Features
Welcome to our Features page! Here you can explore various topics selected by the Thompson Newspaper Staff.
Book Reviews
By: Marley Hardwick
When someone says they don’t like (or even hate) reading, it actually means that they just haven’t found the right book yet, and this article here is to help fix that. Three very different books are listed below, and maybe one of them will spark your interest.
Mystery. The Girl I Used To Be. April Henry is the author of many fantastic mystery books, but I think one of her best is The Girl I Used To Be. The protagonist, Olivia Reinhart, watched her mother die in front of her eyes. At 3 years old. Her father’s body was never found, so it was guessed her father killed her mother. But 14 years later, evidence is found that suggests that her father died the same day as her mother. But if that was true, then that means Olivia’s father didn’t kill her mother and that the real killer is still on the loose and free of punishment. Olivia, determined to make the actual killer pay, sets foot back into her hometown where it all started, on a quest to find the killer. But the killer is even more determined to stop her. With a deadly cat and mouse chase and her life on the line, will Olivia overcome her scars to bring the right person to jail, or will she end up just like her parents? Read The Girl I Used To Be to find out.
Futuristic. Ready Player One. This novel by Ernest Cline is a totally binge-worthy book. If you love futuristic books (like me) and you haven’t read Ready Player One, then you should stop reading this and go read it right now. It’s a post-apocalyptic book taking place in the year 2045 where the world is now a wasteland. People find hope in the OASIS, a VR world created by a man named James Halliday. Wade Watts (the protagonist) is a smart, witty 18-year-old who embarks on a dangerous quest in the OASIS set up by Halliday to win a fortune. Along the way, he meets pretty interesting people and faces many dangers. The book was made into a movie, but I very much recommend that you read the book first.
In Another World. The False Prince. By Jennifer A. Nielsen, this book takes place in another world, a world far different than our modern world. Set in a medieval almost steampunk world, war is brewing. Prince Jaron of Carthya is missing and presumed dead, but a cunning nobleman hatches a plan. Sage, the main character, is forced to play along in the nobleman’s games, and if he wins, he becomes the prince. Foolproof, right? Absolutely not. Sage himself is hiding something— something huge. But the nobleman is smarter than he looks, and Sage finds himself in a lie or die situation. And if this sounds intriguing, then you’d definitely like the rest of the series.
By: Marley Hardwick
When someone says they don’t like (or even hate) reading, it actually means that they just haven’t found the right book yet, and this article here is to help fix that. Three very different books are listed below, and maybe one of them will spark your interest.
Mystery. The Girl I Used To Be. April Henry is the author of many fantastic mystery books, but I think one of her best is The Girl I Used To Be. The protagonist, Olivia Reinhart, watched her mother die in front of her eyes. At 3 years old. Her father’s body was never found, so it was guessed her father killed her mother. But 14 years later, evidence is found that suggests that her father died the same day as her mother. But if that was true, then that means Olivia’s father didn’t kill her mother and that the real killer is still on the loose and free of punishment. Olivia, determined to make the actual killer pay, sets foot back into her hometown where it all started, on a quest to find the killer. But the killer is even more determined to stop her. With a deadly cat and mouse chase and her life on the line, will Olivia overcome her scars to bring the right person to jail, or will she end up just like her parents? Read The Girl I Used To Be to find out.
Futuristic. Ready Player One. This novel by Ernest Cline is a totally binge-worthy book. If you love futuristic books (like me) and you haven’t read Ready Player One, then you should stop reading this and go read it right now. It’s a post-apocalyptic book taking place in the year 2045 where the world is now a wasteland. People find hope in the OASIS, a VR world created by a man named James Halliday. Wade Watts (the protagonist) is a smart, witty 18-year-old who embarks on a dangerous quest in the OASIS set up by Halliday to win a fortune. Along the way, he meets pretty interesting people and faces many dangers. The book was made into a movie, but I very much recommend that you read the book first.
