Book Review: 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass

Summary of the plot

Tara Brennan tries to make friends with some of the popular kids in her school, as long as she pulls a prank. The prank does work out very well because she gets caught by the principal. When Tara’s parents found out about this incident, they punish her by sending her to Willow Falls to be with relatives she hardly knows during the summer instead of going to Madagascar with her parents. Although Tara arrived at Willow Falls realizing that her phone, her mom’s ipod, and two hundred dollars have disappeared, she has been able to quickly make new friends with the kids in Willow Falls and has been able to get along well with her relatives. She also meets a mysterious store owner who wants Tara to collect thirteen unique items for her by her thirteenth birthday, or else there will be really bad consequences. The adventures Tara experiences take her and her new friends to places they had never expected before.

What I liked

One of the things I liked about the book is that there are secrets in the book. For example, the reason why Tara and her family moved around a lot was not because her mom got a new job, it was because a mysterious person known as Angelica D’Angelo kept tracking Tara’s mom down by sending mails to her about meeting Tara when Tara turned 13. Another thing I liked about the book is that when Tara went to Willow Falls, she was able to make new friends easily. This is good for Tara because her mom wants her to make new friends. Also, at first, Tara didn’t feel like she would like Willow Falls. After making friends, however, she was able to enjoy Willow Falls more.

What I didn’t like or how could the author improve the story?

One of the things I didn’t like about the book was that when Tara and her dad were walking in the hallway to the principal’s office, one of the girls Tara tried to be friends with mispronounced Tara’s name by calling her “Sara.” Her dad, however, unexpectedly smiled at that girl. This feels like an unusual reaction because a person usually ignores or gives an angry look to someone who has antagonized that person or that person’s friend or family member. Another thing I didn’t like about the book was when Tara’s parents decide that she stays with her aunt, uncle, and cousin instead of going to Madagascar for a summer trip just because Tara did a school prank. It feels like that punishment seems a bit harsh for Tara, since she is away from her parents for the summer. Usually, kids are with their parents when going on a trip to somewhere interesting.

What I think my reader should do (your recommendation). Should the reader read the book or not?

My reader should read the book because it allows him/her to become more independent. Being independent is an important life skill to have when becoming older. When reading the book, the reader gets to know how it is like being away from parents for a period of time. Also, the book allows the reader to experience personal growth. For example, Tara at first thought that she was not going to enjoy Willow Falls. Later on, however, she realizes that Willow Falls is not so bad after all because she is able to make new friends. This will allow the reader to know that things are not as bad as they seem to be.

Personal Comparison Essay: Speak Up

One of the traits Malala has is that she speaks up for what she does not like. In the “Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Speech” video, Malala discusses her life and offers thanks for getting the Nobel Peace Prize. When she was seventeen, she felt that she could not just stand by and watch the terrorists denying women’s rights, ruthlessly killing people, and misusing the name of Islam. She decided to raise her voice and tell the terrorists that the Quran states that killing one person is like killing the whole humanity, that Muhammad says to not harm one’s self or others, and that the very first word of the holy Quran is a word that means “read.” Malala and her friends’ voices about being against the terrorists of Pakistan became more heard since the day she and her friends stood up to those terrorists.

Standing up for what we believe in is important because it helps us become more independent and helps other people by making them feel better about themselves when they are being bullied. If nobody ever spoke up, then there is little to no change to the world. The world would not be very innovative. Speaking up also prevents someone from taking control of another person. When people stand up for what they believe in, other people will take notice of them and perhaps follow their lead. Successful people don’t always go with the flow.

I feel that I am like Malala by exhibiting this attribute of standing up for what I believe in whenever I am not sure or not satisfied of something. When I am not sure of something, I ask someone how that thing should work. For example, during the last school year when I had to do a presentation for my English class, I went to my writing tutor to give me advice and help me on my English TEDtalk presentation. Allowing my writing tutor to help me on that presentation gave me a 93% on it.

Whenever I am not satisfied with something, I go and ask someone how that thing can be made better or how it can be reduced. For example, during the last school year when I got a 58.33% on a math quiz, I talked to my math teacher. My math teacher told me that there was still another math quiz and finals that could bring my grade back up, so there was no need to worry much about my grade.

