In the novel "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen is a fiction book about a young, angry boy named Cole Matthews is caught up in a life full of crime. But he has never been convicted of a crime until now. One day Cole got angry with a fellow classmate and decided to beat him up. Not only did Cole beat him up but he also caused the young boy named Peter to require facial surgery. Peter was never the same. He now has to choose on whether he wants to go to jail or participate in the Circle Justice, a group of people who try to help out kids like Cole. Cole insists that doing this will never help him change but he figures it is better than going to jail. The circle decides to isolate him on a island of Alaska where he will spend one year trying to heal himself from his anger. The island is said to have a spirit bear that is suppose to help someone find out what life really means. But when Cole faces the bear, he is mauled until he almost dies. He is rushed to a hospital where he is treated until he is ready to face the circle for another meeting. At the meeting the circle decides to give Cole another chance on the island. This time he knows he can't mess up so he takes full advantage of this opportunity. He does many things on the island to help him change including sitting in a freezing pond thinking, carrying a rock to get rid of his anger, and carving a totem pole. Near the end of Cole's sentence, Peter joins him because he needs a lot of help as well. In the end the fight once mote but this time Cole is the one beaten up and they both decide to forgive each other for what they have done. I would recommend this book for middle school students because younger students tend to enjoy adventurous/ fictional books. I can tell because I would have loved to read this book in middle school instead of the books that were required. This book is very interesting but I think that I should read something more realistic, maybe a non-fictional book.
There were many weaknesses in this book in my opinion. But the most significant was the repetition. When Cole was stuck on the island he was told that if he ever wanted to get rid of his anger he would need to walk to a freezing pond every morning, and carry an "ancestor rock" up a hill and to push it down to release his anger. So for about the last five chapters, Cole would follow this pattern every day and it got a little annoying. It seemed like every chapter would be about Cole doing this routine every day, cooking dinner, look for animals, dance around a fire, and carve his toteom pole. After a while the book got extremely boring and I wanted to stop reading it. Another weakness of the book was the ending. At the end of the book Peter and Cole were involved in another fight. This time Peter beating up Cole. Cole did not fight back because he wanted to show to Peter that he has changed and that he would never hurt anyone again. After the fight, they both broke down crying and it seemed like they finally forgave each other for what they have done. So they went back and carvedt he final piece on Cole totoem and the book ended not telling us if Peter every forgave Cole for what he did. The ending of the book was one of the worst i have ever read. The author could have added a lot more to the end that would have made this bovel much more entertaining. The author could have told us what happens to Cole when he returns home and faces his sentence. I really wanted to find out if Cole went to jail or not and if Peter will ever forgive Cole for what he did to him. I also wanted to see how people thought about Cole after he has made a dramatic change from his experience on the island. There were a lot more weaknesses in this book that made me not enjoy it as much but I feel that these two were the most important parts the author should have improved.
I think the author's style of writing is very unique. The book started off interchaning events every chapter. The first chapter started of when Cole was locked up on the boat about to go to the island. The second chapter talked about Cole's life and what he did before he was forced to go on the island. It kept on interchaning until it was Cole just on the island and there was no more information needed about what happened before. It is a unique style that I do not like that much. I guess it is cool that he wanted to try something different than most books but it was hard for me to concentrated on one event when the next chapter is going to talk about something completely different. I would get really into COle's adventures on the island and want to read more but the next chapter would be about Cole back at home and that really threw off my focus because I would have to switch my mind to a different subject. I would have just written it like most other books, starting off with Cole at home and what he did and then Cole on the island. The book would have made a lot more sense and would be a lot easier to read. The book was not that interesting but I enjoy it some what. I liked a lot of parts including Cole's complete transformation for bad and angry kid to a ver caring and nice kid that won't hurt anybody. It was also cool to read about the spirit bear and what it did to Cole. In the authors note he said that the spirit bear was real and has helped many people and still does. That was a very cool fact to know. I did not really like this book all that much and will probably not reconmend it to any of my classmates but it had some good parts to it that I enjoyed. I hope my next book will be a lot more interesting to read.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Lit Circle Letter
In the final section of the novel "Touching Spirit Bear" the author gives the reader a very interesting conclusion. There were many parts I enjoyed in the conclusion of the book but there were also many parts that I felt were boring. I really like how the author brings Peter to the island in Alaska after he tried to commit suicide two times. I also like how the author made the book come full circle by the way Peter and Cole acted at the end. The book started off by making Cole the angry, crazy criminal who beat up a helpless boy in Peter. But as the book progressed they switched, Peter became a angry, suicidal boy that beat up a helpless Cole. It was funny how the author decided to do that and I enjoyed that a lot. I also like how the book made the island a place for someone to find the reason of life. All the main characters in the book have experienced anger in their lives and I liked how the author decided that all of them will go to the island to heal themselves. It was interesting to read about why Edwin, Cole, Peter and Garvey decided to go to the island.
