Naughty, Naughty Grown-Ups!

Parents just hate it when their kid acts like a crazy jumping bean, it drives them nuts! Strangely, it's hard for me to say that because I'm a thirteen year old kid, and I drive my parents crazy all the time! Adults feel that young children are adorable, but they also feel that kids can be a real pain. I find that statement fair, but are adults perfect? No. Do adults always make the right choices? No. Can adults also be a real pain? Why, yes! Yes they can! Roald Dahl proves an excellent point why adults can also be annoying, immature snobs with the book that he wrote called, Matilda.

This story is about a girl name Matilda. Matilda was born as an extremely clever and bright child because she reads a lot of intelligent literature and legible books, all on her own. Matilda was fourtante in education, but her family was a catastrophe. The parents are incompetent, stubborn, ignorant snobs and all they do is eat, sleep, and watch TV. They would ignore Matilda completely and only care about their selves. Matilda would have dress herself, cook for herself, and clean herself. Everything a parent is suppose to do for his/her child, but Matilda's parents chose to not take that path.

One reason why I really enjoyed Matilda is because I love Dahl's perspective on children. I also find it  interesting that when Dahl writes the book, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", he goes through the effort to give out a message to children to not be greedy. But in Matilda, he proves that just because you're a kid and your parents have the right to boss you around, it doesn't mean that they  act like mature adults all the time. Both morals from both of those books have some sort of similarity.

 The type of character Matilda's parents have, shows a reason why grown-ups can also be spoiled. They can also be a pain and adults should think twice before saying that all kids bother them because of their immaturity. I'm not going into a bunch of stereotypical antics, but it is true. Kids are childish, children can get greedy, bratty, spoiled, but so as parents, adults, or grown-ups. We all have some sort of annoyance behavior that really get's on other people's nerves.

Don't Spoil Your Childhood

When you are a child, especially if you are very young, it’s important to be mindful of what you do. Just because your dad or mom has the money to get everything you desire, it doesn’t mean you can abuse your options. Most young kids want toys, dolls, and video games. That kind of thing. It’s okay to want things you love, but if you take it too seriously, people will notice that you are acting spoiled.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the most famous children books in the world. Roald Dahl did an excellent job in this book showing how greedy kids can be, and what kids in the real world can do to avoid acting like a brat. Charlie is a young child who doesn’t have much money, but he’s honest and kind. He gives to his family with respect and appreciates their company, but his real dream is to go inside Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Dahl includes four other kids who are greedy, stubborn brats. Augustus Gloop is the cubby one. He would eat anything and all he wants in the world is food and chocolate. Veruca Salt is the character you love to hate. She basically owns her parents by asking for everything in the world because Veruca’s parents are extremely rich. She’s the biggest brat. Violet Beauregarde is the cocky one. She thinks that she’s the best gum chewer in the world, because all she ever wants is chewing gum. And then lastly, there’s Mike Teavee. He is obsessive over television and has a huge imagination. All he wanted to do is watch TV for hours.

At the end of the story, all the stubborn kids get what they deserve, but Charlie makes it through the whole tour. He proved that he was really not a spoiled child, and all he wanted was to achieve his dream. And that’s what all kids should want. Believe in yourself, and things may go your way.

Charlie’s grandfather plays a huge part in the story. When Charlie won the last golden ticket, he wanted to sell it for a lot of money because his family was poor. That also gives an example why Charlie is so solicitous. He cares and loves his family, but his grandfather encouraged him to keep the ticket because he wanted Charlie to live up to his dream. All Charlie ever wanted was to go into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, so his grandfather told him that it’s also important to be mindful for yourself. It’s more than sympathetic to care for others, but sometimes you really need to follow your own interests. Because if you don’t, you might end up feeling stressed and unhappy. And that is the moral, Roald Dahl was trying teach. Don’t waste your childhood acting greedy and spoiled, and try being pleasant to others. But don’t over obsess on being sympathetic that you can’t do things you like. So balance out your karma. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a book for everyone to enjoy. And besides, how can you go wrong with chocolate? 

Stupid as a Stupid Does: A Book and Movie Comparison

When I was in seventh grade, almost becoming thirteen years old, I would love the movie, Forrest Gump. I found Tom Hank’s performance just amazing. He really knows how to play a funny and emotional, mentally challenged person. I thought Robert Zemeckis was a well-talented director to make an enjoyable film. After I saw the movie like a million times,  I thought it would be useful to read the book, which was origianlly written by Winston Groom. And let me the first one to tell you, both the movie the and book are completely different. I mean, they’re extremely different! I'll get more into it later. 

