Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Prep by Jake Coburn, Dutton Books, 2003

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Nick is a teenage boy who resides in the city of Manhattan. He has friends and a family at home. Nick's life is based on gangs, sex, alcohol, drugs, graffiti, and love: what every teenager's life is like in Manhattan. Nick has a best friend named Kris that he is in love with. Kris is yet to find out about Nick's dark secret. Nick is also in the process of being recruited in a prep-school gang: a huge movement from a three-man crew whose purpose is revoled around "tagging". In a world of trouble, Nick is faced with the initiation of a prep-school gang and revealing his deepest, darkest secret, which can put his friendship at risk.

"In Prep, Jake Coburn has written a minimalist movel that turns the world of J.D. Salinger inside out. A fresh, startling look at an unexpected subculture, the raw, ugly world of affluent prep-school gang boys in name-brand jackets who talk like punks and put their knives where their mouths are." -Norma Fox Mazer, author of After the Rain, a Newberry Honor Book.

Prep is based on Jake Coburn's teenage life. He went through everything that Nick did and even grew up where he did. Jake Coburn uses a large amount of profanity in his story. The usage of expletives in the story sets the personality of the characters. It also exhibits the area of which the story takes place which is Manhattan.

This story reminds me of Payback by Paul Langan. The story revolves around love, sex, and fighting and is about teenage life. For example, in Payback Tyray Hobbs is bullied by Darrell Mercer. This connects to when Nick is bullied and threatened by Derrick, a member of MKII which is a prep-school gang.

"Well, I didn't know square one. So I asked Jessica if he's her boyfriend, and she just starts laughing and reaching for her nose candy. Right there on the fucking floor. I bug out, throw on my shirt, and run down the back staircase with a hard-on. It's fucking difficult to run with a hard-on." (18).

From readin this piece of literature, I fell in love with Jake Coburn's work. It relates to my life, as things are rough in my city. I reside in Holyoke so I can relate to Jake Coburn and Nick in that they grew up in a rough neighborhood. Although I loved the book, I became frustrated at the end. It couldn't have just ended the way it did. What happened between Nick and Kris? What;s going on with the gang? I still have unanswered questions and I hope that there is another part to the book.

First Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Picture Perfect by Elaine Marie Alphin, Carolrhoda Books, 2003
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Ian Slater is a normal kid who has friends, hangs out, and attends school. Ian has a best friend named Teddy who is in minor words, like a brother to him. Ian and Teddy were supposed to take pictures of Redwood trees as they would on a typical day, but Teddy doesn't show. Has he gone in search of the father he's never met, or has something terrible happened to him? Taking place in the small town of Sawville, Ian has to put clues together and use his common knowledge to find Teddy before it's too late.

"Alphin deftly intensifies both the internal and external pressures on Ian," says Kirkus. "Ranging through time, the novel, told in first person by an increasingly distraught protagonist, zips along. Disturbing, engrossing, and thought-provoking."

I admired Alphin's work, and plan on reading other pieces by her. She showed me the struggles that I may await through my teenage life and although it frightens me a bit, I am ready to face what's coming my way. I greatly enjoyed the whole plot and the steps Ian took to find Teddy. Each clue let you think he'd find Teddy, but it would make me mad because I would always want to know when he'd find Teddy. The book left me suspicious very frequently through this. Alphin's writing gives me strength and preparation and I can't almost taste what her next book will be like.

In the story, Elaine Marie Alphin lets the reader access Ian's mind. She exhibits Ian's irritation in Luke talking to Ian and she shows how wondrous Ian gets when he has dreams about his pal, Teddy. By using this method, Alphin makes a crystal-clear distinction in Ian's personality.

Paul Langan, writer of Bluford Series novel Search For Safety, accomplishes a similar thing. He lets the reader enter the mind of Ben McKee, a student at Bluford High School of Detroit. He displays a negative thought, for Ben wants his mother's abusive lover, Larry. out of the house.

"I wait, half afraid he'll refuse to leave, but I hear only silence. That's all I should be hearing, right? Only crazy people hear voices." This shows that Ian is irritated and is confounded by the fact that he hears strange voices throughout his head. This can be found on page 61 of the chapter searching.