The conclusion of the book was very interesting but there were many parts I did not like about it. One of the parts I did not like was the repetition. When Cole was on the island all he did was wake up to soak, look for animals, carry the ancestor rock up the hill, carve his totem pole, eat, and dance. The book kept on repeating itself even when Peter came in the picture, they did the same routine. It would have been more interesting if the author changed things up. I also did not like how the book ended at all. It was a very bad ending. Cole just got beaten up by Peter and it seemed that they were finally going to forgive each other but you will never know. The book ended soon after that incident when they finished carving the last spot on the totem pole. It would have been more entertaining if the book went on to show what happened to Cole after the banishment, whether he will go to jail or not, and to see what happens to Peter. I would have liked the book a lot more if it continued and possible have had an epilogue of Peter and Cole life after the island.
The conclusion of the book was very interesting but there were many parts I did not like about it. One of the parts I did not like was the repetition. When Cole was on the island all he did was wake up to soak, look for animals, carry the ancestor rock up the hill, carve his totem pole, eat, and dance. The book kept on repeating itself even when Peter came in the picture, they did the same routine. It would have been more interesting if the author changed things up. I also did not like how the book ended at all. It was a very bad ending. Cole just got beaten up by Peter and it seemed that they were finally going to forgive each other but you will never know. The book ended soon after that incident when they finished carving the last spot on the totem pole. It would have been more entertaining if the book went on to show what happened to Cole after the banishment, whether he will go to jail or not, and to see what happens to Peter. I would have liked the book a lot more if it continued and possible have had an epilogue of Peter and Cole life after the island.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Cornell Basketball
Cornell lived up to its expectations as the best team to come out of the Ivy League in more than a decade, and now the senior squad have a chance for a nice run in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament.Down to their last chance to experience success on college basketball's biggest tournament, seniors Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale and Jeff Foote led the school to its first win in five NCAA appearances.Dale scored 21 points and Wittman, who is the Ivy League player of the year, had 20 for the Big Red. He also led the nation in 3 point shooting this season and is a strong guard, experienced leader. And a 7-foot center in Foote make them a threat to advance beyond the first weekend of the tournament.
Cornell (28-4) made eight of its first 10 shots and never looked back, shooting 68 percent in the opening half and 56 percent for the game.Temple (29-6) lost in the first round for the third straight year under coach Fran Dunphy, whose former assistant, Steve Donahue has led Cornell to three straight Ivy League titles and the best season in school history. Juan Fernandez and Ryan Brooks each had 14 points for Temple. Lavoy Allen contributed 11 in a tough lost. Having gone through a non-conference schedule that included games against Kansas, Syracuse, Seton Hall, St. John's and Alabama, Donahue felt that Cornell was prepared this year to face a tough opponent such as Temple, one of the nation's strongest defensive teams. Cornell lost by 24 to Stanford in 2008 and 19 to Missouri a year ago, and entered this year's tournament determined to make the most of the last opportunity Wittman, Foote, Dale and Jon Jacques who are seniors this year.
Dunphy, who's been at Temple since 2006, fell to 1-12 in the NCAA tournament and has lost 11 straight.The Owls coach appeared in the tournament nine times in 17 seasons at Penn, where Donahue was an assistant under him for 10 years. They remain close, and Dunphy admitted that he did not like the fact of facing his former assistant.Temple trailed 37-29 at the half and was fortunate to be that close. The Owls uncharacteristically turned the ball over nine times, with Cornell coming up with seven steals while playing tight man-to-man defense and occasionally switching to a 1-3-1 zone that made it difficult to get the ball inside.Cornell's lead would have bigger if its 3-point shooters hadn't struggled from beyond the arc. The Big Red were 13 of 19 from the field at the break, and five of those six misses were 3-pointers that could have extended their lead enormously.After missing on its first two 3-point attempts of the second half, Cornell's shooters caught fire. Jon Jacques hit a long 3, then Wittman made three straight during a stretch in which the Big Red went on another run to lead 51-42. The closest Temple would get the rest of the way was seven. Cornell will advanced to the next round to face an even tougher opponent.
