ORB review 2nd quarter

2^nd Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Scholastics Inc. 1988

Genre: Historical Fiction

Fallen Angels is a historical fiction book based on a young man who is shipped over seas to the Vietnam War in 1967. His name is Richard Perry. He left his mother and younger brother behind in the United States after enlisting in the U.S. Army. On his way to Vietnam he meets another young man about his aged named Peewee. Perry and Peewee become good friends when they are assigned to the same unit. Through the course of the war Perry, Peewee, and the rest of their squad learn the horrors of war first hand. They grow closer after the lives of squad mates are lost in the fighting. The squad becomes brothers in arms protecting each other and having each other’s back.

“This gut-twisting Vietnam War novel . . . breaks uncharted Ground.” – Booklist, starred review

Compared to other war novels I have read, this is one of the best. It brings you into the characters eyes of a young man trying to survive on the battlefield. As you read this book you can understand Perry’s hardships. You learn about each of the characters and what there lives were like before they came to Vietnam. You realize what these soldiers went through during battle and how they felt about it afterwards. You go into the mind of Perry and learn his feelings and thoughts. You experience what happens to him as he does, you see through his eyes the Vietnam War.

“What had happened? The squad had been in a firefight, and we had almost been overrun. For the first time since I reached Nam we had been in the Middle of it, Turner had been killed. And not by some faceless enemy, some random shot from far away, but by an enemy I could see and hear.”(167)

This book was a book I truly enjoyed reading. I love reading war novels. This is probably the second one I have read that was about the Vietnam War. It was one of the best war novels, as well as the best Vietnam novel. I truly enjoyed reading this book, it was very hard to but down, I just kept on wanting to find out what would happen next. It gives you a first person perspective of what the war probably was like. Of course I truly don’t know what war is like, but reading this gives you a sense of the possible reality of war.

First Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Slam! By Walter Dean Myers. Scholastic Incorporated 1996 Genre: Fiction

Slam! is a book that teaches a lesson. It portrays a teenage boy having trouble in school but not on the basketball court. He is known for being able to slam-dunk therefore he is given the nickname Slam. This story teaches life lessons for any teenager regarding life inside and outside of school. After transferring out of a public school in Brooklyn, the main character Slam moves to a school known for it’s performing and visual arts curriculum. His grades aren’t very good and he is struggling to keep his temper under control. On top of all that, he is losing connections with his best friend Ice.
“Heart thumping hoop action in a novel that, like most good sport stories is more than just sports.” quoted by Publishers Weekly as the book jacket reads.
This sports book is different than any other sports book I have read. It isn’t about some huge fantasy of a kid becoming great, but rather a story a high school kid who is good on the court but struggling in school. It is down to earth and not over the top like other sporting books where kids excel in every aspect of their life and have one minor blip in the road. This book is something anyone can experience. Many high school athletes experience things like friend and grade trouble just like in this book.
“Basketball is my thing. I can hoop. Case closed. I’m six four and I got the moves, the eye and the heart”(1)
This is a great piece of writing. Plain and simple I enjoyed reading it. There were no dull moments and it always kept me thinking. Being and athlete I feel like I can connect to Slam on a personal level. We both love our sports. I have the same passion he has but for football. Football is my sport as basketball is his. While reading the book I could connect with Slams feeling before a big game or after a tough loss. I also felt that I find a lot of the same problems in school and with friends. I’m not struggling as much in school but it is very challenging to balance school and sports sometimes. Also having had a falling out with a friend before I understand how he feels when Ice and him are on the outs. Being a teenager is a tough thing sometimes and I feel this book really captures the essence of being a student athlete.

Who Dictates Value?

What is value? Does anyone really know? In everyone’s mind value is different. Some say value is how big the price tag is. Others say it is how much love you have for something. Value is what you choose it to be. You can say you’re $300 iphone is more valuable than a memorable family vacation to your beach house, but others will say the complete opposite. It is truly up to you what you find more valuable.

The feeling, the rush, you get during a football game is indescribable. When your offense is driving down the field and the defense can’t do one thing about it and they know it; that is what you play for. The look of a scared puppy is on their face. They don’t want anything to do with you, they want to go right back on the bus and go back where they came from because they’re scared and they want nothing to do with you.

On defense when you’re sacking the quarterback and leveling the running back in the backfield, you get a rush like no other. You hit the opponent as hard as you can and you get up and you know that back doesn’t want the ball again. He wants do get off the field and stay there safe on the sidelines. He knows every time he touches that ball there will be three or four insane defensive lineman right there waiting to blow him up where he stands.

Playing football is something I love to do. When eleven brothers work together to reach one common goal it really means something when you reach it. It can be as simple as gaining three yards for a touchdown or as big as winning a super bowl, but there is no greater feeling than knowing you did everything you could to succeed.

The music is blaring in my ears; my brothers and I are putting on our armor, getting ready for battle. I am in the zone. My songs are playing, pumping me up for the fight about to come. As I wrap the cords of the headphones around the sleek orange body the lyrics replay in my mind on top of the plays I am thinking about.

