Overcoming and Facing Difficulties

Author’s Note- In this theme essay, it talks about all the main themes in the recent book I have read, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It makes connections to life, another book and  gives advice about how to handle adversities. As you are reading, pay close attention to the A/B Transition.

A college student is having trouble with a relationship, a grandfather is facing an illness and a student is struggling with stage fright and can’t perform in the talent show, are all examples of adversity. Everyone has difficulties in their lifetime and struggle to overcome them. The characters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys prove that overcoming adversity is challenging, but possible. An example of overcoming adversity is demonstrated by Harry, Ron and Hermione from the book Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling. These characters experience discovery and success in overcoming the adversity they face.

Overcoming adversity is very difficult, but the choices and decisions that you make in the present, can determine your way of life in the future. For example, when you are in high school, getting prepared to take an ACT to get into college, you also have to decide what job you want. If you get into a really good college, you may qualify for a high standard job. Reason why, is because you could get a job where you earn large amounts of money because of the high quality college that you got into and if you get into an average or a not so great college, you may not qualify for a decent job and earn a lot of money, then you won’t be able to buy a house and make a family and you’ll have to move back in with your parents. In Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the main character who had to make major decisions in his life was Harry. For example, when Harry lost his parents and had to move with his cousins, The Dursleys, he had a choice to go to Hogwarts after receiving millions of letters from the school. When you think about it, if Harry said “no,” and rejected going to Hogwarts, what would the rest of his life be like compared to what really happened? As you can see, this was a major decision that Harry had to think about and why making the right choices matters in our life.

Although the choices and decisions that you make in your life are very important, the effects of war on the society play a big role in the book and families. Throughout the second part of the novel, the effects of war happen often because everyone in Hogwarts defends Harry so the task that the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore gave Harry can be completed, which is defeating Lord Voldemort. As time goes on, many of Harry’s friends and adult friends are being eliminated by the Dark Lord to protect Harry. Its the same concept on families. When a family has a son or daughter go into the war to fight for our freedom, they don’t know if they will come back. The war would end, but someone may come to your front door and tell you that your son or daughter is gone. Going into war to fight for our freedom or to protect one person to complete a task affects families in life and in the book. Knowing that your child is going into battle, you could spend years thinking about them, not knowing if they have been killed or not. In the book, everyone at Hogwarts is like one big family. They protect each other and help one another. Towards the end, small gathering funerals were held for the loved ones that passed away. The same thing occurs in real life. After the wars end, you may discover that your child, friend or family member did not survive the battle.

Considering that losing a loved one in a battle is hard, family will help you journey through your life. In reality, family is extremely important. Throughout my life, I sometimes tell myself that I am not worthy of being in my family and I have struggled to gain that strength to be in a family. I sometimes think of myself as an outcast compared to my sister, mom and dad. After years and years of doubting myself and thinking that I am lost and have no one in my life, I know that wherever I go or no matter what I do, my family will always be by my side and be with me no matter what. I am very lucky to have such an extraordinary family that I can love and talk to and know that they are in my heart. Unlike Harry, he grew up not knowing who his parents were and having his whole childhood completely blank. The only people that he has that are considered his family are Ron and Hermione, his two best friends, and everyone at Hogwarts. As mentioned earlier, everyone at that school treat each other like family. There is nothing more greater than having a family right by your side, loving you and caring for you everyday until the end of time.

As well as having a great family, J.K. Rowling expresses the many themes throughout the Harry Potter novel. J.K. Rowling and Ruta Sepetys both show that many people face difficult adversities but that there is a possible way to overcome them, even though it will be challenging. The characters in Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows demonstrated how knowing that life is difficult, family, friends or adults can help you shine the light through your struggles. Many people in the world lose their families, like Harry in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows or friends, like Lina in Between Shades of Grey. When I go to school and I see my friends with their brothers or sisters fighting, they sometimes come up to me and ask if I get along with my sister. The main reason why people ask me this is because they say to me that they hate their brother or sister and they would trade them for anything but their sibling. It breaks my heart when people say that and sooner or later, their sibling will move out of the house and get married and go to college. I love my sister and I would do anything for her, but I would never in my life trade her for anything else. In some cases, the difficulties in life can help you in the future, just as long as you have someone right beside you to guide you through your rough times.