Cornell (28-4) made eight of its first 10 shots and never looked back, shooting 68 percent in the opening half and 56 percent for the game.Temple (29-6) lost in the first round for the third straight year under coach Fran Dunphy, whose former assistant, Steve Donahue has led Cornell to three straight Ivy League titles and the best season in school history. Juan Fernandez and Ryan Brooks each had 14 points for Temple. Lavoy Allen contributed 11 in a tough lost. Having gone through a non-conference schedule that included games against Kansas, Syracuse, Seton Hall, St. John's and Alabama, Donahue felt that Cornell was prepared this year to face a tough opponent such as Temple, one of the nation's strongest defensive teams. Cornell lost by 24 to Stanford in 2008 and 19 to Missouri a year ago, and entered this year's tournament determined to make the most of the last opportunity Wittman, Foote, Dale and Jon Jacques who are seniors this year.
Dunphy, who's been at Temple since 2006, fell to 1-12 in the NCAA tournament and has lost 11 straight.The Owls coach appeared in the tournament nine times in 17 seasons at Penn, where Donahue was an assistant under him for 10 years. They remain close, and Dunphy admitted that he did not like the fact of facing his former assistant.Temple trailed 37-29 at the half and was fortunate to be that close. The Owls uncharacteristically turned the ball over nine times, with Cornell coming up with seven steals while playing tight man-to-man defense and occasionally switching to a 1-3-1 zone that made it difficult to get the ball inside.Cornell's lead would have bigger if its 3-point shooters hadn't struggled from beyond the arc. The Big Red were 13 of 19 from the field at the break, and five of those six misses were 3-pointers that could have extended their lead enormously.After missing on its first two 3-point attempts of the second half, Cornell's shooters caught fire. Jon Jacques hit a long 3, then Wittman made three straight during a stretch in which the Big Red went on another run to lead 51-42. The closest Temple would get the rest of the way was seven. Cornell will advanced to the next round to face an even tougher opponent.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Lit. Circle Letter
I had fun reading the second section of the novel because it was full of exciting events that gave me a better understanding of who Cole was and what his intentions were. Some of my favorite parts include Cole's recovery in the hospital after being mauled by the Spirit Bear and when Cole was given another chance on the island. I really liked the section where Cole's mother finally started acting like a mom after she divorced her husband who ended up going to jail. She stood up for him during the meeting of the Circle Justice, gave him advice, and told him how she cared about him a lot. I also enjoyed reading about how Cole was starting to mature when given the second chance. Edwin and Garvey did a good job in making sure Cole got the most out of his second visit. He cooked, cleaned, built a cabin, woke up early, and tried his best to get rid of his anger, things he would have never attempted to do back home.
The parts I did not like in this section was how the Justice Circle handled Cole when he was recovering from his injuries. Cole was still badly injured when he had his first meeting after what had happened on the island. At the meeting not many people showed up but the people who did could not stop disrespecting him. They called him a liar when he told them he saw the Spirit Bear and told him he should go to jail. I did not believe that was the best was to handle things. Cole was obviously hurt with injuries that were said to be from a bear and they still did not believe him. They said he did not learn anything and that he should go to jail but you can tell by looking at the way he acted after the trip, he did change. He didn't want to hurt anyone and he was kind and respectful most of the time. I did not like how the circle handled him because they were cruel and made him a lot more angry. But I do like how Cole was given the second chance to prove that he can become a better person and so far he has succeeded.
The parts I did not like in this section was how the Justice Circle handled Cole when he was recovering from his injuries. Cole was still badly injured when he had his first meeting after what had happened on the island. At the meeting not many people showed up but the people who did could not stop disrespecting him. They called him a liar when he told them he saw the Spirit Bear and told him he should go to jail. I did not believe that was the best was to handle things. Cole was obviously hurt with injuries that were said to be from a bear and they still did not believe him. They said he did not learn anything and that he should go to jail but you can tell by looking at the way he acted after the trip, he did change. He didn't want to hurt anyone and he was kind and respectful most of the time. I did not like how the circle handled him because they were cruel and made him a lot more angry. But I do like how Cole was given the second chance to prove that he can become a better person and so far he has succeeded.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Cal Basketball
The California Berkeley university basketball team has been a very powerful force in the PAC-10. They have won their first league title since 1950 and they still want more. Their roster consist of five starting seniors who have carried their team most of the year. Cal's basketball team started off the year as a ranked team but with a couple of loses in the beginning of the season they slipped from the top 25 rankings. They were never ranked since those early loses to Syracuse University, who is now ranked number 3 in the country, and Ohio State, who is now ranked number 5 in the country. With that in mind, i believe that they should be ranked in the top twenty five because they really only lost to the teams that were better than them including the number 1 team in the country. They had a couple of loses that they should have won but every team has an off day or two. When Cal played those top 10 ranked teams they played hard and the games came down to the final minutes. They finished the year 21-9 and 13-5 in league and are currently playing in their conference playoffs as the number one seed.