My ipod is not just an entertainment device; it is a tool I use to get my adrenaline pumping or to relax after a long day. My various 400 plus songs are all fantastic in their own way. The genres vary from country, rock, and rap. There are artist from today and the past years but I like every song on it. They all have different uses. Some for pure entertainment, others for pre-game rituals, and some relaxing tracks that are just chill and mellow.

There is no comparison in my arsenal of expensive things that can compete with the love I have for my ipod. I can live without a cell phone or a Wii, but if my ipod were taken away I would have trouble getting to sleep at night. That’s not a metaphor either. It is the truth, I use my ipod to fall asleep by listening to country music while I drift off into a deep sleep.

Comparing these two things though is very easy. Nothing can match the feeling I get when I play football, not even blasting my favorite song before a game. There is no comparison to the intensity that is felt while on the football field. It something that you can’t buy in a store no matter how many zeros you add to the price tag.

You can’t find feelings on a shelf in a store; you find them within yourself. I value the feeling I get on the football field more than anything I could ever buy in a store. I love football so much that if I was given an option of millions of dollars or never again, I can truly say it would not make me happy to choose money over the love of a game.

The Beatles said it the best way I could ever put it, “you can’t buy me love.” Plain and simple. You could be the richest person in the world and have very expensive things and still not be happy. This is because price tags don’t dictate value. The only thing that can dictate value is you and your feeling toward something. If you don’t love something it doesn’t have value. I can put a price on my ipod; it would be impossible to for me to put a price on football.

Value has the definition you give it. Some say it is how big the price tag is, and others say its how you feel towards something that tells its value. It is for you to decide. In this day and age, many people work for money and wealth, but sometimes working still can’t get you what you want. You need to get what you want by doing what you love and enjoy. Doing what you want to do and love to do has significant value. Money can only buy you things that society has dictated its value you for. Everyone has different views on what is valuable to them.

From future to Past: A chapter in the Story of Ender Wiggin

Ender's Game-Ender Wiggin

The Contender-Mr.Donatelli

Setting-New York City

“Okay Ender step on in, this is the next step of your training. You will learn how to fight from a great man. His name is Mr. Donatelli. Alright get in.” With a little push Ender entered the time machine. He was nervous but excited. Then all of a sudden with a flash of light he was standing on street in front of an old building. Ender looked up and read the words Donatelli’s Gym. He took a deep breath and walked up to the door and opened it. As he walked in he saw a flight of rundown stairs. He climbed them with great caution not trusting them. When he reached the landing he saw a door and walked in. He saw boys and men scattered throughout the room. Ender looked around nervously for a few seconds before realizing what he saw was a rundown gym with men teaching boys how to through punches, some were hitting large bags which resembled to him what looked like big overstuffed pillows, others were hitting a smaller bags with a constant pace. Others were looking into a mirror and throwing punches, and some were doing crunches and sit-ups.

A man then walked up to Ender and looked at him for a moment before saying, “Ender Wiggin?”

Ender was taken a aback, after a moment he replied shakily, “ How do you know my name?” Ender was confused. How did this man know his name? Had Graff or Anderson told him? But, how this was a whole other time zone, it was the past, how could they contact this man?

His question was soon answered when the man spoke again. “I’m Mr. Donatelli, Graff has a way of sending me information on the trainees I’m being sent, but that’s not important. What’s important right now is to get you trained. You need to be; so lets go. Start with push-ups, move on to sit ups, and then hit the heavy bag. Then after that come see me.”

“Okay” Ender answered. Then Ender went to work. Giving everything he had into doing what Mr. Donatelli had asked him to do. He figured if he could do what was asked of him, he could get back to the station as soon as possible. Once he finished hitting the heavy bag, he walked over to Mr. Donatelli and said, “What do you need me to do sir?”

Mr. Dontatelli replied, “Get in the ring son, we’re going to see just how good you are.” So, Ender climbed into the ring and looked across to his opponent, he was a little taller than Ender but didn’t have very much of a build. The bell rang and his opponent came out swinging wildly. Ender dipped a jab and dodged a hook then responded with a jab, jab, hook combination, which sent his opponent staggering backward. He then pursued his opponent and with a swift uppercut his opponent lay on his back unmoving. Ender then turned to Mr. Donatelli. Mr. Donatelli looked at Ender and said, “Good but that was only the warm up, the real challenge is Alfred Brooks his first fight is coming up and you need to show him how to fight. You must beat him to continue in school.”

Then the bell rang and Ender turned around to face a tall muscular boy who looked very athletic. Ender came out of his corner and met Alfred in the middle they exchanged quick jabs then with a quick uppercut Ender was knocked backwards. He felt a warm liquid come from his lip and spill down his chin. He knew the blow had cut him but he got up and exchanged blows with Alfred and then Ender caught Alfred with a jab, which he then capitalized on and threw a right hook which hit Alfred in the cheek and he fell to the ground. He then got up and got out of the ring. Ender knew he had won. He had completed his training and would now being going back to school. He turned to Mr. Donatelli and said, “Thank you sir. You have helped me very much”

Mr. Donatelli replied, “ You’re welcome Ender. Good luck at school. To get back to the station you need to go through that door and you will arrive there.”

With a final good bye Ender walked to the never to see Mr. Donatelli again.