Where am I? What am I wearing? Am I dead? Am I a ghost? What happened to me last night? These just so happen to be questions that a girl named Nan asks herself when she wakes up in a subway car with chopped up hair, wearing skeleton makeup, a too snug Halloween costume, and the words “HELP ME” written on her chest with Sharpie. Nan is a recovering alcoholic after six months of rehab and she isn’t supposed to wake up in places she doesn’t remember being in anymore. She has no memory of how she got there. She needs to find out what happened to her as soon as she can.  As she tries to put together the pieces of the last twenty- four hours that she’s lost. She remembers old memories that may help her along the way.

               Burnout is an amazing suspense story that makes you want to know more than the bits and pieces that it provides in the beginning. I t will have you hoping to get your questions answered at the end of this chilly mystery. This isn’t the type of book that you lose interest in because the story gets more and more intense when you least expect it. I would recommend this book to  young adults who enjoy mystery/ suspense books.

               I would have to say that the theme of the book is to be true to yourself and never let people influence or change you to better themselves. In the book, Nan was such a pushover and so lonely that she would do anything to have a real friend. When Nan met Seemy, she gained happiness, but slowly lost herself. The closer they got, the more Nan lost herself and her morals. She let Seemy control her and take advantage of her. If Seemy thought that she and Nan were dressed too alike, she would make her dress the negative or opposite way of her. Seemy wanted to be the perfect, girly girl.  If Seemy put stickers on her nails, Nan colored hers with Sharpie. When Seemy bought girly little sunglasses, Nan pierced her eyebrow. And then her lip.  And then her tongue.  It angered Nan that she was stuck being the shadow to Seemy's light. She never had a say in anything. Seemy also made Nan heavily drink alcohol with her to make herself feel better, which led Nan to end up in rehab for six months. Luckily after that experience she became true to herself by wearing and acting however she pleased.

                   The setting of the book takes place in Soho, New York and I couldn’t imagine it taking place anywhere else. She talks so much about the farmers market in Union Square and the Duke’s pizza restaurant on Eighth Street. She also talks about her mother’s huge apartment on the top floor of an old brick building in Soho that used be filled with garment shops. The setting has a huge impact on the story because I don’t think I could relate with the book if the setting changed because Nan provides so much imagery, that you can basically see everything the way she does.

               Samantha Turbin, also known as Seemy, was a very pretty, petite, wealthy, adventurous girl who luckily met Nan. At first, she seemed like such an amazing girl and Nan adored her, but the book later show her flaws unfold. Seemy had a lot of internal conflicts that involved her smoking and drinking problems. She also negatively influenced Nan by introducing her to the drugs and alcohol. Seemy changed from this happy person, to this alcohol addicted girl that controlled Nan. Seemy is important to the theme of the book because she portrays the person that tries to change Nan for the better of herself, not for the better of Nan. She is also important to the plot because she is the best friend of Nan, the main character.
               Nan was a very misunderstood, bulky, large girl who hated herself and just wanted friends and to be pretty. She was always judged for how she looked and never fit in with others but was a very caring person. In the book, Nan’s conflicts were that she let people influence her and take advantage of her. She also suffered internal conflicts about accepting herself the way she is. She changes tremendously in the book from a girl with no friends to the girl who drinks all the time to a rehab patient.  She later starts to enjoy who she is and becomes very happy. Nan is important to the theme because she portrays the person that is allowing herself  to be changed for the better of others and not being true to herself. Nan is important to the plot because Nan is the main character of this mystery.          

               I really enjoy how the book was structured. The author divides the chapters between “Today” and “Remembering”. The “Today” chapters show  Nan in the present day trying to figure out the mystery behind what happened to her the night before and what happened to her friend Seemy. The “Remembering” chapters update you on how Seemy and Nan’s friendship started, all the way until their friendship ended. The separation between the chapters brings you to a better understanding of the book because the “Remembering “ chapters help give clues and flashbacks to what will happen in the “Today “ chapters. I loved the beginning of the book because the “Prologue” reads only this, “This is a ghost story. I am the ghost”. These two sentences really grab your attention. It makes it interesting. 

