An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines is by John Green. It is about a boy named Colin who has dated, and gotten dumped by 19 girls named Katherine. At the end of high school, when the 19th Katherine dumps him, he and his friend Hassan go on a road trip. Colin is a child prodigy, he is really smart, and Hassan has a totally different personality. The characters in this book are really good, and I would recommend it. It has a little mature stuff, but not that much.

SOL: Spring Trip

We run in to the water as soon as we arrive. Still fully dressed, the waves splash at our feet. We change in to our swimsuits, and feel the ocean on our first day of the trip.
Days later, coral cuts our feet as we explore, swimming deeper. We put on water shoes and walk on the coral reef. Waves splash our face, and saltwater gets in our eyes.
Every afternoon we arrive at the camp and jump into the water. By our last day our legs sting from cuts. The sun shines down on the water, making it aqua blue and surreal. We step in the sand, and, realizing that the water is deep we do our best to stay afloat.
Eventually we swim to shore.
Goodbye ocean
Goodbye
sunsets over the waves.
We have to leave these memories.
Climbing over the wall, jumping over the rocks, leaping into the water, and tracing our names in the sand.
We say goodbye to Camp Homelani
We might never see this beach again.

The Boy in Striped Pajamas

This book by John Boyne is about a boy named Bruno who lives in Germany. His father is a commander for World War II, but he knows very little about the war. He ends up moving to a camp, and out his window he can see a lot of people in what he calls 'striped pajamas'. He ends up finding out more about them, and exploring near the camp. This book is pretty short and sad, and it is very good. There is a movie of the book that I haven't seen yet. This book doesn't have mature topics and it is really good, I would definitely recommend it.

Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullally Hunt

Fish in a Tree is about a girl named Ally Nickerson who has trouble reading. Nobody knows that she does and she really struggles at school. She is convinced that she is stupid, and a lot of teachers really dislike her. But then she moves to a class with a teacher named Mr. Daniels. He shows her that she is smart, even when girls tease her. She manages to realize the possibilities and make friends. This was a pretty young themed book, but I still thought the writing was pretty good. It definitely did not have any mature themes. If you are interested in the topics in this book than I would recommend reading it.

Poems for Poetry Map

Supply Closet Poem

Pens and pencils
 Everywhere I look
Markers and paper
Notebooks and glue sticks
This is a child's paradise
A room to be creative.
Draw a picture, or
Write a story.
Shelves filled with poster board
yes,
This is a child's paradise

Ode to the UFA

A few red couches
Forty-four metal lockers
and 7 chairs that surround the table.
We all sit here
Talking and laughing
Pencils in hand.
We stand
on the carpeted floor
all together
Oblivious of it all.

Standing at our lockers
Lounging on the couches,
Our little room
Right off the hallway.
We come here
when we want to laugh,
or smile.
We don't need
Anything else.
We are happy here.

Limercks

There once was a girl named Grace
Who was happy in her place
Swinging by the monkey bars
Watching all the passing cars
and she wanted just a taste...

There once was a box of chips
When I saw it I smacked my lips
But I gave it away
Got it back the next day
Then I let out happy yips

Free Verse Poetry

The Supply Closet

Pens and pencils
Everywhere I look
Markers and paper
Notebooks and glue sticks
This is a child's paradise
A room to be creative.
Draw a picture, or
Write a story.
Shelves filled with poster board
yes,
This is a child's paradise


What if these shelves were empty?
I cannot help but wonder.
If the paper and pencils all
disappeared.
No binders, or glue.
What would we do?

Attachments

Attachments is by Rainbow Rowell. It is about a man named Lincoln whose job is to read workers emails if they have flagged words in the office where he works. Lincoln starts to read conversations between two women named Jennifer and Beth, and he starts to fall in love with one of them. You learn a lot about Lincoln and his life, but also about Jennifer and Beth because of their email conversations. Like all of Rainbow Rowell's other books, I thought Attachments was pretty good.

