Finally Done!

*SPOILERS*
I am finally done with the last book in the His Dark Materials series, The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman. The book continues the story of Lyra and Will as the travel throughout worlds and adventure on together. It starts with Ms. Coulter with Lyra in a cave, with Lyra in a deep drugged sleep. Then of course Will comes and rescues her and they continue to the world of the dead and so on.
This book series was amazing! Every single book in the series connected perfectly and smoothly and there wasn't a single book in the series that wasn't interesting. One thing I was confused about was the good vs. bad theme in the story. Usually in stories like this there is a bigger good vs. evil but the only good is Lyra and Will and the bad seems to be Ms. Coulter and Lord Asriel who seem evil but then sacrifice themselves for Lyra's safety. I know I wrote about this before and I hoped that the good vs. evil would come to light but it never really did. In that way it was like the real world. When Lyra and Will were being torn out of their love and apart I was so sad but it made the story good and even more like the real world. I conclusion, I loved these books!!!

Starting the End

I am part way through the last book in the His Dark Materials series, The Amber Spyglass, by Phillip Pullman. In the book so far, Lyra is in a deep sleep from a potion that her mother Ms. Coutler is giving her and Will has to find her. The story line with Mary Malone also continues as she lives with the strange creatures described as people but not humans, the mulefa. Lord Asriel is still compiling his army but when the giant battle will happen is still unknown. Two branches of the Church are also now involved in the story as they track Lyra.
These books have been full of twists and turns so far and I am really excited to finish this one. I still do not know if there is a good or a bad side in the fight that is yet to come. I feel that Ms. Coutler is definitely bad, but I thought that way about Lord Asriel as well but now I don't know. Now everyone (including the angels) are joining Lord Asriels side so he might be good but he is still in love with the evil Ms. Coutler because of their marriage so I don't trust him. There are so many twist and turns and good versus evil (even thought I can barely sort out who is good or evil) in this book that I can't wait to read more!

Child Soldiers Essay

Clara Napolitano 805                                                                                      Child Soldiers Essay

In the U.S. the use of child soldiers isn’t common. Unfortunately, that is not the case in other parts of the world. For example, human rights experts have estimated that more than 300,000 child soldiers are being used. This is despite the fact that since 2004 the number of conflicts using child soldiers has dropped from 24 to 17. Organizations like the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers are trying to stop child soldiers from fighting but there is still a lot of work to do. Based on the information from the articles “Armed and Underage”, “Children at War”, and the video “Ishmael Beah, Child Soldier (CBS News with Katie Couric) I think that child soldiers are victims for many reasons.

“It is less an army than a drugged-out street gang with military-grade weapons and 13-year-old brides. Its ranks are filled with boys brainwashed to burn down huts and pound newborn babies to death.” This quote from the Armed and Underage article helped me come to my thesis that child soldiers are victims. This quote describes how terrible the experience is for child soldiers. When it says that the boys were “brainwashed” and that they are “drugged-out” it really shows that the child soldiers did not have much of a choice as to what they are doing. This is one of the reasons that I think child soldiers are victims- they are children, they don’t have much control over what they are doing considering that they are on drugs. In the CBS video about Ishmael Beah, he says that he and the other soldiers were on a mixture of cocaine and gun powder called “brown-brown” and that the commanders gave them the drugs before they had to start finding the drugs themselves. This also shows the first reason why I think child soldiers victims- because they do not have control or any choice in what they do.

Also in the video about Ishmael Beah, he says that he and his comrades thought that the commanders had a “ju-ju” or magic power that kept them safe. Beah also says that all of the soldiers became close, like brothers. This quote to me shows that these soldiers are children. Children are supposed to be scared of things like fighting in wars at their age, and didn’t want to leave for this feeling of closeness. Most of the boys joined the army because their family was dead or in poverty so this feeling of family was probably welcome, no matter what the consequences. This might make people who think that child soldiers are perpetrators because it was a welcome feeling- but not to all and there is no real way of knowing how each individual boy felt. This shows my second reason for believing that child soldiers are victims- that the child soldiers did not have any other option, they did not have anywhere to go and many didn’t want to leave because they felt safe.