Picture Perfect by Elaine Marie Alphin, Carolrhoda Books, 2003

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Ian Slater is a normal kid that has friends, hangs out, and goes to school. He has a best friend named Ted who in minor words, is like a brother to him. Ian and Teddy were supposed to photograph Redwood Trees as they would on a normal day, but Teddy never shows. Had he gone in search of the father he's never met, or did something terrible happen to him? Taking place in the small town of Sawville, Ian has to put clues together to find his friend Teddy, before it's too late.

The Worth of a Music-Filled Day and a Simple Getaway

Julian Suarez
October 14, 2009
Value Essay

Value is merely worth and significance. Some things are of financial value, others are of a value not relative to money. It can be value of a memory, moment, routine, or any other thing that value money can’t buy. But what is the more valuable of the two? Is it the diamond ring that's proposed with or is it the wedding and marriage itself? Is it the gift received on a birthday or is the party that's thrown and the friends that are there? What is the more valuable?


I sit in the living room with my Skullcandies tucked firm and tight into my grateful ears. It’s early morning on a weekday and I am ready to leave for school. I bob my head to the song that plays in my ears. The sweet sound of music. I listen to a wide variety of music, from rocking out with Linkin Park to rapping with Drake “Drizzy” Rogers. I know every song by Drake, therefore rapping with the underground artist comes like singing the alphabet to me.

I have everything for music. I probably have every genre in music with the exception of two. When you say “Country” my heart turns black and the sound of Opera makes me gag. My ears are charcoal and burn easily when I hear these sorry excuses for music, so you can infer that I most definitely avoid those music genres. Although I greatly despise these types of music there’s one thing that ticks me off even more. That is definitely when people talk to me. I don’t like when my music flow is interrupted. I usually get in the mood of the song and tune people out, therefore when I am interrupted, I get ticked off. If you want to be cool with me that would be the last thing I suggest you do.

My music device is an $80.00 Sony Walkman. The slim, black device has 8 gigabytes of memory which is approximately 2,000 songs if you convert into a number of songs. Doesn’t seem like much compared to an iPod, but is a surplus in my perspective. The Walkman is so glossy and lustrous, I can check myself out when necessary. I can even see the germs on my face dancing to the song I am listening to.

I think left, right, left, right as my feet roll and take me away. I may not be the best there, but I am not the worst either. I like to think I am decent. My girlfriend and I hold hands and everything is perfect with my life. I forget all of the negativity and put it all behind me. We hold hands and look each other in the eyes. My love gets lost in my eyes as I lose myself in hers. We almost trip up, but the love and strength of our tight grasp cannot break for at this stage in life and the rest, separation is no option for either of us. Our skates turn and when I make the turn, I feel as if I have accomplished one of my biggest obstacles of life. We continue to skate now going straight and we stop and return to the table area. I then look for my other friends and skate with them.

Interskate 91 of Hadley mall is one of the funnest places to go on a Friday. The best time to go is between 6:30 and 10:30 which is the night skate. If you don't like it there, which is almost impossible, you can always roam the rest of the mall. There's games, food and people. Most people who go there are from South Hadley, so you're bound to a find friends there.
It's not the food or games or skating that makes it such the perfect thing, it's my best friends, friends, and especially my girlfriend. It's the ideal way to hang out with them and have a great time.

I value both going to Interskate and my Walkman for they are both similar and different. Although my Walkman is so small, it can surprise you on the huge impact it has on me or any other person. Interskate may be one place, but it's where I let my feelings and all the problems stay behind me. Positive things are all that run through my mind. Both, however put me in a mood and that job gets done by music. I can relax and be happy to a song my girlfriend loves, just because she's always jammin' out in front of me, which is cute or I can be tense and thoughtful to a song like "Love You More" by Eminem.

What I value is what can help me keep a good mood and help me relax. As my Walkman serves me happiness through music and flow, Interskate serves my happiness through my girlfriend and friends. When one isn't there, another is. My sleek Walkman serves my weekdays, during school and the blast I have at Interskate serves my weekend. Both work together to make me an elated person and maintain a positive mood which is very significant in my daily lfe.