The Great Depression- Occasional Poem

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." --President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Depression.
Money is all gone.
When it left it filled the earth with dust,
tears,
and pain.
10 years of pain.
It just gets worse and worse.
Can anyone help me?
Will they help all of us?
We all need help.
We fell so hard.
Can we pick ourselves back up?
It gets worse-- and then...
And then we have hope
We make plans
President Roosevelt--he gave us hope
and finally...
it was over
Our cuts would heal to scars
We would be okay. 

Ode to Color

Brightening the world

Without you we would be sad

The world would be black and whit

You make us happy

You give us hope

Rainbows and butterflies

Every day is a little better

With bright colors

No darkness or sadness

Always happy and bright

 

 

The sun's yellow

Blue oceans

Green grasses

White clouds in the blue sky

Purple, red, orange

The pink of cherry blossoms

The joy you bring

The brightness

Oh, color

What would we do without you?

Haikus

A light breeze blowing

Quiet and light and happy

The grass is dancing

 

 

Grass becoming green

The sky is blue and cloudless

And winter is gone

 

I have an idea

My pen moves across the page

Thoughts, letters, and words



Where She Went

The book that I read last week was Where She Went by Gayle Forman. It is the sequel to If I Stay, and I thought it was as good as If I Stay. This book is told from the perspective of Adam, who was one of the most important characters in If I Stay. He is telling the story of how he became a very famous rock star, after he and Mia broke up. He doesn't really like being a star, as he has drifted away from his band. Then one night he goes to see Mia play cello at Carnegie Hall. He gets to see her again, and they spend a few days together. I thought that Where She Went was very good. It only had a few inappropriate topics. If you are going to read this book you should definitely read If I Stay first, but I definitely recommend reading both of these books.

Slice of Life

I write a list of books,

flip through a notebook and search the web

for good books and book reviews.

and I wonder

will we ever run out of books?

will there ever really be nothing left to read?

I don't think so.

I have read almost 40 books this year

there are hundreds more

thousands more.
No.

We will never run out of books.
And if we did...

We would probably be ok.

The 14th Goldfish

The book that I read over Spring Break was the 14th Goldfish. It was about a girl in 6th grade named Ellie. She is a pretty standard girl who lives with her mom-- a drama teacher at a high school. One night she hears that her grandfather has been arrested. When her Mom drives him home he is a 12 year old boy. Her grandfather Melvin was a scientist and he found a cure for old age. This is basically the plot of the book. It has a lot to do with science and famous scientists-- which is kind of interesting. This was a really quick read, and it was not well written at all. It was really young and not that interesting. Overall I don't recommend the 14th Goldfish, but it could be good if you are looking for a REALLY quick read.

To Read:
-Where She Went
-Attachments

Final Slice of Life: March 31st!

I don't know what to write.

Wait... something isn't right.

I've written in the morning and I've written in the night.

I've worked in rooms so dark and cold and rooms so warm and bright.

And finally its over and I don't know what to say.

This month and all its writing I'm about to cast away.

But there are so many memories and stories I can tell. 

I try to tell just one of them before I say farewell.

And midnight comes-- the end of March, and April all ahead.

So its time to stop my writing and do something else instead.

Goodbye!

Slice of Life: March 30th

I started today thinking skiing would be no fun. I hadn't skiied in a year, and hadn't really enjoyed it too much then. But today was different. Maybe it was that I was with my friends, or that now I am just better at it, but skiing today was fun. I had fun even when I got scared on the ice and went so slowly. I had fun even in that moment of distress when I dropped my pole off the ski lift (we later went and retrieved it). I had fun every second of the day. And hopefully, tommorow will be just as fun. 

March 29th: Slice of Life

The sun rises on a Saturday morning. I stand up and walk out of my room. I hop down the stairs and make breakfast, then get a suitcase out of the closet. Packing everything I will need. In just a few hours we are leaving-- so now I get ready for the long drive ahead. It is exciting and tiring. At 11:00 we hear the doorbell ring. Time to go!

