Two Must-Have Books for Biology-Interested High Schoolers

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Over Christmas break, I will spend some extra time studying for USABO, or Biology Olympiad. Even though I am currently taking AP Biology, I quickly realized that AP Curriculums in most schools don’t completely cover the curriculum required for similar competitions for high-school students. After a little research and personal experience, I found the following list of books the most helpful:

Campbell Biology (Any edition after 8th)

This series of textbooks has historically been a must-have if you are studying for USABO or any similar biology-related competition. It is by far one of the most comprehensive and time-saving resources I have found. I currently have the 11th edition, which is not much different from the 10th or 12th editions content-wise. The price of a textbook from this series ranges from 60 dollars to a whopping 300 dollars (if you are considering buying a textbook). Still, many libraries offer this textbook, making it accessible if you would like to use it.

Anatomica: The Complete Home Medical Reference

This book is one of the most comprehensive human anatomy and physiology resources I’ve used. Although not for the faint of heart, with highly detailed diagrams of internal organs and organ systems, I found this book highly helpful for the human A&P class I am currently taking at school. Furthermore, the book contains some more information detailing diseases and disorders affecting each one of the body systems it covers, making this book useful for those who want to learn a bit about medicine.

Overall, if you really love biology or science classes in general, I would recommend both these books as a more comprehensive way to learn at a higher level about biology-related subjects!

Jurassic Park Movie Review

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In the science fiction movie Jurassic Park, we are introduced to the protagonist: Alan Grand, his good friend Ellie Sattler, and another man named Ian Malcolm. The creators of the movie gave each a very interesting and unique personality, which I really like. There was also a lawyer coming to see if everything was legal.

They are invited to assess the brand new park called Jurassic Park, which is a dinosaur theme park. I think this was a very creative idea. This island is owned by John Hammond; he was the founder of InGen, the people behind the making of dinosaurs.

On the tour, the group meet Lex and Tim Murphy, John’s grandkids. Everyone gets in an electric Jurassic Park themed vehicle. They go to the Dilophosaurus enclosure, but sadly aren’t able to spot one. During this time, one of the men (Dennis Nedry) who were managing the tour disabled all the electricity in the park so that he could steal dinosaur DNA and give it to Biosyn. I think that this was a very smart way to incorporate a villain into the plot. While trying to escape, he is killed by a Dilophosaurus.

Meanwhile, the group is stuck next to the T. Rex enclosure due to the power gone. The T. Rex escapes since the fences aren’t electrocuted, and goes on a rampage. It manages to eat the lawyer, while the rest narrowly escape. The way they escape is something I find really cool. They escaped through traveling across the island to the main building where John came and drove them to safety.

All in all, I give this book a 5/5.

Jurassic Park, both the novel and film, can be checked out from the Mission Viejo Public Library. 

Onyx Storm Releasing Jan 21- Empyrean Series Review

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The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros is gaining a new addition on January 21, 2025: Onyx Storm. The book series has been extremely popular with only two editions so far: Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.

In a quick summary, the novel follows Violet Sorrengail joining the Riders Quadrant and her entire life changes. She begins to discover herself through physical and mental challenges, while gaining new friends, finding romance, challenging family dynamics, and battling larger political issues. The last book, Iron Flame, ended on a heart wrenching cliffhanger concerning the two main characters.

My thoughts:

The series has been an absolutely beautiful enemies to lovers with amazing world building. I often am a bit opinionated when it comes to some popular BookTok recommendations as the books serve as easy to read introductions to new readers and sometimes can be lackluster, boring, and/or repetitive. Sometimes this is manifested through its reliance on a certain trope to carry the story along. Although, I think is series has gotten traction for it just being a wonderful book. I enjoy the sociopolitical aspects of the books and it really brings out a popular dystopian political dynamic that I have seen showcased in book series like Divergent and The Hunger Games. I also feel the relationships between characters are realistic , even to some readers dismay.

Anyways, look out for Onyx Storm and I hope everybody who decides to read it enjoys it as much as I did.

The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

AI: the Good and the Bad

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From customizing your Spotify feed to helping you with your school work, AI can be super helpful! However, AI is becoming a controversial topic. Here are the pros and cons of AI.

