Stones into Schools

      For our AP Language assignment, I decided to read "Stones into Schools" by Greg Mortenson. I wasn't really familiar with any of the suggested books for the assignment, except for one. The prequel to Stones into Schools is called, "Three Cups of Tea." That really caught my attention. A family friend of mine was a major part of supporting education for women in Afghanistan. I remember when I was around 11 years old she help a get together in her house to talk about the book. Even as a young kid, this topic really struck me. I loved learning about what people were doing for Afghanistan, what people COULD do, and who it was helping. So, I thought that it would be a good idea for me to read the sequel, "Stones into Schools."

This is the cover of the prequel, "Three Cups of Tea."

      This story is basically a continuation of Three Cups of Tea. Stones into Schools picks up where it was left off. In the book,  Mortenson talks about his efforts throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan, in an attempt to create educational equality. His main focus is to create better education for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is because of the extremely poor right towards girls in those countries.
      If I was a part of this book as myself, I would love to tag along with Mortenson. I think that his actions are very inspiring. I am very interested in humanitarian activities. Last Summer, I was signed up and ready to go to Haiti with National Honor Society to help work with kids and assist in projects to help better the community in Haiti. Unfortunately, I had to miss out because of some personal struggles. All in all, I'm am absolutely fascinated with Mortenson and his actions. I guess I would be his "partner" if I was a part of the story.
     I am really looking forward to the rest of the book. I bet that I will get to learn a lot more about the adventures that Mortenson had in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In 6th grade, I read The Maze Runner by James Dashner for the first time. To make it simple, I was physically unable to put this book down. Seriously, my hands were glued in reading position on the cover. I am not a big reader. In fact, I really hate reading. But this book was one of the most enjoyable things know to man. Or, at least, known to Nicole. The Maze Runner is about a group of boys that find themselves trapped in a large field called The Glade.They have no memory of their past life. They are not sure of a way out, however they assume that there is an exit at the end of a concrete maze at the corner of the glade. Thomas is the newest member of the Glade, and he sets his mind on getting out, along with the rest of the group. This book is my favorite book because it is entertaining, inspirational, and comedic.

One of my favorite characteristics of any book is entertainment. The story of The Maze Runner is so diverse and interesting. It has you at the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next. The end of each chapter is a cliff hanger, making it impossible to close the book. I would spend hours in the day reading it. There is so much curiosity throughout the reading, I would find myself reading at full speed because I couldn’t wait to know what was coming. 

The Maze Runner can be a very inspirational book. It is very relatable in a symbolic way. When Thomas enters the Glade, he is looked down upon. He wants to be one of the “runners.” Runners are a section of people in the Glade that spend the day running through the maze trying to find a way out. The reason that this is so difficult is that there are killer animals throughout the maze. The runners have to be very quick. With lots of training, Thomas ends up being one of the smartest, fastest runners in the entire Glade. I loved how I could relate that to real life, it was very inspirational.

BY THE WAY THE MAZE RUNNER IS A MOVIE NOW GO WATCH IT K THANKS BYE

Comedy, to me, is an important quality for a good book to have. In The Maze Runner, I loved the sense of humor in that was in the tone of the book. There were several comedic characters that were very fun to imaging in your mind. Also, there are many little jokes throughout the book that make it much more fun to read. The small laughs helped keep my attention on the reading, and all the attention that I was giving was voluntary. If you are someone that likes comedy, The Maze Runner is a great read.

Like I said, I really don’t like reading. And I try to avoid it as much as I can. The Maze Runner, however, is a book that I read over 4 times. I think that it is an enjoyable book for all ages, because it has a little bit of everything. This book is my favorite book because it is entertaining, inspirational, and comedic.