Author Archives: Adam

Unknown's avatar

About Adam

I like cool things.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Posted on by
4

To Kill a Mockingbird is a thrilling novel. It was written by the one and only Harper Lee, Who has made other great novels such as Go Set a Watchman.

At first glance, I thought this was going to be a very boring book because I had to read it for school. And most books required for school are a pain to read, and very boring. But once I started reading this book more and more I realized that I was hooked. Normally I’m not a huge fan of reading, but I really enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a realistic fiction story. It follows the lives of 2 siblings: 6 year old Scout, who is the narrator, and 10 year old Jem Finch. The both of them are very immature at the beginning of the story. The time period is set in the 1930’s in a small rural town called Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch is the children’s father, who is a lawyer. He is also a wise and loving dad, and teaches Jem and Scout many valuable lessons throughout the story.

The story starts getting intense when Atticus takes on a case. He must defend Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, who is a young white woman. The trial has a big impact on Jem and Scout’s understanding of the world, and that everything isn’t always innocent as it seems. Jem and Scout grew much in their maturity after the trial, as they had a new perspective of the world and their surroundings.

I would recommend To Kill a Mockingbird to any readers who enjoy historical fiction and thrilling stories. This novel tackles the injustice that can happen in the world and issues with the society.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Ground Zero Novel Report

Posted on by
Reply

Ground Zero is a book with heart pounding action from start to finish, written by none other than the award winning author Alan Gratz, who has written many other bestsellers including Refugee, Code of Honor, and much more.

The story of Ground Zero follows the lives of Brandon, a 9 year old 9/11 survivor living in Manhattan. It also follows the life of Reshmina, an 11 year old living in rural Afghanistan in 2019, whose village is devastated by war and chaos.

One morning, Brandon is suspended from school so he goes with his father to the World Trade Center, where he works. For a while, everything is going just fine. Then a plane strikes the building. Everybody goes into a panic trying to escape. But the plane crash separated Brandon and his father, and Brandon courageously travels up the building to find his dad, but will he succeed?

Meanwhile in Afghanistan, lives Reshmina and her family. Unfortunately for the village, American and Terrorist armies are at war in Afghanistan because of the 9/11 attack. One day, a battle takes place close to the village, and Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier from the battle. Reshmina learns that the soldier was blinded from the battle, and she reluctantly takes the soldier home… But what will happen next?

Gratz connects the dots between these two stories and intertwines them brilliantly throughout the entire novel, turning two small stories in to one amazingly crafted story with many revelations by the end.

I would recommend Ground Zero to any readers who have a passion for action packed and thrilling novels or to anyone who enjoys historic stories based on real events. If you want to read more about how Brandon and Reshmina’s stories unravel, then I would highly suggest purchasing and reading this amazing piece of literature.

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Code Of Honor by Alan Gratz

Posted on by
Reply

In the beginning of the 8th grade, everybody In my English class needed to choose a book to read. And I thought that I would always hate reading, but luckily the book I chose to read was none other than Code Of Honor.

Code Of Honor is a thrilling, spy action book by Alan Gratz, a Best-selling New York Times author. This book is essentially about a young high school Senior named Kamran Smith. And Kamran had it all. He is the star of the schools football team, is dating the most popular girl, named Julia Gary, and is excited to join the United States Army, like his brother, Darius.

The story begins with Kamran Smith and his family, and They are all doing great. That was, until, Kamran’s brother Darius, is accused of being a terrorist for a character named Haydar Ansari. As soon as the public news channels said that Darius was a terrorist, Kamran’s life turned upside down. Nobody at his school liked him, his friends didn’t like him, and his girlfriend left him. And even worse, their neighbors rallied up near the Smith’s house in protest. Soon enough, government agents come to their house for questioning and house searches, and eventually take Kamran and his family into a secret underground government facility for even more interrogation. Weeks and months later, Kamran is able to sneak out of the facility. Once Kamran escaped, the guards realize and start searching for him. Right when he was about to get caught, 4 strangers who worked with the government took him into a van and saved him. 

If you want to know the details and the rest of the story, I would recommend buying this book at the Mission Viejo library. Code of Honor is a book filled to the brim with lots of suspense and action, and it made me want to never put the book down. I would honestly give it a 10 out of 10 rating.

Code of Honor by Alan Gratz is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The Fastest Fish

Posted on by
Reply

Fish are those little guys swimming around in our oceans. Along with many other creatures of the sea. But today, we will focus on the three speediest fish around!

