Marigold and the Feather of Hope, the Journey begins

Marigold and the Feather of Hope, the Journey Begins is the first book in The Fairy Chronicles series. The books are about nine year old girls who can turn into fairies. They are amazing. My favorite fairy is Firefly. She is really cool. She can do a lot of cool things, and doesn't have to worry when she flies. Those who don't believe in fairies only see a firefly, hence the name, "Firefly." My favorite mentor is Madame Swallowtail. She is a lot like Mom. She is graceful and elegant. She is wise and knows what to not do. She is really cool. I also liked the extras in the back of the book. Right now my Pop is scanning the extras, like recipes, for me. I really like The Fairy Chronicles!

The Danger Box

The Danger Box is a good book, written by Blue Balliet. I learned a lot about Charles Darwin. I loved The Gas Gazette, a newspaper that the kids in the book put out. My articles are just a family thing, and I just write about family events. But now, I've got some cool ideas about something I could do. Anyway, I loved the book. It took me a long time, because we've been busy, but I finally finished it. If I could take three things from the book and make them real, I would take out Zoomy, Lorrol, and The Gas Gazette. I think that would be so cool! The Danger Box is awesome!

Kay Snow Competition

I am entering another competition. The Kay Snow Competition is for kids to write a short story that is 1,500 words. Not a lot, and there have been others with more words, but it is still going to be fun. If I win, I will get a cash prize. I can't wait till I send it in and hear the winners. I'll soon write about my twenty millionth competition I'm entering....

One False Note

The 39 Clues continues in this new tale. Their next destination is Vienna, Austria and the main ancestor that they're focused on? Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart. There is something funny with their family, especially the Mozart family. Now that the kids have a bunch of clues to what they're looking for, they have some cousins on their trail. They figure out the next clue: Japan. So they are headed to Japan. Can't wait to write about the third book....

The Maze of Bones

The Thirty-Nine Clues is a great book series. There are two kids named Amy and Dan Cahill. Their parents died in a fire, and their guardian abandoned them when they began the search for the thirty-nine clues. The clues lead to some great power, the source of the Cahill family's power. There are four branches of the family. The Lucian, Janus, Tomas, and Ekaterina branches. There is also another branch, the Madrigals, that are very, very, very, deadly. Nobody knows much about them and the Madrigals don't associate with anybody else in the family. Certain people, randomly selected, in the family, are called to choose between two options. They can either take one million dollars per person and walk away, or become a contestant, in the search for the thirty-nine clues, against other dangerous players.  Amy and Dan have twelve opponents. Amy and Dan manage to find the first clue, Ben Franklin, and get a lead start. I can't wait to write about the second book...

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is a good book. It is not at all like I would have imagined it, though. Mary Poppins is not at all like she is in the movie. She is short-tempered, impatient, vain, and many other things. Not to offend the author, but I like the movie better than the book. Most of the exploits of Mary Poppins, Jane, and Michael are featured in the movie. I sort of wish that the Mary Poppins in the book was like in the movie. Nevertheless, Mary Poppins is a fun book, and I like it!

The Wall and the Wing

The Wall and the Wing is one of the best books I have ever read. There is a young lady named Gurl. She meets this boy named Bug. Together they discover her hidden past, what she can do, what he can do, and become the best of friends. At the end, Bug is amazing! He flies twenty stories high and dives down super fast, landing just an inch above the ground. I love the idea of flying, but personally, I'd rather be invisible. I mean, yeah flying is cool, but I totally think that being invisible would be fun. I can probably make myself a flying jet pack or something. I would be able to sneak past Pop in hide-and-seek or tag, maybe even capture the flag! And not only that, there would be more uses, such as sneaking an extra cookie or two...

At the Stroke of Midnight

Though it is not a book, and it's not going to really further my education in writing, I decided to write about the new i-Pad app that Pop bought. I have gotten through quite a bit of it, and I find it amazing.

