Young Adult Book

                                      Skyla Lowe 808

  It is unusual for kids to care a lot about a parent who left them at a young age. Raspberry is a young girl who lives with her mother. Raspberry's father left when she was a child and is now homeless. The book Begging for Change by Sharon G. Flake , shows the relationship between a young girl and both her parents , mainly her father.

   In the book the dad finally finds his daughter after years of searching. When the dad finds Raspberry he is very excited to see his daughter but Momma doesn't want her father to come in. " Daddy's run-over boot keeps the door from slamming shut." No matter how many times Raspberry tells him that he isn't allowed in he refuses. The dad says he only wants "...visiting rights..." Which still is wanting to enter her house and see her. The dad is so courageous that he decides to ask Raspberry "Your Momma in there?" As he peeks over Raspberry's should in suspicioun, debating if he wants to barge into her house.

   Economically the dad is having a way more difficult time then the mom to fund and support Raspberry. This inference can be said because the dad says that him and his best bud are both broke " Ain't got a penny between the two of us." This can show that the dad is trying to pursue Raspberry to give up a lil money to help him and his friend, being thats she already let her dad into the apartment disobeying her Momma's policy. Because Raspberry was so insecure about letting her father in she tries to frighten her dad by telling him "She's coming in a minute...".

  Disrespect. The dad has gotten really insecure now. He has a plan to go into Momma's room in search of a few dollars or even more. Raspberry's first idea as she began to feel hurt was to call Momma meanwhile her dad is telling her " Your Momma just gonna get mad," he said pressing the reciever down. Dad knows that Momma wi call the cops so he takes his hand and covers Raspberry's mouth. Raspberry is scared and skeptical wondering will he leave her alone if she says she does have a few bucks "... And go get him a little cash, he will leave — maybe. But if I say no, he will stay way too long, begging me for money, maybe even hurting me." Raspberry knows she did wrong by allowing him into her Momma's house with no approval.

  " 'Cause nothing good comes of bad money." This story does achieve a goal in showing how a young girl lives with her mother while her father tries to enter her life with nothing good to offer. Sharon G. Flake really gave me a good understanding by showing me both parents points of view and Raspberry's, including a couple of bystanders who were there throughout the story as the climax increased. Many teen's today sometimes go through insecturity not only with parents but also friends.

"Ashes" Response

                           Ashes Response


“I wouldn’t have any other dad,” I told him. The short story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer the reader is introduced to a young girl named Ashley, facing a family struggle. This is told by the protagonist’s relationship mainly with her father, showing us love is complicated even with family members that are close.

Ashes’ father complicates their relationship by manipulating her to get what he wants. Susan Beth Pfeffer says, “I knew I wasn’t a one-in-a-million girl, no matter how often Dad told me I was. But no matter how often he told me, I still loved hearing him say it.” Ashes makes this statement as if she knows her dad was showing fake affection but she didn’t want to ruin her own joy of hearing her dad repeat those words. In the short story it also states that dad says, “You look radiant,” he said. “You get more and more beautiful. Turn around. Let me admire every single inch.” Ashes knew she didn’t look so radiant and stunning because she had on “… jeans and a bulky brown sweater” her mother gave her for Christmas. The dad was trying to hold on to the last of his hope that Ashes would infer she was beyond special in his eyes.

The mother and father are very opposite in terms of stability. The mother is very stable and reliable because Ashes describes her saying, “Her pocketbook overflows with tissues and tampons for anyone who might need them.” I infer even when her mother is at a rough time in life she is still the one parent Ashes can rely on. The father on the other hand isn’t so stable, even Ashes can tell this. In the story Ashes dad decides to take her out to a to a diner and she says, “Can you afford it?” I asked, after doing the mental arithmetic of diner versus pizza.” Throughout their supper the father bring up the topic of finance saying, “All I need to do is put together a little financing, and I’ll be set for life.” Thinking back to the beginning the father doesn’t have too much money to start with, so how will he get this “little financing” to be set for life and show Ashes that he is stable and will be willing to be there when she needs him.
Ashes father knows that she doesn’t have the same affection for her father as her mother. This is told by Ashes and her father both, he tells Ashes “I wish I deserved you.” By saying this I can tell that Ashes’ dad constantly thinks about how astonishing Ashes is, and how he feels she does deserve a more supportive father. Another thing that supports the thesis is the dad repeatedly saying Ashes is a “one-in-a-million-girl.” Ashes repeatedly hearing this is going to give off thinking as to why does he keep telling me I’m one-in-a-million?
 

Susan Beth Pfeffer does achieve the goal as to showing the struggle in a young teens life with parents who are completely different in stability. Many teens today have parents who are both stable in love and finance, unlike Ashes’ father. Although it shows Ashes’ point of view in this situation it doesn’t show her  mother’s point of view or even her fathers, which would be interesting to read this on there behalf.

Money Hungry (Summer Reading Book/Baseline)

Money Hungry by Sharon Flake is about a thirteen year old girl named Raspberry Hill. Raspberry Hill is probably in the 8^th grade just like me. Raspberry is an ordinary school girl with a little clique of friends (Zora, Ja’nae, and Mai). The three of Raspberry’s friends all owned houses and apartments, unlike Raspberry. Raspberry was homeless at the time.    

