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Term 3 Week 2

Hey everybody! This week has been pretty good. The school has definitely recovered from holiday mode, and is back to it's usual busy self. In flute lessons I was told that Competitions were on September 26th. I am doing a trio with my friends Oksana and Renee, and also a song by myself. Another thing coming up is band festival which I told you about in my last post. The whole band is going to be busy practicing. I also just got the notice for Murray's Bay and am super excited. It's in September though, I don't if I can wait that long. Anyway I have to go. See you next week!

Term 3 Week 1

Hey Guys! Welcome back! I can't believe I'm already back at school, the holidays went so fast. I haven't really done much, considering I just started two days ago, but it looks as though that won't last long. There is much going on this term including band festival. It's a competition for bands and last year the TAI band won. Another thing is the Murray's Bay visit. The MBIS symphonic band comes to our school and my school's band does a concert with them, and then we go up to their school, which is in Auckland, and do the same thing. the thing that I'm not looking froward to this term is cross country. We've already started practicing and I already hate it. Those are only some of the things that are happening this term. Overall I'm looking forward to most of the things that are happening this term, and I'm really glad to be back at school.

Term 2 Week 11

Hey Guys! I know I haven't been on in a while, but can believe it's the last week of term. I still have two more days, and this school  is just as busy as ever. Just yesterday I put on a cafe with the rest of my class at food technology, and last night I had a concert with the rest of the TAI Symphonic band and the Waikato Youth Symphonic band, Waikato Schools Symphonic band, and the TAC Symphonic band. We were joined by a guest conductor from America. It was really cool to work with a different conductor, and I really enjoyed listening to the other bands play, before we played a combined piece together. Overall it's been a great week so far, but I'm really looking forward to the holidays.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Term 2 Week 7

Hi Guys! Sorry I forgot to post something last week, but you haven't really missed anything. The last week or so hasn't been that busy. Well apart from production practice. Next week I have the whole week out of class just straight practicing. It will be okay, but the songs are pretty boring. I'm not just saying that. If you saw the music you would literally vomit. Okay I exaggerated, but you get the point. Next week is the last week of practice before the actual shows in week nine. I'm really excited, but kind of nervous at the same time. Another tech arts. Right now we're doing food, everybody's favourite right, and it is super fun. So far I have made mac 'n' cheese, butterfly cakes, foccacia bread, crispy cheese roll ups, dip sticks. On Friday I am making sushi with sweet chilli chicken. It's like one of my favourite foods, so I can't wait. Anyway

Week 5 Term 2

Hey Guys! This week has been pretty busy. I've done Japanese, which has been pretty interesting. It's cool to learn about another country's culture, and also pick up on bits of their language. Just yesterday I had my last lesson of science. I had to do a test on everything I've learned from all the lessons. I think I did pretty well. Last night I had production practice. There is only four weeks to go before the actual thing. I'm not on the actual cast. I am in the band, I play the flute, and have been practising like crazy. I just hope my hard work pays off.

I am looking forward to several things involving band. Of course there's production, but there is some other events coming up as well. First of all, there is music day. One person from each instrument will get chosen. I don't think it will be me, but you never know. People from other schools come too. They will have a day of practising, much like band camp, and will celebrate with a concert at the end. The other event coming up, involves other bands, including the college, as well. We play pieces separately and then play a combined piece as well. I imagine there will be a lot of preparation leading up to this. I have already been given one of the pieces to practice.

Overall I've enjoyed the week. See you soon!

