Peak: Jail or Mt Everest

             I just started reading a book named Peak by Roland Smith.  The title or cover didn’t look very interesting to me but I was wrong.  Peak doesn’t start like a traditional book that goes in chronological order.  It starts with a hook; an exciting part that will catches people into the book, and then fills in the middle.  I started off with a 14 year old boy climbing up the outside of the Woolworth Building, like it was a mountain.  Seeing the skyscrapers of NYC every day I couldn’t imagine climbing up one.

            The main character’s name and the names his parents almost called him may give a clue to why he climbed the building.  His name is Peak but his parents also considered calling him, glacier, abyss or crampon.  His parents were both climbers and his dad is even a very famous climber.  This is one case where being famous could be good for you, his dad being so famous helped keep him out of jail.  Sometimes being famous is not good, Prince William of England would rather not be as famous as he is.

            Peak was arrested for climbing the Woolworth building while the mayor was in the building.  It was possible that Peak would spend time in jail after being arrested.  It was not only his father’s fame that saved him but also that the judge was a graduate of the school that Peak attended.  I realized how much his arrest affected the rest of the family, his mom and his twin sisters.  It also shows that the media can go too far by sensationalizing his story another young boy tried to copy him and ended up dying.

            Peak is given a great opportunity.  Instead of going to jail he is going to go live with his dad, who he hasn’t spoken to in seven years.  He gets to spend time with his dad and get to know him.  I can’t imagine not seeing or talking to my dad for seven years.  Another reason it is a great opportunity is because he is going to get to climb Mt Everest and be the youngest person to ever do it.  I am looking forward to finishing Peak and seeing how Peak’s homework assignment turns out, after all writing his adventure down is so he can get credit for his year of school.

Ender: The Small Package

            It is often said that “Good things come in small packages”.  Andrew Wiggins, aka Ender, of Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card could be an example of this.  He was taken from his family at the age of six and placed in Battle School.  The Colonel of the school felt that Ender would be ready to be the Commander when the next invasion of buggers occurred.  Most people would not like their future determined when they were only six.  Physically he may be a small package but there is a big powerful mind in it.

            Ender’s mind is like a super computer.  He learns from any source he can.  He watches the videos of earlier battles so he can develop new strategies to win his battles.  He is not afraid to share information with the other commanders because he doesn’t think they will be able to use it against him.  He has sleepless nights because he is often thinking and cannot shut his mind off.  To many people a mind that works like a computer would be a good thing.

            Having a mind that works like a computer isn’t enough to have to make a life happy.  Because of his battle success, Ender had no friends on his level and the other commanders were jealous of him.  His success also leads to quick promotions so he doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with many people.  The pressure for Ender to be the next great commander is also great.  It is surprising that a six year old boy could be giving so much responsibility and handle it this well. 

            Even though this is a science fiction book, there are many parts of it that are real; the bullying, sibling rivalry and pressures to succeed.  My plans for the future have changed many times since I was six and I couldn’t imagine having someone else plan my future or having Ender’s fight to be successful.  But having a brain that worked like a computer wouldn’t be bad because then I could have 100% in all my classes.