            Forrest Gump is a story about a mentally retarded man, who lives in Greenbow, Alabama. He goes through life in tough ways and happy ways. To be honest, the story really has no plot. Strange, isn’t it? The whole story is basically a question: How does Forrest Gump face his life to the real world? He grows up as a child who listens to his mother. His mother played a great role in the story. The principle couldn't allow Forrest to get into a normal school because of his low intelligence. So what does the mother do? She prostitutes herself to the principle and that is one of her sacrafices in her life. I wrote another blog about prostitution and sacrifices, (so you can check that out). Anyway,  Forrest’s mother also would give him advice to ignore people who make fun of him, for being stupid. Like, “Stupid as a stupid does.” I think that phrase means that if you’re really a stupid person, you must love to do stupid things. I really love that phrase because it made think, just because you’re not the brightest one in the box, you can do smart things. His mother also told him that life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. I love that line because it describes Forrest Gump’s life to the reader or viewer. A lot happens in his life. Forrest found himself to be the fastest player on the football team,  he meets presidents like JFK and Richard Nixon, becomes a Vietnam war hero, a ping pong champion, and a shrimping boat captain. Forrest Gump seems to be a small person in the inside, but does wild bizarre things in his life. I thinks that’s what makes him such a lovable character because he doesn’t make too many dumb mistakes in his life.

            While Forrest tries to go through life, he is obsessed with a girl name Jenny Curran. Mainly because she was really the only friend Forrest ever had when he was a child, and I also really loved the “Run, Forrest, Run!” scene. Now, Jenny’s character is very different in the book and the movie. In the book, Jenny tries to do the right things. In the movie, it’s completely different. Jenny was abused when she was a five year old, so she tries to run away from her life, but then she finds herself doing horrible things. Like, taking drugs and being seen on a Playboy magazine. Jenny becomes an extremely willful character, but her heart is in the right place. She cares about Forrest, and it’s not like Jenny’s trying to avoid Forrest because she hates him in some kind of way. The book takes the strong aspects of Jenny and try to make her into a good person. She tells Forrest to stop being a villainous wrestler because it was bad for his health. But when it comes to the movie, I think, how does Jenny Curran take it so far be so pre-occupied, when she tries to run away from her life? In the book, I think how Jenny also tries to avoid Forrest in some ways, but also love him so much.

            I think this is the only time where I felt that movie had a little more to show, in terms of morals. It’s not like the book doesn’t teach the reader anything. It teaches things like, to be mindful for what you do. One small choice can change what happens in your personal future. In the movie, you really love Forrest’s character for who he is. Sure, he has an IQ of seventy and he is really not smart at all when it comes to education. But he does make smart choices and that is really what the moral of this story is about. Just because he might have some small weakness that you hate about yourself, it can’t change what you do in your future. If you make the right choices in life, you will acomplish something and feel more proud about yourself.

Care for Families is a Virtue: "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"

Our family is one of the most important things to human beings. We love them, we talk with them, and we always fight with them at some point. Many kids grow up with some sort of family or relatives.  They're the type of people who can be such a pain to deal with sometimes, and those relatives may feel the same way about them. Becoming mad at relatives doesn't change the fact that they are family and you still love them no matter what happens.

The book, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" by Peter Hedges, relates to how much of a pain family can be. It mostly focuses on the issue about people wanting and needing a family to grow up with. Once in a while, people will release anger on their loved ones and this book proves why it's normal to not be able to control anger at family members.

It's about an early twenty years old guy name Gilbert Grape, who lived in a small town with a big family. The father committed suicide because he couldn't handle the pressure that was given to take care of the family. The mother, Bonnie Grape, was morbidly obese, basically eating herself to death because of her depression after the father died. All she did since her husband's suicide, was sit around the house, eat, sleep, and watch TV.

There were two sisters in the family, Amy and Ellen. Amy was the oldest and she was like a mother to the family. She fed and cleaned the house, so she was more of a homemaker than a sister. Ellen was the pretty, but cocky sister. She's the youngest and most of the time, she would get annoyed, easily. Gilbert and Ellen hated each others guts and they were always fighting. This is one of the big examples about sometimes hating your family members.

So then lastly, there is Arnie Grape. Probably the most lovable character in the book. He might not be the main character, but he has such a big impact to the story. Arnie is a mentally challenged teenager who is about to become eighteen years old. The doctor tells the family that it would be lucky if Arnie was able to live up to ten years of age.