“Only assholes shoot in Vancouver and then call it New York. Only New York is New York. Our street is always in movies, since it’s tree lined and the buildings are old and picturesque and it’s dotted with precious little restaurants and boutiques with striped fabric awnings and faux-weathered signs hanging from curlicue iron rods that make it look charming without looking like an out door mall.” page 81. 
The author. Adrienne Maria Vrettos, uses a lot of imagery in this quote to emphasize the difference between filming movies in Vancouver and New York. She describes what makes Nan's street area so appealing that someone would want to film around it. She also uses interesting words like curlicue and picturesque to help describe the the environment. I think that the type of location is very familiar and notable to the author. It seems like she has seen this place before.
       
                Seemy befriending Nan was the cause of Nan’s distance between herself and her family. The effect of this was both negative and positive. After drinking while hanging out with Seemy one night, Nan showed up to her mother’s apartment drunk and threw up all over the apartment. The next morning, her mother left her for a second to care for Nan’s younger brother. Nan decided to take a shower but was too dizzy to stand and ended up slipping and busting her head open. Nan was then admitted to rehab and had to get a therapist. But on a positive note, all that she had gone through brought her and her mother closer. She also changed her image, accepted herself, and started to talking to people.                                                                 
               After Nan was free to depart from rehab, she ended her friendship with Seemy so she would no longer influence her to do bad things and lead her back to drugs and alcohol. Seemy got very offensive and felt a sense of abandonment. Seemy’s manipulating ways was the main cause of this. The effect of this only made Seemy’s bad habits worsen. She got herself caught up in crime related activities and was blackmailed by two older men who would later attempt to rape and kill her by spiking her soda with Liquid Gold, a poison that causes you to black out unexpectedly. Seemy also gave Nan some of the drink. Nan saved her from nearly dying of the poison and got police to escort her to the hospital, where they would later find out that Seemy would be sent to a boarding school rehab for rich kids.
                While on the subway, Nan notices the words “HELP ME” written on her chest. The cause of this was that the night before, Seemy and Nan were both under the influences of the poison in the soda. They realized they were in danger and tried numerous times to get away from the two men that were blackmailing Seemy. They finally got to a secure place but Seemy could no longer move and kept blacking out. Nan told her she would get help and Seemy wrote the words “HELP ME” on her chest to make sure she remembered just in case she blacked out while trying to get help. The effect of this was that Nan eventually remembered after blacking out and saved Seemy from the men.

Layburn, Sharon. “This story is tense, raw, uncomfortable, and should appeal to your typical angst-ridden teen.” Review of Burnout, by Adrienne Maria Vrettos, Good Reads, October 19, 2011, Wednesday Book Review, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917971-burnout?ac=1

V, Miles. “It was very engaging and I felt like I was literally inside the character.” Review of Burnout, by Adrienne Maria Vrettos, Good Reads, January 17, 2013, Thursday Book Review, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917971-burnout?ac=1

Looney, Andrea. “I like the voice in this book but not sure about the story.” Review of Burnout, By Adrienne Maria Vrettos, Good Reads, February 16, 2012, Thursday Book Review, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917971-burnout?ac=1

               Burnout is a book that deserves to be read. It sets new boundaries to what a mystery book should be like. It is also very realistic because it doesn't put baby-happy stuff. It shows the face of people who deal with similar situations. So many people can relate to the book because a lot of kids deal with low self esteem and drinking problems. This book could be a voice for those misunderstood teens. I tremendously enjoyed the book.

Definition: Endearing means inspiring affection or warm sympathy.

Sentence in book: I try to wiggle my eyebrows in what i hope is an endearing way, though my voice comes out hollow and strange.

Own sentence: The child's endearing personality seemed to charm all of her classmates.

Mnemonic device:  When you endear someone, you are being "dear" to them.

Dear Holden,

             From what I have learned about you, you just don't seem to apply yourself to anything. Aren't you tired of people telling you that you are a failure? You should at least try because you are only seventeen and you have your whole life in front of you so why regret the past knowing that you could have done better? Letting all your grades suffer? Purposely trying to flunk out of school? Why?  What sense does it really make?  You shouldn't  let your life go by and booze all day long.  You should make something of yourself because people care about you. There are a lot of things you really should change. You said "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful." That's not a good thing Holden. In some ways we really do relate though. I too have a sister that I have problems with and I am a year younger than you. I've come to deal with depression and feeling lost from time to time also. But at the same time I wouldn't know what would become of me if  I lost my mother and brother like you did. I also didn't attend boarding school full of prude and preppy children living lavish lives. But I hope to see you change your  ways and learn more about you. 

