Book Review of Freak the Mighty

NOTE: I would say this is a more of an in depth analysis of the book than a book review, per say. I suggest that if you haven't read Freak the Mighty By Rodman Philbrick, that you should get off this website and read it now! My review does contain spoilers - I would suggest you read it only to understand more AFTER you have read the book.

In the inspiring novel, Freak the Mighty, Rodman Philbrick tells the story of two boys that face many difficult problems-- one who has no belief in himself, and the other who is severely handicapped. The two briefly meet each other in daycare, and then one of them, Kevin (commonly known as Freak) abruptly moves away. Max doesn’t ever expect to see the short, smart, blonde boy with fierce eyes ever again, until Freak moves back next door, the summer before eighth grade. The two become fast friends, riding dragons and going on adventures and facing their extraordinarily difficult lives together. As the story progresses, Max grows from being a boy with a low self esteem, to a person who is not afraid to express himself and enjoy life. As the story unfolds, Max learns numerous lessons. Freak taught Max that “Remembering is an invention of the mind” (Philbrick 141). Grim and Gram taught about the importance of family support. Meanwhile, Loretta reinforced the lesson Grim taught Max about going  out into the world and doing something, because every life is worth living. Indisputably, the theme of this story is that no matter what the circumstance, because moping is a waste of the opportunity all of our lives are!

Right at the beginning, Max is lonely and pessimistic, hating everything about himself, even saying his “brain is vacant”. As a young child, he is known as “Kicker”, venting his anger on others, using his way of “saying things with [his] fists and feet” (Philbrick 1). Tormented by the fact that he is a “spitting image of his old man” (Philbrick 25), a murderer who is in jail, Max leads rough childhood. Teased by his peers and whispered about by his own grandparents for looking like his murderer father, Killer Kane, Max is at the worst place he could be-- until Freak comes along. Seeing Freak’s intelligence and confidence, Max begins to put himself down even more. Then, when Max retrieves Freak’s ornithopter bird, a friendship begins to spark. Talking together, Max listens and opens up a little bit. He learns so much from Freak-- from new words, to actual life lessons. Max recounts one of the many times he spoke with Max, saying “Except later it was Freak himself who taught him that remembering is an invention of the mind, and...you can remember anything, whether it really happened or not” (Philbrick 2). This phrase sticks in Max’s mind, becoming key to an important lesson he learns later on. Being with Freak, having a friend, Max is hovering over the mopey pit that is his life, not quite out, watching, seeing the whispers continue, the Fair Gwen being scared of him.

As the story progresses, Max begins to feel a togetherness, as if he is part of a team and a family. When the Fair Gwen meets Max, he discovers that she isn’t scared of him at all. On the contrary, she speaks with him as if he was an adult. When Max goes home, thinking back on that day, he says, “Everything seems really great, just like Gwen says, except when I lie down on my bed, it hits me, boom, and I’m crying like a baby. And the really weird thing is, I’m happy” (Philbrick 27). Max finally feels included, a feeling he has never really experienced before. Not soon after, they go on dangerous adventures together, including standing up to the scary Tony D. After Max rescues Freak on his shoulders, Freak declares, “‘We’re Freak the Mighty, that’s who we are. We’re nine feet tall, in case you haven’t noticed ‘“ (Philbrick 40). Freak and Max both feel like they are being a part of something that is greater than themselves. When Freak declares that they are nine feet tall, he is referring to the fact that they can do so much more together, having fun, rather than alone. By towering above the world and “slaying dragons and fools”, Freak is showing Max that they defeat anyone out there, that they aren’t less than anyone. Max is feeling happier, knowing he is part of an unstoppable team, and this ecstasy changes his perspective on life for the first time.

Reaching the  middle of the story, Max begins to favor his friend over his grandparents, and really allow himself to take a chance and try new things. A clear example of this is when he goes on his first night quest, despite the fact that Grim and Gram would never approve. For the sake of a fun adventure that would make his life more interesting, Max disregards his grandparents wishes, and finally has the confidence he needs. “ There’s no moon, the sky is dark and empty, and the backyards are so lonesome...the truth is, I’ve never been out alone at this time of night ” (Philbrick 57). Though he has opened up while spending time with Freak, he can’t bring himself to share his opinions or even answer a simple question in class. He describes his problem, saying, “I can’t explain what it is, except that my mouth shuts up when there’s more than one or two people, and a whole classroom full, forget it” (Philbrick 78). As Max is tormented by his peers throughout 8th grade, Freak consoles Max, but Freak the Mighty or not, Max still doesn’t value himself or believe in his intelligence, so he doesn’t feel that his opinion even matters. Meeting Loretta and Iggy, them saying he is “a ringer for old Killer Kane” (Philbrick 68), and in school constantly being ridiculed for being brainless makes Max feel broken inside. Deep down, Max hates himself for being like his father, and hates how he is always associated with him and can never be a good person because of his resemblance to his dad, his mom’s killer. Then, Freak makes a bold move: introducing Freak the Mighty to the 8th grade class, reminding Max to not let himself down, to make the best of his life and experiences.

