Freshman Voices, 2019-2020: Waltham Hawks Write

Aidan Sacco Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez Living in a place with very little positivity, it's very easy to turn one's life from good to bad in the matter of one bad choice. Many people have made terrible lifestyles for themselves but have lost hope of making a positive future for themselves. In bad areas of L.A many children grow up without parental figures in the picture which only negatively affects the younger generation. In the non-fiction novel Always Running main character Luis explains his troubles he faced when he was younger.    After living in L.A for a while since moving across the border from Mexico, Luis Rodriguez has made a reputation for himself. Since he has dropped out of school he has gotten hooked on drugs and becoming a frequent participant in gang warfare, leading him to face much physical and mental pain. Finding cheap ways to get high Luis constantly sniffs paint to escape the pain of the real world with the money he steals from people w...

Ron Bajrami Detective Stories by Philip Pullman Are you interested in smart detectives solving different types of mysteries? Tired of reading only about Sherlock Holmes? Then Detective Stories is the book for you. To summarize, since the last book review I finally finished the book and it had a big switch in the stories. Every chapter has different stories, each one is unique and creative. This book was chosen by Philip Pullman, he is a brilliant writer and chose the best detective stories I’ve read, some other authors that stuck out to me in the book include: Erich Kastner, Micheal Underwood, Isacc Asimov and many more. I would really recommend this book if you’re interested in murder mystery or detective stories. Every story has unexplained deaths, different mysteries, and reading about how these detectives solve them keeps you wanting to read more. I really like the layout of the book, the way the stories switch is really nice, and I like how he changes the time...

The Color of Love Gene Cheek Valerie Charles The Color of Love is a book about the life of a twelve year old boy - Gene Cheek living in North Carolina in the 1960’s with an alcoholic father and a loving mother. During this time the world was fighting with segregation and Gene would not yet realize the power of hatred and the strength of love. Genes mother had fallen in love with an African-American man which went against the law and was forced to choose between the mixed race baby and Gene. Don’t ever let the world’s judgement go against what you believe and what you feel is right because of the color of someone’s skin. Throughout the young years of Genes life, he had dealt with a drunk man walking through the front door every night and blaming everything around him for his life problems. On top of this Jesse - Genes father had been a very abusive husband towards Gene and his mom and had no way of controlling his problems. “He needs to be taught a lesson. Let him go!’ ‘No, I won...

Chloe Doe Suzanne Philips Review by Emely Lopez “I told her once I wasn’t good at anything. She told me survival is a talent.” ― Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted According to the Oxford dictionary, the word survival means “continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship.” The ‘in spite of danger or hardship’ part is key for Chloe Doe. The story begins when 17-year-old Chloe is placed in the Madeline Parker Institute for Girls following an arrest for prostitution. Chloe comes into the institute hard headed, with a stubborn and indignant attitude. But as her therapist is able to unravel this rigid, reluctant exterior, Chloe reveals her deep, hidden memories. From her mother's long list of live in boyfriends, a stepfather who got a little too close to her sister, to running away and pleasuring johns in order to make money. Throughout the book, the reader is able to see the vulnerability and toughness of the young teen through her thoughts and emo...

Mina Alkhafaji That Night By: Amy Giles     Do you ever wonder how it would be like to be in a shooting? What would you do? How would you react?      In the realistic fiction novel, That Night by Amy Giles, a traumatizing shooting occurs in a Queens neighborhood in New York. Even a year later, a lot of people in the community were still trying to heal. That includes the two main characters, Jessica Nolan and Lucas Rossi. Both of them were dealing with problems in their own separate lives but their paths conjoined when they started being coworkers at a small after-school job. When the shooting happened, Jess’s world seemed to shut down. She had to deal with the loss of her brother, who passed from the shooting, and her depressed mother all by herself. To add to all the trauma, her best friend couldn’t handle the incident and got sent away to a boarding school across the country. So, just imagine how much pressure was laid on her back. As for Lucas, h...

The Hate U Give By Angie Thomas Review by Ashley Karish Standing up for what you believe in is important to all people in this community, including one specific person, Starr. In this book, a girl named Starr switches between two different worlds. She lives in Garden Heights a poor mostly black neighborhood while she goes to school at Williamson Prep, in a wealthy, mostly white area. This is because the school in Garden Heights can be very dangerous, so Starr’s mom sends her and her two brothers Seven and Sekani to Williamson. Big Maverick is their father. No one messes with him or his kids. Seven is Starr’s half-brother; Maverick is Seven’s father and a lady named Iesha is his mother. Iesha’s boyfriend is the abusive King and he likes to make trouble in Garden Heights. When Starr was ten years old she witnessed her best friend get shot and killed. At the beginning of the book Starr experiences something like this again when she and her other childhood best friend, Khalil is dr...