March 28th: Slice of Life

Contents of my backpack:

Two notebooks (one for notes, one for writer's workshop)

A folder filled with pages of notes

A charger for my laptop (it has gone in and out of the bag all day)

My laptop in its decorative case

Stapled papers with drawings and words (my unit project)

A green binder for Spanish

A floppy gray binder for my Matrix classes

Assorted pens and pencils

A pack of gum

Chapstick

Loose papers

March 27th: Slice of Life

Friday. Done with everything I have to do. This is the best! For once, I have time to plan ahead. No homework. I cant wait for the day to be over. 12:00-- that means 3 hours left. Come on, come on, come on! I stare ahead of me, out the window. I imagine myself breaking out of the school. Come on, come on, come on! I am so ready for the weekend to finally begin. 

March 26th: Slice of Life

Laughing. I LOVE to laugh. There are those times when you just can NOT stop giggling. Right now is one of those times. I start to stop laughing, but then I think of another funny thing and start up again. I can feel my face getting redder and redder. I just can't stop laughing. I love this feeling. This silly, happy, wonderful feeling.

March 25th: Slice of Life

My body is tense, and cold. So cold. I cant see anything out the window because of the darkness. I see my reflection, my pale tired looking face, in the light of the computer screen, in the window. Messy papers are scattered around me. A shiver sent down my spine. Some strange noises off in the distance. It is late and I am tired. The house is so, so cold.

March 24th: Book Blog

The book that I read this past week was The Book Thief. I thought this was a very good but sad book. To summarize: it is about a girl named Leisel who goes to live with foster parents during World War II. She becomes very close with her foster parents, who are not big supporters of the Nazis. The family ends up hiding a Jew in their basement to keep him safe. This was a really touching, historically correct, interesting, sad, and well written story. I would recommend The Book Thief. It has no mature topics and it is very good!

March 23: Slice of Life

I leap out of the car and race up the steps, my backpack slung over one shoulder, my jacket hanging over my arm, discarded because of the warmth. Up five more steps and I stand in front of the glass door to our house, waiting just a few moments before entering. As I walk in to the house and set my backpack down on the coffee table I feel like I am floating, ready for anything, just so happy. I give my Mom a quick hug, quickly discussing the contents of my day. Then I bolt up the carpeted stairs two at a time to my welcoming room. It is unusually hot and messy, but nevertheless it feels like home. I don't mind that I have tons of homework, or a sore throat not relieved by cough drops. I am thoroughly happy, and I never want this feeling to go away--never.

March 22: Slice of Life

I have so much left to do. Hours and hours, more to do than there is time in the day. I shouldn't have saved this all for Sunday night, especially having a four day weekend. But I couldn't help it, which means another victory for Sunday night crunch. I actually thought I would get more done yesterday, and the day before, and the day before, and so on... but I was wrong. I can try to blame this all on teachers for giving me the homework, or parents for having me so overscheduled. But only I can be blamed for this. So while I watch others having fun in the warm sun outside I sit at the computer, trying to get a lot done in a little bit of time.

March 21: Slice of Life

My head spins when I stand up. I cough, and sit back down. Shapes dance before my eyes. I close them and lean back my head. It is hard to think, hard to breathe. Hard to go about my day. Why today? I think. I could be having fun on the weekend. But I had to be sick today. A knock on my door and a soft voice speaking. Come downstairs for dinner. But I struggle even standing. I really hope that I will feel better tomorrow.

March 20: Slice of Life

Out in the yard a single daffodil blooms. A few brightly colored tulips. And many green sprouts. They reach towards the sun. "Spring at last!", they all say. Spring at last. The grass is greener now than I have seen it for a while, and the bright sun shines through the windows, warm and gentle. Squirrels and birds are in a jumble about the trees. "Spring at last!", they all say. Spring at last. Tree branches reach upward, excited for the new season. They don't have leaves yet, but they will soon. "Spring at last!", they all say. Spring at last.

