Matched and Hunger Games

Author's Note: For my prediction piece I wrote about Cassia and Ky in the book Matched. I also wrote about how Cassia and Ky reminds me of Katniss and Peeta from the Hunger Games.

In the first book of the Matched trilogy, Matched there are people who selected everything for you. For example: Who you will marry, what you will eat every day, and when you will die. Cassia is the main character and after she is matched to Xander Carrow, her best guy friend , in the informational card with Xander’s face on it, but instead of Xander’s face another person’s face shows up. Cassia recognized the face on the card. It was Ky Markham. From that moment on she started having feelings for him. Towards the end of the book Cassia thinks she makes the right decision but it unfortunately it ends badly. Ky is sent away. I think that in the next book Cassia will go against everybody else to go and search for Ky. I think Cassia will go look for him because she knows what he went through and also Cassia loves Ky. She will do anything to find him. 

This story reminds me of the Hunger Games when the Gamemaker announces that there could be two victors from the same district. Katniss starts to search for Peeta because she doesn’t want to die and she doesn’t want Peeta to die. She ends up finding Peeta under a rock with a cut in his leg. She nurses him back to health, she heals his leg, and they end up winning the Hunger Games. 

Character Developement

Author's Note: This piece is about character development. When I wrote this piece I wrote about Cole from the book Touching Spirit Bear and how his anger and attitude developed throughout the story. Also I wrote how Cole was similar to the character Roger in the story Than You Ma'am. In the last paragraph I explained what I learned from the character(s). 

In the beginning of Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikealson, the main character Cole has uncontrollable anger issues and an awful attitude. However, throughout the story, Cole learns how to control his anger and develops a better perspective on life, instead of having a bad attitude about it. Because Cole is physically abused by his dad, naturally Cole is a bully himself and feels unloved.  As the story unfolds, Cole starts to realize that he is loved by his mom and that people genuinely care about him. Throughout the book Cole grew up and matured in the wilderness of Alaska while on his one year banishment.

Ever since Cole was mauled over by the huge white spirit bear, he gained a respect for animals and people. Over the six long months it took him to recover from his traumatic experience with the spirit bear, his mother came to visit him frequently. Cole never felt that his mom ever loved him because when his dad beat him, mom never did anything to bring an end to the physical abuse. She just watched it happen and stood idle. He learned through many conversations they had, in the hospital, that his mother really does love him and that she felt her hands were tied when it came to the abuse.

In addition to Cole being mauled by a bear and finding out his mother loved him, he recovered “the circle”, a special type of court, and had another meeting. It was decided that Cole had to go back to the lonely, Alaskan island. As soon as Cole arrived at the island, Garvey has Cole re-build the cabin he burned the last time he was there. Garvey would wake Cole up every morning before sunrise and make him soak in the water. After wading in the water for some time, Cole carried a boulder, which represents his ancestors, up a large hill. When he got to the top, Garvey shouted, “this rock is your anger, now push your anger away.”

The book, Touching Spirit Bear, reminded me of Roger from the story Thank You, Ma’am. In Thank You Ma’am, the main character Roger, determined to buy a pair of new shoes, decides to steal a women’s purse but the purse breaks and he stumbles backward and hits the ground. The victim, a woman, takes him by his shirt collar to her home and teaches him a quick lesson about “right and wrong”. After she teaches Roger to be nice, she gives him ten dollars. He went from being a disrespectful, sneaky, unclean, determined thief, to a nice, trusted boy. Likewise, Cole was an angry, sneaky, impertinent bully and developed into a better person as well. In the end, he respected animals and people, as well as earned everyone’s  trust .

What if Cole’s attitude stayed the same in the book? His hatred, anger, and violence would have landed him in jail, and he would have been bailed out by his mom again and again. He would have beat up another kid and it would have been a continuous cycle. Likewise, Roger would’ve bought a gun with the ten dollars and found another victim to rob. The story line for Thank You Ma’am wouldn’t make any sense and confuse the reader because the story is about a kid, Roger, turning his life around. Both stories show that people can change for the better because of an event that happened in their life. It just takes time.