Henry Merola Gods and Generals (1-81) By: Jeff Shaara Are you a history buff but hate straight facts being thrown at you? If so, this historical fiction novel,  Gods and Generals,  is the perfect book for you. The story revolves around four Civil War Generals, both Union and Confederate, those Generals being Robert E. Lee, Winfield Scott Hancock, Thomas Jackson, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Each character has their own story, the most interesting being Lee's and Hancock's, Robert Lee was second in command of a regiment in Northern Texas. After catching word of his father-in-law who passed away and his wife being ill, he goes to his plantation to comfort them. After seeing his daughter, who was overjoyed to see him, and his sick spouse, he pondered if he should quit being in the service and become a farmer. This dream is short-lived when he is called by the president to stop a riot happening in Maryland. Lee successfully put down the riot, due to over prepara...

  Stick Pick Written by Steven Sandor Cody Eaton Star hockey player Janine suffers a severe car accident while on the way back from her game that could destroy her career completely; it will be a long and tough recovery but will Janine be able to push through and fight off the pain? “ Janine, her dad said, '' We were in an accident. A week ago…”13) The book Stick Pick by Steven Sandor is a very intense and nerve racking book that every page you read makes you want to keep reading. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because injuries occur like this all the time unfortunately, and could affect your everyday life. In this book a young teen aged girl named Janine is an excellent hockey player and also the Captain of her team. On the way back from one of her first playoff games, Janine and her father are celebrating a great win and an awesome overtime goal by Janine to win the game and advance her team to the next round. But what happens next will change Janin...

Every day By David Levithan  Review by Sheila Butler What would you do if you truly loved someone but you both know that it could never work? In Every day, by David Levithan, there is a confusing love story where they have to make very tough decisions.  In the second part of the book, the protagonist A, is still in love with a girl Rhiannon. A keeps trying to go and see Rhiannon. They would email almost every day to try and figure out when the best time to see each other would be. Since A changes into different people's lives every day, one day he ends up in Rhiannon’s body. A is not sure what to do because he doesn’t want to ruin anything between them. Once he switches bodies again they keep on meeting and keep getting closer. One day he went to her school to see her. He was in a male’s body so when Rhiannon’s boyfriend, Justin walked in he thought Rhiannon was cheating on him, so Justin started fighting A. After this Rhiannon told A that she needs some time a...

Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea By: April Genevieve Toucholk Taline Antoine Do you ever think someone isn’t who they actually are? In the book Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea , the characters have a friend group that has been like that since almost birth. A new kid comes into town to rent the guest house of one of the friends and isn’t entirely who he says he is. In the first chapter, we meet our main character Violet who goes by Vi. We learn about her family history and how they have a lot of money. She lives in a mansion with her twin brother Luke. Their parents are painters and they are off on vacation. The twins are low on money so Violet tries to rent their guest house to make money for them. She ends up finding someone who is willing to stay there.“ “Are you Violet? He asked, and didn’t wait for my answer. ‘Yeah, I think you are. I'm River, River West.’ ”(10). He is about the same age as her (16) and is very expensive looking in his nice car. Violets’...

Taleena Anserlian Wonder By R.J. Palacio First Impression How would you feel if everyone would always be staring and judging you for every movement you make? This book is truly an emotional and inspiring book to read. It is a touching story with many different perspectives to hear from. Never judge a book by its cover, is a great way to explain this book. From the book Wonder , the author R.J. Palacio, seemed as though he wanted to get a message across to the readers. Our main character, August Pullman, is that one wholesome kid getting stared and judged at for looking the way he is. Our other important characters we hear from are Via Pullman, Jack Will, Charlotte, and Julian. The genre that resembled this book the most would be children's literature. Though this is a touching book that could get some people emotional. It is set for younger kids to understand about the wrong and right with making friends or even just being around people. “The first thing she said after...

Out of Nowhere Maria Padian Reviewed by  Chris Ashjian “The first rule is respect. No matter what anyone says, we all have to listen and respect their contribution”(74). At Enniston high there are new Africans enrolling every day, and on a daily basis the theme stays consistent… Racism. In the novel Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian, there is violence, sports, and racism. At the beginning of the portion I read Tom Buchard, the soccer team captain and Donnie, his irresponsible older cousin decided to paint the rock in front of the Maquoit school, Enniston’s rivals. They were painting the rock Enniston high colors and while doing so, they got caught by a security guard. Luckily the school did not press any charges on them because the principal at Enniston had reasoned with them. Tom had to repaint the rock in front of the whole Maquoit school and complete 100 hundred hours by the end of the year or else he couldn’t graduate. He was also suspended from school for a few days. O...

Gym Candy By Carl Deuker Nick George “No. Not steroids. I’m not taking steroids”(146). Mick, the main character in this book, does everything that he can to stay away from these life changing supplements. He just can’t resist them. Gym Candy is a realistic fiction book that shows how Mick has worked hard his whole life and has always been a football phenomenon. Mick is an amazing football player who has been taught to hold a football and run to the end zone since he could walk. Mick has the skill to make every team he tries out for, but he also works really hard. Mick makes a really good football team led by two stars that are likely going Division 1 in college football. He is determined to pass them because he knows they both have bad attitudes, if either of them have competition they will not be happy. Sure enough Mick does pass them. Mick has a certain drive that makes him special. Mick’s father states;“A little pressure is good for a boy. Keeps him on his toes”(6). His ...

