Kindred (week 2)

Kindred is by Octavia E. Butler and is my book group book for this week. Dana is a black woman living in California, in the year 1976 (I think) and suddenly she gets transported toMaryland, 1815. She comes back repeatedly after bouncing between her world and the harsh world of Maryland to save a boy named Rufus's life countless times. While Dana is there, she has to learn how live in the antebellum South and try to survive as a slave. Dana is my favorite character because very brave when it comes to her life, and the lives of others. Many times she has to save Rufus, and it almost costs Dana her own life. She has taken beatings and near death experiences all to save herself or someone else's, and even just to try to put up with how life is there. This book does have some bad words, and it does talk about rape and the beatings that black slaves got in that time period. I have like sixteen pages left, but from what I have read it was a good book. Come talk to me about it because this is a really cool book.

Tbr:
Ready Player One
Neverhwere
Ravenboys

Labor day, 2012. It started out as a Bar and Bat Mitzvah, but sometime after (maybe the next day) we went out to Dairy Queen to relax and eat ice cream. While we were walking there, a woman and and old man were walking into a restaurant next to DQ. I leaned over to ask "Hey Mikayla, how old do you think that woman is?" she couldn't tell, so she asked her brother. He also couldn't figure it out, so we all just stood there and creepily watched the "immortal" woman. "Wait, I have an idea" I pulled out my phone and explained that we could all pose in a picture and act like we were taking the picture of us but actually take the picture of the woman. Of course they though it was genius, so we all gathered together and smiled. "3, 2,1..." Mikayla whispers, and I take the photo. Have you ever had that moment when you have a good idea and then it turns out to be really embarrassing? This was my moment. As soon as I took the picture, I realized that the flash was on my phone, but it was too late. I took a very bright picture of an eighteen year old who looked very old, or an eighty year old that had a lot of plastic surgery. Both the man and the woman turned around in bewilderment, but all three of us were leaping through the front door of Dairy Queen by then.

Kindred

Kindred is by Octavia E. Butler and is my book group book for this week. Dana is a black woman living in California, in the year 1976 (I think) and suddenly she gets transported toMaryland, 1815. She comes back repeatedly after bouncing between her world and the harsh world of Maryland to save a boy named Rufus's life countless times. While Dana is there, she has to learn how live in the antebellum South and try to survive as a slave. Dana is my favorite character because very brave when it comes to her life, and the lives of others. Many times she has to save Rufus, and it almost costs Dana her own life. She has taken beatings and near death experiences all to save herself or someone else's, and even just to try to put up with how life is there. This book does have some bad words, and it does talk about rape and the beatings that black slaves got in that time period. I have like sixteen pages left, but from what I have read it was a good book. Come talk to me about it because this is a really cool book.

TBR:
Ready Player One
Neverwhere
Raven Boys
Kindred-Book group

Unfair

"Unfair" is different for everyone. It could mean that it is unfair that the homeless person on the corner of the street doesn't have a home, or it could mean it is unfair that someone bought the last hat you wanted at black friday. Neither of these apply to me (I don't wear hats too often) but I think it is unfair that my sister can go out of the house and do stuff with friends, while I have to sit and do homework. No matter what happens I always have more homework than a fourth grader. It is just unfair. There is not a lot of unfairness in my life like living on the streets, but I have little things like the homework situation, that I have to wake up early for school sometimes, and even my sister taking the last waffle and then I have to have cereal. These things are not enough to really complain about, just enough to make us stop and think, "this is unfair."

Shadow Throne

Ok this is the third book in the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen, (I really like this series) so I will summarize this one without spoiling this book or the others. Or I'll try. This whole book is about Jaron trying to win the war that has come and he is only around 14. He is the king of his country, and three other surrounding countries have declared war on him so now he has to fight all of them. He still acts like the younger boy he was, but things have changed him. His friends, his enemies, and even the things that have happened in his life have been turning him into a king. Jaron is still my favorite because he is hilarious and he just over all is cool. He knows how to defend himself and protect others while in the middle of a war, and is making puns the whole time. Like I said before this is like a fantasy book based around the 17th century, but in a different land if that makes sense. I really loved theses books and I think anyone in our class could and should read this. I hope you Enjoy!

TBR:
Kindred-book group
Ready Player One
Neverwhere
Raven Boys

Thanksgiving SOL

Every year that I go to Ohio for Thanksgiving, we all go to the Zoo lights. It is my favorite part of Thanksgiving, minus the food, amazing shopping, and seeing my family. I was bundled up in all my layers, and piling into the car before I realized that it was colder than I thought and I packed the wrong gloves. Oh well, I'll just take my aunt's. I thought. Of course we stopped at CVS to pick up chips, then we kept driving to the zoo. After getting lost and going too far, we finally made it to the bright lights of the zoo. My cousin's fionce, Eun Mi (from Korea) tells me that in Korea that they hold hands all the time wherever they go. So the whole time that we are looking at the lights, we create this giant barricade of Witkoffs. Each tree is threaded with strings of lights, each a different color. They dance and flicker to the beat of the songs, making our wall of awesomeness stop and enjoy the show for awhile. We made our way to the penguins, and watched how they swam around their pool following the light. When we left and finally got to the cars, we had to break our chain and head to our separate cars. All I could think of on the ride back was what next year was going to be like, and if it could get any better than this year.

