Reading Log P.110-120

After the ambush, the two SAS members and the Angel Squad were captured, but they thought the Angel Squad as brethren, so the squad got to test out their disguises. The ultimate test. And it worked. They got to go into the base to the heart of the plant.

Question: How painful were the surgeries they had undergone to make them look like the aliens were?

Reading Log P. 74-110

On the way over the hill, the traitor had killed Hunter. Also, they were talking about what they would've done if this war hadn't happened. The lieutenant had wanted to be a chef. Price (the stealthy one) came from a bad home. Monster (the strong one) said he would probably be drinking. The other two (Brogan- the nurse or medic, Wilton-the sharpshooter) didn't have time to say what they wanted to say before an ambush happened. It turns out two other humans were in the dessert also, and they thought the Angel Squad were the aliens (because they had surgeries and were dressed like them to infiltrate the base) and so they started firing upon them.

Vocab: Lingering- Staying there or hiding in one spot.

Reading Log P. 24-56

In these pages it just gives a little background on the Bzadians and how they came to Earth, why, etc. Also, the leader of the Angel Choir (protagonists) found out someone betrayed them. They cut the cord to their form of a parachute and the motherboard crashed. But it said all systems were okay. I think only the leader realizes what's going on. And, they have to walk a large amount of distance in the hot Australian sun, the freezing Australian moon, through sandstorms, and through the threat of a traitor. He's trying to decide who the traitor is too.

Reading Log P. 0-24

I started a new book called "The Assault." It is a pretty good book. I like it so far. It's semi-realistic. It's a little hard to believe, but after all, it is a fiction. It's about how aliens called Bzadians came to Earth after WWII to surveillance us. But soon after they launched an attack in Australia, where they were staying. Now a small group of a human militia. They just landed in Australia.

Question: What would we do if that happened to us?

P. -365-374 Reading Log

The FAYZ wall finally went down. The gaiphage was killed by Little Pete after he entered Caine. Caine gave himself up willingly. I guess it's for redemption, but he said it was for a final glory. The wall went immediatly down after she (the gaiphage) died. And Sam finally killed Drake because all of the powers were lost and Drake couldn't regenerate.
The toll: 332 kids in the begging.
196 in the end. Fatality rate of over 40%.
Question: What will happen if another dome goes up again?

Monster Poem

I am from basketballs and T.V.

I am from cozy apartment on 20th street.

I am from the roses, the Chinese Elm whose long limbs I remember as if they were my own.

I am from Christmas dinner and big feet,

from Jerry and John.

I’m from church and family friend get togethers,

and from filmaking.

I’m from honesty and good-students, and from never giving up.

I’m from Thanksgiving dinners.

I’m from Harlem adn African American ancestery.

I’m from potato wedges and fried chicken,

from state track and tall, strong people.

I’m from gold hanging on the wall, which glitters like the sun.

P. 170- 205 Reading Log

Halfway to the town, the coyotes were very hungry and attacked a kid wondering in the forest. One kid saw it and reported it to Sam. Sam called the emergency bell and everyone proceeded to the emergency boats. They are now waiting for Drake.

For the second time, the narration went to a part outside of the dome. It showed Sam's mom, and why she gave up Caine  (who was originally named David) for adoption and not Sam. And how that led to the reason they are what they are. Also, Connie (the mom) is seeing a military general. But the general doesn't know it's just for information. She found out that a while before the dome appeared and this all started, a nuclear response team came and was alerted that radiation had been leaked from a meteor that had crashed into the power plant.

P. 144-170 Reading Log

The dome that everyone is surrounded by is growing darker. A black stain is spreading around that will soon make the entire FAYZ dark. In just a couple of days, it will be completely dark. And Sam is afraid of the dark. He can create little Sammy Suns but they give off as much light as a candle. It would almost be useless if everything went dark. Also, although no one knows it, Little Pete is causing mutations among everyone. After he disappeared, he went to this strange place where this is a lot of avatars. Whenever he touches them, they change into different forms. He accidentally did that to Taylor and one other girl. He doesn't know that though. But he decided not to mess with them anymore too.

And Drake has mustered an army of talking coyotes and is going to the lake to get one girl who is pregnant. Her name is Diana. The baby's father is Caine.