March 19th: Slice of Life

The sky is cloudy and dark. Tree branches reach up towards the sky evilly. I am glad that this window stays between me and the cold. Everything seems so irretrievably cold, and lost, and tired. I am so extraordinarily tired. What yesterday was green and warm is today gray and cold. In a period of waiting. Waiting for tomorrow. For a warmer and happier time. But nevertheless, I am glad that it is today. 

March 18th: Slice of Life

In my dream I walk in to a brightly lit room

I am not afraid

In my dream I look around

There isn't anything suspicious

I have no doubts

I am not afraid

In my dream a man appears

Dressed in dark clothes 

I gasp 

Who is he?

I am unsure

I begin to be afraid.

In my dream he chases after me

Wil I be safe?

I am unsure. 

Now I am very afraid

very afraid. 

In my dream I escape

I awaken

I am fine. 

But why would I dream this?

I am unsure

I am afraid. 

March 17th: Book Blog

This week was my first week reading The Book Thief. It is about an interesting girl named Leisel who goes to live with a foster family in Germany (she is German). She makes a lot of friends, and the book is partially about her experience just living her life. But she is living during World War II and though she is pretty safe, it is still a really dangerous time in general, so that part is about the choices that she makes in those experiences. The Book Thief is definitely really sad, but it is a great book. I will tell more about the plot next week when I have read more, but even with the short part that I have read I really like the Book Thief and definitely recommend it.


To Read:
Sorta Like a Rockstar
Lock In
I am Number Four??? (maybe)

March 16th: Slice of Life

Dear Monday--

You disgust me. After Friday and Saturday and Sunday you come, and it is not pleasant. No matter what I may do to avoid you, you chase after me night and day, and even when I run, you catch up to me. 11:59 on Sunday, fearing the next moment. This is what you have done to me. Ended the great times of the weekend, and sent me back to school. There is no avoidance, this is the way it has to be you tell me. Yet I dread you. Monday-- I sincerely hope you never come. 

 

March 15: Slice of Life

What to write in a thank you note is a puzzle. Thank you for being a friend sounds cheesy, but thanks for the great present just sounds shallow. I write pretty simple thank you notes, something along the lines of: I really appreciated your great gift, and I hope to see you soon or I really liked seeing you, and I cant wait to use your gift. They are usually just a few sentences, not all too important or time-consuming. But then there is the occasional thank you note that takes more time and more thought, and drives you crazy. But my thank you notes are done with out too much trouble, a fact which I gladly accept. Thank you notes can be such a pain!

March 14th: Slice of Life

So many superstitions for this feared day: Friday the 13th. For example: if you cut your hair on Friday the 13th someone in your family will die. Creepy! Or: don't start traveling on Friday the 13th, because bad luck will follow. I don't think I believe in these superstitions. I got through yesterday without any bad luck. But who knows? Maybe Friday the 13th is a very dangerous day...

March 13th: Slice of LIfe

I rush in the big front doors. "See you later guys!" says my Mom. I race up the stairs. I turn around and look at the clock in the lobby, then glance in the window of my math classroom. There are only a few minutes left. There's no use in going. I hurry to my classroom "Hi, Talia!", everyone says. I smile and wave as I walk to my desk and set down my backpack. I pull out binders and papers, worrying about the many things I simply forgot. 9:30 arrives-- time for matrix. My desk is a total wreck, but I leave the classroom anyway, I am ready to get started, ready for the day to begin.

March 12th: Slice of LIfe

Do I hear music? Or am I just so exhausted that I am imagining it. I close my eyes and tune out all other sounds. The lights are off. I look at the clock. I slouch down in my bed and pull the covers over my head. I adjust the pillows and close my eyes. After a few deep breaths I am asleep.

March 11th: Slice of Life

I got the assignment--and worked. Worked to find the correct website. Took notes for what seemed like forever. Typed and typed and kept on typing. I am not good with computers. But for this, I had to be. I wanted it to be good. So here is the finished product! Please check this out! It is my infographic timeline!

Click here to see!!!

