The Lost Hero

Recently, I have read, and finished a book called The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, also the author of the Percy Jackson books. The Lost Hero is the first book of a new series, which takes place after the final book in the Percy Jackson Series. There are three main characters, Jason, Piper, and Leo. Each is experiencing something very strange. Jason has lost his memory, so he can't remember anything. Not even his own friends. So after a freak storm hits the wilderness school they were going to, things start to get even weirder. Apparently, their teacher, coach Hedge was actually a saytr half goat, half human, and was protecting them. Saytrs are from Greek mythology, and now Jason is seeing one face to face! Jason also has a sister, but he doesn't remember her either. Now, Piper has a famous actor for a father, however he has been missing for three days. She doesn't understand why her boyfriend (Jason) has suddenly forgot who she is. After the freak storm takes their "protector" (coach Hedge) they are whisked away to a place known as Camp Half-Blood, they are supposedly safe. From what? Now, for the last character, Leo, he is really good with tools, so after meeting a bunch of kids who have the same interests, he feels like he's in heaven. But eventually, something weird happens; he is immune to fire! And if that wasn't weird enough, Leo and his friends are supposed to have gods for parents! What is going on? Where is Percy Jackson (who wasn't present at all in the whole book), and who are their parents? Read the book yourself to find out.    

Bud, not Buddy

Bud not Buddy is a realistic fiction novel written by author Christopher Paul Curtis. This book takes place in the 1930s, a time of the Great Depression. So basically, the main character, Bud Caldwell is 10 and lives in a foster home, his mother died when he was 6, he was left with few possessions stored in a suitcase, and some flyers for some Herman E. Calloway and his band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, Bud thinks this may be a clue. When he runs away from the Amos' house because they were abusing him, he runs into another family and pretends to be their son for a little bit, before going to the library to find some clues, eventually, he finds out it takes a train in "Hooverville" to go to Grand Rapids, where his father is said to be. Eventually, he runs into his best friend, Bugs, and then they both set out for "Hooverville". They then reach a place called Hooperville. Turns out their destination is called Hooperville, not "Hooverville". When Bud misses the train to Grand Rapids, he is forced to walk there. But fortunately, he runs into a guy named Lefty Lewis, whom he thinks is a vampire, because of the blood in the back. But turns out that it is just blood that he needs to deliver to the hospital. The next day, Bud wakes up seeing the faces of Lefty's family. He stays with them for a bit, then afterwards they set off for Grand Rapids. Eventually, Bud finds his father, Herman E. Calloway, and a few of his friends, but Herman isn't that nice. They then set out to a restaurant called the "Sweet Pea" with someone named Ms. Thomas After dinner, the group settles into a house, Bud gets a girl's room. After he asks what if the girl came back, Ms. Thomas just says that she is gone, which gets him freaked out. Later in the novel, Bud is given the title "Sleepy Labone" when he is offered a spot in the band and is shown to be good at music. The end surprised me, at the station, he confirms that Herman is, indeed, not his father, but his grandfather, which is shocking to him. As it turns out, the room was his daughters (his mother's) and his mother left because she thought her father was too hard on her. But before she had died, she left Bud some clues whom he should live with next.  

The Red Scarf Girl/Wednesday Wars Compare and contrast

The books "The Red Scarf Girl" by David Henry Hwang and "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt both have their similarities and differences. Let's start on differences. Both books are different, because the protagonist of "Wednesday Wars", Holling Hoodhood, lives in America, whereas Ji-Li Jiang, the protagonist of "Red Scarf Girl" lives in China. Holling has a father who is a wealthy businessman, Ji-Li has a dad who is an actor. And then there is the things they worry about; In "Wednesday Wars", our protagonist lives in constant fear of the stereotypically brutal eighth graders at his school, and Ji-Li always worries about her house being searched, or being teased at school. And there is the main part of the story, Holling has a teacher whom he thinks hates him (actually not), Ji-Li wishes to be one of the liberation army's "red guards". There are more differences, but now, lets move on to similarities. For example, the time both stories take place are close, 1967, 1966. Also, the protagonists are the same ages (both 12). In fact, they both have done some pretty stupid things in their life. Holling accidentally spread chalk dust into some cream puffs, & Ji-Li hid a letter to some sort of municipal party in a litter box, which her cat revealed. There were also some seriously bad luck they had suffered throughout the story, Holling, for a Shakespeare play, was given a costume that had yellow tights and white feathers on its butt. Ji-Li was searched, TWICE! So in conclusion, the "Wednesday Wars" and "Red Scarf Girl" have many things in common, and many different things.  

