famer) and struggled in what he
described as Robinson's gnawing presence. DeCinces got some
help from a psychiatrist and he helped DeCinces
get his mind of the details and let his body do the work. Before the
help he hit .226 and made 12 errors in 57 games. After the help he hit
.324with 20 homers, 64 driven in, and one error in the last 72 games. I
think this is a great bookbecause baseball is such a tough mental
sport, and this book puts it all into perspective. I really the way the
author (a sports psychologist) wrote it.

The Mental Game of Baseball

Hey, I'm Ryan and I am reading a book called The Mental Game of Baseball. I usually like fiction, but this is a great nonfiction book. It has helped my game tremendously, and I'm not even done with it. In part 1 it discusses establishing proper goals, expectations, dedication, responsibility, attitudes, confidence, learning, preparation, visualization, concentration,mental discipline, and relaxation. In part 2 the book discusses the specifics to hitting, pitching,fielding, and baserunning. There are also many examples of players being help with their mental aspect of the game such as what happened to Doug DeCinces. He replace Brooks Robinson (now a Hall of Famer) and struggled in what he described as Robinson's gnawing presence. DeCinces got some help from a psychiatrist and he helped DeCinces get his mind of the details and let his body do the work. Before the help he hit .226 and made 12 errors in 57 games. After the help he hit .324with 20 homers, 64 driven in, and one error in the last 72 games. I think this is a great bookbecause baseball is such a tough mental sport, and this book puts it all into perspective. I really the way the author (a sports psychologist) wrote it.