This shows me that Kelton is starting to develop into more of a fighter due to his trauma of losing his brother, this can be scary, but now the group might be able to withstand anymore threats from very desperate people.

"We used a synthetic control method to estimate the impact of California's drought on both property and violent crimes. We found a significant increase in property crimes during the drought, but no effect on violent crimes. This result was robust to several sensitivity analyses, including a negative control."

This information shocks me because of the fact that there was little to no violent crimes which I was expecting because people can get desperate if it means keeping themselves alive.

This all stands out to me because it confuses me on why people are committing property crimes rather than actual violence, I mean it's a good thing that people aren't getting hurt but it just surprises me that the book got that part wrong.

This all relates to the story because of the fact that even though the violence isn't toward people, it's being directed toward property. I would say that this could change in the future but California just declared itself drought free this week so that's good that no one actually got hurt.

"And she grins, knowing that I mean it as a compliment-- something I'm not sure she's used to getting." (261)

He offers to help her family with the plumbing problems they have. He also gives Alyssa water.

This shows that because of this scary event, not even she is the only one that's scared, even her parents are.

This information shocks me,

"Topography within the region creates a diverse set of climate conditions, from the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada Range to the Mojave Desert, to the mountains and valleys of the Basin and Range." This is because I never knew that California and really that whole area varies that much in climate. I always pictured California to be more of a desert.

This piece of information stands out to me because of how surprising that stems away from the stereo-typical climate of California. Which is normally a completely dry desert.

This all relates to the story because the characters in the story deal with this drought, which is a result of climate change.

"I didn't want to have to pull out my gun, but the second that creep got too close to Alyssa, it's like some protective instinct kicked in" (117)

This quote shows how wild fires can cause pain, misery, anxiety, confusion, and so much more. It's even more painful when someone you care about dies from it.

"Drought directly impacts the speed and behavior of wildfires because dry vegetation causes fires to spread more quickly and become more intense. There is also an increase in lightning strikes during drought conditions which can start wildfires."

This information shocks me because of the fact that these kind of things can happen. I always wonder how and why these type of things happen.

This stands out to me because this doesn't happen in any other type of climate, it's scary.

This relates to the story because of the fact a wildfire burnt down the gang's RV.

"Garrett!, Garrett, I'm here. I kneel beside him. I lift the cup to his lips. I pour a little in. What if he doesn't swallow? What if he can't swallow? Because he's already dead?" (352)

This quote shows how even in scary situations like this, you can still make things wholesome and light hearted.

This is shocking to me,

“'What AT&T is seeking is really, really profound,” said Regina Costa, a telecommunications policy director for The Utility Reform Network. “By removing that obligation, that means there is no one that can guarantee service for a customer.”'

This information is shocking to me because of the fact if you lived in California at this time and didn't know how or didn't have the resources to sign up to have this phone service, you had no phone service.

This stands out to me because it makes me mad that a phone company and that state agreed to do that to their people, majority of people suffered because of this decision.

This relates to the story because of the fact Alyssa rode on the same boat as the majority of other people who had no resources to use this phone service, she couldn't reach out to find her parents that easily because of that.

"And although it's not our water to give, sometimes doing the right thing means doing the wrong thing first." (153)

How can a drought get this bad?

"Rice is acutely vulnerable to the weather, and governments are, in turn, acutely vulnerable to fluctuations in rice prices." (pg 2)

This makes sense because rice is made from water.

This happened in 2022-2023.

Place:/Location

This took place in California.

Environment:

Dry, rocky, very lacking of water.

When the stranger tries to take the family's water, the uncle comes in and he's very protective over Alyssa. Which shows that not even a lack of water will separate a family.

This is very shocking information to me,

"In the new proposal, the three states agreed to collectively cut their water use when  levels dip below 69% capacity, ramping up to at least 1.5 million acre-feet a year below 58% of capacity. That’s about 17% of their total allocations, enough to supply 3.75 million Southern California households for a year."

This is because of the fact they turned off a majority of water accessibility in California, so they can conserve as much water in the river as they can, so people can survive. I can understand why every character in the story is so desperate.

This stood out to me because this type of event never happens commonly, and how scary it can really be.

This all relates to the story because it showcases the fear of the fact that there is little to no water left. Early into the story you see Alyssa and many others frantically try to buy as many water bottles as they can so they can survive, it can be sad and even scary to see people like this. Even scarier that this is all so real.

I definitely agree with this statement because it really shows the gravity of this situation. It can be very impactful to not have any water for a long period of time, possibly traumatic.