Darren Kabunga 1/17/20 Scorch Trails By James Dashner “Thomas took a tremulous glance back at the shredded madman at the window, then looked away immediately, wishing he hadn’t reminded his brain of the blood and torn flesh, the insane eyes, the hysterical screaming. Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!” (9). This was the first sign than a new challenge had a appeared for the Gladers. The Scorch Trials is the second of five books with the Maze Runner being the first. Thomas is the protagonist of the story and the Gladers are the group of kids who are stuck in this trail with him. Thomas has this power where he can talk in his head to his friend and the girl he likes Teresa. When they are having a conversation, all of a sudden her voice disappears from his head. As if almost on cue a man appears one of the barred windows and starts screaming kill me. That is a person who has been infected with the flare, nicknamed a crank. A disease that makes a person go mad. In an effort to get awa...

Apocalypse World War Z Max Brooks Cole Metallides Have you ever wondered what the world would look like during a Zombie apocalypse and how the world would react to it? The story is told through countless perspectives of people from all over the world. Their experiences compare and contrast in a variety of ways but one theme is consistent throughout all of them which is fear. The fear of being eaten alive. The novel begins with the narrator explaining how his mission was to interview people from across the world and and write a report of their experiences so future generations would be able to study the apocalypse and it wouldn’t be forgotten. The narrator travels to China to interview a doctor. The doctor had no trouble treating all of those in need until he got to a few of the children that many of the villagers had warned him about. One of them, a young girl, had a high fever with a what looked like a human bite mark on her forearm. He then meets the boy that seemed ...

Live In Infamy By, Caroline Tung Richmond Will Curley 1/23/20         “Come daybreak, the Viper himself would knock on the front door of the Fortress” (59). Will the Viper make it out with what he needs? Or will he be caught and suffer the worst penalty of all?         A kid living in the U.S. controlled by a foreign country, and he has no power. This story is an alternate living, it is if the Axis from World War 2 would have won. The Axis Powers have split up the world so they can all have large parts but still be allies. Ren, the main character is living in San Francisco under the reign of Japan. You were shamed or thought lower of if you were not Japanese. Ren, being a Chinese-American was frowned upon pretty often. His mom, Chinese, and his dad, American. His mom was executed in front of the whole city for treason and that has stuck with Ren his whole life. He wants revenge but is too young and doesn’t have any power. There is anot...

The Fault In Our Stars John Green Review by Madison Strazzullo Life is short. For some people, shorter than others. Do not take your time on this Earth for granted, you never know when your time will end. The novel The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is a great example of two teenagers that are not fortunate enough to live a long, happy, painless life. Two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, live a life with endless hospital visits, multiple near death experiences, and excruciating/chronic pain. To get caught up with the book, you may see my previous blog post. While in Amsterdam, Augustus tells Hazel about his current health status. He had been hiding his new PET scan from her, trying to protect her from the truth. On the scan, his body lit up like a Christmas tree, showing all the spots of cancer in bright yellow. Hazel reacted to the situation the same way Gus expected, which is why he hesitated to tell her. While laying in bed together, Gus says how he doesn’t get a battle, h...

Review by Madelyn Buxton Love and First Sight By Josh Sundquist Ever wonder what it would be like to be blind? To navigate everyday life using only four senses? That’s exactly what Will Porter has done for 16 years of his life until he gets news from his doctor that changes his life. Will Porter is a normal kid, just like you and me. He does everyday activities almost the same as everyone else, except he can’t see what he’s doing. He has been blind since birth, and he has grown up without ever seeing the world around him. He can’t see his family, or his surroundings, or himself, or his friends. Even though to us that seems horrible, he enjoys life even with his disability, most of the time that is. As expected, being blind causes frequent frustration. The author, Josh Sundquist, does a great job portraying to the reader what Will goes through. After transitioning from a school for the blind to his new public school, Will realizes how much he wants to see his surroundings. W...

Will Hunt                                                                                                                                    Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court Jay Bilas           Contrary to popular belief, toughness isn’t just being able to withstand gruesome physical challenges. Toughness has many layers, and it is seen in all aspects of life.           In Toughness by Jay Bilas, the reader examines a nonfiction text of what Jay deems toughness to be: resilience, perseverance, courage, commitment and much more. Throughout the book, these ideas of toughness are disp...

American Street  Ibi Zoboi Review by Lori Tnkjian  Taking things for Granted. A phrase we usually don’t think twice about, until we lose something we love. In American Street by Ibi Zoboi, the second half of the book takes an unexpected turn. Refer to my first blog post for more details on the beginning of the book. Fabiola, the main character, has been living in Detroit with her cousins and aunt for a couple months, while her mother is detained in New Jersey. She has been living her life as “a normal American teenager” (103). She gets a boyfriend, makes a couple friends, and gets involved in drama, until one day, the drama gets too much. This detective has been following Fabiola around telling her if she helps her get Dray put in jail, she will get her mother out of New Jersey and here with her in Detroit. Drey is Donna's boyfriend but Donna is Fabiola’s cousin. Fabiola agrees, but she is betraying her family, she is taking what she knows about them for granted. “Its...