P. 22- 54 Reading Log

I started the second-to-last book in the Gone series. It is called Fear. By Michael Grant. After the big bug battle, The Split had happened. Caine and Sam, two brothers, one evil and the other not, had separated into two colonies. Sam, the good one, went to a lake where there is an infinite supply of water. (or until the lake runs out) Caine decided to stay at Perido Beach where some of the crazy kids are. One kid killed another. Caine decided he was king. He has telekinetic powers. He has four punishments for bad people. A fine, jailtime, Penny, and death. Penny can create allusions that can terrify you. She did that to one kid.

P. 410-456

 Another person who is an outcast is Caine. Caine is Sam's evil brother. Caine found this island that no one knew of and was staying there with plenty of food when Quinn came and asked him for help Caine's power is telepathy. Only he and Little Pete can defeat the cockroaches. Caine is also a master of manipulation. When Caine got to the mainland, he made the kids believe he is their king. But when he got to town, he and Brianna (a person who can run at supersonic speed) defeated the giant cockroaches by lighting them on fire and blowing their brains out. It was an epic fight.
 Later, Drake found Orc, Astrid, and Little Pete at Coates Academy. He had his own squadron of giant bugs at his disposal. The Darkness had commanded him to take LP to him because LP was very powerful.

P. 342-410

Orc and Astrid (Sam's girlfriend) run away from town because if you kill someone, you are banished. Orc is a giant monster made of rock. Astrid was an inch away from killing her brother (Little Pete) and she is ashamed. Orc actually did kill someone when he was drunk and he is ashamed too. In the end, Astrid just left the place they were staying (Coates Academy) with her mindset of never returning. Drake attacked Sam with his massive cockroaches and when Sam shot his light out of his hands, they just reflected off of the bug. So Sam found out he is useless in the fight against them.

P. 326-342

  In this set of pages Drake is starting to attack the town, but first he goes on the lookout for Sam. When he meets Sam, he tells him a whole bunch of lies and Sam knows it because there is a kid there who can tell if you are telling a lie. Drake tries to tell him that he has Sam's girlfriend to get him to fight him. And Albert, the guy is the businessman of the town, the Donald Trump is you will, was attacked and he has no pulse. But when Howard opened his eyes, the pupils dilated like normal. Then Howard rushed off to get he Healer.

Post for Reading Log

      P. 295-326 In this set of pages, Sam had finally found food. And Drake had finally found the Darkness and is now its' servant. They had finally found out that Little Pete had caused the FAYZ too. With all the animals becoming mutant, they are now giant cockroaches who are servants to Drake. They will now proceed to kill everybody in the FAYZ except Little Pete.

connection: I think it would be exactly like what kids would do if this really happened. I think there would be killings left and right.

Link for Movenote Presentation

3rd reading log post: p. 188-252

 On the look for water, Sam and his friends stumble across an air force base. There, there is lots of food and Pepsi. They rejoice at finding it. Also, in town (Perido Beach) there is a plague going around that makes people cough up their lungs. It has killed six people so far.
  The main enemy of this book is the gaiphage. It is an alien that can control people. It gave Drake his whip. Sam and Lana tried to defeat it but failed. It is immortal. It call on Drake and he goes there. That's the point I'm at right now.

Second reading log post: P. 146-189

  A kid named Hunter is the hunter of the town. He looks for deer and rabbits because the food supply is running low. But one time he encountered this green, flying snake. The snake then dropped some acid on Hunter. It turns out it is a parasite. The parasite ended up eating Hunter alive. Sam had to burn the body so the parasites wouldn't spread. On the way for the water trip, Sam, Dekka and (has the power to control gravity) Jack (is super strong) destroyed the cave in which all the greenies live. Also, Sanjit went over to where Lana lives and talked to her. 

 Question: Will they ever find the water they are looking for?