What Happens Now?

Author's Note: In this short essay, I wrote a prediction on what would happen if the 3:15 story continued. From my prediction, I claimed that terrible envy would approach. My prediction is very logical and something that someone would not expect. My prediction may seem very long, but it's a long prediction that will give you the chills. A new frightening, evil shadow awakens.  

Here is what I predicted:

As Cody took home the heavy golden hook of Clarence Buchanan, he stared at it, wondering how he got a gold hook. When Cody got home, he entered his house and set the hook on the table. Cody grabbed a big pot, got some water and brought it to a boil. Once the water was boiling, Cody turned around, grabbed the golden hook with a firm grasp, went back over to the pot and carefully set the hook into the boiling hot water. Immediately after Cody set the hook into the pot, he felt a burning sensation in his head. He could hear Mr. Buchanan's voice, saying, "I told you to leave my golden treasure in my coffin, buried with me!" Over and over again, Cody could hear Mr. Buchanan's voice  repeating the same phrase until Cody had enough.

About 10 minutes had passed with the continuous pain of Mr. Buchanan's voice. Finally, Cody screamed, "Enough! I'll give you your treasure back!" He turned around, grabbed a towel and carefully but quickly, grabbed the gold out of the pot. As Cody was taking the gold out of the pot, he felt that there was no point. Cody took the gold out and saw that it had been melted into a solid, brick piece of gold. It was no longer the hook of Mr. Buchanan. Cody cried out a horrendous scream and started to panic. Since Cody was to foolish to leave the hook in the gave, he now destroyed Mr. Buchanan's golden hook. From what Cody had seen and what he had done to Mr. Buchanan's hook, Cody dried off what now was a golden brick and walked out the front door of his home with the golden brick and a shovel, to do something he has never done before. Slowly walking away from his house, Cody went where he buried Mr. Buchanan, Cody took his shovel had started digging out Mr. Buchanan's coffin. Later on, Cody opened the coffin of Mr. Buchanan and looked at the golden brick one last time. Gently and ever so sweetly, Cody placed the golden brick into the coffin of Mr. Buchanan, returning the once golden hook, to a golden brick back to its rightful owner. Once the brick was placed in the coffin, Cody knelt beside Mr. Buchanan and said, "I'm so sorry Mr. Buchanan that I took your golden hook. I am the most selfish person you will ever know. I realized what my actions were and I plan to not continue on with what I have done. I am returning your gold back to you and will never again steal anything." Taking one last look at Mr. Buchanan, Cody closed the coffin door shut, sealed it and buried Mr. Buchanan once more. Cody felt a warm feeling inside of him and heard another voice. "Cody, thank you for returning my gold. I appreciate you apologizing and now my hook is safe with me. Never again will you steal from me." As happy as ever, Cody realized that Mr. Buchanan had said "hook." 'But I turned his hook into a golden brick.' Cody said to himself. As fast as possible, Cody dug out Mr. Buchanan's grave once more, opened it up and saw the golden brick. It was no brick anymore, it was turned back to Mr. Buchanan's golden hook remembering the time when Mr. Buchanan's hand got crushed. Cody felt Mr. Buchanan getting his hand back, safe and sound.

In my prediction, I predicted that Cody was going to take the hook and melt it down into a golden brick and then realize his guilt and take it back to Mr. Buchanan's coffin and put the golden brick back into the coffin and return home. My prediction was wrong. The part where Cody was going to take the hook and melt it was correct but he didn't have the chance to do it. There were distractions that prevented him from melting it. The shadow of Mr. Buchanan.

In the end, as Cody is getting multiple distractions, a terrifying monster appears that doesn't show its face. The hook is by Cody's neck, slowly making its way to the back of his collar. Once it was there, a shocking ending that no one would expect. A strong pull into complete darkness and within the coffin, the golden ring that Cody Miller had stolen in the beginning of the story was hanging on the hook of Clarence Buchanan inside the coffin. 

A New Era

Author’s Note- This is a character development/analyzation about a recent book that I am reading, which is Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. This analyzation talks about Harry Potter and his role in the book. Look for some strong use of vocabulary.