AI Is Great Because:

  1.  AI is a learning tool. AI programs like Grammarly, Khan Academy, Duolingo, and Quizlet are effective learning tools helping people all over the world. I would bet that you or someone you know has used Duolingo to learn a new language. Did you know that a 2021 study by Duolingo Research revealed that 34 hours of Duolingo use is equivalent to a full semester of college-level language instruction?
  2. AI makes our lives easier. AI is used for repetitive jobs like data sorting that would take a human hours to do. According to Forbes, “With a well-crafted prompt, ChatGPT can help you eliminate hours of repetitive work in mere seconds.”
  3. AI improves the quality of life for disabled people. From self-driving cars that can allow people to get around easier, to glasses that caption the world for the deaf–AI fosters inclusivity.
  4. AI makes healthcare better. Google’s DeepMind developed an AI system that diagnoses eye diseases as accurately as leading ophthalmologists: “Our AI system can quickly interpret eye scans from routine clinical practice with unprecedented accuracy. It can correctly recommend how patients should be referred for treatment for over 50 sight-threatening eye diseases as accurately as world-leading expert doctors.”  AI health tech saves lives!

AI Is Not So Great Because:

  1. AI makes mistakes. AI isn’t perfect.  A recent study from Purdue University found that ChatGPT, a popular AI app, presents wrong answers 52% of the time. If using ChatGPT to aid your research, you may find that your facts are false.
  2. AI takes jobs. Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, predicts “80 percent of all jobs will be eliminated” because of AI.
  3. AI harms the environment. AI gains its strength from thousands of computers housed in data centers. These centers are constantly operated, leading to a huge amount of energy being consumed. According to Reuters, “The surprising growth in power demand driven by the rise of artificial intelligence and cloud computing is being met in the near-term by fossil fuels like natural gas, and even coal, because the pace of clean-energy deployments is moving too slowly to keep up.” AI is playing a big role in increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
  4. AI distorts reality. AI can be used to generate fake audio or video recordings of people. When what you see with your eyes or hear with your ears can no longer be trusted or do not match reality, the truth becomes hard to discern.

Conclusion:

AI is helpful in many ways, but also has its faults. As time passes, technology improves, so while there are some large problems currently with AI, in the future, they may not be as pronounced. In the end, in order to truly understand the impact something will have, we just need to wait and see.

Activities to Try in 2025

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2024 was full of amazing different adventures and ups and downs, so here’s 5 activities that I enjoyed and that you can consider trying in 2025!

  • Bullet Journaling – You can keep a daily log of different events such in your life such as rating your day, a dream tracker, anxiety tracker, the best part of your day, etc. and then see your progress throughout the year. You can also be more creative with it such as creating and decorating pages for each month or major event in your life.
  • Create fun challenges/goals for yourself – Maybe it’s completing a puzzle or reading more books this year. Finding a new challenge or goal to achieve can help motivativate you in the new year.
  • Yoga – It’s always important to stay active, but prioritizing your mental health and relaxing is also important. Yoga can help you achieve both, as a calming form of exercise for all ages. Additionally, you can also consider other calming forms of exercise such as Tai Chi.
  • Escape Rooms – Escape rooms can be a fun place for you to enjoy hanging out with your friends and family as you work to solve puzzles and analyze different clues.
  • DIY Crafts – This can be hobbies like crocheting, making jewelry, knitting, photography, or whatever you like to express your creativity.

Be Part of a Community Art Project and Earn Double Hours!

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Write a letter to someone who has demonstrated kindness! Scan the QR for more details or visit: https://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/departments/arts-culture/ordinary-voices-extraordinary-impact.

Letters can be turned in to the Ask Here desk at the library through February 21. Earn 2 hours per letter, up to 4 hours per person.

To see some of the local artist’s work, visit https://www.conceptzombie.com/artgallery

Fun Party Games / Activities

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Whether it be a family gathering during the holidays, a friend hangout, or a school party, activities elevate the mood of a party by a great deal, and some may even argue that they are essential to parties. Here are a few party activities that are key to having a great party.

