Status Updates From Code of Silence (Code of Si...

Cooper is toast. He is solid and always somebody you can rely on. He stays cool under immense pressure and gets the job done, simple yet effective. Even at the end of the story, when he is locked in the restaurant freeze,r being shot at by organized criminals on the outside, he remains level-headed and barricades the door, saving his life.

Cooper is toast. He is solid and always somebody you can rely on. He stays cool under immense pressure and gets the job done, simple yet effective. Even at the end of the story, when he is locked in the restaurant freeze,r being shot at by organized criminals on the outside, he remains level-headed and barricades the door, saving his life.

Cooper would probably relate to "First Fig." Cooper tried to keep silent in order to protect himself and his family, but his candle burned at both ends. In the end he had to go to the scene of the crime and face his situation head on. In the moment, keeping silent would seem like a good thing, however the longer it went on the less likely the robbery case was to be solved.

Cooper and Lunk are now trapped in the Frank N' Stein's restaurant with the now-identified criminal, Mr Stein. Unfortunately, Cooper and Lunk have a shaky history, and I think they are going to have to work together if they want to get out of this mess.

Adverse: unfavorable, against one’s desires
Cooper is facing a lot of adversity lately and is finally breaking the code of silence by going to Mr Stein. Unfortunately, he has realized all too late that Stein is heavily involved in the murder of his business partner, Frank. Cooper is stuck with Stein until he can find a way to escape and go to the police. I feel like Cooper has had very unfavorable circumastances.

A lesson I am learning from this book is sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice your own well-being and convenience for the sake of others. This could be in a team environment, but it could also be in a survival environment. Sometimes your individual worries aren't as big as the issues that follow the whole group.

A lesson I am learning from this book is sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice your own well-being and convenience for the sake of others. This could be in a team environment, but it could also be in a survival environment. Sometimes your individual worries aren't as big as the issues that follow the whole group.

All the main characters in my book are kids so they haven't had experience with the realities of the American dream. They haven't been in many situations that would reference the American dream either. However, given the situations they are in, I think they would believe that luck is a factor in success. They are in a big mess that is out of their control and it's weighing on them.

In my story, the 3 main characters are actually religious, so they would likely be celebrating Christmas and Christmas Eve at church and/or with their extended families. Cooper and Gordy are cousins so it wouldn't surprise me if they actually celebrated together.

Things are heating up. In the morning, Cooper received a text from Hiro letting him know that the police planned on trapping him that day. Cooper calls Detective Hammer about the letter that was left the night before. Hammer informs Cooper that they have a suspect in custody but need Cooper as the witness to identify him. Cooper is hesitant to go to the police office though, because this could be just another trick.

While contemplating coming out to the police, Hiro calls her brother, who is an officer in the area. After a long conversation, she explains the situation to him, and Hiro's brother hints at the robbery being an organized crime. So, after all this time of "should we tell the truth?" we have confirmation from an officer that laying low while trying to point the investigation toward the real criminals is the way to go.

I think this story pushes a theme, to be honest and avoid lying. This whole time the kids have been trying to hide their connection as witnesses to the robbery in order to hide from potentially corrupt police. Although their plan makes logical sense, as time goes on things aren't getting any better and some of them are beginning to question their plan.

Cooper upset Hiro and Hiro left the group. Of course, after she is gone the police pull up right next to Cooper and Gordy and began interrogating them. They were able to get away without being too suspicious but I have to wonder how long they can keep this up. Things have been gradually getting more and more tense and risky as the book progresses.

Reread for book club! I love this book!

Cooper believes that a mixture of staying anonymous and silent about the crime as well as dropping hints to the police as to who the suspects are, will make him successful. His primary goal is to be safe from the suspects as well as potentially corrupt police. Up to this point he has done a solid job and stayed unnoticed, however, the pressure of lying all the time hurts his friends and relationships.

The most recent scene has very high tension. There have been unresolved issues within the group between Cooper and Hiro. Cooper wants to maintain their code of silence for the safety of the group, and Hiro wants to come clean and stop lying to everyone even if it means risking their safety. This is a very emotional scene and if I were to act it out, everyone would need to be very anxious, maybe fidgeting around.