Book Recommendation

    I have read many books, from sci-fi novels to nonfiction history recounts. Out of those books, the ones that stand out to me the most are the thick sets of books containing unbelievably imaginative worlds of magic.

    Among these, one of the best is the series Beyonders. Written by the Fablehaven author Brandon Mull, the first book, called A World Without Heroes, was published in 2011. Seeds of Rebellion and Chasing the Prophecy followed, each published a year after the previous one. In my opinion, the gaps in between each publication gave us readers some time to absorb the information of the books and to let us get excited as we anxiously wait for the next book to come out.

    To judge whether this book is worth the money and space on your shelf, an overview of the plot will help. Jason, a normal teenager who only worries about homework, and only thinks about dating and curve balls, is suddenly swallowed by a hippo and gets forced into a different world called Lyrian, when he’s volunteering at a private zoo. Hopelessly lost and already a wanted criminal in Lyrian, Jason meets up with another person who’s just come from Earth, Rachael. They learn that the evil wizard, Maldor, is taking over Lyrian and plunging it into darkness and misery. Although inexperienced and not responsible for what happens in this strange world, Jason and Rachael still set out on an almost impossible mission to try and defeat Maldor

    I specially appreciate the examples that Mull’s books try to set for young teens to take responsibility and not to back away from it. Jason, although ignorant about the things going on in Lyrian, and most likely to be killed the very next day, still takes the responsibility of leading the rebellion. Even though Lyrian has nothing to do with Jason or Rachael, and even though it isn’t their homeland, they are ready to lay down their lives just to save the innocent people. I think reading these sorts of hero books will teach teens like your students to step forward and take the lead, instead of shrinking back whenever things get rough.

    As an elite version of other action books, Beyonders will definitely be an instant favorite. With each new character and scene that I read, I am able to picture it in great detail, surrounded by the descriptive words, and sometimes I even experience a life-like interaction with the characters, set up by my 3-D creating mind. The actual bash and whack parts of the book are always described in great length, giving me almost a movie-like play by play of each the the fighter’s moves. But even as I silently cheer on the good guy, his thoughts of possible defeat still flash through my mind. Then, of course, there are the ever-present sarcastic and humorous jokes, usually said by Jason, mostly to annoy Rachael, and sometimes to vent his nervousness just before big battles. I usually laugh along with him, able to relate to the jokes delivered under extra tension, something I do on a regular basis.

    Another particularly enjoying part of the book that Brandon Mull depicts is the subtle ways in which Rachael and Jason are developing. After living for a couple months in the harsh environments of Lyrian, during which they lose many good friends, Jason and Rachael become hardened. I am able to observe the changes in their actions whenever they meet some bad guys. Instead of hanging back, Jason and Rachael both charge forward with everyone else. This challenge of noticing these tiny, obscured changes made reading Beyonders even more interesting than it already was.

    If that still isn’t enough to convince you to get the series, there’s still the educational part of Beyonders to persuade you. The content is very descriptive, and contains sophisticated writing techniques that set accurate examples for readers to follow when they need to write something. There are also quite a few advanced words that middle school students should learn. Beyonders is a series with a pretty complicated plot, so I’d think that it’s only good for 4th grade students and up to read it. It should prove to be both entertaining and somewhat educational for elementary and middle school students. I needed all the brainpower I had to keep track of the twists and turns that Mull takes.

Thrilling and filled with action, Beyonders is a series you should think about reading. It definitely kept me magically energized until the finish, and will hopefully do the same for you when you read it.

Poem Series

Lily

A scarlet lily,

Growing wildly, burning red

Sprouting bell-shaped buds.

Although the scent makes me sneeze,

These blooms still lure me to breathe.

Eggs

My favorite food is

fried egg.

With its perfectly golden

round yolk.

The single huge eye

draws me.

I would accept a

poached prize,

Or maybe accept a

scrambled snack.

But my #1 choice:

fried eggs.

It starts my morning

energizes me.

I need you, egg

Don’t leave me!

