Greenwood Lab School

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

By: Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle

152/152

This book of six mysteries is the abridged version of the original classic, Sherlock Holmes.  My favorite mystery in the book is The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.  The story is about six plaster busts of Napoleon that were stolen individually and broken in the front yard of an empty house.  None of the plaster molds were very expensive.  Everybody thought that the theif was a madman or someone who was driven by anger at Napoleon, but Holmes thought it was something else causing the strange events.  Holmes thought that the perpetrator was after something valuble, such as a gem or a diamond.  In the end Sherlock had gone to the home of Mr. Brown, an owner of the busts of Napoleon, and he and Dr. Watson hid behind the bushes.  The criminal eventually did show up.  He went inside the house for a while and he came out later with something tucked under his arm.  The theif set the bust down on the concrete and he smashed it.  As soon as he smashed it Holmes tackled him.   

The next night Holmes had invited Dr. Watson over to talk.  A man came up to his door named Mr. Sandeford (the last owner of the busts of Napoleon) and he said that Mr. Holmes had sent for him.  Sherlock invited Mr. Sandeford in and Holmes paid Mr. Sandeford an outrages amount of money for the remaining bust.  Mr. Sandeford was terribly confused about why Mr. Holmes was paying so much for the bust.  Sherlock told him thank you and he left.  A couple of minutes later Sherlock got out a hammer and smashed the bust and inside lay the most extravigant jewel you have ever seen.  Later Sherlock returned the gem to the original owner and everybody was happy again. 

I really liked this book because as a reader I get bored of a story easily.  This book allows you to read several different stories that are still similar to each other.  Of the six stories in this book I like the last one about the Napoleon busts the best.  I liked this one because it was suspenseful, but not scary.  And it was very fun to read.  The whole book in my opinion was well written, especially the adjectives Doyle used for the characters in the stories.  Some of the dialogue in the actual version of the book is very hard for me to understand; I think it was middle English.  The abridged version is the only way I probably would have understood the book.  My favorite character in the book is Sherlock himself.  I don’t know why I liked him so much, maybe it was because he was the hero or possibly because he was so unpredictable and he kept me on my toes. 

I love the kinds of books that you just can’t quit reading, no matter what.  This book is one of those books.  I would recomend this book to anybody who’s looking for a good book to read, especially if they like mysteries.

Author: Rebecca Stephens

Title: EVEREST

Pg 1-65 of 65

This book talked about the history of Mount Everest, climbing techniques and survival.  It also talked about different features of mountains, along with the animals and people that live there. Finally the book talked about other mountain sports such as snowboarding, the Winter Olympics, the worst accidents in the history of climbing and how we can help save the summits. This book had some graphic pictures in it that were just jaw dropping. For example, there was a really gross pic of a mummified Iceman who was 5200 years old but not discovered until 1991.

I wonder if Mount Everest ever was warm or able to have life on it without the freezing temperatures? This story is important because it tells us the value of mountains in our world. I can’t imagine how hard life must be if you lived on a mountain. How could you get to the store if you needed batteries  for your smoke detector late at night? It would be very scary if you got caught in an avalanche or landslide. You have to have a lot of trust and faith in your fellow climbers. I lived in Alaska where they have mountains but I never climbed one because I was I just a baby. Perhaps one day I will. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 because it was nice and cool but a little boring because of all the history. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn about the history of mountains and likes animals.

Steven has spent all of his years at the Smith Zoo.  The Smith Zoo recently bought a farm outside of town.  The zoo is trying to decide which zookeeper would be the best fit as the head of their new cattle farm.  The committee thinks and thinks and they finally pick Steven.  Now Steven isn’t the brightest bulb on the tree.  He has gotten in very much trouble at the zoo and he has almost lost his job.  From lions to tigers to white squirrels, Steven just doesn’t seem to be able to keep them corralled in their exhibit.  The Smith Zoo committee is soon going to find out they made the wrong choice.

When Steven hears the news he is delighted.  He has never worked with cows before he wondered what it would be like.  Maybe I will get to ride them like pony’s he said to himself in his head.  Steven drives the zoo’s pick-up truck to the farm.  When he gets there he is shocked by the number of cows.  There were at least 300 cows; and Steven had to take care of all of them.  Steven was told to feed the animals their food twice a day and their water twice a day.  And the head zookeeper said one thing to Steven before he left, “Don’t let any of these cows out, or else!”  Steven was so terrified he just about peed his pants. 

