YA Book Review

        The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread by Don Robertson is a great story about adolescence, growing up, family and friendship. A young boy, Morris, and his sister set out a cross his town to see his best friend Stanley. When he reaches Stanley's house there is a gas explosion and Stanley is killed. Morris is devastated and alone with his sister finds safety. On this journey Morris learns that life is cruel, and unforgiving.

        The author writes,"He wondered what had happened to Stanley Chaloupka." As Morris drags mangled bodies through the streets on his friend's cart he thinks this over and over throughout the story. Morris is in shock and can not except that his only real friend is now dead. This line also illustrates he finds the situation confusing. The author goes on to say, "Stanley Chaloupka was undoubtedly the worst handsoccer player in the history of the world. He was even worse than clumsy old Alex Coffee, The Human Garbage Can. He was what the other boys called A Slop."  Morris learned through his friendship with Stanley Chaloupka that people will be tough on you. Even though Stanley was considered A Slop, a big part of the story was that he always smiled.  He learned from Stanley Chaloupka, however, that if you stay true to your self and are happy with who you are everything will be okay.  "Tiddlelump went the wagon careening, Sandra shrieked. Morris Bird III grinned. Her ran towards good old Stanley Chaloupka, and he heard birds, and then up jumped a huge hot orange ball, a great big fat whoosh of a". This is the moment when Stanley Chaloupka dies. Morris and his sister are severely injured in the explosion. He becomes an adult in this moment and proceeds to shoulder the burden of one. He is still in denial of the fact that Stanley Chaloupka is dead, but he steps up. He encounters a woman who is severely burned and dying. She has been abandoned by many people and many more are rushing past her. Morris, who can hardly stand, takes this woman and puts her in his cart along with his sister. He sees the horror of her injuries, he sees the fact that she had been left abandoned in a gutter, and he does something. I believe it is in this moment that Morris sees the world for what it is -- not a typical one for nine a year old boy. He sees the cruelty, but also the good.

        The world is not always a good place. There are terrorists, there are natural disasters, but there is good. There are people like Morris Bird III out there that have good in their heart. They see the horrors in the world, and they learn to deal with them. 
                   

Argument Essay

        Across the world children are not given much freedom or choice. Our lives are largely controlled by adults. The small freedoms we have are typically monitored. A large aspect of this problem is not being able to choose extra curricular activities, or quit if you don't like them. Many parents say that you need to teach them perseverance and that sometimes you need to do things you don' t like. This is ridiculous. That's why we go school. Children should not be forced to stick with extra curricular activities that they don't like.

        Many people are opposed to letting kids choose. In the article "Should Parents Make Their Kids Stick with Extra Curricular Activities" one mom says, "Kids don't get to pick whether they brush their teeth or get a shot so why let them choose to quit." This is closed minded and horrible. Kids need to be given a choice. Quitting an extra curricular activity is not like brushing your teeth. You do that to be healthy. The whole point of an extra curricular activity is to do something you love.  Kids do have the maturity to make choices by themselves. To not let them is a very negative influence on their life. You're teaching them that they won't have to make decisions and are discouraging them to think for them selves. This limits real world skills. "Michelle Obama has gone against the tide by forcing her daughters, Malia and Sasha, to take up two sports: one they choose and one she selects." She should not do this. She is not her daughters. It's not her playing the sports so why make them play a sport she likes. I understand it can be hard for some parents to accept that their kids are not just like them and I can understand that you want them to like things you like, but if they don't you just have to accept that. A good example of this is my life. I was born into a family of artists and I'm an athlete, but my parents have always supported me. Sometimes they say I should try this or that, and I try it. But, if I don't like it they let me drop it.  "The latest research shows that kids who practice making their own decisions with the help of parents actually build up their brains and develop important skills." This is helpful, but if your child goes through life with you helping them make decisions they won't grow as much as if you give them the choice. Because you are helping them they won't learn the consequences of making a bad choice which is important.
     
I think kids should not be forced to do or stick with extra curricular activities. One mom says, "my kids don't play hockey because they begged for sticks at age two, they play because my husband plays and I skate and it's a command passion." That is good parenting. She isn't saying you have to play hockey because your dad plays it, she's letting them play it because they love it. "They ski and snowboard because we live less that five minuets from a small mountain with slopes." Their location is the thing that effects what they do in this situation, not the parents. "Not quitting has a cost: Hours spent at the piano are hours not spent finding something you love." I can connect with that experience. I did play the piano once. I gave it up because school, baseball, and piano was too much, but baseball has been and always will be my greatest love so I continued with it.

        Choosing to do or not to do extra curricular activities may be a small issue, but it branches out to larger topics. This is about kids being given a voice in situations where they would normally not have one. It is also about growing and maturing as a person. The choice of doing or not doing or quitting or not quitting and extra curricular activity is very small, but it can effect your life in the long run.                  

faithful elephants

           Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya is a story about the death of three amazing elephants at the hands of war. When Tokyo is bombed an order is sent out that all dangerous zoo animals must be killed. Many animals died unnecessarily and it took a toll on the zoo keepers who loved and cared for them. In the end, war tends to have the greatest effect on people who are not involved.               

            The elephant trainers are effected by the war. The zoo keeper recounts to the narrator,' "The elephants are dead! They're dead!"screamed the elephant trainer as he ran into the office. He buried his head in his arms and cried, beating the desktop with his fist."   This illustrates the trainers despair at the elephants death. They feel powerless because they couldn't do anything about the elephants dying. At one point the keeper broke down and fed them to try to keep them alive and the fact that his efforts didn't stop the elephants from dying made it hurt more. The trainers have no part in the war but their lives have been effected because of the elephants. ' "The trainer could stand it no longer. 'Oh, Tonky! Oh, Wanly!' he wailed, and dashed to the food shed. He carried food and pails of water to them and threw it at their feet. 'Here!' he said, sobbing, and clung to their thin legs. 'Eat your food! Please drink. Drink your water!'" This shows how deeply he cares for Tonky and Wanly, and how much he wants them to live a little bit longer. ' "Above them, in the bright blue sky, the angry roar of enemy planes returned. Bombs began to drop on Tokyo once more. Still clinging to the elephants, the zoo keepers raised their fists to the sky and implored, 'Stop the war! Stop the war! Stop all wars!" ' The trainer blames the war for the elephants being killed, and the misery of everyone at the zoo. 

           War in never good and even though it is tough on the people in the war it can be hardest on civilians, for example, the keepers and even the elephants and all the animals that had to be slaughtered. This story illustrates that not all the horrors of war happen on the battle field, some happen in our own backyard.