 

Piano

Playing piano

Music rushes in my ears

As my fingers dance

On the black white gears

 Melody opens windows

Moonlight awakened.

Swishming

I wish I became

a fish,

Swimming around in the

open ocean,

Conquering the seas bit

by bit.

By joining a good

swim team,

Butterfly has allowed me

to fly.

It’s really not the

same game,

But I like my

funny buddies.

We’ll be there for

each other,

With waves and splashes

Throughout the years.

Yelling

    How would you feel if your mom yelled at you like a yeti everyday from the yard? Mad,  right? I feel the same too, and very tight. Why had my mom become a yeller though? Was it because I was not concentrating on my homework, or because I was smashing the house with white, powdery dough?

    When I asked Mom this grave and serious question, she started off with the classic storm starter, “It’s all because of YOU! If you hadn’t butt-flopped on our wood chair and squashed it to splinters, and if you hadn’t been plowing  the front yard with putters, I would be much better! You’re the little needle that always pokes through my overloaded balloon and releases the fiery kindling!” She breathed heavily, giving me the chance to escape stealthily before things escalated rapidly.

    Back in my room, I could finally let my mind roam. I still didn’t understand Mom’s explosive manner. Had I done anything wrong? Those accidents were totally normal, childish behaviors that are at most annoying. Every kid I know has done these devilish deeds. It’s all within the limits. I don’t understand this uniquely annoying circumstance, but in the mean time, let’s try not to bump Mom’s bumptious bubble.

Salad Bar Business

Dear Mr. Martinez,

Hello, my name is Justin Wei, and I’m an 8th grader at El Roble. As you are the principal of this junior high school, I decided to write to you about this issue that came across my mind while eating a deliciously juicy cheeseburger.

The lunches at El Roble are usually satisfactory to me, with reasonable portions, pretty fresh ingredients, and the ever-present salad bar. Variety in the lunches is diverse, and the portions are usually just enough to get me through the last two periods of class I have before I go home and pig out on snacks. The salad bar next to the snack store is also a great place to go at lunch. There is always salad, ham, and yogurt, all very nutritious items that complement and balance the not-too-healthy cheeseburgers, orange chicken, tacos, and burritos that I can get in the lunch carts.

As always, one of the goals for schools is to get us students to eat a big variety of nutritious food. But I’m not sure if even half of the students are eating the correct amounts  of veggies and fruit. I think the problem is with the salad bar, which should be the carrier of healthy things. The variety is just not great enough to attract most students. Sure, a lot of people are seen getting carrots and salad on their trays, but it is still a tiny percentage of the school. Most of the people I see just carry their low-on-nutrition food items, without any sign of fruit or veggies.

A recent change that made the students go to the salad bar less was the fifty cents charge on carrots. Who would want to pay extra to eat something healthy when you’re already paying $3.25 for lunch? Before the new charge, I would get the carrots at least two times a week. I had seen a lot of other students get the carrots too, crunching loudly, enjoying them. Now, I have not seen anyone eat carrots in weeks, and I haven’t gone to get any either. Mr. Martinez, I think that leaving the carrots free as part of the lunch would definitely help with having a more diverse salad bar.  

Here are some suggestions for how to improve the salad bar. The ingredients are usually fresh, which is good, but they’re just not diverse enough. Every day, the food is exactly the same. This is why the students and I are not eating the salad bar as much as before. Apart from having the same salad bar food every day, there are the separate containers that hold mysterious-looking things, and olives and radishes that no one touches. It would be a great idea to switch those out for a greater variety of food, like crackers, peaches, and dried berries. Accordingly, you could have the food director change up the items every couple months and switch the style slightly.

Mr. Martinez, please consider this idea. Please understand why our current First Lady wants all schools in our country to have a salad bar. The reason is not just to throw one together really quickly, and announce, “We have a salad bar!” Putting some thought into making the salad bar more diverse will make the students happier, and make the nation a healthier one.

Thank you,

Justin Wei