Steven went on with his work.  He successfully fed the cows their first meal.  He thought the second time would be  easy also.  He was wrong though.  When Steven went into the gate the cow was trying to push its way out so Steven politely left the gate open for him.  Steven continued his work when he realized what he had done.  Steven ran out to the front after tripping over the feed bucket.  He sees that there are now close to 50 cows on the parking lot.  He looks at his watch and his boss is going to pick him up in ten minutes.  Steven runs outside and attempts to corral the cows into the fields again, but he forgot to close the gates again and now more cows are out.  Steven gets out his phone and he plays cheap, awful sounding ring tones on the loudest volume.  It works and the cows are safely back into the fields just as Stevens boss pulls up.  That was a close one.

THE END   

This Week I’ve been reading more in, “Under a Flaming Sky,” by Daniel James Brown (Pages 8-15) So far the book is not progressing the way I wanted it too but I’m not that far into it yet so hopefully, I found out more about the current news on the city fire, rather than the mans reflection on the horrific event that took place from his position in the future. One thing that I could mention is that I thought a lot about other titles that this book could have even though, “Under a Flaming Sky,” is probably the best selection. For instance, “The Burning History of My Life,” “Horrific Memories in Ash,” “My Life in the Flame.”

This book reflects a lot of scarred memories for this man, and I couldn’t IMAGINE living with this pain every day. Coming up on Thanksgiving , makes me really comprehend this book much better than I would have any other time. I’m very thankful for not only my family and friends, but for my health, my serenity, my life, my education, and every single aspect of my life. I get the sense that living with the pain of watching your family or any friends in that building burn to DEATH, falling out of 5 story buildings, blood EVERYWHERE would just be sick, but it would also paint a picture of what it would be like to be in Iraq right about now. This life seems to have so many depressing catastrophies, but in a way it helps us cope with the reality of everyday dissapointments. People…. need to live every day to the fullest, and not only that, they need to appreciate that they’re alive and well. I want to leave this post with another message repeated int he story, and that is that, “We as humans, have the capacity to look death in the face, to take it’s measure, to spit at it and deny it’s will. In this age of terror, it reminds us that we have it in us to endure calamity, to rise above even the most trying circumstances, to replace fear with hope, and to throw love and light back into the face of violence….and darkness.”

Three Cups of Tea

By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Im am going to start the book Three Cups of Tea. My uncle, grandma and mom read it and they said it was phenomenal. They way my mom explained it, she said that it was very inspiring and I love inspiring books. It is also a true story which makes it even more inspiring. I have read the first chapter and it talks about a mountaineer names Greg Mortenson who failed to climb K2. He has drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains. My grandma hinted me a little on what happens further in the book and she said that the man, Greg was moved by the peoples kindness that he met in Pakistan and so in return he wanted to build them a school. I was also reading the back of the book and it gives away that over the next 10 years, Greg built not one but 55 schools in the terrain that gave birth to the Taliban! I cant wait to read on and learn about his adventure and about the “power of the humanitarian spirit”.

A Wrinkle In Time

By Madeleine L’Engle

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Meg Murry, a girl who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O’Keefe to rescue her father, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet. At the beginning of the book, Meg is an awkward, but loving girl, troubled by personal insecurities and her concern for her father, who has been missing for over a year. It begins with the arrival of Mrs. Whatsit at the Murry house on a dark and stormy evening. Although she looks like a tramp, she is actually a celestial creature with the ability to read Meg’s thoughts. She startles Meg’s mother by reassuring her of the existence of a sort of “wrinkle” in space and time. It is through this wrinkle that Meg and her companions will travel in search of Mr. Murry.

On the afternoon following Mrs. Whatsit’s visit, Meg and Charles Wallace walk over to Mrs. Whatsit’s cabin. On the way, they meet Calvin O’Keefe, a popular boy in Meg’s school. The three children learn from Mrs. Whatsit and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which that the universe is threatened by a great evil called the Dark Thing and taking the form of a giant cloud, engulfing the stars around it. Several planets have already been introduced to this evil force, including Camazotz, the planet on which Mr. Murry is imprisoned. The three kids go on the adventure through space and time and are introduced to many new creatures in the search to find their father. When Meg has to go up against the IT, Meg has to discover a weapon she didn’t know she had. When standing in the presence of IT, Meg realizes that it is the ability to love.

This book was very inspiring because it showed how much these kids loved their father, especially Meg. They risked their life and everything they had in order for him to live. I liked how it was a real story on love and rescue and yet there were man fictional pieces of it. This was a great book and I would definitely read again and recommend to anyone who has not read it.

Kelsey Nau

Midsummer Nights Dream

Friendship

Friendship is very valuable. It is something that you cannot buy but it should be protected. It is like treasure that you must keep very safe. It is very easy to lose friends and hard to recover a lost friendship. A good friend is someone who you get along well with and someone you would miss a lot if you lost him or her. A good friend is someone you can go to for advice when needed and stands by you when you have problems. True friends stick together through rough and smooth.

