Author Archives: Alexis M.

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About Alexis M.

Alexis Morita is a homeschooled high school freshman. She adores reading and writing novels, and competing in public speaking tournaments with her local community college.

Enough

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High school is a stressful time. As is middle school. There’s a constant pressure to conform, to be just like everybody else. Pressure to like the books and music everyone else likes, pressure to be popular and “cool.” Pressure to blow hundreds of dollars on new clothes to keep up with a fashion that will be out of style in two weeks. All of this pressure builds up, making it hard to stay true to yourself, hard to even remember who you truly are. But try to break free from that pressure. Try to remember. And know that you are, above all, enough.

You are enough.

More;

a rockstar,

a superhero,

someone truly

one-of-a-kind.

You are unique.

So flaunt it and just

be yourself.

In this

cruel world,

it may be hard

at times

to stay true

to yourself.

But remember.

There is only

one you.

There will only ever be

one you.

Your eyes,

your smile,

your laugh,

who you are

as a person.

None of that

can ever be

replicated.

None of that

can ever be

taken

from you

because that is

uniquely you.

You are

beautiful.

You are

perfect.

You are

enough.

So remember.

Even if your day

is hard,

even if your life

is hard,

you are enough.

And that is enough.

So be yourself.

Because who else

would you want

to be?

This is a free verse poem I wrote for a speech class of mine, but I decided to share it with you. Maybe it’s a little cliche, but it’s something I truly believe in. I based my entire eighth grade commencement speech on this very concept: you are enough and you are beautiful, just the way you are. I, too, sometimes struggle with myself. I often get frustrated and angry and stressed. But reminders like this help me keep my thoughts in line, help me get back on track. Hopefully this little poem was your reminder today.

Music: Song Recommendations

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Rap, jazz, reggae, classical, pop, K-pop, country, electronic, rock . . . there are so many different genres of music out there that it would be impossible to list them all. Everyone has their own music taste specific to them. My song taste will probably be vastly different from yours. For one thing, I love country music and I do not know many people who like country. But if you are looking for some recommendations, here are some for you.

#1: What Ya Got On Tonight – Kip Moore

This is by no means a popular song. The singer is not super popular either. But the song grabs your attention right away with a quick, snappy beat. It is a love song, like most country songs out there, but the tune is like no other. If you are looking for a country song you just might love, I would encourage you to try this one.

#2: Super Bass – Nicki Minaj

This song falls under the rap genre. To be completely honest, I was not a fan of the singer before listening to this song. But the mixture of fast rap beats and mellow notes got me intrigued. The lyrics are a little confusing, just like pretty much any other rap song, but the rhymes are impeccable.

#3: Want To Want Me – Jason Derulo

Girl, you’re the one I want to want me . . . Those are some lyrics from Jason Derulo’s Want To Want Me. It is an amazing pop song with a very sweet message. It is indeed a love song, like most songs around nowadays, but the message is unique. The singer is telling a girl he loves that she is the only one he wants to love. If you are looking for a song to listen to on pretty much any occasion, Want To Want Me is for you.

#4: It’s a Good Time – the DeeKompressors

Do you like Disney? If you do, then you should listen to this one. This song is a good one, even if you are not a Disney fan. It is such an upbeat song with a lively beat and cheery lyrics. Unlike the three other songs, this one is not really a romance song, instead it seems to be a song about loving life. It will get you singing along within a couple of lines.

#5: Fireaway – New Rules

Has anyone heard of New Rules? I do not think so. They are a small pop group based in Europe with only a couple of albums. But their songs are amazing. Great beats, timely rhymes, and beautiful messages all contribute to making their songs sound uniquely New Rules. However, my favorite song from their group is Fireaway. It is upbeat, although has a slight melancholy sound, especially during the chorus. It is a lovely song that I could listen to every day. Maybe you could, too.

These are just five of the many great musical pieces out there. Tell me in the comments what your favorite songs are!

Character Talk: Characters to Look Out For

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There are so many books in this world. So many endless possibilities. However, there are also endless possibilities for characters. Because every good book needs strong characters that readers can get behind, right? Here are some of these characters–characters to look out for.

