Vladimer Tod is a vampire. Simple as it may seem, he has trouble trying to conceal his unhumanly manners while attending 8^th grade. Besides his little secret, he has the troubles of a everyday junior high student like bullies, getting in trouble and girls. To make things worse, he is being hunted by a vampire for a reason that is unknown to him ,his substitute teacher, it seems, may know his secrets and he is confused on if his parents really died in a fire. I enjoyed reading this book because it was a different take on vampires. Unlike all the Twilight hype, this book is only 1% romance and 99% mystery and action which keeps me interested.

            The main characters of this book are Valdimer Tod who is actually half human and half vampire so his powers are a little different. Also his Aunt Nelly who takes care of him, serves him his daily meals of blood pastries and blood drinks and its kind of nice that she works at a hospital. Another important person is Mr.Otis who acts suspicious around Valdimer, for example, during a project themed on mystical creatures, Mr.Otis assigns Valdimer to present to the class everything about vampires. This sounds a little fishy to Vladimir.

            I really thought this book was unpredictable which is excellent. As I read, I found about a organization that Valdimer’s dad was in or strange markings in his teacher’s house and the question that runs through your mind when you read this is why is someone chasing him. A good thing is that the book does not stop here, the book series continues to 9^th grade slays,10^th grade bleeds,and 11th grade burns. Even though this book was great there still were some points that I didn’t like about this book. The book was a mixture of his regular school life and a big mystery about his parents which I didn’t like because when all the action started happening at the end, the author forgot about his school life. Also it confused me with all the different clues and things that were being discovered almost every chapter.

            To conclude, I would give this book a B just because it did not have me feeling for the character or dying to know what was on the next page. Other than that, it was an excellent book. I would recommend this book to people who like vampires and mysteries.

“You got a dream…You gotta protect it. People cant do something’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want something’, go get it. Period.” The Pursuit of Happyness is a tear-jerking, inspirational story  about the struggles of Christopher  Gardener who keeps his hopes up no matter what and risks everything for a better life. Accompanied by him is his young son, Christopher, who never leaves his side as money gets scarce and necessities, one by one, disappear.  Before going on, the reason why Happyness was spelt incorrectly was on purpose because it was showing that  the daycare that Christopher’s  son was going to had it spelled incorrectly on their window which he did not approve of.
First off, the characters of this movie were Chris Gardener (Will Smith), the main character who gets hit back to back with obstacles. His positive demeanor  and attitude stays true through the roughest times. An instance would be when he was left with only $5 in his wallet, as the company he was interning for’s boss was short on cash for the cab, Christopher hesitantly gave his last $5 to him. Christopher ( Jaden Smith), the son of Chris who throughout the movie faces changes in his life as things go down hill. Linda(Thandie Newton), the wife of Chris who is fed up with the drastic turns her once good life took.
The theme of The Pursuit of Happyness is that you should never give up. Even at your toughest times, you need to keep your head up and keep going. Not once did Chris Gardener ever quit and  accept his spiraling down luck. An example of his perseverance was when he was interning at a job that could possibly change his life. With his lunch break almost over, Chris hurries through the street to get back in time for his job. When running, he got hit by a car and in the process lost his shoe. After a failed searching for his shoe, he continues on his way not fazed about being hit. This movie really inspires people who are struggling to be positive.
The reason I love this movie is because  firstly, it sends a wonderful massage to everyone watching that you can be at the bottom and still make it top. Secondly, the actors of the movie portrayed the characters nicely. I was surprised  that the young son, Chris, of Christopher  Gardener was actually the son of Will Smith so the father and son connection in the movie was perfect.  What’s even more shocking is that this movie was based on the life of Chris Gardener who’s life was similar to the one in the movie. If you look closely, at the last scene, the real Chris Gardener walks pass them on the street. I feel like there was nothing bad  about the movie except that I felt that Chris was beyond lucky at some parts, for example when Chris has his merchandise stolen by a crazy bystander, days later Chris sees the same man at the park with his merchandise and was able to get it in one place.
My final grade for this movie would be a A-. Every aspect of the movie was nicely played except for my minor negative  against the movie which is why the movie got  a A-.  I would recommended this movie for people who want a movie that has a good message and meaning and may have you shedding a tear. This movie is for boys and girls and is pg-13.

a scary moment,

the breeze is light and the air is erie

noises creek at every moment

alone on the walk home

darkness is my view

the shining light is my house

will i ever make it.....

