I am reading the book Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. It is about a boy named Jack who just got off for summer vacation and he is going to do so much fun stuff... but then he gets grounded. Now all he's looking forward to is a summer of sitting in his room and doing chores. Then old Miss Volker calls saying she needs Jacks help. When he arrives he realizes Miss Volker needs him to write obituaries for all the original Norveltors. At first this job seems to compleatly suck, but it turns out to become pretty interesting. Maybe the summer won't be so bad for him.

Throughout the book Jack changes to realize that although he is grounded he can still have fun. One time I saw this change was when he had his birthday. He was really happy and was having fun even though he was grounded. Another time this happened was when he was talking to his best friend: "Your whole summer is wasting away,"said his best friend. "You're wrong, I'm having a very interesting summer," Jack replies. This shows that Jack likes the way his summer is going despite him being grounded. These two things show that Jack is having a good summer.

This can relate to teenagers becaues it shows that Jack found some fun even though he was grounded. If you are bored, don't just be bored. Try to find some something to do. Ideas come from boredom. Jack at first didn't do this and he was not happy, but later he realized that he could have a fun summer. At the end of the book Jack thought he had a very interesting summer.

Renovation

By Xavier Markowitz

As I write this, at my desk, with my computer in front of me, I think of when I was a little kid and I didn’t have to write memoirs. I try to think of something to write about, then I get it, my house. I have lived in this house for almost my entire life. It has grown up with me. I remember the day my mom told me we were renovating it…

The day started out normally. I went to school, came home, and did my homework. It was only over dinner that I heard the big news. The open windows let in the spring sunlight and scents. “Hey, Xay,”(that is my mom’s nickname for me) “I was thinking of renovating the house.” My jaw dropped. “Mom, I’ve practically lived in this house my entire life. You can’t renovate it now!” I suddenly became very angry and I don’t know why. “Xay, we have to renovate it. It’s on it’s last legs.” I don’t handle change so well so this was a big deal. I liked the house the way it was. I didn’t understand why my mom had to change it. “You’re so unfair!” I yelled. Then I stormed out of the room.

Throughout the whole week I was upset. I turned that sadness into anger for my mom.  While I was sitting on the couch reading, I heard the doorbell ring and then some unfamiliar voices started talking to my mom. I ran upstairs to see who it was. “These are the architects who are going to design our house with us,” said my mom. There were two men and a woman. One man held a very large bag. My mom introduced us and then we got to work. The man pulled an elaborate blueprint of our house out of his bag. We started talking and I was pretty bored until one of them asked me, “Is there any requests of things you would like to put in the house?” I smiled and started to think, “Maybe this won’t be so bad.”

I sort of think of my life before my house was renovated as the little kid part of my childhood, and my life after that as the more mature part of my childhood. The renovation of my house went pretty well, and although I didn’t get the video-gaming station I asked for, by the end of it I was happy.

I am reading the book Going Bovine by Libba Bray. It is about a 16 year old boy named Cameron who was just diagnosed with Mad Cow disease, which is fatal. Cameron is about to lose all hope of living when an angel messenger named Dulcie comes to tell him there is a cure. With Gonzo the video-gaming dwarf, and yard gnome that could be a viking god by his side, what could go wrong? Cameron must now travel with his two new friends on the road trip of a lifetime. Throughout the book Cameron was constantly questioning whether he should keep going with his journey or give up.

Even when he is just starting his journey he is doubtful of what will happen. He says it is insane and impossible, but then he thinks he could have a chance. Another time he felt like giving up was when he was trying to solve a puzzle and he couldn't solve it. then Dulcie comes to help him and he figures it out. Due to his illness Cameron also hallucinates. Every time this happens Cameron starts to question if he should keep going.

Giving up is in teenage nature, but you should always keep trying, or looking at a problem from a different angle, because it will pay off in the end. If you are trying to do math work but you really don't understand it, instead of giving up and leaving it, try asking for help from an adult or peer. Giving up on something will get you nowhere but trying will get you what you want.