Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Reading Blog
Holes is a strange miss-match of stories which are loosely connected - yet somehow work. Holes is quite an interesting read. It's about several things - but mostly it's about Stanley Yelnats, a teenage boy from a poor family who has the misfortune of being caught with a stolen pair of shoes (because they fell on him) and he is sent to a juvenile detention facility. The facility is on an old dried up lake, and the inmates spend their time digging holes. Their is a backstory about Stanley's grandparents, and a backstory to the lake - which makes the book weird and interesting. I actually didn't like the book as well as the movie, but you might not feel the same way. This book is fun and entertaining, and definitely geared to our age range.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Reading Blog
Little Brother 2/2
Seventeen year old Marcus is somewhat of an expert hacker. At least he's good enough to easily hack his high schools system. Unfortunately, while skipping school, Marcus and his friends are caught in the middle of a terrorist attack in San Francisco. Due to his unlucky placement near the incident, he and his friends are taken by the Department of Homeland Security and interrogated. Once he gets back, he find the city under deep surveillance. He grows to hate Homeland Security - and everything that they are doing to his beloved city. He makes a drastic decision of his city, and for what he believes is right; Marcus decides to take on the DHS.
I liked this book a lot. I didn't understand all the hacker/computer stuff, but I got the just of it. Although somewhat unrealistic, I liked the plot and characters of this book. It was exciting, although it didn't rely on violence to do so. I would recommend this book to anyone our age and older - especially if they have an interest in terrorism, national security, and hacking.
Seventeen year old Marcus is somewhat of an expert hacker. At least he's good enough to easily hack his high schools system. Unfortunately, while skipping school, Marcus and his friends are caught in the middle of a terrorist attack in San Francisco. Due to his unlucky placement near the incident, he and his friends are taken by the Department of Homeland Security and interrogated. Once he gets back, he find the city under deep surveillance. He grows to hate Homeland Security - and everything that they are doing to his beloved city. He makes a drastic decision of his city, and for what he believes is right; Marcus decides to take on the DHS.
I liked this book a lot. I didn't understand all the hacker/computer stuff, but I got the just of it. Although somewhat unrealistic, I liked the plot and characters of this book. It was exciting, although it didn't rely on violence to do so. I would recommend this book to anyone our age and older - especially if they have an interest in terrorism, national security, and hacking.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Reading Blog
Little Brother 1/2
Seventeen year old Marcus is somewhat of an expert hacker. At least he's good enough to easily hack his high schools system. Unfortunately, while skipping school, Marcus and his friends are caught in the middle of a terrorist attack in San Francisco. Due to his unlucky placement near the incident, he and his friends are taken by the Department of Homeland Security and interrogated. Once he gets back, he find the city under deep surveillance.
like this book a lot so far - although it is somewhat unrealistic. A seventeen year old hacker hero? seems unlikely. An evil DHS? I don't thinks so. However, it is entertaining, so I am excited to see how it all ends. There will be a very exciting ending, no doubt. I would recommend this book to anyone in the class that is looking for a fun, entertaining two week book.
Seventeen year old Marcus is somewhat of an expert hacker. At least he's good enough to easily hack his high schools system. Unfortunately, while skipping school, Marcus and his friends are caught in the middle of a terrorist attack in San Francisco. Due to his unlucky placement near the incident, he and his friends are taken by the Department of Homeland Security and interrogated. Once he gets back, he find the city under deep surveillance.
like this book a lot so far - although it is somewhat unrealistic. A seventeen year old hacker hero? seems unlikely. An evil DHS? I don't thinks so. However, it is entertaining, so I am excited to see how it all ends. There will be a very exciting ending, no doubt. I would recommend this book to anyone in the class that is looking for a fun, entertaining two week book.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Reading Blog
Spooky Campfire Tales
It might sound like a children's book, but it is actually two-hundred pages of about thirty short, scary stories. I found it in my room, read the back, and decided to give it a try. Some of the stories weren't actually that scary, just kind of weird and supernatural; while others were more like long descriptions of a host or monster encounter rather than a story. However, some of them built suspense - and were scary as I read them. The best ones had good, twist endings that tied the story together - sort of like a punchline of a joke. I enjoyed parts of the book, although it's definitely not for everyone - given the content (everything from demons to werewolves to witches to ghosts). Because this book didn't have one continuos story and long lasting characters, it was a little weird to read. However, if you like short stories and or scary stories, perhaps you could give this a try.