Some characters just resonate with you. There are ones that I remember years after finishing their book. One of which being Edilio Escobar from the Gone series by Michael Grant. In my opinion, he’s the best character that’s ever been created. I get the question “what do you look for in a friend?” a lot. My answer to that question lies in this character. He’s brave, kindhearted, and selfless. He is the guy who is always there to back you up, even when everyone else has deserted you. He will always be by your side, no matter what.

Another character I love is Finnick Odair from the Hunger Games trilogy. I am no longer a huge Hunger Games fan, but Finnick is one character that has stuck with me. He is not someone that attracts fans in the beginning, but what is so remarkable about him is how much he is able to change throughout the course of the series. He starts as this arrogant, obnoxious puppet, but later evolves into a sweet, kind, approachable human being. I love characters that experience great changes–look out for Finnick Odair.

Julian the Shadow Man of the Forbidden Game. Another character that will stay with you long after finishing the book he comes from. He is not by any means a protagonist, but he is a character with a wonderful backstory and compelling motive. He seems evil and controlling in the beginning of the book, but it turns out that, in the end, all he wanted was love. He is another character that grows and changes over the course of the book, which is one of the many things I love about him.

Are long stories better than short ones? That is what I used to think, prior to reading “Kiss the Boy,” a short story by Adib Khorram from Eternally Yours. It is only thirty pages long, but in those pages, I fell in love with all the characters involved in the story. Most notable, Samir Borhani, a young, sweet Iranian boy who is the love interest of the main character. He is very trusting and kind, and is definitely someone I would like to have on my side. He is loving and equally lovable–yet another character to look out for.

Those are just a few of the many notable characters out there. If you would like to see them for yourselves, check out their books! Please tell me in the comments who your favorite book characters are!

Gone by Michael Grant is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

My Favorite Baseball Players

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This is a list of some of my favorite baseball players–not necessarily picked based on their talent level. I first became captivated by the sport in May of this year when my family and I went to see a game where the Los Angeles Angels were playing the Minnesota Twins, and I haven’t lost interest since. While the Angels are definitely the favorite in my family, not all of the players on this list are from the team.

#1: Zach Neto:

Zach Neto #9 of the Los Angeles Angels turns and throws to first during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 31, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Angels’ twenty-two-year-old rookie shortstop wasn’t originally one of my favorites. To me, he was just another new player that I had to remember. But as I’ve watched him play throughout the season, I’ve definitely changed my opinion. The reason for this is not just because he’s fun to watch–although he undeniably is. It’s because he’s young and eager and while he’s not always the most patient at the plate, he has talent and potential. He’s unquestionably someone to watch out for in the years to come.

#2: Adley Rutschman:

This is one of the many non-Angels players that I like. This young player is unarguably talented–he’s one of the Baltimore Orioles’ best catchers, if not their very best. He was named one of the American League All-Stars this year and got the opportunity to be one of the youngest All-Stars of the modern era. He ended the year with twenty home runs and a batting average of about .275 for this season–and he’s only been playing in the major leagues for a few years.

#3: Andrew Velazquez:

Andrew Velazquez

He’s a veteran player and has been playing in the major leagues for years, getting bounced around from team to team. He only has twelve home runs in his entire career, and his batting average is well below .200, but the aspect of him I like is that he’s always willing to step in where he’s needed, whether that be at second base or center field, and always plays with a smile on his face. He’s currently with the Atlanta Braves, one of the best teams in the game, although he played most of his games this season with the Angels.

#4: Randal Grichuk:

Los Angeles outfielder Randal Grichuk runs the bases. He was unclaimed on waivers.

He’s another veteran player and one of the Angels’ outfielders. He was traded to the Angels in July from the Colorado Rockies along with teammate C.J. Cron for a couple of the Angels’ pitchers. The Angels were desperately in need of outfielders at one point this season after losing left fielder Taylor Ward and center fielder Mike Trout to injuries, so Grichuk was their substitution. He’s been playing in the major leagues for almost a decade and shows every sign of continuing his career next season.

As you can probably see, I haven’t chosen all of these players for their talent or what team they play for. I like their attitude about the game and I love watching them play. Please tell me in the comments who your favorite players are!

