I don’t believe what Alex did today. That was amazing how he went after those criminals on motor bikes. Where did he learn to do that! The way he picked up bird seed and chucked it at the bikers. Then they got attacked by pigeons. Alex got that ladies purse back from the bikers when they crashed in the fountain. There is something about Alex. I don’t know what it is. I bet is has something to do with the reason why he is out of school for long periods of time. He can’t possibly be sick that long. I’ve heard the rumors. I don’t believe he’s a thief. There is something about Alex.

I can’t believe I’m in a hospital. It’s all because of that stupid car crash and Marco. I shouldn’t have gone to a party with him, none of this would’ve happened. He was driving and the next thing I know I’m in a hospital. The worst part is that the doctor amputated my leg!! It feels so…weird. Sometimes it even makes me want to cry just thinking about everything. Sure, my friends come to visit me, but there’s always an awkward silence between us and I think it’s because of my leg. No, I know it’s because of my leg. Being alone in an empty room all day got me to think that no one wants me anymore. At least, no one acts the same around me anymore. Sure my friends visit, but we just don’t talk like we used to anymore. They lie to me, talk behind my back…All because I have half a leg? My parents too, I guess they don’t really know what to say sometimes, but I start to think that I’m not as important to them anymore. Or maybe I’m wrong, I just never thought about those people like that…Marco didn’t even say sorry… ’Cause this is his entire fault anyway. Does anyone care?

(In Izzy’s head.)

If I had to choose one companion from the Novel The Long Way Home I would without a doubt select Josh; reason being that he is willing to potentially end his existence in order to help you.  As an illustration, the main character, Charlie, needed to find information that could lead to finding out who framed him for the murder of Alex, his best friend.  Without thinking twice, Josh comes up with the idea to go to the school where Alex used to go, and find out what Alex was planning on doing the night he was brutally murdered.  But here’s the catch: Josh was wearing a hidden microphone and camera so that Charlie could see and hear everything that he was doing.  Eventually, Josh almost gets wrecked by Alex’s thug friends, and that could have terminated pessimistically, thus Josh risking his life for the sake of his friends.  But this is not the only thing Josh has done for Charlie.  He practically begged Charlie to let him help him.  But Charlie would also make a great friend because he knew how much trouble his friends could get into for helping a convicted murderer.  Back to Josh, he realized how much trouble he could get into from the start, and he was willing to take that risk. I don’t know about you but I think only a true friend would do that.-Adam S

“Sometimes I wish someone would invent a pill so David’d wake up one morning without autism, like someone waking up from a coma, and he’d say, ‘Jeez, Catherine, where have I been?’ And he’d be a regular brother like Melisa has – a b­­­­­­­­­­rother who’d give back as much as he took, who I can joke with, even fight with.”(8)

This quote is very significant. It explains a lot of how Catherine feels about her brother, David, who has autism.  She wishes her brother was like any other little brother without autism. Catherine writes down rules for David so he knows what to do and when to do it. For example, flush, when you burp say excuse me, or when someone is watching T.V, don’t stand in front of it while they are watching. Her brother doesn’t always know what to say or do without rules. He also needs to do things on a regular schedule and does not handle change well.  Catherine realizes “But there’s no pill, and our quarrels fray instead of knot, always ending in him crying and me sorry for hurting over something he can’t help.”(8) She loves her brother and she feels bad when she hurts him. He can’t help if he doesn’t understand every social interaction. Catherine realizes that his situation with autism will never change.

Dear diary,

I am so excited to see Josh tomorrow! Even though I always freak out and start relating everything I say to my super spy classes, which josh can’t know about. My mom was a super spy and everyone thinks she was the best! My dad was a spy too but he was killed in a mission and everyone knows its cause he messed up.  Now my moms the headmaster of Gallagher Academy and I’m a student. The thing is the academy is a spy school only knows one on the outside knows.”I Cameron Morgan, the headmistresses daughter…”(16) so my mom is everyone’s boss and she’s in charge of keeping the secret  the secret of my school the one that was kept for 100 years that we were a spy school. And josh can never know he has to think I’m a catholic school girl whose parents are in the peace corp. not a super spy. I can’t believe that I’m going to see him again and not be able to really get to know him its going to be all lies never truth but as they say a spy is only as good as her cover and right now mine was amazing and no one will ever know.

