This month I read a book called The New Kid by Tim Green. In this book the main character is Tommy Rust/Brock Nickerson. Tommy Rust has a great life in Hawthorn Creek, tons of friends and he’s the star of his Little League team. For some reason however his dad keeps making him move and change his name. Now with his name as Brock he has to start all over again in Liverpool, New York. When he joins Coach Hudgens travel team, Liverpool Elite, he is told he is told by the coach he has some really big potential. But will Brock and his dad be on the run again?

I definitely recommend this book. This book is really good because of the intensity of what Brock’s dad is on the run from. I picked this book because I wanted to read a sports book. My favorite character in this book is Brock because he is loyal. On pg. 307 the text states, “‘No, Dad. Don’t let me go. I can never leave you.’” This quote is when Brock can stay with his dad and start a new life again or stay with Coach Hudgens. This shows that Brock will stay with his dad no matter what happens..

My favorite quote from the book is “‘Dad? You’d leave me? Oh, Son, I’d never want to leave you.‘” (306) This quote is meaningful to me because his dad, for one of the first times in the book is showing he cares for Brock. This quote occurs when Brock is debating staying with his dad or the Hudgens.

A quote that Dumbledore says in Harry Potter is “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” This quote means that in life you will have many choices between what is right and what is easy. In other words, there are the right choices like picking up your trash or the easy choices like just leaving your trash on the ground. This can apply to my life in the example above or even in something like baseball where you can dive for the baseball or just let it go past you.

Somebody I look up to as my hero is Derwin James Jr. He is a strong safety on the Los Angeles Chargers. I admire him because of his leadership on the Chargers. He is a team captain and along with Khalil Mack he helps lead the Chargers defense. I also look up to him because he has my dream job. When I grow up my dream is to become a football player. Another reason he is my hero is because he was nominated by the Chargers for the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award. This a huge yearly award in the NFL given to the best players on and off the football field. There are many very good reasons why he is my hero.

This month I read a book called The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica. In this book the main character is Teddy. Along with his pals Jack and Gus he decides to try out for his local tackle football team, the Walton Wildcats. Teddy makes the team and is really excited. With his new teammates and friends life couldn’t be better for him. But when the starting quarterback gets injured Teddy decides to try something new and tries quarterback. Previously his dad left without a note and as the season begins his dad returns. How will the book finish?

I definitely recommend this book. This book is really good because the football team experiences the realistic ups and downs of a sports season. I picked this book because I wanted to read a sports book. My favorite character in this book is Jack because he is funny. On pg. 271 the text states, “‘But I can do anything else. Including beat whichever two guys I’m playing tonight.’” This quote is when Teddy, Jack Gus, and Cassie are playing two on two football at Teddy’s house. This shows that Jack has a good sense of humor despite his injuries.

My favorite quote from the book is “They could lose the big game the way they just had and still feel like they’d won so much.” (292) This quote is meaningful to me because it shows that Teddy has finally accepted his father again. This quote occurs after the Wildcats lose the semifinals game.

Instead of making a New Year’s resolution, I am going to focus on one word. This word is money. By the end of the year I want to have five hundred dollars in my bank account. One reason for this is I can start saving for college when I get older. I want to have enough money to afford a good college. I also want to start thinking about buying a house. I know that houses can be pretty expensive and I want at least a decent house. I also want to have spare money to buy things that I want. Some of these things include baseball and football cards. I also love going to Angels, Dodgers, and Chargers games.