I would love to have been the one to think up this story. It is about a novelist who is staying in an old house to get inspiration for her new book. There are ghosts, mysteries, and more! My family loves it, except Angelina (she's so scared she needs someone to go into the hallway with her). It keeps us guessing what will happen next. I've been guessing and I bet I'm close to the truth. I would love to tell you, but that would be giving all fun away! I really am liking this app!

The Mystery of the Cupboard

Feeling like I needed a story about little people, I turned to one of the offshoots of The Indian in the Cupboard series. Omri knows far more about the cupboard, now that he's found his wicked-great-great grandmother's notebook. It carries the secret to the cupboard. As the book continues, he learns more about the cupboard than he thought possible. This book is wonderful and I could read it again and again!

LA Zoo (Snow Days)

The L.A. Zoo is a wonderful zoo. We go there a lot each year, and it is so much fun. I really liked the new Asian elephant exhibit, though the elephants wanted to go inside. Guess why? Because there are heated floors inside! The bear didn't seem to like the snow that had been placed on the ground either. Only the snow leopard seemed to like it. He was sleeping, then he woke up and walked to the back to rest in the snow. He batted it, then turned around and around before actually resting. I also really liked the aviary. It was so much fun going to the L.A. Zoo!

The Ben Franklin Exhibit

At the Bowers Museum, last Sunday, we explored the Ben Franklin exhibit. We did a group "electric shock" experiment, went to Philadelphia, stood trial before the British court, and tried out one of his inventions. I liked the journey to Philadelphia best. It was so cool! I can't wait to go there again sometime!

James and the Giant Peach

I had never read this classic, but finally, when I got to the point that I had no books to read or write about, I plucked the book off the bookshelf. I had started it a long, long time ago, and never read more than two pages. I have to say, I like the book much better than the movie (no offense to the directors). It is so awesome. I never knew about the cloud men or the fact that the ladybug marries the fireman. Kind of funny, wouldn't you agree? A ladybug, marrying a fireman! It's ridiculous. I like this book a lot!

Valentine's at the Library

Today we will go to the Paul A. Biane Library for the Valentine's program. It was fun last year and I can't wait to go again. It is so much fun! We play bingo, and we get decorate-the-scene sheets. We have bean-bag-toss and so much more. I just can't wait. It will be so much fun to have Valentine's at the Library!!!

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows is a good book that I enjoyed a lot. It is heartwarming and I never read a book about dogs like this ones. Yeah, I get to watch the movie soon. My Dad says the book is better than the movie. I can't wait to find out! Till next time...

W.I.T.A.

Today I am going to a meeting at my friend's house. She has started a group called W.I.T.A. I am in. It is really excited. Soon we will be going! This is my first meeting, and I just can't believe that I've joined. It will be so cool. It is a writer's group, perfect for me. I can't wait!

The Diary of Anne Frank

This book is one of the best I ever read. It is a bit sad, but overall it is very, very, very good.  I kind of giggled at the first few parts, but then I sobered at the part where Anne Frank learned about how her family had to go into hiding. Why did people hurt others just because they were different? It seemed pointless, yet sometimes I wonder what reason had the Germans come up with? Whatever it was, it wasn't a good excuse, and I am one who would not join him ever, if I had lived back then.

To Kill a Mockingbird

One of the best stories I ever read, To Kill a Mockingbird, is an award winning classic. It won the Pulitzer prize in 1961 and was made into an Academy Award-winning film. To Kill a Mockingbird is an awesome book. I had never read the book before I watched the movie, but my Pop still let me watch it. Pop decided I should tell him if, even though I watched the movie already, I thought it was like the movie. It has been a while, so when I read it, the movie came rushing back to me, and I remembered everything about the movie. The book reminded me so much of the movie and when I watch it again, I am sure it will be the other way around. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best books in the universe!