The biggest idea of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, is the brother to brother relationship, Gilbert and Arnie have. Gilbert Grape would take care of Arnie most of the time. He bathed him, talked to him, gave him attention because someone like Arnie would need attention. The funniest scene in the story, is when Gilbert thought Arnie would be able to clean and wash himself in the bath while he would do something else. Arnie doesn't exactly have a brain to think, and he didn't have the confidence to bathe himself. So Gilbert basically left him in the bath overnight, and he found Arnie shivering in the bath tub the next morning. After that, Arnie had a fear from taking baths and he chose to be dirty and disgusting for weeks. I found that hysterically funny.

Gilbert becomes easily frustrated when he tried to take care of Arnie and he's a bit of a mean guy. When it comes to his personal behavior with the outside world, he made some foolish decisions. He purposely helped a women cheat on her husband and he would not be able to control Arnie when he kept trying to climb up a water tower. There were many flaws with Gilbert's personality, but his heart was in the right place. Gilbert took care of his family, and he tried to make his mother feel better about herself.

The mother is a character in the book, who you are supposed to feel bad for. Momma had trouble taking care of herself, and she never wanted to leave the house because she would feel embarrassed. In the story, there is a scene where the police locked up Arnie because the family couldn’t control him from climbing up a water tower. Momma exposed to public scrutiny to get her son back by leaving the house. She went to the police station and screamed at the sheriff for Arnie back. Momma's screaming was successful, but when she went outside, people were looking at her as if she was a creep. Little kids laughed and taunted her. Momma felt hurt, but she was happy because she had Arnie back home. Exposure would be terrible, but Momma had to do everything to get Arnie back. She didn't care if hundreds of people were laughing at her. This scene proved how strong a character the mother is. She is willing to expose herself in the outside world, for her own son.

What makes this book so great is how it explains that fighting with family is normal. Many conflicts that occur can be resolved with a simple apology, but some conflicts aren't that simple. When somebody makes a poor choice, he/she can't go back to the past to change what happened. People need to start living in the present, chill out for once, and find out how to fix a problem by acknowledging that what they did was wrong. That's exactly what happens in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Gilbert says, "Sometimes you want Arnie to live... and sometimes you don't." Which means that sometimes, I can't control Arnie for his obnoxious and disobedient behavior, but I just have to love him for who he is. He's my brother and I must love him, even if he gets on my nerves.

The real moral of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, is that no matter how much our parents and siblings can be such a pain, we still love them as much as ever. A family needs to stick together to work things out, instead of blindly arguing and fighting. It is normal for families to do that, but know your limits. Be patient and everything might work out. That is what the story was trying to point out. Families can have trouble getting along, but in heart, they can still care about each other more than anything else.

Prostitution?! No Thanks!

Millions of families across the nation of the United States teach their daughters to not go anywhere near prostitution. Why? Well... it's sick. You're basically encourging snotty men who likes to blow all their money away. I've seen movies and read books about women who sell their soul or bribe men with unnecessary sexuality activity to get something they need. It's disgusting, and the whole issue with prostitution sickens me. But the story, Ms. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw, has an interesting perspective on prostitution.


It's a story about a women, Mrs. Kitty Warner, who was very pretty when she was young. It was taken place at time where it was hard to get decent jobs. Kitty knew that she would not make a lot of money mopping floors and bathrooms and a proper education. But Kitty knew that she was very pretty,  and she uses that opportunity to prostitute herself. Did Mrs. Warner make a lot of money doing this terrible thing? Yes! She did. Now the lesson wasn't to prostitue yourself so you can get a lot of money, it was to make sacrifices. When Mrs. Warner started to get older, she had a child, Vivie.


 Vive is a smart, basic everyday girl who can get proper education. How did she get a proper education? Mrs. Warren's sacrifice was to use prostitution. She got a lot of money doing that becuase she was so pretty, and then life wouldn't be so hard for Vivie. When Vivie hears the story, she freaks out and becomes disgusted with her mother, until she realizes that she did it for a reason. 


This story didn't make me think, "Hmm... prosititution is awful, but sometimes, it can come in handy!" No, it made me think how people make sacrifices in their past so they can make the future a better place for them. It also taught me to be grateful to people who make sacrifices for their own good. Sacrificing is a very strong idea, and writing a story about how a character gives up their own relationship experience by using prostitution is even stronger. That is why Mrs. Warren's Profession was such a strong, emotional, and heartbreaking story. 