“The world is going to end today!” This quote is what everybody was saying after the first 30 minutes of the movie. The overview of this movie is the earth is going to create major natural disasters that could potentially destroy the human race as we know it. The date they predicted is December 21, 2012. As the world is crumbling, Jackson must protect his family and get them safe. On the other side of the U.S. the government is battling between saving the average humans of the world or saving themselves.

            The main characters are Jackson Curtis, the father that tries to spend more time with his kids. Kate Curtis, the mother who separated from Jackson and is dating Gordon Silberman, the flight pilot/ doctor. All these people create a major role in the movie.

            The first thing I liked about this movie is the spectacular graphics that make you think twice if your really in a movie theater. An example of this would be that when Jackson and his family were driving through the disaster stricken Los Angeles, you could see the streets cracking and tearing apart making innocent people, dogs, and plants fall in the bubbling lava. In average movies, detail is overlooked but in this, detail is everything. Another example is when the family flies over a billboard. I was able to catch to the words “Your Partners in the Future” which corresponds with the movie perfectly.

            The storyline is something that really made me enjoy this movie. Everything in the movie made sense. At first you may question everything but once the movie kicks off into the action, every moment you’re having one of those “ahhhhh” moments.

According to Yahoo Movies, the critics average this movie a “B” but I disagree and give this an “A+++”. If you like movies that have action every second and amazing graphics then this movie is for you. It will appeal to all movie fans.

"Find others with goals like yours and stick with them." This simple quote was something the young boys, Sampson, George and Rameck had to learn the hard way. Drugs,violence and crime covered the streets of Newark,New Jersey, where these boys called home, this book gives an insight on the lives of the three boys and how they turned from troublemaking teens to well reknown doctors.
First off, i admit, i finished this book within the 5 hours that i got it. That already shows how captivating We Beat the Streets is. My curiosity sparked just by reading the introduction stating "We are real people. We started out as kids in the toughest neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey and today we are doctors."The chararcters all had their own personality and had their own troubles which made the book always interesting. I liked how since the book was written by the 3 doctors, they  had sections for each of the boys part of view and was nice to see as you got farther in the book the boys section started to combine together the more closer they got.
We Beat the Streets has a moral for each story and you learn from the challenges they had and the consequences that came with it. I remember in the book one of the doctors said they wanted the boys that have drifted away from the right path to read this book because the big main of the idea of the book is that no matter your situation, you need to have your goals set high ,find the right people to be friends with and everybody has potential, you just have to work hard to be successful.
Something that made me enjoy this book is they formatted it so quotes were occasionally on the side of page, a summary of what the doctor think after every chapter and real photos of Sampson,George, and Rameck. When having a quote like ,"Kids learned early that walking with a air of being in control was neccessary for survival",kind of tells you the main idea in the pages you are reading. The summaries at the end of the chapters gives a chance for the doctors to say their opinion and reason why they did certain things. Also the pictures in the book reminded you that the stories were real life events with real life people.
My final opinon on We Beat the Streets is that this book is a must read. It shows the proccess from misfit kids to doctors which i think struggling kids should take note on. I reccommend this book to everybody.

In the Odyssey it is about Odysseus, king of Ithaca, being called out to fight in the Trojan War leaving his wife and newborn son alone on the island. The real challenge he faces is the journey back after the war. On his journey there is a mixture of death, trickery and curses that he must overcome. While in O Brother Where Art Thou it is about a prison break by Ulysses and his two partners that leads them on a journey through woods, towns and more, being chased by the guards of the prison. Challenges are also faced that try to block them from there main objective.

There are many similarities that occur in both O Brother Where Art Thou and The Odyssey. To name a few, there was a part in O Brother Where Art Thou where 3 girls sang a song that put the guys in a trance like state which resembles the sirens in The Odyssey that drove men insane. Another similarity is Big Dan in O Brother Where Art Thou that had a patch on his eye which was like the Cyclopes in The Odyssey. Also the wife of Ulysses was named Penny which is short Penelope, who was Odysseus wife. The biggest similarity is that Odysseus is similar to the name Ulysses and both were the main characters.

 The reasons for the journeys were different. In O Brother Where Art Thou they were searching for gold and avoiding getting caught while in The Odyssey they only wanted to fight the war and get back home in one piece. Both main characters learned a lesson, for Odysseus he learned that he shouldn’t shout out his information and that even though he made it back alive he also made it home, alone and for Ulysses he learned that it’s not worth it to be a fake person and that trying to be someone else got him in trouble in the first place. Also Odysseus lost all his men while Ulysses betrayed his men yet they still stuck with him.