Runaway King

Hello everyone, it seems that I like to choose books that are part of a series. The Runaway King is the second book in the Ascendance trilogy, by Jennifer A. Nielsen. THIS HAS SPOILERS ABOUT THE FIRST BOOK. It starts off with Jaron getting a threat from the pirates, and he has to surrender or there will be a war in his country. Everyone around him is trying to tell what to do and what is right, but he knows he has to do what he thinks is right. Jaron runs away to bring down all of the pirates, which is impossible but what choice does he have. This plot is pretty straight forward but has some really crazy plot twists. I really can't say more about the plot without giving any more away, but some characters from the previous book come back. Jaron is my favorite character because he is so independent, he listens to himself and does his best for himself and others around him. I would call this a fantasy maybe? It is based more in medieval times with kings, queens, and knights. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it, but I recommend reading the first book first.

TBR List:
Kindred-my book group book for next week
Neverwhere
Raven Boys
Ready Player One

SOL 3

"Today we will be docking in Petropavlosk, Russia. Please get in line for customs." said the woman at the front desk. I wondered what we would be doing there, maybe staying at the beach? On a driving tour? No, visiting a replica of a traditional village from a different time period. Trudging through the thick layers of grass, I  felt cold. Not like sitting outside on the patio for lunch, but truly cold. There were these shack structures that sat at about twelve feet in the air, and had a carved log for a ladder. Yes this was all wonderful and nice, but when do we eat? Our group finally made our way into a teepee, which was warm from the fire burning in the center. The woman kneeling at the fire was cooking something similar to bread, and it was warm! Food and warmth, very good. I sat on the log stump eating the bread, just enjoying it. At some point someone tried to talk to me but I was too focused on the food and warmth to pay attention. A little while later we walked into another building that had three tables set with plates and silver wear. I couldn't believe it, more food?! Today was a very, very good day. I sat down as someone brought over a bowl of soup. She said it was something that the people here would have eaten at that time, but food was food. As the bowl was lowered, I saw two potatoes and a chunk of salmon. Not a strip, but a whole chunk of the body was sliced and put in a bowl of water. For the first time that day, I was not hungry.

Night Circus (Part 2)

This is going to be pretty similar to the previous post because I don't want to give too much away about the plot. It is by Erin Morgenstern and is kind of like a magical fantasy book. There is this circus, The Circus of Dreams, and it goes through towns without any notice. Same goes for leaving. This is not any ordinary circus, because it is filled with magic. Not like fake magic, but cloud mazes and more mystical things like that. Throughout the book there is a feud between a girl and boy, each with a different talent. At first my favorite character was Celia (the girl) but then more characters came and now my favorite is Bailey Clarke. He is a daredevil little boy that just brings more fun to the story. The ending is a little sad, but also kind of happy. I don't really know how to explain it without giving too much away, but I do recommend this book to anyone in our class who would want to read it. Also if you want more information my week one post of this book has more, because I didn't want to repeat myself.

TBR:
Neverwhere
Ready Player One
Eleanor and Park
Kindred

Airplanes

I am too little to remember where we are going, but all I know is that I get to watch a movie on the airplane. I drag my little Scooby-Doo suite case down the narrow walkway in between rows of seats, and hand it to my dad as I jump for the window seat. I have to have the window seat, always. I love to see the city lights at night as we are flying above getting closer to the ground. Right now the people and the cars, the buildings and the roads are shrinking as we are flying higher. Soon we are surrounded by clouds, and they are all I can see. Finally I can watch a movie, so I sit with my blanket and the DVD player (when there were no iPads) and watched Cinderella. It is my favorite movie. Before long I am woken up to see the city lights as we are preparing for landing. Apparently I fell asleep at some point, and I look to see that the DVD player is frozen on a scene from when Cinderella gets a new dress. We landed and the flight attendant said "welcome to Florida!"

The Night Circus

This book is by Erin Morgenstern and so far really good! Im about half way through because this is a two week book. This circus (The circus of dreams) appears in different town without any notice, and same with leaving. One day it just appears and word of mouth is a very good way of advertising, and it seems to work. It is a magical place that is full of mystery, especially when things happen that shouldn't have. Such as a vertical cloud maze; when people step out or get lost, they float back down to the ground. Besides wonder and amusement, the circus is training new "prodigies" Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair but it becomes a competition. Celia learns how to become an illusionist, while Marco learns more about becoming something like a leader almost. I don't want to spoil too much, so that is all I will say about the plot. This is definitely a fantasy book, and it is based in London I think around the 1800 or 1900's. My favorite character is Celia because I love the role she plays. She came as this little girl ready to be trained as an illusionist because she had natural talent, thanks to her dad Prospero the Enchanter. It really is kind of sad the way she came into the story but she is just such a happy character in my opinion.

