Lily Peterson
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What does it take to steal twelve inches? Five Feet Apart by author Rachael Lippincott, and contributors Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Laconis, is a tragic love story focused on two young adults with Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis, or CF for short, is a genetic disease in which persistent lung infections limit the ability to breathe over time. In order to prevent cross contamination from CF patient to CF patient, they must maintain at least a six foot radius from each other for fear of trading deadly bacteria.
For Stella Grant, this was an easy rule to follow. In order to get new lungs she had to stay healthy. Charming and infuriating and a classic rule breaker Will Newman on the other hand, found himself traveling the world via hospital never leaving the pristine whitewashed walls of the world’s top hospitals. For him, research trials and pills and oxygen machines were the only restraints keeping him from living his life, or from enjoying what little life he had left. Grant knew better than to talk to Newman, or even to be in the same room with him. However, after chance encounter, after purposeful-encounter, after first date, there was no going back. One foot forward and Stella Grant had fully fallen for the one person she would never be able to touch. Inspired by Claire Wineland, a media influencer who unfortunately passed away in September of 2018, Five Feet Apart hit the big screen in March of 2019. Both the book and the movie received mixed reviews from critics for its lack of CF writers and disregard of safety codes. Five Feet Apart is a perfect novel for those looking for a tragic love story with an underlying message of hope and strength. |
Five Feet Apart is a recently published novel. It is recognized for its insight into how hard life for teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis is.
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Starting in the 2019-20 school year, all sophomores and freshmen will be banned from using personal automobiles to get to school. During the next school year, it will be required they find alternate forms of transportation to and from school. The new policy, nicknamed “Bike Or Bus” by school administrators, is part of an effort to clear up congestion in the school parking lot and to provide better parking opportunities for upperclassmen, staff, and community members. The effort will also help reduce the number of greenhouse gasses produced by Bigfork students.
In order to get to school, freshmen and sophomores will be allowed to either take the school bus, bicycle, or ride horses as inspired by a new hitching post being installed. More bike racks will be installed to fit the estimated increase of biking students. It is unclear when the new bike racks will be installed although this could cost the school up to $2,500. Bigfork would be the first school to implement this policy in the Flathead Valley, however, it is being echoed by schools all across the United States. More modes of transportation are also being considered. Some ideas include rollerblading, skateboarding, cross-country skiing, and kayaking. More details will be unveiled as more information is provided. |
The Bigfork High School parking lot is often full. Students and staff may have a hard time finding a parking spot.
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Karen M. McManus’s novel, One Of Us Is Lying, is the book chosen for Quarter Three’s book club. McManus’s other novel, Two Can Keep A Secret, is another murder mystery for readers who enjoyed One Of Us Is Lying.
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Five kids, four secrets, and one unsolved murder case create the perfect mix of mystery and suspense in Karen M. McManus’s One Of Us Is Lying. The novel begins with a gallop, starting when five kids, reminiscent of those of The Breakfast Club, all wind up in detention together. When the hour starts there are five, but by the time it is done one boy is dead. With one student dying in the presence of only four others, it would seem perfectly reasonable for police investigators to name them as suspects. However, only one thing is missing: motive, and that comes in the form of an unpublished blog post containing secrets that none of them would want to come out. Secrets that could potentially ruin futures, families, or even relationships.
One of Us Is Lying is Quarter Three’s novel for Bigfork High School’s book club. The meeting is on March 19, and will be hosted in the library at lunch. All students who read the book are welcome to join and discuss. Mary Cosola from Common Sense Media remarks, “This fun, engrossing murder mystery will keep readers guessing until the end.” If her statement is not proof enough, the novel was also an international bestseller and it topped the charts on the New York Times’ Bestsellers’ List for six straight weeks in the United States. One Of Us Is Lying is perfect for those looking for a murder mystery with a hint of romance and humor. Ultimately ending on a cliffhanger, the novel will not only keep readers on their toes throughout, but will also cast a lasting impression to keep them thinking about it long after. to edit. |
No words can accurately describe the masterpiece of Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. The novel provides a fresh look on the effects of racism and political violence through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl.
When Starr Carter witnesses the death of her unarmed best friend at the hands of police violence, she is thrown into the public eye as the sole witness of his murder. Carter has to face a choice: speak out and help her community get the closure they deserve, or sit on the sidelines and remain as the unnamed witness. Thomas’s novel absorbs readers and puts them in the place of the main character so effortlessly that it feels readers themselves are experiencing the grief and loss that she knows. It is with this same skill that readers learn the true effect of the victim’s side of police shootings and brutality. “This big, important novel is fueled by vividly drawn characters and large themes of systemic racism and speaking truth to power,” Washington Post’s Mary Quattlebaum writes of the novel. She is on to something, with the The Hate U Give being on the New York Times Bestsellers list for 101 consecutive weeks. The novel was converted into a movie on October 5, 2018. The Hate U Give is a must-read for every audience. It talks about what our society tends to overlook and identifies the still prominent issue of racism in our culture. |
The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas, is pictured above. The novel has won many awards over the course of 2017 and 2018.