Gone: An Awesome Book That Doesn’t Get Enough Fame

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In a post-apocalyptic world called the FAYZ, kids battle each other and a rising threat called the gaiaphage to try and stay alive.

This is the basic concept of Gone written by Michael Grant. Gone is the first book of a six-book-long series in which a bunch of kids have to cope with extreme hunger, looming danger, and confronting their greatest fears.

Gone starts off with the coming of an impenetrable barrier, called the FAYZ (or Fallout Alley Youth Zone) by its occupants. This barrier traps all kids under the age of fifteen in a certain area in southern California, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Their parents, teachers, older siblings, and even the police officers and firefighters that keep them safe have disappeared mysteriously, leaving the children to fend for themselves. A few brave youngsters–Sam Temple, Edilio Escobar, Caine Soren, and Diana Ladris–step up to try and keep the conditions inside the FAYZ under control, but their methods differ in drastic and dangerous ways. Groups begin to form within the barrier, causing tensions to spring up and fights to break out. The once-peaceful world of southern California turns savage and corrupt as every FAYZ occupant tries to find the best method of survival for his or herself.

The main issue of the first book (and the one I’m reviewing) is the possible disappearance of two of the main characters. In the FAYZ, once you turn fifteen, you disappear, and no one knows where you go. Maybe you go to the outside world, maybe you die. The two boys–Caine and Sam–try to find a way to fight the disappearance, to say no to the temptation of a possible way out of their new, war-torn world. In the meantime, however, each boy has to deal with other problems–fighting fires, trying to keep the FAYZ kids under control, stopping battles from ending in deaths. And of course, the other characters inject their own issues into the mix. Drake Merwin, a troubled and sadistic kid of fourteen, keeps trying to gain power within the FAYZ–doing anything to achieve his goal . . . including killing anyone who stands in his way. Conspiracies develop, causing seemingly loyal kids to turn evil.

The reason why I love this book so much is that it has great, lovable characters (such as Edilio Escobar) and a compelling plot. It draws me in because the characters are kids, everyday kids. The story shows that something this horrible could happen to people like me. This is what makes the characters so relatable. This book is up there with my favorites, and I’d recommend it to any lover of science fiction. It keeps readers asking the same question over and over: Which side will prevail in the end? What sacrifices will the characters make to keep their loved ones alive? Want to know the answers to these questions? Read the book to find out!

Gone by Michael Grant is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book vs. Movie Review: Mockingjay

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Mockingjay is the third (and final, if you don’t count the prequel!) book in The Hunger Games trilogy. It’s about the main character and heroine, of the novels, Katniss Everdeen, following her story as she fights the Capitol to end the vicious gladiatorial games called the Hunger Games. Her lover, Peeta Mellark, has been captured by the Capitol, and now they are holding him hostage, altering his memories of Katniss so he will think of her as a threat instead of an ally. This book has a wonderful blend of action, suspense, and romance (with just a little character rivalry thrown in for good measure), like any other Hunger Games novel, but that’s not all. Mockingjay also has, not one, but two movies to go along with it. Here are my thoughts on the book versus the movies.

#1: First of all, here are some things I think the producers of the movie did well. They did quite a good job sticking to the main plot and including what I think to be the most important parts. Yes, they did add in or change a couple of things, but, in my opinion, the overall feeling of the book was captured in the movie.

#2: Of course, there were some parts that I felt needed to be emphasized more in the movies. For example, the vote to hold another Hunger Games, but with the Capitol’s children, was treated as the big decision that it is in the book, but in the movies, they kind of glossed over that part. Also, the death of Katniss’ sister, Primrose, wasn’t as significant as I’d have liked it to be in the movies. It was like she died, and then everyone moved on really quickly, unlike in the book, where Katniss spends years recovering.

#3: The look of the characters was also changed in the movies. In the book, Katniss is supposed to have black hair and olive skin, while in the movies, the actress of Katniss is a blonde, Caucasian woman. Also, Peeta is supposed to have blue eyes and blond hair, but in the movies, his actor has black hair and brown eyes. However, this is just a minor difference and it doesn’t take away from the fact that the actors and actresses did an amazing job of portraying the characters’ emotions, which is what I think is the most important part.