As the story continues, Max and Freaks friendship continues to grow. At Christmastime,  Max receives a very special gift from Freak: a dictionary. “‘Exactly,’ Freak says, ‘but different because this is my dictionary ’” (Philbrick 97). By hand creating a dictionary and putting in Freak’s favorite words and own point of view in terms of definitions, Freak is showing Max something that is essential to his growth. The dictionary is a symbol of what Freak has made of his life, despite all of his limitations --he hasn’t copied anyone else, he freely stated his own interpretation of the words, and he wasn’t shy about it. Freak is attempting to show Max that he can have an enriching life life while having so many physical problems, so why can’t Max? As time goes by, the story turns darker, as Max’s father gets released from jail and defies the restraining order put on him, not to mention stealing Max out of his own bed. At this point, Max is at a state of self reliance that he doesn’t panic, and he even says, “Somehow I always knew this would happen, that he would come for me, in the night, that I would wake up to find him there, filling the room, and I’d feel empty.” Max knew that confronting his father and his past as a whole was inevitable. He believes that it had to happen some day, and he won’t run away or feel hopeless, because he finally recognizes the importance of a meaningful life, and he wants a sense of closure. Max doesn’t want to feel like he spent his entire life running away from his past. He is at a state of maturity that he wants to end this, once and for all, and just get on with things. Over the course of the book, he has grown from panicky and shy to ready to confront his worst fear with bravery.

As the story reaches the climax, Max’s father continues to keep him under his custody, hiding him from the police, patronizing and chastising him, and even tying him up as he sees fit. Despite Iggy and Loretta’s previously bad behavior and criminal nature, they still have the heart in them to recognize that such misbehavior is completely immoral. Loretta expresses her opinion on this matter to Max while trying to rescue him from his father. “‘ It ain’t right,’ she whispers. ‘Keeping your own kid tied up, it ain’t right.’” As Loretta and Iggy prepare to rescue Max, they show him that he is worth saving, and no matter who his father is, he doesn’t deserve such horrible mistreatment. As Killer Kane notices the rescue attempt, he begins to kill her, the very same way he killed Max’s mother, all those years ago. Max travels back into his childhood, saying, “‘Stop! I see you! Daddy, please stop, you’re killing her!’” (Philbrick 48). Max is no longer afraid to stand up for what he knows is right, even when going through trauma and in an extremely difficult situation. With the help of Freak with his ingenious concoction of kitchen ingredients, Loretta and Max make their escape. However, the difficulties haven’t ended yet, since Freak suffers through a seizure and needs to visit the hospital.

As the story comes to a close, Max visits the hospital and the extent to which Freak is sick begins to sink in. Lying in the hospital bed, Freak gifts Max an empty book, and tells him to “fill it up with all our adventures” (Philbrick 150). The empty book is a symbol of all Max’s possibilities in life, and that this is only the beginning. Writing in the book symbolizes enjoying an enriching life, one to be proud of. As Freak dies, Max goes completely crazy, shoving people out of his way and seeking time alone. When he confronts Dr. Spivak about the fact that Freak lied to him about getting a robot body, she corrects him. She tells him that everyone needs something to hope for, and if that was what helped Freak get through his life, to make him feel better, then that isn’t lying. Dr. Spivak is implying that by going on adventures and dreaming about having a robot body, Freak made his life more interesting for himself, and in the following weeks, Grim tells Max the same thing. “Grim tries to tell me it isn’t how long you’ve got that matters, it’s what you do with the time you have” (Philbrick 158). Despite all these people trying to help him out, Max shuts them all out, hiding in the down under and wallowing in grief. Later, he meets Loretta on the street, and when she enquires on what he has been doing lately, he merely replies, “Nothing”. “ She gives me this long look, and she goes, ‘Nothing is a drag, kid. Think about it’” (Philbrick 160). By saying this, Loretta, like so many other people, is trying to show Max that one should always make the best of their life, no matter what the circumstance. Then, boom, Max gets it, and he begins to write about his experiences, all the “unvanquished truth stuff...going, for months and months, until it was spring again, and the world was really and truly green all over” (Philbrick 160). Spring and green represent Max’s autonomous happiness. Finally, Max has a value for his life and himself-- he truly has changed.