My last reason for thinking that child soldiers are victims is shown in this quote by Ishmael Beah from the article Armed and Underage: “And then it just becomes a bloodbath, a way for the commanders to plunder, a war of madness.” This quote is about how the commanders take advantage of the use of child soldiers for money. This is supports my final reason as to why child soldiers are victims- because they are being taken advantage of. “So did Iran in the 1980s when it gave 12-to-16-year-old boys plastic ‘keys to heaven’ to hang around their necks as they cleared minefields during the Iran-Iraq war.” This last quote from the article really horrifies me because the commanders will go so far to get what they want and if that includes putting children into combat then they will do it, which is really sad to me because these kids are supposed to be able to trust adults but then they can’t because they were taken advantage of at such a young age.

Based on all the quotes and all the articles we read, and the video we watched I think that child soldiers are victims. I think this because they are taken advantage of, because they do not have another option, and because they are just children and do not have a choice or any control over what they are doing. Now, organizations are trying to stop the warlords in charge of child soldiers but there seems as though there will always be work to be done towards the problem. Now that I know more about child soldiers I find it horrifying that this kind of violence happens, but I am hopeful that there are people trying to stop it. After all, one quote from Armed and Underage said- “The gun does not know who is young or old.”

Second Down, One More to Go

I just finished the second book in the His Dark Materials series, The Subtle Knife. In the book Lyra and Will have to go into another world, full of Specters which are soul eating apparitions, and find Wills father. This of course brings other challenges for Lyra and Will, like some former evil characters coming back, and the alethiometer being stolen.
I really liked that they added Will as a new main(ish) character. I say main(ish) because you know that Lyra is still the main character but Will is a huge part of the story. One part of the story that I liked was that Will also got his own thing- since Lyra has the alethiometer (or the golden compass) Will gets the subtle knife. I have seen this before though- the main character having something special and then meeting someone with something equally or less special. But when I think of Will not having something like the subtle knife it seems unfair that he does not have a special power or anything. This is one part of the book that I liked, but did not like at the same time because I read about it a lot in books so it seems over done sometimes. I also really liked the end of the book. Compared to the end of the Golden Compass, this ending was a lot better. In the end of the Golden Compass you wanted to read more but it wasn't really a cliff hanger. This was not the case with the Subtle Knife. The end was a cliff hanger and I basically ran to get the next book because the end sucked me into the next book even before I started it. Altogether though, I loved the book and am about to start the next one!

Halfway Through

 I am halfway through the book The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman and so far it's great. I was so excited to return to Lyra because she is a character that I really connect to. So far in I really like the way that the two worlds, the regular world that we live in and the new world that Lyra and Will both discovered. Will is a boy from our world that discovers the world that Lyra entered through the bridge her father built, but Will discovers it through a sort of window in the air that is mostly invisible. Lyra and Will feed off each other well and I can see them becoming close in the future of the book. I also really like the reactions of the characters off other characters from the different worlds. For example, when Lyra first met Will she assumed that his daemon was inside him after discovering he did not have a daemon. The children from the new world also reacted well towards Lyra and Will after discovering they were also from different worlds. I really liked that because the children from the new world are not big characters at all but Phillip Pullman still makes them have a reaction and fills them out as if they were big characters even though they aren't. So far I really like this book and can't wait to finish it and then read the next one!

Haunting

I just finished the book Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is incredibly haunting and was unlike anything I had ever read before. The book was about a teenage girl, Lia, and her descent into anorexia. Throughout the book Lia hallucinates that her childhood friend Cassie is visiting her, even though at the start of the book Cassie is found dead.
I have never read anything like this book before. The way that Lia was becoming anorexic and wanting to be so skinny she could disappear was frightening. At night Lia would see Cassie and wake up "breathing dirt and clay" but it would just be the sheet pressed over her face. I always thought that anorexia was more emotionally and physically clear, like "If I am skinny I am pretty" and "Skinny is beautiful" but it wasn't. Lia's mind became seriously disturbed and the way she saw everything was unreal. In TV shows that I have seen sometimes the anorexia is mostly only body and striving to be better but seems unrealistic. The girls in the shows just don't eat but none of the emotional and haunting things I found in Wintergirls is there. I really liked this book and thought it was good and opened my eyes to help me see how real and scary anorexia and other eating disorders really are.

