Book Review: Go Big or Go Home

In Go Big or Go home, another book by the author Will Hobbs,We find Brady Steele, a teenage boy living in the Black Hills of South Dakota,with a meteorite crashing through his bedroom roof. He later goes to sleep while holding it only to wake up to find that he has been drooling all over it the day before Brady's cousin, Quinn comes to visit. In the week that follows Brady discovers that he can do strange and amazing feats that shouldn't even be humanely possible. He quickly realizes that he can do this because he was infected by long dormant microbes living on his meteorite that activated when he drooled all over it while sleeping. Unfortunately, Brady's new found skills had a dark side. The microbes started to shut down to protect themselves from Brady's immune system. This meant that as the microbes shut down, so did Brady. Once his body went completely dormant everyone thought he was dead so an  autopsy was to be performed to find out how he "died" when Brady wasn't dead. Fortunately, Quinn, Brady's neighbors the Carvers, and the meteor scientist know this so the come and rescue Brady from the autopsy table. They bring him to a cave that Brady and Quinn found during the week that Quinn visited and hide him there. The scientist then says that vinegar will kill the microbes so he squirts some up Brady's nose and Brady is saved.

I think that the theme of Go Big or Go Home is that not everything is what it seems. I think that because when Brady got the "superpowers" from the meteorite, he thought that it was totally awesome. Then he finds out that it's not so good after all when his body starts shutting down because of that. Also, Brady thought that the Carvers' dog was mean when he stole Brady's meteorite, but later on in the book Brady befriends the dog who eventually saves Brady's life. Those are some reasons why I think that  the theme of Go Big or Go Home is that not everything is what it seems.

I would suggest this book to other 7th grade readers because I thought that it had a good blend of sci-fi and adventure. The reason that I really wanted to read this book was because Brady got the superpowers from the microbes and he was able to do a lot of amazing stuff like vault over the head of a charging buffalo. I also liked it because near the end of the book, when the bad side effects of the microbes start taking place, I couldn't tear myself away from the book. The only bad part of the book, I thought, was that the ending was a little too perfect with Brady's near death disappearing into very convenient happy endings. Aside from the ending, I thought that the book was really good and I think that you will like it too.
 
I got the picture from http://cmjhlibrary.blogspot.com/2010/12/davis-cohens-book-review-of-go-big-or.html

Don't Fire the Cardiovascular System.

Dear Human Body Corporation:

How could you?! I give you all I can, and you're going to fire me? Well, here are three reasons why I think you should reconsider. Reason number one is that without me no oxygen would go to the other cells. Reason number two is that without me, the Respiratory System would be doing all that work for nothing. Reason number three is that waste would build up from all the other cells. Those are the three reasons why you should not fire me.

I will go a little more in depth on my reasons. Reason number one. Like I said there would be no Oxygen going to the other cells. Cells need oxygen to live. So no oxygen to the cells, and all the cells would die. And when all the cells die you would die. I don't think a random disintegration would be very good for your company, don't you?

Anyways on to reason number two. Without me, the Respiratory System would have do all their work for nothing. Without me, the Respiratory System would be spitting all that good nutritious oxygen out of the body with no one using it. And like I said before, no oxygen means the cells die. No cells and you die.

My third reason is that waste would build up from all the other cells. The waste would clog up the working rooms. No one would be able to work in such cramped conditions. Everything in your body would stop working . And, once again, you would die. ( You would die a lot without me.)

And that is why you should not fire me. I am now going to restate my three reasons just so they can get caught in your brain. Reason number one is that no oxygen would get to the other cells without me. Reason number two is that without me the Respiratory System would do all that work for nothing. Finally, reason number three is that waste from all the other cells would build up. So, if you decide to fire me, you have just made the worst decision of your life.

Sincerely,
the Cardiovascular System


 I got the picture from: http://tedheims.com/how-can-proargi9-be-so-miraculous-for-so-many-medical-issues/cardiovascular-system

Book Review: The Golem's Eye

In The Golem's Eye, book two of the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud,we find Nathanial, a high ranked wizard, in yet another adventure (as I said before, this is book two). Mayhem starts when a Golem attacks London. Nathanial and Bartimaus, the djini, must go to Prague to uncover the creator of the power scrolls that animate the Golems. While this is happening, a girl named Kitty, with a group called the Resistance, are planning to raid the tomb of Gladstone, a very powerful magician and the founder of London. While there all of  the members of the Resistance are killed by a crazy afrit entombed in the bones of Gladstone, except Kitty, who escapes with Gladstone's staff. . When Nathanial returns to London, he finds the afrit is going on a rampage around London searching for Kitty. So Nathanial, along with a lot of other magicians, send their demon servants (including Bartimaeus) to kill the afrit. Finally, when the afrit is killed, Nathanial goes to get the staff  back from Kitty only to have the Golem come back and try to kill him. Kitty comes and saves Nathanial by pulling the power scroll out of the Golem's mouth, and when the power scroll is pulled from the Golem's mouth the Golem returns to its master and crumbles to dust, So Nathanial and Bartimaeus decide to follow the Golem. They follow the Golem and discover that it was being used as a power play by Duvall, The Chief of Police. So for the recovery of the staff, and the discovery of the Golem's master, Nathanial is given the rank of Information Minister and Bartimaeus gets to return to the Other Place.