As Max goes through the roller coaster of his life, there are many consistent ideas and lessons people have to share with him. To begin with, Grim and Gram support Max as they see his true, empathetic and friendly nature. On the other hand, at the beginning of the novel, when Max’s grandparents whisper about him rather than stand by him, this has a huge negative effect on his self esteem. Therefore, a distinct theme of family runs through the book. Additionally, friendship is another prominent theme, for without Freak’s empathy and kindness towards Max, he would never have begun to gain confidence in the first place. Being together made Max feel happy and free of his past. Furthermore, Max learns that “Remembering is just an invention of the mind” (Philbrick 141). When Freak says this, he means that Max doesn’t have to remember or think about his father or his past if he doesn’t want to. He can forget things that will cause him pain, and remember only the things that make him happy. His brain has the power to recall whatever he wants. Another prominent idea is one that Loretta taught him, that one must never waste one’s life doing absolutely nothing, because that will ultimately be a waste of time and make one unhappy in the end. Even Max’s father taught Max an important lesson about betrayal, and being wary of those who lie and have killed. Now, Max knows not to blindly trust people, because there is always someone out there that doesn’t have pure intentions. All of these ideas and lessons neatly fit into one central idea: Life is always worth living. Every person mentioned has knowingly or unknowingly made life easier for Max in the end, taught him priceless life lessons. Sometimes, life can look bad,but the key is to just work through, keep having fun, knowing that someday, today or in a decade, light will prevail over darkness.

It is evident that Max has learned to spread his wings and fearlessly fly into the sky like the 

powerful bird he is. No longer a friendless, scared pessimist, Max finally embraces the life

given to him. With the help of his best friend, grandparents, and even his father, Loretta, 

and Iggy, Max has become a completely changed person. The riveting story, Freak the 

Mighty, urges us to value our lives, because this is our only opportunity. Think about it: if 

your life ended now, would you have felt that your experience was fun, enriching, worth it? 

Life can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye, so we should all cast aside all our 

reservations, looking deep down inside of us...what do we truly want our life to be?

John Walsh: An Inspiring Story

On July 27, 1981, a little 6 year old boy is with his mother, shopping at a Sears department store in Florida. He spots some teenage boys playing at a nearby video game stand, and gets excited. He turns to his mom, “Could I watch them?” His mom agrees, and adds, “I'm going right over here to the lamp department.” “Okay, Mommy, I know where that is,” he says and skips off. Shortly after, a security guard sends the teenagers out because of their unruly behavior. The little boy is sent out with them. He is too timid to explain that he’s not with the teenagers and that his mom is still shopping at the store. As he stands outside, the teens begin to drift away, and the little boy is alone and unsure of what to do. A man appears out of the shadows, promising him candy and toys if he comes over to his car. The little boy, thrilled by the prospect of treats, approaches the man’s car. As soon as the boy is inside, the man begins to drive. Two weeks later, the child's severed head is found 120 miles away, in a canal.

The boy in the story was Adam Walsh, the only child of Reve and John Walsh. The day they came to know that their son was brutally murdered was also the day that all seemed lost. John Walsh's rage fueled a desperate need for revenge on the kidnapper, who was yet to be found. Later, he plunged into depression and even considered suicide.  He could no longer work. He lost his dream project, a $26 million hotel he was building. His house went into foreclosure. Many in his shoes would be paralyzed by their grief. But John Walsh felt his grief and anger, and yet did something different.

Four days after his son’s funeral, John Walsh created the Adam Walsh Outreach Center for Missing Children, a place to help other families of missing children. He also helped pass Missing Children’s Assistance Act. This led him to co-found the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children along with Ernie Allen and former President Ronald Reagan; the powerful organization helped find more than 183,000 missing children.

In his quest to make our world a safer place, John left his hotel business and became the host of a TV show - 'America’s Most Wanted'.  Once he began working on this show, he realized that the law enforcement he held responsible for not finding his son, lacked the funding to do their jobs properly. He then developed a partnership with many organizations he struggled with in the past including the police department. Working together, 'America's Most Wanted' brought photos and information about fugitives to people’s living rooms through TV and helped nab more than 1,200 criminals globally. He is now working with CNN to develop 'World's Most Wanted'.