In summary, I think the book Mockingjay is better than both of the movies, but it’s hard to beat the original. However, I wasn’t disappointed with the movies, because the main plot and feel of the book was conveyed on the screen. In my opinion, the books are usually better than the movies, unless the movie comes out first. What do you think?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy and it is about an eighteen-year old boy named Coriolanus Snow, nicknamed “Coryo” by his cousin, Tigris. He is selected, among twenty-three of his fellow classmates, to mentor a tribute in the tenth annual Hunger Games.

In this book, Coriolanus is forced to mentor the District Twelve tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, who is at the severe disadvantage in the Games (a gladiatorial “game” where kids have to kill each other). The children from District Twelve don’t have any proper survival, nor combat training, therefore making them easy pickings for other tributes such as Reaper, a burly male from District Eleven. The odds are already against Lucy Gray, and the fact that she’s better at singing than fighting doesn’t help her chances at all. Coriolanus is at first disappointed–he thinks that his tribute stands no chance at winning. And his future depends on her victory; the mentor whose tribute wins the Games will get to attend the Capitol university. But the better he gets to know his tribute, the more attached he gets to her, and the more determined he is to help her through the Games, not just for his own sake. Together, they try to win over the Capitol’s support: staging interviews and impromptu performances for the viewers. He does everything possible to help her in the Games, gaining her sponsors from the Capitol audience and illegally bringing her extra food so she can keep up her strength. They are a formidable team outside of the arena, but no one knows if they can pull off a win inside the arena–not even Coriolanus.

All too soon, Lucy Gray and her fellow tributes are transported into the arena, an old Capitol theater that’s mostly demolished. Originally, Lucy Gray had to face down twenty-three other tributes, but many of them died or got killed before the Games began, upping the chances of her survival. Even the boy from District Two, the one who had the best odds of winning, got killed off in the first battle. In the Games, Lucy Gray’s strategy becomes outlasting the others. She hides out in some corner of the arena with Jessup, her protector. Throughout the book, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray go through many struggles, but due to the fact that I don’t want to spoil the outcome, I can’t say anything else about the Games.

After the Games are over, Coriolanus gets transported to District Twelve, where he works as a Peacekeeper. He meets many friends, but makes plenty of enemies as well. In the district, his life takes a turn for the worse, his depression only ending when he gets summoned back to the Capitol to attend the University at last.

Overall, this book is an amazing story about an underprivileged character defying the worst odds. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes novels with action, plot twists, and just a hint of deception along the way.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Nightfall by Shannon Messenger

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Nightfall is the sixth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cites series (which is currently 8.5 books long), and the events come as a definite surprise to anyone who has read the other five books before it.

In this book, the main character of the series, a powerful young elf named Sophie Foster, has to rescue her human parents from a Neverseen hideout called Nightfall. (The Neverseen are a deadly rebel group that formed in the Lost Cities, and they always seem to be out to get Sophie and her friends.) But Sophie knows that the Neverseen might be using her parents as a diversion to distract her from the larger issues at hand, so, no matter how painful it is, Sophie is forced to look at the bigger picture and accept that the threat looming over her human parents might not be the problem she needs to focus on. She helps her friend, Keefe Sencen, with the issues he has with his mother, Lady Gisela, (who also happens to be a leader of the Neverseen) and attempts to figure out the identity of the prisoner who escaped from the Lumenaria dungeon in the previous installment of the series. But all of these issues seem to come together in the end of the book, when Sophie and her friends (Tam and Linh Song, Biana and Fitz Vacker, Keefe Sencen, and Dex Dizznee) and her foster father, Grady Ruewen, enter Nightfall. There, they encounter some members of the Neverseen and discover who their new ally is–the former prisoner of Lumenaria.

While all of this was going on, they also had to deal with another enemy, one whose alliance with the Neverseen hit extremely close to home. Alvar Vacker, the older brother of Fitz and Biana, was found abandoned by the Neverseen in one of their old hideouts, bleeding to death. They had discovered that Alvar was a member of the Neverseen in the earlier books, but they’d never have guessed that the group would leave him for dead. He doesn’t give any information in his interrogations except for one, crucial detail, which readers will find out in the beginning of Flashback.

