December 5, 2006

Dear Anthony Horowitz:

One very important thing in our lives is confidence. How did the 1st World War end? Answer confidence. (Because without confidence the Military would all be hiding under their beds, but they were not afraid to die for their country.) Lately my confidence level has been dropping as I notice more and more dangers.

9 /11 was one of them, and Terrorist attacks another. Even moose started to scare me once in a while! I started to think not even to take the risk!

But when I read your books I noticed it gave me suspense, imagination and a really good book to read, but most importantly it gave me confidence. When I get scared now I think of Alex Rider and what he would do. Would he run and hide, keep going, or just forget it and not take the risk?

But your character, Mr. Horowitz, gave me a boost of confidence. It made me realize that moose only attack when they are scared, and definitely not humans as often as other animals. Also, what’s the chance of a terrorist getting into this military base (I live on Fort Greely a missile defense program in Alaska) and even if they did why would they attack me? The airplane security has gone way up since 9/11. So the chances of something like that have gone way down.

This is how such a good book can change my life. Ok, so I’m not going jumping out of airplanes or swimming in tanks with carnivorous jellyfish and great whites like the amazing Alex Rider. But it’s how Alex did those things that gives me confidence, and that is why confidence is so important in my life and how it makes others and me strong.

Sincerely,

Robby Besch

6th Grade
Fort Greely School, Ft. Greely, Alaska
Teacher:  Aleta Finney