First reading log post: p. 86-122

The book I am reading is called Plague. It is part of the Gone series. In the first book of this series, all the adults in the area disappear. The reason they just poofed was because of this little boy who had mysterious powers. The entire dome in which they are trapped in centers around a nuclear power plant in which Little Pete (the little boy) created. Some of the kids' then developed supernatural powers. The main character is about Sam. He can shoot light from his hand's that burns everything they touch.
  In the beginning part of this reading, Sanjit (a normal person) likes Lana (a kind of crabby person who can heal you of your wounds.) and basically asks her out. He tricks her by annoying her so she says yes. The food and water are running out really quick. So Sam and other people set off to find water.
  Also, Drake escaped. He is like the devil of Perido Beach. He has a long tentacle for one arm and he uses that to whip people. He is a raging psychopath. He kills people without a second thought. He was in prison but now he escaped. Also, he's invincible. He literally cannot be killed.
Question: How will Drake die?

Play Thank You

           A big thank you to Mr. Faris for letting us come to the play and watch the performance. It was very good and it makes me want to be in a play. I thought it was very well written too. The costumes all matched perfectly with the time period. It also looks like you put a lot of time and effort into it. The Chinese speaking was cool because that's learning a whole new foreign language that sounds nothing like English. I also like how the actors put a lot of singing effort into it.
        My favorite actor was Ms. Meers. She was creepy when she said "all arone in da world." The accent was wonderful too. The Chinese guys went along with the story well. Our teacher showed us some parts of the movie and I thought it was pretty similar to the movie.
       It looked like the play took a lot of memorizing also. A lot. I couldn't even dream about memorizing all of that. But it still makes me want to go out for it though. I found very few mistakes in it too. But I didn't catch them until we talked about it in class. Overall I thought it was an excellent play.

Harlem Herald Report

The Harlem Herald

Crime Catchers Column

As one of the Prosecution's witnesses plead guilty, the State now has a serious advantage in this case of murder of Alguinaldo Nesbitt. Steve Harmon and James King are on trial for murder of him. Richard “Bobo” Evans and Osvaldo Cruz were in the robbery as well and they plead guilty.

If they hadn’t done so, it would’ve made the State’s side nearly impossible to rule against them. But Richard “Bobo” Evans did. On the Defensive side is O’Brien defending Steve Harmon, and on the prosecution side is Petrocelli. Briggs is defending James King also. Richard “Bobo” Evans enters the court with his prison suit on. Petrocelli, Briggs, and O’Brien cross examined Richard “Bobo” Evans to state events about the crime and to find out more about the crime.

“Bobo” said that he knew James King all his life and that he knew Steve before the robbery. Petrocelli then asks why he is wearing his prison outfit. Richard then says, “I’m doing a heavy and a half up at Greenhaven.” Heavy and a half means seven and a half to 10 years. He is doing the time for selling drugs.

Petrocelli then asks if he has been arrested before. “Bobo” says that he has been arrested for breaking and entering, grand theft auto, and on time for taking a car radio and another time for fighting a guy and the guy died during the fight, so he got charged for manslaughter.

Petrocelli asks about the plan of the robbery. She asks “Bobo” who gave him the sign that everything was okay and he pointed to Steve Harmon. He then says that they got into a pickle with the guy behind the counter and James King shot him with the gun Nesbitt had. They then grabbed what they wanted and split.

Briggs then asked what they did after the robbery. “Bobo” says that he and James went to a fast-food place to eat. Richard “Bobo” Evans then says that he had nothing to eat all day which is why they went to the fast-food place.

O’Brien asks if he has had a conversation with Mr. Harmon after the robbery. “Bobo” says that he didn’t and that Steve is one of James’s friends. He gets asked what would Steve have done if there were cops in the store. “Bobo” says that he didn’t know, that he was supposed to do something. O’Brien asks that if he had a gun when he entered the store and “Bobo” says no. O’Brien also points out that even trying to rob a store of any kind is a felony and that’s automatically a 20 year sentence. 

We will keep you more updated as the trial continues. 