Conflict & Resolution.

Author's Note: In this conflict and resolution piece I went more in depth in explaining the conflict resolution.  The main conflict is Katniss vs. The Capitol and the gamemakers. 

One of the many conflicts was Katniss vs. The Capitol and the gamemakers.  The Capitol controlled all the districts and made  them work while the capitol got to enjoy all of the luxuries.  The Capitol also controlled The Hunger Games and sent well over a thousand children over the past 74 years  to kill each other. As the tributes treated it as a celebration they did  not care  about the mass-murders that were going to happen.  

Since Katniss was a tribute, she was disgusted by all of that and tried to defy  the Capitol. The gamemakers and the capitol changed the rules so that two tributes  from the same district could win. Katniss and Peeta waited for the capitol to crown them victors, but at the last minute the capitol declared that only one  person could win. The resolution to the conflict was when Katniss and Peeta were going to kill themselves so there wouldn’t be a victor. By doing this the capitol and the gamemakers were forced to crown them both victors. In the end she  started an uprising and rebellion of the districts.

Cause & Effect.

Author's Note: In this cause and effect piece I wrote about the Hunger Games and how the capitol effected the Huger Games and the districts. 

The book The Hunger Games the cause is the capitol created 13 districts. All the districts rebelled against the capitol. Only district 13 was destroyed by bombs and as a result everyone in that district died. Now only 12 districts remain in the country of Panem.

The effect of this cause is the capitol formed the Hunger Games.  In the games there is two representatives from each district between the ages of 12 and 18.  24 children battle to their death until one person remains standing. They are crowned as the victor of the annual Hunger Games. The capitol created the Huger Games to show the districts that they have complete control everyone in Panem.  If the Hunger Games did not take place the capitol would be forced to choose 24 people, randomly execute 23 of them, and have each district watch.

Patriot Pen Essay

Author's Note: In this writing piece I made my thesis clear about what I would tell the founding fathers. I also wrote this Patriot Pen Essay in letter format.

Dear Founding Fathers,

Have you ever wondered how this great nation of ours has progressed over the years since the founding of our country? Many things have changed over the years since you founded this great nation such as criminal laws, government debt, and voting laws. Yes, we have come a long way, and some of the changes that have occurred since your time have been for the better.  However, there may be some changes that will come as a surprise to you.

Back when you founded the United States in the early 1770s, there were very few laws at all except when it came to crime. Back in the days, when a citizen committed a crime, the consequence was simple. Their punishment consisted of being hanged, being shot to death, or being crushed by stones. Today, the judicial branch of our government has various laws that allow criminals the right to a fair trial, which determines their punishment. This change has resulted in overcrowded prisons, which is a comfortable life for many of these prisoners. Also, the need for prisons costs our government billions of dollars a year.  

In addition, since you founded this great country, the Federal Reserve has devalued the US dollar by 95% since the year 1913. As a result of that, the US has built up a national debt. Today, our government has compiled this debt, and it is rapidly approaching 14 trillion dollars! Unless the government stops spending, the number could increase to 18.3 trillion dollars by the year 2021. Can you believe it?

On a happier note, voting laws have changed significantly over the years. Mr. Washington when you ran for president in the year 1789, only white men with property could vote. Everyone else including poor people, women, Native Americans, and enslaved African Americans were not allowed to vote. It wasn't until after the 1920's that everyone in the United States, if you were over 18 and a citizen, had gained the right to vote. It was really a change for the better.

Although some of the changes that have taken place over the years may have come as a surprise to you, I want you to know that I am grateful for this magnificent country you started and the ideas you established that we could build from.  I am proud of our nation and proud to be a citizen of the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Kaitie Scanlan

Cause & Effect

Author's Note: This writing piece is about the main cause and effect in the story The Hundredth Dove.