Daly City

Ben McKee’s life was going perfect now that Larry was gone. It was one less problem for him and his mother. They were tight on money because his mother had lost her job, due to the horrid economy. She was miserable, complete opposite of Ben. He was enjoying the area. He had recently completed his sophomore year and the summer went by fast. He was soon going to start his junior year at Bluford High School. His mother had loved to see him happy, but she didn’t think they could make a good enough life where they were. She felt Detroit had a bad influence on Ben. In addition to that, she needed money to carry out a living. She knew they couldn’t live like this any longer. She felt she had to do something before things got worse, so she did. It was a Friday that she had thought all day long. She was thinking of a possible solution, but couldn’t come up with a single scenario. There was only one choice and she took it. She decided to start a new life. She was going to move away from Union Street, with Ben of course. She decided to move to Daly City, California. After all, her sister lived there and she had informed her of how great things were out there. Her sister also had open arms and was willing to take in Ben and herself. She was going to do it, but then there comes the tough part. She had to let Ben in and she knew he wouldn’t be too happy.

It was a luminous Saturday morning. Ben had woken up to the smell of French toast. He leaped out of bed and ran downstairs. He had seen his mother washing dishes. There was a plate, stacked high of the French toast he had woken up to the aroma of. He poured syrup all over and grabbed a fork. His mother had finished the dishes and sat at the table with him. Ben watched as his mother looked at him. She had opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but couldn’t find the right words to say it. Ben knew something was up.

“What is it mom?” Ben questioned.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but we’re moving in with Aunt Yvette.” His mother Replied.

Ben dropped his fork. He started to turn red as a chili pepper dipped in Tabasco sauce. She had explained to him why she came to this decision.

“Why now? I am about to start my junior year here! I can’t leave now. I won’t. I refuse!” He demanded.

“Ben McKee, don’t you dare! You do as I say; I am your mother for God’s sake.” She ordered.

“Go upstairs and pack your bags, we are leaving tonight. We will be taking the plane. I already ordered our tickets this morning.” She said.

“What?” He asked.

“GO upstairs” She had started in a loud tone of voice, but her voice had died down.

Ben did as told and packed his bags. He put clothes in some suitcases and personal belongings in others. He was ready by noon, but they weren’t scheduled to leave until dusk. Ben took advantage of his last few hours and decided to say his good-byes to friends. While he was out the house, his mother decided to get ready too. She had showered, gotten ready, and packed. She decided to rest with her spare time. She fell out into a deep slumber.

She woke up and it was five o’clock. The plane’s departure time was seven o’clock. She called Ben and had him come home. She called a taxi and it arrived to the house within a half hour. Ben and his mother loaded their luggage into the trunk of the taxi. The taxi drove off. Ben looked out the window and started to tear up. He’d miss the place.

It seemed like such a short time before they arrived at the airport. Ben was so caught up in watching Detroit pass by; he hadn’t noticed that they were there. Ben looked at the neon sign with the cost glow. The sign looked blurry so he couldn’t see the cost. His mother paid the taxi-driver and they exited the taxi. The driver popped the trunk and they took their luggage out. They entered the airport.

They had put their luggage on the conveyor belt and did what they needed to do. They strutted over to their flight. It was seven o’clock by now and they were making last calls for people attending their flight. They gave their tickets to the young man at the door to enter the plane. He gave them a ticket back. They walked through the long pathway to the plane. They boarded the plane and put their luggage in the compartments on top. They took their seats.

The flight attendant made the announcement of their destination and arrival time. They strapped their seat belts and lifted off. Ben was nervous. He had never flown in a plane before. He was sad too, and he looked at his mother. She had fallen asleep, so he decided to do the same. It wasn’t long before he fell out too. They woke up late morning the next day. The flight attendant announced that they’d be landing in about fifteen minutes. The fifteen minutes went by fast and they were landing. The landing was a safe one. Ben and his mother got their bags and exited the plane. His mother called Yvette and she went to go pick Ben and his mother up. They waited until they seen a blue Camry pull up. Yvette came out the car and gave kisses to Ben and of course, hugged his mother. She helped load the bags and they got into the old car. They drove and Yvette engaged conversation with her sister. They had to catch up for lost visits. Ben eavesdropped for a short period of time, but fell out after a short time. Ben slept more often than he usually did that day. It was probably from all the stress he was going through. He only slept a little while before waking up again. He looked out the window. Something strange told him they were there. Something told me he was in that place he would now be forced to call Home. Daly City.

