That was then, this is now by Mohammed Abed 811

     In the book  the two main characters  Byron and Mark are  brothers. Things are changing Byron is growing up. Mark is the one who lives the life of the party. Byron is now finding new things about Mark. They both hustle pool at a friends bar. Mark's parents died in an argument with each other when they were both drunk and ended up shooting each other. 

     Mark and Bryon have to make money to help support the family while their mom is in the hospital getting surgery. Bryon gets a job at the local supermarket while Mark starts bringing in lots of cash. Bryon doesn't ask where it's from. Towards the end of the book, Bryon discovers that Mark has been getting his money by selling drugs to hippies. Bryon is horrified since a 13 year old kid they know, named M&M, went missing and became crazy because of someone selling him drugs. 

     That shows you will never fully be able to know someone. In this story they didn't really notice what was really happening between them. When Byron finds out Mark e decides to call the police and has Mark arrested. When Byron confronted Mark, Mark said that he would stop but it was too late. Mark gets sent to an reformatory school.

The outsiders by Mohammed Abed 811

      In the book "The Outsiders" the main character and his best friend Johnny. Johnny and Ponyboy are greasers. They had long black hair and were teenagers. Their enemies were the Socs. Johnny and Ponyboy both ran away from home because of many reasons. Johnny left because of the beatings endured from his father. Ponyboy had no parents but he had two older brothers. Soda and Darry loved Ponyboy but Darry would sometimes yell at Ponyboy but Ponyboy did something very stupid and Darry hit him.

      After the incident with Darry, Ponyboy and Johnny both ran away. Shortly after they ran away Ponyboy and Johnny get  into some trouble. They end up being surrounded by Socs. Ponyboy is being drowned by Socs and is about to die. Johnny takes out his Switchblade and stabs the Soc drowning Ponyboy. Then they go back to get Darry's help.

     Darry is at a party when they go to get his help. He was also drunk but he still helped them get out safely. He gave them money, a gun, and a place to stay. He told them where to go and what to do. When they arrive they have to change how they look. They both get haircuts but Ponyboy had to bleach his hair. They start talking about things that they will not talk about around the gang. Darry comes a couple of days later and helps them even more. He takes them to get some real food and tells them about what is happening back home. They are eager to go back but will they be safe there, will they be safe anywhere.

Runner by Mohammed Abed 811

This story is about a teenager named Chance and his life. His dad is analcoholic and they live on a tiny boat. They barely have enough money to survive. His father just his job and he has to make money fast. 

Someone comes up to him and offers Chance a job. He doesn't say what the job is. All he says is that he will be delivering packages. Chance knows there is something up but desperately needs the money. So he does it anyway. 

At the end of the book he notices people following him. The guy who offered the chance the job died. He tells his dad everything and his dad helps him out. His dad later sacrificed his life to save others. I would definetly recommend this book.