A Grand Canyon Adventure

A Grand Canyon Adventure is a great read! It is about Jenna Henley. Jenna is going on vacation to the Grand Canyon. Sarah is a girl in Jenna's class. Sarah goes on vacation with Jenna. When they go on vacation they learn about God's creation and the flood. At the end of the story, Sarah becomes a Christian. I think it is a good book. The writer is my mom's friend's friend, or in other words, my mom's friend knows the author. I think it would be cool to know or in fact be a writer. When I grow up, I think I might be one. This book inspired me and gave me ideas for my stories. It's a great book, or as I like to say, it is a Grand book. 

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time is a very good book. It is about three children; Calvin, Meg and Charles. Meg is very good at math, but has her faults; she is full of stubbornness and independence. Charles is a very intelligent boy for his age, but though smart, he can be hypnotized thanks to his pride. Calvin is a very good and kind young man. Even though he has no actual talent, Calvin does have his power of strength and hope. When Meg and Charles' father vanish, the kids look to their friends for help; Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. The three ladies turn out to be very strange indeed, but friendly. They help Meg and Charles get their father back. While rescuing their father, Charles is put under a spell thanks to his pride. He is brought back to his family when Meg breaks the spell. Meg loves her brother very much; so turning away from her faults, she turns to love. Her brother is released from the spell. They get back home and Meg and Charles are happy to have their father back. This book is written by Madeline L'Engle. I liked this book a lot. It was sad in some parts and weird in the rest. But again, I liked this book; maybe because it's wrinkled my time.

Rebecca Rubin Series (American Girl)

Rebecca Rubin, what a girl! These books are about a girl I admire, a girl who lived during the time of World War I. Rebecca is the heart of a six book series inspiring you to follow your dreams. It inspires you to become your own person, to be who you want to be when you grow up. Rebecca is a really good actor, she wants to act in a movie.  When I think of how life must have been in her day, I really understand her feelings. I wonder if she ever felt scared. If I were her I would have been scared when I entered America.  It probably would have been hard for her to be who she was. But being your own person isn't bad at all, in fact it can inspire other people. To wrap it up, this was a great series and I really enjoyed it. I will enjoy it for the rest of my life. The American Girl Company sells Rebecca dolls, I wish I had a doll of her.

The Mystery of the Silver Spider

This book was exciting. I thought about how exciting it would be to be an investigator. This is the eighth book, in a large series. When I heard they had more books, I wanted to read them. For me, I could come up with something if I was in trouble. I actually told one of my friends about starting our own three investigators thing. In fact, I think it will be "The Four Investigators" and our symbol could be a number four crossing a question mark. We actually have already planned out where our headquarters might be. So as you can see, a book can take you anywhere; it can inspire you to do creative things. You can go anywhere, anytime, using your imagination. Your adventure might not be as mysterious as this book was, but it sure will be special.

Water

Here is something I wrote yesterday. I was thinking of the summer and I thought, "Hey! Why don't I make up a poem about water." So here it is, my poem about water.

As radiant as the light of day,

As brilliant as a bright blue jay,

It is a body of water,

Home to the pleasant otter.

Friends gather around

To listen to it's sound.

Children laugh and play

 In the water of the day.

Some mothers fuss at the children,

 Then, smiling, stop and listen.

One boy cries,

Then come the mothers' replies,

"Oh dear, oh dear.

'We shall save you, for fear

You might drown."

And they pull him out with a frown.

Then eat a delicate treat,

Oh, so, so sweet.

And so I have to say,

What a wonderful day.

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles

This set of books was okay. I didn't like this series as much as I liked the first series, but it was definitely a magical experience and had much more adventure then I thought it would have. It was hilarious in some spots, which I enjoyed, and dangerous in others where I think I could have come up with a plan. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this series. It has some characters I thought they wouldn't put in, but then the books were full of different things, like creatures from the Spiderwick field guide. When I read about the Nixies and Giants, I remembered I had read about them in the guide. A Nixie can be dangerous and rarely will come to the surface of the pond. To know if a Nixie lives there you can leave food and it will be gone. You might find flutes made out of reeds and someone in the family might disappear.  A giant is usually slumbering but will wake up sometimes. It will eat salamanders so it can breath fire. It likes to hear a Nixie sing and a mermaid sing. So my final thoughts are this: It truly takes you beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles.

Halloween Harvest

Here is a live report that I did on Halloween that I am proud of . I remember how excited I felt that I was reporting on it. It reminds me of what I might do when I grow up if I don't become a writer. I'm proud to have reported on our Halloween Harvest. 

