English 8 Book Blog

Party of One: The loners’ Manifesto, talks about how, where, and why “loners” are mistreated in the human society. Each chapter tells about a different aspect, religion, childhood, sanity, film, art, etc. Each chapter shows how, through out time, “loners” have been misunderstood and shamed. The author, Anneli Rufus, also describes herself as a loner and weaves in her own personal stories within the book. Although she exaggerates on some of the mistreatment a bit, most, if not all, of the things she says is true.

One thing I learned from this book was how shallow the human race really is. I’ve always know that people were somewhat self-centered, but this book puts it into a whole new light. One of the actions that I see “nonloners”, as Rufus puts them, exhibit is that they can’t be left out. People have labeled me many things all because they want to get “inside” of me, so to speak. The fact that I don’t let most people in, and that I prefer to be alone confuses them so they think I’m “weird”. Because I lack their same tastes and that I actually have others, confuses them. The list goes on and on.
One thing I learned about parents from this book, is that they want us to be popular. They keep on telling us that we don’t need to be popular, but yet, they pressure us to spend more time with friends, even if we bluntly refuse. They want us to have so many friends so that they can boast about us. They don’t see how some of us would rather be alone. When they do see that, be immediately think something is wrong. They think something is wrong with our mentality and send us off to therapy. My mom has tried.
Something I really liked about this book was that Rufus made sure that whoever was reading this book, knew the difference between being a loner and being an outcast. Many times, loners are outcast, but not all outcasts are loners. People tend to use those words interchangeably, and that is not correct. Many outcast are lonely, that is the exact opposite of a loner. Loners like being alone. They cannot get lonely.

When I was reading “Party of One”, I took a closer look around me and those who I associate with, and I realized that they were just that, associates, nothing more, nothing less. They were just there so I wouldn’t stand out so much, and that’s want all loners try to avoid, standing out. Reading the book, Rufus states that the whole human society has something against loners, there are constant implements that loners are crazy and should be changed, examples are Christmas cards that say that being alone is wrong, ads that imply that you can’t have a good time if you’re alone. Reading this book, I looked closer at my habits and surroundings and realized that allot of the time, Rufus was exactly right, with the ads, how I would react to somethings, even sometimes, why I react that way. Once again, there are some things, mainly the way other “nonloners” act, that she just slightly overemphasizes, but overall, she does a really good job on recording all of her observations like she did in this book.

-Tiffany P.

Before I tell you about the story I would like to tell you about some background information about the Net Force. Net Force is a group of people who solve mysteries in and out of the virtual world. Net Force contain lots of people but have a hard time solving the mystery. People also go into the virtual world to find clues, but just like in the real world, you can die. This is the background information about the Net Force.

The story starts out with Megan, person from the books before this, lying in bed until Captain Winter’s, leader of the Net Force. telling her that he is going on vacation and will be gone for a while. Right after Winter’s stops talking, Megan asks if she can go with to the Xauda which is a beautiful resort. Her and her father argue with each other and her father says she can go. When they get there she notices that there have been strange things going around and person said, Megan says that she will find what is going on. She later finds out that there is technology that is way out of this world. She calls Mark, Another Net Force Explorer, to help her out. Megan then finds out from the clues she gathered from the place and finds out that a person named Len is responsible for the high-tech, Now it is up to Mark, Megan, and Megan’s Father to solve the crime.

I like this book because it has a lot of detail in it. This book that this author made, made sense. You could understand how the next part will happen and have fun reading it to. I enjoy reading the novels of the Net Force because I have fun reading these books since the beginning of the school year. I hope I get to read the rest of them in the summer. This is a book I liked.

By Nick C.

This is the sequel to the book, “A child called it” and “The lost boy”. This book starts off with Dave in present time. He is looking back at all his teenage years and reflecting on his life. It tells of his teen years as an abused child. He is placed into foster care in California in the 1970’s. Despite the freedom and sense of family he got from his many foster families, he was still bullied and torment at school and in his neighborhoods as he struggled to fit in. Then he moved to Duinsmoore. He felt this place was heaven, the had good neighbors and started to make friends, David and Paul. Life was better for Dave but still very traumatic as he approached the dreaded age of 18 when foster children are cut loose and must go it alone in the world. Dave admits he made poor choices along the way by sacrificing school for working many jobs to save enough money to make it on his own, dropping out of school to work as a car salesman, and dreaming of a career as a Hollywood stuntman. He was fortunate to have the friendship of two men from his neighborhood of Duinsmoore, Mike Marsh and Dan Brazell, who preached to him to finish school and make something of his life. It was here in the world of Duinsmoore, CA that he gained a sense of belonging that he had never known. After he was 18 he went into the Military and lived a happy life with his new wife and son.

I learned something about others from this book. In this book Dave had a hard time fitting in. Back then a lot of people thought very low of foster kids. He got beat up, forgotten and left out. It showed me that you have to live life to the fullest and never give up. Dave had a bad life, he could have given up and turned out like the rest of the loser foster kids, but he didn’t. He made friends, he had car, he enjoyed his teenage years. You just have to believe and you can make it through

I learned that you can have a rotten life, but still enjoy it. This book has given name better understanding of what happened or made me feel the emotions he was feeling. You may make wrong chooses, but hopefully you will get past them and still live a good life. I have learned a lot from this book.

~Bridget

This story was so good I could not put it down. I would not recomend this to guys because it is more based around things that girls would talk about. This book is part of the series, Pretty Little Liars. I am on the second book right now, and cant put that one down either. This book is about five best friends that said they would be friends forever, untill Ali went missing, and their lives took a turn for the worst.

First off you should know that all five, Ali, Spencer, Emily, Hannah, and Aria, ere not friends since they were little. Untill Ali changed all of them, they were all quiet and unnoticed. Ali came into their lives and they all liked having her around. They felt that they were important. On the last day of school of 7th grade all five girls were going to have a sleepover untill Ali got angry and ran away. She went missing and didnt come back. The est of the four friedns drifted apart and found that it was hard to talk to eachother. they all had secerets that Ali knew. And only Ali. Even though they were best friends, they couldnt tell eachother these secrets.

Spencer coveted her sisters boyfriend, Hannah was bulemic, Aria’s father was cheating on her mother, and he knew that Aria knew and had her promise not to tell her mother, and Emily kissed Ali, and liked it! Ali knew all of these secrets.

All of a sudden all of the girls keep getting messages from someone called “A” and it was about there secerets, and “A” was threatening to tell! Spencer stole her sister’s boyfriend for a second time. Even though her sister and him were about to move in with eachother! Aria liked her new english teacher and he liked her back. Hannah still sometimes threw up so she could stay one of the “it” girls of the school. Emily got a new friend named Maya and she likes her more than a friend! So now, “A” is giving them messages about these new secerets.