They stopped driving and Ben looked at the house they stopped in front of. Ben got out of the car and so did Yvette and his mother.

“Go on Ben, explore the hood. Make some friends. I’ll take your bags upstairs and get your things situated. I’ll have a surprise room for you when you get home.” Yvette insisted.

“Thanks Aunt Yvette.” Ben answered.

“Boy, be careful.” His mom stated.

Ben ignored her and walked away. He walked down the street. He took a turn and noticed the kids playing outside games, it seemed fun to him. He walked down the occupied street and walked down an alley. He had seen a trash can tipped over and a little kid digging through it. He looked at the kid and pulled him out of the trash can.

“Who are you? What’s your deal kid? You lose something? Need help?”

Ben didn’t get a response. He heard noises. It sounded like the munching or chomping of potato chips to him. He picked up the trash can and looked at all of the garbage on the floor, from cans to human feces. He wondered why there would be feces in the trash can, but he didn’t even want to ask. The kid was hiding a party bag of potato chips under his shirt. Ben’s prediction was right.

“Dave.”

Dave had answered Ben’s question from earlier. The question asking who he was. Ben had many questions to ask, but he didn’t want to get into Dave’s business.

“Why are you eating things out of the garbage, Dave?” Ben questioned.

Dave sobbed and ran away. He left a trail of potato chip crumbs. Ben was curious, so he followed the trail after about five minutes of being frozen in his place. It lead to the end of the alley way and then to another street. He took a left onto the street. This street was empty. There weren’t many houses. The few houses that were located on this street were spread far apart. Ben saw the crumbs and then the bag still full with chips. There were flies soaring about. They were probably hungry. Hungry like the boy that dug through the trash for them. He looked up and saw a small house.

He then suddenly heard screaming and was terrified, but still curious. He entered the backyard of the house through a fence. He hopped the fence and snuck onto the porch in the backyard. He peeked through the window. It was nothing he had ever imagined. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the most horrific thing he’d ever seen.

He had seen a stove with blazing orange stove tops. The stove was on, each knob was turned the same way. He observed the label on the knob and it read “Hi”. There was the boy, the one he had met, the first boy he met in Daly City. There was steam erupting from the stove and Dave’s eyes were closed tight. There was a lady hovering over him, yelling maniacally.

Ben ran away, his first thought was to go to the nearest person and get help, so he was going to do so. He ran out of the backyard and stopped. He started to tear up and he fell on the floor crying. His first intension was to maybe start a new life, but not this way. Ben was scarred. He couldn’t carry on this way. He tried not to think about himself. He started to focus on Dave again. He ran down the street. It seemed to get longer and longer. He felt as if it were. It actually did. His vision then got blurry and he fell to the ground. Ben fell out on the street floor.

Ben woke up in his bed. He looked around and seen his room. His Detroit room.

“Wow, it was just a dream, actually, a nightmare.” Ben said to himself.

Ben didn’t remember the entire dream, only the part about meeting Dave and seeing what he seen. Ben thought about it. So many questions filled his head. Does a Dave really exist? Why this dream? Why did it feel so real?

He thought about it for a while. He then went to his mother’s room to get a toothbrush. He looked on her dresser and had seen two tickets. They looked printed and they had a strange name on the top. The name seemed familiar to him. He tried to remember where the name was from, but where? He had noticed they were airplane tickets. He had felt as if he relived that moment. He thought about running down the stairs to ask what the airplane tickets, but he thought maybe it was meant to be a surprise. He left his mother’s room, toothbrush in his hand. He look up and down the hallway in his house, he looked at what a grand house he lived in. The aroma of French toast filled the air.