Week 4 Term 2

Hi Guys! This week in tech arts I did science. I made soap for mother's day. The first soap I made was red and yellow, but someone spilled water all over it, so I had to make a new one. this one was better anyway. It was pink and white, and the science teacher cut stars and hearts out to put on the top. We also did an experiment with blue food colouring and salt water. We had to distill the salt water, which also had the food colouring in it, to make fresh water. The only equipment we were allowed to use, was two side arm flasks, a hot plate, and a tube. The science teacher began by pouring the coloured salt water into one of the flasks. We connected the two flasks using the piece of tube, and then sat the flask, with the liquid in it, on the hot plate, before turning the hot plate on. It took a while to begin to work, but soon enough the water vapour began to rise. He went down the tube and into the other flask. Afterwards we learnt why only the water particles found there way into the other flask. Well the way it works, is to do with particles and temperature. The water particles don't need as much heat, as the colouring and salt particles do. The heat turns the water into vapour and it rises up, and because the flask is sealed with a bung, the only place it can go is down the tube. The tube, of course, is not heated, so when the heat is taken away, the water particles turn back from vapour into fresh water, which then drips down the tube into the other flask. Another thing I did in science just yesterday was pH testing. I had to decide whether a liquid was an acid, neutral, or a base, judging by what I could taste, smell, and feel. I then created a hypothesis for each liquid. The pH testing was really interesting. I had to use a red cabbage indicator. This is basically just dipping red litmus and blue litmus into the liquid. If it is an acid, the blue litmus will turn red and the red litmus will pretty much stay the same. If the liquid is a base it will do the opposite thing, and if it is a neutral it will turn a purple colour. Then I actually had to test the pH levels in each liquid. To do this, I had to use a universal indicator. This was done with a yellow piece of paper (obviously you can't just use any yellow paper, it has to actually be special stuff). I dipped a piece into each liquid, and watched it change colour. You had to run over to the pH chart really quick, otherwise the colour could change. If it was 6.9 and below it was a acid, and if it was 7.1-14 it was a base. A straight 7 meant it was a neutral. All my hypothesis's turned out to be correct. Overall it's been a good week. See ya next week!

Memoir

I could smell last nights rain mingling with the sweet scent of the nearby pine trees. The damp ground felt soft underfoot and the breeze cool on my face. Shaky fingers reached out to take the helmet, before fastening it on my head. I walked towards the majestic beast, and courageously mounted its broad back. My thumb searched for the electric start button and found success, but putting it into gear was a different story. Mum approached and did it for me. I took a deep breath and placed my right hand on the throttle and my remaining hand on the brake. The drone of the motorbikes engine filled the air, as I gently eased the throttle back...

I was riding. Sure, I was going slow and my hand wouldn't leave the brake, but I was actually riding. Adrenaline buzzed through my veins, as I unconsciously pulled the throttle back further. I looked behind me and saw the mud fly out from under my back wheel, landing several metres away. I had never felt this free before. All my worries seemed to disappear, as I made it go faster still. My speed ate up the ground, and soon I was approaching the first corner. I slowed down, but only slightly. The corner came and went like it wasn't even there. I zipped along and it seemed too soon that the next corner was already upon me, and I could see my family up ahead. I rounded the last bend in the track and was disappointed to see that there was only twenty metres left. I never wanted this to end.

I pulled up beside my family, and shut the bike off. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes," I replied, surprised that my grin hadn't already given that away.

"Would you do it again?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Character Description

His body, clad in lime green protective gear, gumboots and helmet, makes him easy to spot on the horizon. I watch as he disappears round the corner and reappears just seconds later. Although I can't actually see his face, I know that a proud grin is most likely to be plastered across it. Around and around the track he goes, faster every time, until his speed is so great I can't keep up with him. He decides to change his route and zips down the hill, out of my sight. I expect him to come back up the other side straight away, but he doesn't. I tell myself not to worry. He's probably just found a bump that he can use as a jump. I let out a sigh of relief as I realise that this is probably what he's doing, but my relief obviously came too soon. The sound of the motor no longer fills the air.

I sprint down the track as fast as my boots will allow me. My heart starts to beat faster as I enter the paddock. Worst case scenarios run through my mind, but all the while I keep on running. I come over the brow of the hill and scream. His small body is half hidden by the bike, but the half you can see isn't moving. I start to run even faster and find myself stumbling down the last part of the hill. I wrench the bike off of him and sink to my knees. I pull off his helmet revealing his perfect round face, complete with big green eyes, a button nose and smooth peachy lips. His eyes are closed, long lashes brushing his cheeks. Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead and wet his short brown hair. I call his name but he's unresponsive...

I sit in the waiting room listening to the buzz of the hospital. I try to distract myself by thinking of other things, but the sound of his bubbly giggle won't leave my mind. I think of his quirky personality, and how he would never hesitate when it came to helping others. He loved doing anything outdoors, but his main passion was motocross. Now he'd gone and fallen off his bike. I leap to my feet as the doctor comes into view. "He's gone." ” What? No no no no no. He can't be dead.”  "At least he died doing the thing he loved." I collapse into a chair. My precious little brother who never did anything wrong. Gone? At only nine years old his life was taken. "Do you want to see him." What! No. I can't bear the thought of his pretty olive skin, looking white and lifeless. I somehow manage the words "No thanks." I suddenly can't hold it in any longer. Tears create waterfalls down my face, as I rush from the confines of the building.