They are all afraid that Ali is back and is going to tell there secerets! For all they know, “A” is going to ruin there perfect little lives!

This story is truley amazing. It had me hooked just by reading the back of the book. Once i started it, i couldn’t stop! I love this book. I would definently recommend it to friends. I think this is a great book and it is a book that will keep you hooked and make you read the next one!
~Maggie, Hour 7

The book Candy was about a boy that was going into London to get as bump removed from his arm. When he got off of the bus he didn’t know where he was so he started walking around town. And then he seen this girl that he thought that she was absolutely amazing. He decided that before he went to the doctors he had sometime to get something to eat because he was hungry. So he went to a near Mcdonalds and then all of a sudden he was standing in line and and he seen that girl again they started talking and her name turned out to be, Candy. He asked her if she wanted to get something to eat and she said, “I thought you would of never asked.” So once they started sitting down and eating, Candy all of a sudden seen this guy named Iggy that she knew. He came over and sat by them, he started talking to Iggy and then he turned to who she was sitting with and said, “If I see you around here again I’m going to have to do something to you.” So that scared the boy(the main character) off and he went to the doctors, he was running late. That left him thinking that Candy was a “prostitute.” Later that night he was sitting in his room and he didn’t know what to do. So he started playing his guitar. His sister heard what he was sining and came up and asked, “Are you alright do you want to talk.” Later that night he was sitting there wondering what to do then he felt something in his pocket and it was a card that was called Candy and her number on it. It took him a week just to call her. Then he was sitting there wondering what to do so he finally called her and was talking and then she wanted to meet him at the zoo. Therefore it made him have to skip school. His sister called in the school and said that he was sick. But he lied to his sister and then later on that night his Dad found out and he got in trouble. Then the story goes on and talks about how he got in trouble and what he did. Then it goes on to the end of the story and keeps on going.

Kallee
Hour 7

This book is about five girls named Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Clare. They are all in seventh grade and go to the Octavian Country Day School. All of the seventh graders are going on a over night field trip to Lake Placid. Kristen’s parents are having money problems and aren’t letting Kristen go to Lake Placid. Since Massie, Alicia, and Dylan are rich they are all saying let us pay for you but Kristen won’t let them. So Massie come up with this learning how to kiss club even though Massie has never had her first kiss. She was having the girls pay $20 to join. That would go to Kristen’s Lake Placid fund. Since the Briarwood boys (seventh graders from Briarwood all boys school) are going to Lake Placid some of the girls are wanting to learn how to kiss. Kristen ended up never going to Lake Placid but Massie, Alicia, Dylan, and Clare still went.

Kaitlin

The book “On Burning Grounds: A Son’s Memoir” by Michael Skakun is about a Jew during the eve of the Nazi purging of Poland, and his attempts to disguise his Jewish faith and origin and pose first as a Christian, then to the Nazi SS, a German fighting squad. This Jewish man is Michael Skakun’s father, Stefan Osmanov, and the the story was written from stories that Michael’s father told him about the war. The story starts in Novogrudek, a large Polish town of Jews that is being held by the Nazi party. In Novogrudek the Jews are taken from their homes and separated from their families. Stefan tries to smuggle away his grandmother in the basement of a Nazi General’s house, but they were later found. The Jews are then all brought into a courtyard and are loaded in to trucks and shipped away. Very few Jews were allowed to stay, and Stefan was one of the only members of his family left, along with his Uncle. A few hours layer, the remaining Jews in Novogrudek hear machine gun fire and realized that the Germans had exterminated their family and friends, who were later buried in a mass grave. The remaining Jews knew what had happened to the Jews that were shipped away, and they knew what was going to happen to them in a matter of weeks if they could not escape. Knowing that escape was his only way to survive, Stefan devised a plan and hid in the woods during his labor hours and waited for the others to return to Novogrudek. Once he escaped, Stefan turned to the woods and began a long journey to where ever he could go to escape the Nazis. In the woods Stefan met up with many other Jews who had all escaped and they traveled together to Sorok Tatar where they find some refuge working on a labor camp in the forest. After weeks of spending nights in the woods after his work, Stefan decided that he would need to find a family or hut where he could stay like all of the other Jews had. After a few hours of searching he found a small hut owned by the Franzkeviches. Here he was told that he could pass as a German due to his blond hair and blue eyes, but more importantly Bronek Franzkeviche told him about the Lithuanian Auxiliary which had sided with Germany and would provide him with an escape over the allied side. A few days later Stefan joined the Lithuanian Auxiliary and posed as a non-Jew. Over the course of the next few months, Stefan was nearly discovered or turned into the Gestapo, but by shear luck he stayed alive and Enlisted in the Waffen SS one of Germany’s most renown military squads where he escaped over into the allied lines and into the allied territory, and later to America.

This book “On Burning Ground: A Son’s Memoir” was a great book and I would recommend it. This book was thrilling and breathtaking and it was amazing at one a man can do to get his freedom and to stay alive. Another reason I liked this book was because of the non-stop action and the fear of what could happen to Stefan next. I was amazed by how Stefan managed to pose as a German and join one of the Waffen SS which was a renown fighting division. But through bravery and luck Stefan managed to avoid detection and win his freedom.

The main character in this book is Stefan Osmanov. One of Stefan’s biggest character traits is his courage and his cunning. With these skills Stefan managed to overcome his fear and with an outstanding will to survive, escape from the Nazi’s and avoid death. Stefan’s courage allowed him fight through enemy lines and pose as a German, which later brought him to freedom and to America. This story of Stefan’s live shows how great a man’s courage can be, so great that he overcame an entire Nazi force, and escaped detection for many months.

LUKE!!!!! HONORS 7th HOUR!!!!

“Oprah Winfrey Speaks” is a non-fiction book on Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is one of the most influential women today. She was born on January 29,1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. When Oprah lived with her step mom she was abused at age 14 and had a premature baby boy who died right after birth. Ophrah then moved to Nashville wiht her father and she left her past behind and started a new life as an honor student. Overall Oprah has lead a very interesting because of her unfortunate childhood but she was determined to make the best of things and look who she is today; one of the most influential voices.

This book goes through different steps in Oprah life, starting out with the woman that raised her and that was her Grandmother. Oprah says that she is who she is today because of her grandmother, she has given Oprah her strength and sense of reasoning. When Oprah was starting out in the television industry she went trough constant humiliation until she took control of her destiny which brings Oprah to were she is today.

Today Oprah has her own show The Oprah Winfrey Show and just two years later she won an Emmy for outstanding talk show host. Oprah then created Harpo Entertainment Company which means that she owns the show, the production company, the studio and now major part of the distributor. Know that Oprah has succeeded her personal worth is over $600 million. It easy to see that Oprah has a fortune of money but she also has a big heart and she is always giving away not only her money but her time to charities. That is the reason I admire Oprah Winfrey because there are so many other people int he world he might even have a greater fortune than her but she she shares and cares about others.