March 10th: Slice of Life

This week was my second week reading All the Light we Cannot See. To summarize: this book focuses on two characters-- a girl named Marie-Laure who leaves Paris and moves to another part of France called Saint-Malo to be safe in World War II. I really liked her story. The other character is a boy named Werner who goes to a camp that trains him to become a Nazi in the war. You like his character, even though you find out all of the terrible things that he is doing to innocent people. This book was a really challenging read, but it was also super good. It was sad, and I would definitely recommend being okay with really hard topics if you want to read this book. But I would definitely recommend it!!!

March 9th: Slice of Life

I hear a hysterical laugh, and smile. Tapping my foot rhythmically on the bed as I flip each page of my book. Each chapter brings new excitements, and discoveries. I glance at my calendar, briefly skimming the many things I have left to do. My eyes return to the book I am reading. Action, description, emotion. I reach page 350 and debate: there are other things I should be doing. But I read one more word, and another, and cannot stop. The child outside laughs more. I look out my window, and then bring my eyes back to the book, and the story it tells.

March 8th: Slice of Life

This is my 4,397th day alive. How do I choose a single day to be the best? Would it be a birthday? A trip across the world? A milestone? A great experience with my family? It is so hard to choose. It is easier to choose the worst day in my life. Times I have been embarrassed, or completely and totally disappointed, or just so sad. But best days are more fun to think about, because you get to focus on the good times.

March 7th: Slice of Life

There are so many thoughts racing through my mind. Things to do, to remember, to not do.
a-- where is everyone. am I alone in the house. If I am, shouldn't I know? did my mom leave. I needed her to email me that document. maybe she is still here...
b-- today I have finished one week of slice of life-ing every day. I have so much more to go...
c-- I need to do that thing for math. Grrr...math. So much to do, so little time!!!
d-- the phone is ringing. maybe I should answer it. should I? I should...
e-- it wasn't anyone important. back to work.
back to a-- seriously, am I alone. where is everybody? what is going on...
f-- it is freezing in here. why is it so cold? is my window open. oh no, I think my window is open!!!!!
g-- my room is so messy. I think I should clean up.
h-- I am getting off topic, I am supposed to be writing a slice of life!!!
i-- the phone is ringing again.
j-- someone answered it. that means I am not alone. good!
k-- ok, done. I finished!!! not the whole month, but just the day.

March 6th: Slice of Life

There are so many icicles outside my window. Already this morning multiple icicles have fallen onto the porch below, scaring everyone in the kitchen. In the front yard, I reach up and touch a tiny icicle on our low roof. I break it off, and throw it into the snowy yard. There are icicles in the gutter below my window, icicles stuck in the snow, icicles holding on to curves in the roof. Soon all the icicles will be gone- spring is coming.

March 5th: Slice of Life

I set an alarm, climb into bed, and close my eyes. Hours later, my morning begins.
7:00 My alarm goes off. As much as I want to fall back asleep, I know it is now time to open my eyes and get ready for the day to come.
7:20 I rush down the stairs. After going back and forth between a few choices, I decide what I want for breakfast. I eat, waiting for my brother and dad to wake up. I hear my dad's alarm go off, as I finish my meal and put it in the dishwasher.
7:30 I pass my brother on the stairs. He is still wearing his pajamas--he looks so tired.
7:50 I am almost ready to leave. I put on my shoes, pull on a jacket, and pack up my backpack. A few minutes later I am out in the cold, getting into my car.
8:10 We are driving to school- my brother, my dad, and me.
8:25 We pull up to the school. I hop out of the car and walk in to the building. I walk up the stairs, and into the classroom.
8:30 The day begins.

March 4th: Slice of Life

My first word was tofu. It doesn't seem like a normal first word, I agree. According to stories, I used to take huge blocks of tofu and ferociously eat them. My first birthday there was a cake, and my family. I don't clearly remember,  but I look back at the pictures. It seems like a lot of the time you make a memory just to be able to look back at the pictures, and know exactly how you felt. You get to know all about everyone in a picture. And in a picture, if you want, you get to be someone you aren't. But in the best pictures, everyone is just being themselves, so you can look back and see who they are, and who you were.