Fly Away Home: Mr. Pancake Mix's Response

Every twelve seconds, a homeless man or women begs for money. That's my estimate. I could be wrong. I could be right, but it happens often and that is a fact. When you walk to school, when you walk home from school, or when you go down stairs to the deli to get a snack, look around you. There could be a person that has no home, no money, nothing. And all he/she will probably do is ask for a dollar or two. Human beings could be walking down the street who are available to spare a dime, but most of the time they walk away. They could be embarrassed or shy, maybe they feel that they don’t have to.

It’s not my job to tell people that it’s wrong not to give spare change to the homeless. The world feels that it has enough people to bug them about lending money to the homeless. A picture book called Fly Away Home made me think about people who are unfortunate. It’s a heartbreaking story about a father and a son who are homeless and live in an airport. The father and son dress up as passengers and make it look like they are about to board on a plane. They use the bathrooms to brush their teeth, eat at the food court, and walk around a lot so it makes it look less obvious that they are living in the airport.

One idea that came to my mind is how smart the father is. It’s clear that he knows what’s best for his son and himself. The father’s plan to take care of his child and keep clean made me think. Some people might think the homeless are unintelligent morons, who are incapable of living a healthy life style and trying at all to get back on their feet. The father’s character in Fly Away Home made me feel the stereotype on that specific action burned into a million ashes. The book and characters had a sad touch which also made me feel, that some people who are homeless really doesn’t deserve it. Some people who are homeless are intelligent, caring human beings who know how to take care of their selves and family. This is why the book, Fly Away Home had a meaningful, touching, and sad story about a simple father and son, living in an airport.

Bone: Tall Tales - Mr. Pancake Mix's Response

"Hey Kai Junn, you should really check out this graphic novel, Bone by Jeff Smith," said Noah, my friend from elementary school. By looking at its cover, it seemed cheesy with its character variety, but why not try it? So once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. It was a nine book series, and it had so much details in the story. It had such an excellent plot, and it's extremely funny!


 Bones are creatures that has nothing but clear white skin with big noses. There are three important Bone characters in the story, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone. Fone Bone is the character that tries to focus on helping other people and not being selfish. Phoney is the complete opposite. All he cares about is wealth and money. Smiley Bone is the goofy one always wears a top hat, and red vest, and a cigar in his mouth. Smiley is the best character in these series that will make you laugh the most. His jokes are hysterical and crack me up! Like when he's helping Lucius build the roof and when he's suppose to be fixing a hole, he starts talking about a stupid but silly opinion. The dialogue is amazing and it's hilarious.


After reading all nine books in the Bone series about five thousand times, Jeff Smith wrote another Bone book, with another author, called Tall Tales and it had the same characters, same drawings, same story layout, and it was still funny! It takes place after the nine book series and the story is about Smiley Bone, his friend Bartleby, go out camping in the woods with three Bone Scouts (Boy Scouts). Smiley tells them stories about life in the Valley with his cousins, Thorn, and Grandma Ben. Later he tells a story about a legend. The legend of Big Johnson Bone. The big reason why I love this individual Bone book if compared to the others, is that the sense of humor seems different, but still hilarious. It still makes me laugh, and I love how this sequal isn't a complete rip-off. Something that made me really laugh in Tall Tales, was Smiley's joke about being the leader because he has a huge hat that looks like a sombrero. I loved this book!


Bone is the greatest graphic novel I've ever read. Period. The story line has such a huge impact on the characters, it's funny and entertaining, all at the same times. There is even funny jokes when the scenes got emotional or dramatic. Bone felt like it had everything a kid would want in a comic. Action, comedy, and drama. Anyone could enjoy this book, even people who aren't in too comics that much. These books can get unrealistic at some points, but that's when you need to use your imagination. It is a comic, and it can be enjoyable to anyone.

Harry Potter: Mr. Pancake Mix's Response

I think the true meaning and creativity of magic comes from Harry Potter. It's the book where you really feal that magic can come to life as a reader. No other writer like J.K Rowling can make a perfect magical world of mystical creatures, spells, and evil villains. All of these themes were put together to make a masterpiece for my childhood. My thirteen years of life of picking up a book and just reading it for an hour straight. As I finish each Harry Potter book, it just keeps me wondering, "What will happen next... what will happen next..." This saga makes me feel that a child could have the most creative and original imagination. Reading the Harry Potter series might be the most memorable books I've ever read in my entire life. The conflict between Harry and Voldemort, the mystical and magical mood, the detailed setting of Hogwarts just tells me that this fantasy story can be an adventure I can't miss. 