John Walsh also advocated for the Amber Alert Network because he realized that not enough people had been looking for Adam, and he had difficulty spreading awareness about his own son’s kidnapping. The Amber Alert System uses TV, radio, electronic billboards, as well as emergency broadcast systems to find kidnapped children. Furthermore, he established fingerprinting programs, made sure security was sufficient at schools, put faces of missing children on milk cartons, and verified that missing persons units were present at all major police offices. In addition, he convinced the government to provide a national center, database and toll-free line devoted to missing children. John Walsh was thus able to use his own experience to identify problems with the process of finding missing kids and helped forge solutions.

I wondered however: how was John Walsh able to overcome his overwhelming sense of devastation and accomplish all this? His deep love for his son and a burning desire not to have his son's death be in vain gave him the strength to make sure that others aren't hurt the way his family was. By his life and his work he taught the world that in order to overcome a devastating tragedy, find a cause that one cares about deeply. Deeply enough to want to do something about it despite ones own heart break. This will provide the  power, strength and drive to surmount ones pain for that greater cause.

27 years later, when his son's killer was finally identified, John Walsh no longer wanted revenge. He was simply grateful for answers and some sense of closure. He taught us that life isn't over when horrible tragedies befall us. He has successfully transformed his tremendous grief and rage into a powerful motivation to make our world a better place.

             

I shared this story to raise awareness of the power of one person. Everyone can make a difference, including you. I hope you remember the wonderful work of John Walsh. Please keep in mind the safety rules our parents all taught us! If you can, maybe consider donating some money to a few nonprofit organizations protecting children, to make sure that kids all over the world can stay safe. :)

Because of Grace

Enjoy this touching story, titled Because of Grace, written by two of my good friends. +1 if you have a friend like Grace! Let me know in the comments if you like it. :)

She walked the same way she usually did, through the hallways to get to the front of the school where her mother waited. Andrea got into the car as her mom questioned her about her day. "How was school?” Andrea sat silently for a moment, opened her mouth and then closed it, like a fish in water. "Did you get bullied again?" her mom asked worriedly. There was a long pause. "Kind of." Andrea replied. Andrea looked out the car window and noticed the cruel, “popular” kids who tormented her nearly everyday. Andrea sat with a slight frown on her face but didn’t say a word until they got home.

As Andrea slowly trudged towards room 16 for 1 hour of detention, she thought of how dramatically her day had changed. She had awoken from a nightmare to find that in her mother’s absence, she had slept late and had to rush to school. Her multiple sidetracks, one being forgetting her homework, caused her to arrive almost two hours late. As she burst into the room she was met with unyielding stares from both teacher and students, and ended up receiving detention. Running her incredibly horrible morning over in her head, Andrea was glumly trudging and found herself intimidated by all the confident teenagers' stares in detention. She saw empty seats surrounding an extremely tall, lanky girl working on her homework, and decided that she looked friendly enough to sit near. The girl looked surprised as Andrea slowly pulled out a chair to sit next to her. She smiled, then said "Hi, I'm Gracelyn. Gracelyn McKay, but you can call me Grace."  Andrea smiled and waved, which is the closest she has ever communicated with someone at school. Grace smiled and said, " I know you don’t talk in school. I’m in Mr. Badeau and Mrs. Amherst’s classes with you. Need help with the homework?” Andrea politely shook her head and pulled out a binder covered with pictures of cats. Grace jumped slightly in her chair and exclaimed loudly, “ I LOVE cats! I have two cats at home. Hey, I know, how about we hang out today after school; we can finish our homework and you can meet my cats!" Andrea contemplated this and thought this seems like an unusual way to start a relationship off but…, but decided to call her mom after school to tell her anyway. Taking a quick glance at Grace, Andrea decisively opened her binder, ripped out a piece of binder paper, and slid over a note that read: "Okay, we can meet at the front gate after school!" Grace picked up the note and bursted out,"Yay! This is great! My mom can pick us up! Hey do you want to sit next to each other at lunch?” Grace’s enthusiasm led Andrea to wonder if this girl was shunned like her but maybe that would bond them. Finally, Andrea looked down with a shy smile and nodded.