Update after July 15th: Accused Steve Harmon was on trial today for murder of Alguinaldo as previously stated. One thing different about Steve's testimony was that he said he wasn't at the drugstore. He looked pretty suspicious in the juror's eyes. He said he had nothing to do but small talk before the stick up happened. Steve also stated that he was looking for something to do his film project on. He said that he was just wandering around that day. He doesn't remember specifically. He said that he has talked to Osvaldo Cruz about playing ball and what’s going on in the neighborhood. But nothing much more than that. But everyone else said that he had something to do with it. Dorothy Moore is the cousin of James King and she said that she got a lamp from him at the time of the shooting. That was the alibi of James. She also stated that he did not have a job and did not know where he got the money/lamp from. George Nipping said that James King was left handed because he went and bought him a baseball glove but had to return it because James King was left handed. Nippings said that he estimated that James was 17 or 18 years old. Mr. Sawicki (Steve's film mentor) had a project due for Steve and he had to get that done.

Summary with Vocab. Words

Summary: In the beginning, Steve Harmon, Bobo, James King, Peaches (peaches had nothing to do with the crime)  were all acquaintances who were plotting to rob a drugstore. Only Steve, James, and Bobo went to rob it and Osvaldo, the accomplice, joined the robbery last minute. Osvaldo was in the Diablos. Bobo and James fought for the gun Mr. Nesbitt had while trying to suppress them and shot him. Mr. Nesbitt made a grandiose move. They had a stick up. James and Bobo were vicious in the crime. James and Bobo then were captured and Bobo accepted a plea bargain. Steve is trying to redress things and wants to avoid capital punishment. Osvaldo made a deal with the police and told them everything. They are now in court. The robbers are on the defense. Petrocelli, who wants to prove them guilty, is on the prosecution side. There is a stenographer recording everything that is said. While they are at court, O’Brien, Steve’s lawyer, is trying to reassure Steve. While they were on court, Sawicki, a mentor of Steve's, went into the court.

Comparing and Contrasting Steve and Cruz

Steve hadn't come from a bad background. His family cares for him a lot. Steve also has a conscious. He doesn't believe he's a bad boy. He also isn't involved in any gangs. He tries not to affiliate himself with bad people.

Osvaldo Cruz however would do nearly anything to get out of jail. But he is in a gang. To get into this gang, the Diablos, you have to leave your mark on someone. You have to slash someone where it shows. You also have to fight someone who already is a member. He tries to make himself look innocent in court, but outside of court, he isn't. I think he should be the one who is on trial. 

Similarities: They both are minority ethnic groups. They also both took part in the murder of Nesbitt. And they are both juveniles. They both started hanging out with the wrong crowds, too. And the last thing they had in common was that they both needed the money because they were poor.

I think the reason Walter Dean Myers did this is to make a twist in the story. I think they should have both Steve and Cruz on trial.

Steve's Inner Conflict for Journal Entry

Steve tells himself constantly that he's not a bad person over and over. Other people in the detention center say they don't care what happens to them. Steve isn't intimidated by James King anymore either. James tries to scare him but Steve realizes he isn't intimidated by it. Also, when Arcie starts to cry about going to jail, Steve realizes he will have to go to jail for at least 25 years. That makes him cry because he thinks he's not a bad person. In this blog, you see the vulnerable side to Steve.

CSI Report

This all started with the four boys (Steve Harmon, James King, Richard "Bobo" Evans, and the Rat). They were poor and decided to rob a drugstore owned by Alguinalldo Nesbitt. Steve's job was to go into the drugstore and check and see if anyone was in there. When the coast was clear, James King and Bobo Evans go in there start to rob the store. Osvaldo Cruz was to stay outside and be the lookout. Alguinalldo Nesbitt had a gun and start to wrestle with one of the boys and the gun goes off killing Alguinalldo Nesbitt. Then Bobo steals some cigarettes and sells them to Wendell Bolden. Wendell Bolden tells the story to Sal Zinzi and he tells the cops about it to get out of trouble. Then the cops find Bobo Evans and question him. He pleads guilty and then tells the cops who else did it. Steve Harmon and James King were caugt and are now in court.

Paragraphs about P. 20-40

Each of the lawyers want their side to be right. The prosecution wants to make Steve and the others look really bad and criminally mischievous. But the defense on the other hand wants to make the witnesses and the people testifying on the prosecution side to look criminally mischievous. The prosecution has some criminals testifying for them. And one of them is really desperate to get out of a bad situation. That's bad for them. 