In the story The Hundredth Dove there is a few causes and effects but the main one is about Hugh and the doves. The cause in the story is when Hugh was summoned by the King. When he was summoned, the King told Hugh to catch 100 doves for the wedding. The Queen did not want doves but the King insisted. On the first day Hugh caught 21 doves and one white dove. The white dove slipped threw the net. Hugh wasThe determined to catch that one white dove. On the night before the wedding Hugh had captured the small white dove, the hundredth dove.

The little white dove pleaded to be let go, she even told Hugh that the Queen would be his if he let her go. He was not a fool and did not fall for her tricks because he saw the engagement ring around the dove's foot. As he saw the ring he envisioned the Queen it made him very angry. The effect was he snapped the white dove's neck and the next day there was no wedding.  Hugh quit his job and  never saw another dove again. 

Just Keep Swimming...

Author's Note: This is a Personal Narrative piece that was based on the prompt "Did something I now do every day." I worked on improving my introduction. To improve my introduction I opened with a setting.


 I sat on the wooden ledge of my neighbor’s pool as I gazed into the clear calm water. In my eyes as a two-year-old, the pool was intimidating, although it looked like an enormous bath tub. I wanted to jump in so badly! Instead of jumping in I stuck my "little" big toe into the water. I never knew, after that moment I stuck my toe in the water, how much "big bath tubs" became a part of my life.

 Shortly after that, I turned 3 and I started swim lessons at Healthbridge Fitness in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Once a week, for two years, I was overly excited to go to swim lessons. Every week when mom brought me to Healthbridge, I eagerly jumped into the pool to learn how to swim all those strokes that I saw all the big kids swim. I will never forget the day that I gave my “lady” instructor a bloody nose. It was the first day that my group got to swim in the "big pool" and learn the backstroke. The instructor told us to push off the wall and do three strokes on our back. After about four people I was next. I placed my little hands on the wall crouched my legs up to my chest and accelerated backwards. Immediately after I pushed off the wall my head collided with her nose. She clasped her bloody nose, jumped out of the pool and scurried to the locker room. Because I was just a 4 year old, I didn't think anything of it, except that I gave her a bloody nose. Now, 9 years later, I realized that she was the one who stood behind me and said, "push off the wall."

 The winter after I turned 5, I joined my first competitive swim team. The name of the team was The Woodstock Dolphins. Over the years of swimming for the Dolphins, I improved my strokes and my times. I will never forget when I heard the elongated whistle blow. I stood on the starting blocks and I grabbed the front of the block when the official calmly said, "take your mark." As the loud beep from the starter buzzed in my ears, I jumped forward off the block and sprinted down my lane. I was so nervous because I was swimming next to one of my best friends in lane 6. I was gunning it in lane 7. I did my final turn and exploded off the wall. In that instant, I had no idea that I was out in front of everyone else. As I touched the wall and looked up at the scoreboard, I found my name and ran my eyes across the board. My time read 1:22.17. I placed first in the group I was swimming in but not sure of where I place overall in the event. I was so nervous! I walked slowly toward the podium not certain of what place I had received overall. They called off 8th place, and then 7th place. By the time the announcer called off 3rd place I was really kind of disappointed because I thought didn't place. Then all of a sudden they called my name for 2nd place. I was ecstatic! They honored me with a red rose and slipped a second place medal around my neck. For a minute, I felt like an Olympian. Over the next two years I had no idea what my future swimming plans would be because the swim team was collapsing. I was crushed! 

Then something amazing happened. Last year my family had to move to Wisconsin because of a job opportunity for my dad. Lucky for me because that meant I was moving to a new swim team too! But where was I going to swim? I really wasn’t sure what we would find in southeastern Wisconsin, and I was hoping there was a better swim team out there for me. Then my dad found it! They called themselves “Express”. I was so nervous the first day I swam with the new team at a meet in Wisconsin. When I arrived at the meet, the coaches were very welcoming and the swimmers were kind. July marked my one year anniversary with the Waukesha Express team and in just over a year, I have made astonishing accomplishments. One that I am most proud of is my 22nd place finish at the Wisconsin State Meet in the 100 Meter Breaststroke. I felt pretty awesome after I had such a fantastic finish.

