Alabama Moon

             Alabama Moon is by Watt Key, which is about a boy named Alabama Moon. He was born in the wild with his mom and dad. His mom died when he was a baby, so his dad ended up raising him and taught him how to read, write, trap, hunt, make medicine, and make his own clothes. One day Moon and his dad were checking traps when his dad was walking across a beaver dam when he slipped, fell and got his leg caught on the dam and broke his shin in two. While his dad lay there in pain, Moon went back to their shelter and got their wheel barrel to carry his dad in. When they got back to the shelter Moon cleaned his dad’s leg up and bandaged it up. His dad knew that it would get infected and didn’t want Moon to go get any help from the hospital. They just sat in their shelter until Moon’s dad died. Before his dad died he told him to go to Alaska where there were plenty people like them who hated the government.

         The theme for this book is that even though Alabama Moon is independent but he still can’t live without his friends.  In the book Alabama Moon says, ”I can get almost everything I need from the forest”(p.30). He does get everything he needs from the forest. He also is independent, “I could trap my own food and make my own clothes.” And “I could find my way by the stars and make fire in the rain” (p.1),  are quotes that  shows he is independent.  Towards the end of the book Alabama Moon says to Kit, “I’m not gonna go to Alaska. I don’t know what I’ll do, but I won’t live up there without any friends” (p.169), that shows that he can’t live without his friends. That’s why my theme is even though Alabama Moon is able to live completely on his own but he would rather be with his friends.

             

      I would recommend this book to other seventh graders who like books about living in the wild. My first reason is that it’s about some kids who are able to survive in the wilderness for a little bit and make their own things. They run away from a boy’s foster home, which is quite secured. My final reason is that if you’re someone who is an outdoorsman the book will really speak to you because it takes place outdoors and these kids really appreciate nature. Those are my reasons why I would recommend this book to other seventh graders.

        

I got the image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Alabama_Moon_novel.jpg

The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

                    

  The Old Man & the Sea is by Ernest Hemingway is about a man named Santiago in his late sixties who is a fisherman. He has not caught a single fish for eighty-four days. He has never gone that long without catching a single fish before. When goes out fishing he plans to go out farther than he normally does because he's hoping to catch a marlin. So one morning he gets up real early and heads down to the dock to put his twelve foot skiff into the water & head out to sail. He goes out in the little boat so that he can't see any land and he sets his hooks into the water, two for forty-fathoms and one for 300 fathoms. Later that day he catches a little tuna, so he brought it in the skiff & killed it with a club. A little while after that he saw a humongous marlin that jumped straight out of the water and dove back under the sea. He waited a little while longer and he wanted the big fish to jump again.

   The theme that I would choose for this book is, sometimes the unluckiest people can have some luck but then it goes away. One of my examples is Santiago hasn't caught any fish for eighty-four days,"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish."(pg.9) My second example is he sees a bird that helps him find the marlin,"Now the old man looked up and saw the bird was circling again."He's found fish."(pg.37) My third and final example is that Santiago was unable to get home with the fish whole,"Nothing,"He said aloud."I went out too far."(pg.120) That's why I think the theme is, sometimes the unluckiest people can have some luck but the it goes away.

  

  I would recommend this book to other seventh grade readers. One of the reasons why is because it's non-fiction. My second reason is it's kind of adventurous. The third and final reason is it's a good fishing story. That is why I would recommend this book to other seventh grade readers.

I got the image from:
http://animatie.blog.nl/files/2010/01/theoldmanandtheseaimage01.jpg

Making the All-Star Team

 

   It was a warm summer night of 2013. I was with my parents talking to my coach about who made the all-star team after the championship game in the regular season. We were in the parking lot of  Vilandre Field. I was on the Martin Enterprise team and we played H.P.M. We lost only by a couple of runs.

     We were talking about the game with my coach.

     My mom asked, "Do you know who made the all-star team?"

     Coach said,"Yes and Morgan you made the all-star team too."

     I said,"Yes!"

     My mom said,"This is awesome!"

     I replied,"I know, I've been waiting for a while to find out."

    Then I asked my coach,"Where will we be going?"

    He answered,"We will be going to Wrangle."

     I said,"We will be taking the ferry, right?"

    He said,"Yes."

    My mom said,"That sounds good, do you know when the practices
are?"

    Coach said,"They start in three days for the next two weeks and
there are two in one day, one is 1:30 hours then the other is 2:30 hours long."

    My mom said,"That sounds good."

     I said,"I think this is going to be fun!"

    Coach said,"In two days we will be having a team picture on
    Saturday at 9:00 A.M."

    My mom said,"Well then Morgan you're going to need to get to sleep pretty early on Friday."

     I said,"I know it's going to be kind of tough."
     I also said,"I'm going to need to get a few things ready for the trip."
    Then my coach said,"I hope you're happy and I will seed you in a couple of days."
     I said,"Thank you and have a nice night."
     In the car my mom said,"Oh my gosh Morgan this is exciting, I am so proud of you!"
    My dad said,"Good job this season, you deserved it!"
     I said,"Thanks guys I love you."
    My parents both said,"Good job making the team! You were great this season!"
   Right after we got home, I called my grandparents down in Chico,
California and told them that I made the All-Star team and they
said great job! We had practice six days a week for two weeks and
then we left for Wrangle on the ferry. When we got to Wrangle it
was about 1:00 A.M. so we went to bed, then we got up around 9:00 in the morning the same day, because we had opening
ceremonies. We were first in the round-robin and we beat Juneau
in the Championship game to bring home the banner. After a one
weeks rest, we got to play A.O.R.A.L.L.(Abbit O' Rabbit of
Anchorage Little League). They expected to win the first three
games. The first game we lost, the second game we won, the third
game we lost, the fourth game we lost and they got to go to
California. A.O.R. expected all the games to be really easy, but we
were more tough than they expected. One thing I learned was if
you try hard enough, you can always be successful for the goal you
set.

                          I got the image from
http://www.kcaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LittleLeagueMajors_500.jpg