TBR:
Ready Player One
House of Ivy and Sorrow
Neverwhere
Kindred

Fall Days

Every year I add new memories, ones of winter, spring, summer, and fall. Now is the time of year when things just seem to have a sort of gloom. The colors on the trees became radiant, then crumbled. My memories of when I was younger are fading, but I remember walking back up to class as a primary kid through the leaves. While recess was still going, we always made piles of leaves and then jumped in them. There used to be a tree that actually had leaves that fell to the floor, but it is long gone. The tree itself was no bigger than seven feet, but it always had leaves to play with. We picked up the crunchy brown ones, and took the soft yellow and red ones too. Put them all in a pile and jumped through them one at a time. When recess was over, My friends and I lined up against the fence and headed through the path by the patio. Surrounded by the big red trees, we kicked our way through each clump sending red, brown and gold cascading down around us. We did this every day until the first snow, then we moved onto making snowmen.

photo credit:

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/2981387336/">paul bica</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

The Death Cure

This is third book in the Maze Runner series by James Dashner. I know that some of you may not like this book or the previous ones, but I really liked it. Also, THIS MIGHT INCLUDE A FEW SPOILERS so if you plan on reading or just don't want to know, don't read the rest of this post! By now Thomas and the remaining Gladers have passed the Scorch Trials. The Flare is spreading very quickly throughout the world, and the only people who claim to have a cure are Thomas's worst enemy. Thomas's main goal is to take down WICKED, but staying alive is also a good tactic. If you are worried about mature topics or language, there is a lot of violence included. Basically the whole world has turned into murderous crazy people (called Cranks) and they don't exactly say please and thank you. My favorite character is Newt because he is the most realistic character and he is just the coolest. All the other characters think of other people first and so does Newt, but he also sticks up for himself. I guess he knows he has to do whats best for the team, but he knows he is part of the team as well. This book has a lot of adventure, and its also kinda dystopian. When I say dystopian please don't relate it to the Hunger Games or Divergent because it is different than those.

TBR List:
The Night Circus
Runaway King
Raven Boys
Ready Player One
My book group book: Kindred

13 Reasons Why

By Jay Asher

This book is about a girl's story, Hannah Baker's. She committed suicide but tape recorded 13 reasons why she did, and she sends them off to many people. They have to read all of the tapes, then send it to the next person. These tapes blame many people, so Hannah gave a second set to someone (later identified) as "incentive" to listen to the tapes. If they didn't, the second set of tapes would be released to the public. Each reason was linked with a person, and those people were the list of who the tapes got sent to.

I really liked this book, and it was kind of like a mystery. Putting all the pieces together, though it was kind of creepy. Someone would open their door to find a package from a dead girl, with recordings of the dead girl's suicide note. I thought it was really well written, but it could have elaborated a bit more on the characters. Hannah Baker was talked about, but she wasn't the main character so she wasn't talked about that much. It talks about a few mature topics because a lot of the story is about Hannah's life and why she killed herself. I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who does not like reading about suicide, but over all it was a pretty good book.

TBR:
Night Circus
Shooting the Moon
Outliers
Eleanor and Park

Paper Towns

By John Green

I heard this book was going to be made into a movie, and Hailey handed it to me and said to read it so I did. Margo Roth Spiegelman is known for being awesome. Sneaks into amusement parks, plans the best pranks, and knows how to plan a mystery. Quentin Jacobsen has been in love with her forever, but he isn't in the same "popularity" rank. One night Margo shows up outside Quentin's house and brings him on an adventure of getting revenge on enemies, and having fun. The next day when he goes to school, Margo has vanished but has left clues to her whereabouts. Quentin knows it is up to him to find the missing Margo Roth Spiegelman, but the problem is he doesn't know who he is looking for.
This book had some pretty big plot twists, and I am still deciding if they are good or bad. At first it was kind of like a mystery, but the ending was pretty different. This book does talk about sex and has some mature language, but it is a pretty great book. I personally really love mysteries, but I don't know if it would be classified as one. Mystery and realistic fiction? It also says a bit about bullying but it isn't a major theme. John Green is an amazing author, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes John Green and/or mysteries.

TBR List:
Ready Player One
House of Ivy and Sorrow
If I Stay
Neverwhere
Looking for Alaska
The Death Cure

Legend

This book is by Marie Lu, and is amazing! I guess you could say it is a dystopian book and kind of like The Hunger Games and Divergent, but it was good. There are two main characters; Day and June. Day is a criminal, the most wanted fifteen year-old in fact. He tries to steal an antidote, and he ends up killing the other main charcter's brother. (June's brother) June is an "army prodigy" for fifteen you might say, and is assigned to capture Day, but things don't go as planned. This is a really good book, and you all should read it! The plot line was written really well, and the characters were great. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone in our class, so please read it!






Photo credit:http:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_J45PBhEEKgSdNa0mSA1XURm95MEPiaGKv6hQYEdGJluqFfbBg5OqX1ljnaStqiG45uuDiv0IovImhSM7hRRR_8Coj-XFwp9Cz5OMhrWgog4YjvDLiLn7IEzQzMpMCk4e5jz9G5Ix0U/s400/13042002.jpg

The False Prince

This book is about a boy named Sage who is fourteen years old. He is just some misfit orphan, when Bevin Conner (a nobleman) takes him away. He has a mysterious plan that has to do with lies and royalty, but that is only part of it. Conner has brought two other boys that might play the role, but the question is, who will survive long enough to tell the lie? Ok that summary was a little "action movie trailer" but that is the basic idea. I thought this was a good book, and I really want to read the second one. I thought the characters were really built up, along with the plot. At least until the end. There is a pretty big plot twist at the end, and that was the only part of the book I didn't like. It was shocking, but I think it made the story kind of cliche and it just made it a little worse in general. Don't get me wrong, this was a great book. I think it would be considered fiction, and it was based during the time of kings, queens, and knights. Not like the ones we have now, but earlier. I highly recommend this book!


