Jay's Mental Health Tips (2)

Jay's Mental Health Tips (1)

4.5/5 The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan was a very suspenseful story. Every page flipped felt like a monster could’ve come out of nowhere ready to attack the main characters. Although written for young teens it’s still very engaging and thrilling for someone of any age. Percy Jackson's character is very well written. A troubled boy who thought he was good for nothing to a demigod hero who saves the world from destruction. He’s also a very relatable child. The other two main characters grover and Annabeth served as good mentors and likeable characters throughout the story. They also compliment each other very well with each character having their strengths and weaknesses. The plot was written perfectly. It found a good mixture of not giving us a boring lesson on greek mythology, but instead it made it very interesting and left me wanting to learn more about it. My only complaint was that it was occasionally repetitive which wasn’t very enjoyable however it didn’t take from my overall enjoyment too much. One setting in the story being camp half blood was described in detail to be a place I'm sure many kids would enjoy going. Away from your parents and with people

3/5 Romeo and Juliet written by the notorious William Shakespeare is a classic. The overall plot was impeccable. Two young lovers are cursed by their rival families to never see each other. It makes the readers feel sympathetic towards the main characters who can’t have the one thing they want. Shakespeare’s ability to turn the play from a comedy to a tragedy is often praised and for a good reason as the story would take a quick turn. Shakespeare also did a good job using dramatic irony consistently in the story which I personally don’t enjoy that much as I feel it just spoils the story however it was his intention. One thing I disliked about this story was how quick the characters were to act and their decision making. Romeo and Juliet knew each other for merely four days yet they were willing to die for each other. Instead of adding a sense of sympathy for them it just made me think that they’re not very intelligent people. The romance just didn’t feel real and the age gap made it kind of uncomfortable despite it being normal at the time. Overall the plot idea behind Romeo and Juliet is good however

3.5/5 The Giver is a book by Lois Lowry that was published in 1994. It is a book that most children will read during their school years but has captivated audiences of all kinds. The story takes place in a dystopian universe where the main character, Jonas, lives in a perfect world, where there is no war, or pain, or emotions. Lois Lowry did a fantastic job making the readers slowly realize just how messed up this world everyone was living in truly was. Jonas development as a character was truly marveling as we get to learn the truth about this world with him. Another Character is the Giver before Jonas, who helps Jonas learn about the memories and the impact they have. He served as a great mentor to Jonas as we could kind of feel attached to him. Another major plot point in this story is the use of very mature themes, such as suicide, and forcible killing of one twin. I enjoyed this book, but i;m for the most part giving it a 3 out of 5 because I had a few issues with it. First of all, I didn’t really like an ambiguous ending. I would rather a

4/5 To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is notorious for being read in school, and for good reason too. This story is based off of the author's own personal experiences which makes it in many ways historically accurate. It’s also told through the eyes of her when she was a child which in many ways may make it relatable to those reading it. Despite being about very serious issues Harper Lee managed to make this story feel humorous and lighthearted. The anticipation and curiosity to see what might happen next made it such an easy book to read through as there was always something to look forward to. Harper Lee did a great job with showing Jem and Scout's innocence as children throughout the story, but also their understanding of the situation. Atticus was also a very likeable character for being such a great father figure and fighting racial inequality even though it was an impossible job. The plot was truly one of a kind as it expressed life in the 1930’s through the eyes of a child. It’s also very eye opening as it shows the amount of inequality and unfairness that African Americans were facing. Some complaints I have

4/5 Cujo written by Stephen King is an exceptional book. With having an original conflict, the family pet went murderous. This book has a peculiar dynamic making the reader unsure if the protagonist can actually go through with murdering their dog. This book does a good job of keeping the Reader on their toes, making it easy to read through, Especially while Cujo is tearing apart the car with the characters in it. The mother is also a great Character; she's one of the earliest examples of a badass, But she's also selfless, wanting to risk herself just to save her son from Cujo. One problem I had with the book was how the protagonist dealt with Cujo. granted he is a Saint Bernard but he's also still a dog. it would have been very easy to outsmart him or just to restrain and beat him up. she also wasn't the smartest either which was a little enraging considering she could have escaped multiple times but didn't. other than those tiny discrepancies the book was really good and I would recommend it. Especially if you want new fears of dogs as this book implies that your own dog could go crazy at