I am different from Malala by the fact that I am not willing to get shot in the head by standing up for what I believe in. I’m standing up for my own personal education and not for other people out in the world. Also, I grew up in a different world than Malala.

I will continue to develop my skills to speak up by first being able to talk more and be more confident while talking to other people. This will mean that I would have to avoid filler words, which include um, like, and such as. Then, I will make sure that I am maintaining eye contact to whoever I am talking to because avoiding eye contact is not very polite. Next, I will pay more attention to what my gestures are doing because gestures convey a powerful meaning in conversations, so it is important to use them correctly. After that, I will be more assertive by being the first person to start a conversation with other people.

I will continue this trait of speaking up for what I don’t like by using my voice and hands effectively, being more confident, and working on my communication skills.

Travel Log 2017: Exploring UC Berkeley For Less Than One Hour

On July 23, I explored UC Berkeley with my family. Unfortunately, we were there for less than an hour because we were not able to find lunch food on the UC Berkeley campus.

UC Berkeley (University of California, Berkeley) is a public research university located in Berkeley, California. It was founded in 1868 and is the oldest of the ten research universities affiliated with the University of California system. UC Berkeley is often cited as one of the world's leading research universities affiliated with the University of California system. In fact, it is the top public university in the United States.



This picture above is UC Berkeley's Sather Tower, which is UC Berkeley's most recognizable symbol. The Sather Tower is a clock tower with clocks on its four faces, and it was built in 1914 and opened to the public in 1917. It is also known as The Campanile because it looks like the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, Italy. The Sather Tower is the third-tallest bell-and-clock-tower in the world. There is even a bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln on the south side of the Sather Tower.



This picture above shows me at South Hall, the oldest building on the UC Berkeley campus. It was built in 1873 and is the only remaining building of the original UC Berkeley campus. I didn't go inside South Hall, as it is probably closed for the summer. There are classrooms inside South Hall, 202 South Hall and 210 South Hall. The classrooms have reconfigurable tables and chairs and built-in large-screen projectors and audio.



This picture above shows me standing in front of the Sather Tower. The Sather Tower is really tall (307 feet), which is why the top part of the Sather Tower is not shown in this picture.

Overall, exploring UC Berkeley has been a pretty nice experience, and I wish I was there for a longer amount of time.

Living Skills Final Project Powerpoint from Last Week

Here's my living skills final project presentation from last week -

Success Presentation

Hey guys!

This is my Success Presentation Video!

Travel Log 2017: Charles M. Schulz Museum

Last Saturday (June 10), my family and I drove up to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa. The Schulz Museum showed many different things about Peanuts, the comic strip Schulz has created. The Schulz Museum has two floors and outdoor exhibits.




These two pictures above are from the Strip Rotation Gallery on the first floor of the Schulz Museum. The gallery consists of original Peanuts and its role in comics history (it changes regularly). In the picture far above, Lucy is at her psychiatrist booth. When someone wants to go to that booth for some kind of help, they have to give Lucy 5 cents. In the picture above, Charlie Brown is yelling. He is saying, "I can't stand it!"



This picture of my brother and I with a Charlie Brown statue shown above was taken at the entrance of the Schulz Museum. This Charlie statue shows Charlie Brown wearing a shirt that shows some place that is outdoors.



This picture of me with a Linus statue shown above was taken in one of the outdoor exhibits in the Schulz Museum courtyard. The Linus statue is an outdoor exhibit showing Linus wearing a crossword t-shirt. He is also holding a pencil in his right hand, and he is holding his blanket in his left hand. The answers to Linus' crossword t-shirt are shown nearby to the right of the Linus statue.



This picture of my brother and I with a Charlie Brown and Lucy ceramic tile mural was taken at the Great Hall on the first floor of the Schulz Museum. In the tile mural, Charlie Brown is making an attempt to kick the football Lucy is holding. The tile mural is consisted of many different comic strips from Peanuts. My brother is amused at one of the Peanuts comic strip he is pointing at.



This picture above shows me at the Schulz Museum courtyard. Behind me are a redwood tree and the birdbath with holograms that show Peanuts characters.

Choose Your Own Story