               Raspberry lived with her hard working mother. At the time Raspberry and her mother weren't living under a roof, they were on the streets daily finding somewhere to sleep for the night. Raspberry’s mother worked throughout the day while she was at school, or at least thought she was. When Raspberry was dropped off at school in what they call her mother’s old rusty and raggedy car. Raspberry did all sorts of things to help build their money stash. During the hours of school Raspberry would sell rotten candies based on the holidays and also skip lunch. When Raspberry was supposed to be in school she would cut school to help the car wash place and she would go around cleaning people’s houses to gain money for her mom and her to one day have an apartment.  

                The reason why I think this book is titled Money Hungry is because Raspberry is hungry for money so she is finding any way possible to gain money. Raspberry’s mom doesn't want her daughter to stress too much over the fact that there house hunting, but Raspberry is taking it into her own responsibility to help her mother knowing that it is hard to raise a child and work all under the condition of having no home. This book really showed me that even though my mom says she doesn't need help that I should still help her because she does need me and may not want me to stress over it. This book also teaches me that I need to take more tasks into my own wings and figure them out because I am at that age where I need to be helping my family as much as I can even though I have a home and everything I need, you never know what life might throw at you. 

Should there be same sex education? Upfront magazine

Same Sex Education                                                                    Skyla Lowe 

Same sex education is beginning to occur around the world and is making kids very stereotypical today.

            I do not agree that same sex education is good for all children because some kids will be ready for the future and some will not be.

Children get stereotyped and schools reinforce it. I say this because when boys/girls come around the opposite sexes they feel then need to “dumb them selves down” to not make the opposite sex feel bad. This example shows how stereotyped the girls and boys can be from being with the same sex for so long.

In the article “single sex schools have negative impact on kids, says study” it states that students who are in same sex education began to get their occupational aspirations cut limited because of the opposite sex. This happens because kids don’t get enough time with the opposite sex a lot. The authors point is to show how much kids will only want to be with the same sex. I also know this because they grow up in same sex classes, which then gives most kid the option to not want to be with the opposite sex.

Children will then not want to play with the opposite sex or be around the opposite sex for to long.  It says “girls will only play with dolls and boys will only play with trucks”.  This supports my statement because it shows how much kids only want to be with the same sex after growing up that way ; in that environment. I also say this because the opposite sex will feel as if they were to be doing wrong if they played with the opposite sexes toys.

My point is same sex education does not benefit everyone for the future ahead of them in many ways. It affects how children feel when being with the opposite gender compared to kids who are in mixed gender classes (co-ed) . I feel as if same sex education benefits some kids and does not help others for the life that is ahead of them. Co-ed!  

Character Change Skyla Lowe 707

                                  The Fault In Our Stars
     In this book the main character Hazel is a dynamic character. I say this becuase in the beginning of the book she was very settle and didnt have speratic outbreaks but now into the book she is. For example there was this boy Augustus Waters that she dearly liked but now every time he even talks to her Hazel always says "no flirt talking" or " I dont want to hold hands if we are just talking" and he is now beginning to realize the change in her even when he is just generally talking to her. The character also changes physically because then she shows now how it really feels to deal with lung cancer and how much she really feels by having this really big outburst and actually even getting her parents scared causing her to have to visit the hospital for some days to watch her heart rate.

My Memoir

                 My Disney Adventure
                                                                                                             Skyla Lowe 707

    I couldn't sleep all night. I had the feeling most kids get before the first day of school when you're so anxious and nervous you cant sleep or control your excitement. I was so excited to go to Buffalo and visit my mother's good friend Ally. I knew this summer was going to be amazing!
"Were going to Disney," said my cousins in a happy voice.
"Well I'm going to Buffalo and Niagara Falls," I said in a 'take that' kind of voice.
      I was so excited to go that I couldnt stop talking to my cousins about all the fun I was going to have while my mom and aunts were putting our luggage's into the taxi cars. My cousins and I were sharing different facts about places we were going and the new things we were going to do.
"Sky lets go!"
"We are getting into this taxi'" yells my mother over our loud talking and laughing we did.
      As we ride to the airport I'm envisioning all the things we are going to do and the new things we might try or eat in Buffalo for a week. These thoughts won't leave my head. When we finally reached the airport my cousins and aunts had already checked in their bags in and were getting there luggage tags. As my family got their luggage, my mother and I joined everyone's tags said New York to Florida, LaGuardia I was expecting my tag to say New York to Buffalo, LaGuardia. When I grabbed my bag and looked at the tag I was so embarrassed and confused but also very excited I was going to Disney right along with my cousins.
    The excitement and joy actually made me tear up because not only was this going to be amazing but all my aunts knew me and my mother were coming along too. They all were asking me did I like the surprise while my mother was taking pictures. My head and stomach had butterflies. I was too happy and surprised to actually speak when I opened my mouth nothing came out. I just had a huge smile of joy and happiness.

The Fault In Our Stars (SPOILER ALERT)

                                                                                                                    Skyla Lowe 707
                                 The Fault In Our Stars Response

         The book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a very interesting and deep book. This book shows how a teenage girl lives her life with something that is very hard and difficult to cope with while growing up.  Even though I'm only a third way through the book so far this book really moves me as a person. The way John Green writes makes me feel as if I'm in the book with Hazel,who is the main character. Not only does this book uses a lot of feeling and internal thinking, but lastly very in depth description telling me how Hazel lives her everyday life with a struggle of having cancer in her lungs. The way Hazel lives her life is very impressing after school everyday she sits down with a group of kids including the director and they all hang out and talk about how they fought their cancer growing up. This makes me feel very warm-hearted that someone so outgoing would take the time and actually make not only a group like this but also a book that tells us how some people with cancer live their life with a struggle like having cancer anywhere in their body from the brain to the toe.