Curse of the Ruins

Abby McKenzie 7-B 

Ms. Stanisic

Number of Pages:  68

February 27, 2013  

CURSE OF THE RUINS

By: Gary Paulsen

                Kathie and her brother Sam and their cousin Shala are getting out of the plane to New Mexico to see their dad.  After they get out of the plane Kathie ran ahead of the boys but then this stranger came up to her and said “Do you need any assistance?” Then Kathie said no I don’t but then the stranger just took Kathie’s bag and ran away. Then Kathie screamed and then the boys caught up with her but Kathie was all really running to get her bag back. After she was running, a police officer stopped her. The police officer was speaking in Spanish to the other police officers so Sam, Kathie and Shala did not understand what they were saying. The police officers told them to come to the police office to see what was going on.  When they got to the office they asked the police officer to look up Kathie’s and Sam’s father to find out where he was staying. When they looked up the hotel name and searched up Kathie’s father’s name it did not show anything. So they asked this homeless kid for directions to the hotel and went to find their dad on their own. When they got to the hotel they asked the front desk if their father was staying here but he wasn't  So that is when they found out that something had happen to their father.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 454
Date: February 24th, 2013

Currently, I am still reading The Hunger Games, my book for the 3rd quarter book project. Right now I am approximatley in the middle of the book where they have entered the arena and the games have started. This is one of the most interesting and enjoyable book I have ever read. Since I have watched the movie before, it is hard for me to imagine my own picture of the story. But since the book is so outstanding, the fact that I have already watched the movie does not stop me from wanting to read the second book! The book is about how there is 12 Districts in all and one male and one female from ages twelve to eighteen gets selected every year to participate in the Hunger Games in the Capitol. The rule of this game is to "Kill or get Killed". The last tribute to survive in the arena is the winner of the games. Katniss and Peeta are tributes of District 12.

Word: Aloof

Definition: at a distance, especially in feeling or interest

Page: 141

The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry

180 pages

This week i am reading the giver by Lois Lowry. So far I know where the story takes place and also the main character Jonas. Jones lives in a perfect(not really) place. the place seems strict and organised. He is an 11 going on 12 next month. the town or country is controlled by the elders that choose your name, who you will marry, what child you will have and jobs. Because Jones is almost 12 he's about to be given a job. his dad works as a nurturer ; taking care of the newborns. he gets to take home a sick baby named Gabriel for a while.

MYSTIFIED-PAGE 24
Jonas had been completely MYSTIFIED.

Mystified- bewildered, shocked, interested,

The Gift

The Gift (The first book of Pellinor)
Alison Croggon
494 pg
 
Right now I am reading a book called The Gift which is about a girl called Maerad who has lived her whole life as a orphaned slave at Gilman's Cot ( a very harsh settlement), Maerad is unaware that she possesses a great gift or magical power such as the bards of the schools only much greater which marks her as a member of the ones great School of Pellinor. Though when she gets rescued by Cadvan ( a bard from Lirigon) her destiny begins to unfold but with great power comes the prophesy that she is 'The One' who will be able to save their world from 'The Nameless one' who possesses the dark power now slowly creeping up on the land and Maerad and Cadvan must go through a treacherous journey and confront dark forces of the most terrifying kind.
The word which I found interesting and quiet hard to understand was embark (page 233)
Embark= To embark is to go into or stand against something/someone.

Chicken soup

Title:Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul 5
Author: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger

  This week I was reading two books, one in Serbian and one in English. The book that I read in English is called "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul 5".  The book talks about love, friendships, and learning. It teaches you and tells you everything that teenagers go through. More than 100 true and inspirational stories are found in this book. The first section is on friendships and its my favorite. There are not many unknown words so far. The word that caught my attention is mercilessly. The meaning if this word is having no mercy. The sentence where i found this word is "We've watched each other slip helplessly into the realms of addiction, holding mercilessly onto one another's palms, simply praying that it was just some horrid nightmare". Each time I read Chicken Soup I cannot stop reading and that is why I think this is the best book for any teenager.

