The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch gives the author's impression what America might be like if world war, plague, and the fall of government creates a fractured America. Rogue government officials, scavengers, slavers, and small pockets of rebuilding communities all need to survive by any means possible as America is left virtually abandoned following war with China and a deadly plague that they released.

Fifteen-year-old Stephan Quinn has been scavenging with his father from Canada to Florida in order to trade for items needed to survive.  After the death of his grandfather and a severe injury that leaves his father in a coma, Stephen finds himself lead to Settler's Landing, a hidden community that seems untouched by the disasters of the times.  Loving families, schools, and a Thanksgiving celebration makes Stephan uneasy as he witnesses clues that this community, even though it could be pulled from the colonial history books, isn't everything is appears to be.

Slowly the pressure of the disasters at hand creep their way into this quiet community.  With the help of a Chinese girl named Jenny, Stephan gets himself into and out of trouble as the people of Settler's Landing have to face the dangers of their own complacent attitudes toward a world that can't wait to take everything away from them at any cost.

Mr. Kohl

New technology

I am working on updating my blog for my literacy classes once again. I am typing this on my phone. I am also connected to my iPad. Typing with my thumbs is not easy to do. There is going to be a learning curve here.

Mockingbird

I just finished a book called Mockingbird. The main character Caitlin is an 11 year old girl with Asperger's. Caitlin and her dad are the only ones left of the family when her mom dies of cancer and her brother Devon is shot. Devon was the only one to help Caitlin through her problems(Asperger's). Now Devon is gone and there is no one for her to talk to. Dad isn't any help because he is still trying to overcome the two tragedy's.

Everything for Caitlin is taken so literally. She doesn't seem to understand certain things. She tries to work things out with the knowledge that she has. I will give an example or two of times she was literal throughout the book. Caitlin doesn't understand the pronoun "Your Manners" on her manners chart. She thinks that means everyone else's manners but it really means hers. She thinks she has to watch every one's manners for them but really she just has to worry about her own. The chest that Devon was making Caitlin wanted to finish and she needed quarter-cut oak. So she knew that oak was a wood and she had an oak tree in the backyard. She knew what a quarter was. So she tried cutting her oak tree with a quarter.When Mrs. Brook said that you had to put yourself in someone else's shoes when they were working on empathy, Caitlin thought she meant to literally change shoes with them.

Josh at school is the cousin of the person who killed Caitlin's brother Devon. Everyone at school stereotypes Josh as being a bad kid just because his cousin killed Devon. Just because someone related to Josh did something bad does not mean that he will to. He could be a very nice kid but no one gives him a chance. They never found his inner self. Everyone also thinks her is a bully but truly the only reason he is mean to others is because they are mean to him first. He doesn't try to be a bully to them, people are bully's to him.

Closure is what Caitlin has been trying to find throughout this book. Closure is the state of experiencing an emotional conclusion to a difficult life event. Caitlin was set to find this "closure." As literal as she is, I think she thought she could see closure. I always wonder, did she realize that closure isn't a visual thing. It is like a mental adjustment.

Caitlin doesn't really have emotions so she doesn't cry or anything over the death of her brother. When her dad asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said she wanted Devon to take her shopping. Dad thought Caitlin meant that he was still here and he wasn't. But Caitlin understood that. That is still what she wanted though.

Caitlin was an interesting character to follow along with. It is different understanding how Caitlin "Gets It." She doesn't think quite like everyone else but I think even as a character has a lot of potential to be a great friend even though people don't always give her that credit.

Kiley

Code Orange

by Caroline B. Cooney

When people in America think about terrorist attacks, they might reflect on events that are occurring in the Middle East.  Car bombings and roadside bombs seem to be daily occurrences.  Visions of the World Trade Center will always be a reminder of the vulnerability of terrorist attacks in the United States. Many people may not consider the threat of an attack by means of other types of weapons of mass destruction.  These new weapons can devastate thousands, if not millions of people and produce fear in the population. Unlike bombings, these new weapons leave the countries infrastructure intact.  The weapon that Caroline Cooney writes about in her book is Small Pox

Michael Blake is not what you would call a motivated student.  He goes to a private school for the very rich and very smart.  According to Mitty (his nickname) he's not there for the smart reasons. While trying to do the bare minimum for a research paper, Mitty comes across a small envelop in an old medical book his mom collected.  In the envelope are scabs from a 1902 small pox outbreak that killed thousands of people.  Now that Mitty has been exposed to the small pox virus, his motivation to do his research takes on new meaning.

With the help of his friend Olivia, Mitty begins to understand the history of this deadly disease he is carrying and he only has 14 days to figure out what he is going to do before he becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction in New York City.

Carolin Cooney keeps the reader growing in concern for Mitty's future as he has to decide how he can keep the disease for the girl he is growing to love and the city he has always loved.  Throw in a few terrorists who want to use Mitty for a weapon of mass destruction of their own, and Cooney will have you on the edge of your seat to the last page of the book.

Mr. Kohl