Band Camp

 Hey guys sorry I haven't been on in a while. I can't believe it's already term two. I was really busy last week. I was participating in the annual band camp, held at our school. This involved symphonic band, jazz band, and choir students from not only our school, but from Matamata Intermediate and Cambridge Middle School as well. This was a really fun event. It lasted two days, in which practically did nothing but practice. I feel like my music skills have improved vastly. I got to celebrate my hard work with a concert performed in front of my friends and family. Overall it was a really fun, but productive event

Wellington Camp

Last week I was in Wellington with the rest of my class. I really enjoyed all of the activities and would love to do it again.

Parliament:
I loved going to visit Parliament. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, so I found that seeing lawyers in action really interested me. It was also really cool to see inside the beehive and parliament house. I learnt a lot there and would definitely recommend it to any one visiting wellington.

Holocaust Centre:
I found the Holocaust Centre really interesting. After doing report writing about it, I really wanted to learn more. I did learn more. There was even a woman there that had actually been a child during the Holocaust. She told us her story, which I found this sad, but informative. This is definitely a place I would recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the Holocaust.

ONTV:
This had to be one of my favourite parts of Wellington camp. We got to use a mini TV studio especially designed for the purpose of creating your own mini TV show. It was really interesting to see how the news and other talk shows are actually filmed. It was also just really fun to do the acting side of things. I really liked the fact, that we ended up with at least half decent results, and we got to watch the finished product at the end.

Media Lab:
This was another really fun thing. I got to create a 3D world with mountains, rivers, trees, bird flocks etc...
It was cool to see how they create 3D games or movies. I really enjoyed doing this and would strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in gaming or movies.

Te Papa:
This was really cool. Most of the exhibits were interactive, so it was fun to go around and see what they did. Anyone that visits Wellington has to go here.

Zealandia:
This is a nature reserve. It has lots of animals and plants that are native to New Zealand. We got to touch a Tuatara, then we had a guided tour around the reserve. We saw lots of birds, and it was cool, because we could actually get quite close to them. Not only was it fun, we also learnt quite a bit about wetlands and the different animals that we saw.

National Library:
Here, they had a WWII exhibition. I learnt a lot here, but still had fun. Anyone who wants to know more about this war should definitely go see this exhibition.

Snorkelling:
We did this at the island bay marine reserve. It was so much fun. I saw fish, crabs, anemones and so many more. Although it was cold, I was having to much fun to notice. While I was having fun, I also learnt a lot, so I am definitely going snorkelling again, and I would strongly recommend everyone else to try it as well.

Aquarium:
We went here after snorkelling, as it was in the same place. They had sea horses, an octopus, shark eggs and a lot more things that I had never seen before. It was pretty cool and again we learnt a bit.

Zoo:
Wellington Zoo was pretty fun. Again we got to touch a Tuatara and this other lizard. We saw heaps
of animals and actually learnt quite a lot. My favourite was the chimpanzees, because they were very entertaining and funny.

Pools:
We went to the pools on the Monday. It was more of a fun thing than an educational thing, so I don't really have much to say about it except it was fun, and I think everybody enjoyed it.

Carter Observatory:
This was pretty cool. We learnt about extremophiles. Which are practically tiny little microscopic creatures. There is lots of different types and they all live in different habitats. After we had finished the lesson, we got to look at the exhibits. A lot of them were interactive. After that we got to see the planetarium. It was really cool. We watched a movie about the moon, which was really informative. Overall it was really fun and anyone who loves space should definitely plan a visit.

Cable Car:
I don't think many people had ever been on a cable car before, so it was pretty cool and I think everyone enjoyed it.

Wellington Museum of City and Sea:
This was pretty interesting. We learnt about the Wahine disaster, which I didn't really know much about, so it was really cool to learn about it. I think a lot of other people enjoyed quite a bit as well.

Overall, it was a really great camp. I had never been to Wellington before, so I really enjoyed it. I think that it was a really great experience and I most certainly don't regret going, not even one little bit. I would definitely do it again.