Opinions On The Red Scarf Girl

One of the many years I'm glad I wasn't alive in is 1966, the time of the Cultural Revolution because of what bad things happen in a book called "The Red Scarf Girl". Which is focused on a girl named Ji-Li Jiang, (with a similar childhood to my Mom's) who believed she was one of the luckiest people alive, at least until 1966. She wanted to be a "red guard" despite her family background/status, which at that time, was called "black family", usually a family with at least one relative who was something like a landlord. As the story goes on, life becomes much harder for Ji-Li. First, her parents and grandmother forbid her from joining the liberation army (black family stuff again), her grandfather was a landlord. And then some time later, people start tearing down things they call "four olds", take foreign objects, that would be considered four olds. Unfortunately for Ji-Li, her family owns a LOT of four olds and need to find ways to get rid of them, that eventually causing a bigger problem. Red guards occasionally search people's houses, mostly black families and will take away any four olds. Them being very unlucky, because a bunch of red guards, led by a freak named 6-fingers, who quite literally has six fingers, find a knife in a trash can along with one of the incompletely burnt picture of their fourth aunt. As a result, they think the weapon is associated with their aunt and then raid their house in search of other weapons and some four olds. Thus, taking away much of their treasures. Eventually, in fear of also being searched, Ji-Li and her siblings' friends' relatives start committing suicide. In fact, there was a   part in the story where both her brother and sister were called "black whelps", just some other insult. If you thought things couldn't get much worse, then I'm sorry, but you are wrong. The Jiangs get accused of abusing farmers in the past. And then Ji-Li's father is accused of listening to foreign radio broadcasts and forced to do all sorts of mindless labor in the theatre he usually works at. What's worse, their mother is accused of hiding a letter to some sort of municipal party and then their house is searched AGAIN. If their cat didn't get up from his litter box, then maybe their luck could've changed, but still, all furniture is confiscated.  Ji li cannot be a red guard at school because of her class status. That is because she had a ****** grand father. Her house was ransacked 2 TIMES!!!!! She had horrible neighbors too. One of the worst ones was 6 fingers and thin face.                                                  
In conclusion, living in China in 1966 would've been suicide, which is why I'm glad I don't have to worry about what Ji-Li had to worry about almost every day.  

                                                                                                             

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                          

Essay

Day 1:

Today, after breakfast, both Kyle and I did some math with Grandpa for a couple hours. Both of us went over our math homework. I went over my Math test study guide with Grandpa and Kyle learned some sort of Chinese poem, and after we finished, we were allowed to play some video games. For lunch, Kyle and I had noodles, and when we finished, both of us took a walk around the lake, then we came back and played some more of videogames until dinner. And then after dinner, we had some fruit (I had 2 bananas and Kyle had something else). When we finished, we watched some TV (doctor who), did Khan Academy, and eventually went to bed.

Day 2:

Everything we did today was mostly the same as yesterday, except we had dumplings for lunch, oranges for desert, and this time, we walked around the lake with Grandma.


Questions:

1. Where was Dad born?

2. What was the school Dad went to?

3. What did Dad do as a kid?

4. Do you still live in Wu Xi?

5. How did Dad learn English?

Answers:

1. Shanghai

2. jiao tong school.

3. He did chores, made dinner, did math etc.

4. Yes

5.  By a Chinese-English dictionary

Essay part 2

Day 3:

This morning, after breakfast, Kyle and I did some Khan Academy. Then, we studied math with Grandpa longer than usual, which stretched all the way to lunch. Afterwards, we played some video games, and then took a walk around the lake with Grandpa this time (Grandma was out buying some food for dinner). Then, we were allowed to do anything we wanted until dinner. And then after dinner, me and Kyle watched TV until bedtime.

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

This year for Christmas, I would like the following:

1. Batman: Arkham Knight

2. Injustice Gods Among us iPad edition

3. Mortal Kombat 9 and X

4. GTA V

5. Assasin's Creed