I think that the theme of The Golems Eye is to persevere and don't give up. I think this because Nathanial continued on his journey, even though he was falsely accused for telling London's secrets to foreign magicians. And I also think this because Kitty kept trying to beat the magicians even after everyone else in the Resistance was killed. One more reason that I think this is because Nathanial proved that all the attacks on London were from a Golem, not the Resistance. That is why I think the theme of The Golem's Eye is to persevere and don't give up.

I would suggest this book to other7th grade readers because I liked the characters in the book. Bartimaeus was probably my favorite character. Bartimaeus is a troublesome, enigmatic, and quick-witted djini. Bartimaeus always loves annoying Nathanial, his master. That is the main reason why I like Bartimaeus and I think you would like him too if you read the book.


I got the picture from http://www.killermovies.com/forums/f67/t318549.html

No Homework

I get so much homework, that I have to do it the whole time after I get home. There are three other reasons why I don't like homework. My first reason is that homework kills trees. My second reason is that we just get too much. My third and final reason is that we have enough school to learn already. These are the three reasons why we shouldn't have homework.

As I said before, homework kills trees. You think not? Well, what is homework made of? That's right, paper. And what is paper made of? Trees. What do trees make? Oxygen. So if you kill the trees to make homework, you're killing our oxygen supply. Do you really want that to happen? I thought not. Also, what if a little bird lived in that tree? When you chop down that tree, you destroy the home of that little bird. You see what I'm getting at, right? That's right, homework kills trees.

My second reason that I stated is that we just get too much homework. I get so much homework that I can't do anything else. I even have so much that I'm not done by the time I have to go to bed. I don't even have enough time to play with my family. Just as I said before, we just get too much homework.

My final reason is that we have enough school to learn what we need to. Don't you think so? You don't?! Well, put this idea into your head. We spend more time with the teachers at school than we do with our own family. Since we have that much time, shouldn't we be able to at least do the homework in class? See what I mean? We have enough school to learn already.

Those are the three reasons why I think we shouldn't have homework. 'What are my reasons,' you ask? Humph. You probably skipped to the back. Well, just for you, I will restate my reasons. My first reason was that homework kills trees. My second reason was that we just get too much. My third and final reason was that we have enough school to learn already. Well, now that I've stated all these reasons to you, it's time for me to do homework until I have to go to bed.  
I got this picture from http://feralfriendz.blogspot.com/2009/04/no-more-homework.html 

5 Paragraph Essay Practice

Jeremy, the Best Shark there Ever Was

When I grow up I think I'd make a great shark. I've always enjoyed swimming fast. One of my favorite things to do is jump completely out of the water. I even have some experience at stalking seals. I'm really good at swimming, I love meat, and I hate dolphins, therefore, I will be the best shark there ever was.

Swimming has always come naturally to me. There was a time when I swam for an hour without stopping. I'm always swimming in the ocean. Whenever I swim, I can't stop. Being able to swim is the first step along the path to becoming a shark.

Meat is another thing I really enjoy. It's so exciting to rip meat apart using only my teeth. When I'm eating meat I feel like eating more. I am to meat, what Pac-Man is to dots. Being able to eat meat for the rest of my life would be amazing!

Hating dolphins takes a special talent. I gained a lot of experience at hating dolphins by punching a stuffed one a home. I learned a lot about eating dolphins. For example, once I ate a ton of dolphin meat. The time I spent hating dolphins is sure to give me an advantage when it comes to becoming a shark.

The three most important ingredients required in order to become a successful shark are swimming, eating meat, and hating dolphins, and I've got them all! I want to eat more meat. I'm never so happy as when I'm in the midst of a feeding frenzy. It's like Ole' Great White said, "You act like a shark." When I swim I feel free, and that's why I'll be the best shark there ever was!

I got this picture from http://www.underwater.com.au/article.php/id/7395/

Book Rivew: Wild Man Island

In Wild Man Island, a book by the author Will Hobbs, we find 14-year old Andy stranded in the wilderness of Admiralty Island. After  leaving the kayak group to go to the place where his dad died, he is blown away by a storm. Once there, Andy must find what he needs to survive. After several days of trying to find food he meets a wild man on the island. Once he does find some food he meets the wild man's dog and gets a knife and a spear that are made of stone. After a long time of following the dog, Andy finds the wild man's hide out. Andy then explores a cave that he finds in the back of the hide out. After that, Andy meets the wild man again and gets off the island in a skin boat and nearly gets tipped over by a cruise boat, but they make it to land and Andy reunites with his mom and having learned a lesson.

The main theme in this book is "Be Prepared for Any Situation". An example of  this is when Andy wasn't prepared for a storm when he went away from his kayak group alone. He also wasn't prepared for getting stuck on an island with no way off. Nor was he prepared for seeing a cave man in modern times! But he learned that being prepared for anything is important by the time he was reunited with his mom. That is why I think that the theme of Wild Man Island is "Be Prepared for Any Situation".

I don't really like wilderness survival books but I would recommend this book to other 7th grade readers because I really liked the action sections. I really liked the action sections, because they kept me interested and reading the book all the way to the end. My favorite part was when I got to the section when Andy gets off the island. I was so excited I couldn't put the book down. Even though I'm not really a person who likes wilderness survival stories, I really liked Wild Man Island and I think you will like it too.

I got this picture from http://www.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/1/9780380733101.jpg