  Months went by and ever since that first day, the girls clicked. Grace explained that she had a serious disease called osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that develops in teenagers, and despite this "disability", Grace was care-free and confident, which was something Andrea lacked. Andrea and Grace spent all their free time together working on Andrea’s confidence and voice until she had blossomed into a social butterfly. Grace’s charm and charisma rubbed off on Andrea and soon, she was speaking up in class and even won the annual speech contest. During the first few stages of the speech contest, Grace was always there to cheer Andrea on and when she received a standing ovation, nothing mattered but her best friend rooting for her. "Yay! Go Andrea!”  Grace yelled from the crowd, louder than anyone else. A small tear of joy dripped from Andrea's eye; as she walked away from the stage, she thought to herself, I can't believe this just happened. Me, Andrea Trevelyan, talking in front of hundreds of people. I never thought this would be possible. Never in a million years. But it was.

Everything was perfect, Andrea was advancing through the competition with her best friend by her side to cheer her on. Grace, Andrea, and her mom were on their way to Sacramento when they stopped at a hospital. Andrea awoke as her mother pulled the brake in a parking spot. "What's going on?” Andrea groggily said as she tried opening her eyes from her nap. "It's nothing. I'm just taking Grace in to have a check up; stay in the car until we get back.” A few hours later, Andrea and turned impatient and walked to the room the doctor had put Grace in, discovering that Grace had to stay in the hospital. Andrea was speechless with many thoughts running through her mind and tears running down her face as her mother tried to comfort her. Will Grace die? she thought, scared to know the answer. Grace's mother came as soon as she could; the doctor and Grace's mother talked in private but had the door opened a crack. Andrea could only see their lips move but knew the truth when she saw Grace's mother fall to the ground crying. As Andrea’s mother held her tightly, the doctor came over and delivered the news, announcing that Grace had about 2 weeks to live because the osteosarcoma wasn't treated properly five years ago, it was progressing at a terrifying rate, and there was nothing he could do. "May I please visit Grace?”, Andrea choked out between her tears. Grace's face lit up as she saw Andrea. "Hi, Andrea!” she said with a large smile. Andrea couldn’t believe how positive Grace was; being optimistic at a time like this demonstrated Grace's strength and courage. They hugged each other as Andrea cried and as her sobs subsided to hiccups and whispered, “I can’t do it without you, I can’t be the person I've become.” Making sure she understood, Grace said, “ You have to go on for me so it will all mean something!” At first Andrea couldn’t bare the thought of leaving Grace but it was clear she couldn’t do anything here. “Wait for me...please.”, Andrea said as she walked out the doors.

After giving her emotion-filled speech, which earned her first place, Andrea rushed to the hospital to show Grace the exciting news. Upon seeing her run in, Grace’s mother bursted into tears and finally choked out "I'm so sorry…but Grace is in a better place now." Andrea started to bawl as Grace’s mom tried to comfort her. "I know, I know," she said trying to get her to listen, "but she was so tired and just knowing that you would be able to make it without her gave her the courage to let go. Trust me, I know this is hard but it will get better, it will."

Months passed, and although Andrea would never forget Grace. She made new friends on the debate team, which was a new hobby she developed to live in Grace’s memory and keep true to what she taught her: to be confident and express herself. Andrea frequently found herself thinking, I lost the best, supportive friend anyone could ever have, but I got to experience her love, energy and inspiration. She would have wanted this.

Amazing Books You NEED to Be Reading!

Are you going to be bored over the President's week break? Here are some awesome book suggestions!

1) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (series)

This book is about a girl who didn't feel like she belonged. She is teased at school and only has one good friend. Her father's mysterious disappearance when she was young haunts her. Soon, she discovers that a lot more is in store for her. Follow Meghan Chase through this fabulous book as she faces secrets, true love, and a danger she never could have imagined.

2) This Book is a Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (series)

This book is one unlike any other. The narrator is anonymous, fearing that his enemies will find him. All of the names and places in this book are fake. Every bit of it, Bosch claims, is a true story. Watch as two young children meet their fate, to discover the ultimate secret of mankind.

3) The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (series)

Four young children are faced with the mysterious death of their parents. Life tests their resourcefulness and intelligence time and time again - for these children have terrible luck. They never know who to trust, and who will stab them as soon as they turn around. Read this book for some interesting situations and laughs - but be aware that luck is not with the Baudelaire children.