 I would be terrified if I were in Steve's shoes right now. I would almost do anything to make sure I'm found not guilty. Especially if I didn't do it. I also want to know why Evans isn't on there. He was part of the crime. Also, Steve is a juvenile and I don't think juveniles should be put on Death Row. I think that if it is a bad enough crime, adults should be put on Death Row. But they should wait for the juvenile to grow up and realize what s/he has done before they kill him/her.

Summary of the First 19 Pages

The book starts out in the detention center and then it switches to a conference room, and then it goes to the courtroom. Steve and Kathy talk about whether he has a chance about winning. Steve's definition of winning is probably different than Kathy's. The last thing that happens is the judge asking the court how they have been the past few days. This book is kind of confusing. When the judge asked what they did over the Fourth of July I was confused. And when Steve raised his hand to comment that the ending of Sawicki's juried competition was good, I couldn't tell what that it was. Who is James King? I really don't like this movie thing very much.

Characters (Will be updated)

Steve Harmon: He's a little bit worried about how the trial will end off.

Kathy O'Brien: She's a little bit stoic and it sounds like she doesn't car about how the trial ends. She's kind of depressing. She has no emotion.

James King; One of the people accused for the murder of Alguinalldo Nesbitt.

Sandra Petrocelli: The attractive prosecutor, intensely motivated towards this case.

Asa Briggs: The lead counsel for the defense of James King.

Mr. Sawicki: He's with nine students and he is a film club mentor. He's kind of wise.

Alguinalldo Nesbitt: He was the guy murdered in the drug shop.

Jose Delgado: Worked in drugstore and found Mr. Nesbitt's body. Found out the cigarettes were stolen.

Sal Zinzi: When Bolden told him the story, Zinzi ran off to the police to tell them the story just to get out of a sticky situation.

Wendell Bolden: James King sold him some cigarettes and told him some things went down at the shop.

Jerry Harmon: Steve's younger brother.

Osvaldo Cruz: He was the lookout outside the drugstore.

Paragraphs about Monster

I think that he feels different about who he is. He's not a bad kid because he has feelings about the other inmates. To him, this whole jail experience doesn't seem real and it's confusing. He's going to tell this experience the way he can write and understand it himself. He feels alone when there is a lot of other people around him. This experience is different from his normal life.

                     I can understand what Steve is going through this book that I once read. In the book I read, the main character is Max. And Max life changed all in a matter of hours. He got kidnapped after school while in a detention and while in a strange building, he contemplates his life and what he would've changed. He realized that he was a jerk to people before and wants to change that. This reminds me of Monster. It doesn't feel real and it is kind of like what Steve is going through.

Where I'm from Poem

I am from Tide

from dusty fans and Sweet-smelling Lysol

I am from the Openness,

hot rooms, lingering lemony-lime scent.

I am from the grass and weeds

and from the mighty Mulberry tree

whose long gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own.

I’m from going to my grandma’s and eyeglasses

and from Duane and Beth.

I’m from sleeping in and academics

and from a Catholic-filled family.

I’m  from Santa Claus and fairy tales

and from not giving up.

I’m from Carroll, Iowa and a proud, Irish background

from the ever-present hamburgers and orange julius

I’m from first ever state track champion from Kuemper,

and from oil paintings from my dad’s grandma

on our wondrous Walls.

These are the things that I’m from, the things that will never be forgotten. I will cherish these with all my heart till the end of my days.

Walter Dean Myer's Purpose for Writing

I think Walter Dean Myers tries to connect with the kids who read his books. He writes books that kids want to read. He does that because he believes that kids need to read to be successful. Harlem I think is an interesting city with a lot of different cultures. I bet there are more than just the African (116th street) and modern cultures (125th street) there too. It didn't show the bad stuff though. Like kids smoking or bullies robbing people or beating them up. It happens, but the world doesn't know it.

Should Juveniles be Tried as Adults?

I think the juvenile system should stay the same. We should have it because kids' brains' are still developing. If you were really good at something before, like learning languages, but you won't be as good at it later in your life. That part of your brain that makes decisions is very weak when you are a kid. For adults, that part of your brain is done growing. Also, if an eight year old commits murder, it's not right fro that kid never to have a chance at life ever again. That's why I think the juvenile system should stay the same.