The reason why I love this novel is because of all the plot twists and the fact that the characters have realistic personalities. Their problems kept me rooting for them the whole time the book was in my hands, and the storyline stuck with me for a long while after I’d finished. This book (and the series it belongs to) is a magical read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the fantasy genre.

Nighfall by Shannon Messenger is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Halloween Escape Room at the Mission Viejo Library

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The escape room was on a Saturday afternoon in the Mission Viejo Library’s Heritage Room. The people overseeing the event had set up random images all over the place, some of which were clues that we could use in the escape room. It had an eerie feel to the air, there was haunting music playing in the background and the lights were dimmed to a point where it felt like evening in the middle of the day.

Soon after our group of four people (including myself) had walked in, a man with a British accent started talking, laying down what we were supposed to do: open a box with four locks on it–and we had to do it within the time limit of about thirty minutes. Immediately after he’d stopped talking, everyone began searching for clues. The first thing I ran for was the box with locks. One needed a direction code, one needed a letter code, one needed a number code, and the last required a key. For the lock with a key, there was another box that we had to unlock before we could access the key, so that was one of the trickier parts of the escape room. But then after we figured out the combination, the key didn’t fit in the lock on the box. We had to use the key to unlock a safe that led us to the right key.

The hard part about this escape room was that there were random things scattered all over the place, but we couldn’t tell which ones were clues, or which ones were red herrings, which is a “clue” that’s meant to distract you from what’s actually important. Also, when we asked for hints, they gave their help in terms of rhyming poems, so we sometimes couldn’t figure out what they meant. (And we couldn’t always tell which direction the lock was supposed to go or what order to put the letters or directions in.)

In the end, we unlocked all four locks with two minutes to spare and what was inside the locked box was kind of ridiculous. In the beginning, they said a talisman was supposed to be in the box, so nobody had any idea what to expect. I was just glad that we had managed to open the box at all within the time limit, because I’d never really done an escape room with a time limit before.

Overall, it was a great experience and the clues were very creative. It’s an awesome event for anyone who enjoys puzzles, games, and just a little bit of trickery.

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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The Hunger Games series is four books long (including a prequel called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and it is about a sixteen-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen. She is chosen by the leaders of her country to fight in an outdoor gladiatorial game where her fellow contestants are between the ages of twelve and eighteen–this game is called the Hunger Games, which is where the series gets its name.

In The Hunger Games, the first book in the series, Katniss is challenged with the task of surviving the arena in the seventy-fourth Games. At a ceremony called the reaping, Katniss volunteered to take her sister’s place in the Games when twelve-year-old Primrose Everdeen’s name gets selected from a large glass ball called a reaping ball. Katniss is then whisked away to the Capitol, the ruling city of her country (Panem, which is a place split up into twelve districts and the Capitol). There, she is prepared for the Games; donning a fiery costume for a public event called the tribute parade, performing in an interview with a man named Caesar Flickerman, and undergoing intense training to learn the skills she’ll need to know for the Games. The place where they acquire those skills is called the Training Center and the tributes (the competitors) learn how to do things like throwing knives, identifying edible food, tying knots, wielding weapons, and more! At the end of training, they get to showcase all these skills in a private fifteen minute session with the Gamemakers (the people who come up with the challenges the tributes will face in the arena). The Gamemakers give them scores based on how well they did in their session, the score of twelve being the best, and one being the worst.

Katniss is then dumped into the arena where she has to fight for her life to be the last tribute standing. After all, the last tribute standing wins and gets showered with gifts, money, and luxury items for the rest of his or her life. She has to face down tough competition, such as Cato, the brutal boy from District Two and Thresh, the surly male from District Eleven. In addition, she has to deal with her injured ally, Peeta Mellark, the boy from her district, who also happens to be in love with her. All throughout the duration of this fast-paced, action packed novel, readers ask the crucial question: Will Katniss be able to make it out of the Games alive?

I don’t want to spoil the book’s glorious ending, so I won’t say anything else. Part of the reason the Hunger Games is such an awesome read is that the characters are so believable and I found myself on the edge of my seat, totally immersed in the story the whole time. I definitely give this book a rating of five out of five and it’s a wonderful novel for anyone who enjoys action, romance, and tragedy all packed together into one, complex storyline.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.