Scorpions

This story is all about a character named Jamal Hicks who is twelve years old. Jamal is having a difficult time with his family, his teachers and even the kids at school. He is feeling pressure to take over the leadership of the Scorpions gang from his older brother Randy who is in prison. Although his mother, sister and best friend Tito are against it. Jamal’s brother was sentenced to six years in prison for shooting someone in a delicatessen holdup.Crazy Mack, who is Randy’s best friend, has an idiotic idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack. Jamal now becomes the new leader of the Scorpions. His best friend Tito also decides to join the gang. The disrespect from the Scorpions reached a plateau for Jamal when the members of the gang refused to respect him because he was only twelve years old and everyone else was fifteen or older.One evening the Scorpion gang members Indian and Angel approached Jamal. A fight broke out amongst them and Jamal was badly beaten. Jamal noticed a knife sticking out from Indians pocket and thought he was going to be stabbed. All of a sudden, there were sounds of multiple gun shots and Indian and Angel fell to the ground. Jamal realized his best friend Tito was again standing by his side and was the one who pulled the trigger. Shortly thereafter, Crazy Mack came walking by and shot and killed Angel. After this incident, Jamal and Tito decided to leave the gang for good. In his effort to escape the law, Tito became a fugitive and is now living somewhere in Puerto Rico. Jamal is still living in Harlem with his family and Crazy Mack became the new leader of the Scorpions.I liked this book because I love the way Walter Dean Myers writes. There is always a lot of action, suspense and detail.

Fat Kid Rules the World

Troy Billings is a seventeen years old, 300 pound high-schooler. He is miserable and has no friends. While on the verge of suicide, he meets up with a emaciated, semi-homeless, high school teen dropout guitar genius named Curt MacCrae. Curt forms a new band in which Troy agrees to be the drummer. This would mark the first interest for Troy since the death of his mother. He was skinny before his mother died, now he is fat and depressed with no end in sight. Though Troys father was not fond of Curt, he supported his son's desire to learn to play the drums and join the punk rock group. Troys vision is only through his weight and sees himself as a fat failure. Curts enthusiasm and confidence becomes contagious and soon Troy is believing in himself. With the help of each other, Curt and Troy were able to rescue themselves from isolation.I liked this book because the language was powerful and the results were positive.This book was written by K.L Going

Petey

This book is about a man named Petey who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. As a baby his parents gave him up to a mental facility were he would spend the rest of his life. One day a Mexican man named Esteban had been interviewed for a job at the infants ward in Warm Springs Insane Asylum. He had become a dear friend of Petey, the only friend he ever had. Esteban asked the nurse what is wrong with Petey. She told him he is an idiot which means he cant think. One day at the end of his shift, Esteban gave Petey a piece of chocolate. Esteban instructed Petey to nod his head if he wanted the piece of chocolate. At first Petey did not respond, until a week later. Much to Esteban's surprise, he began nodding his head for the chocolate. He rewarded him with a whole chocolate bar, a few days later Esteban was fired for sticking up for Petey. One week later the ward had found a retarded kid living on the streets named Calvin. They brought him to the facility and he became Petey's best friend forever. Another dear friend of Petey who had worked at the facility was Joe. Joe cared for Petey and Calvin like his own sons. he played with them and brought happiness to their lives. The best gift they received was two plastic guns from Joe for Christmas. They pretended to be cowboys. A few months later Joe worked his final shift at the ward, he moved away for better life Petey and Calvin were devastated. When Petey and Calvin turned twelve years old they were moved to the men's ward, they were always made fun of for acting so immature. Petey made a new friend Cassie who worked there as well. She was beautiful. When her husband got out of the war she moved back to New York. Petey was devastated once again. Twenty years later when Petey was fifty, someone named Owen started to work at the men's ward he gave Petey's life back again. After five years, he got too old for the job and left Petey. Unfortunately Calvin, his best friend, was transferred to another facility and Petey was going to be moved into a nursing home once again.I liked this book because it described a persons life with cerebral palsy in detail.I used the techniques of visualization and I was able to determine the importance.This book was written by Ben Mikaelson.

