The Old Man and the Sea

This week I am writing on The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. First off I will give a summary of the story. The Old Man was a fisherman but he hadn't caught anything for over 80 days. A result of this was that the boy, who was his sailing partner and friend, had to go fish with another man at his fathers orders. Well one day The Old Man set out to sea and after a few attempts he hooks a great big fish bigger than he has ever seen. Unfortunately the fish was strong enough to pull the boat and pull he did. The Old Man began drifting away from land and farther into the big blue sea. After many days the old man was finally able to spear the fish and tie him to the side of his boat. And so he began his journey home. A little later he saw he was being followed by a huge shark. The shark bit into the flesh of his fish as The Old man simultaneously speared him in the back. He had stopped the shark but the fish was maimed and bleeding which meant more sharks. After that two more sharks came but he killed them both with his knife. After many more sharks The Old Man finally made it home. In my opinion it was an ok book. I disliked that towards the end everything is really repetitive. I also disliked that they almost never used names they just referred to him The Old Man. But I did like the story in general. My favorite quote was when the Old Man was talking to The Boy. He says "If you were my son I would take you gambling". I rate the book 3 stars and if you like slow paced books then this one is for you.  

Albert Einstein

This week I am writing on Albert Einstein by Freda Wishinsky . Albert was one the worlds greatest scientists and one of the things that led to his success was the fact that he didn't let feeling stupid stop him. What I mean by this is even though he grew failing classes and hearing harsh comments like "Albert will never achieve his goals" he still powered through and didn't let that bother him.  One time Albert applied to a prestigious university but was turned down because he only knew two subjects. Math and physics. But once again he persevered by going back to school learning more on other subjects and when he applied a second time he was accepted. I admire the fact that even though Albert was somewhat of a celebrity he still kept his laid back humorous attitude. Albert presented many amazing theories that effected the world for the better. Albert was always a strong Jew which made things difficult for him living in Europe during World War 2.  All in all Albert was kind and patient during adulthood at least. As a child he used to give huge tantrums and during one of these he hit his sister with a garden hoe. This is a good book and I recommend you read it. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Today I am writing on The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. The basic story is that a man named Mr Benedict put together a team of children named Reynie, sticky, Kate, and Constance. The reason for the team was because a man named Mr Curtain was mind controlling people for his own evil purposes. Why use children you might ask? Well the answer is simple. Some children have a special yearning for truth which allows them to resist the mind control and on top of that Mr Curtains organization is also a school. Now that we have that covered lets get to the more interesting parts of the story. The children made it to the island which the school was located with a mission to become messengers, since the messengers were the ones who unknowingly did the mind controlling. Reynie and Sticky, being incredibly smart, had no problem memorizing the material necessary to becoming a messenger. On the other hand Kate and Constance were having some trouble which led them to believe they would have to do something that none of them were comfortable doing. They had to cheat. Kate's method was simple. Since she was so tall she could just look over Reynies shoulder. Constance being very short had a little more trouble. They were forced to use morse code which Sticky tried to hide by  scratching and tugging his ear. But he wasn't good enough because he was caught and sent to the waiting room which was basically a dudgeon. After he gets out he almost leaves the team but he doesn't and then Reynie and Sticky become messengers. Once messengers a long series of events take place but eventually they stop Mr Curtain and save the day. The main things that led to there success was teamwork and determination. Each and every one of these kids had a special yearning for truth that was required of them.  Even after Reynie and Sticky failed to resist Mr Curtains mind control machine they still persevered and won the day. The kids main motivation was just to help others. None of the kids wanted to the job but they did because they needed to. I like this story because it has a good mix of action, adventure, mystery, and suspense and I strongly recommend you read it. 

Mark Twain

This week I am writing about Mark Twain by Clinton Cox.  Mark was originally named Samuel Langhorne Clemens and he was born on November 30th 1835. He was the sixth of seven children born to John and Jane Clemens. Martin didn't write much growing up but once he did start writing he decided to use Mark Twain as his pen name. However before he had started writing he had been a pilot on a boat and he thought he would continue to do so until the end of his days. The thing that changed his mind was the fact that his little brother wanted to follow in his footsteps and ended up dying when his boat went down in flames. That's what began his writing career.  One thing that led to his success was his criticism. He would write newspaper articles criticizing different people and organizations and the people loved it so he became known for his humorous writing. Another thing that helped him become a successful writer was the fact that he moved around so much in his younger days. He wouldn't stay in one place for more than 3 months and because of that he was able to use all his experiences and make them into stories. Mark tried to write serious books and articles but it wasn't accepted due to the fact that he was known as the funny guy.  Learning that he would never be accepted as an average writer he returned to his light hearted style that everyone seemed to enjoy. For the most part is seemed that the main thing that motivated him to write was the fact that he was obsessed with making quick money and becoming rich just like his father was. I admire that he was able to write in a way that people became angry when he tried to change. I also admire that no matter were he was he always found time to write to his mother back at home. 

The Lord Of The Rings Book 1

The book I am writing on this week is The Lord of The Rings book 1 by J.R.R Tolkien. The book begins in the Shire, as Bilbo Baggins plans his birthday celebration. It just so happens that  his close relative and even closer friend Frodos birthday was on the same day and since it was the year of his coming of age the party was going to be even bigger this year. Secretly Bilbo planned his own surprise for the night. He planned to use his magic ring to disappear and "live happily ever after to the end of his days". During the celebration Bilbo gave a speech then he slipped on the ring and disappeared. Frodo knowing of Bilbos scheme Hurried home finding Gandalf , the wizard, and also Bilbos parting gift. The Ring. It was at this moment that begun him and his friends Sam, Merry and Pippin, on a long journey running from Black Riders, making there way through deadly woods, and they even met a friend of Gandalfs called Strider Along the way. After being stabbed by a Black Rider Frodo becomes deadly ill and they make there way to the elves barely escaping the clutches of the enemy. I love this book because it is beautifully written with a great story and intriguing characters. I rate The Lord Of The Rings book 1 5 stars.