Greenwood Lab School

Book Review

            The book I read was Number The Stars, by Lois Lowry. The book, Number The Stars, is based on a true story, but the characters and events were slightly changed to make it more interesting. I liked the book because the story is timeless. Anybody who can read would enjoy the story.

         During the story I noticed how the neighbors protected each other as if they were family. The Johansen family helped their neighbors, the Rosen, from being taken away by the Nazis. Annemarie Johansen pretends that he best friend, Ellen, is her sister, Lise, who died after being run over by a Nazi car. But when an unexpected visit from a couple of Nazis occurs, the family takes off to Uncle Henrik’s house. While they are visiting, Annemarie is told there was a death in the family. When another set of Nazis come to check the house, their secret is almost let out. Inside the casket are clothes and blankets to keep everybody warm inside Uncle Henrik’s boat.

         In the morning, Annemarie must run down a path within the forest to give her Uncle a special handkerchief. ‘The path curved, and she could no longer look behind her and see the clearing with the farmhouse outlined against the pale sky and the lightening meadow beyond. Now there were only the dark woods ahead; underfoot, the path, latticed with thick roots.” (Page 106)

         Something in the book that I liked was the character, Annemarie. She was a 10-year-old girl, who despite all the war, stayed strong for her family and friends.

         From now on, Number the Stars is my all time favorite book. It is a timeless, strong peace of writing that has opened my eyes to what really went on in the war.

Bibliography

• http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fbDO6JrwL.jpg
• http://media.maps.com/magellan/Images/DENMAR-W1.gif
• http://www.israelnewsagency.com/holocaustchild.jpg
• http://www.insideskills.com/album/glass/images/star%20of%20david.jpg
• http://photos.igougo.com/images/p80124-Chicago-Holocaust_Museum.jpg
• http://www.scrapbookpages.com/AuschwitzScrapbook/GasChamber1945.jpg
• http://confrontaal.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/124_holocaust_memorial_lg.jpg
• http://dialoguetoday.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/holocaust_KWhUQ_3868.jpg
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Holocaust-memorial-usti-nad-labem.jpg

Book: Notes on a Near life experience
Author:Olivia Birdsall
Pages:1-257 (whole book)
This was a really good book. The author added lots of detail to the book, which made this more interesting. This book was about a girl named Mia, who’s a teenager in high school. Her parents were fighting, her dad moved out and got a girl friend. Her parents are most likely to be getting a divorce. Mia had an older brother named Allen, a little sister named Keatie, a best friend named Halley and a boy friend named Jullian who is her brothers best friend. Her brother Allen has gotten in to things that he should not have, because of his parents fighting.
Many different things happen in this book. It is one of those books that is hard to predict what is going to happen, you just   have to keep reading to find out. It is an exciting book, that is hard to put down. I did not like the first part of the book, because I thought it was boring, but then it started getting more interesting. I request this book to anyone who likes a good book, but more of a girly type of book.

Tonight

Sitting out on the edge of this cliff,

waiting…..waiting for somebody to find me.

Listening to the sound in my head, of your sweet voice.

And seeking a better tomorrow……Tonight.

I’m afraid, to see myself….alone

When the party’s over and my friends have all gotta get home,

I fear to see my love, and my kids all grown.

But nothing, nothing can beat the feel of the shore,

When i gotta all i need and it’s alright….Tonight

Yeah I see myself, in 20 years, just lovin life, soakin it in up here.

Cause I’m afraid of seeing you tonight,

Theres nothing that creates the feel for me, like being in your light

And I’m so sure, that i’ll find a cure to my restless…….life.

Tonight…….

The Art of War

Sun Tzu

pgs. 1-12

This last week, my dad introduces me to a new book called, ” The Art of War.” Well the title explains, what it’s all about. It’s mainly meant to be an informative/self-help/philosophical book, which is like a lot of the book my dad reads, so it didnt surprise me when he said that this was one of his favorites. Not only that, while reading this book, I’ve noticed that he has kind of based his attitude off of some of the aspects in this book. What I am learning from this book is, how to take down your enemy, how to handle difficult situations, and how to overcome your enemy by studying them and their characteristics.

The beginning of the book mainly consisted of quotes from Sun Tzu during his years of becoming a monk, but the foreword by James Clavell really gave a practical idea of what Sun Tzu’s life was like that made him think and act the way that he did. Overall, as far as the foreword went, I feel that James Clavell didn’t overwrite it and exaggerate like many philosophy books will do. Basically I just wanted to share some quotes with you that I felt really helped me learn from mistakes in the past, and made me think and, “re-read.”

“The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death. A road etiher to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.”

“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles”

“Mobility is key.”

“All warfare is based on deception. When able to attack, we must seem unable. When using our forces, we must seem inactive. When we are near, we must make the enemy feel we are far away. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is superior in strength, evade him. If your oponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him (My dad). Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, seperate them. Attack him where he is un-prepared, appear where you are not expected.”