The plot is fantastic. It goes like this: Harry Potter is a boy where his mother and father gets killed by the major antagonist, Lord Voldemort. He gets sent to his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin who are known as the Dursleys. They abuse Harry and treat hin like dirt. A man name Hagrid breaks into their house and tells Harry that he is a wizard. Harry is sent to a school full of magic and spells called Hogwarts. He meets friends, villains, and other interesting characters. Many people are very familar to this story because of how creative it is. 

Something I really love about the series is the conflict between Harry and his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and his cousin Dudley. Vernon and Petunia permanently spoils Dudley with their over extreme royalty, at the same time, they are ignoring Harry and pretend he doesn't even live with them. This idea has been used in many other books, like Roald Dahl books. But it works so well because it shows how much Harry enjoys staying at Hogwarts.

Ron and Hermione are very big characters to the book and their relationship with Harry. Ron and Hermoine are Harry's biggest friends. They work together, travel together, and sometimes fight with eachother. They also try to defend each other, like when they get into fights with Draco Malfoy who is a bully in Hogwarts that annoys Harry. I also like how Harry, Ron and Hermione have their own type of characteristic. Ron is the insecured and easiy-scared guy, Hermione is smart and loves to learn about magic, and Harry is the brave, heroic person who always gets himself into exciting and dangerous adventures. There are other characters like Dumbledore the school master, and Snape the potion's teacher. The supportive characters in the book relate very well with Harry's mood.

Harry Potter is a saga I will never forget. It makes me feel like if their was a magical world out there, it must be something like Harry Potter. I've knew these series since I was five years old. The problem was that I didn't understand it too much, but now I think it's one of the most amazing fantasy book with great dialouge and very fun characters and creatures that really stand up to the book. I always ask quetions to myself when reading, why does Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin can't give him any respect? How does Harry know to be so cautious about his problem with Voldemort? How can Harry, Ron, and Hermione work together well when they fight all the time? These type of quetions make me more interested to the saga of Harry Potter. I'll always love the action packed, magical, and exciting stories Harry Potter gives, and I'll never forget it.

"Charlotte's Web" Response

Part 1: Introduction (The Real Story)
I've read the book, Charlotte's Web by E.B White three times in my thirteen years, and it must be my favorite childhood reading book. It's a story about a pig name Wilbur, that was planned to be killed because  of his lack of growth when he is born. There is another character name Fern, which is an eight year old girl that lives on a farm. Fern stops from Wilbur being killed from her father. She succeeds, and takes care of Wilbur. Later, he gets sold to a farmer named Homer Zuckerman. As every farmer would do: fatten up animals so they can eat them, the incident happens to Wilbur and isn't too happy. He meets a spider named Charlotte that becomes Wilbur's friend, and tries to rescue him from getting killed by Zuckerman. Very much like Fern's character. She gives out a message on her web that said "Some Pig", meaning that Wilbur is an amazing pig and has something worth to live for. Zuckerman falls for it and Wilbur enters a fair. He puts on a whole show doing flips and tricks and people find Wilbur as a rare, different, and amazing pig which prevents Wilbur from getting killed.


Part 2: The Macro Idea
The real "macro" idea in Charlotte's Web was Charlotte's and Wilbur's friendship. They are both very different characters. Charlotte is the one that knows how not to be selfish and act like a good person to Wilbur. The part that really shows Charlotte character is the scene where she comes up with the idea to give out a message about Wilbur, and basically saves his life. Charlotte is also a teacher to Wilbur. She tells him about important but big words, and facts about spiders. That's also a reason why Charlotte's Web is a great book for children because it can teach something about the real world. Wilbur is not as bright as Charlotte, but understands that he should repay Charlotte for all she did for him.


Part 3: Other Connections
Charlotte is like a mother to Wilbur, but also knows how to take care of herself. She makes an egg sac filled with over a hundred eggs. The good thing about Charlotte's character is that she acts like a real spider. Same thing goes with Wilbur. Two characters you can relate very will is Fern and Charlotte. Even though they don't know eachother, personally, it's still interesting. They both have the same thoughts on Wilbur, and both of them find every way possible to help Wilbur. That is also another example of friendship coming from another character, besides Charlotte. Fern played a big part of the story, even though she was bit of a micro or small character to Charlotte's Web.


Part 4: Conclusion
With all the fun scenes where he is flipping and dancing around with Wilbur, in the fair was great, but the main part of the story was Wilbur. How he interacted with other characters, especially with Fern and Charlotte. Wilbur was insecure most of the time, but he understood how to thank people for what they did to him and how they helped him. Wilbur is really a great character with strong motivations and reactions.