 I never had thought that the day I stuck my “little” big toe into the pool that I would come so far in swimming. I am so glad that I took up swimming as a sport and one day I want to make it into the Olympic trials and maybe make the USA Olympic team. Look out here I come!

Conflict & Resolution

Author's Note: This piece is about the conflict in The Hundredth Dove and how the conflict gets resolved.


The conflict is that Hugh could not catch the white dove because it kept escaping through the holes in the net. Which is person vs. nature/ person vs. person because the white dove is the kings fiancé. After five days and five nights Hugh still could not capture the white dove, Hugh was determined to catch her.

 The conflict was resolved on the night before the Kings wedding. Hugh waited patiently in the forest waiting for the white dove to show up, and when she did arrive Hugh flung the net on top of her. He grasped the dove firmly with both hands. The white dove pleaded to be let go, but Hugh did not let go. After the last thing the dove said Hugh felt rage throughout his body and that led him to snap the white doves’ neck.

Book Retelling

Author's Note: This is a retelling of the book The Knife of Never Letting Go. Every one on the New World can here each others "noise" but when Todd Hewitt finds a patch of silence he flees his town. A war begins and it's all because of Todd.  I recommend this book to people who like reading a fictional book that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to read more

You Are Next

Author's Note: This is a fictional narrative that I wrote about myself and "my best friend" Tessa, she gets murdered and I am next. I wrote this story because I think it's more interesting than just writing a standard narrative piece.


It all started on a beautiful October 16th morning in North Dakota when I found my best friend, Tessa Alkone, in the middle of a forest dead. Tessa looked peaceful like she just laid down in the leaves and died. The moment I touched Tessa’s face her life flashed before my eyes and then instantly went away. In that split second I realized it wasn’t a natural cause that killed Tessa, she was murdered. From the moment when I touched Tessa’s cheek I never knew that I was going to be murdered next.

Exactly 2 months after Tessa’s murder…

On December 16th, 2012 at 9:01am I was at the coffee shop on the corner of 5th and 7th street when all of a sudden I received an unexpected text from an unknown number. The text was in big bold letters and it said, “YOU ARE NEXT.” I had no idea what that meant at that instant and I became a little bit scared. Behind me I could hear someone calling my name and it sounded like Tessa. It ended up being my mom coming to pick me up to go talk to the NCIS about how Tessa died. When we arrived at the NCIS headquarters we waited for someone to explain to us what happened to Tessa. The autopsy showed that she was poisoned. Poisoned by a Black Widow spider. “Of course she was killed with spider venom because she was deathly afraid of spiders.” I mumbled. It’s a good thing no one heard that or I would’ve been dead in an instant.


Over a period of 4 weeks I kept getting the same exact text every day at the same time I got the first one. Until one day in December where I got a somewhat different text that said, “ YOU ARE NEXT. HE IS COMING FOR YOU.” I thought to myself, “who is coming for me?, what do they want with me?, and why am I next?” And just like Tessa, I didn’t tell anyone about the texts. After winter break was over there was a new student that showed up. Her name was Jasper Latesse. I had suddenly forgotten about Tessa and now Jasper had taken Tessa’s place. The next day when I woke up I saw an unexpected text that said, “Meet me in the middle of the forest where the campfire is at 9:01 a.m. sharp or your family DIES.” Chills ran down my spine as I read the text from the unknown number.


I sprinted outside to the middle of the forest where the campfire was, just like the text said. I glanced at the time on my phone and it changed to 9:01am. In that instant a boy dropped out of the trees and landed spot on the campfire, it was a miracle he didn’t break his legs! He just stood there for what seemed like 10 minutes. Then abruptly he asked in a calm voice, “Are you ready to die?” That question caught me off guard and the words just rang through the air like a siren. “Answer one question before you kill me, why did you kill Tessa?” I asked. He replied, “It was her time, just like now is your time.” His voice echoed through the cold, crisp air. I just stood there and grinned, “Give it your best shot!”