This is the video we made at ONTV 

Holocaust

This week we have started some report writing about the holocaust. After researching this I believe that this is something that should never be forgotten. It is a very important part of the 20th centuries history and a subject that should not be taken lightly. I have read several times while doing my research, that the holocaust is one of the darkest and most terrible times ever recalled. The number of innocent lives that were spent is just horrendous.

Before researching this, I really had very little idea about what the holocaust was. I believe there is a lot of other people that still don't know what it is. I think that everybody should know what those people went through and why they went through it. Below is a brief summary of what the holocaust was.

It evolved slowly between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler decided that Jews could not be counted as Germans. The Nazi party sorted Jews into ghettos, specific parts of cities, often very run down. After a while, they began sending them to concentration camps, a thousand at a time. There they had to do hard, physical labour, a lot of them died of starvation, exhaustion, or disease.  After a while, extermination camps were set up. They were set up for the sole purpose of killing of Jews. By May 1945, approximately six million people had been killed.

The holocaust really is one of the darkest and most terrible times ever recalled in history. Don't let yourself forget what happened.

Portrait Poems

Brooke

Kind, caring, sibling, daughter

Lover of pineapples, animals, moustaches

Who feels strongly towards stopping animal abuse, war, child abuse

Who needs friends, family, love

Who gives kindness, love, happiness

Who fears failure, bugs, embarrassment

Who would like to see peace, laughter, smiles

Resident of Te Awamutu, New Zealand

I am Brooke

Brooke

intelligent, curious, kind, quirky

second born daughter of Jeffrey and Elwyn

likes pineapples, moustaches, animals, rainbows

feels happy, most of the time

afraid of the world ending

would like to see myself becoming a lawyer

I am Brooke

I am Brooke

Daughter of Elwyn

Who needs love, laughter, reeses pieces

Who loves her family, friends, animals

Who sees between the lines, what the worlds future looks like

Who hates ignorance, funerals, coriander

Who fears failure, bugs, disloyalty

Who dreams of success, becoming a lawyer

Who has found poems of sadness

Resident of Te Awamutu

I am Brooke

2015

Hi guys! I hope you had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. It is 2015 and I am now beginning my last year at Te Awamutu Intermediate School. I am excited to see what this year has in stall for me. I am really looking forward to camp. My class is going to Wellington. I think it will be a really fun experience. This year I really want to get involved in as much as possible. I am doing band again and am really looking forward to the camps that come with that. Last year was a great year, but I am determined to make 2015 even better. I want to learn more, get involved in loads and most of all have heaps of fun.

Popularity

Gorgeous blonde hair falls down past her waist. Piercing, but pretty, ocean blue eyes search a sea of faces, trying to find at least one to mock. Her baby blue dress looks great on her flawless figure, bringing out her matching eye shadow. Soft pink lips twist into a snare as beauty flutters past, flanked by at least a dozen girls. Even though she has her own hundred friends, she still shoots a glare at her rival before flouncing off in the direction of the flashest college in town.  

Popularity, like her name say’s, is the most popular person in school. Everybody likes her, but, what she doesn't know is, they only really like her because she’s rich, and gets whatever she wants.

She’s always flashing her new technology, or wearing her brand new designer clothes. She invites her friends to her mansion, just so they can see her many belongings. She shows off her massive bedroom and walk-in wardrobe, her pure thoroughbred and its expensive tack, the indoor pool complete with diving board and her mother Charms huge kitchen and metre wide fridge. So Popularity has a lot and she just keeps getting more everyday.

Another reason why people like Popularity is the fact that she is good at sport. She does gymnastics, netball, horse riding, swimming and many more. She wins all her individual events and it’s not very often that her team loses either.

People like Popularity, but I really don’t know why. She is a spoilt brat who gets whatever she wants when she wants it. Everybody that hangs around her should open their eyes and see what she really is. Just because she shouts you free ice cream and invites you to her house for a swim in her Olympic size pool, doesn't mean that she’s actually your friend. All she wants to do is show off and show you that she’s better than you.

Popularity turns nice people mean. She pretends that she really likes them, but all she wants to do is prove that she is rich and has everything any girl could ever ask for. Popularity is the blonde girl that isn't sweet.

Jealousy

Jealousy works at the beauty parlor, which is ironic. She is far from beautiful. She has a permanently turned up nose and her frown never goes away. Her eyes look just like her mother’s, bright green and harsh. She has a thick mop of curly brown hair that she wears out, it hardly ever gets brushed. To top it off, she has thousands of freckles all over her face and arms. She wears the same clover green dress and black sandals everyday, and is most certainly not the prettiest girl around.

