Drugs are powerful elements that affect your brain and also your actions. But when you do drugs it is so addictive that you will do anything from Prostitution to stealing to get what you need to relieve your headache. Well, the main character Kristina in the book Crank by Ellen Hopkins is going through these very issues with the drug Crank or heroine that she is sniffing. Kristina is stealing money and also doing things she should not be doing to make money. Money figures in the book because it Kristina needs it to supply drugs for her mental needs. One reason why money figures in the text is because she is using it to get her drugs. This quote says “you fly until you crash two days two nights no sleep, no food, come down off the monster YOU CRASH REAL HARD” .That means that you can really get addicted to it and it would make you want to have more all the time and that is not good for her help or pocket. It is bad for her pocket because these drugs aren’t cheap. Another reason why money figures in this story is because she is stealing from her mother to get money. In the story her mother’s credit card came in the mail. One letter the credit card came in the other she saw the pin number. So this gave her more money. Kristina saw it when she was looking for her report card because she has been slacking off in school and does not want her parents to know. But when she found that she used the money for crank. This is because her mother restricted Kristina’s access to her own account. SO this I bad because the craving is so high that she will become a criminal in order to get what she thinks what she needs. But she is also borrowing money from boyfriends and also friends. In conclusion Kristina’s money figures in the text because she needs to pay for her drugs. She does not have any self-control or anything. She will steal and do other things to get what she wants. Would you make yourself a criminal just because of an addiction that you have?

Dakota Swann                                                                                                             8th grade

The Call of the Wild

by Jack London

            The book The Call of the Wild  is about a  Saint Bernard and Scotch shepherd mix named Buck in the year of 1867 . Buck was a heavy weight good structured dog that could survive in the Artic. In the beginning of the book Buck lived with a family named the Millers. He is there because his father was owned by the Millers also. The Millers were great owners to Buck. They lived in a place called Santa Clara. Buck loved it there because of the sun. He especially loved the Miller daughters Mollie and Alice. But one day he was sold because of his owner Judge Miller. Judge Miller played a game called Chinese lottery. So when he lost the game, Buck was sold to  very despicable men named Manuel and another person whose name was not mentioned . They extremely cruel to Buck and eventually got tired of him. So the men sold him to two men named Francois and Perrault.

            Buck was taken to Dyea beach. Buck was going to be a part of pulling a sled with a few other dogs. The dogs pulled a sleigh for the two men to travel to places to make money or sell things. But when he got there a dog named Curly was killed in a fight.  When the two men and all the dogs rode up to the city of Canon, there were problems waiting for Buck. Buck was bigger than the other dogs  and did not get enough food to fill him up. With this situation he had to kill his first prey to survive. Buck felt that he let his domestic side go and that he was becoming an wild animal. While on this trip Buck made an enemy who was one of the dogs that pulled the sled with him. Then when they were about a hundred miles away from the city named Dawson a big fight started with the dogs and many were wounded. Then in Dawson, Buck had a fight with the toughest dog (his enemy) in the camp and won. But when they started to go back home Buck started to get home sick. After Dawson, the drivers began to get really tired and hungry because they put the dogs before them all the time. But then the dogs were given to Two men named Hal and Charles. Charles had a wife named Mercedes who was very annoying to Hal. But on the way to Dawson, They stopped at a camp that a man named John Thornton owned. But there at the camp Buck was really tired. So he sat down and did not get up even if Hal lashed him. Then Hal started to beat Buck with a club and then that is when John went into the action. John told him to stop or he would kill Hal himself. Then after that, John took Buck for himself.

             Buck loved John to all his might. Buck would do anything that John wanted him to do. Even though Buck was under weight and unhealthy from his past owners. John loved Buck as much as Buck loved him. He would always break out in tears when Buck did something that he appreciated. So when John and Buck went to town random people were asking how much Buck is worth so they could buy him. They thought he was a great dog that could help them to do heavy lifting. But John would not give him up. John broke out in tears to show how much he loved Buck.

             Then John and his two partners Pete and Hans planned a trip to get some gold. But where the gold is no one has come back alive. So on the trip there, Buck was the leader and loved what he did. Then after miles of running they found the place where the gold was. The men did all the work while the dogs did nothing. So Buck wandered off for periods of time and made a friend. His friend was a wolf. They met up with each other a lot to play and to hang out. Buck so them as brothers and not friends. He felt that he was also a wolf and not just a dog. As Buck was out for periods of time he began to kill his prey to eat. He loved to kill his prey because it made him seem more like a wolf. But one day But another dog from his camp was free and he did not understand. So Buck followed the dog and found that one of John's dogs were killed with arrows in his back. But then the dogs started to kill the enemy by biting their throats. Buck killed the leader and other men with the other dog that John had recently brought. Then after they found out that John was dead they went out on their own. They lived by themselves letting out their wolf side that has been in there for years.

