Code of Honor

     Code of Honor

    Code of Honor, a war story, by Alan Gratz, describes the bond between two brothers who put their lives on the line to be reunited. A 16-year-old boy by the name of Kamran Smith and his brother haven't seen each other in a while and both of their paths have changed. Kamran is brought home one night from a school dance to discover that his brother has become a terrorist. Kamran thinks that this can't be true especially when he sees secret messages and is brought to DOD headquarters to be interrogated. When he discovers his brother might be a little closer than he thought. Time passes and Kamran plans to escape which he comes very close to. He is caught but he discovers that his escape was planned by someone else.     

    Code of Honor is a great book and I have some thoughts after reading it. To begin the characters have some great traits. Mickey Hagan is a smart and funny man who brings Kamran to his senses and shows him he is innocent. Darius is great because he knows that his best friend in the whole world will be the only one to save him. Kamran is the best being the center of attention. He also never gives up hope in his brother. Another thing is that there is a great lesson to learn from Code of Honor. and I think that the lesson is never give up hope for the people you love like the way Kamran doubts his brother sometimes but overall he never loses hope.  That's why Code of Honor is a great war story and an even better book.

The Man in the Red Bandanna,

    The Man in the Red Bandanna, a short picture book, describes the heroic acts of one man on September 11, 2001. The main character is a man named Wells. He worked in the south tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Wells was a volunteer firefighter so, he wanted to help people by guiding them to safety. However, the stairwells of the building were filled with smoke and some were injured. So, Wells covered his face with his red bandana and helped people find their way out. He climbed back up the stairs and helped multiple people reach safety. He even carried some down. In the end, sadly Wells did not make it out of the South Tower but he will always be remembered by the people he saved.


    The Man in the Red Bandanna was an excellent book and I have some thoughts after reading it. Wells or the main character had some great traits. He was kind and resilient. But most of all wells was brave. He put his life on the line in order to help others. This was inspiring to me. Also, I learned an important lesson. Wells was one person but he was able to save many people. His actions made a difference in countless lives.

Popsicle Stick Bridge

 The Popsicle Stick Bridge

The Popsicle Stick Bridge, a short story, by Marlane Kennedy describes how a girl learns not to judge a book by its cover and to keep her head high. Cassandra is a fourth-grader who meets Robert while working on a group project. When the teacher announced the project all Cassandra wanted to run to her best friend. However, her friend had moved away and Cassandra was too shy to ask someone else. So, her teacher pairs her up with Robert whom she does not want to partner with, and Robert has the same thoughts. Then Robert gives an idea for their project. As the day goes on she learns more about him. The next day, when it was time to test their bridge, they broke the class record. She breaks out of her shell and becomes friends with Robert.

The Popsicle Stick Bridge is an inspiring short story and I think there are some lessons to be learned throughout. Cassandra and Robert have some great moments showing how they change after being partnered together. Cassandra shows more friendliness toward Robert as they start to warm up to each other. Also, I learned lessons like don't judge a book by its cover. They both had a lot of judgment toward each other but moving past that they both came out of their shells and got rid of that judgment. The Popsicle Stick Bridge is a great short story and the lessons learned are very important.