He started charging at me, and I just stood there and smiled and as he was a foot away I punched him right in the nose! Blood started trickling down his face and onto his shirt, he spat the blood out of his mouth and said, “They told me you were going to be difficult.” “Who are they?” I exclaimed and punched again but harder right his ribcage. He knelt on the ground and seized his hands on his ribs and gasped for air and he spoke. “They” are a group of people that decide who will live and who will die next.” Then he got up and grabbed my arms and put them behind my back. He reached in his back pocket and took out a gun and held it up to my head and whispered in my ear, “ It’s going to be alright. Just close your eyes.” Before he could finish, I twisted my arms around him and put him and a choke hold and put his hands in cuffs. I whispered coldly in his ear, “I’m not going to die today,” and snapped his neck.


Suddenly I heard the blare of a alarm and I shot out of bed! I adjusted myself, rubbed my eyes, and peered at the time. My alarm clock read 6:30am, and it was time to get up for school. I quickly grabbed my phone and checked my texts. I quickly scrolled through my texts while my heart pounded in my chest. The only text that appeared in the inbox was from Tessa. It was sent at 10:30 p.m. and the text read “Sweet dreams.”

Bowling

Author's Note: When I wrote this piece it made me think of when I was little.

I remember the first time I went bowling with my friends. I was around the age of 10. I didn’t know how to bowl so I used the bumpers and just swung the ball down the alley. I ended up hitting 8 pins, I was ecstatic. I was determined to get a spare but ended up hitting one of the pins. After about a year I didn’t need to use bumpers and last year I got my first turkey, three strikes in a row.

Dragons

Author's Note: For this writing piece my group and I decided to write about dragons. I wrote about a Dragon named Willow and her best friend.

Once upon a time there lived a dragon named Willow, who loved pillows and willows even more than she loved Sarah (which was a lot, even more than she did Kaitie, which was also a lot). Willow lived in the tallest castle on the highest mountain. Willow was the princesses guard. Together they would have pillow fights and travel the world together. They were the best of friends until one day a wicked wizard turned Willow into a willow tree. The princess was so upset she asked the wizard to transform her into a tree. The princess and the dragon became willow trees and lived like that their whole lives.

Coyotes

Author's Note:My group and I decided to write about coyotes. In this writing piece I worked on using descriptive words.

One morning I woke up and there were animal footprints all over the floor. I jumped out of bed and raced to the living room. There right in the center of the room lay a baby coyote cuddle up on a bundle of pillows. I wondered where the baby coyotes’ mother was and why it was in the middle of the living room. I crept closer to the coyote and realized it was lying not only on pillows but on ice cream. How did it manage to get the ice cream out of the freezer to the living room? Then I felt steaming hot breath on my back and water dripping down my spine slowly. I spun on my heels so fast I felt light headed. Inches away from my face was an enormous snout drooling on me. As the drool hit my face it felt cool like the first rainfall in spring. That was when I woke up from that dream.

Semantic Devices

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/scankai17-1409000-semantic-devices/

Heaven on Earth

Author's Note: Have you ever read a book about someone who has died and gone to heaven, then after a short amount of time comes back to life? In this story, a child dies and visits heaven, then comes back to life. After this happens his dad thought that his child's life story about going to heaven would be a good book to write about.



When have you ever imagined what happens to you when you die? The author of Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo, summarizes in his book real life events that happened to his son, Colton, during his three minute experience with death. In his book, Burpo’s description of his son’s brief experience in heaven is very similar to what we experience here on Earth. In addition, while I was reading this book, I made a connection to another book I read called 90 Minutes in Heaven.