In their first conference playoff game Cal won 90 to 74 over Oregon. Cal was lead by their best player Jerome Randle who scored 22 points without missing a shot in the first half. Randle went 8 for 8 with four 3-pointers in the first half, giving Cal to a 15-point lead. Patrick Christopher also had a good game scoring 21 points and dishing out five assists and their big man Jamal Boykins scored all 15 of his points in the second half to finish the eighth-seeded Ducks, who were taken to overtime by Washington State in their first-round game Wednesday night. Cal advanced to the semifinals where they played to UCLA Bruins on Friday who had a disappointing season after being one of the best teams in the country last season.
In today's game Cal overcame a six point deficit in the second half to come away with another win in their conference playoffs and will either face number 7 Stanford who upset the number two seed their previous game or 3 Washington in the PAC-10 finals. Jerome Randle scored 24 points with a couple of ridiculous shots and Theo Robertson had 15 of his 20 in the second half in an 85-72 victory Friday night.The top-seeded Golden Bears who are now 23-9 advanced to Saturday's title game at Staples Center, home of the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers. Patrick Christopher added 16 points for the Bears, who are looking for their first league tournament title to go with their first regular-season championship in 50 years. Michael Roll scored a career-high 27 points in his final game for fifth-seeded UCLA who finish the season 14-18, which is their worst record since 2003-04. Jerime Anderson added 15. Cal made 13-of-14 free throws over the final 5:13, with Randle hitting six of his attempts which finalized their comeback victory.
In their first conference playoff game Cal won 90 to 74 over Oregon. Cal was lead by their best player Jerome Randle who scored 22 points without missing a shot in the first half. Randle went 8 for 8 with four 3-pointers in the first half, giving Cal to a 15-point lead. Patrick Christopher also had a good game scoring 21 points and dishing out five assists and their big man Jamal Boykins scored all 15 of his points in the second half to finish the eighth-seeded Ducks, who were taken to overtime by Washington State in their first-round game Wednesday night. Cal advanced to the semifinals where they played to UCLA Bruins on Friday who had a disappointing season after being one of the best teams in the country last season.
In today's game Cal overcame a six point deficit in the second half to come away with another win in their conference playoffs and will either face number 7 Stanford who upset the number two seed their previous game or 3 Washington in the PAC-10 finals. Jerome Randle scored 24 points with a couple of ridiculous shots and Theo Robertson had 15 of his 20 in the second half in an 85-72 victory Friday night.The top-seeded Golden Bears who are now 23-9 advanced to Saturday's title game at Staples Center, home of the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers. Patrick Christopher added 16 points for the Bears, who are looking for their first league tournament title to go with their first regular-season championship in 50 years. Michael Roll scored a career-high 27 points in his final game for fifth-seeded UCLA who finish the season 14-18, which is their worst record since 2003-04. Jerime Anderson added 15. Cal made 13-of-14 free throws over the final 5:13, with Randle hitting six of his attempts which finalized their comeback victory.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Lit Circle Letter
The novel "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen is about a fifteen year old teenager named Cole Matthews, who has gotten into a lot of trouble throughout his life. He has been accused of stealing and fighting many times but this time he took it too far. He injured another student at his school by smashing his head against the sidewalk which caused him to need surgery. Soon after he gets locked up and there he has to choose between prison or an organization called Circle Justice. He decides to take the Circle Justice offer thinking that it was a joke and that he would not get anything out of it. They had a meeting and decided to send Cole to a isolated island in the middle of the ocean. On the island, Cole gets into a lot of trouble confronting the spirit bear but soon learns why he is living on this planet.