There are many attributes of a good friend. A good friend should be attentive and appreciative. They should appreciate what you have to say and the decisions others make and they should be attentive to others opinions and thoughts. In Midsummer Nights Dream, after they were fighting, they were all sitting around the dinner table and you could tell that they were appreciative of each other and that they took value and admired the good friends that they had.

A good friend should also be caring and dear to you as well as forgiving and helpful.  Helena and Hermia were caring of each other, they were best friends and they told each other everything. Helena even got mad at Hermia and reminded her of their childhood together.

Helena said,

“Injurious Hermia! Most ungrateful maid! Have you conspired, have you with these contrived to bait me with this foul derision? Is all the counsel that we two have shared, the sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent, when we have chid the hasty-footed time. For parting us — O, is it all forgot? All school days’ friendship, childhood innocence? We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, have with our needles created both one flower, both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, both warbling of one song, both in one key, as if our hands, our sides, voices and minds, had been incorporate. So we grow together, like to a double cherry, seeming parted, but yet an union in partition; Two lovely berries molded on one stem; So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart; Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, due but to one and crowned with one crest. And will you rent our ancient love asunder, to join with men in scorning your poor friend?”

But when Lysander and Hermia told Helena that they were leaving town, Helena betrayed them and told. This obviously wasn’t a good friend of Helena because she was not being helpful but Hermia was forgiving of Helena later on and a good friend should be able to forgive you if you make a bad choice or if you weren’t as good of a friend to them as they were to you.

A good friend can be intelligent, kind, loyal and open-minded. An open-minded friend would be easy to get along with because they would be receptive to new and different ideas or the opinions of others. All of the friends were intelligent and kind in their own way. Even if they would betray each other and lie, you could still tell that they were all friends, and in the end they did learn to forgive each other. You would never want a friend who was self conceited or didn’t think of others. Helena was self-conceited because she was only thinking of her love, Lysander.

A good friend can have all of these attributes but can betray you as well just like in Midsummer Nights Dream. Helena was originally a very loyal and trustworthy friend towards Hermia but then she became stubborn because she was deeply in love and that is what made her make the choices she did. Even though she wasn’t a good friend, in the end Hermia forgave her and the two love couples got married.

beginning to paper..

Anna Turner
English
Friendship:
Friendship means always being a person to depend on. I think friendship is one of the most important things in life. No matter how many mistakes you make, or how many fights you have, your friends will always be there, at least the really good ones. Loving someone, and being a good friend, means a lot. The most important attributes of a good friend in my opinion are:
• Loyal
• Honest
• Caring
• Loving
• Sincere
• Humorous
• Fun
• Don’t backstab
• Dependable
• Appreciative
• Open-minded

Friends have to be loyal to you and stand by you through all decisions you make. They have to be honest and tell you the hard truth even it it’s difficult. Being caring and loving always makes people feel better, no matter what the situation. Friends are sincere in their actions and aren’t fake. It’s important to have fun and be funny together! You have to appreciate your friends just as much as they appreciate you. No backstabbing allowed. Friends can depend on you to have an open mind.

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, friendship is a big role in the play. If everyone would have gotten along like best friends, the play would be so boring. In the end, Lysander, Hermia, Hippolyta, Theseus, Helena, Demetrius and all of the fools are very good friend. Throughout the play, it wasn’t like that. Hermia and Helena fought a lot, as well as Demetrius and Lysander and Hippolyta and Theseus. Although in the middle of the play, Hermia and Helena are really fighting, in the beginning, they were best friends. The kind of best friend you’ll only have one of. When Hermia and Lysander leave to go out of town to get married. The only person who knew where they were going was Helena. She told Demetrius, who was in love with Hermia, (for her money) where Lysander and Hermia were going. She betrayed the trust of best friends.

Best Friends

Caroline came home today from school depressed. The girls at school had been awful to her today. Her best friend, Anabelle ditched her for the more popular group. “Mom, I just don’t know what to do. None of the girls like me.” Caroline told her mom, kind of complaining about her situation. “Caroline, honey, all the girls are caught up in being ‘popular’ when in reality they aren’t.” Her mom replied. Ugh, she just doesn’t understand. Caroline had to think of a plan to make herself fit in with all the other girls. The next day, Caroline went to school with 10 pounds of make-up on. She had short shorts, with her hair perfectly straight. When she walked into the school, guys could not keep their eyes off of her. She was loving the attention. One thing she did not expect was to get a call to the principal’s office about her inappropriate outfit choice. Plus, all the girls were not too happy the guys were giving Caroline and not her.

To be continued…