“After scraping out pumpkin guts and a few little murmurs about how gross it was, it was time to carve the pumpkin. First came the mouth shaped like a fish, which stands for being a “fisher of men”; then came the nose shaped like a heart, symbolizing God’s love for us; after that came the eyes shaped like crosses, representing God’s Son dying on the cross. This year Pop (Frank Grau Jr.) forgot the ears which are shaped like bibles, to hear the Word of God. 

‘Noel cried out, “Mom finished cooking the seeds!” Pop grabbed his camera and started taking pictures of the finished pumpkin and the lighting of the candle. Picture after picture came.

‘Soon pj’s were on, the house lights were turned off. We ate our pizza and then settled down to watch our movie. Mom made sugar cookies with pumpkins on them to enjoy while we watched. 

‘A lot of fun came down our path. After the fun, everybody headed to bed with full tummies and a smile on their faces.”

Fergus Crane

Yesterday, I was reading Fergus Crane, a story that lets your imagination run wild-- like mine! That's what happened when I read Fergus Crane, a story about a ten year-old that had one of the biggest adventures you could think of. Fergus lived in Archduke Ferdinand's Apartment. He lived alone with his mother. That was because his father had vanished on a fateful voyage a long time ago. Fergus would stay up each night waiting for a message from the Fateful Voyage Company. The third night in a row, a mysterious little box that carried the messages back and forth came. Fergus read, "You Are In Danger". Fergus gasped, "Don't Go To School Today! Your long lost Uncle Theo."  My long lost Uncle Theo? Fergus thought. The next day Fergus went to school. "Time for Tunnel Exercise," barked Mr. Woodhead. Little did the class know this wasn't half as hard as the real thing would be. The next day when Fergus went to school, the school ship Betty Jeanne wasn't there. After having met Uncle Theo, he knew he  could send a message. Soon, Fergus was on Fire Isle. His friends were with the school teachers because the school teachers were pirates. The kids were to climb down and get firestones. The firestones would make the pirates rich. Fergus saved his friends and soon was also reunited his father. I liked this book. Just like other books I read, this one was just as special as firestones.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

A few days ago I started a book about four gifted children. I finished on Wednesday, the seventh. I liked the book and did a book report on it. The Mysterious Benedict Society is the first book in Trenton Lee Stewart's series. This is one of my favorite books I have read so far. It inspired me. Here is what the story is about: An advertisement for gifted children was put up around the city. A boy by the name of Reynie is in the test and passes. He meets three other children who have passed the test. All three pass two more tests and then meet Mr. Benedict who gave out the test sheets. He needs their help to save the world because secret messages are being sent around by radio and TV. Mr. Benedict wants to know what they mean and how they're being sent. He sends the children to the Learning Institute on Nomansan Island.  Then Reynie and his friend Sticky become messengers. They get to experience the Whisperer. The machine whispers to you and makes you not afraid. The messages are actually being sent while you're in it but you don't know. The children defeat the Whisperer by confusing it. At the end of the story, Reynie is adopted by his tutor, Miss Perumal. His friend, Sticky, is reunited with his parents; Kate finds her father; and Constance is adopted by Mr. Benedict.  I enjoyed this book very much. It gave me a few ideas for my stories. I think reading gives me ideas for my stories. I hope I can read the other two stories in the series. The titles are The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoners Dilemma, and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. I guess I'm just like my pop says, I'm a little reader.

Summer Reading...

To start off my blog, I thought I would remember some of the great reads that I finished over the summer. During the summer months, my family prepares for the upcoming L.A. County Fair. One of the neat things that we always try to do is the Read-to-Ride Program. Every student reads six books and does a quick book report on each. At the fair, we turn in these reports and exchange them for free rides at the carnival. The rides are great, but reading the books is the best part. Here is one of the books I read this summer.

Bridge to Terabithia

            At the beginning of the story Leslie went to school her very first day. She met Jess and they became friends quickly. The problem in the story was the kids had nowhere to play. The characters solved the problem by finding a place to play, the wooded area near their homes. They called the woods Terabithia. They pretended all kinds of fun stories and had exciting adventures. One day Leslie wanted to go to Terabithia on her own and drowned while crossing the brook. At the end of the story Jess has no friend again and is very sad.

            I felt sad when I read this book, I wanted it to be a happy ending. However, I would recommend this book to other kids; it helps your imagination to grow.