Imagine yourself, in your crib, the thunder roaring, the blinding lightning and the ruthless clashes of the rain smashing against the ground. You then hear your parents bolting through the house and a flash of green light, when your mother charges through the door and swings the door closed with a loud crash. Your mother goes to your crib, crying, and starts to say that she loves you and your dad loves you, when all of a sudden, the door is plunged to the ground and a black hooded figure with a white face and a large wand, says the most terrifying words that will change your life forever. Your mother is laying on the floor, not moving a muscle and you have a large N imprinted on your forehead, from the most deadliest wizard of all time that you will one day face to determine your destiny. Your lifelong journey has now begun.

Ever since the death of Harry’s parents, he has lived his life with no family, except his annoying cousins, The Dursleys. Harry has grown up not knowing what happened when he was just a small infant. Harry Potter was then called, “The Boy Who Lived” since the one day that changed his life. The whole story and movies is based off of Harry Potter and why he lived through that one night. People try to kill him so Voldemort, the evil dark wizard, can become the new “king” and take over all wizards. If I had to describe Harry Potter in one word, the word would be bold. I describe Harry Potter as a bold person because he always listens to his heart, his friends and always trusts his instincts. When a problem pops up and needs to be fixed immediately, he comes up with strategies and figures out how to solve the problem. Harry also has great friends that support him and care for him, especially since he has no family to talk to. In the movies, Harry and his friends fight for their lives and fight to the death to help protect Harry because of his importance. Harry Potter is a brave, intelligent and heroic young man, considering the fact that  he has lost everything important to him.

Harry Potter changes throughout the novels and movies. He goes from a boy who lost everything, to the most famous wizard in history. As time progresses, Harry and his friends change their personalities. They grew up and became stronger and started to treat each other as brothers and sisters. Just like Rodger in L.H.’s short story, “Thank You Ma’am,” Rodger is a teenage boy who goes from stealing a lady’s purse for shoes, to a young man who got the shoes and learned not to steal. Same situation with Harry Potter, except with wizardry. He learns nothing in the beginning of his life because his parents died and had no one to live with. Then goes to a man who can take care of himself and fight on his own and sooner or later, be able to go and face the most darkest wizard of all.

Besides the fact that Harry Potter is the most famous wizard of all, he is just like any other teenager who goes to school, gets an education, has friends and experiences difficulties in his life. Harry Potter can be described as a person who faces the most difficult challenges in his lifetime and learns to face them and not to run away from his problems. In another book that I have read is “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys. I could compare Harry Potter and a teenage girl named Lina are somewhat alike to each other. One thing that they both have in common is they both face the most biggest challenges in their life. Lina is a girl who is living a wonderful life in Lithuania, and one day everyone is being captured, men being sent to prison camp and women and children to be slaves and be sold. Harry Potter on the other hand, describes himself as a person he doesn’t know. He faces life in a way that most people would not think about. To us, we think that Hogwarts and everything in the wizarding world is more terrific than having a regular life. For Harry Potter, life in the wizarding world is harder than it looks. If you could spend one day with Harry Potter and be a wizard, I guarantee that you would want to have your original life. Lina and Harry both face challenges and fight for what they know is right and wrong and to save their friends and family, not just themselves.

As the story develops, Harry and his friends face the most extreme battles of their life. As many of these treacherous battles continue, Harry and his friends become stronger, bold and independent. They also change their looks when they get older and become more smart when it comes to battle strategies or life threatening strategies. When Harry comes up with these strategies, he influences the people around him and many strangers. People look up to Harry because he has a bright personality and everybody thinks that when they are around Harry, they can’t be touched and they’re safe from any kind of danger, even when they’re fighting. Since the attack on Harry when he was a young boy, the wizards wonder how he survived that terrifying night. If I was a wizard and I found out about what happened that made everyone call Harry, “The Boy Who Lived,” I would definitely look up to Harry for help, a hero and survivor who can help and save hundreds and possibly millions of innocent people.