TBR List:
Yaquia Delgato
Neverwhere
Everybody Sees the Ants

House of Ive and Sorrow
Ready Player One

The Scorch Trials

This week I read The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. It is the second in the Maze Runner trilogy and I loved it! I highly recommend the Maze Runner, and the second which I just read. I really don’t want to give too much away, but here goes. THIS IS A SPOILER IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK. Thomas and some other Gladers are now in a place called the Scorch. Their mission assigned by WICKED, is to walk one hundred miles across the Scorch and well, not die. Supposedly at the end awaits a cure to a disease called the Flare, which they all have, so they really need to succeed. There are a lot of plot twists and betrayals, false betrayals, lots of deceit, and of course adventure! I can’t wait to read the third and if you don’t like these books I think you are crazy.

TBR List:

The Death Cure

The Runaway King

Throne of Glass

Grandmaster

The Secret Life of Bees

Cuba 15-Talia

Unbroken-Gavin

All the Truth thats in Me

170 pages made this book a quick read, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It is realistic fiction based sometime in the 1800’s, and I am not exactly sure where. There was not a whole lot of background information, or a lot of surrounding or character descriptions. It starts out with Judith as a little girl, and then she starts to grow up. Most of it is based on how she has a crush on another boy in town that is a few years older, and it has a little mystery at the end. It was pretty confusing but everyone is trying to figure out who murdered Judith’s childhood friend Lottie, and who kidnapped Judith for two years. It really isn’t that inappropriate, but there are a few parts that might be. In general it was really hard to follow, so that is all I can give you! I really didn’t like this book for a bunch of reasons, but you are welcome to try it.

TBR List:

The False Prince

Ready Player One

The Scorch Trials

My Mother the Cheerleader-Sophie

Cuba 15-Talia

The Maze Runner

This book is by James Dashner, and is the first in a series. It starts out with Thomas arriving in a place called the Glade that is surrounded by a maze; no one knows who put them there or why, but for the past two years they have been trying to find a way out. Ever since Thomas arrived things have changed. The next day a girl shows up, the first girl ever to appear. This isn't the only thing that has changed, and no one can figure out what it means, or who Thomas is.
This was an amazing book and I recommend it to everyone. I must say it is kind of boring at the beginning and it doesn't get too interesting for a while, but I think it is worth it. It was well written, and had a great plot line. There were a few plot twists, but they only made it better. I know there is a movie coming out about this book, so that is why I read it. I will not read a book after I see the movie no matter what, so I decided to give this book a try before it was too late. I recommend this book to anyone who likes slightly dystopian/Sci-fi books. It isn't as dystopian as The Hunger Games or Divergent, but its pretty good.

TBR List:
The Adoration of Jenna
Grandmaster
Everybody Sees the Ants
Boys of Blur
My Mother the Cheerleader
Cuba 15

Photo credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/The_Maze_Runner_cover.png

Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel is the first book in The Infernal Devices series, and is amazing! Cassandra Clare is the author of this series, and a few others including The Mortal Instruments and The Bane Chronicles. Clockwork Angel is about a sixteen year old girl who goes to London in 1878 to visit her brother after her aunt dies. When she arrives at the docks, two strange looking women claim to know her brother Nate and are there to escort her to him. She thinks she is visiting Nate, but she does not know that her life will change forever. Throughout the book and the series she learns about her family, her new life, and who she really is. That might have sounded a little cliche, but it is an amazing book. There is a lot of magic and fantasy, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes that kind of genre. I must warn you, this has a lot of graphic violence because they fight demons and stuff like that.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

I also recommend that you read this book/series BEFORE The Mortal Instruments series because it will make a lot more sense and help when you read the next books.

TBR List: (not in this particular order)
1. Grandmaster
2. Ready Player One
3. The Secret Life of Bees
4. Everybody Sees the Ants
5. Uglies

Holes

Holes is about a boy, Stanley Yelnats, who gets sent off to Camp Green Lake as punishment. He was accused of stealing shoes, but that was not the case. There, they all have to dig a hole five feet wide and five feet deep every day but Stanley knows something else is involved. While he is there he learns more about his family's strange past, as well as Camp Green Lake's strange past.

I really liked this book, and I recommend that you read it before seeing the movie. I would recommend reading it anyway because it is a great book.  I have not seen the movie, but I assume it is also good. It is realistic friction, and a quick read that I couldn't put down. If you have read other books by Louis Sachar, you should read this one. I would also recommend this book to anyone in AS, IS, or anyone in our class.

A Corner of the Universe

This book is based in 1960, and the main character is an eleven year-old girl. Her name is Hattie Owen. Right now she is staying in the town of Millerton, PA with her grandparents when her twenty-one year-old Uncle Adam shows up. She didn't know she had an Uncle Adam until he showed up because his school for the mentally disabled is closed down at the moment. Hattie and Adam get to know each other, and Hattie learns a few things that weren't explained about their relationship.

I liked this book, and it didn't take too long to read. It wasn't my favorite but I didn't hate it. It was a sweet book about family, and the ending was a little sad but sweet. It is realistic fiction, and is based on a young girl's life. I would recommend this book to anyone in AS or in our class because it is a young adult's novel. People in IS could read it too if they would like to as well.

photo credit: http://akdef.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/a-corner-of-the-universe.jpg

An Abundance of Katherines

Colin has dated nineteen girls, and all of them seem to be his "type". Of course, his type isn't normal, his type is Katherines. Not Cat, Kat, Cathrine, or Kathyne. Only Katherine, for some reason. He says they are his type, though he has been broken up with nineteen times, by Katherines. His best friend is worried about him, so he takes him on a road trip to help him heal. I really liked this book, and it is also a John Green book so it has to be good. If you like the Fault in Our Stars, you will like this book. It was good read, and not too long or too short. It was realistic fiction, as are most of John Green's books. The characters were really believable, which really helped with the story. I would recommend this book to anyone in our class, and/or anyone in AS.