What do the words thrones, gold, rainbows, light, people, and war, remind you of? According to Colton, Todd’s son, heaven consists of all these great wonders. You might wonder why would there be war in heaven? It is supposed to be a peaceful place, a place where everything is just perfect. Based on this true story, Colton tells his father that “when you go to heaven the men have to fight monsters with either a bow and arrow or a sword and the women and children get to watch." "There’s going be a war, and it’s going to destroy this world. Jesus and the angels and the good people are going to fight against Satan and the monsters and the bad people. I saw it.” (136) The experience, as Colton describes it, is very similar to what we experience on Earth today: war, good versus evil, kings, rainbows. The irony of it, is that we experience it in a different way here on Earth as human beings, than we would in “heaven”.

Consequently in the book, Heaven is for Real, Colton shares unique facts about heaven that are very similar to those mentioned in the book, 90 Minutes in Heaven. The one that stood out in my mind in particular, is the fact that there is no such thing as “old” in heaven. Burpo explains in his book, “This is how I remember Pop, I said. Colton took the frame, held it in both hands, and gazed at the photo for a minute or so. I waited for his face to light up in recognition, but didn’t. In fact, a frown crinkled the space between his eyes and he shook his head. Dad nobody's old in heaven, Colton said. And nobody wears glasses.”(121) I thought to myself that what Colton describes must be true because I recall reading a book called 90 Minutes in Heaven where the main character, Don Piper, describes a similar experience when he encounters heaven. In his book, Piper dies for a brief time and goes to heaven. He wrote about his trip and described his brief ninety minute encounter while he walked through the heavenly paradise. He was greeted by those he knew in this life, all of whom were (quite conveniently), the same age as they were when he had last known them.

In addition to both characters experiencing agelessness in heaven, these two books have something else in common. Colton’s dad, Todd, is a pastor by profession. Similarly, Don Piper is a Baptist pastor. Both have professions that connect them spiritually to God and the church. Likewise, both were authors of books that had similar experiences and wrote about it. I feel that the fact that they both had professional religious experiences gave both books authenticity. It really made me believe that something that sounds so far fetched could really happen when you have such a special spiritual connection with God.

In Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo shares many events that Colton explains to him about the experience and how similar it relates to events we encounter in our real world as living people. Both Burpo and Piper describe many similarities in their books in their brush with heaven, Burpo through his son, and Piper’s first hand experience. Although there were similarities, the authors make the books interesting in their own ways. Both authors let me experience heaven through their eyes. I wonder what it will be like when I eventually leave this world and visit that special place?

Check Mate

Author's Note: Katniss has been into the Hunger Games once. After she won, she was put into t

he Quater Quell Games. During that time Katniss has been bashed, scarred, and close to death until she finds herself in District 13 as "their" secret weapon.


How would you feel if you were being so manipulated by “power” that humans died because of you? What if you had to become someone that you did not want to be just to save the lives of people? The author of Mockingjay from the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins, does a unique job of describing how Katniss, the main character, has to go through tough obstacles involving manipulation, power, love, and courage. These are just a few of the many themes occurring throughout her book. Katniss’ struggle to cope with all of these situations is incredible!

When Katniss is manipulated by the Capitol, she can’t do anything about it, but she still has power because she is the face of the rebel movement. President Coin, leader of District 13, has more power than her and he uses it to manipulate her. As Katniss says “What they want is for me to truly take on the role they designed for me. The symbol of the revolution. The Mockingjay. […] I won't have to do it alone. They have a whole team of people to make me over, dress me, write my speeches, orchestrate my appearances – as if that doesn't sound horribly familiar – and all I have to do is play my part.” (28) She is used like a pawn in a chess game.

