In Reflection... A Haiku 4 U

Secrecy

A soft sound whispers,

Dispirited kaden threw,

A gash in into james’ face.

...Conclusion

In the end, I think it takes a brave person to travel and have adventures. However, it takes an even braver person to have good character when no one is looking. After a number of life's ups and downs being handed to Kaden, he ultimately is forced to realize the bubble has burst around his perfect world, and that he has to decide who he wants to be in this life. How very sad for a 15-year-old who just lost his best friend! I personally think this book tells a great story about growing up to be a young man in San Francisco. I would recommend this book to all young readers like myself, and hope it is an eye-opener for them as it was for me... all 300+ pages!

... a Jump to Theme and Inspiration

Its been said that the story, The Mission, follows the "better-off-not-knowing" idea or the opposite, "get-up-get-out-and-do-something!" idea toward life and living for Kaden. These ideas try to explain what and how Kaden feels through his travels away from home. Other themes

the story follows are selfishness in relationships, living a life without purpose, considering other people's feelings, dealing with consequences and living a "life-in-the fast-lane" .

...Plotting How the World Turns.

Kaden Norris's life is depressing and secretive. His older brother died in Iraq, so to grant his brothers last wish, he goes to California to go see an author named Chuck Palahniuk. Since he's only 15, he has to stay with his cousin, James Morgan, who is 30-something. He's never met him before so this was going to be fun for Kaden... or so he thought. He had a radical time with James. They went to parties, and concerts. Kaden basically had a BLAST, until one unforgettable night. Kaden walked by James' room and heard him talking and stopped to listen. James was whispering to Caralie about Kaden's mother. "Before Kaden was born, his mother had many other relationships while she was married...." Kaden couldn't believe it! His own mother! He was mad. He ran back down the hallway and picked up a can of soup, and threw it at James' face. After a couple of days, he decided to leave california because he couldn't handle the family secrets. Before he left, he got a huge apology from James. James didn't know that Kaden didn't know about his mother. When Kaden flew back home to Dysart, Iowa, he didn't say another word about anything that happened. Not even the fun.

... getting into character.

Meet the cast...

Mom (from Iowa) - Mom is secretive and doesn't tell her family everything. She hid her past relationships with other men from her son Kaden, who isn't sure who his real father is.

Dad (from Iowa ) - Dad is more of a pushy type of dad. He wanted Kaden to be just like his older brother Kenny because he was successful at everything, while Kaden was not. He knew about his wife's little secret, but Dad didn't tell Kaden because he was too fearful of Kaden becoming violent towards him.

Kenny (Dead Big Brother) - Kenny is the heroic big brother who died in the Iraq war. He was the most popular kid around, and had almost every girl's phone number in school! Kenny also knew of his mother's secret, but loved Kaden too much to hurt him by telling him.

Kaden (The main character) - Kaden was confused about his family and how his mother had numerous relationships with other people. Kaden was inconsiderate of others, and thought he was better than everyone. For example, when his friends asked him if he wanted to hang out, he replied, "I have more important things to attend to" in a sarcastic way. An event that changed him is when he over heard James, his cousin, talking about his mother's numerous relationships with other men. Kaden was so furious that he threw a can of soup at James and "busted his head". Learning about his mother had a negative effect on him. He became wild, started partying and going to clubs even though he was under age.

James (The cousin) - James is childish 30 year old who acts like he's 18. He doesn't really follow instructions like most children. When he was supposed to pick up Kaden from the airport, he couldn't because he was out partying. Once he got that can to his face, he realized he needed to grow up and act his age. He also learned to keep his mouth shut because you never know who is going to listen.