Great Start

I just finished the first book in the His Dark Materials series (the Golden Compass series) which is The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman and I really liked it. The book is about Lyra Belacque and her journey with gyptians, politicians, scholars and many more. In the book every human has a daemon, an shape shifting (though it chooses one form when you become an adult) animal who is with you at all times, that you cannot part, that is connected to you and is your soul.
I thought the book was amazing. Since Lyra is my age (only a little younger) it was easy to connect to her and her journey. The book was  fast paced which I liked but it didn't feel rushed. I really liked the concept of worlds in the book as well. Lyra was living in our world but since all humans had daemons it was not  really our world. I think that made the book easy to connect to as well because it was different but the same. I also  thought that the book brought some really great connections to the real world. The Gobblers snatched children and "cut" a child and their daemon apart. In the real world rebel leaders take kids away from their families and make them child soldiers, or in the girls cases make them into sex slaves. I thought the book was great and connected really well to the real world

BEST. BOOK. EVER.

I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and it was the BEST BOOK EVER. The book is about Charlie in high school and his life with his new friends that he makes, Sam and Patrick along with others. The whole book is written through letters to an anonymous "friend" from Charlie as he observes the world he lives in. The book is very hard to explain because it is so good and reading it is an experience and I think it is probably a different experience for every person. I could not put this book down and read it in 3 days. Throughout the book you become very attached to Charlie and hurt when he hurts, feels infinite when he does, and wants to hug him when he cries. Charlie is such an emotional person so I could really connect to his innocence and thought that the writing overall was amazing. Charlies letters are so intimate and don't leave things out like some books  written in letter form. Totally, I love love love this book and highly recommend it to kids in our grade.

Not So Great

I just finished the book Marked by P.C. and Kristen Cast, which is the first in the House of Night series. Zooey is "marked" by the Tracker to become a fledgling vampyre. Once she is marked she goes to the House of Night, where she learns lessons related to vampyres and all of the classes are at night. Once a fledgling is "marked" they get a mark on their forehead, which is filled in with color once they go through the "change." The "change" is the process that a fledgling goes through to become an adult vampyre, and then their mark expands. However, Zooey is different and her mark is colored in already and she is a special fledgling from the start.
I really felt like I have read this kind of book before. The ideas are good but all books are about how the main character is special and meant for something more, and vampires are written about a lot in much the same way. This was the kind of book that I liked well enough and is fun to read but is clearly not great quality writing or anything like that. However, it was a fun read so if you are looking for something light to read over the summer by the pool, this could be the book for you.

Am I Blue?

Growing up is hard to do and figuring out who you are, when your growing up is even harder. In Bruce Colville’s short story, Am I Blue, the main character Vince is struggling to find out who he is- all while growing up.

In the beginning Vince is very confused about his sexuality. Vince is struggling to find out who he is. When Vince is visited by his fairy godfather, Martin, Vince says- “‘does that mean I’m gay?’ I didn’t mention that I had been trying to figure out the same thing for a year now.” This shows Vince is still figuring out who he is and is searching for an answer.

In the middle of the story Vince is still struggling  but is gaining guidance and good advice from Martin. “ ‘…it would make life easier on us-’ I interrupted. ‘Speak for yourself’” and “…Signs Are Mixed. In other words, you’re one confused puppy. That’s the way it is sometimes. You’ll figure it out,” are lines of encouragement from Martin that helped Vince in his journey.

                In the end, Vince has matured greatly. “I’ve decided to save it for when I really need it- maybe when I meet the girl of my dreams. Or Prince Charming. Whichever.” In this final line of the story, you can see that Vince is more mature and ready to figure out who he is. However, Vince has not figured it out completely because he is still maturing and growing up.

                Finally, Vince has matured greatly from the beginning and middle, when he wasn’t in touch with himself. In the end of Am I Blue, Vince has not totally figured out who he is, but is on his way. Vince’s journey isn’t over year. 

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

In Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,” the main character Joby goes through a lot of change.  Joby’s change takes place and is shown in the beginning, the middle and the end.