Photo Credit: http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5956qXAUc1qa2q59o1_400.jpg

Inside Out and Back Again

This book is by Thanhha Lai. Though it was a quick read, the writing style took a bit of adjusting to. It was 260 pages, and was written in first person as well as in a poem like style. It is broken up into short paragraphs and was a little confusing. Inside Out and Back Again is about a ten year old girl named Hà who lives in a the town Saigon in Vietnam. She is so comfortable and used to everything there, she really feels that
it is her home. Soon the Vietnam War started, and Hà and her family had to travel across the world to Alabama. Everything is different and she has to find a way to heal and gather enough strength to live in Alabama though she knows it will never be her home. This book was actually inspired by the author because Hà's story is very similar and based off of Thanhha Lai's journey. She experienced the Vietnam War, and had to flee to Alabama too. I personally didn't like this book because of the writing style, but other people might like it. I really liked the story because it was a story of change, dreams, and especially strength and anyone in AS or in our class. Like I said it has different writing style so it just wasn't my kind of book.

Photo Credit:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXxo1cSOS2g38z59omDp3cc-iaRAIsllKljc1JcZiqjThbCc5YPmPTORAueV4dLAygtD1QE12rGNbhwH2KrKJzqmaJ4J2RiXC6sXw7_BH8KYo1Oe6jujY_08Pi499uI_pcbV9yKanKuc/s1600/inside_out_and_back_again.jpg

Glory Be

Glory Be is by Augusta Scattergood. It was a really quick read, and a page turner for me. This book is around 200 pages, and is based in the year 1964. Glory (Glorina June Hemphill) is ready to turn twelve, and she hopes everything will be much better then. Lately there has been arguing wether the segregated pool should be closed or should it stay open, and there is a new girl in town. Things haven't been going as planned for Glory, and she isn't so sure about what she thought before. I really liked this book, and I would recommend this book to anyone who liked Lions of Little Rock. I didn't read The Rock and the River, but I assume that people who liked that would like this too. This book had a good pace, and it was steady throughout the book. This is written in first person which really ties the book together in my opinion because you can really connect to the main character Glory. I would recommend this book to anyone in AS, and anyone who like Lions of Little Rock.

Photo credit: http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328836347l/11982396.jpg

11 Birthdays

This book is by Wendy Mass, and a quick read. 11 Birthdays is about two best friends on their birthday and something strange is going on. Amanda Ellerby had been rivals with her best friend for a year. Something happened at their shared birthday (with Leo Fitzpatrick) and she hasn't talked to him since. Amanda finally gets through her day which happens to be her birthday only to wake up to it again. And the next along with the next. I really liked this book and the characters. It is a story of a friendship that I can relate to with all that happens at Logan. The plot was really put together and thought out. There were lots of plot twists that really added to the story and made the story a little sweeter. I love Wendy Mass's books and I would recommend any and all of her books especially this one. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction.

31/31

Done for March!

Today is the last day of the March SOL challenge. There is a lot I could write, but this is my last one for March 2014. Over the past thirty one days, I have challenged my self in time management, and of course different ways of writing.
Memoirs, reading blogs, and SOL entries alike were written everyday for all of March. My inspiration was my vast catalog of pictures on my computer and some from close friends. Most of the time I talked about vacation experiences, but as I got later into the slices I chose to put variation in my blog by just free writing about small things.

Also I would choose some things from past experiences but later I posted from that day and found the little things that I could slice about. Some days it was a nuisance that I had to blog and comment, and other times it was a way of escaping the things around me. It was a stress reliever. If something was bothering me I would sit down and let it out onto the page. Most of the time I deleted it when I was done, but it was a good way to calm down and let my emotions out. SOL's were really neat because you would take time out of your day and just write. I could be about anything, and my different posts were interesting to compare.
Some of my friends might think I am crazy about loving this assignment, but it was really fun in actuality. There is so much I could write for this last post, but nothing spectacular stood out. My fingers hit the keys as I say goodbye to the SOL. It isn't the end for them, just for the challenge and the ones in March.

photo credit: http://www.elkriver.k12.mn.us/webpages/weatherford/photos/33198/Writing21.jpg
 

30/31

I woke this morning over heating. It is normal for Florida, but I have to adjust to the heat. It is late morning already, but my eyes are still heavy so I have to practically drag myself out of bed. The humidity is over whelming and soaks down to the bone. I grab a quick breakfast, and hop in my aunt's car to go to a local park in Miami. My family and I have always gone to Florida for at least one break and we always have fun. Ever since I was little, I loved climbing Banyon trees with my family. The branches and trunks are intertwined, which is a natural playground for small kids.

Later we headed out to Tampa. On the way we had to stop to buy Pastalitos, which are the most amazing cuban pastry. They are a flaky danish about eight inches long, that is covered in a thin layer of sugar. The inside can be filled with a variety of things such as guava and cheese, but my favorite is just cheese. The car pulls up to La Palma and as we walk up, we both agree that I have to order in spanish. "Cuatro pastalitos con queso pro favor." She just nods and pulls the out with tongs and places them in a paper bag. "Llevar?" she asks have smiling. Mom asks if she speaks english but she just shakes her head and says no. I don't know if I completely believed her because as we left she said "goodbye."I laughed a little and pulled out the first pastalito and hopped in the car. My first bite isn't filled with thick cheese, but it was sweet and flaky which was still delicious.

