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.