Seekers

 

 Author: Erin Hunter

Pages read: 220-293

Lot of time passed since last blog post so i have lot of things to talk about. Shall we start with Kallik? Kallik finally find her way to the land. It was so strange for her because she sees new enviroment and lot of new things. First time she sees grass and dirt. There she can eat barries and sometimes grass. She sees some bears there but they are not white. Anyway her task is to find her brother Tâqqiq. She lost him on the way to land and she lost her mother too. Finally she mets friend there called Purnaq. He is a white bear too. She is going with her friend to find gathering place for white bearsduring the burn-sky.

Lusa is little happy cub which loves to play with her friends Stella and Tobi. She mets new friend into other cage. Her name is Oka. She lost  her cubs Toklo and Tobi, also the main characters. Everybody thinks that Oka is crazy, but Lusa has different opinion. Oka told her about Toklo and Tobi and that Tobi died. Lusa is so sad, and she tells her that she is going to escape from zoo and find Toklo. One night Lusa escaped from zoo and went to wild. This is her first time to be free. She mets differet things there and she starts her journey.

Toklo is so sad because his mother Oka left him. He is doing his best to survive in wild but it is so hard since his mother did not learn him how to catch fish. He tried thousand times and he could not succeded. He saw mother feeding her cubs and he saw fish next to them. He ran so fast and stole fish from them. He rans in forstand smells food he steels food and he rans. The owner of that food finds him and almost kills him. Luckely he does not die. He finds beautiful place with big field and flowers. He eats there a lot. He meets his new friend. They almost got killed, but they survived.

 

Unknown word: Flat-faces

Definition: Bears call paople flat-faces because people do not have big noses like bears

Page: 196

Sentence using the word: I am always scared when flat-faces are near me

Harry Potter and Phelophers stone

Harry Potter
J.K Rowling
7A
Max. A
English
Ms. M
Pages in the book is 223

There is still something bad going on in the town and many strange things are happening and harrys parents are getting worser so hes thinking of doing something bad or escape and live his own live and go on some adventures. But it hasnt happened yet and i will see if it will.
I think the book will be good when the climax comes !!!!

A Series of Unfortunate Events Book: 4 The Miserable Mill

A Series of Unfortunate Events Book: 4 The Miserable Mill

Author: Lemony Snicket

The book is really interesting until now.
The kids are trying to understand what is happening int heir "new life" and the troubles just started.

Unknown Word: Greedy
I found it in page 47. Sentence: I had find myself pursued by a greedy, evil man named Count Olaf...

Greedy means 

"excessively or inordinately desirous of wealth, profit, etc.; avaricious: the greedy owners of the company."

By Dictionary.com 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Number of pages: 168
Number of pages read: 47

Since I am done with my fantasy book that I was reading for my book report, I will write about the book we are reading in class called "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.

So far, I have read 6 chapters of "The Giver" and this book seems very interesting. This story takes place in a community where everything is the same and very organized: people don't see colors, their job is chosen for them at the age of twelve, they are "released" when they are old or if they break rules. A boy named Jonas is the main character of this book. He lives with his assigned parents and his younger sister Lily. Jonas is an 11 (11 years old) when the book starts and is to become a 12 during the December ceremony. The 12th Ceremony would be the last ceremony for him and this is also when the Assignment (job)  for each person is chosen. Jonas is uncertain of what Assignment he will get, which is why he is feeling apprehensive. Meanwhile, he is starting to see glimpses of the color red on certain objects. Overall, I think that this book is going to be interesting because I have read a few books by this author and I liked them. 

Unknown word: Chastisement 

Sentence: "It was a minor rule, rather like rudeness, punishable only by gentle chastisement." 

Definition: verbal punishment.

Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 279

Picture: 

This week I am reading Percy Jackson and finally finishing it. The unknown word I have found was "muffled". This word is used in the sentence "Martha, the snakes muffled voice came from his pocket",(no page number because I was reading online). The meaning of this word is less loud or clear.

Unknown Word

_______________________________________

"An occasional patch of hard gray stone poked through the grass, but all it meant was that her paws were rubbed raw instead of squelching with greenish water." (The Seekers by Erin Hunter, 82)

Definition:

verb (used with object)

1.

to strike or press with crushing force; crush down; squash.

2.

to put down, suppress, or silence, as with a crushing retort or argument.

verb (used without object)

3.

to make a splashing sound.

4.

to tread heavily in water, mud, wet shoes, etc., with such a sound.

noun

5.

a squelched or crushed mass of anything.

6.

a splashing sound.

7.

an act of squelching or suppressing, as by a crushing retort or argument.

8.

Also called squelch circuit, noise suppressor. Electronics. a circuit in a receiver, as a radio receiver,that automatically reduces or eliminates noise when the receiver is tuned to a frequency atwhich virtually no carrier wave occurs.

Eternal

Title of a book: Eternal
Number of pages: 307
Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith


Hey guys! So, I read 50 pages this week, and many things have changed. In last post I talked about Miranda; the main character of a book. So, she was about to die, but instead of death, she became vampire. She wen to their kingdom and she became the main female vampire and everybody knew her very well. Miranda had her guardian angel named Zachary. He blamed himself for Miranda's transformation, so he decided to help her. Zachary went to Vampire's Kingdom and became Miranda's personal assistant. But, most importantly, she did not remember anything from her normal, human life. So, Zachary is trying to help her, while Miranda doesn't except it. Zachary thought that Miranda could play on heaven with her grandpa instead of being mean female vampire, and had everlasting life. Also, Miranda had her father. Not actually a father, but her ''boss''. He was the leader of all vampire creatures and she needed to call him: dad, father, majesty etc.
I can't wait to finish my book, and I need to say, don't read it at night!

Unknown word:
ETERNAL
The word is the title of the book, which is really funny because I didn't know what is it until know. Eternal means everlasting which described vampires. 

The Graveyard Book

The title of the book I was reading this week is called "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman,the book has  307 pages. One word that was unknown to me was wakefulness "It was then that,as if responding to the name, the child opened its eyes wide in wakefulness" (page number 25) The definition is "The state or character of being wakeful; especially, indisposition or inability to sleep."(definition from http://www.wordnik.com/) .

Of Men and Monsters

Of  Men and Monsters
Author - William Tenn
Number of Pages - 235pg

 This week I am reading "Of Men and Monsters" by William Tenn. This week I read how a group of men betrayed by other man try to find and way to defeat the traitors. They make up a plan to steal the mysterious monster or alien weapons which are said to have unusual powers and be very successful agains humans. Secretly the group ventures down in to The Monster Territory and try to sneak in to the burrow with weapons. Sadly they are found and captured by a group of aliens and are placed in invisible floating boxes that serve as a jail. The burrow is actually a laboratory in which liquids, powders and traps are tested on humans....

Wallop - To hit someone loudly or be hit with great strength.
"Something them a tremendous wallop."

The midnight mayor

The Midnight Mayor
Kate Griffin
410 pages


The word that I found was undignified. Undignified means lacking or damaging.
Here is an example from the book : He was wearing the slightly undignified bright blue and white uniform.
Found this on page 307

