Response on "Never Fall Down"

       I’ve recently just finished the book Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick.  The main character in this book is a boy, Arn, who was eleven years old when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia.  The book is told from Arn’s point of view, who like all the other people from Cambodia became enslaved by the Khmer Rouge.  In this book there’s two interesting perspectives missing though.  Those perspectives are the Khmer Rouge’s and Peter Pond’s, the man who adopted Arn.

 
     I think seeing the story from the Khmer Rouge’s view would be so interesting because they’re the “bad guys” in this situation.  They killed so many people ruthlessly, including fellow soldiers.  Lots of these Khmer Rouge were teenagers and did things out of fear.  When Arn was finished practicing on his instrument, he asked the soldier who supervised him, why the Khmer Rouge killed.  He answered by saying, “They kill only so they won’t be killed themselves.” (McCormick 96).  Those shows me that the Khmer Rouge were just as scared of dying as the slaves.

     Peter Pond is an american dad of three who adopted Arn, and two other kids from the orphanage in Thailand.  One thing I wonder is, why did Peter even cared so much about those kids from the orphanage in Thailand?  He cared so much about the kids he got “very worry about the sick kid, very angry if one dies.” (159).  This strikes me odd because he didn’t even have to be in Thailand, he could’ve be in America living the good life with his wife and kids.   

     Overall this is a great book, and is written so you could see through Arn’s eyes.  But I also think having these two other important people(s) view of what was going on would have made this book better.  You could see how the enemies saw the war and enslavement, and how Arn looked through a richer american’s eyes. 

Prompt

     Something I recently did was practice for my AAU team, the Brooklyn Kings.  I made the team two weeks ago due to the fact that I had worked hard during tryouts.  I also worked had during summer vacation.  I went to three basketball camps, including a sleep away camp in New Jersey.  Making the team has also boosted my confidence.  I know feel like I have an even better shot at making the school team this year because AAU is highly competitive, and playing in AAU will only get my game better.
     Making this team has motivated me to be organized, and plan my time.  The team practices two times a week, and that makes my schedule very busy.  But I know school is the main priority before basketball.  If I don't do good in school my mom definitely won't let me play, plus the coaches will check if your failing, or not.  If you are they won't let you play, and as you can tell I'm really excited about this team.      

Draft 2

Coraline by Neil Gaiman should not be banned. Even though it's a horror book and it contains some dark images, teens wouldn't get scared or influenced. Some writers even think younger audiences could handle this book. Another reason this book shouldn't be banned, is because it teaches you to respect your parents. This is a very positive lesson that many teens could learn. 

     This book shows you how much you need your family as a teen.  When Coraline wins her family back she loves them like never before because she knows she could lose them at any moment.  For example:  "Coraline hugged her father until her arms begin to ache.”(Gaiman 140).  This shows that Coraline not only loves her dad, but she also learned her lesson about how bad you can feel if you don’t show any affection to your parents, and they’re suddenly gone the next day.  Lots of adolescents also feel that their parents are overprotective.  In this book it shows why you should trust your parents and listen to their rules, even if they might sound ridiculous.  Coraline doesn’t listen to her mom, and she temporarily loses her parents.

 
     Many parents argue that they have never seen a book for teens with images so dark, and then they read Coraline.  They say [Coraline] is in the horror section therefore it shouldn’t be read by teens.  Many parents say that their kids can’t handle the dark images in this book, like monsters, and witches.  This book also talks about tough subjects, that parents don’t want their kids learning about.  For example one subject that parents think isn’t age appropriate, is kidnapping.  In the book, [Coraline] gets kidnapped by a witch who pretends to be her mother.

 
     The thing, is even though this book is categorized in the horror section it’s not even scary.  And that’s coming from a teen all you parents!  The reason this book wasn’t scary was because it was so unrealistic, that I knew it wouldn’t happen in real life.  Any teen should be able to tell the difference from this book and reality too.  This book is child friendly too.  Diana W. Jones wrote a comment on the first page book saying this book has things "children will love.".  Another reason this book is appropriate for teens, is because Coraline is easy to relate to.  Coraline is a teen herself, so she’s going through things many of us adolescents are going through as well.  Therefore we could connect with her and the book.

 
     Coraline is a great book because it has so many positive lessons.  It shows in how she treats her mom and dad after she gets them back, with much love and care.  She’s also never rude to her parents again.  Coraline also learns to get over her fears, which your child could learn by reading this book.  Coraline should not be banned!