4/5 The Drawing of The Three is yet another incredible story written by Stephen King. It was a very character driven story with plenty of back story for every character. The main selling point however would have to be Roland the main character. Roland alone made flipping through the pages very enjoyable as we could never really tell what his next move was going to be. Probably one of if not the best character I’ve ever read about in a story, He’s strangely likeable yet a complete badass. Along with Roland we get introduced to new characters such as the heroine addicted Eddie Dean and the schizophrenic Odetta Holmes, who like Roland are odd, but likeable characters. One issue with this book was that it takes patience to read. There’s constant senseless rants that add nothing to the story and if anything just make it less enjoyable. It almost seems as if Stephen King got carried away with his writing and tried his hardest to drag it on for as long as he could. Despite being a little difficult to read at times the overall plot was very interesting to read. It’s a very strange story but in a good way which

Love by Zakiyah We're so young Just having fun Many would argue this emotion is just going to pass but I can argue that this feeling will last forever

A New Normal by Zakiyah six feet apart wash your hands not being able to see my friends wear your masks stay inside school from home, feel like I am falling behind but this is our lives we have to live it I wish we could go back in time.

The Past Bliss: Have you had a feeling of total sadness and fear because of the world around you? Complete and utter despair? The realization that, Oh crap.. I’m growing up and these feelings and obstacles are just the start? That realization. The realization of that you have to become stronger because you know now that the world is a harsh, yet beautiful place. That you will have fights and disagreements within yourself and others. Things will now never be simple ever again. I am sad about this. It is natural and a part of life. I shouldn’t feel down about something that I cannot really and fully control at all. Life happens I suppose. Though, why does it have to happen now? Why not later? Why can I not keep my complete innocence and beautiful bliss of the world? Why does it just have to shatter?! I do not want it to. I want things to be good, always. It is impossible, I understand that. Can’t a girl dream? I want to be an innocent little child again. Why and how am I having these realizations and observations at such a young age?! I know that I have changed so much

Sometimes I lay in bed and think about the childhood I am slowly leaving behind. I miss the blissful ignorance of youth. Still being small enough to sit on my father’s shoulders as we look through the garden. The smell of cookies baking while I lick the sweet dough off of the mixer. Now I’ve been slapped in the face with a harsh reality. The reality of being a woman. I’ve been told what I’m supposed to be afraid of, and the precautions I must take. Don’t walk alone at night. Watch what you wear when you go out. Cover your drink. But the true harsh reality is it doesn’t matter what you do or what you wear. You just have to endure, and still find a way to shine.

You: A Bitter Taste: You will always be a part of my life. But not in the way that you want. You will always leave a bitter taste in my mouth when I think of you. But I will learned to accept it, and move on. But I still hope that when you see me your heart stings and you can’t bare the thought of what you ruined.

Addicted to You: It rests in my hair and has made a home in my pillows. I hate to admit that I’m addicted to you. But I need to stop, because I know you’re horrible for me, but I can’t stop. I text you to come over so I can have another hit. But soon enough I’m going to have to sober up. So I’ll enjoy the high while I can. Olive Smith Quiana

A step down the dark hallway: It is extremely difficult to go through another odious day. You just want it to end. You want to do what you want to do. Though, when you are available for that sort of amount of time, you want to do everything and nothing at the same time. A factor that affects your decision is most likely self-motivation. You do tasks that you hate most of the time while you are awake. You convince yourself to just stop and rest. Which is good; it is good for yourself in many ways to rest. Though when it comes to the point of idleness, you create a cycle. You have a cycle of hatred for the tasks that already take over your life. You daydream of what you want. Though you just dream. You do not make it a reality, which is a fault many of us have. We are human; we are imperfect. We sit and wait. We wait for an opportunity without realizing that we miss it and do not take advantage of what is secretly in the world. We wait because we feel so drained. We just want to rest, wait, and be comfortable. Though

Rate: 4 They Both Die at the End is a novel by Adam Silvera that explores love through loss, hope and in the end living life on your own terms. The book starts at midnight where the two main characters both receive a call that would change their lives over the course of just one day. This call tells these two characters that they are destined to die that very day. There is no information given on how or when they are going to die but they know it is going to happen. The main characters, Rufus and Mateo were on very different journeys through life but met through fate. After meeting through a social media app meant for Deckers (people who had gotten the call) the duo tries to spend the day pushing each other out of their comfort zones and making the most out of the rest of their lives. They try numerous activities, some meant especially for Deckers and some not. These two characters seem as they could not be any more different, on the inside they are more similar than they could imagine. They connect through shared loss and heartbreak and learn valuable lessons from each other. The

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