Golden Life

 

Destined to be

As stars to sky

Fish to sea

And me to my treasure

 

Alone

Hidden tucked in jagged branches of bushes

Gazing

My last glance at my life

I turned my back at the perfect life

For an adventure

I soon creep to the unknown darkness behind me

Tonight I gaze at moonlit clouds

Radiating stars

A slumber alone in the dark captivating woods

A treasure lies among those vast woods

Morning and I will be renowned as hunter

Hunter for my prey

Prey being the gold

 

Sunshine silently awakes me

Greeting me with not breakfast but scorching heat

As of now, my journey begins

As I march down a rugged path.

I ponder

I am no longer

Long haired, clean cut, polite person

I am now

Hair cut, sharp edged, don’t care kind of person

I wanted freedom

I want to make a living not digging in someone’s wallet

I want my own treasure

Feet away from a village

I halt

I watch as the tiny village floods with soldiers

Searching for me

Only one solution

Run around civilization

Back into the trees

Tonight I will not eat

 

Today

Hunger snaps me awake

I hastily gather my map and water bottle and sprint

Feet torn and hair knotted

I use my last jolt of energy

Blasting me to a creek

Fishes swim slowly

Almost awaiting for their capture

As night falls

I feast, not knowing what tomorrow will offer

 

With a full belly, I awake

I lazily grip my map

Unraveling it from its confinements

The delicate paper lies in my dirty fingers

One day and a half

I predicted

My journey may seem like it is short but not sweet

I arise from the ground

And continue in the forest

Trees are closing in

I think

The farther I walk the colder it gets

Occasional leaves would land on my head

It turned into a game

Catch leaves

Don’t let them touch the ground

As I trek I once again wander

Gold will be mine

The riches of the world

All lead by my great grandfather’s map

Old it may be

But it was once said to lead to a hidden tunnel of gold

The sunsets

Alone on the ground

 I dream

Dream of the future

 

This is the worst alarm clock

The breath of the unknown lands on my arm

Slowly opening my eye lids

I’m in shock

Eyes met with a wild jaguar

No running from this

No solution

Only hope is a distraction

I stealthy search for a stick

Jaguar still inspecting my left arm

No large enough sticks

Only a water bottle

I think

Chance at distraction

Bye bye water bottle

In a quick motion

I throw the bottle with my right

I watch as the jaguar runs away

Like a dog

Wild animals play fetch

Still shaken

I get up and jog off

Back to my journey for the gold

While walking

I see a patch on the ground

Quick glance at the map

And I know

The tunnel is real

 

Lifting leaves I pull on the rope

Stairs lead down spider webs

Tunnels, Tunnels, Tunnels

I finally reach a dead end

A latch

I pull

Dust appears along with light

Adjusting my eyes I gaze among my treasure

My sweet golden treasure

Stacks among stacks of gold

I carry 2 pieces and rush out of the tunnel

Guided by the map

 I find a nearby village

Exchanging only a portion of my fortune

I am now considered rich

Free

And living the life of my dreams

 

Destined to be

As stars to sky

Fish to sea and me to my treasure

"My mother was a woman of strong character, of deep and abiding commitments and a loving nature that drew people into her orbit." That was one of the many things Andrea Young said describing her mother. The book i am reading is Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me by Andrea Young. This is a biography about Jean Young written by her daughter. Every chapter has a little life lesson that Andrea learned by her mother. This book was one of the most interesting biography I read.

Jean Young is the wife of Andrew Young, the successful Atlanta mayor, she was able to make a life other own instead of just being "the wife". She was a respected advocate in the civil rights movement and children rights movement and made friends along the way. This is all told by her daughter Andrea, who explains her mother in her part of view and how her lessons influenced her in the future.

This book was intriguing because i even thought of the lessons Jean Young told like one other lessons was good self image is not only for others but also for yourself. My favorite part of the book was when Jean was young she had to deal with segregation '...White costumers of any age would be served before a black customer no matter how long they been waiting...My mother would express her displeasure at these customs by going to the counter, waiting until the clerk finally turned to her to ask "What do you want?" then she would stick out her hand and show her empty palm and say”nothing" and walk out the door'. It is my favorite part because even though that was a small thing to show against unfair customs, she still did something unlike other people.

In the end this taught me many life lessons like another example was that she always wanted to be a little different which she expresses, is a good thing. This is one of those books that after reading you feel smarter. Andrea Young did a wonderful job describing her mother and I would recommend this book to everybody.