Heat

The book Heat is about an all star pitcher named Michael Arroyo who is twelve years old and who defected from Cuba with his father and older brother Carlos. They live in the South Bronx in the shadows of Yankee stadium. Michael's dream is to pitch his team to the Little League World Series. His father suddenly dies, and he and Carlos are trying to keep it a secret until Carlos turns eighteen and can legally take custody of Michael. Problems begin to arise for Michael. Rival coaches and jealous players can't believe Michael could be this good and be only twelve years old. Until Michael can prove his age with a birth certificate that is in his native home Cuba, he is suspended from playing baseball. If the people from social services find out his secret he will be separated from his brother Carlos the only family he has. In the end, Michael overcame the obstacles and was able to play in the final game of the playoffs which lead his team to the championship game.
Michael Arroyo is a talented young pitcher who is twelve years old. He is a Cuban immigrant who has faced many difficult challenges in life. He works very hard to develop his pitching skills. I admired Michael's determination and courage to never give up on his dream. I predict that Michael will become an all star pitcher in the Major Leagues. Manny, who is Michael's best friend, is the catcher on his team. He is very loyal, responsible, and helpful to Michael with the challenges Michael had to face.
This book appealed to me because I love the game of baseball. The characters in the book were an inspiration to me.
The reading strategy I used most when reading this book was making connections and visualizing.
The author of Heat is Mike Lupica. The only other book that I am aware of that Mike Lupica wrote is Travel Team, which I can't wait to read. The author used alot of detail in the book. It was an easy read to visualize and understand.

Albert Pujols

This book is about a professional baseball player named Albert Pujols. Albert is thirty one years old and plays first base, and some left field for the St Louis Cardinals. Pujols joined the Cards in 2001. Since then, he has already put up hall of fame numbers. In 2005, he became the first player in major league history to hit thirty homers in each of his first five major league seasons. In the same year he led his team to a world championship by hitting a game winning home run in the NLCS, one fans will always remember. Albert won his first MVP and was the happiest man in the world. In 2006, the Cardinals won the World Series once again. The Cards first basemen has worked hard to get were he is today. He works out with weights and is always in the batting cage. He is one of the best in the game today. If he continues his hard work, he will earn a spot in the hall of fame.I liked this book because I am a big fan of Albert and the game of baseball.I used the techniques of visualization and making connections. I was able to make connections with this book because I am also a baseball player as well as Albert Pujols.This book was written by Geoffrey M. Horn and he is known for writing books about athletes, entertainers, and many other stars today.

Wayne Gretzky

The first time Wayne started skating was at the age of two. From the start, Wayne had been a natural on his skates. There was nothing he'd rather been doing. Wayne's life had revolved around hockey, he watched it on television and spent every spare minute in the hockey rink practicing. By the age of five Wayne was tired of practicing and wanted to join a real team, though none of the areas would take on a five year old, despite his obvious skills. He had to wait untill he was six to join the Brantford atoms leauge for kids ten and under. When he finally joined he could barely fit into his uniform. Wayne was a scrappy kid where all of the other children were much bigger than him. The first year was tough, only scoring one goal, though the following years he was putting up unreal numbers. People had started saying he was a chid prodigy with tons of publicity. Many of the other parents would boo him while playing. He and his family decided to move to a different town where he would try to keep a low profile and he did while fitting in quite nicely. At the age of thirteen he was selected to represent Canada in Quebec where he would win the cup. At the age of seventeen Wayne had become the youngest player ever to play in the NHL. From then on he had dominated the league with many records that have been demolished. The "Great Gretzky" had then became the greatest hockey player of all time.While reading this book the skills I used were visualization and determining the importance.The author who wrote this book was Mat Doeden.I liked this book because it was very interesting to read about Wayne Gretzkys life.

Losing Joes Place

This book is about three friends named Jason, Ferguson, and Don who move into Jason's older brother Joe's apartment in Toronto for the summer. Their expectations for the summer is for a good time, zero for a bad time. There will be no parents, no rules and no problems. Once they arrive at the apartment complex, they find out its nothing like they imagined. The apartment complex is located in a run-down, dingy, part of the city. Next, they meet their landlord Plotnick, which is not a pleasant experience. He is a grumpy, older man, who has a major attitude problem. When the boys are all settled in the apartment, they go out for the night and have a good time. The following morning, they realize they had spent over $300.00. This is one of many obstacles the three boys would have to face during their stay. As the boys stepped outside the apartment, they had noticed Joe's camaro had been stolen. The following day, Jason received a postcard from Joe in Europe saying not to worry if the car was missing. Joe explained to Jason that he had made an agreement with his best friend Rootbeer, saying the car was his whenever he needed it. By that time, it had been too late. Jason had already filed a police report for a missing black camaro and the car was towed away. With a simple explanation to the police, the car was returned. They also had an unexpected expense, paying for a broken stair at the apartment complex. Jason, Ferguson, and Don realize that living on your own comes with many responsibilities. Life on your own is not always a bowl of cherries.I enjoyed this book because alot. This book kept my interest. It was full of detail and excitement.The author of this book is Gordon Korman. Other books by this author includes the Island series.

