Double Dream Feet

To see "Double Dream Feet" by Grace and me, click here

Matilda

Matilda by Roald Dahl is a 528 page book filled with revenge, magic, and illegal/immoral events. Matilda, a kindergardener, is born with not only mind boggling knowledge, but the ability to control objects with her mind. Her teacher, Ms. Honey, embraces her talents and cherishes her love of learning. When it is revealed that the evil headmistress, Ms. Trunchbull is Ms. Honey's awful aunt that both raised her wrong, and kept hold of all of her father's belongings, things go awry. Ms. Trunchbull goes missing out of nowhere, and Matilda's father is caught red-handed selling old, stolen cars with sawdust put in the engine, trying to look new. Matilda's family has to move to Spain to avoid getting into legal issues. In the end, Matilda moves out of her horrid house she was living in, and moves in with Ms. Honey. (And they all live happily ever after......)

Leviathan- Book Bag

Leviathan, a 464 page novel by Scott Westerfeld, is set in the middle of WWI. Alek, a prince of Austria-Hungary, is constantly on the run, at risk of being killed or kidnapped. Deryn, on the other hand, is a girl dressed as a boy, so that she can fulfill her dream of joining the British Air Force. Their paths cross aboard the Leviathan, the air ship whale Deryn is aboard. Alek is arriving at his destination in the mountains, just as the Leviathan crashes. He sneaks out to help, and finds Deryn unconscious under a pile of rubble. In the end, the Leviathan is repaired, and is flying back to its home base.

Tree with water- most ground scenes take place in forests or parks, in or near water
Cannon- because WWI, cannons used. always either at war or prepping for war
Leviathan- Whale air ship. Deryn and Alek meet on Leviathan. All legos=places could/did break when crashed
Fool's Gold- Alek didn't have to worry about money, didn't understand it either.
Hobo Pack- Alek always on the run, being betrayed, always traveling, had to survive with the bare minimum
Deryn- top=female first. bottom=male, second. in order to be in air force, had to disguise.
Mask- Alek- prince, had to disguise to not killed, next to crown. Deryn- to be in air force, had to disguise as male
Small jar- had to "jar up" feelings so not 1) break down, not be able to regain confidence 2) someone realize not actually male
Crown with Veil- rulers, not democracy. no head= king and queen dead. veil= mysterious, Alek <3 Deryn in end

The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan is a 400 page book that concludes the Percy Jackson series. The half-bloods have been preparing to fight the titans all year long, and knowing that Kronos's army is stronger than ever, people helping in every way possible. Because everyone is trying  so hard to get more of a half-blood army, Mount Olympus is left almost completely unguarded. Battles are happening left and right, and eventually, Kronos/Luke is defeated, and the prophecy has yet to happen. This book proves to be a dramatic conclusion to the Percy Jackson series, and I recommend it to anyone seeking an adventure-filled book based on Greek Gods.

A Lucky Child

A Lucky Child, a 256 page novel by Thomas Buergenthal, is a memoir of surviving Auschwitz concentration camp at only 10 years old. Not only is Thomas detached from his parents and forced to survive on his own, but has to go about his business not knowing whether or not his parents are even alive. Surviving the Holocaust was a blessing and a punishment, and without a will to live, Thomas never would have made it through.

The Outsiders

180 page novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton tells the tale of Ponyboy Curtis, and the ongoing warfare between the "Greasers" and the "Socs." Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop, and is a greaser, or, a member of an East-Side street gang. The Socs, (pronounced SOSH-es)short for socials, are the West-Side rich kid gang members. SPOILER ALERT!!! Ponyboy is really close with Soda, but has always had issues with Darry, and one night, he gets home late, and without thinking, slaps him. Pony manages   to get himself so worked up, that he goes to Johnny, another member of the gang, constantly being abused by his family, and they decide to run away. As they are leaving, they get jumped by a group of Socs, and one of them tried to drown Ponyboy. Without thinking, Johnny pulls out his switchblade and kills him. Now, they really have to run- they have no choice- they can either get caught by the cops, or leave. They hit their destination, and are there for about a week. Another member of the gang shows up after about a week, and they decide to go out for food. When they return, they find that the abandoned building they were in is on fire, and a class had taken a field trip there. Several students are stuck in the building, and have no was to get out. The three of them go in to rescue them, and the children are saved, and all made it out alive. At the end of the book, Ponyboy is the only one of the three that lives, because Johnny and the other member both were severely injured, and that ended up killing them in the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it to everyone.

***This book is not on the Ulltimate reading list- it is classified under the "Books your parents read" section

Random Blogging

I can't believe that the school year is already half way through! This time last year, State Reports were being turned in soon, so I was staying up late every night drawing maps, writing about Rhode Island, and trying to get everything put together correctly. Now, 6th grade is little by little making its way towards promotion, and then Manchester gets a whole different group of 6th graders! I have decided to highlight the couple events from each year that shall be remembered forever.

2nd Grade- Alligators All Around, being a new second grader at a new school, Mrs. Nakamura, Girls/Boys days During Martin Luther King Jr. week
3rd Grade- I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Mrs. Snyder, my last year as a "little kid" (next year, I'm king of the playground)
4th grade- Mrs. Riding, All the plays we did, meeting Emily, My 1st solo in a play, "King of the Playground",
5th grade- The State Report, Mrs. DeCarli, The *absolutely amazing* Jupiter Project, my 1st "B" on my report card, almost a 6th grader, The Ship Trip, Little Buddies
6th grade-(so far) BEING IN SIXTH GRADE!!!, Ms. Ullner, The Nerd Herd VS The Jock Flock, CAMP!!!!!!!, lacma field trip, Last year at Manchester, MacVader

I have really enjoyed going to Manchester G.A.T.E. and I will truly miss it.