3rd fastest fish: The Swordfish

The third fastest fish is indeed a Swordfish. The fastest speed a swordfish has ever gone is about 60 MPH. A Swordfish has a very long and pointy sword-like bill, (Judging by the name) and that is what they use to catch their prey. They do it by simply stabbing their food, then swing the “sword” around to stun their prey, so they can eat it. The Swordfish usually eat other fish, and sometimes small invertebrates. These fish also have a special organ near their eyes, which is used to heat their brain and eyes. This helps for when they are very deep, because it helps the Swordfish see much better, and keeps them warm. If you see one of these fish, be careful, they’re really good at fencing!

2nd fastest fish: The Marlin

Time for the fish in second place, the Marlin. This fish is capable of reaching speeds of about 68 Miles per hour. Marlin fish are pretty big in size. They are the largest in the billfish family, which includes Swordfish. The Marlin has a bill very similar to a swordfish, but the Marlins bill is a lot less sharp. The Marlins diet is also very similar to a swordfish’s diet, both mainly eating fish. The heaviest type of Marlin is the Black Marlin, weighing at over 1,500 pounds! That is heavier than a Grand piano! The Black Marlin is actually the heaviest fish in the world! (Not including sharks, of course) Marlins are one of the biggest and heaviest fish ever.

1st fastest fish: The Sailfish

Now, the #1 fastest fish is the Sailfish! The speed of this fish is about 70 miles per hour, which is barely faster than the Marlin, by 2 MPH. Sailfish are another type of billfish, just like the marlin, AND swordfish. The sailfish got its name because- well, it looks like there is a big sail on its back. Another similarity of all these fish, is they all eat the same things, fish and octopuses. But one way the sailfish is different from almost every other fish is that its dorsal fin, (sail looking thing) is able to change colors! They do this to confuse prey, show emotion, and communicate with other Sailfish. The Sailfish is also one of the top predators, and they slash and stab their bill around when they are near a school of fish to hopefully get one of the little fish for a snack.

So now you know, these 3 fastest fish ever also have many cool things they could do, changing colors, to being REALLY heavy, and even having a sword!

Top 3 birds

Posted on by
Reply

Birds are cool. Everyone knows that. But the real question is, what are the top 3 best birds?  That question I have already thought of, so here is the best bird trio.

Bird 1: Parrots

The first bird I will talk about are parrots. Parrots are quite different from other birds, although it might not seem like that at first. One way Parrots are different is because they are incredibly smart compared to many other birds and other animals. Part of how they become smarter is because they often replicate other sounds they hear, and it helps them learn quickly. An example of parrots copying sounds is when they hear what humans say, and they are able to repeat the words they hear. In fact, Parrots are the only animals that are able to talk. So, this is why parrots are one of the coolest and smartest birds of all time!

Bird 2: Ducks

Now, for the second bird, ducks. Ducks are very diverse animals, with over 100 different species, and all of them have waterproof feathers and webbed to help them swim… and they all eat rocks. The stones and pebbles that ducks eat are then gastroliths, which is a small rock used to help with digesting food. The ducks find these small stones usually by digging in mud. They also like to dig in the mud because the vibration makes the bugs come out to the surface, so the ducks can eat them. Once the rock is too smooth and isn’t good to digest food, the duck vomits the rock out, so the rock comes out smooth. Ducks also have a way of communication, which isn’t just quacks, as many people think. However, ducks making quack sounds is very common for ducks to do, but it is mostly used when the mother duck is calling her ducklings. They also squeak when danger is coming, and whistle in the morning sometimes to show they are happy and positive, and a couple other sounds.

Bird 3: Penguins

Last but not certainly least, penguins. One of the major differences between penguins and many other birds is that penguins can’t fly. But since they can’t fly, the do something called Tobogganing, where the penguin slides on its belly. This helps them move faster than waddling, and it conserves their energy, too. Penguins are also the fastest swimming birds in the world, specifically the Gentoo penguin, reaching speeds of 22 miles per hour. Penguins usually stick together in very large groups, and huddle together to share their body heat to get warmth.

Parrots, ducks, and penguins. These are the best 3 birds in my opinion for many reasons. Whether it is the interesting facts, or how they are funny and cute, I will always appreciate these three birds.

Want to read more about birds? Books about birds are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.