Through good and not so good times Oprah continues to strive to reach her goal. Oprah’s goal is to reach the highest level of humanity that is possible to her. For the future Oprah plans to continue her charity work and educating others about life through her show.

Overall this book has been more than inspiring because it really showed another side of Oprah which makes you love her even more. This book was also very educational because there were segments in which Oprah herself explain how to live your life. My favorite quote from Oprah is “Be persistent in pursuing your dreams”.

Laura

The book that I am reviewing today is called, “Hoot,” by Carl Hiaasen. This book tells the story of Roy Eberhardt, a boy who is just moving to Florida from Colorado. When Roy first moves to Florida, he is not sure what to think, and feels pretty lonesome and very uncertain. However, one day while riding the bus he had seen a boy running really fast, down the street! Immediately thereafter Roy starts to find strange clues leading to the mysterious boy’s whereabouts. It had turned out, that the boy’s name was “Mullet Fingers,” and he was working to save an endangered species of owls that had planned to be killed by a construction of a new pancake house. This story tells of all the tricks, and pranks that Mullet Fingers and Roy try to pull to make sure the owls are safe from the harm of the construction.

I liked how the author, Carl Hiaasen, had used the setting and the characters’ personality, to the fullest! Roy Eberhardt first began off as a young, shy, lonely child that kept to himself. But toward’s the ending, he becomes very confident, powerful, and strong! He was made fun of, and pushed around alot, but I think that had gotten him to stand up for himself and the endangered owls. He learned more about himself, in this story, than he did about the owls. But he had his trusty friend by his side, Mullet Fingers, who also gave him a little push, to make Roy feel better of himself. I believe that one of the main conflicts in this story, was of Roy vs. himself. He needed to learn how to stand up and do things on his own, and in the end, I think that Mullet Fingers should be congradulated for helping Roy with his problem of self-esteem. And now Roy, is a great empowered kid with a great attitude towards others. The author of “Hoot,” is a genius.

Overall, I loved this book! There were so many twists and turns, from beginning to end. The author had done a great job! I love how he had used foreshadowing, to show the reader what was happening next! Carl Hiaasen is hilarious and I liked how he had put his creative thinking and comedy into his work. I would highly recommend this book, to children of all ages. It is very interesting, adventerous, exciting, and suspensful! You will be turning the pages, until the end to see if the boys finally save the endagered owls and to see if they can change a little piece of Florida forever!

Written By: Adrian

The book “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks, is a really good book. It starts out with an old man reading an old woman with Alzheimer’s a love story, that is all about Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson, who dated while they were young. They were then forced to separate, and since they really cared about each other, it was very hard for both of them. They went their separate ways, but about 15 years later, they’re still thinking of each other. Noah has remained single and is living alone in the small town where they spent their summer together, while Allie is engaged and living far away. When she reads about Noah in a newspaper article, she is inspired and takes off to go talk to him. They haven’t had any contact since she left with her family, so she has no clue what to expect. When she arrives, she first kind of hesitates to go see him, because she doesn’t exactly know how she feels, but she finally musters up the courage, and goes to his house (which was featured in the newspaper article, because he rebuilt it all himself). When she arrives he is ecstatic, because he has been waiting for her pretty much all of his life to see her again, and has really missed her. They start talking and kind of catch up on what’s happened in their life in the past couple years, and while Noah is disappointed that Allie is engaged, he tells her that he at least wants to be friends. They then meet the next day, when Noah takes Allie out to a secret kind of lagoon where all of these swans are staying during their migration. While they were out on the water, it began to thunderstorm, forcing them back inside. That night while they’re talking, they both kind of realize how much they still love each other, and kind of renew their love. Allie then stays with Noah for the next couple days (while they’re almost secretly dating again), until the unexpected happens, and Allie’s mother shows up at Noah’s house, looking for Allie. She realizes that Noah and Allie are back together, and tells Allie that she needs to pick between Noah and her fiancé, Lon, or else they’d all end up getting hurt. She then also reveals a secret, that she had been keeping all of the letters that Noah had been sending Allie (after they had left), and had never told her about them or showed her. It shocks both Noah and Allie, but then they knew why the other one had never responded to their letters, and it all started to make sense. Even though they’re happy, Allie knows that she has to go back to Lon to either tell him that she’s back together with Noah, or to go back with him forever, and leave Noah. That’s where the old man ends reading the book to the old lady, and she starts to ask questions about what happens in the “missing” ending. That’s as far as I’m going to summarize, since I don’t want to blow the ending for anyone who hasn’t read the book, but I can truthfully say that the ending is really good.
I really liked this book, because even though it was fairly predictable, it still threw in things that you weren’t expecting. It was good because you really felt connected to the characters, no matter what they did, and by the end you really wanted to see them end up together. At the beginning of the book, you really didn’t see what was coming, so it was nice to be kind of surprised. Like I kind of said before, one of my favorite things about the book was the characters, because they were the kind of characters that you’d want to read about. Some books are good, but you can’t really relate to the characters, but in this book I could totally relate to almost all of the characters in it. Noah was a person who liked to read, and was very easy going and nice. Allie was a very intelligent person, who had a hard time choosing between following her brain and her heart, and even though they may not sound like a perfect match, they were very cute together. The only thing I didn’t really like about the book was that it was kind of confusing in the beginning, but then luckily it ended up making sense. After I finished, I realized why the author kind of tied the two stories together, and why then it really made sense.
The setting in this book seemed like a really nice place, even though it was a small little town. The book took place in New Bern, South Carolina, which really seemed like a nice little town. Everybody knew everybody, and there really were little to no problems. This was the kind of town where everyone else looked out for one another, which was shown when Noah was best friends with his old neighbor, who would come over to keep him company. It shows that everyone really cared about one another, and would do anything for their neighbors. The one bad thing about that type of town is that everyone knows everyone else’s business, but luckily that type of thing really didn’t happen in this story. The overall mood of this story was very kind of lovey, because it’s all about kind of picking between your soul mate and what’s right, and all about Noah and Allie’s journey together. Overall, I really liked this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes kind of sad love stories.