She is the daughter of Envy and Hatred, which kind of explains the dirty looks she gives to people that are prettier than her. She wants to be just like beautiful, blonde popularity. Popularity goes to the beauty parlor Jealousy works at every day, forcing her to look at her perfect face.

But it’s not just peoples looks that Jealousy envies, it’s everything about them. Their belongings, personalities, even their cars. One of the things that she gets really wound up over is other peoples homes. Everyone seems to have great big estates with mansions on them, that is everyone but her.

She lives in a small cottage in the poorer part of town, though the houses around hers still tower over it. Her curtains are always drawn, so she doesn't have to see everyone elses many belongings. There is barely any paint left on the walls of her home, and the steps that lead up to her tiny verandah are nowhere to be seen. She has beds of weeds almost covering her miniscule property. The lone tree at the back of her house has been stripped bare from lack of sunlight. The inside of her cottage has the same story as the backyard. Unlike the three bedroom homes around her, Jealousy only has one room that has to serve as kitchen, dining, lounge and bedroom. Unless you count the tiny outhouse under the tree and all the necessities, that house is the only thing she’s got.

Jealousy looks at people wishing she had everything they've got. She never counts her blessings, or gives anything to anyone else, which is still selfish even if she has so little. She jumps at the chance to steal things, however small or unmeaningful that something might be. No one likes Jealousy, not even kindness who will usually be anyone's friend, but you really can’t blame them for that.

If you let Jealousy in, she will turn you into something far worse than you could ever imagine. Her horrid ways will rub off on you and you’ll start looking at what other people have instead of focusing on the things that you are lucky enough to own. Jealousy is the horrible person without a single piece of good in her.  

Green

Green is freshness.

It is like mint ice-cream on a hot summers day,

swirling in your stomach,

refreshing your body.

Green is luck,

changing your future for the better,

shaping your life.

Green is calmness,

soothing you in the roughest of times,

like a mother to her crying baby.

Green is honest,

never lying,

never breaking promises,

always true.

Green is safety,

like a blanket in the cold,

never letting anything hurt you.

Green is trust,

so strong nothing can break it.

Green is acceptance,

never leaving anything out,

always including everything.

Green is growth,

new life,

like rose buds sprouting.

Green is generosity,

always giving,

never taking.

It’s the charity that everyone takes for granted.

Green is harmony.

Everything about it blends together,

like the sound of the wind,

and the moo of a cow on a cold spring morning.

Green is optimism,

never believing the worst will happen,

always hoping for the best.

But green is jealousy.

It’s envious of everyone and everything around it,

it’s only major flaw.

Green is gracious,

like grass swaying in the wind.

Green is good.

My Speech

“Have you seen that new movie?”“Yes, it is so dumb”“I know right”I really liked that movie, but I can’t say that, they’ll think I’m stupid.”Its not even funny” Ever had moments like that. When you lie just to fit in, or because you think that if you don’t agree with someone they won’t be your friend. Why? Be yourself! You’ll be a whole lot happier.

First let’s talk about personalities, beliefs, and opinions. Personalities. Everybody has a different personality. We all like different things, and we all act differently. Whatever your personality you should stick to it, even if someone thinks you’re weird or stupid. That’s their problem. Don’t make it yours. Say you are a really loud, and confident person who always likes to be a leader, but everyone thinks that you are really bossy. What you do? I’ll tell you what you do. You don’t listen! They have no right to tell you what you are, or who you are. So personalities. Keep your own, not someone elses. Beliefs. Other people should not judge your beliefs. You are allowed to believe in aliens and unicorns, and you are allowed to be religious. If you believe in something that someone else doesn't, like say you believe in fairies and they don’t, too bad!Don’t let anyone tell you that what you believe in is not true, because chances are they probably believe in something that you don’t.Beliefs. If you believe in something don’t let anyone tell that it is not true or real, because if you think it is, it’s allowed to be. Opinions. You are allowed to add your opinion to any conversation you are a part of, unless of course it’s going to hurt someones feelings. But in any other case you can say whatever you think about the topic, even if that means saying the complete opposite of what everyone else thinks. If someone really likes something, but you think it’s actually pretty dumb, don’t be afraid to say so. They are allowed to to like it, but that doesn't mean you have too. Opinions. Don’t be afraid to offer them.