In the beginning of the story, Joby struggled with confidence and feeling lonely in the war. “Nothing stayed put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was as it once was,” and “…the boy shut his eyes to hide himself” show how hopeless and frightened Joby was feeling. This shows that life’s challenges are hard for Joby and he was struggling and feeling solemn about staying in the war.

Later in the story, Joby gained confidence with help from a talk with the general. This is shown in the deep conversation in the lines- “You are the heart of the army.” The general knew that Joby needed to feel confident about the war and more hopeful in his fellow soldiers. Joby’s confidence was gained and showed in the line about Joby and the general- “He gave the orders, but Joby set the pace.” This instilled confidence in Joby by the positive re-enforcement from a parental figure. It also helps Joby realize that without him, the soldiers would not feel confident in the war and therefor they might lose the war. This makes Joby feel needed.

In the end, Joby has gained confidence and now has a more hopeful look on life. This is shown after his talk with the general in the line: “Then, at last, very slowly and firmly he turned the drum so it faced up to the sky.”  This symbolizes Joby’s confidence because in the beginning Joby turned the drum down because he wasn’t ready to face life and used the drum as his shield from life. 

Finally, Joby altogether gained confidence and grew stronger and felt as though he could face life. His jump from the beginning, when he felt alone and hopeless, to the middle when he felt encouraged by the general, to the end, when Joby was ready to continue fighting the war. These things show Joby’s great character change.

Just the Beginning

         I just started the book Snobs by Julian Fellowes, who also created the show Downton Abbey. The book is hard and it is not action or anything like that so there is not a lot going on in the book. There is a story, told by the main character who is an actor, and his friendship with Edith Lavery. Edith is dating Charles the Earl of Broughton who she recently got engaged to. Although there is the story, a lot of the book is about English ways and manners. A lot of it is focused on how people want very badly to be high in society and how they climb the social ladder to get there. I am not very far into the book but I think that Edith will maybe realize that there isn't a very strong connection between here and Charles but she wants to be high in society just like everyone else.
         One thing that I think is strange is that considering what life was like back then compared to now, there is a big difference. Nowadays, when people get married its because they are in love (most of the time.) Back then people got married because it was the thing to do, to gain money, to be higher up in society. When you think about it, there are some people like that now too, but you don't see it very often. I find this a very interesting difference. I think that it changed because of the technology and differences in society.

Blast From the Past

!WARNING!
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HARRY POTTER THIS HAS A SPOILER
     I am re-reading Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone which is number 1 in the series. If you have not read the series, it is about a boy named Harry Potter who discovers his destiny Harrys parents died when he young by the evil wizard Voldemort, who tried to kill Harry as well but miraculously survived and now everyone in the wizarding world knows about Harry. Harry thought he was just a normal boy but finds out that he is a wizard part of a magical, wonderful world. Harry goes to the wizard school Hogwarts where he learns the game of Quidditch but that he must study hard to succeed.
     I love the Harry Potter series and read them a while ago but had nothing to read so I decided to re read the first one. I didn't realize how good the writing is. J.K. Rowling really describes what is happening really well, so that you feel like you are there adventuring with Hermione, Ron, and Harry. I can connect to the writing with the lessons that we learn in ELA. I also can connect because although Harry is a wizard he is my age in the first book so you can connect to what he is feeling. Altogether I love the series, Harry Potter, and recommend the book to kids of all ages!

Finished!

I finished my last summer reading book, "From Baghdad, With Love." The book is about Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman (who wrote the book with Melinda Roth) and his time in the most recent war in Iraq. In 2004 Jay finds a little puppy who they name Lava, after the Lava Dogs, (a group of US Marine Corps.) Slowly Jay falls in love with Lava and begins on a mission to rescue the dog. The mission lasts until 2005 when the book ends. I really enjoyed the book because I love animals and this is a really heartwarming story but is also non-fiction which is not what I am used to and like. The book was also insanely sad when the authors described what general life was like in Iraq. It really showed me how terrible the war really was which is something you always say you understand but really don't. This book brought me closer to understanding how sad and devastating the war is. The end of the book was also really rewarding and I altogether loved the story. I strongly recommend this book if you like non-fiction, especially when it has a stronger story and plot line.