By: Ali, Hour 6

Beka Cooper is obviously about Beka Cooper. This story takes 200 years prior to Tamora Pierce’s quartet Song of the Lioness. Beka Cooper is a girl who is currently a Puppy, a Dog trainee. Dogs are the current police force of that time. They take care of robbers, murderers, and thugs. During this period, there is someone who is called the Shadow Snake. They demand that a person give over some type of valuable (it differs person to person) and if they don’t the Shadow Snake kidnaps one of that person’s children. They are then given another week to hand over the item. If they do not, the child is killed. There is also another case going on at the same time. There have been several secret murders that have been happening. Beka finds this out by her pigeons. The pigeons carry the ghost of the dead. All of those who have been murdered were miners for Crookshank. They were mining for stones called fire opals, rare and highly valued stones, after a certain period of time, Crookshank would have them killed. Beka has to figure out both of these cases before more are captured and then killed. But with all the unexpected twists, (what exactly is with that two-faced baker?), this will not be easy. This book is beautifully written and the ending is not one you will see…

As always, Tamora Pierce has written an absolutely amazing book. One reason why I loved this book was how well-rounded Beka Cooper was made. She has her talents and flaws. Beka is strong willed, loyal, and stubborn. She is also quick-tempered and has a great fear of speaking in front of people. Her stubbornness could also be counted as a flaw as well as a talent. While Beka does posses a bit of magic, Piece makes sure as to still make Cooper still naive. Her shyness is also a huge flaw as being that shy could potentially burden her once she becomes a Dog. The amount of twists is also quite interesting. As I said before, the ending is not something you expect. Something I like best about this book though, is that there was little to no romance. There was much action in the book, even if it did get a little slow at times, but it would always pick up.

Something that annoys me is that this is told in first-person point of view. Although Pierce does this beautifully, I’ve never really liked books in first person. There are many details that I would’ve liked to have known, but because of the first-person point of view I was not able to. Obviously, it was probably not important to the story is Pierce did not include it, but they intrigue me non the less. At the same time, Piece does a wonderful job on conveying Cooper’s thoughts onto paper and making it seem realistic. Page 524 is one page that I liked the most. Half the page is just a big inkspot. I like that because it shows some realism there, as spilling something (not just ink) could, would, and has happen.

-Tiffany

An Abundance of Katherine’s is about a high school senior named Colin Singleton, a child prodigy. Colin not only had a knack for science but he dated exactly nineteen girls and all of them were named Katherine. Not just any Katherine, it couldn’t be a Katherine nicknamed Katy. It had to be Katherine, spelt K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E. Out of nineteen Katherine’s Colin had been dumped every single time. Coming out of the worst breakup yet, Colin felt awful he was alone once again. His Arab friend Hassan had a great idea, they were to go on a road trip. This was to clear their heads and find adventure.
After driving for along time they decided to follow a sign that lead them to Archduke Franz Ferdinad. Not expecting to stay long they meet a girl name Lindsey Lee Wells when Colin tripped over his own feet. Lindsey brought him home and her mother said that she had a job for them. Lindsey’s mom owned a factory that makes tampon strings. Accepting the job offer, Colin and Hassan decide to stay with Hollis and Lindsey. Meanwhile Colin was trying to find meaning in his life, and meaning for the nineteen Katherine’s. Why had they all dumped him? Colin, being the genius he is decided to make a mathematical formula for all the Katherine’s. There was something missing though, Colin couldn’t figure out why K-3 (Katherine the third) was not working with the equation. He later called her and found out he had dumped her, he was not the “dumpee” in all of his relationships. After two months with the Wells’ family, Colin finds an unexpected romance. I’ll leave it at that because I don’t want to spoil the ending.
I really enjoyed this book, I think it had a lot of comedy in it. I enjoyed the way Colin invented a graph to predict how his relationships were going to pan-out. I think the author wrote it very well. There were some words that I did not understand, a lot of them were in different languages, but the author included a foot note that contained information to help understand the story better. Another thing that I enjoyed is that he gave the characters a habit. Colin would constantly anagram any word that came to mind, which was comical during certain situations. That was also another reason why he got dumped. Lindsey Lee Wells had the habit of chewing the inside of her thumb and Hassan was always concerned if what he was doing was okay with the lord. There were also some things I did not like, I didn’t like how the author didn’t “finish” the story. It doesn’t say exactly how the book ends but it isn’t made to be a sequel. That was the only thing I didn’t like about the book, I really enjoyed reading An Abundance of Katherine’s and I consider it one of my favorites.
ALIKI

The book Needles by Andie Dominick was about a young girl named Andie. The book starts with her as a young girl, living with her loving mom and dad, and her older sister Denise. Her family is pretty ordinary, except for one thing. Her sister Denise is living with Diabetes. Andie always watches Denise giver herself her insulin injections, and longs for it to be her giving herself her own injections. Soon, her dreams come true, and Andie is faced with living with diabetes. The book follows Andie through elementary school, high school, college, and her adult life. Soon Andie moves in with Denise, since both of them lived alone. Then, there comes the day that Andie will never forget. After going on vacation for 3 days, Andie returns home and is faced with the image of her dead sister lying on her bed. What does she do after this tragedy? I guess you’ll have to read to find out!

Some of the themes that stood out in my mind as I read this book were “Be careful for what you wish for”, “Never take family and friends for granted” and “See the people, not only their disability.” The setting was pretty present, and was in the 1900’s. It switched from the hospital, then to Andie’s house, and then back again. The moods were up and down, but unfortunately they were down most of the time. Living with the disease, Andie doubted her life frequently, and had suicidal thoughts off and on. Dreary, negative, and depressing were some of the moods, but there was hope sometimes, and sometimes Andie had a good outlook on life.

Some of the reasons that I enjoyed this book were what I learned from it, and the new outlook it gave me on life. There was so much about diabetes that I had never known about. I learned how hard it was for someone living with diabetes, the things they couldn’t eat, the activities they couldn’t participate in, and the severe complications that came with the disease. Eye complications and low chances of healthy pregnancies are two examples that Andie had to face in her life. Like I mentioned before, I really did learn to appreciate my health so much more. Every time I have to go to the doctor to get a vaccine, I’m terrified. I absolutely hate the sight of needles, and the cotton swab with alcohol. I couldn’t even imagine giving my self a shot every single day of my entire life. I became so much more grateful for my health by reading this book. I also enjoyed the memories that the author put into this book. She describes her experiences with vivid detail, and there was never a moment in the book where I put it down because I was getting bored. The length of the book was good, and it didn’t drag on like some of the other non-fiction books I’ve read before.

There weren’t many things I disliked about this book, but there was one I thought of. Sometimes Dominick skipped different time periods in her life. One minute she was in elementary school, and then it seemed like she got bumped up to high school. She would go at a different rate, and seemed to only write about the important parts. I wished she would have at least written a little bit about each time period she experienced. Overall though, I enjoyed this book immensely, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good non-fiction!