Consequently, Katniss has the courage to persevere even though she’s killing people she's how ever she is saving lives of loved ones throughout this whirlwind. Through out this book she shows her love for Peeta, but Katniss realizes she made a huge mistake. Snow can use her love for Peeta against her. Katniss’ courage and willingness to leave District 13 and flee to District 2 demonstrates this. “I knew I'd misjudged you. That you do love him. I'm not saying in what way. Maybe you don't know yourself. But anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him," he says gently.” “Anyone? On Snow's visit before the Victory Tour, he challenged me to erase any doubts of my love for Peeta. "Convince me," Snow said. It seems, under that hot pink sky with Peeta's life in limbo, I finally did. And in doing so, I gave him the weapon he needed to break me.”(19-20)

In the Mockingjay, the author depicts many different examples of these re-occurring themes throughout the book: manipulation, power, courage, and love. She has a way of making the reader really empathise with the character’s feelings. One minute you may feel sad, the next minute you may feel anger, and regret. Collins really puts you on an emotional roller coaster, while you read her book. You feel like you just can’t put it down!

Death Isn't Peaceful

Author's Note: Have you ever wondered if an intriguing disease could be man made and the deadliest? The author of The Death Cure makes the "Flare" seem so creepy and real because of the descriptive pictures he paints in your head.


What would you do if you had a deadly disease that took you to extremes to find the cure? The author of The Death Cure, James Dashner, does a unique job of describing a deadly disease called the Flare, a disease much like the swine flu. The symptoms of the Flare are similar to swine flu: fever, fatigue, and body aches, except with the the Flare, you start murdering people because this virus takes over your brain. Even though this is a fictional book, it seems life-like because the author describes this horrific life threatening disease in a way that sends chills down your spine.

“It was the smell that began to drive Thomas slightly mad. Not being alone for over three weeks. Not the white walls, ceiling and the floor. Not the lack of windows or the fact that they never turned off the lights. None of that. They’d taken watch; and fed him the exact same meal three times a day--- slab of ham, mashed potatoes, raw carrots, slice of bread, water---never spoke to him, never allowed anyone else in the room.” (1) Realism, that is the word that popped in my head when I read this quote in The Death Cure, it felt as if I were in the room with Thomas. Readers especially enjoyed when Dashner described the way Thomas was isolated and received the same food three times a day. When Dashner explains situations the characters are in, he has a unique way of portraying how they are feeling whether it be pain, rage, or happiness, and the obstacles they try and conquer. Regardless of where Thomas and his gang are, the author always makes it seem like you are actually in the book, especially when the “cranks” (the crazy people) go insane.

Well it’s a good thing “cranks” don’t exist in today’s world or we’d all be “past the gone” (full out insane, where you start to become a cannibal and a serial killer) and we’d all be doomed! When Thomas is isolated in WICKED, World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department, he feels helpless. While reading this book, I try to relate to the character's feelings. I think about my own experiences or how I would feel if I were in that character’s shoes. I think to myself...what if I woke up one day in a box, like Thomas experienced in the first book, and had no recollection of my memories, except my first name. That is really something to think about!

In The Death Cure Dashner doesn’t just make you feel what emotions the characters are feeling, he also makes you feel as if you are really in the book experiencing what Thomas, Brenda, Minho, Newt, and some of the cranks go through . It seems as if Dashner actually researched deadly diseases and came up with a realistic disease, the “Flare”, which would be the deadliest disease of all. The author makes the “Flare” seem so life like it’s scary! In addition, when Dashner portrays the scene of the crank palace, he does such a fantastic job describing this “place” that he painted a vivid picture in my mind as if it were real. It was almost as if he had researched psychiatric hospitals and investigated what truly goes on there.

In The Death Cure, the author depicts many different examples throughout the book about how it relates to the real world with emotions. Dashner also makes the story interesting by including realism in many different areas of the book. These “tricks” the author uses, capture the reader’s attention and make you feel engrossed in the book. You feel like you just can’t put it down!

Be Different and Be Yourself

Author's Note: Do you ever think to yourself "I want to be just like that person?" If you think that did you ever take a minute to think about how amazing you are already? You are special in your own way.