Betrayal at Cross Creek

Betrayal at Cross Creek is about a Scottish girl who's family is being betrayed. Elspeth is living during the time of the Revolutionary War. She believes in what the patriots fight for, yet she doesn't like the way the Scottish are treated by the rebellion forces. When two of her cousins get angry at the patriots for frightening Elspeth, they run away to join the British Navy. Afraid for their safety, Elspeth's grandfather joins the Loyalist Militia. When someone gets word to the Rebellion Force about where the troop of Scottish and British men are headed to, Elspeth's cousins and grandfather become endangered. Soon, one of her cousins is killed in the battle, and Elspeth faces the greatest mystery of all her life: who betrayed her family? This intriguing story is one of my favorite American Girl books of all times!

Claude Monet: The Painter Who Stopped the Trains

Claude Monet was an artist who painted a lot. He was not very popular, until he painted The Gare Saint-Lazare. Immediately, the public started recognizing his art, and soon Monet gained the respect of a top art critic and one of the most famous authors at the time, Emile Zola. Mr. Zola wrote this review of Monet's work:
                
                        Monsieur Claude Monet has the most distinctive personality of the Impressionists. He has exhibited some superb interiors of the railway station. You can hear the trains rumbling in, see the smoke billow up under the huge roofs . . . . That is where painting is today . . . . Our artists have to find the poetry in the train stations, the way their fathers found poetry in forest and rivers.


Monet's place as one of the greatest painters became known more and more all over the country. Monet soon earned the nickname "The Painter Who Stopped the Trains."

The Search for WandLa

The Search for WondLa is a good book. It is very thick, but for me it is easy. I like it. It is about a girl who lives underground on Earth. Earth has been changed a lot. Now there are aliens and cool inventions, and Earth is called Orbana. Eva Nine is the girl who lives underground. When it is time she will come up onto the surface and meet other humans. When a dangerous alien tries to destroy her home, she leaves and travels upward. When she gets up to the surface she has many adventures. 





                                                              

Me and My Friends

The last time I did my blog, I wrote an abridged version of one of my stories. I shall now write an abridged version of the second chapter:


                                                                              Chapter 2
I blinked and rubbed my eyes. This wasn't happening, was it? I looked around at my new surroundings. I spotted a sign made of a cinnamon sticks and gingerbread points. I licked my lips as I looked at it. There were six signs on the cinnamon stick in all: Cookie Town, Fudge River, Candle Maker, The Frost Village, Candy Cane Lane, and another one I shivered at. The letters were frosted in dark, black letters: goblins, BEWARE! I stepped back and tripped over something. I turned around, expecting to see a dirty, green goblin. Instead, it was Gigi! She was running and bouncing on the crumbly, frosted cookie road. I gasped. July was running to Gigi, and Story and Hilda were hopping up and down. I felt Kit moving in my bag. This was magic! Kit teeter-tottered over the edge, then started to fall. Story, having loooonnnnggggg arms, grabbed Kit around the waist and snapped her over. I watched with amazement. "Hi guys, I mean girls!" I laughed and sat down. Gigi smiled and ran over from playing with July. Story pulled Hilda and July over with her stretchy arms. "It's good to see you again," Gigi said. July nodded and climbed up my arm. Story grabbed Kit and Hilda and jumped up to hold everyone around my neck. Gigi jumped into my bag. The sun hit the mountains, and I shielded my eyes. "We better find somewhere to rest," I said. I shivered thinking about the sixth sign. It wouldn't be safe to be out here in the dark with goblins roaming, I thought. "I'm hungry!" Announced Kit. I looked down at my bag, where she had jumped to. She smiled sheepishly, and I grinned back. "I want to explore," July commented. "Yeah, well, there are goblins out here, just so you know," I informed everyone. "Oh." Suddenly, I heard grunting and looked over my shoulder. There were about fourteen goblins at my heel.
"Run!" I yelled. I zipped my bag and started running as fast as I could. This wasn't a game of tag with Pop at home, I reminded myself. If there was one thing I had learned from tag, though, it was to find an accurate hiding spot until the enemy has passed. However, there was no shelter. Only me, and stuffed animals who don't even have teeth! Suddenly, I felt arms carrying me up. I blacked out.
                                                           *********************
When I awoke I was hanging from an oak tree, upside down. A rope was tied around my leg and I twisted around to look at my foot. I was trapped!!!