-Sonia

Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie is about a series of murders that take place and they all tie together in the end. The main one is about a man who is accused with murder. He is accused of murdering a rich, elderly woman who becomes interested in him, and even gives him money in her will. Strong evidence and motive make it seem obvious that the man is the murderer. His lawyer does find an alibi with his wife, although it doesn’t seem like enough to save him from his fate. Strangly, he is found innocent because of some suspicious letters that relate to his wife. The man appears to now be safe because of double jeopardy, but that is not the case. He falls in love with another woman, and announces his plans to run away with her. His wife kills them both, and the same lawyer is excited to take on the case. Despite what you may think, that is not the ending, the end is about the solving of the case and unveiling the truth.
The general mood of the book was anticipation. Through out the book there was foreshadowing and clues to follow. You were never sure what was going to happen next because once you thought that you had it figured out, it was a new chapter with a new mini-plot and characters, or the story shifted direction.
I wouldn’t recommend this book, unless you are really patient. There were many things that were frustrating about this book. When things start to get interesting, you are brought to a different element of the story that isn’t as exciting. The setting and characters were hard to follow because at the end of every chapter, it switched to a different set of characters in a different place. It was hard to figure out where they fit into the story, and just when you started getting excited, the chapter ended. It’s also hard to remember where characters come from, and why they are included into the story. I usually like the works of Agatha Christie, but this is one of the books I wouldn’t recommend.

~Katie

“The sledding hill” by Chris Crutcher, is a book about coping with the loss of a loved one. In the book, the main character, Billy Bartholomew, is killed by a falling stack of sheet rock that he kicks out of anger for an untold reason. His best friend Eddie Profit, finds him, laying on the floor, under the sheet rock, spine crushed, only an hour after he found his dad dead in his repair shop, he died from and exsploding truck tier. Now, Eddie being the scensable kid he is, rides out to the hot spring as fast as he can and sits neck high in the warm mud the rest of the day. About a month later school starts and Eddie gets placed into the really modern literature class or R.M.L. for short. The deal with this class is that you can only read books by authors that are still alive, like J.K. Rowling or Scott Westerfield, no classics like to kill a mocking bird or grapes of wrath. Eddie likes this class because there reading a book called Warren Peace by Chris Crutcher. Yes, it sounds the same as war and peace but it’s a lot different. There are a few different main characters in it and they’re all trying to deal with their own problems. One of the characters is gay and he’s trying to figure out where he should tell everyone or just keep it to himself. One of the characters in “The sledding hill” is also gay, he read’s the book and decides to open up about it, he’s in the Christian youth group at school so, as Cruther says, it’s like being a member of the KKK and discovering your biological father is Jewish because in the youth group they preach that being gay is a sin even though but just by luck, 10% of america is gay. The book, because of it’s “questionable” language, is challenged for removal from the school library by the school board. There are 3 or 4 members of the Red Brick Church on the school board and they feel it has bad morels and is unfit to be read by the children in public school. From there the bookie takes a few unexpected turns so you’ll have to read it to find out for yourself.

I like this book because it takes a lot of unexpected turns and keeps you hooked, it starts out good and stays strong all the way to the end unlike some other books that have bad endings or begins that take 70 or more pages to get you into the story. I enjoy how the story is told by a dead kid so you get to see every angle of the story through the eyes of a dead kid who can travel at the speed of imagination, compared to light speed it’s like a nascar vs. the creation of the grand canyon, the race care being the speed of imagination and the light speed being the speed of the G.C.

One of the discussions that the characters mad was probably the stupidest discussions he’s ever made in his life and I’m not talking about billy kicking the sheet rock imminently causing his death, I’m talking about when Eddie climbed up on to the stained glass windows at church and proclaimed he was Jesus. Now, on a list of stupid things to do in a church that would probably be the top one. I mean, with all the people in there that think there’s a higher power and that you need to pry to him or her plus all the other things that go along with church the last thing you want to do is proclaim that you are Jesus in front of a whole congregation, it’s just not a good idea. I would however recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book that’s a fast read.

Peter

This book is about two teenagers that solve mysteries. They are called the Hardy boys. This mystery is at the Honeycomb Caves, the city Rockaway, and Bayport. When they first find out was about the mystery Maddie Todd came to the Hardy’s because, her brother was kidnapped. They go to the honeycomb caves to try out Chet’s new metal detector. their first find was a pistol but, it wasn’t rusted at all, it looked new. Then they went to a local restaurant to discuss their findings. once they get to the restaurant they find that there is something fishy about the people working. The thing their friend noticed was that the language was not french they were speaking like they said they were. They find a hobbit that lived in a cave. He claimed that he was an ex marine and that his crew abandoned him. They thought it was odd that he lived in cave, so they explored it when he left and found a shotgun and several passageways that branched out along with one iron door. The Hardy’s dad who was also working on the case had herd the gun shot and called the police. The Hardy’s were in relief when the police got there. But the crooks weren’t about to give up to the police because they had stolen and buried too much. The rest is for you to find out

I would recommend this book to people who have hard times getting into a book like me. I love this series because, there is always something happening with all of the details its a new thing every chapter. What I think is amazing is how it all ties together in the end. There were several important details I couldn’t include for how slow of a typer I am. All in all it is a great book.

You can picture the characters very well, but then there is the authors picture which is different. Possibly your picture will be different than mine whether its modern in the past or future. It can take place when ever you want it to. You can picture in your head like what I do very often. I think it would be harder to follow if you can’t picture it. If you can’t take it slow and think about the book it would probably be impossible to fully understand the plot of the book.

Grant

You Know You Love Me is about a group of upper class kids and their lives. Each chapter is about a different character. The chapters explain there lives as they live them and what goes on in their lives. There is three girls and two boys. Blair, Nate, Dan, Serena, and Jenny. These five kids lives interwine as they become friends, more than friends, and enemies.

I will start with Blair. She is a senior and one of the most popular girls at her school for girls. She has the most popular, best looking boyfriend, Nate Archibald, and she thinks that they are in love. Blair has their plans for the future all laid out. She wants them both to go to Yale and then get married and have children. She has everything planned out. And then there is Serena. Serena and Blair used to be best friends and then Serena moved away to a boarding school and left Blair in the dust. Serena then got kicked out of the boarding school and had come back to her normal life, but what she didn’t expect was that Blair wasn’t going to take her back as a friend. Serena is beautiful and everyone likes her. Next there is Dan and Jenny. Dan and Jenny are siblings and are good friends with Serena. Dan is more in love with Serena and Jenny is her friend. Jenny is a little freshman and is in love with Nate. Nate is cheating on Blair with Jenny but he hasn’t told her yet. The five characters all know each other but don’t all like each other just as friends I should say.

So in the book before this it was just about how Nate and Blair had to fix their relationship and how Blair had befriended Serena. So in this book Blair’s mother is planned to get married and Blair is dreading every minute of it. Blair also has a Yale interview that has to go perfect because she has been dreaming of going to Yale since she was a little girl. Blair’s mother has decided that she wants her sisters and all of Blair’s friends to be her bridesmaids and that would include; Blair (the maid of honor), Katie, Isabel, Serena, and two of Blair’s aunts. Blair was upset when she had found out that Serena was going to be a bridesmaid and even more mad at her mother. Blair doesn’t like her mother’s boyfriend and her new stepdad is bringing on another son, Aaron. Blair is having more problems than just Serena and a wedding, Nate won’t talk to her. Blair blames it on Serena and the tension gets even bigger.