A wonderful snowflake is falling down, down, down from the sky. It lightly lands against your cheek. Have you ever wondered what it looks like up close. No two snowflakes are alike. Just like people, nobody is the same. People shouldn't act like other people, be yourself just like snowflakes which have different personalities. How beautiful is everyone and everything on Earth. Just be be yourself.

Gone

Author's Note: What would you think if you were born on Friday the 13th? Well in this story he starts getting flashbacks into his past. Worst of all they're about is younger brother who died on your birthday...

Imagine yourself trapped in an isolated room with nothing except the clothing lining your body. Now Ian has no clue how he entered this mysterious room, the last thing he remembers is the beautiful warm February day where the snow is starting to melt into spring. Hold on a second, is that the last memory he remembered? Weird isn’t it? That last memory Ian thought of, it was on his birthday the day he turned 13. In his mind he thought, what was so special about that day? Then it hits him like truck at full speed; that was the day his little brother Johnny was murdered.

The memories of him come flooding into his brain and grab hold of it. The images of him laying on the gravel next to the river, his face pale as paper, and his hands ice cold, the murder weapon close in sight. He thinks in his mind, this is the worst birthday especially because my 13th birthday fell on February, 13th, and to make it worse it was a Friday. Just like the day he was born on was Friday, February 13th at 2:13am. The doctors said that was the time when Johnny got murdered, Which is extremely eerie because the 2 represents my month and the 13 represents the day. How problematic is that, now Ian is totally freaking out.

A rush of panic floods his body. Why would someone want to kill my little brother and on my birthday and the exact time of his death was the time I was born. Ian closes his eyes and starts to shed tears. He can feel them flowing down his cheeks and hear them hit the ground with a large crash. "Someone must want me to suffer through the pain and agony", he quotes. Ian looks around the room and sees a dagger sitting on the brown oak table.

Concentrate

Author's Note: When you are playing a sport do you ever think in your mind I am going to win. Whether it is in baseball, gymnastics, volleyball, or in my case swimming. You want to win so bad. Well I found a quote that resembles that.

"I concentrate on preparing to swim my race and let the other swimmers think about me, not me about them."
Amanda Beard

This is what I do when ever I am at a swim meet getting ready to swim one of my events. Standing behind my lane, whether I am in any lane I think of this quote to myself while I am visualizing my event. This is an important quote to me because they should be thinking of me, not me about them. I always swim my best and try to win every time, pushing myself past my limits to beat them and my time.

The Magical Music Box

Author's Note: This creative writing piece that was written in third person. It is a short story about my music box and the long journey it took.

From the store to a box, from a box to being wrapped in colorful paper. From being wrapped to being shoved under the tree, and then opened on Christmas day by a wonderful girl. Hello I am an original Neverland music box. I am a unique 1951 Disney World, Neverland music box.

My journey started when I was hand made by the most wonderful people. I was decorated and painted with all sorts of colors, inside and out. Soon after I was painted I was shipped to....wait hold on a second I have no idea where I'm getting shipped to. Sixty years later.....

I wake up and the fist thing I think is, Aah where am I?? I looked around the room and realized that I was at some kind of auction of some sort. Wait not an auction a place where a bunch of people were buying different things like food choppers, feather’s that you put in peoples hair, and nail polish. Then just as I was thinking that a women probably in her sixties came walking up to the table. The young lady behind the table that I was on greeted her. Quicker than you’d know it I was purchased for I think young women said I cost $3.00. I mean a 60 year old music box and I’m ONLY $3.00. Back in the old day’s I would’ve costed 25 cents, man I feel expensive. This is so boring I’ve been sitting in a box for at least and hour. Oh wait what was that noise? Yayyyy finally we’re at the woman’s house, it is a lovely blue color with a white trim. When we arrive in the house the woman delicately sets me in her closet. For six years I sat in her closet, a legit 6 years.

Finally after all those years I get opened on Christmas by a lovely girl named Kaitie. Now I am in her special cabinet that was once her great Aunts. I think she will treasure me forever.