Forged by Fire

When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him. Then he loses his loving aunt who he adores. Geralds stepfather, Jordan, is mean spirited with an uncontrollable temper who abuses everyone in his life. The one bright light in Gerald's life is his little half sister, Angel, whom he struggles to protect from her father, Jordan Sparks, who abuses her, and from their mother, whose irresponsible behavior forces Gerald to work hard to keep the family together.As a teenager, Gerald finds success as a member of the Hazelwood Tigers basketball team, while Angel develops her talents as a dancer. Gerald and Angel still have many problems and difficulties in their life. Gerald realizes somthing must be done in order to stop the heartache in their lives. In the end, he must stand up to his stepfather alone in a blazing confrontation. Gerald is a troubled teenager who plays for the Hazel Wood High basketball team. Angel is gerald's sister who has been abused all of her life. As she grows older she begins to dance.When I was reading this book not once did I want to stop turning the page.This book was written by Sharon Draper. Other books by her include Tears of a Tiger and darkness before dawn.

Safe on Second

This book is about a kid named Todd Bannister who has scouts, agents, and recruiters begging for his attention and. As well being a good-looking, self-assured star athlete, he has fellow students and many adults doing the same. All of this comes to an end when he is hit in the face by a line drive and loses an eye. After losing his eye Paulie his best friend is the only one who believes he can pitch once again . Paulie and Todd try to practice everyday before the season begins. Though when practicing Todd gives up all his hope as if he will never be the same pitcher. Unfortunatley his attempt to come back is unsuccessful as he can no longer control his pitches and is pounded whenever he is put into a game. Now angry and unhappy, he eventually comes to a kind of acceptance of his new status and takes the first steps to getting on with his life. Todd is a good looking, tall, star pitcher for his baseball team. Paulie is his number one fan who in the end leads the team to victory.I enjoyed this book alot because my favorite sport is baseball and I love reading about it.The author of this book is Scott Johnsen. I am not aware of any other books he wrote.

The Kid from Tomkinsville

This book is about a young man from Tomkinsville, Connecticut named Roy Tucker. His parents are deceased and he lives with his grandmother on a farm. Roy is an avid baseball player. One day while Roy was pitching on his local baseball team, a professional scout spotted him and brought him to spring practice and the big leagues. With help from the Dodgers veteran catcher, Dave Leonard, Roy realizes that he has a tremendous amount of hard work ahead of him to become a pitcher for thr Brooklyn Dodgers. As Roy begins to prove himself worthy to play for the Dodgers, a freak acident threatens his hopes and dreams to lead his team to victory. Roy never loses his faith in himself and batted his way to success and fame. Two main characters in the book are Roy Tucker and Dave Leonard. Roy Tucker is a country boy from Connecticut with a very special pitching talent. When he arrives in the big leagues, he is overwhelmed by the luxuries of baseball. Dave Leonard is the Brooklyn Dodgers verteran catcher. Roy's success would not have been possible if he was not guided by Dave. During this book, I used the process of visualization and determing the importance. I enjoyed this book because I am a big fan of baseball. This book was written by John R Tunis.

Tears of a Tiger

This book is about a troubled teenager named Andrew Jackson who plays for the Hazelwood High’s basketball team. He has a loving and caring girlfriend, Keisha, and three close friends Tyrone, Robert, and B.J. After one horrifying night of drinking and driving, Andy’s life changed dramatically. The night he will never forget.
After a successful basketball game, the four best friends, went out to celebrate their victory. They had started drinking, all except for B.J. who had never drunk in his life. Andy was driving the car when it crashed into a wall, killing Robert Washington, his best friend, and the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers. Now, months later, Andy can't stop blaming himself for the death of his friendAs he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he loses faith in himself and his ability to face life. Andy is unable to overcome the guilt in his heart and commits suicide by shooting himself in the head with his father’s rifle. enjoyed this book because it gives a really strong message to the reader.This book was written by Sharon M. Draper. Some of the other books she wrote include Forged by Fire, Darkness before Dawn, Double dutch and Copper Sun.