Harry Potter, “The Boy Who Lived,” began his lifelong journey at a baby’s age and begins his life with nothing. He then became a wise and independent person, who has encouraging friends, almost like they’re his family. Starting out with nothing in your life when you grow up is extremely difficult. Almost impossible. Since Harry Potter is so valuable throughout all the novels, he loses many wonderful people that he cares for the most such as his parents, Dobby the elf, Remus and Tonks, Dumbledore and many more people. If you grow up and had a similar life to Harry Potter, nothing in your life would make sense. The days that had passed after the attack on Harry, he lived his life, not knowing who he was or who his parents were. He got the help of friends and adults to guide his way and make the right decisions in his life. Harry never gave up on who he was, how his life started and who he parents were. He sacrificed many things and grew up having the best life anyone could ever imagine and spent his life, not in agony, but in victory and pride for who he was.

Yorkie-chon Puppies and Their Health Problems

Yorkie-chon puppies are very loveable, cuddly and furry little creatures that will make your heart sink the minute you see them. When you buy a yorkie-chon puppy, they need plenty of exercise because the more the exercise, the happier and healthier they get. They are also dogs that love to eat a lot which is a bad combo. Yorkie-chons are also very easy to train, especially when you start at a young age. There is something about this dog that many people may not know. Yorkie-chon puppies tend to have multiple seizures. This is because yorkie-chons have what’s called “abnormalities.” Abnormalities are in the liver of a yorkie-chon puppy and abnormalities are an abnormal feature, characteristic, or occurrence in the liver of this wonderful dog. Some of the names of diseases that causes dogs to have seizures are Cirrhosis, Hepatitis, Fatty liver, Viral hepatitis and Jaundice. All of these affect the liver and cause seizures to happen. If your dog has a seizure, then comfort him in a calm voice, turn all sounds off and dim the lights to calm your dog down. What you would want to do is take your dog to the vet and get him checked out and get your dog treated immediately so the seizures are most likely not to come back. The doctor will most likely give your dog a small pill that will help support the liver and make it stronger to help prevent the attacks on your dog’s liver.

The Way People Can Change- “Thank You Ma’am”

Author's Note- This short response is from L.H.'s short story of "Thank You Ma'am." It talks about some points in the story of how Rodger behaved and the foolish choices that he made. Look for a couple of tricky vocabulary words in the story.

In L.H.’s short story “Thank You Ma’am,” we learn how people can affect others in a positive way. Rodger, a teenage boy who has no family and has nothing, decides to go up to a large woman to try and steal her purse for money so he can buy some blue suede shoes. The lady that had the purse, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, noticed that this boy was lonely and had nothing in his life. Mrs. Jones wanted to help this young boy, so she took him into her household and began teaching this boy to not steal and had Rodger wash his face and clean himself up from his selfish ways.

Throughout the story, Rodger is being transformed into a new person so he wouldn’t go back to his treacherous ways. I think that Rodger behaved the way he did because there is a song by Elvis Presley called, “Blue Suede Shoes.” When Rodger listen to this song, heard or saw the shoes, he instantly wanted them and because Rodger has no family or money, he went and snatched people’s purses to get money and buy the shoes. Rodger behaved like this just for shoes. When Mrs. Jones took Rodger into her house, he learned to end his ways on stealing purses from other people. Many people, like Rodger, will get desperate for something that they really want and start their bad ways, by taking other people’s money and they end up going to jail. If Rodger would have stolen Mrs. Jones’s purse and got away, then he could have gotten caught and gone to jail, rather than being taken in and being taught the right ways instead of the wrong ways and buying the blue suede shoes at the end of the story. Never be selfish and get desperate for something you really want. Think of the right ways that can keep you out of trouble.

"What Would I Say to America's Founding Fathers?"

Author's Note- This is my Patriot's Pen Essay that talks about what I would say to the founding fathers of America and who some of these men are. Look carefully for some paragraph or sentence transitions.

In some points of my life, I have asked myself, what would I tell America’s founding fathers? Would I say that I am proud of what they have done for our country? Would I say they should regret what they did and what would they think of our country now and how it has turned out when they left it? We have many Founding Fathers of America that helped create our nation as free country. We need to let people know about this amazing group of men that we owe very much.