In Another World. The False Prince. By Jennifer A. Nielsen, this book takes place in another world, a world far different than our modern world. Set in a medieval almost steampunk world, war is brewing. Prince Jaron of Carthya is missing and presumed dead, but a cunning nobleman hatches a plan. Sage, the main character, is forced to play along in the nobleman’s games, and if he wins, he becomes the prince. Foolproof, right? Absolutely not. Sage himself is hiding something— something huge. But the nobleman is smarter than he looks, and Sage finds himself in a lie or die situation. And if this sounds intriguing, then you’d definitely like the rest of the series.
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BIOGRAPHY: Stephen Hawking
Image by Ava Loucopoulos
Stephen Hawking
By Carina Farrell and Argie Loucopoulos Biography Stephen Hawking is a man who thought that the universe started as a black atom. He was a British scientist, professor, and author who did work in physics. He made books that helped make science visible and usable to everyone in the world. Childhood Stephen Hawking was born on January 8th, 1942, in Oxford England and then moved to St. Albans. Hawking was the oldest of four kids born to Frank and Isobel Hawking. Both of Stephen’s parents went to Oxford University. That’s why they were known for being a family of thinkers but many thought they were an eccentric bunch. They thought this because their car was a London taxi, they read during dinner, and their house was a wreck. Later on, Frank Hawking wanted his oldest child, Stephen, to go to the Division of Parasitology at the National Institute of Medical Research to go into medicine, but Stephen had another passion. This passion was science and the sky. Every night, the Hawkings went in their backyard which Stephen quite enjoyed. His mom said, "Stephen always had a strong sense of wonder," she remembered. "And I could see that the stars would draw him." School When Stephen first started school at St. Albans, he was the third from the bottom of his class because he paid attention to things outside of school like board games and games that his friends made. Once Hawking got to his teens, Stephen and his friends made a computer out of recycled parts that solved math equations. Later on at the age of 17, Stephen got into Oxford University, the same one that his parents went to. He really wanted to get a degree in mathematics but they didn't have it so he got a degree in cosmology. He was very good at this skill, but he didn’t put too much time into his studies. |
Later on, in 1962, he graduated with honors in natural science and then went on to attend Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge for a Ph.D. in cosmology. After that in 1968, Steve became a member of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge. Shockingly, in 1973 Hawking published his first book titled The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time, with G.F.R. Ellis. In 1979, Stephen Hawking went back to the University of Cambridge to become a professor of Mathematics. He was named one of the best teachers since the teachers from 1663.
Family Stephen Hawking had a very nice family. He met his wife, Jane Wilde, at a New Years party in 1963. A couple of years later, they fell in love and got married in the year 1965. Later on, in 1967, Jane gave birth to a boy named Robert Hawking. Three years later, a girl named Lucy Hawking was born. Finally, nine years later a boy was born named Timothy Hawking. In 1990 Stephen left his wife for a nurse named Elaine Mason and then ended up marrying her in 1995. Hawking left her to see his beloved children that he hadn’t seen in years. Stephen Hawking’s Disease When Hawking was 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as ALS. This meant that the nerves in his system were shutting down and not working. His life expectancy was 2 ½ years. This began to happen when he was at Oxford University and whenever he was walking, he would occasionally trip. One of his mistakes was that he kept this to himself instead of asking for help. Stephen’s dad took him to a doctor, and he spent the next two weeks in a medical clinic. He had a lot of tests done to him only to find out that the doctors didn’t know what he had. Later on, they found out what Hawking had, the early stages of ALS. After Stephen got out of the hospital, he realized that he needed something to do in his life for the next 2 ½ years. Stephen’s disease helped his life to have some action, quoted, “I had been really bored with life.” He worked hard on his passion for cosmology knowing that his life would be cut short. In 1985, Stephen lost his voice… FOR GOOD! He spoke using a computer attached to him called a speech-generating device or SGD. Stephen Hawking’s Death On March 18th, 2018 Hawking died of his disease. He was supposed to die more than 50 years before, but he ended up living to 76 years old. Hawking's children followed with a statement: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world.¨ Stephen’s ashes were buried next to other famous scientists, such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Stephen once said, “There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope.” Stephen Hawking starred in shows and had a movie made after him. He was a very important person in history. He showed everybody that anything is possible if you keep trying. |
Works Cited
“Stephen Hawking.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/scientist/stephen-
hawking.
“Stephen Hawking.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/scientist/stephen-
hawking.