The Possibilities are endless when you are invisible for twenty-four hours. If I had the ability to become invisible, there would be many things that I would do. One of these things would be eavesdropping. I am a very nosy person, and always want to know what’s going on even if it doesn’t involve me. If I could go invisible, I would be able to closely listen in on conversations without getting caught. I would also use this super power to mess with my friends. If I could become invisible, I would not be able to resist scaring people. While it sounds immature, and it definitely is, think about how funny people’s reactions would be if I popped out of nowhere and scared the life out of them. Lastly, I would use this ability to sneak into places. For example, if I wanted to see a movie, I would just walk right into the theater without paying or getting caught. I could get into various places such as concerts, sporting events, and amusement parks without any fees. Since these places tend to be very expensive, I would save myself a ton of money.

“Swoosh!” The large, brisk waves crashed against the rocky shoreline. As I lay unconscious on the smooth pebbles, the crows which surrounded me, picked at my limbs as if I was a dead animal. When I awoke, I noticed that I had bruises and cuts all over my body from when I fell overboard. “Shoo! Go! Get!” I screamed with what little energy I had. Almost instantly, the ominous black birds took back to the skies. I must have bumped into something sharp on my way down from the ship because there was a large gash on my back which had cut through my now drenched jacket and shirt, leaving my bloody skin exposed to the chilly air. Where am I? I thought to myself as I looked around in a daze. The small island I was on, along with the others, were imposing and menacing. The jagged cliffs seemed to loom over me, making me feel diminutive. The island’s shore was made up of smooth pebbles and the thin and frail trees appeared to be getting larger the farther inland you went. Everything was covered with a blanket of white snow as if some great being was tucking the archipelago in for bed. As the sun set, my eyesight worsened. What were once boulders and trees now looked like demonic spirits in the darkness of the night. Then I saw it. A lone light in the distance. This singular light intrigued me and I got up off of the hard ground to explore. As I weakly limped over to this mysterious glow, it started to snow which reminded me of my caring father who would sprinkle sweet powdered sugar over my warm French toast as a child. However, this was neither sweet nor warm. When I got closer, I could see that the light was coming from a small and welcoming cabin. “What on earth?” I quietly muttered to myself. Maybe I wouldn’t be alone after all.

In January, I read the book Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. Ground Zero is a historical fiction book with two different stories inside of it. The first one takes place in New York City on September 11, 2001. After getting suspended from school for fighting, a third grader named Brandon is forced to go to his dad’s work since he can’t stay home alone. Brandon’s dad works on the highest story in the North Tower which is unfortunate because on this very day a plane unexpectedly crashes into the tower. This strikes terror into all of the citizens in and around the tower, and Brandon is left to try to escape and survive. The second story is about an eleven year old girl from Afghanistan named Reshmina, who has lived around war for her entire life. Due to this, Reshmina wishes for nothing but peace and harmony. After chaos breaks out in her village, Reshmina comes across an injured American soldier. Even though helping the soldier is the right thing to do, the decision gets tougher when Reshmina considers the fact that this could put her whole family in grave danger.

I enjoyed this book because of the action. I thought that the author did a great job of building suspense and making me feel as if I was there. However, I do wish that Alan Gratz had added some more sensory details throughout the whole book instead of just the action scenes. I found myself losing interest in the beginning and I believe that adding more details would have really taken this book the extra mile.

My favorite character was Brandon because of how faithful he is. I can prove this with a quote from page 53 that states, “‘Please, we need help,’ Brandon cut in, making them jump. ‘Four people. Trapped in an elevator. There’s a lot of smoke—‘“ This quote proves that Brandon is faithful because he stuck to his word, and went to get help. Brandon had previously been stuck in the elevator too, but he was the only one small enough to fit through the gap. While he could have just saved himself and escaped, he stayed true to his promise of finding help and saving everyone.

My favorite quote is on page 4 which reads, “‘We’re a team, he said. ‘We’re a team,’ his dad repeated. ‘That’s what we’ve always said. This is how we survive, right? Together. It’s you and me against the world.” I like this wholesome quote because it shows just how strong the relationship between Brandon and his dad truly is. In this scene Brandon’s dad goes out of his way to tell Brandon that he is there for him, and will always stay loyal.

As I got out of the car, the wind howled like a lonely wolf. I can’t believe these coaches scheduled practice at this time, it’s freezing! I thought to myself as I slowly made my way towards the turf. The night sky was blank and boring. No stars. No moon. No nothing. My frigid lacrosse stick felt as if it was freezing over and my hands and face were pinker than cherry blossoms. It was a relief that we weren’t playing in the rain, but was this piercing weather much better? “Hey! Over here!” I turned to see my friend already putting his gear on and I decided to join him. “Well this sucks,” I mumbled before letting out a fatigued yawn. I had put on the same gear hundreds of times before, but it had never felt so uncomfortable. “Okay, everyone huddle on me!” My coach bellowed and my best friend and I ran towards him along with the rest of the team. “I know it’s cold and late,” he started, “but I am glad that you are all here and ready on ti—“ Before he could finish, the last player on our team showed up, and walked over to where are bags were to put his gear on. “One player late. You know what that means.” The entire team groaned and some even cursed under their breath. “Everyone get into push-up position.” This was going to be a long night.