A party activity that is simple yet extremely fun is a game of musical chairs. Musical chairs are a game where numerous chairs are placed in a circle and music is played. Oftentimes, people dance to the music, but for some, they just like to stay still. Once the music stops, each person must find a chair to take a seat on. Musical chairs are set up so that there are less amount of chairs each round than people participating in the game. This way, when the music stops, one person will be left without a chair. This popular game is simple but easily one of the best ways to change the atmosphere of a party.

This next party activity is not as popular as music chairs and can be boring if not done correctly, but I think it’s worth trying. This particular activity does not have a specific name, but in this game, one person, the host, will be instructing the others to find specific items. For example, the host can say something like “Find me…” and proceed to say an item, such as a belt, a flower pot, or anything you can name. The first person to bring it to the host will typically get a price, but it is not necessary. 

Another enjoyable party activity is a game where a person is blindfolded and they have a bowl or any sort of container in front of them. In this game, the person will try to scoop up whatever is on the table, trying to compete with others to see who will scoop up the most. This game is typically done with money, but another alternative can be cotton balls. I think this is a lighthearted game that can lift the mood at parties. 

This final activity can be a bit challenging, depending on the party crowd, and is more for parties with close friends, but this last activity is a try not to laugh challenge with people. This one can be difficult and not as appealing, especially if you have friends who are not as easy to make laugh, but if this activity does go right, then cherishable memories will be created.

One Hundred and One Black Cats by Stephen Mooser

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One Hundred and One Black Cats is a short novel by Stephen Mooser, with illustrations by Quentin Blake. Tod is a ten-year-old boy living in an old warehouse with his gout-ridden uncle, Captain Bones, in the harbor town of New Bedford. One day, Captain Bones sends Tod to Fogcutter Inn to pick up a package for him. According to Captain Bones, the package will make him and Tod wealthy enough to live in a big whaling ship. Tod is excited by the thought of finally leaving the dark and moldy warehouse, to go out to sea with his uncle. However, once Tod reaches the inn, a sailor tells him that the package is basically worthless. Tod begins to think that Captain Bones had tricked him, but then he finds out that his uncle has been kidnapped. Tod realizes that the package must be valuable after all.

This book is extremely short, but it is fast-paced and enjoyable to read. I found it very difficult to put this book down once I started reading it. The story is action-packed and engaging, and the characters are entertaining. I am also especially fond of Quentin Blake’s illustrations. I have enjoyed many other books illustrated by Quentin Blake. His illustrations give life and personality to the characters in this book. Some parts of the story seemed a bit rushed, especially toward the end of the book. However, I thought the conclusion was rewarding, and it was very satisfying to find out what happened to Tod and Captain Bones. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and entertaining read.

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

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Joey Pigza Loses Control is a short novel by Jack Gantos. This is the second book of a five-book series. Joey Pigza is a young boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because of this condition, Joey finds it difficult to manage his behavior and feelings. Sometimes he loses control of himself. He was prescribed a patch that provides medication that helps calm his mind so that he can better control his behavior. In the summer, Joey is sent to meet and live with his father and grandma for six weeks. Joey’s mother had told him that he was like his father. Joey soon learns that he shares more in common with his father than he had realized.

Joey’s father also has ADHD. However, he does not believe in using medication. He told Joey’s mother that he stopped drinking, which is why his mother allowed Joey to visit him. However, Joey finds out that his father is still drinking but does not want Joey’s mother to know. Joey’s father takes off Joey’s medicated patch and confiscates the rest of Joey’s medications and destroys them, believing that this will make both of them free. Joey tries to adapt to his new “free” self while trying to avoid falling back into his old self.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, Joey’s father wants to teach him valuable lessons about overcoming challenges and gaining control of life. However, Joey’s father also makes risky decisions that put Joey in danger. I appreciate that this book portrays ADHD in a realistic way, but I found Joey’s father to be unlikeable overall. Joey’s grandmother is a more sympathetic character, and she plays an important role as the story develops. For the most part, I felt sorry for the characters in this book. I found it somewhat unpleasant to read about their contentious behavior and disagreements, but I think this book is intended to deal with some difficult subjects that many people can relate to. This seems like a book that some people would appreciate, but I do not think it would appeal to everyone.

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.