 










Dear Chamblee Community,
        We would love if our teachers were missing school to go on strike personally. Striking to protect their pay, and no school for a couple of days would be absolutely great! Unfortunately, the teachers in Chicago went on strike for their salaries being cut based on student tests. There are students that skip class, disrupt class, and ones who don't have the eagerness to learn which is why the teacher's salaries shouldn't be based on test scores, but there is also the argument of if the teacher is actually teaching or not.
        There are good and there are bad teachers. Teachers can be loving, involved, and caring. But some can be unfair and egotistical. A good teacher should make her students excited to come to school each day. A good teacher should respect her students, make them feel comfortable in the classroom, and be consistent. They will not snap back if a student asks a question. If they do, the student tends to not ask more questions. Then that causes them to fade out. This would consist of a bad teacher. When the bad teachers are evaluated in their classrooms it always seems as though they tell the students to act on their best behavior and pay attention more diligently than usual. We had an experience with this once.  Our teacher told us the principal was coming in so we needed to be on our best behavior and that teacher actually made us take notes off the board for the first time ever.  But, in reality those components should always be present in a student's learning environment, disregarding whomever is present in the classroom that particular evaluation day. These bad teachers should be punished for their wrong doing salary wise. 
          Some may say, teachers have to be teaching if the students are getting the answers correct. Although, they don't know that some teachers,the bad ones of course, may cram in work before the standardized tests or maybe even cheat so that their salaries don't get changed. Outside factors in communities, class disruptions, and student eagerness to learn effects children's test scores, but most importantly its on if the teachers are eager to be a good or a bad teacher.

         
         


                                                                                  Sincerely, 
                                                                                                  Malaika English and Meghan Hall
                                                                                                    10th grader

The crowd is patiently waiting for your show to start. They cant wait to admire your new trends for the season. Your models walk out on the runways and look flawless but you pray to god that no one falls. That wouldn't reflect you very well right? The stress is all on you. Now it's your time for you to walk out and thank everyone for coming. The bright lights on you while you and  smile and bow for everyone's prescence. Everyone loves your line and wants your clothes immediately. You would think all your work has paid off right? Wrong. This for now is all just a dream.
I have a strong passion for fashion. I love arranging  fabrics and materials, testing them out, and seeing how great it looks on people. It's like a piece of artwork. No one can tell you how or what to do. Only your opinion matters and nothing could come between. And of course you need beautiful people to showcase your artwork. Models are pefect for this.  I love making people look beautiful and feel much better about themselves. It makes people feel more confident and raises self esteem. Everything about it fascinates and excites me. Retailing, modeling, styling, image consulting. Everything. It's like I can see myself  backstage at fashion shows lining up the models and sending them out or walking into the doors of Vougue's office and meeting Anna Wintour or interning for Kelly Cutrone.

Describe a stressful situation you had to endure. How did you calm yourself down? What are some other coping strategies you regularly use?  Stress can be one evil thing unless you know how to deal with it.  Life is always full of deadlines and procrastination should never be an option. I knew had a lot of homework to do and tests to study for but i always would put it off for another day and say well i'll just do that later. You know that feeling? Yeah well should should never do that. I was dealing with so much stress that everything had become so overwhelming to me. I began getting aalot of anxiety and didnt know how to deal with it. The only person that I could blame was myself. I was penalizing my grades and jeopardizing my future. Some ways that I calmed myself down was taking deep breaths in and out and finding anything to calm myself. My way to unwine was playing the piano.  Some of my other strategies were to get alot of sleep and to exercise at least once a day. I also made a schedule for when to do homework and to study so I won't get left behind and feel overwhelmed.  Any thoughts?

Lying on her knitted hammock in her jungle cabin alone, Anne thought about the promise she made to her grandmother.

“I’ve got to find the ring.” she said.

Her grandmother, a strong and passionate woman, made her promise that she would never leave the jungle until she found her most precious possession.  It was a ring that was bestowed upon her by the emperor of India. All generations of people in the village came to watch the ceremony in thanks for restoring the emperor’s crown. A man stole the precious jewel, but was sent to jail soon after. Nobody knows the mysterious man’s identity. He has the power to penetrate fear into anyone he targets. At her grandmother’s celebration party, the pugnacious man broke out and killed everyone in his path with their fears. He found her grandmother and used her fear of snakes to steal her ring.