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Disney is one of the most iconic names of the modern era. This media giant has captured the world’s attention for its dazzling special effects, enthralling plotlines, and now…bullying?
There have been many controversies over whether or not Disney Channel, an American television network, features bullying in its shows. A poll at Bigfork High School researched this question to see what students thought. 48% of students who responded thought there were instances of bullying in Disney channel, but 53% of students said they believed Disney did not promote bullying in their content. Furthermore, 16% believed that the “lesson learned” at the end of a show overpowered any destructive behaviors. When students were asked to name Disney Channel shows they believed to have bullying in them, a variety of names were submitted. The majority of these names included popular titles such as “Bunk’d” and “The Wizards of Waverly Place.” “Bunk’d” which first aired in 2015, has been accused of racist labeling, gender stereotyping, and enforcing disrespectfulness, along with kids picking on each other. In multiple scenes, an Asian girl speaks of being terrified of her mother if she does not receive sufficient. In another scene, a “crazy” girl is being talked about behind her back, and one camper makes a derogatory comment about her needing to see a counselor. In yet another episode, two campers have their cell phones taken away, but instead of working it out with the camp director, their chosen solution is to break into the office and steal them back. In “The Wizards of Waverly Place” the leading roles do not respect authority, and the main character, Alex Russo, does not have the motivation to do well in school, does not listen to her mother, and in one episode, steals from the cash register to buy a vending machine without her parents’ permission. However, in 2014, Disney teamed up with channel ABC to launch their anti-bullying campaign “Choose Kindness” which encourages positive messages in teens to combat bullying. So this brings about the question, does the lesson learned at the end of a show counteract the instances of bullying in the episode? Only 16% of Bigfork students responding thought so. Everyone knows that bullying in schools is a serious issue. It can result in loneliness, isolation, suicide, and many argue it could be the root of quite a few school shootings. Corporations whose target audience is children are showing dozens of instances of bullying in their programming, it sparks the notion that maybe this issue lies deeper within our culture than humanity would like to admit. |
Levi Taylor, freshman, is shown punching Mickey Mouse. The image is representative of a poll recently done by Bigfork High School in which students were asked if they thought Disney was a culprit of showing bullying.
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After first cracking open Elly Blake’s Frostblood, readers are instantly pulled into the world she created; full of frost and fire and written in a fairytale setting with an effortlessly classic tone, Frostblood is the book for those who love an adventure.
The opening scene, depicting Ruby Otrera practicing her gift of fire in the realm of the Frost King, is enchanting enough to draw readers in effortlessly. As action quickly escalates, tensions rise, and loved ones perish, Otrera is thrust into a world of prophecies and secrets, some of which affect life as she knows it. And it is up to her and her specially-trained team of Ice-god worshipping monks to rewrite the future of herself, the throne, and the fate of all her Fireblood people. As one Amazon reviewer, Rachel, with her own blog ‘Fiktshun,’ wrote, “Frostblood is a thrilling and riveting one-sit read. Add in a curse, a quest for vengeance, epic clashes between fire and ice, gladiator-esque arena battles, dark forces, secrets, betrayal, tragedy, and a bit of romance, and you have a story that is unputdownable.” Frostblood is a relatively modern book. First published in August 2017, the author has the perfect relatable balance between the serious theme of blood prejudice and the mysteries of the storyline. Frostblood is great start to a thrilling series which has captivated many, and is, in the words of Rachel, “Elly Blake penned an amazing start to her series [...] It leaves readers in anticipation of what’s next without leaving them dangling off a cliff. And it does all this in a way that makes for an enthralling and heartbreaking and absolutely extraordinary read.” |
The cover of Elly Blake’s Frostblood is pictured above. Continue the saga with Fireblood and Nightblood.
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Let us get one thing straight: Jenny Han’s novel, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, is a novel about love.
Despite romance novel stereotypes, this book is about more than just two teenagers kissing in the hallways. Han focuses on the relationships between sisters, stepping out of your comfort zone, and creating new friends. The premise of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is simple, yet presented in such a way it seems you are no longer a reader, but a character. Lara Jean Covey, the protagonist, begins the story with a dilemma. Her most treasured possessions, letters she wrote to all of her former loves, have been mysteriously sent out. Unfortunately, Covey’s former loves happen to be the boyfriend of the most popular girl in school, her first crush, a boy who moved away, a boy who “friendzoned” her long ago, and her childhood best friend. To make things worse, Covey does not know who or why or when the letters were mailed; and that alone will capture your attention and keep it throughout all 388 pages. Be warned, you may find yourself at half-past midnight, no less, grinning happily into To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before without realizing you were doing so. Full of quarrels over Christmas cookies and bonding over ski trips, Jenny Han’s captivating storytelling will have you falling for All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. As this first book comes to a close, the story is just beginning for Covey and all the boys she loved before. Watch her story continue through “P.S. I still love you” and “Always, and forever Lara Jean”. |
The cover of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is featured above. The story has captured readers’ attention from around the world.
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