Dakota Swann                                                                                                                         808

Banned Books

Argument Essay

           

Have you ever had a book taken away from you just because of two pages?  Well, that is what may happen to the book The Fault of Our Stars written by John Green. Access to this book in 8th grade libraries should not be limited because it may contain events and issues that some kids may go through. The book teaches kids and teenagers about life lessons that the main character is learning also. The book teaches kids about the life of a kid or a teenager who is fighting cancer. 8th graders are also mature to read this because this book is about a serious situation. The book is about a 16 year old girl named Hazel who had a tumor in her lungs. Hazel is suffering by having to carry a breathing machine with her everywhere that she goes. At a cancer support group Hazel meets  Augustus Waters who had cancer in his leg. In order for him to live, doctors had to remove part of  it. Now Augustus has a mechanic leg so he could walk. Augustus changed Hazel’s life with his friendship and love for her personality.

One reason why the book should not be limited is because some teenagers  may relate to what the main Character Hazel is going through as a teenager with cancer. The article “Darkness Too Visible” states “Reading about another teen in the same traits will be comforting.” This quote explains that the kid may feel that they are not alone and other teenagers are going through what they are going through. This could be good for the reader’s feelings or their emotions. Also you don’t have to be mature enough to read about someone’s feelings and emotions.

Another reason why the book should not be limited is because the book teaches a life lesson that the readers may need later in life. The article “The Banned Books We’ve Loved” states that “The books that we want to ban teach us the most valuable lessons.” So if we ban these books we are banning the life lessons that the kids want to learn. And we want teenagers to learn lessons. We can’t ban these books because of one sexual reference  which is not the overall point to the story.

Many may argue that the book should be ban because one chapter in the book has one part that has a sexual reference. The book  contains that sexual part but it is not detailed enough for the reader to really picture the whole scene clearly. The sexual part is only one page and a half. It explains when Augustus took off his leg and Hazel asking him questions about it and it fast forward so that we don’t have to hear the real sexual parts.

In conclusion the book “The Fault of Our Stars” should not be limited because it may let kids or teenagers relate to the story and the book can teach the reader a life lesson. It can also teach people about the life of a kid or teenager with cancer. Some people should think twice before thinking about banning a book that many people love.

Drugs can affect anyone. Drugs make you do crazy things to get enough money for your refill dose. Well, the main character Kristina in the book Crank by Ellen Hopkins is going through these very issues. Kristina is stealing money and also doing things she should not be doing to make money. Money is a big issue in the book because it she needs it to supply her drugs for her needs.

One reason why money is an issue is because she is using it to get her drugs. This quote says  “you fly until you crash two days two nights no sleep, no food, come down off the monster YOU CRASH REAL HARD” .That means that you can really get addicted to it and it would make you want to have more all the time and that is not good for her help or pocket. It is bad for her pocket because these things aren’t cheap.

Another reason why money is an issue in this story is because she is stealing from her mother to get money. In the story her mother’s credit card came in the mail and Kristina saw it when she was looking for her report card. But when she found that she used the money for crank. This is because her mother restricted Kristina’s access to her own account. SO this I bad because the craving is so high that she will become a criminal in order to get what she needs.

In conclusion Kristina’s money issue is really bad and horrible. She does not have any self  control or anything. She will steal and do other things to get what she wants. But does what she really want is to be a criminal because of stealing money?

One reason why they stand up for what they think is right is when the main characters stood up to their

mother. Their mother was going out for the night and she has done that many times this week. But Lochan

stood up to her to say why and that she can't. The main characters believe it is not right that they have to

carry the burden of their siblings and she can go out whenever that she wants. This is when they barely get

  to  make friends or be n a relationship.She is not being fair to them even if she gives them freedom once in

a while to be a regular teenager.

Introduction

The characters in the book Forbidden go against the rules and what other people think of them. The story is about a brother Lochan and a sister Maya who help each other take care of their younger siblings when their mother is an alcoholic. They fell in love with each other being that that both were the best friends that each other has had ever. They go against the rules and say what they think is right.

My favorite picture book is "If You Give A Pig a Pancake". This book is about a pig that shows up at a girl's door ands he asks for pancake. Then after he eats he asks for a bath and lots of other things that had nothing to do with a pancake.
This story teaches kids to not let someone or something take advantage of you and what you have. You have to take charge of this a don't let them tell you what they want. Kids sometimes do this to other kids and it is not cool to  do that. This book teaches a good lesson about this in a helpful way.