Serena has been spending a lot of time with Dan lately and Dan takes it a little more seriously than he should. He has been writing over obsessive poems about her and he thinks about her all the time. When the wedding rolls around and Serena asks Dan to be her date, Dan goes even crazier. At the wedding comes Dan finally figures out that he is being to obsessive with Serena and doesn’t talk to her anymore, but he finds a new girl, Vannessa. We don’t figure a lot about her because then the story ends. Serena runs into Blair at the wedding in the bathroom crying because Blair just figured out that Nate was cheating on her. Serena does something to Blair that changes her mind. Will you ever know what Blair decides about Serena?

Nate and Jenny run into each other in the park, and Nate figures out he has some feelings for her. Jenny has feelings for Nate and they fall in love. Nate doesn’t tell Blair about this girl and he decides to ignore her and not return her calls. When the wedding comes around Nate tells Jenny to meet him in the hotel bar at the wedding. He was supposed to be Blair’s date but he blew her off for Jenny. What will happen between them?

So as these five kids lives intertwine and the kids go crazy over each other, they all have issues. The kids live in the upperclass and they expect everything to come to them. They don’t care about others and do whatever they want. The kids are allowed to drink, smoke, and do whatever else they please. The parents don’t care what they do. This book is really interesting and keeps you interested. What will happen to each kid as they struggle and try to fix her problems? Read Gossip Girl: You Know You Love Me, by Cecily Von Ziegesar.

By: Stephanie

The book “Specials” is set in the far future, after our race has been destroyed, these people live on and try to create a “better” world. In the book, Tally has become a special, along with her best-friend Shay. A special is like a “super-human.” Now instead of trying to stay bubbly, they try to stay icy. Their assignment is to stop the Smokies from giving out pills that take the “pretty” lesions out of a bubble-head’s brain, and stop the Pretties from escaping to the New Smoke. When they crash a ugly party, they learn that the situation is far worse than they thought. Smokies had already given out thousands of pills, and that meant that thousands of pretties already had minds of their own. Then Tally and Shay are amushed by Smokies, and Fausto (one of Tally and Shay’s team-members) is taken hostage.
Tally and Shay go to visit their friend Zane, who is stuck in pretty town. In order to rescue him, they have to break in to the building that holds all of the City’s army machinery and tools. While breaking in, they end up destorying most of the building weapons (by releasing “hunger” in nano form, it eats everything and also makes more of it self at every passing moment), and escape with their lives by a thread. Zane escapes, with some of his new friends, and together they all travel to the New Smoke, for Tally and Shay, because they want to destroy it, and for Zane, because he wants to live there in freedom. Tally has to decide if she should listen to the voice inside her head, or if she should do what she’s programmed to do. After that many things happen, including betrayal, doublecrossing, destruction, death, and an unexpected ending.
I really like this book! It is the 3rd in it’s series, the first two are called, “Uglies” and “Pretties.” There is also a fourth book after it, and it’s called “Extras.” Specials is an excellent book because it hooks you in right away, and keeps you feeling like you know what is going to happen, even though you really don’t!
-Natalie

I read the book The View From Saturday. This books starts off talking about how these 6th grade kids are in Academic Bowl; which is a competition. They are competing with 7th and 8th graders. This is because they are really good. The next little section of the book tells a story about a boy who had to fill in for the groomsman. The groomsman fell over a wagon and hurt his foot. So they boy gets ready, makes a shirt that looks like a tux, and is in the wedding. He gives away a couple of prizes because he messed up some wedding invitations. The next story is about a girl whose parents get divorced. So she lives with her mom, and over the summer she goes to visit her dad for a month. She meets her new grandmother and her grandson. They go swimming and they help out turtles that might die if their nests don’t get moved. They save many turtle’s lives. Then the stories go back and forth. If you want to know more, you should read this book.

I thought this book was alright, although some parts were confusing because you had to fallow each of the stories. The book is interesting though, and if you like realistic stories, then I think you will like this one. You can always give it a chance, and if you don’t like it then you just wasted a little bit of time, because this book is pretty short. (Only 160 pages.)

I liked how each of the characters were different in there own way and had a different attitude to their situation. Also the stories were pretty cool because they all some how connected with each other. The theme was pretty hard to find, but I think that it is “Make the best out of things, because you never know what’s going to happen next.”

I hope this helped you to decide if you would be interested or not in the book. If you are go to your local library, pick it up, and give it a try!

Allyssa

I read the book The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer. This is the sequel to A Child Called “It.” This book is just a continuation of the first book, now having the young boy grow up even more, getting through all of those little problems in his life. Dave, who writes about his life experiences as a little boy, tells the reader his difficult living. David moves from home to home, never staying somewhere for a long time. He learns to trust adults and hate others. His new nickname is F-Child, (Foster Child), according to his not trusting peers. He learns more about his Foster Care life, and loves his social services worker named Ms. Gold. She helps his through many experiences, helping him get through his feelings towards his life, and his mother. David learns what expectations he must accomplish. He also feels that he can’t be taken seriously so he must go above and beyond only because he is a Foster Child. He has to prove him self. How will David learn to live? Will he every find a real life, or will he just be left in the shadows?
I liked this book because it really got into depth about all of his life growing up form the age of 12 to his 18th birthday. The book talks about his expectations, and I felt that I could really relate to what he was being asked to do. Actually, he was asked nothing, but he did everything possible. This book added some memories that were touching and and other memories that would make someone smile. I really liked this book because it really shows the reader how much courage that this writer, Dave Pelzer, must have to share his whole life story. This book may be a total of 340 pages from cover to cover, but I practically read the whole thing in a week. This is not a really hard book, you just need to keep up reading it, and not put it aside for a month.
I didn’t really like this book because someone it seemed to unreal and over exaggerated. Some times I wondered if he was just showing off in some weird way. Other times, it seemed really long and boring; only knowing that works were there on the page in front of you. This book also got confusing from time to time, him telling the reader about all of his past experiences. Though I was confused with all the names and people he was talking about, I felt that Dave felt that way too. Over all answering this question about what is disliked about this book was hard. I found most of the book very good and straight forward. I would recommend that you read this book.

Nikki
Hour: 5
5/2/08

I read a book called, “Maximum Ride: The Angel Expirement,” and it was about these 6 children (the oldest is 14) that live by themselves as a “family” and they are bird-children and they have wings so they can fly. They were born or given to a place called “School” and they are very mean to people there and they expirement with humans to see what they can do to them. They made these things called “Eraser’s” that morph from a human to a werewolf and they try to kill the 6 children and capture them to bring them back to The School. Then when the Eraser’s came to the kids’ house they took the littlest one, Angel who is 6 years old, and no one could catch them.