March 3rd: Book Blog

The book that I read was All the Light We Cannot See. It is actually a two week book. All the Light We Cannot see is about a blind girl named Marie-Laure in world war II. Because of the war, she and her locksmith father who live in Paris have to leave Paris and go somewhere where they will be safer. It is also about a boy named Werner, who is an orphan. He does not want to go work in the mines, and he is a genius with radios. He gets an opportunity to go to a school to become a Nazi-soldier. I really have liked all the light we cannot see so far, but it is definitely a challenging book.


TBR:
all the bright places
dash and lily's book of dares
the book theif

Slice of Life for March 2nd

"I was playing football on the beach..." My brother has told this story so many times, but I still listen.

"And some random person came up." "They asked me, like, 'can I take a selfie with you'" Here we go again. "And so I said 'yes' and then all of these random people started asking to take selfies with me". Although the story is true, every time he tells it, he gets a little more famous. As the story comes to an end, I laugh to myself. I am so lucky to have such a fun little brother, even if he is totally obsessed with football.

Slice of Life for March 1st

I wake up, startled. "Welcome to Denver, Colorado. The local time is....". After over 16 hours of traveling we have finally arrived-- all the way from Australia. It is 12:00am, bout the same time that we left because of the time change. I stand up and lift up my bag. I feel like I am sleepwalking as I move through the jetway. After picking up our bags and going down to the parking lot I am ready to be going home. As I step into the freezing air I rub my arms to keep myself warm. I wait and wait for the car. I count the minutes: 5...10...15. And then I see the car pull up. I put my suitcase in the trunk and get in the car. We drive away from the airport... and I don't look back.

Book Blog

I usually choose books in one of three ways; a book that we have in the classroom, a book that seems similar to a book that I already read and liked, or a book that someone else recommends in their book blogs. This way a lot of the time I already know a few things about the book before I read it.
My favorite book is one that I read this year: The Secret Life of Bees. It is about a girl named Lily who's father often hurts her. She runs away and has to deal with racism and finding out about her mother. Everyone would like the Secret Life of Bees!
The book I read over winter break was Looking for Alaska. It is told from the perspective of a boy named Miles who goes to a boarding school. He instantly makes friends with a boy named the colonel and a girl named Alaska. I thought Looking for Alaska was really good. It is sad at parts and has a lot of mature topics.


Some books that I want to read are;
All the Light we Cannot see
I am Number four
sorta like a rockstar

Love Letters to The Dead

Love Letters to the Dead is about a girl named Laurel who gets an assignment to write a letter to a dead person, so she writes it to Kurt Kobian. She ends up writing letters to many dead people such as Amelia Earhart, Judy Garland, and River Phoenix. She tells the interesting story of her first year in high school through these letters. I really liked Laurel's character. Although this book has swearing and some mature topics, I would definitely recommend it. It is a great book!

Slice of Life About expo

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." --Winston Churchill
Expo is super close and everyone is stressed and nervous about how good their displays will be. I think it is super important to be an optimist and work through things when they get hard. Because even when things seem super hard it is important to keep working and see the opportunity in working through it. Pessimists might not work through things, and might not realize the opportunities that all difficulties have.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

This book is about a girl named Piddy Sanchez who has a mysterious missing father and a very strict mother. Then one day, shortly after her friend Mitzi moves away a girl comes up to her and tells her "Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass." The book is about Piddy finding out about her past, trying to fit in and become someone new, and dealing with bullying at her school. The story was good, but the writing was not very good, so I would not especially recommend Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. There are a few mature topics, but not too many.

To Be Read:
Lock In
Sorta Like a Rockstar
Looking for Alaska

Slice of Life

My brother bangs on his drum set. It doesn't bother me too much. My parents talk in the kitchen. They are quiet and loud at the same time. My phone buzzes. I wait a moment, then look. Now everyone is shouting. I close my eyes and block the voices out. So much to do...so little time. I hear footsteps, they get louder, then fade away. I type, and type, and type.....

