A new book

John's Problem

by Scarlett Serdaros

Hi, my name is John. I am 13 years old and 5 foot 1, and like to play baseball and basketball. I have friends named Matt, Mark, Sean, and Steven. When we were in the 2nd grade we used to always go outside and play with each other and we would always do our homework together. Now we just talk or go on their phones but the problem is, I don’t have a phone. I am always left out of things and when they are laughing I always ask them what they are laughing at but they all don’t respond. Instead, they just say “You won’t get it. It is a joke online about it.” I always feel left out and I don’t feel like they are my friends anymore. I just think that they are monsters on the phones. I keep asking my mom for a phone and she always says no.

Chapter 1

"Good Gone Bad"

Chapter 1

"Good Gone Bad"

She also says that it is bad for my brain and it will make me lose focus and my friends and school work. I can agree with her because that is actually what happens to my friends. When they were little they were so smart and always focused on the teacher, but now they are like zombies and they are always on their phones not even playing with me. Wait. I just thought of something. I came back to my mom's room and said: “Why do you have a phone and I don’t”. Then my mom told me “ I use it in case of an emergency and also because I am responsible enough to go on a phone and that I am an adult.”

For all my life I wanted a phone but never got it. It was always my birthday wish but I just got toys and pajamas. One day I told my mom that I wanted a phone on my birthday when I was turning 12 years old. My mom said maybe it will happen but on my birthday they just gave me a dog toy that was a phone but then my dog took it but then my mom told me it was a joke and she gave me an iPad and other people just got me clothes. The next day I went to school and I told my friends if they wanted to come over and they said yes so I had a plan.

Chapter 2

"Phones"

Chapter 2

"Phones"

When they came over I gave them food and water and when they had to use the bathroom I took their phones and locked them in a phone jail cell for 2 hours. When they came out of the bathroom they were both annoyed and mad. Matt said to give his phone back but I didn’t listen. I told them why I locked their phones in a jail cell and they understood and they started playing with me.

When they left I went to my room and watched tv and I also started playing on my iPad. Why aren’t you on the iPad in front of your friends? It is because they think that iPads are for dumb people. The next day I woke up and saw my iPad was ringing and Matt was calling me. I answered and he started yelling at me. When I looked up I saw all my friends' phones except for Matts. I was shocked that I forgot it there. But Matt had his phone the entire time. I looked at the timer and I was in shock, I left it on for 237 hours! I said I will get it for him but I forgot that it was bulletproof glass. I was crying and freaking out.

Chapter 3

"Plan backfires"