In March I read the book Code of Honor by Alan Gratz. Code of Honor is a realistic fiction book about a kid named Kamran Smith, a senior and star running back of East Phoenix High School. For Kamran, life until now has been going great. He played a great football game, he is the prom king, and his best friend got them tickets to the Super Bowl. However, at the prom Kamran is accused of being a terrorist since him and his brother are half Iranian. This escalates into a large fight which results in Kamran’s mother coming to pick him up from the school. This is when she drops the news about Kamran’s brother, Darius, claiming to be a terrorist in a video he posted. Suddenly, all of Phoenix is against Kamran and his family, but Kamran refuses to believe his brother is a terrorist, and tries to find anyone who believes the same.

I really enjoyed this book because of the way that Alan Gratz worded it so that Kamran actually sounded like a high schooler. Often times authors make the children in books sound too mature for their age, but Alan does a great job of writing like a high schooler. There is great description throughout the book, however, some of the fighting in the beginning can get repetitive leaving me to feel as if I read the same thing twice.

My favorite character was Kamran’s down to earth friend, Adam because of how impartial he is. The text states on page 31, “‘That part’s stupid,’ Adam admitted. ‘But, Kamran, you have to understand how everybody else sees your brother. He basically went on TV and said ‘I’m a terrorist.’” This shows that he is able to see both perspectives of this situation, and he is trying to help his friend Kamran do the same. He doesn’t think that Darius is a terrorist, but he knows that other people might because of the evidence given.

My favorite quote is on page 39, “1) Be the strongest of the strong. 2) Be the bravest of the brave. 3) Help the helpless. 4) Always tell the truth. 5) Be loyal. 6) Never give up. 7) Kill all monsters. We were big on killing monsters. Darius and I had solemnly signed the bottom of the paper in our grade school cursive. If we could have signed it in blood, we would have.” I like this quote because throughout the book I was hoping that Darius wasn’t actually a terrorist, and when I came across this quote, I felt as if it was proof of him being innocent.

If I could have any job in the world, I would be an architect. Firstly, being an architect pays well. The average salary for an architect in California is around 100 thousand dollars a year. Assuming that I continue to get better, my annual salary will increase. While I won’t be the next Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, this salary is enough for me to live a great life and take care of myself. Secondly, this job allows me to be creative. I don’t think I would enjoy working at a job that gives me no creative freedom. As an architect, I would be allowed to design buildings and structures however I wanted to as well as giving them my own creative twists. The final reason would be to see the final results of my projects. I don’t think I would be able to even fathom seeing my drawings come to life. The amount of happiness I would have knowing that something I drew and created made it into the real world and is now helping someone out there would be unreal.

This month I read the realistic fiction book Two Degrees, by Alan Gratz. Two Degrees has three different stories inside of it. The first one is about a thirteen year old girl named Akira who lives in the Sierra Nevada, California. While out on her regular Saturday morning horseback riding, Akira and her dad notice smoke. However, they think nothing of it and continue on with their day. This later comes back to bite them as Akira, her father, and some strangers they recently met find themselves in the midst of the flames which quickly spread. They are forced to let their horses go, and try to survive. The second story is about two best friends in eighth grade named George and Owen which takes place in Churchill, Manitoba. Owen and George were going to spend their weekend in George’s family’s cabin. However, this vacation is cut short after an angry mother polar bear mauls Owen and George before they can even reach the cabin. Injured, weak, and lost, George and Owen must use all of their senses to survive and hopefully make it back to town. The last story is about a seventh grade girl named Natalie Torres who lives in Miami, Florida. As Hurricane Rueben builds up, so does Natalie’s anxiety despite her mom telling her to calm down. She and her mother, try to hide from the storm in their house, but when the waters flood her house, Natalie is left outside and forced to compete with the elements and survive.

I really enjoyed this book because of the humor. Despite these being fairly serious topics, Alan Gratz found a way to keep it funny and entertaining. Instead of feeling sad while reading, Alan kept it upbeat and I even found myself laughing at some of the jokes. The author did a great job at making the characters come to life in this book, and I definitely recommend it.

My favorite character in the book was George because of how loyal he is to Owen. I can prove this with a quote from page 96 which reads, “The booming sound startled Owen awake and made Momma Bear flinch. She looked back over her shoulder, and Owen looked with her. It was George!” This quote proves Georges loyalty because despite being seriously injured, he still gets up to save his friend from being killed. George had been swatted in the head by the mother polar bear which was now attacking Owen, but he put Owen’s life first and he saved him.

My favorite quote is on page 16 which states, “Akira’s dad grabbed her and lifted her off Dodger, and she sobbed guiltily. ‘No! Dodger! She cried, reaching out for him.” I like this quote because it shows just how much of a bond Akira and her horse have. Even though Akira knows leaving Dodger is the right move, she just can’t part with him without feeling guilty.

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.

The quote in my title is from the third Harry Potter book, The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. I interpret the second half of the quote as meaning two different things. The first thing that this could mean is trying to view bad things in a different perspective. When you look into a dark room, you may see dark lumps or shadowy figures. However, when you turn on the lights, you realize that you are really just looking at some clothes, a chair, or maybe some toys which is a lot less intimidating. On days where I come home from school stressed about homework or projects that are almost due, it helps to take a second and think about what I actually have to work on. By mentally turning on the lights, I often find that the work is not as imposing as I made it seem in my head. The other thing that turning on the lights could mean is focusing on the bright things in life. When you’ve had a bad day, a way to cheer yourself up is to point out all of the good things. I often do this when something bad has happened that is beyond my control since there really isn’t much that you can do.

Somebody I look up to as my hero is Rivers Cuomo. Firstly, Rivers attended Harvard University. Harvard is an extremely prestigious college which has an acceptance rate of three percent. Despite dropping out, he later re-enrolled and graduated. My family and I take education seriously, so I really respect someone who has the perseverance to go back to college to get a degree. Rivers Cuomo is also the lead vocalist and guitarist of one of my favorite bands of all time, Weezer. Weezer is a popular rock band with many hit songs that started in 1992. This shows that not only is he smart, but he is also creative since he is able to right his own lyrics and music. Another reason that he is my hero is that he is still performing and making music. It impresses me that someone who started a band in the early nineties is still performing thirty two years later. I saw a Weezer concert in September and they were absolutely incredible, and didn’t sound washed out at all.

My word of intention for 2024 is tranquility. I would like to keep my stress at an all time low this year, and there are many things that I can do to achieve this goal. I want to stop procrastinating on homework and school projects. Instead of waiting until the last minute, I will instead bring myself to work on it as soon as it is assigned. This will stop me from freaking out about the due date, knowing that the assignment is already done. Another thing that I will do is only focus on things that I have control over. I wasted a lot of time and energy in 2023 because I worried about things that weren’t in my power. Thinking about things I do have control over will make me feel as if I am in charge of my life, and have power. If I do start to get anxious I will do something such as draw, read, or take my dog on a walk to take away from the stress. I often find myself getting overwhelmed by my thoughts, so doing something to put me at ease is a great way to cope with the anxiety. If I do my best to actually bring myself to do these things, it will be a very peaceful year.