SO-Jonathan+S.

**Introduction:**
My name is Jonathan. I like to go to the YMCA when I`m not in school. My favorite sports are baseball, basketball, and bowling. My favorite food is french toast made by my grandma. I hope to start to learn German next year. In the future. I hope to visit Germany.

** The Missing College Basketball Tickets. ** Sam was sitting in the back row of social studies class. He had just finished eating lunch in the noisy cafeteria. He had eaten two pieces of pizza and two cookies. The teacher was talking about Mexico. “The Aztec Indians,” she said. However, Sam didn’t hear the rest of her statement because he was daydreaming about his favorite sport. My favorite place to be is at a college basketball game. I would want season tickets to all of the games. My team is hoping to make the final four. Maybe a buzzer beater will get them there. The refs call technical fouls on the players and coaches. Players’ blood is all over the place. The sound of the cheering fans is intense. My, oh my, what fun! Sizzling hot pretzels, colorful Dippin’ Dots, and icy cold, refreshing lemonade tempt me. The different souvenir shops offer a wide variety of funny, wobbly bobble heads and UConn Husky Thabeet jerseys. That would be the best place to be EVER! His teacher startled him out of his dream. She said, “Sam, what do you think the Aztecs did then?” Sam had no idea what his teacher had been saying, but he needed to say something. He took a wild shot at it. “The Aztecs decided to start a war,” Sam said hopefully. None of the other students laughed hysterically so it must have been a reasonable answer. Then the bell rang. His teacher was reminding the class about a quiz the next day as they all exited her room. Sam had been daydreaming, but his dad had bought four tickets to UConn’s next game. Sam had gotten the tickets for his birthday. It was a miracle! He had never gone to a Husky home game. He got to ask two friends to go with him and his dad. His dad had gone to the University of Connecticut during college so he was a huge fan also. Sam has asked Jonathan and Peter to go with him. They were also huge college basketball fans. Jonathan stopped Sam in the hall on the way to math. “The game is in four days, five hours, and ten minutes. Can you believe it?” Jonathan asked excitedly. Sam replied, “It’s not soon enough for me. I can’t wait!” The rest of the week seemed to drag by for Sam, Jonathan, and Peter. They watched ESPN every day hoping to see previews of the game on Saturday. They also played basketball at the YMCA. Each of them practiced making a buzzer beater to win the game. The big day finally arrived. Sam hadn’t slept the night before because he was so excited. Sam called Jonathan and Peter on Saturday morning. He invited them to come over and “hang out” at his house. “Then you’ll be here when my dad says we can leave,” Sam told Jonathan. The three boys watched ESPN in Sam’s room, played NCAA ’09 on Xbox 360, and ate chocolate chip cookies that Sam’s mom had made before she went out of town.. Finally at 3:00, Sam’s dad said they could leave. “It will take us about two hours to get there. We’ll stop along the way and get some sandwiches,” Sam’s dad said. The boys quickly jumped into the van. They were ready to go. When they got to Storrs, Connecticut, they stopped at Subway. They ate sandwiches and chips. There were lots of people in Subway wearing UConn shirts. Sam asked his dad, “Are all of these people on their way to the game?” Sam’s dad replied, “Some of them are probably going to the game. I think others are just fans.” When they were done eating, they left for the game. The boys were so excited they talked all the way there about different players on the UConn team. Hasheem Thabeet was their favorite player. Sam’s dad parked the van in the parking lot. He reached into his pocket to get the tickets. The tickets were gone! “Boys, we have a problem. I can’t find the tickets,” Sam’s dad said sadly. Sam said, “Don’t joke around!” “I’m not joking,” Sam’s dad said embarrassed. “I put them in this pocket before we left home.” The boys looked everywhere in the van while Sam’s dad looked in his other pockets and his wallet. They couldn’t find the tickets. The boys decided to use Peter’s cell phone to call Austin. “Austin is the best detective in town,” stated Jonathan. “He’ll help us figure this out. Don’t worry Sam.” Austin agreed to help find the tickets. He went to Sam’s house and went in the side door that Sam had told him was unlocked and looked everywhere in the house for the tickets. He couldn’t find them. Austin called Peter’s cell phone. “I’m sorry. I can’t find the tickets at Sam’s house. Did you find them?” asked Austin. “No, we don’t have them,” answered Peter. “Well, did you guys talk to anyone that might have taken them?” questioned Austin. “No, it’s just been the four of us,” said Peter sadly. Austin thought for a few seconds. Then he asked, “Did you stop at a gas station?” Peter excitedly shouted, “We stopped at Subway!” “Maybe the tickets are there,” Austin suggested. “We’ll call you back soon,” Peter replied. Sam’s dad drove the boys back to Subway. They looked all around outside in the parking lot. They didn’t find the tickets. “Maybe they’re in the booth,” suggested Jonathan. “I’ll look there.” The clerk saw Jonathan looking for something. He questioned Jonathan, “Did you lose something?” “Yes, we can’t find our four tickets to the UConn game. They were in an envelope with Sam written on the front,” Sam told the clerk. The clerk excitedly told the boys, “My neighbor Sally who is a UConn fan brought these in from the parking lot. She found the envelope on the ground.” “Oh! My gosh! Thank you! Thank her!” screamed Sam. Sam’s dad had heard the whole conversation. He was thankful also. They left Subway in an excited hurry after getting Sally’s address so they could send her a thank you note. They arrived at the game in plenty of time after calling Austin to tell him they had found the tickets. Sam’s dad helped them find their seats. Then he let the boys go to the closest shop. Each boy bought a souvenir. As UConn ran out on the court before the game, Sam said, “This is the best place to be!”
 * Jonathan Steidl **

**Questions for Peer Reviewers**
(Think in terms of questions you would like to ask the author.)

1. Think of plot—is it original? (If an adaptation, is it creative or interesting to you?) What suggestions do you have for the author(s)?

2. Think about problems that the characters face. Are there complications that add enough suspense, tension, or interest? Is there a climax that satisfies you? Is the resolution satisfying? What could be added or changed?

3. Think of characterization—are the characters life-like? Are characters likable and enjoyable? Do we get a good sense of character from many of these: description, dialogue, narrator's opinion, discussion from other characters, the character’s own actions?

4. Think of imagery and details. Do they help you //see// and //hear// and //experience// the story? What details would you like to see in the next revision of the story?

5. What areas of the story need the most improvement? What suggestions do you have for the author? Jonny, Loved how you used UConn they are awesome!!!!!!!!!! Nice Story!!!!!!!!!! - Jordan