I enjoyed reading many parts of this book that involved Cole being stuck on the island. One of may favorite parts is when the spirit bear attacks Cole after he threatened it with a spear. Cole was badly injured and was fighting for his life but I think he learned a lot about life and how it was just a cycle. After reading that section, I also saw him maturing in a sense that he didn't want others to get hurt like he hurt Peter. An example is when Cole saw the baby birds. At first, he found them to be very annoying and wanted to kill them because he thought they didn't deserve to live. But when he saw the birds dead after the storm and after being injured by the bear, he realized that it was wrong for the babies to die. In the novel Cole thought to himself "The sparrows were so frail, helpless, and innocent. They hadn't deserved to die." This showed that Cole understood that killing or hurting innocent animals that have no chance of defending themselves was wrong just like what he did to Peter was wrong. Peter had no chance of fighting back and was helpless when being harshly beaten by Cole. This was my favorite part of this book and so far I have enjoyed reading it.
I enjoyed reading many parts of this book that involved Cole being stuck on the island. One of may favorite parts is when the spirit bear attacks Cole after he threatened it with a spear. Cole was badly injured and was fighting for his life but I think he learned a lot about life and how it was just a cycle. After reading that section, I also saw him maturing in a sense that he didn't want others to get hurt like he hurt Peter. An example is when Cole saw the baby birds. At first, he found them to be very annoying and wanted to kill them because he thought they didn't deserve to live. But when he saw the birds dead after the storm and after being injured by the bear, he realized that it was wrong for the babies to die. In the novel Cole thought to himself "The sparrows were so frail, helpless, and innocent. They hadn't deserved to die." This showed that Cole understood that killing or hurting innocent animals that have no chance of defending themselves was wrong just like what he did to Peter was wrong. Peter had no chance of fighting back and was helpless when being harshly beaten by Cole. This was my favorite part of this book and so far I have enjoyed reading it.
Friday, March 5, 2010
My Crazy Week
This week has been extremely stressful because I have had a lot going on lately. I have had to deal with finishing my math project, going to my basketball organization, remembering my sister's birthday, having a lot of homework, and it has been a very long week. It started on a Tuesday when my group and I decided we were going to work on our project after school. We decided to meet up at the public library and stay there until five-thirty. So I informed my dad and mom so they would know where to pick me up. It was a very efficient day and I was happy about what we finished. When we were done, I went to the front of the library and waited for either my mom or dad to pick me up. I waited for about ten minutes and they were not there so I called my mom and she was at work and could not take me home. She told me that she will call my dad to pick me up. Another ten minutes passed and my dad wasn't there so I called my mom again because my dad doesn't have a cell phone. My mom then told me she was coming home and will pick me up on the way back. I told her I would meet her around the high school but she never came. It was now very late, almost night time, so I decided to walk home. Walking home from Alameda High to Bay Farm isn't enjoyable at all and is very tiering. When I got home I still had a lot of homework to finish, was exhausted, and it was very late. I told my mom that I need to get my license fast so this won't happen again. I went on the internet a choose to take to drivers test on April 15th. I can't wait until I can finally get my license and I think I am good enough to pass the test. Getting my license and my own car will solve many problems.
A couple of days later, my group decided to meet up again to finish our project that was due the next day. We went to the same spot but this time we stayed a lot later becuse we needed to finish. This was also the day of my sister's birthday, and my basketball organization meeting so it was a very stressful day. I couldn't stay as long as my other group members becuase I had to go out for my sister's 18th. I left around seven and left my group alone to finish the project. So I went home, wished my sister a happy 18th b-day and we ordered out from Sushi House becuase I had homework to finish and a basketball meeting. But after I was done with dinner, I realized that I would not be able to go to the meeting and finish my homework in one day so I skiped the meeting since school always comes first. I apoligized to my team and found out that I have practice every Wednesday from seven to nine at night. That shedule will be a very hard one to keep up with becuase I usually have the most homework to finish on wednesdays and having practice will make it that much harder. In the end everything worked out well this week and I am very proud of our project and very happy about getting my license soon.
A couple of days later, my group decided to meet up again to finish our project that was due the next day. We went to the same spot but this time we stayed a lot later becuse we needed to finish. This was also the day of my sister's birthday, and my basketball organization meeting so it was a very stressful day. I couldn't stay as long as my other group members becuase I had to go out for my sister's 18th. I left around seven and left my group alone to finish the project. So I went home, wished my sister a happy 18th b-day and we ordered out from Sushi House becuase I had homework to finish and a basketball meeting. But after I was done with dinner, I realized that I would not be able to go to the meeting and finish my homework in one day so I skiped the meeting since school always comes first. I apoligized to my team and found out that I have practice every Wednesday from seven to nine at night. That shedule will be a very hard one to keep up with becuase I usually have the most homework to finish on wednesdays and having practice will make it that much harder. In the end everything worked out well this week and I am very proud of our project and very happy about getting my license soon.
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