Popular Books That Grab Students Attention

Alyssa Sanborn/Staff Writer

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon by Christopher Paolini is so well-written that it will have you dreaming about dragons and sword fighting. Although many people believe that Paolini stole parts of the story from other authors or books, I think the story so amazing that I have read the book at least a dozen times. The story is about a young boy, Eragon, who finds a strange stone in the forest. However, when they realize the stone is really an dragon egg, Eragon is forced to go on the run from the evil creatures that are trying to kill both Eragon and his dragon. I recommend this story to anyone who likes fantasy books about dragons, magic, and action.

A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer’s A Child Called “It” is an astonishing story about survival and anguish based on Dave’s actual childhood. The story begins with telling how his life was before his mother started abusing him. Then his story takes a turn for the worst when his mother stops feeding him and begins hitting Dave…and that’s just the beginning. Dave goes into such detail, describing every traumatic childhood experience he indured.There are parts in this book that had me gagging and parts that had me crying. I recommend this story to anyone that can handle the horrific child abuse and seemingly non-ending pain.

English III Class Remembers Stephen Anderson and Keegan Aiazzi

Mystee DeLuz/Staff Writer

Rather than rearrange the classroom so the empty desks of Keegan Aiazzi and Stephen Anderson would not be noticeable, the A3 English III class decided to decorate the desks in honor of the two best friends who died April 9 in a scuba diving accident in Monterey, Calif.

Aiazzi and Anderson were both students in co-teachers Jennifer Dalton and Lisa Kramer’s A3 English III class. Originally Dalton said she thought to move the boys’ desks, so there weren’t two empty spaces in the middle of the class. However, classmate Austin Pacheco thought it would be a good idea to take the desks apart and decorate them in memory of Aiazzi and Anderson.

Dalton said the deaths had changed the atmosphere of her A3 English class, that with boys who were leaders like these two, it was hard for the other kids to come back to class and and see them gone. Knowing the boys fairly well, Dalton said they were key members of the class. She said Anderson’s smile really stood out and seemed to brighten people’s day. And she remembered Aiazzi who “would come over to my desk and complain quietly about something and then go back to his desk and pretend like everything was OK.” If she were able to say one more thing to the two boys, she said she would tell them, “What amazing young men I
think they are.”

Many students from the English III junior class had special memories of one or both of the boys. “I have a lot of memories with Keegan especially,” said Cheyenne Litherland. “We used to play basketball every day after school in middle school. The best memory with both of them though is when Keegan hit me in the head with the ball in English, I instantly started crying but tried to laugh. Keegan felt so bad but him and Stephen were laughing so hard,” Litherland said.

“In the end we all laughed about it. It was hilarious, and I’m going to miss them.”

Sister Talks About The Loss of Her Brother, Stephen Anderson

Reporter/Writer: Kellcy Bell

“He was such an amazing person, words can’t even describe how awesome he was. I swear he could make anything fun,” said Sara Anderson, sister of Stephen Anderson who died in a scuba diving accident April 9 in Monterey, California.

“I just want everyone to remember his smile and how happy he always was.”

Juniors Keegan Aiazzi and Stephen Anderson went on a Monterey diving trip the weekend of Aprill 8. On Saturday, during a second dive, the best friends were separated from the larger group and didn’t come up from their dive, according to officials who were at the site.

“He was so happy. You couldn’t talk to him without him bringing up the trip. He was so excited about his new diving watch and his new diving knife. I remember him saying to me, ‘It tells time under water, Sara, and I just remember laughing and asking him ‘What are you going to use the knife for to slay in Tahoe and Monterey? Nothing is going to attack you.'”

The news of her baby brother passing didn’t come easy. She came home from college before Stephen’s trip to surprise her boyfriend, Adam Whitt, a CHS senior. She said she just ‘knew’ that she needed to be home. Her parents didn’t think it was a good idea, but she said she  just had a feeling. Little did she know she would be getting a call that would forever change her life.