29/31

I say goodbye to my dad, and grab the suitcase. My mom, my sister, and I walked into the airport to fly to Florida for our short week of spring break. Today happened to be my little cousin's second birthday and we would go visit them later, but for now I needed to get through the day. We get through security, and jump on the train to get to gate C49. Once we are there we leave my eight-year old sister with the luggage while my mom and I get food for the plane ride. I take a twenty from her and head over to La Casita for tacos, and she heads over to some healthy place. We meet up at McDonald's and grab Hannah's lunch then head back to the gate.

As we approach people are lined up at the posts, and we panic. "Mom, they are boarding." Both of our faces turn pale as we race to make the plane and grab Hannah. She isn't at the place where we left her, and we look up at the sign. It says Washington and we relax because it isn't our flight. "Wait, if it isn't our flight, we went to the wrong end!" Mom yelled. She checks her watch and we only have five minutes. We race across the airport with tacos, salad, and McDonald's in our hand trying to make out flight. Gate C49 hangs above our head as we speed walk over to the back. Hannah is still there with her headphones on playing on her I-Touch, completely un-aware of what was happening. I practically pick her up and grab my suitcase as they were boarding A. "Mom, what number are we?" I ask worrying a little. "A49, so we have a little time." I can breath now but nothing has ended. Finally, we sit down in our seats and I pick up SkyMall. My heart is still racing, but I try to relax and look at the strange pictures of inventions that SkyMall has to offer. The plane starts to pick up speed and we take off. I can relax for a couple of hours but then I have to help my mom get across Florida.

28/31

Personally my favorite color is blue or turquoise. My friend Julia hates the color blue. Really hates it. lately she has been going on about variations of blue, that are not actually blue. If she points to navy blue, it is actually "navy green." This is the same with all kinds of blue, blank green. I love that color but she tells me that it is too mainstream and that everyone loves blue. I can't really disagree with that because blue is mainstream. Everyone loves the color blue, so she decided not to. Blue is a soothing color for example it is the color of the ocean. It is a calming place, and a calming color. It is also the color of the sky. When I get stressed or annoyed sometimes, I would look up into the blue sky. The clouds would pass by, but it is still relaxing because it is blue. Some people don't like blue, I guess that is alright. I have to except people, and they should except me.

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27/31

Why did I have to wear Uggs today? The one day of winter/spring they are not useful I decide to wear them. The hike up "Castle rock" (not really castle rock but another one that looks like it) was easy at first, and then it got steeper. Every now and then I would look back and the busses would look a lot smaller. It didn't seem that we walked that far, but from the bottom looking up, it was a long way. The trail didn't take that long but when we were at the end, I didn't know how much my shoes could take. Most of my steps were shaky and my feet felt like they were going to slip out from under me. Uggs have no traction and are definitely not ideal for hiking up a small mountain.

The wind blew really hard at the top, and it made it really hard to eat my yogurt. As people were finishing up lunch, others got up to play sardines and camouflage. "...29, 30. Ready or not here we come!" We were playing in a dessert like area so there weren't many hiding places. All of us ran at once, and who ever go to the person last lost. I needed to reach the other side and beat the last person, and I willed every step to be flat and stable. Small rocks were in the path which were awful for shoes without traction. I see her behind the bush and, second! I am safe and my shoes are fine.

The last part of the hike was about 20 cement steps up to the top of the plateau, and then we would get a great view. All around me there were mountains, and large objects that were small from where I was. We weren't supposed to get too close for safety reasons, but we were allowed to lay down at the very edge if we wanted to. I chose the farthest corner that over looks a big street and a river. It was really peaceful at first, and then three more people sat down next to me. I didn't mind, I just sat there and watched the cars pass by. Of course when you are up high you have to spit over the edge, and watch it fall. It is just something you have to do. I carefully lean over and spit, and watch it hit a rock at the bottom. Abby saw this and wanted to do it too. She leaned over ready to spit. I was about to tell her to wait until after the wind stopped, but it was too late. She spat and the wind blew it right into my face. We both laughed as I took my hand and wiped what ever I could onto her sleeve and heard her squeal as she backed away. Day trips were fun, and this one wasn't even over.

26/31

The last day of matrix was very satisfying to me. My first period class was Magic 2 and it was a performance oriented class. For those of you that don't know have really bad stage freight. Tuesday the 26th came too soon, and I was left un-prepared in front of forty people. The act was split into three parts because I did the act with Haley R. and Lydia Loof so I didn't have to do as much. It wasn't trying to get out of doing the work, it was more needing someone else there to help me with my stage freight. My first part was to mention the fact we only had one scarf, and invite Vaughn to come help us get a new one. My next part was to un-do the scarfs that were tied together, but somehow "magically" they were still tied just not to each other. Everyone's eyes were on me because this was the last part of the trick, and the hardest but easiest to mess up. I just looked at what I was doing instead of at the audience and the next thing I know there is applause and I am sitting back down. A heavy sigh escapes my mouth, and I realize I am only 1/3 of the way done with my matrixes for the day.