So the “flock” started right away the next morning to go and get Angel back from the School so the “whitecoats” couldnt do anything bad to her or even worse, kill her. On the way Max (14, the oldest) drops down out of the sky and saves a litttle girl from getting beat up but then the guys who were beating up the girl shot Max in the shoulder/wing. So she gets help at the girl’s house and then the girl and her mom find out about her wings. Then she sets off to meet Nudge (11) and Fang (14 years old) at a cliff and they go and they free Angel and meet back up with The Gasman (8years old) and Iggy (14 years old and blind).

Then they make there way to New York, New York and they go there to find out about each one of there parents, where they live, and all that information at a place called The Institute. Then they find a place to go by the “voice” inside Max’s head that tells her what to do and how to save the world, and they free a bunch of mutants just like the flock in dog cages and crates, so they let them go and they left and went there own way in the big city (which was part of saving the world) , and they find a dog there too, so Angel got to keep it as her pet and its name was Total.

I really liked this book. It was really good because there is so much action and you just cant put the book down. The characters were really good too and i like how they are like bord-children and can fly and how the author used there imagination really good and made the book very entertaining and a fun book to read. The kids have to solve a puzzle kind of thing and you never know whats coming next.

Madeline

In this book about Metallica and it talks about there life . This book includes their drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist, and singer. This book is based off a non-fiction film that was filmed about there life as rock stars. This was a great book because they had so much detail and that made it more exciting to watch it explained their studio recordings while they where their. The best thing about the book was that it was all true and all about there life together. This book has conversations that look like scripts to show what and who is saying everything. It takes about past and current problems that the band faced.

I would recommend this book to people that don’t mind swearing and to people that like Metallica and want to see what their life is like, but if your not that kind of person you might still like the book. So if your a person like me I would tell you that you would enjoy it.

Another thing about the book that made it special was the mood of the book. The mood of the book was different in some places than others. Also the setting wasn’t set in a certain place, but most of it was in the recording studio and their apartment which is where most of the film took place in also.

by: Zach, 5th hour

The book Speak is about a fourteen year old girl named Melinda. Everything started at an end-of-the-summer party. Melinda called the cops which resulted in several people getting arrested. She went into 9th grade as a social outcast. No one would listen to her so she decided not to speak. Little did everyone know that the reason Melinda called the cops was because she was raped by a popular senior named Andy Evens. She refers to him as IT. She often hid in a closet to escape from the torments and becuase of her depression. Things start to change though when she creates a bond with her art teacher Mr. Freeman. She begins to express her pain through art. When Melinda’s former best friend Rachel starts going out with Andy, Melinda feel that she must tell Rachel about him. Thankfully, Rachel sees the truth and dumps Andy, making him very angry. When Melinda goes to the closet to pick up a few things she sees Andy. He tells her that she made up the whole assult, saying that he had not hurt her and she actually wanted it. He then tries to rape Melinda again but she, knowing better this time, held up a piece of glass to his neck and said “I SAID NO!” Now I can’t give away the ending but I can say that it ends on a happy note.

I though that this book was great. It really told of how life is for teenagers suffering from depression. It told how great the effect of peer pressure has on people. It also went into detail about bullying. I liked how real the book was and how it made me feel like I was inside of Melinda’s head.

One possible theme of this book could be “Speak up and don’t hold you emotions back.” I think this because if Melinda had spoken about what happened to her people would have understood. She could have gotten help with her depression about being raped. Maybe then her freshman year would have been filled with more happiness, and less pain.

by Molly

Lioness Rampant

The book that I read was Lioness Rampant, whose main character was a woman by the name of Alanna. This is the fourth and final book in Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet. The world is Tortall and the neighboring kingdoms of Tusaine, Maren, Galla, Tyra, Carthak, and Scanra, during the rein of Tortalls King Roald and Queen Liane, with their son, Prince Jonathan.
Alanna of Trebond didn’t want to be a lady, she wanted to be a knight and worked at the fighting arts from the youngest age, and her twin brother, Thom, didn’t want to be a knight, he wanted to be a sorcerer and perfect his magic, but Alanna was scared of the violet power she held within her. So, naturally, they switched places. Alanna worked hard, disguised as a boy, at the palace. She became friends with Prince Jonathan of Conté, Raoul of Goldenlake, Gareth (Gary) of Naxen, and Alexander (Alex) of Tirragen, all a year older than she; she also made enemies of Ralon of Malven and in her first evening of being a knight, she vanquished the Prince’s our cousin in a duel, for she had revealed his treachery to the crown, wanting it for himself. Alanna had to not only go through the hardships of being naturally smaller than everyone else, but she had to go through the changes of a girl becoming a woman. She saved the Prince from a dreadful sickness, fought ancient demons alongside the Prince, was a squire to Prince Jonathan, fought in a war with Tusaine, getting kidnapped in that war as well, vanquished an evil sorcerer, became a member of the Bazhir, desert nomads, tribe Bloody Hawk and made peace between the Bazhir and the crown, and finally she was adopted by her long time old friend, Myles of Olau, becoming Alanna the Lioness of Trebond and Olau, Bloody Hawk Shaman, and Lady Knight of Tortall.
Now that I’ve brought you up-to-date on the first 3 books we can go to the main focus. Alanna comes back in Lioness Rampant to be on quest for the Dominion Jewel, a powerful stone with immense magic abilities; it’s also said to be a legend. She travels with her Servant-at-Arms and Blacksmith, Coram Smythessen, and her trusty, and abnormally intelligent, talking cat Faithful, heading to the frozen scenery at the Roof of the World, in search and quest for the Dominion Jewel. Along the way she gains a few companions, first it’s the flirtatious Shang Dragon, Liam Ironarm (the shang is a people that train from chidhood in hand-to-hand combat and small arms), then she meets the banished and fleeing Princess of Saraine, Thayet jian Wilima, and her bodyguard, Buriam (Buri) Tourakkam. With her companions Alanna successfully makes to the Roof and after battling an immortal demi-god and his horrible blizzard, she is deemed worthy and gathers her prize, the Dominion Jewel. So, once again, Alanna travels, she heads back to Tortall, and after meeting up with Raoul, she gets back home. But, upon coming home she finds out that her twin, Thom, has risen Duke Roger of Conté, the evil sorcerer from his grave, however he came back with no sorcery. Can this be trusted? Then there is also the matter of the new villain Claw out loose. Will Totall survive, ill Jonathan stay alive long enough to make it to his coronation as King, or will it all be over then? See, as Alanna foils evil plots once more and save the realm of Tortall.
I loved this book. I also like the first 3 too, Alanna is brave courageous, and has an interesting and fiery temper. Her determination got her through the Knight training and through saving the kingdom. Her life made her cry and rejoice, but she still stays a knight. With her morals and chivalry she saves lives and even finds love. If there was any books that I would suggest this book, and series, would be on the list. Tamora Pierce provides you with complicated plots and a brave heroine to entertain and enchant the mind.