~Cammie <3

I would love to be friends with Kate. She is a very unique girl and she is very talented with tools. Every time her friends need help, she is always prepared with whatever is needed to save them. Kate helps the her friends again, “She emerged from the heating duct with a large horseshoe magnet—one of the several useful items she kept stored in her bucket—and in no time had stood it upright and propped open the window with it. ‘That should stay,’ Kate said with satisfaction, as wonderfully cool air drifted into the room, ‘but just to be sure…’ From her pocket she produced a length of clear fishing twine, one end of which she tied to her magnet and the other to her wrist. ‘This way if the magnet slips I won’t have to fetch it later.’ All of this took Kate perhaps twenty seconds to accomplish”(10-11). It is so amazing how Kate can accomplish things in small amounts of time that most people wouldn’t even be able to think of. If Kate and I were friends, if I asked her to do anything, she would probably be able to do it, and that would be pretty cool. Also, she has a pet peregrine falcon named Madge, who she has trained to be tame! I would love to be able to play with a very smart peregrine falcon. On the other hand, I would not want to be friends with Constance. Though all the characters in the book are fond of her, she can be very grumpy. After all, she is only three years old, and even though she is a genius, I wouldn’t usually be a close friend to a three-year-old. Constance is also a very stubborn girl, if she’s set on one thing, you won’t be able to change her mind. I dislike people like that because if you are in an argument, you will never work anything out. All in all, I would like Kate as a friend because of her resourcefulness and skill, but I would not like Constance as a friend because of her grumpiness and stubbornness.

(From the point-of-view of the man holding the boy)(The man is thinking)

I can’t believe I finally found fresh meet! (He is talking about the child). I don’t think his father/guardian will actually shoot that gun. I think he is bluffing. I can’t take that risk though. I am going to slowly reach for my knife. If he tries anything funny I will kill the child. I should try to warn the rest of the gang about their appearance.  Anyway, if he shoots they will hear him. I know this because there is no silencer on his weapon. He also only has two bullets in his gun. While I have multiple cartridges of ammo. I also have knives with me, so that is another advantage. Oh no! (The man shot him) I can see my life flashing before my eyes. The pain I am feeling is extraordinary.

In the past week I have read Fang by James Patterson.  This is the fifth installment in the Maximum Ride series and the only one fully focused on Fang.  Fang seems like a good friend because he is very reliable.  Max and the gang depend on him in a major way.  Half way through a new bird kid comes along, supposedly designed to be Max’s perfect other half.  Fang feels majorly pressured by him, and along with Angel’s newest prediction that Fang will be the first to die.  He then runs away to keep the Flock out of danger.  This shows him being unselfish.  Fang would be a good friend to have.

~Brendan Mc

Dear Diary,

It’s all over now, Adrians plan worked. At first, I thought it was horrible what he did but now actually it saved the world. It was the most evil thing anyone could have ever done, but it made peace in the world. A lot of crazy things happend though in Antarticia, trying to stop Adrian from what he was doing. We couldn’t tell anyone that it was Adrian, or more fighting would start. He killed half of the world and killed millions, to save billions. Rorshach went to tell the world, but Dr.Manhatten stopped Rorschach, and well killed him. After that, Adrian basically framed Dr.Manahtten for what happend, so now Dr. Manhatten lives on Mars. I don’t think he is ever going to come back to earth now, he is just alone in Mars. I now live with Laurie, although we changed our names, to preserve our idenites. Thank god that Lauries mother, Silk Specture I, is safe and did not die from it. As many bad things happend in recent weeks, everything turned out for the better and I am glad I am safe now.

Dan

To whoever this may concern,

I believe that Friedrich, by Hans Peter Richter, should be turned into a movie. I support this opinion because the novel has lots of action and a very interesting plot. For action, one scene would go like this: Friedrich and his family are playing cards at a table in the middle of the room. Suddenly, they hear a hoard of people running up the stairs to their apartment. The door bursts open. Fellow villagers bombard and destroy their house. They throw beds, stoves refrigerators, couches, and more out the window. They smash lamps, cups, bowls and eating utensils on the floor. In the midst of this pogrom, Friedrich and his father hear a woman moaning. The woman is Friedrich’s mother! They take her to a private room, now filled with nothing, once the crowd dies out. They try to regain her health but do not succeed. Personally, I think that this is a great scene to include in the movie. Also, I think the plot is very cool. Friedrich is a Jew from Germany in the 1930s-1940s being persecuted by everybody around him. You can have some freedom and expand on this topic in the movie. Thank you for your generous time and attention to my letter.

Sincerely,

Sammy C