In the hall people kept telling me what a great job I did, so I said thanks and kept walking trying to forget about the performance. I put down my winter jacket in the art room, grab a smock, and sit down with my printing folder. Today is the last day, so we all have to exchange prints. I printed eleven copies of one of my prints and signed them to give out. It was kind of relaxing, because I had to stamp each one and the sequence was kind soothing actually. The black roller glided over my small stamp, which was pressed against the paper. Over and over again, I was sort of lost in process. By the end of class my hands are stained with ink from this print, and a few other ones. I'm glad the class is over, but at the same time I wish I had more time.

25/31-Book blog

This week I read Lunch Box Dream by Tony Abbott. It was a quick with around 200 pages, but really well written read and I am glad I read it. Some people say that the story didn't pull together, but I liked it. The main character is named Bobby, and he has an older brother and a mother. They all go on a trip which starts as dropping their grandmother off in her car. The plan was to look at Civil War cites (which Bobby and his brother loved) and then fly back home on their first airplane ride. There are some plot twists that make them end their trip early, but it turned out alright in the end. This book also looks at racism and segregation, which was really neat and interesting coming from different perspectives. It is more or less a reality fiction book. It was based in the 20th century when segregation was happening, and it goes into a lot about that subject. I really liked this book while others may not, and I think anyone could read it in our class or in AS. I hope you take my suggestion and read it!

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24/31

Leah is to the right

I am really excited about going to Maine, and it made me think about the time I went to Maine myself. I don't remember much because I was four, but my family visited my aunt, uncle, and cousins as well ads their friends. There, we met someone to ride a boat and I was really upset that I had to wear a life-vest. We went around islands, with the wake spraying in the opposite direction creating waves behind us. Back at the dock, my dad and my oldest cousin grabbed me by my life vest and dipped me in the water. I giggled with excitement as my ankles skimmed the water. They kept teasing me about how I was a chicken nugget, and they were dipping me in ketchup. This only made me laugh harder and I almost slipped out of my life vest. The dark clouds started to roll in, so it was time to go. We went to go eat dinner at a lobster restaurant, and it was weird for me. My dad ordered one and I tried little bits of it, but in the end I didn't want to eat so I just poked it with my fork. The main thing I remember form this trip was being dipped in the water, and wearing my favorite dress at the time. It was green with pink flamingos all over it, and it was kind of layered at the tips. I am really glad I have memories of Maine, because I can experience Maine again later in the year.

23/31

I had a pet turtle once, his name was Davie. I loved turtles so much when I was younger that I wanted to study them, and it was one of my favorite units. I built a model of a turtle, made a book or two, and went on some field trips to the zoo and aquarium. Of course that was in Kindergarten so I don't remember most of it. My room in our apartment at the time had turtle stuff everywhere. Even the bathroom had a turtle toothbrush holder. The mint wall behind my bed had one big quilt of a turtle, and I had lots of turtle stuffed animals.

I begged for a pet turtle for a long time, but my parents just said "we'll think about it." I wanted a turtle just as bad, I just stopped asking for a while because I knew the answer would be "we'll think about it." Finally, my parents were taking me out for a drive "somewhere" and actually had no idea where. We arrived at Scales and Tails, and I started to squeal with excitement and joy. On the way home, I had a box on my lap that had a turtle in it. I wouldn't open the box, but I would look through one of the holes to see him. I was only around six, so just holding a box wouldn't satisfy me. The bumps in the road made it hard to hold, so while my parents weren't looking I tilted the box and watched him slide down to the bottom. It was a 45 minute drive back to the apartment but I didn't mind because I liked sliding my turtle around the box. I knew it wasn't very nice, but I was really bored and it was really cute to watch him slide down. The last thing to do after getting him the right equipment, was to find him a name but that is another story for another time.

22/31

Passover is coming up which is my favorite Jewish holiday. The past couple of years our family would get together with a couple others and celebrate it that way, but when I was younger we would go to my grandparent's house. My Grandpa passed away this summer and they sold the house, so we wont be able to have the same celebration or have it with family. But I do remember the times we did get to go over there, and they were really fun. I remember that one long table was stretched across the deck in the backyard which at night was packed with people.

 I didn't know most of them besides my family, but I was only around five years-old. It seemed like hours until we got to eat, which it probably was considering the list of things we had to do before. Such as the Seder which means "order" so we had to wash our hands, discuss the items on the plate, and re-tell the story of Passover. The food was delicious, especially with my grandma's classic and my favorite brisket. Everyone quietly eats and talks while Maddy sneaks under the table stealing everyone's napkins. She is a Black Lab and she is old now, but she was young then. Someone would go to wipe their mouth, and their napkin wouldn't be there.

My family was talking about stuff I didn't understand at the time, so I just sat there quietly eating my dinner, but I would look at the rest of the backyard. Four sculptures stood in the middle of the backyard and some of them were taller than me. I liked stacking some of the rocks on top of them and pretend it was part of the sculpture. To the right of that in the trees and bushes was an old canon. I didn't know if it was real or not but when I was younger I like to imagine the battles it was in and actual cannonballs firing out.