It might sound like a children's book, but it is actually two-hundred pages of about thirty short, scary stories. I found it in my room, read the back, and decided to give it a try. Some of the stories weren't actually that scary, just kind of weird and supernatural; while others were more like long descriptions of a host or monster encounter rather than a story. However, some of them built suspense - and were scary as I read them. The best ones had good, twist endings that tied the story together - sort of like a punchline of a joke. I enjoyed parts of the book, although it's definitely not for everyone - given the content (everything from demons to werewolves to witches to ghosts). Because this book didn't have one continuos story and long lasting characters, it was a little weird to read. However, if you like short stories and or scary stories, perhaps you could give this a try.
Monday, April 14, 2014
White Sands Red Menace
If you have not read "Green Glass Sea" and think you might, do not read further into my review of "White Sands, Red Menace"(the sequel) Because it will spoil the story.
WWII has ended due to the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan, the bombs that Dewey Kerrigan's parents helped create. The family moves to a small New Mexico town, which Dewey and her sister Suze are forced to adapt to. Their parents are now involved in the construction of a rocket that (hopefully) will go to the moon, and are also involved in anti-bomb efforts. After knowledge of the bomb goes public, people begin to panic at the thought of the destruction an atomic bomb can bring.
I din't realize that "White Sands Red Menace" was the sequel, so as I started reading I was really confused. However, I did eventually figure out what was happening. I enjoyed the book, because it had several problems that the characters faced, which were very different from one another. The characters were good, and the writing was good. It was definitely not my favorite book, but I liked it.
WWII has ended due to the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan, the bombs that Dewey Kerrigan's parents helped create. The family moves to a small New Mexico town, which Dewey and her sister Suze are forced to adapt to. Their parents are now involved in the construction of a rocket that (hopefully) will go to the moon, and are also involved in anti-bomb efforts. After knowledge of the bomb goes public, people begin to panic at the thought of the destruction an atomic bomb can bring.
I din't realize that "White Sands Red Menace" was the sequel, so as I started reading I was really confused. However, I did eventually figure out what was happening. I enjoyed the book, because it had several problems that the characters faced, which were very different from one another. The characters were good, and the writing was good. It was definitely not my favorite book, but I liked it.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Monster
Steve Harmon is a sixteen year old African American who lives in Harlem. He is being tried for his role in a drug store robbery that ended in murder. Because of his love and talent for film making (he enjoyed making amateur films before the robbery) he decides to write a story of himself - except as a script (with dialogue, camera angles, etc.). Throughout the book, Steve walks us through his conversations, and the trial itself and the events surrounding it through script form.
My brother recommended this book to me, and I am very glad he did. Although I would have liked to have a book with more descriptions, this one was great. It had a very interesting and intense story, toped with a unique format of story telling. I also enjoyed the underlying plot line in the book - Steve's inner turmoil about whether or not he is a "Monster" like he has been accused of. This book is an easy, exciting and intense read - and I really enjoyed it.
My brother recommended this book to me, and I am very glad he did. Although I would have liked to have a book with more descriptions, this one was great. It had a very interesting and intense story, toped with a unique format of story telling. I also enjoyed the underlying plot line in the book - Steve's inner turmoil about whether or not he is a "Monster" like he has been accused of. This book is an easy, exciting and intense read - and I really enjoyed it.
Monday, March 31, 2014
SOL 31/31
Although I wish I could take credit for these pictures, they were all taken by my twin brother, Daniel.
On a trip to Hilton Head exactly one year ago, (last spring break) We went on a boat tour around a lake to look at the various animals. Here is the result:
Later on the trip, we took a boat to Daufuskie Island. There were no cars on the island, so we rented a golf cart to explore the island. It had old decrepit cemeteries with graves dating back to the late 1700's, an old lighthouse where a woman had killed herself, old slave quarters, a beach where fifty indians had been massacred, and scattered remnants left by civil war troops. On top of that, a section of the island was dotted with mansions. It was truly an amazing and unique place - brimming with history, with beautiful but eerie scenery. The island had an unsettling feeling because of it's dark past and because of the thick and dark forests. The island was of the grid - and with all the historic sites, it del like a step back in time. Except for the mansions and yachts, of coarse. Here are some more pictures:
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