Many people live their lives not caring who the founding fathers of America are. They are the people who found the nation after the American Revolution and our Independence was won. Some of the men that helped create our nation were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and many more. The biggest and most important Founding Father of the United States was George Washington. George Washington had many leadership positions when he was elected president such as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, Commanding General of the Army, and one of the obvious ones, The President of the USA. If I had the chance to meet George Washington, I would say thank you for creating a country where we can have a freedom of speech. Thank you to be able to have a government and mostly to be able to say “We The People.”

Furthermore, another Founding Father of the United States is John Adams. John Adams helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that helped end the American Revolution. Later on, he was elected vice president and then was later elected the 2nd president of the United States. John also had several leadership positions such as statesman, diplomat and the leader of the American Independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was a politician who supported republicanism. If I had the chance to go back in time or just being able to see him again, I would say to him that he has done an extraordinary job of keeping America safe and protecting us. He was one man who kept America going in the right direction. Saying thank you to him for what he has done would be the one of the greatest days of my life.

In addition to two very important Founding Fathers, another very important one is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the 3rd president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was another founding father diplomat that was stationed in Paris. Jefferson also helped organize the Republican and Democratic Parties with the help of one of his friends, James Madison. He was elected vice president in 1796 and was then elected president in 1800 and was re-elected as president in 1804. Thomas Jefferson accommodated many roles that assist the United States and other countries as well such as France when he was appointed to Minister of France. To this founding father of the United States, I would say to him that he has done an amazing job of not only helping out the United States, but helping other countries in need and keeping many things on track.

There were many other founding fathers that created and helped form America. George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the main group of men that lead America in the right direction. In addition to the first three founding fathers, there were 74 men that created America. If I could go back into time and see this group of amazing people, I would say thank you for what you have done for our country. One big question that would be interesting to ask them is what they would think about our country now. I would be intrigued on what they had to say. Without these group of men, America would either not be America or worst of all, not exist. I hope that the politics and Americans today will make the right choices and honor these men by keeping America on the line and not dishonoring them by ruining the land that they created. We owe these men so much for the land and people that they have created.

Cause/Effect- A Boy No More

Author’s Note: This oral report is a cause and effect analysis of the happenings in the novel Touching Spirit Bear. This is a very short analysis that talks about the book.

Touching Spirit Bear is a fictional and adventure story that has many twists and turns throughout the book. Cole Matthews, a teenage boy lived his life learning nothing but anger and power. Cole is just like any ordinary boy who goes to school and gets an education, but beats people up and acts as he is the boss of everyone in the world. Cole one day goes to the extreme and sends a boy named Peter Driscal in the hospital smashing his head on the sidewalk. The event that I am going to analyze is after Cole is sent to Circle Justice, goes to the Remote Alaskan Island to learn to survive in the wilderness and throw away his anger. Cole’s parole officer, Garvey sends Cole to this remote island to change his ways for good.

The climax of the story was Cole being sent to a remote island, just a few days after he beat up Peter and sending him to the hospital. When Cole was sent to the island, he had to learn to fight for his life, no matter how painful and invigorating living there was. When Cole was on the island, no matter how hard he tried, there was no way to get off of the island until the end of the book. Cole knew that surviving on this island would not be easy but Cole tries as hard as he can to survive and knew what he was going to do in the times on this crucial island.

Then, as Cole is trying desperately to save his life, he gets mauled by a giant Spirit Bear as Cole kept threatening the Bear to think that the Bear was afraid of Cole. As Cole’s body was about ready to shut down and ready to die, Cole’s parole officer Garvey and a Tlingit elder named Edwin were able to meet again and save Cole’s life. As Cole was healing, he was sent back to the island and started to learn how to roll his anger and pain away. Cole then turns his figure around and was able to return home. As Peter was in the hospital, healing from the attack, Cole was able to connect with Peter and have Peter not to be afraid of the new Cole Matthews.

Cole was able to accomplish everything that was asked of him to do on the island because the parole officer Garvey asked him to survive and change his ways in the days that Cole was there. Cole would have never changed if he hadn’t given up on himself and just said enough and stayed home after the bear attack and being the same Cole Matthews as when he arrived on the island. For a boy at his age, it was hard for him to survive on his own because his parents never taught him to help himself survive. However, Cole was able to do beyond what Garvey had asked, but was able to change himself from the inside out and become friends with the boy that he had put in the hospital.As a result of Cole’s ways, Peter was able to learn to trust Cole and know that Cole deep down changed himself so that this situation would never happen again. Cole and Peter were then able to be best friends and live on the island together, knowing that they could trust each other and know that they each have each other’s backs for life.