Me and My Friends

I am writing a story about me falling into a magical world. Wow! I thought it would be fun to write an abridged version here of the first chapter:


                                                                       Me and My Friends
                                                                   #1 The Magic Funhouse

     I looked around the fairgrounds at all the rides. There were smells of corn-on-the-cob, roasted turkey leg, and churros. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked to my right. Behind a building, there lay a funhouse. "Oh! Lets go there first!" I dragged Pop's hand and finally, when he wouldn't go any faster, I broke free and ran. "Trinity!" Called Mom. I stopped and slowly turned around. "Yes?" I was disappointed. "Don't run away from us, OK?" I shrugged. "OK." I walked slowly toward the funhouse. When we reached it, I looked up at the plastic sign.  The sign read in swirly writing: Magic Funhouse. It looked like wood. So realistic. I jumped and just barely touched it. I gasped. It was real wood. I glanced at the man running it. He was all smiles. I smiled back at him. He had warm, brown eyes, and dark hair. He was dressed casually. He was wearing a gray shirt and jeans. He had a fedora on and he held it to his chest as he bowed low. "Welcome to my amazing, magic funhouse. An adventure awaits you inside." I looked down at the bag slung around my neck. Gigi, July, Story, Hilda, and Kit rested in it. Kit's head was so small and it blended in with the bag. I could see her twinkling, blue eyes. Go on, she seemed to say, ask how much it is. I felt assured, so I looked up. "How much is it to go inside the funhouse, sir?" The man smiled. "My name is Mr. Mann, and the magic funhouse is free." I looked hopefully up at Pop. He grinned. "Go ahead." I ran in, my heart leaping. What were these "adventures" Mr. Mann had been talking about? Whatever they were, they were sure to be amazing. I climbed ladders, took a little ride on a mini roller coaster, and did so many other things I couldn't possibly remember. I finally found myself at a room filled with nothing but doors. I stared around in puzzlement. Some doors had fake backgrounds, but some were just plain oak doors. I stared at a gingerbread house. This looked promising. I closed my eyes and opened the door. I stepped through and opened my eyes. A swirl of colors had taken effect in the air, and I felt dizzy. Silver and gold sparkles glowed and glittered in the air. They settled after ten seconds. I blinked and looked around. This wasn't the funhouse at all! 

Hoofbeats of Danger

I am a big fan of American Girl. American Girl is a big company that sells stuff for girls. There are also books, completing the list of things that American Girl sells. At the library there is a whole section of American Girl books. I got a few. One of the books I got from the library is Hoofbeats of Danger. I like it a lot. I have read it five times. The book is set during the wild west. I love the wild west, and so the book appealed to me greatly. I like this book a lot!

Remembering My Childhood

As I look at Mom's screensaver, displaying pictures of us in our younger years, I yearn for it to be that time again. We had so much fun, and it was just nice being little. I want to be seven, six, five, or even four years old again. It was so much fun! Although, it's not exactly that easy to be a littler kid again. Why? Because you can't! Although many people wish they could, there is no turning back those days, and we had our fun, but now we're older. We can't play and be princesses or pirates. We can't ride little rides at the fair, and play dolls or spies. Memories of our childhood is all we have, and remembering it like it was just happening is all we can do.

The Fences Between Us

At Barnes and Nobles, I used half of the money on a gift card I got for Christmas. With the money, I got a book from the series Dear America. It is not actually a series, as much as just a set of books. Each book is a diary from someone in history (not real of course, fictional, historical characters). I got the book on Piper Davis, I girl living during World War II. This book is very, very, well written. I like it a lot.