4) The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Two personalities are forced into a single body. In this futuristic romance, Melanie and Wanderer are forced to work together despite their differences. Soon, they are so mixed together that nothing is clear - who they love, what they want, and what they future will hold.

5) Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This story is from the perspective of many people, from young kids to high schoolers. August Pullman has facial anomalies that make him look different from everyone else. He is faced with being the new kid, being teased, and the regular trials and tribulations of entering middle school. He is growing up, still trying to show the world that he is simply an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face.

Note: These books may contain some romance (not much). Personally, I think these books are okay for ages 10 and up. If you are unsure, ask your parents first!

Please let me know what you think of these books, which you may read, or if you have already read any. I would also LOVE to hear any more book suggestions! :)

These pictures may or may not give you a clue to what these books are about. :)

Redwood Haiku

Today I had the opportunity to look at some AMAZING scenery in nature, as well as another spectacular sunset! Suddenly, I felt a sense of deja vu...this reminded me of my visit to the Muir Woods, with nature surrounding me from all sides! My favorite trees in the Muir Woods are redwoods, because of their majestic height that resonates with me deeply (I'm really tall lol). So, with that inspiration, I created this poem for my second haiku!

Redwoods

The redwood dances

Swaying to the rhythm

of the twisting wind

What do you think? +1 if you like it, and as I said earlier, comment your own haiku and I'll post a hall of fame of poems at the end of the week!

Haiku Fun!

Hi guys! Late, again, wow! I'm getting so busy nowadays, catching up to things now that winter break is almost over! Anyway, we were taking a drive this morning, and it was cold, sunny, and windy at the same time. This beautiful and unique weather inspired me to write a quick poem that I wanted to share with you all. I'll try to write a poem every day for the next couple days and share it with you!

I love reading poems in general - they are such a symbolic and special way to convey a feeling that seems indescribable. A haiku, by definition is "one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry. Haiku is, today, a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables" (www.toyomasu.com). These short and sweet poems are traditionally written about nature. 

My poem is entitled simply, "Wind". Please +1 if you like it, or comment with your own haikus! I would love to read them all and post my favorites at the end of our poetry fun

Grass shivers in wind

Cool air whistling through ears

of all seeking peace 

Changing the World - one Teen at a Time!

Somehow, today, you have arrived at my new blog. Maybe you spotted it on the internet and thought it looked interesting. Or perhaps you've seen my cards before. Maybe you recognize me from school.

However you arrived here, I created this blog so that I can share my mission with you. So here is my story:

I was a little girl, around seven years old. I believed in rainbows, sunshine, and the ghosts on Halloween. I was extremely excited when I arrived in India on vacation, taking in the shops full of bright clothing and unique merchandise. The rain was pouring down hard, but that didn't dampen my spirits. In a split second, everything changed.

A little girl, around the same age as me, was approaching us. She was practically skin and bones, with sticks for arms and legs. Her eyes looked tired and dead. Walking through the rain towards us, she softly asked, "Do you have anything to eat?" 

That night, I cried. 

In my short life, it had never occurred to me that some people didn't have food. I wondered where that girl was now, and whether she got enough to eat. I thought of her, battling through the rain, begging for food.

 I researched world hunger, and saw frightening numbers. While researching world hunger I was shocked to learn that our planet has been producing enough food to feed every single person since 1970. So, why are so many people starving? They don’t have the money to pay for sustenance. I was determined to find a way to make a difference.

At the same time,  before I knew how to read or write, I was telling stories. I would paint on large pieces of canvas. I had a zest for art and writing. It made my heart fill up with joy. It was something I loved then, and continues to be so to this day.

I put my overwhelming feelings gratitude and joy into my new nonprofit company.  I started this store as a sixth grader who is passionate about ending world hunger during my lifetime. 

I set up an Etsy store called Art4Hunger (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Art4Hunger ) that sells unique greeting cards to anyone around the world. These cards are made with photos of my original artwork starting when I was five years old. They are individually autographed by me. The back of most cards briefly describe my story behind the painting or my thoughts that inspired that artwork. 

I decided that 100% of the profits from all sales go to the Sacred Heart Community Service that feed thousands of hungry people.

That is why I created this blog. I made it to inform people about world hunger. I made it, knowing that every drop of water helps make an ocean. Together, we can eradicate world hunger. I can do this - with all of your help. Whether you decide to buy a card, comment below with suggestions for other ways to raise money, or simply tell your friends about me, I appreciate it all. Because I know that what one person cannot do alone, we ALL can do together. :)