Okay we've covered that. Now let’s talk about appearance, clothes, hair etc. Let’s start with clothing.Everyone has clothes that they’re comfortable in, and clothes that they’re, maybe, not so comfortable in. Here’s my advice… stick to the comfortable stuff. Just because someone’s wearing this, and someones wearing that, it doesn't mean you have too.You can wear what you like, as long as it’s appropriate. If you see a famous person wearing those shorts that you really hate, and soon enough all your friends are wearing them. If you start to regret throwing them out, stop! You have to be comfortable, and if that means wearing something different to everyone else, too bad! You don’t have to wear what your friends are wearing, or what anyone else is wearing. Clothing. Wear what you want.Hair is basically the same as clothing. Just because someone has a certain haircut doesn't mean you have to have it too. You can have your hair however you want too. If you want it long, short, or medium length, you do that. You can tie it up, or you can have it down just remember to make sure that you like it. Say you have very long hair, but someone else has very short hair. You should not judge each others choices. Hair. Have it your way.

Finally, let’s talk about people judging people. No one should judge who you are, what you do, how you act, or what you're interested in. If someone does judge you, just ignore them. You shouldn't have to lie, just to make them like you or be your friend. Don’t let people judge you. What’s almost more important is the fact that you shouldn't judge other people either. Just like you they have the right to be themselves. Judging people is bad. It can prevent them from being themselves, so don’t do it, and don’t let anyone do it to you.

After all that I've said I hope you understand why you would be better off being yourself than pretending to be someone, or something, else. Stay true to your personality. Don’t be afraid to state your opinions, or beliefs. Wear what you want to wear, and have your hair how you like it. Don’t let anyone judge you, and don’t judge anyone else. Most importantly don’t lie just so people will like you, be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

Running Wild

Title: Running Wild

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Genre: Memoir

Will is riding an elephant along the beach, when a tsunami comes and it runs off into the jungle.

Will spends a year there, the elephant protecting and caring for him. He learns how to live in the wild, and befriends some animals. One day Will and some baby orangutans are captured and taken to a village where they are tortured. Someone helps him escape and he runs off into the jungle. There he finds his elephant again, and the orangutans find their mother, who leads them to an orangutan sanctuary. There he stays forever. Running Wild.

I think the main message of this book is to forget the past and focus on today and the future. In this book Will loses his mother and has already lost his father. At the start of the book he often cries about it, but as his life carries on he learns to forget about his parents and focus on the days ahead. This book has a few other small messages like be brave and be grateful for what you've got. I don’t think the author was totally aware that he put these messages in, but to me they were very clear.

At the start of this book, it is set in England but then Will goes on holiday to Indonesia, and it is set on the beach before going in to the jungle, where it stays set till the end. I think the the author described all these places very well. Just enough to allow me to use my imagination and fill in the gaps. The settings definitely contributed to the story line. If the book was set anywhere else it would have been completely different. For example if his holiday in Indonesia wasn't by the beach he wouldn't have been riding an elephant, and he wouldn't have known the tsunami was coming. He would have died. I think the settings change the mood, and I think they change Will.

The main character is obviously Will. At the start of the book he is quite tidy, but he takes some things for granted. He is kind and caring, but has a rather short temper. As you get further into the book he changes, and becomes more grateful and kind. At the end of the book he is very strong, but is rather messy, as he hasn't had a haircut in a year. I think that Will has a very interesting personality. He is very intelligent, but tends to do things without thinking. He is a fast learner and quickly unlocks the key to survival. Overall all he is a very smart boy whose actions usually pay off.

I think the language the author used was rather modern and complimented the story line very well. It was very easy to understand. If it was written any other way I think it would have been really confusing. The author described everything very well, and because it was written in first person, he described Will’s feelings as well. He didn't use very many similes or other things to add impact. I think that maybe more of those would have made it better.

I loved this story. I think it was very gripping and from the first page to the last page it held my interest. This was because at the start it was very sad and I really wanted to see what would happen to the boy. I wasn't sure whether it was going to have a very happy ending or not. I think that it would be impossible to leave this book half read. Another thing that held my interest was the fact that there were no unnecessary words, so I never got bored.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes memoirs. It was written very well and I can just about guarantee that I will read it again.

Brooke Rm 3