Conflict/Resoultion- A Boy No More

Author's Note: This two paragraph analysis is my conflict/resolution piece that talks about the most recent book I have read. In this analysis, look for some sentence transitions.  

A recent book that I have read is A Boy No More by Harry Mazer. In this book, a teenage boy named Adam Pelko lives in Hawaii with his mother and his little sister, Bea. One day, Adam is out with his friends in Adam’s boat fishing when they see Pearl Harbor getting bombed. The bombing forced Adam’s family to move out of Hawaii and found a place in a town called Bakersfield. But this tragic day, was the least of their problems, especially for Adam. The biggest conflict in the story was Adam receiving a letter from a close friend in Hawaii and setting Adam on an big adventure. The big problem was that Adam had school and he had a job he had to attend every morning. From Bakersfield to Fresno would take hours and possibly days. This conflict traveled throughout the entire book which kept the story real and exciting. In addition to what’s happening, this conflict affects everybody’s lives and their jobs. Adam almost loses his job because of the letter, sneaking out of the house and misses school, his mom had to sometimes stay home from work  just to make sure Adam didn’t sneak out of the house and go to Fresno. His sister still went to school but asked where her brother went. Adam’s family hit a little bump and it almost tore Adam’s family apart.

There were many ways that this conflict could be solved. One, Adam’s mom could drive him to Fresno and Adam could deliver the letter and drive back home together. Second, Adam could have just delivered the letter through mail to Davi’s dad. And lastly, Adam could have just wrote back and said something like, “I’m sorry but I am not able to deliver the message.” In the book, the way that Adam and his family solved the problem was letting Adam go on his adventure to deliver the letter, but work extra hours at work. That is probably the best way to solve a problem is to figure it out as a family. Adam and his mom solved their conflict. At the end of the book, Adam delivered the letter and Davi reconnected with his family. Always talk your problems out with your family and every solution can be solved the right way, just like Adam did with his family. They compromised and solved the issue.

"What Would I Tell America's Founding Fathers?"-Allison Andes

Author’s Note: In this essay, America’s Founding Father’s will be revealed, along with my opinion about them. Watch for some strong use of vocabulary and for some information on the Founding Fathers of America.

In some points of my life, I have asked myself, what would I tell America’s founding fathers? Would I say that I am proud of what they have done for our country? Would I say they should regret what they did? The big question is, what would they think of our country now and how it has turned out when they left it? We have many Founding Fathers of America that helped create our nation a free country. We need to let people know about these amazing group of men that we owe to very much.

Some people don’t even know who the founding father’s of America are. They are the people who found the nation after the American Revolution and our Independence was won. Some of the men that helped create our nation were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and many more. The biggest and most important Founding Father of the United States was George Washington. George Washington had many leadership positions when he was elected president such as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, Commanding General of the Army, and one of the obvious ones, The President of the USA. The biggest leadership position that George Washington had was helping create the precedents and foundations that would help create and form America. If I had the chance to meet George Washington, I would say thank you for creating a country where we can have a freedom of speech. Thank you to be able to have a government and mostly to be able to say “We The People.”

Another Founding Father of the United States is John Adams. John Adams helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that helped end the American Revolution. Later on, he was elected vice president and then was later elected the 2nd president of the United States. John Adams was a very important person in the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress. John also had several leadership positions such as statesman, diplomat and the leader of the American Independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was a politician who supported republicanism. There are a lot of things that John Adams has done to help create America and make it a safe and free country to live in. If I had the chance to go back in time or just being able to see him again, I would say to him that he has done an extraordinary job of keeping America safe and protecting us. He had many occupations in his lifetime that helped keep America on track and moving in the right direction. Saying thank you to him for what he has done would be the greatest day of my life.

