Backpacking Trip

Recently, my class went on a backpacking trip. We went five and a half miles up Redwood Creek. There were twenty one people going. Mostly what everyone did was walk and complain that they didn't have their care bear. Most people, including me, had fun though.
One of the most memorable moments for me was waking up outside and seeing this wispy, purple and pink cloud above my head. I wasn't quite awake all the way so I was thinking, "Why is everything sideways and OH MY GOD! that tree is going to fall! And so is that one! All of them are!" I'm not a morning person.
Anyway, the cloud was puffy in one place and fading into a wispy, half transparent, swirly tail. It was framed by a light blue sky with the faintest outlines of stars still lingering. It slowly passed over my head and disappeared over the treetops just to be followed by another almost identical cloud.
So that was one of the most memorable moments on the backpacking trip for me. Or maybe it was a dream.

The Misfits

The Misfits by James Howe was published in 2001. It is a fiction novel about four middle school kids who don't fit in and aren't popular. The theme of the book is be yourself no matter what other people think. James Howe also wrote the Bunnicula series.
There are four main characters in this book and their names are Bobby, Skeezie, Joe, and Addie. Bobby is fat and is made fun of for that reason but he is also good with words but no one sees this. Skeezie is unclean and looks like a "1950's young hooligan." He is really very nice inside but most people only see the outside. Joe is very feminine and is actually very funny but no one sees that. Addie is tall and very smart but people call her know-it-all and beanpole. The kids want to stop name calling in schools.
This book was funny in a lot of parts and sent a good message. Even when it was a serious part in the book, the author found a way to incorporate humor. Most of the time this was good but sometimes it just ruined the moment. One problem with this book is that people in seventh grade probably wouldn't be that mature. For example, they all use the word love and one of them (Joe) even knows he is gay. And yet the book is still mostly about going through adolescence and finding yourself. It seems like the kids are either totally confused about themselves or completely sure about something.
I do agree that there is homophobia in life and school. No matter how old you are, you will probably run into homophobes. I also agree with the author when the kids ask an African-American kid if he was called names. He said he wasn't but he realized there were racist people out there. I don't think there are many racist people in small town middle schools. You might run into some in high-school and in adult life but in middle school, it is unlikely.
Also, the book talks about how the school is in a small town but it still has radical cliques . Chances are, in small towns the cliques would be a little less radical at least. The book might be a little more realistic if the setting was in a larger town and school. The author did catch himself a few times though. For example, "I have declared the love for the girl of my dreams. Okay, I may be getting a little carried away here. I have declared the like for the girl in my art class." This book did help me think more about calling people names and standing up for people getting made fun of.
Overall, I didn't like this book much. It might be because I haven't really had problems with name calling. A reader might identify with it more with the book if they are made fun of. They might also identify morewith the book if they have found love in seventh grade. This book is mainly for people in sixth or seventh grade who have been called names.