After dinner, my grandpa would pull out the clues to find the Afikomen. The Afikomen was a piece of Matza (thin un-levend bread) that was set aside and hidden for kids to find. It could be anywhere on the property. My grandpa was a poet, so each year the clues to the Afikomen would rhyme and be riddle-like. I don't remember the words, but we were split up into teams of two and set out. I was paired with Benjamin who is one of my older cousins, and we made a plan to split up to look for it. He went by the bottom deck that was by the basement door, and I headed over to the sculptures. My hand stroked the bright and glossy ceramic, not finding a trace of Matza. I quickly walked over to Benjamin, but before I could my eyes caught a quick glimpse of blue fabric in the canon. I grabbed the neatly folded fabric to open to a flat cracker. My heart skipped a beat as I ran up to Benjamin and screamed "I found it! I found it!" We each received one dollar and two gold pieces of gelt. (Chocolate) I couldn't wait until next year, and I didn't know I should treasure it while I had it.

21/31

Last night/ this morning, I went to the Divergent movie with some friends. I was really excited, but it was missing some essential parts from the book. When we got home, we stayed up for a while then eventually got tired and went to bed. Around four hours later, an alarm went off and woke us up. Annoyed, we went back to sleep again to wake up to an alarm. Now we knew someone was up to no good so we needed to prank them back. It is around 7:30 in the morning which is just a couple of hours after we went to bed so we were still tired, but we managed to set an alarm to go off in five minutes. I quickly and quietly rushed over to the other room and slid the phone under the door. Just as I was leaving, the alarm went off and a few of the girls woke up definitely surprised so I ran out of the way. I waited and waited for them to get us back, but I soon drifted to sleep again. Soon the sun had risen, and it was time to get up for an exhausting day.

20/31

We turn the last corner in my mom's green Rav 4 and arrive at Sweet Action. "Hailey, what are you going to get?" "I don't know, maybe the Vegan Mocha?" That sounded a little weird, but I wasn't judging. The mountain of Vegan Mocha was passed to Hailey over the counter, and I begged for a taste. Bits of cake were layered into the ice cream, and it was surprisingly delicious. Though it was good, I quickly ordered my classic mint chocolate-chip in a cake cone. Both of our eyes flew over to the bar stools at the window, and we rushed over.

We would then take turns making stories about random people we saw walking down the street. "Ok that girl wearing the Bronco sweater." Hailey blurts out through licks of ice cream. "She is going to the urgent care because she dislocated her foot. She was so mad that the Broncos didn't win, that she went around driving into posts on her block. She came so close to hitting a post, she stepped on the brake as hard as she could which dislocated her foot." Laughter escaped our mouths, some in the ice cream. "Ok, ok my turn." I say still smiling. "Ok, that man over there handing out the flyers is actually Morgan Freeman's younger brother. He was also an actor, but his brother got the spotlight, so he had to go hand out flyers to strangers and practice his acting by pretending he cared." People walked by and giggles were released into the shop, out into the street, and down the block in the car.

19/31

I look outside of my window and see the tall Evergreens scrape the sky swaying ever so gently back and forth. I remember the time I went tree climbing with Julia. We both live by Cranmer park, and there are lots of trees there and most of them are good to climb. It used to be my favorite activity, and then I got older so the trees got smaller. In Florida when I was younger we would always go to a park with bannyon trees that were great for climbing. They were huge, and easy to climb. Out side of Julia's house are three trees to climb and my favorite is the second, which is the hardest. I grab the first branch or more step on it because it is about twenty-four inches in diameter. Thick sap pools right where my hand is and my hand is uncomfortably sticky. Though it is annoying, I push on and keep going up. "Julia, why are you so slow?" "This is hard ok?" She is a little frustrated, but she still climbs. She just starts climbing up the tree, and I am almost at the top. The houses get smaller and smaller, and the branches get thinner and thinner. I finally get to the top, and just sit back to look at the view, while I wait for her.

18/31 A Crooked Kind of Perfect

This is a really quick read, and I loved it. It is by Linda Urban, and has 210 pages. It makes you think about what you really need in life. Zoe Elias wants to show the world her musical talent, and she "needs" a glossy new piano to help her. Life gave her lemons, also known as an old organ and she was not happy. Of course she had to make lemonade, but what she wants isn't always what she needs. I could really connect to this book because everyone has things that they want in life that they claim that they need. Something they care about so patiently that they say they need, but once they get it, they get rid of it and "need" something else. Linda Urban really captured Zoe's life, and also entered the mind and hearts of mine and probably others. I loved this book and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who like realistic fiction, and anyone in our class our AS or maybe IS.

17/31

         Saint Patricks day, is normally a day to relax but still celebrate. It is not like the New Year where everyone does something, it is more of a laid back celebration. Last year and years before I would wear green and pinch people when they were not wearing green, but this year I could care less. I wake up to the sound of my alarm, and groan because I want to go back to sleep. I know I cant, so I throw off the covers and head to the kitchen for Eggo waffles. I have Eggo toaster waffles every morning, but they are so good and they never get old.
         Still asleep, I jump as the waffles pop out. They taste normal, sweet and fluffy maybe a little crispy. It feels like a normal morning as I get ready for the day doing whatever I do every other day. Should I wear green? Is it too childish? What am I saying, I love Saint Patricks day. It is never too childish. I ignore that thought and ignore the green. 7:55, where is my mom? This normal day is becoming as normal as  thought it was going to be. 8:00, she finally arrives. We pile into the car about to get Hailey for our carpool, but we turn around to get my sister's homework. Great, a "regular" day just turned into a late one. On a normal day we come to school at around 8:15, but since today isn't normal I arrive late. My off normal day at school starts as soon as I walk in the door at 8:30 and five people are there.

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