“Till the day you find this ring, you shall be cursed! And I doubt you will ever find it!” he screamed.

“What have you done to me?” grandmother questioned.

Without answering her question, the mysterious man rushed out of the party and ran towards the jungle. That was the last time she ever saw the man. The man cursed blindness upon her so she even if she found the ring, there would be no chance of her actually seeing the quite exquisite piece of jewelry. The only person she knew could save her was her granddaughter, Anne.

“Anne you must promise me you will find the ring!” pleaded grandmother.

“I promise.” replied Anne.

“Promise to stay in this jungle until you find the ring Anne. I leave all my trust with you.” stated grandmother.

For six years now, 18 year old Anne, a now beautiful and fearless girl, has been stuck in unknown territory in the jungle and has come across the mysterious man on many accounts now. Anne is afraid to get the ring back because every time that she gets near the man, poisonous and deadly spiders rise from the ground. She knows that he is aware of who she is and who her grandmother is. However, he knows what damage and destruction Anne is capable of doing as she was taught many things by her now deceased assassin parents.

“Why don’t you work with me instead? This is so childish.” the man villainously stated.

“Why?”  Anne asked.

“Anne we could rule the world. We could conquer together.” he stated.

“I will never. You’ve blinded my grandmother. You will pay.” Anne said.

Ever since the altercation, Anne was preparing her plan and plotting revenge on the man.

It was a trap of poison ivy and other poisonous plants that he will step into. This man has been here for centuries and legends have said he will give back what he has stolen if you irritate the man with poisonous substances and plants and kill him. A trap was left overnight. Calmly sleeping in the midst of the night, Anne is awakened by a noise, loud and alluring. She knew who it had to be. Leaping towards the edge of the cabin, she slung down the vines of her jungle cabin to see where it was coming from. Realizing that the man is trapped and that her plan worked successfully, Anne notices the ring on his pinky. As Anne creeps upon him, the mysterious man tries to act strong but cannot hide the pain that he is encountering.  He is slowly dying, his pain comes to a pause and he speaks.

“You will never get this ring,” he exclaimed. “You’ve wasted your time!”

Raising his arm as fast and high as he could, he threw the sacred ring with all of his might. It dazzled and shimmered all the way through the depths of a cave. Anne runs in the cave and the beautiful jewel attached to the ring catches her eye. She runs to it but comes to a halt. The ring, a beautiful  piece of jewelry for the fingers, fell on the dirty floors of the cave. The spiders crept and crawled on anything and everything including the ring. This is her one and only chance to get the ring. Thoughts of her grandmother then run through her mind. She thinks of all the things that her grandmother has done for her. She then believes in herself and comes to her senses. She grabs the ring and runs out of the jungle. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of a corpse body decaying.  Anne proudly finds her grandmother to tell her the news. Anne was the hero that finally restored the ring to her grandmother.

“You’ve found it my granddaughter. I knew I could believe in you.” she said with her icy, blue eyes wide.

“Well I promised I would find it right?” Anne giggled.

As much to Anne’s dismay, the man unknowingly still exists gaining more strength as the sun sets every night. He will be back and hopefully Anne will be ready with her cured grandmother itching for revenge.

   Let's say you're some other regular miner in South Africa. You work hard everyday and are underestimated. Your living conditions are horrible and you want better for yourself. You feel that you deserve more so what would you want? Money.  You'll try to get it whatever it takes and no matter how hard . But is it really worth dying for? Thirty-four miners lives were taken for what reason?
    Memorial services were prepared for forty-four victims who died after workers at one of the biggest platinum mines in South Africa started a strike wanting a financial raise. Thirty-four of the victims were miners and were shot in killed by police who claim acted in self-defense. The other ten victims killed include two policemen that were killed earlier in the madness of the strike.  Also, the president didn't seem very involving knowing that he didn't send condolences, attend the memorial, or release any comment on the sudden violence that jeopardized many lives. Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa said that "President Zuma wasn't at this memorial service. That has disappointed a lot of people, made some people very angry. They feel sidelined by their president, they feel sidelined by their government," she added. I felt that was very selfish and shady of him to do.
    After a week, people are still grieving and mourning for family and significant others that were killed in the mine carnage. The president also has yet to comment on the issue and has left many angered citizens waiting. What is your opinion of the situation?