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

The Hobbit 

Author: J.R.R Tolkien 

Number of Pages: 255

          I have finished this book: "The Hobbit." I really enjoyed this book which surprised me quite a bit. I don't usually read fantasy books and didn't think I would enjoy them as much as I do. I like the fact that this book had an immense amount of detail and there were no parts of this book that bored me. The book is basically about a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who goes on an adventure that is nothing like what he expected. The adventures purpose was for the dwarves to get back their home. On the way they encountered many obstacles. At the beginning of the book they stopped to rest for the night but unfortunate events followed on... Two of their horses had been taken by trolls! Once they had noticed this they sent ,Bilbo since he was meant to be "the burglar," to retrieve their horses.  He did pretty well until the trolls had noticed him (there were three trolls), and then had began to cook him. Just in time the dwarfs had come to save him. It kind of followed the same pattern, they started of well fighting the trolls, but they too eventually were getting cooked. This is the time when the only person who can help the problem is Gandalf, a wizard. Gandalf came and made the sun come out which makes the trolls turn into stone. Being the very cunning man/wizard he is he realized that the trolls hadn't been coming out lately and stay under their cave unless their are orcs nearby. That matter brings up another one of their obstacles, orcs, they are one of their biggest problems especially the "leader" orc who is white unlike the other orcs who are slimy black, dark greenish, etc. He was called "Azog." Thorin does not have a good past with him since in a huge battle Azog beheaded his father, the king. Azog brings a whole army of orcs with him and their wolve like creatures for their plan which was to also behead Thorin. The orcs thankfully don't succeed and the dwarves, hobbit, and wizard come out victorious, but just barely... Their main dilema though by far was a dragon, Smaug... 

Unknown word: "Thatched"

Definition:"Cover (roof or building) with straw or similar material."

Sentence using word: The roof of their brand new house was thatched.   

Page that word was on: 211

The Witches

Title: The Witches

Author: Ronald Dahl

This week I was reading about a group of witches that are meeting in the same hotel as the boy with his grandmother. At the beginning of the book the grandmother was explaining to the boy that there is one witch called The Grand High Witch. She is the most powerful witch. She is the boss of all witches. But she is never staying on one place so no one can find her. She is touring the world and she is making meetings with all witches in each country.

The boy was training his mice in the big room where the witches were supposed to meet. He didn't know about the meeting. Suddenly, he heard women voices. He tried to escape from this room but the doors were closed. He went behind the big screen and continued his mouse training while there was a meeting. He though that this is just a normal meeting between ladies. No one saw him but he could hear each word that the women were saying.

He knew, from his grandmother, that the witches are wearing gloves. He also knew that the witches have wigs because they don’t have real hairs. He even knew that all witches don’t have toes. Their feet have square end. Witches also have slight blue tinge on their teeth and blue spit. They use their spit to write with it. They also have big nose-holes. The boy also knew that all witches don’t have fingernails. Instead fingernails, they have curvy claws, like a cat and so, they are wearing those gloves to hide their claws.

The boy looked around for all these things and he saw the gloves, the wigs, and the square end of their feet, the spit, the big nose-holes and the curvy claws. He recognized that those ladies are all witches. He listened carefully. The witches were talking about one poison that is making every child a mouse. As we all know, witches hate children. Because of that, those witches are making “Formula 86 Delayed Action Mouse-Maker”. After making the poison, the witches will put it into a chocolate candy and then they will sell them to children. When a child buys this candy he will still feel alright. However, on the next morning at nine o’clock he will starts feeling weird and he will return into a mouse for twenty seconds.

That’s what I red so far. Here is my unknown word:

“We won’t, Your Grandness! We are afraid we won’t!” chanted the ancient ones.

chanted - a short, simple melody, especially one characterized by single notes to which an indefinite number of syllables are intoned, used in singing psalms and in church services.

The Giver-Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Picture:

 Pages read: 40 pgs.


This week I am reading "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. Even though I have read "The Giver", I am still willing to read it again because I had forgotten some chapters (I read it three years ago) and reading it again would refresh my memory. The unknown word is reprieve on page 41. Reprieve means to delay the impending punishment or sentence of. The sentence I had found it from: "He had been given an unusual and special reprieve from the committee, and granted an additional year of nurturing before his Naming and Placement."