Awesome Axolotls

Books that are still in progress... Huckleberry Finn, a Bible, and the hatchet Granny gave me.                I love reading. It’s a great way to relax and unwind after a stressful day at school, to learn, or to spend your free time. But sometimes, even if you love to read, you don’t always finish your books. Whether it’s because you lost interest, ran out of time, or got distracted, it happens to all of us. Here are some books that I haven't finished and why: 1.       The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I began reading this book towards the end of summer break when I reached a point of boredom with my free time that I couldn’t stand. So, I asked my mom to pick up some books when she ran to the library. I specifically asked for classics because I enjoyed previous ones like Of Mice and Men . She returned with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This book is essentially about...

The Giver by Lois Lowry: Novel vs Movie Charlotte Lin In my last blog posts, I’ve mentioned the films of the books I read, so I thought it would be a fun idea to compare literature and television. My Disney+ subscription unfortunately expired a while ago which is the only platform The Mysterious Benedict Society (my most recent blog) is available on and I don’t remember enough of the show to write a blog about it. As a result, I rewatched The Giver (my first post) as a movie on Netflix to refresh my memory, since I didn’t remember much. Here are my thoughts on the film and it’s comparison to the original novel:  First off, the movie obviously is a completely different kind of experience with its ability to display colorful visuals as well as sound effects and music. With reading, the pages of words printed in black ink and your imagination are all you have. However, I think the book fits in so much more than the 90 minute film. Stronger details and emotions are conveyed that I did...

  Reading and Success: An Analysis (Mateo Hernandez).                When you consider what defines success in the world, you might think about a stable job or fame and fortune. What does it take to achieve that version of success? Some people say getting straight As in school, working hard, exceling in athletics or music will get you there. Or you could just be blessed to be born with a fortune. But many might not realize that reading could help on the path to success.                Extremely successful people are now sharing that reading helped them get to the place they are today. Elon Musk said that before he founded PayPal, he would read hours every day. Albert Einstein read hours a day in books about math and physics. Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Shark Tank icon, reads three hours every day. Why do these people r...

  The Storm Runner is a novel by J.C. Cervantes that was published in 2018. I first discovered the book in the summer of 2023 and am over halfway done with the book. If I had to summarize this book, I would say "The Storm Runner follows a 14-year-old boy named Zane who lives next to a volcano in New Mexico and only has one leg that is fully grown. He figures out he might release an evil god so he decides to stop him."  The longer detailed version is "One night he sees a weird creature crashing into the volcano in his backyard. He goes to investigate and doesn't find much but weirdly the next day girl named Brooks a Nawal (Shapeshifter) shows up at his house and tells him he is in danger and that he might free Ah-Puch the god of the dead. Zane thinks that she is crazy but is also wondering if the prophecy she was telling him might connect to why he has a missing leg and hasn't seen his father. Sure enough, Brooks and his dog Rosie check out the volcano only for Ro...

     I tend to get bored of books very easily. If they don’t capture my attention within the first few chapters, I usually lose motivation and put it away. The Mysterious Benedict Society however, is one of the most interesting novels I’ve read, and even re-read (which is very rare for me). The interactive style in which it is cleverly written has drawn me back to it over and over again. My first time reading it was about 2 years ago, when I was around the same age as the main characters. I think this made it more captivating for me to read, knowing that we had that in common and I could better relate with the characters.      Trenton Lee Stewart’s novel is so carefully written and put together for the perfect reading experience that always leaves you wanting more. This story is full of plot twists, epiphanies, character development, and suspense that slowly builds up. The main protagonist is a 12-year-old orphaned boy named Reynard Muldoon and goes by Rey...