Tales of Childhood - Aleksa Djuraskovic

The book I'm reading is 'Tales of Childhood' by the legendary writer Roald Dahl. He starts of by telling us that this is not an autobiography and that he would never write one but its just a pile of events that are not important. These events were left like a scar in his head since they left such a huge impression on him. I like this since I don't like boring autobiographies but fun and exciting events that I know are true meaning they can happen to anyone including me. Two words that I found were:
Ingenious- Showing inventiveness or skill, "He kept his ingenious instrument in a slim leather case and carried it in his pocket wherever he went."

Amiable-Diffusing warmth and friendliness, "Their own father, an amiable giant nearly seven foot tall, lacked the drive and ambition of his sons, and he refused to support this tomfool idea."

I Funny

By James Patterson

      I'm Reading a non-fiction book called I funny that was written by James Patterson. This book talks about a boy, Jamie Grimm, who is on a mission to becoming the worlds greatest stand up comedian. Jamie moved to a small town called long beach in California with his aunt, uncle an their son Stevie (School Bully). Jamie's goal through out the book is to became the greatest comedian which he practice by watching videos and filling up notebooks. Unfamiliar Words:

Tension: mental or emotional strain. Pg. 17 "Well, that's why my humble story starts with some pretty yucky tension".

Tweaking: twist or pull something sharply. Pg 25 "That one still needs a little tweaking".

The book I am reading

The book I am reading is called Hiroshima by John Hersey. It is about how the inhabitants of Hiroshima, a city in Japan, appeared after a nuclear bomb dropped on the city. Only seven people that experienced the bomb remember the full story and the moment before it hit. The author interviewed them and asked them about the people who were injured and what Hiroshima looked like after the bomb dropped.  Lots and lots of people were killed and injured. And people did not even know what they had witnessed until they were told. Only when the bomb dropped, there was a white light across the city. 

Two words in this book that are not known or recognized by a lot of people are: 

1. Embankment: A wall to protect a river from flooding an area.
"Down the embankment at a shallow, rocky place."

2.Reverend: A member of the clergy.
"The Reverend Mr. Tanimoto got up at five o'clock that morning."

The Prince and the Pauper

The novel Prince and the Pauper is set in XVI century England. It tells the story of two young boys, Edward Tudor and Tom Canty, who are identical in appearance, but belong to different classes. Edward Tudor is the son of Henry VIII and heir to the throne of England. Tom Canty is the son of a beggar and thief. The boys were born on the same day, they both live in London and they look alike. However, one is destined to have a life of affluence, while the other is destined to a life of poverty.  As a result of a chance meeting the two boys are brought together. Curious about each other’s life and eager to see how the other half live, the boys exchange clothing, and, against their own will, they are forced to trade places and lives.

The reader learns about the class system in England, the wealth of the aristocracy as opposed to the misery and hunger of the lower class. Tom Canty lives in one of London's poorest areas. He has to beg to survive. With the help of the church, Tom learns to read and write and he cherishes tales about a better life.  Daydreaming about a different life, Tom approached the Palace as prince Edward happened to be outside. Intrigued about the boy dressed in rags that resembled him so much, prince Edward invited Tom into the castle where they exchanged clothes. Due to their physical resemblance, they are mistaken for each other.  In spite of their different background, the two boys are in fact not much different. They are both intelligent, good hearted, they like the same things and manage to make friends before they are forced to separate. The mistaken guards expel the prince dressed in rags from the palace, while Tom, dressed as a prince, gets to stay in the palace.  Prince Edward is set to experience the life of a commoner and pauper, while Tom gets the opportunity to live the life of a prince.

Unknown Words

Plebeian:  A commoner (originally in ancient Rome) 

The aristocrats looked down upon the plebeian class, not realizing that there were intelligent and good-hearted people among them. 

Besmirched: Degraded

The poor were besmirched by the royals as not being intelligent or good enough for a different life.

Guts: Gary Paulsen

Guts: Gary Paulsen

         I am reading a non-fiction book by Gary Paulsen called Guts.The book describes the adventures that Gary had during the first twenty or so years of his life. These adventures later inspired his books Hatchet, Brian's Return, Brian's Winter, Dogsong and others. Gary Paulsen in his youth led a Huntsman/Survivalist life. At the age of twelve he was making money by setting pins in a bowling alley, delivering newspapers and other measly jobs to help him afford things for his school. After saving up enough money, he bought a "Remington .22 Single Shot Rifle", which he used to hunt animals and other game, to provide food and money for himself. Another story describes how, while he was doing the Iditarod, which is a long-distance dog sledding competition, he was attacked in the dark by a moose; which kept stomping on him every time he moved. The two words that I learned were dysentery and mallard. Mallard is a type of duck and dysentery means an infection in the intestines which can cause severe diarrhea and having blood and mucus in the excrement. A sentence with these two words can look something like this: After eating raw mallard one may experience dysentery. These are just some of the experiences he had during his early years, all of which prove that he has Guts; hence the book's name.

George W. Bush

George W. Bush

By Talitha Linehan

 

Today I read about George W. Bush.

I liked this article very much because it is very funny.

The Article is very interesting. It is about the life and the intelligence of the former president of U.S.A George W. Bush served as a president of U.S.A. from 2001 to 2009. This president was very famous for his embarrassing linguistic mistakes that filled books. One of the most famous mistake was the term “misunderestimate” that was a blend of the words “misunderstand” and “underestimate”.  George W. Bush become more popular since his presidency ended. Those days he returned to Texas and he still makes some appearances especially in Dallas. In 2010 Bush published his memories called “Decision Points” he went on a national tour to promote the book, which sold more two million copies in its first two months. In 2002   he almost died when he swallowed a pretzel. Ten years later a hacker leaked the Bush’s self-portrait naked in a shower and bathtub.  Peoples often laughed at him because of his IQ and the stupid things that he was saying or doing.  For this reason his IQ become a secret for save a good image of the country.

 It is important not to “misunderestimate” this former president.

Former = previous, one time, ex

According to urban legend, his IQ is a secret because it’s so low.

IQ = Intelligence quotient (acronym)

The Son of Neptune

Son Of Neptune

Rick Riordan

    In The Son of Neptune three kids were chosen for a trip to save the god who protects the Gate of Death. The trip leads them to go to Alaska but they are really far south. Thankfully they have a navy, which is not Greek . The setting is a Greek camp. This is as far as I have read.

Probation: A person who signs up for a quest or journey.

Ambrosia: The food of the gods.