In addition to two very important Founding Fathers, another very important one is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the 3rd president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was another founding father diplomat that was stationed in Paris. Thomas Jefferson also help organize the Republican and Democratic Parties with the help of one of his friends, James Madison. Also, at the beginning of the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson served in the Continental Congress. He was elected vice president in 1796 and was then elected president in 1800 and was re-elected as president in 1804. Thomas Jefferson accommodated many roles that assist the United States and other countries as well such as France when he was appointed to Minister of France. To this founding father of the United States, I would say to him that he has done an amazing job of not only helping out the United States, but helping other countries in need and keeping many things on track.

There were many other founding fathers that created and helped form America. George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the main group of men that lead America in the right direction. In addition to the first three founding fathers, there were 74 men that created America. If I could go back into time and see this group of amazing people, I would say thank you for what you have done for our country. One big question that would be interesting to ask them is what they would think about our country now. I would be intrigued on what they had to say. Without these group of men, America would either not be America or worst of all, not exist. I hope that the politics and Americans today will make the right choices and honor these men by keeping America on the line and not dishonoring them by ruining the land that they created.

A Boy No More

Author's Note- This is a re-tellling piece of the most recent book that I have read, A Boy No More.This gives a brief description of the book and the conflicts throughout the book.

A recent book that I have read is A Boy No More by Harry Mazer. In this book, a teenage boy named Adam Pelko lives in Hawaii with his mother and his little sister, Bea. One day, Adam is out with his friends in Adam’s boat fishing when they see Pearl Harbor getting bombed. The bombing forced Adam’s family to move out of Hawaii and found a place in a town called Bakersfield. But this tragic day, was the least of their problems, especially for Adam. The biggest conflict in the story was Adam receiving a letter from a close friend in Hawaii and setting Adam on an big adventure. The big problem was that Adam had school and he had a job he had to attend every morning. From Bakersfield to Fresno would take hours and possibly days. This conflict traveled throughout the entire book which kept the story real and exciting. In addition to what’s happening, this conflict affects everybody’s lives and their jobs. Adam almost loses his job because of the letter, sneaking out of the house and misses school, his mom had to sometimes stay home from work  just to make sure Adam didn’t sneak out of the house and go to Fresno. His sister still went to school but asked where her brother went. Adam’s family hit a little bump and it almost tore Adam’s family apart.

There were many ways that this conflict could be solved. One, Adam’s mom could drive him to Fresno and Adam could deliver the letter and drive back home together. Second, Adam could have just delivered the letter through mail to Davi’s dad. And lastly, Adam could have just wrote back and said something like, “I’m sorry but I am not able to deliver the message.” In the book, the way that Adam and his family solved the problem was letting Adam go on his adventure to deliver the letter, but work extra hours at work. That is probably the best way to solve a problem is to figure it out as a family. Adam and his mom solved their conflict. At the end of the book, Adam delivered the letter and Davi reconnected with his family. Always talk your problems out with your family and every solution can be solved the right way, just like Adam did with his family. They compromised and solved the issue.

From War to a Hero

Imagine you, sitting in your small, petite boat out on the ocean and sitting in it with some of your closest friends. All of a sudden, you see warships from every direction, sailing into each other when you see someone out on the deck, looking straight at you. You have no idea who that is until you see the ship blow up into tiny pieces. This is the life of a teenage boy named Adam Pelko in Harry Mazer's A Boy No More. Since the explosion, Adam and his friends have split up, moving to different areas in the country. Davi, Adam's best friend is moved to Fresno, while Adam moved to Bakersfield. After a long journey of moving away and away from each other, a letter is sent to Adam as an urgent request. Adam's journey has now begun.

As the story continues, a major conflict occurs. Since Adam got the letter from his friend, every night, Adam tries to sneak out of his house to avoid his mother and his little sister stopping him from the urgent message Adam's friend gave him. Throughout the story, Adam gets caught over and over again. There was no possible way that Adam was able to get out, but Adam never gave up.One night, Adam escapes and his incredible journey begins. Along the way, he finds people that lead him towards his friend and giving him the letter. Finally, after 3 days of walking and hunger, Adam and his friend meet after 3 days. More surprises occur along the way as Adam and his friend make their way back to Adam's house. One surprise leads up to the end of the book that might shock you a little. This book is great for people who love adventure, fiction and a little history involved. I would recommend it for people who also like short books.