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cather Avery is obsessed with Simon Snow, a fictional character who is basically Harry Potter. She writes fanfiction about him, and is actually very famous for a novel involving Simon that she is writing. Fangirl is about her experiences in college, trying to protect her family and to become more popular. Fangirl was very long, but it was also very good. My favorite character was either Wren (Cath's twin) or Professor Piper who is a very interesting character. There are some mature topics in Fangirl, but it is so good you should read it anyway!

Slice of Life

I don't know what to write.
What has happened...nothing.
Any ideas...no.
I don't know what to write.
I try. I think the words, I type the words.
But I don't know what to write.
I stare at the keyboard, at the computer screen. Counting in my head... 1,2,3,4,5...
Why do I have to do this?
I don't know what to write.

Snowshoeing

I start: putting on my snowshoes and running to catch up.
I walk: tired even at the beginning, warm even though we are in the snow.
I smile: joking with my friends while hiking upwards.
I fall: tired and hungry and ready for fun.
I dig: making our snow pit deeper and deeper.
I measure: recording facts and following the rules.
I squeal: seeing the mouse being eaten is a terrible sight.
I run: falling into the snow and having fun.
I freeze: I can't feel my fingers or toes but I keep moving.
I see the busses: we are done snowshoeing.

We Were Liars

We Were Liars is about a unique girl named Cadence who goes every summer with her family to a small island near Martha's Vineyard. She loves to see her cousins and her good friend Gat. But when her Grandma Tipper dies all of the aunts begin to fight about who will inherit what. All I can say without giving away the plot is that Cadence gets hurt and loses some of her memory about the 15th summer. This book is about what happened to her and her trying to find who she is. My favorite character from We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is probably Mirren, who is one of Cadence's cousins. I liked We Were Liars although it has swearing and mature topics and is also super sad.

Slice of Life

I laughed as I looked through the book What's New Cupcake?. I was excited to use my minimal cooking skills to make some cupcakes, and decorate them. Later that day I got to work. I used cake mix and cooked my cupcakes to perfection. And then got to work making cupcakes shaped and decorated as ducks, a recipe I found in What's New Cupcake?. I used Starburst and M&M's and multiple colors of frosting and worked for hours. But at the end I was proud of my hard work and my success. I had made delicious adorable cupcakes that looked like ducks, and it had been fun!

Rethinking Normal: I Loved this Book!

Rethinking Normal is written by a girl named Katie Rain Hill about her transition from being male to being female. When she was young she was very depressed because she knew she was a girl trapped in a boy's body, and this book is about her confidence and her life. My favorite character was probably Katie because through her writing I felt like I understood her and could connect with her because she is also a young girl. Rethinking Normal does have mature topics, but I would still recommend it especially to girls.

Perfect Christmas

Perfect Christmas- leaping down the stairs on Christmas morning, feeling alive. But this Christmas I had the flu. I was coughing and even on the happy occasion I moved slowly. I opened one present, and then another, but could still feel the tears of sickness in my eyes.
Perfect Christmas- going out to play in the snow, nothing but fun on your mind. But this Christmas I stayed inside. I was quiet, and still. I was happy, but it was hard.
Perfect Christmas- staying up late on Christmas Eve, feasting, and fun and presents. This Christmas was all that, just a little bit quieter. But any Christmas is a Perfect Christmas if you try, and this Christmas I was determined not to quit.
I made it a Perfect Christmas.

Eleanor and Park

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell is about two 16 year olds who have to sit next to each other on the bus. Park is a somewhat popular boy who originally thinks Eleanor is strange, and Eleanor is new to the school and is intrigued by Park. Over time they realize that they have many similarities, and become friends. But Eleanor is bullied a lot and Park starts to get bullied too when Eleanor becomes his "girlfriend". Eleanor and Park get to be really close over time, and although Park has started to be somewhat bullied and Eleanor is being threatened at home they are happy with each other. My favorite character was Park and I thought he was kind of the main character. There are a lot of mature topics in Eleanor and Park, but I would definitely recommend it.

To Be Read:
- Where She Went
- Fangirl
- Looking for Alaska