Book Review Done by: Cammie

Safely home is a story about two men. One of them is an American named Ben Fielding and the other is a Chinese man named Li Quan. Quan and Ben were roommates and best friends in college but once they graduated Harvard, they both went their separate ways. Li Quan went back to China and Ben stayed in America. Throughout the years they both changed a lot but in different ways, Ben became the manager of a big business and had a horrible family life. He was so wrapped up in his work that he never even thought of his old roomate…until he had to go to China for business! His boss suggested that he track Quan down and stay with him rather than putting the expense of a hotel room on Getz (the company) and so Ben started a search for Quan. He finally came up with an e-mail address that sounded right and he sent a message, telling about the urgent need for a place to stay. Quan replied. He was overjoyed to hear from Ben and he said that he could stay for as long as he needed! Ben, unfortunately, was not as enthusiastic about the trip, but he started packing and soon he was on his way to China. Once he got to Shanghai, he got a car and started on his way, following the directions from Quan. Not long after he had started driving did he leave the big city and civilization. He went along dirt roads and after a few hours, came to a small town. He was greeted by Quan who had not changed much except for he looked older and more worn. Ben met Quan’s family, his wife, Ming and his son, Shen. They were a nice family but they made Ben uncomfortable with the way they talked about God and asked about his family. He did not want his old friend to be disappointed in him so soon and so when Quan asked about the family. rather than telling about the divorce and the loss of his son, he just answered, “They are fine.” and left it at that.
Soon Ben was settled in but he was not used to the cramped quarters of the one room house, or cockroaches, or having to go outside with a flashlight in the middle of the night to use the bathroom! But more than the bugs and the hard floor, he did not know how to reply to their questions about his faith. He had abandoned his beliefs a long time ago, after the accident with his son and with work he did not have time for those type of nonsense things anyway so he tried as hard as he could to avoid the questions. Unfortunately for Ben, Quan noticed and next time they were alone, Ben shared about his family and son and work and how nothing just fit anymore. Quan was not disappointed as Ben had expected but he seemed to want to change Ben’s views. He invited Ben to come with them to their church on Sunday, this church was different than other churches though, it was an illegal house church. Ben did not want to get in trouble but Sunday morning came and he found himself with them on the way to do something highly illegal in the Chinese government. All went well but this experience did not change Ben. None of the odd cultured things that happened there even phased him until Quan got arrested! He was charged for distributing illegal Shenjiing (Bibles), which was a true charge, but he did not get a fair trial! Ben was horrified and angry and vowed that he would stay in China with Ming and Shen until he could pull enough strings to get Li Quan out of prison. This proved to be harder than it sounded. The Chinese government was firm about their laws and systems and they would not let Ben interfere. Another problem was that his boss did not want him using the business name so Ben was stuck trying to be a foreigner with no connections, trying to break through the Chinese government system! It was increasingly harder and more expensive to see Quan and Ben felt horrible not being able to do anything about the fact that he Safely home is a story about two men. One of them is an American named Ben Fielding and the other is a Chinese guy named Li Quan. Quan and Ben were roommates and best friends in college but once they graduated Harvard, they both went their separate ways. Li Quan went back to China and Ben stayed in America. Throughout the years they both changed a lot but in different ways, Ben became the manager of a big business and had a horrible family life. He was so wrapped up in his work that he never even thought of his old roomate…until he had to go to China for business! His boss suggested that he track Quan down and stay with him rather than putting the expense of a hotel room on Getz (the company) and so Ben started a search for Quan. He finally came up with an e-mail address that sounded right and he sent a message, telling about the urgent need for a place to stay. Quan replied. He was overjoyed to hear from Ben and he said that he could stay for as long as he needed! Ben, unfortunately, was not as enthusiastic about the trip, but he started packing and soon he was on his way to China. Once he got to Shanghai, he got a car and started on his way, following the directions from Quan. Not long after he had started driving did he leave the big city and civilization. He went along dirt roads and after a few hours, came to a small town. He was greeted by Quan who had not changed much except for he looked older and more worn. Ben met Quan’s family, his wife, Ming and his son, Shen. They were a nice family but they made Ben uncomfortable with the way they talked about God and asked about his family. He did not want his old friend to be disappointed in him so soon and so when Quan asked about the family. rather than telling about the divorce and the loss of his son, he just answered, “They are fine.” and left it at that.
Soon Ben was settled in but he was not used to the cramped quarters of the one room house, or cockroaches, or having to go outside with a flashlight in the middle of the night to use the bathroom! But more than the bugs and the hard floor, he did not know how to reply to their questions about his faith. He had abandoned his beliefs a long time ago, after the accident with his son and with work he did not have time for those type of nonsense things anyway so he tried as hard as he could to avoid the questions. Unfortunately for Ben, Quan noticed and next time they were alone, Ben shared about his family and son and work and how nothing just fit anymore. Quan was not disappointed as Ben had expected but he seemed to want to change Ben’s views. He invited Ben to come with them to their church on Sunday, this church was different than other churches though, it was an illegal house church. Ben did not want to get in trouble but Sunday morning came and he found himself with them on the way to do something highly illegal in the Chinese government. All went well but this experience did not change Ben. None of the odd cultured things that happened there even phased him until Quan got arrested! He was charged for distributing illegal Shenjiing (Bibles), which was a true charge, but he did not get a fair trial! Ben was horrified and angry and vowed that he would stay in China with Ming and Shen until he could pull enough strings to get Li Quan out of prison. This proved to be harder than it sounded. The Chinese government was firm about their laws and systems and they would not let Ben interfere. Another problem was that his boss did not want him using the business name so Ben was stuck trying to be a foreigner with no connections, trying to break through the Chinese government system! It was increasingly harder and more expensive to see Quan and Ben felt horrible not being able to do anything about the fact that he knew that Quan was being beaten severely.
Finally he decided that he needed to change. He had been asked to teach at a “underground” christian meeting and after easily 30 hours of teaching, he accepted christ.
Meanwhile, Quan was under interrogation in prison by the cruelest man that he had ever known. Quan was not giving him good answers and he was getting angry!
A week later Ben headed for home. He called his wife, telling her his whole story. Ben was saved through the most terrifying and horrible experience of his life. And that is not the end of his story or of the story of the next generation. Li Shen was not the head of a house illegally under God and he was going to have to be strong.
I would strongly recommend this book! It is really good and it teaches a lot of good lessons. I enjoyed it a lot and I would read it again and agiain! By: Maggie 2nd hour