“The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses the battle makes but few calculations beforehand. It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.”

I learned a lot from the book so far, and the longest quote that I shared is really what the whole book is about. I defiently enjoy reading this book, and appreciate the way that it helps me deal with new situations, and old ones. What I really believe is that our class in particular could take a lot from this book, but they really need to mature first. (Which they hear a lot) Great Book!

book- Surviving hitler.

Death

I feel sharp pains
all the way up my spine.
I cannot keep my eyes open.
I struggle to keep them open but I can’t.
They completely shut.
I know what’s happening.
I see a bright white light,
getting bigger and bigger
until I can see nothing else.
I feel weightless, painless.
My eyes open again.
Where am I?
I am in a white room
I see nothing.
Out of nowhere a dark black spot appears.
It slowly grows.
When it is close enough I can see its shape.
It is walking near me.
Wearing a dark cape,
and a black hood,
I cannot see its face.
It is darker than the night sky.
There is no way to describe this darkness.
As it nears me I can see that it is quite large.
It reaches down to pick me up.
Its hands are cold.
Colder than ice.
I begin to shiver.
I feel a sharp pain
and everything goes black…

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Anna M.

I just finished the book Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. It is about a young boy living in Warsaw. He does not know who he is, or who his family is. He lives on the street and steals food. One day he meets a group of Jewish boys. He lives with them until they all get taken to the ghetto with the rest of the Jews. This book is a touching story about the friends this little boy makes, and the hard times he has in the ghetto.

The boy’s name in this book is Misha. Misha makes friends with a sweet little Jewish girl named Janina. Janina’s family takes Misha in as if he was their son. One thing I really like in this book is the relationship between Misha and Janina’s family. He feels as if it is his job to take care of Janina. He thinks of Janina’s parents as his parents. On page 149 in the book, Misha, as the narrator, says, “Ever since Mr. Milgrom had made me a member of the family, I had wanted to call Mrs. Milgrom ‘Mother’…” This shows that Misha really did think of Mr. and Mrs. Milgrom as family. On page 161, Misha, talking about Janina, says, ”I combed her hair for hours each day, but I could not comb a smile onto her face. I was also losing my happy…” This shows that Misha really cares about Janina and her feelings. He even calls her his little sister in the book. He feels like it is his job to protect her. He really loved Janina and her family.

This book is fiction, but it is based on true facts about the ghetto. The facts seem very accurate. It talked about the brutal things people did to Jews. People were hanged because they snuck out at night to steal food. On page 146, it said, “And then I saw it. A body was hanging from the crossbar of a streetlight whose lamp had long since stopped shining. It was hanging by the neck…a sign was hanging across his chest…’I was a smuggler’…” The Nazis were awful to the poor people inside this camp. Overall I enjoyed this book. It was interesting, touching, and very accurate.

The Diamond of Drury Lane
By Julia Golding
Page 210-260 out 419

This book is about a girl named Catherine “Cat” Royal. She lives in a theater and has lived there her whole life. Cat finds out that a diamond is hidden in the theatre. Not much has been found out about the diamond so far. Cat also discovers that her new friend Pedro isn’t as trustworthy as she thought. Just recently in the book Cat finds out that a cartoonist, Johnny, against the king is wanted and this person happens to be working at the theatre. I left off where Cat is trying to decide if she should tell Pedro about Johnny.

This book is good. I haven’t gotten much read because I recently had to return it to the library and just got another copy. I plan on finishing it soon. I have some questions about what I read though. Will she tell Pedro about Johnny? Will Cat get attacked by another gang? Will Johnny secret get out to the public? Where is the diamond? Is it really in the theatre? Will Cat get in trouble for knowing all these secrets? I hope my questions are answered in the rest of the book. The book is confusing at times because the language and dialect is from the 1790s. This is really different from today. I like how the book is divided up. It is divided into Acts and Scenes because the book talks about the theatre around this time. I also think it does this because Cat is writing a book on what is going on, so it could later be turned into a play. It is interesting how big the theatre was back then. I would recommend this book to a friend.

The Titan’s Curse

By Rick Riordan

1st half

I was thinking about reading the book The Titan’s Curse. It looked really good.  I really liked the first two books a lot.  The first two books are The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. In my personal opinion I think that Rick Riordan is one of the best authors of any book I’ve ever read.  I really like his descriptions.  Every time I read his books it’s like I’m meeting the characters all over again.  Something I wish he would do is add in Percy’s dad, Poseidon, to the adventures.  I think that would make the book more interesting.  The fourth book, The Battle of the Labyrinth, came out last summer.  I haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet, but I plan on reading someday soon.  I really wan’t to see how the mess Percy’s in unfolds.

Amazing Grace

By Megan Shull

Pages: 247/247

The book Amazing Grace, by Megan Shull is one of the best books I have read. It is more of a “girly” romantic love story kind of thing but it was really good. The book starts out with Grace “Ace” Kincaid, a teenage-tennis-sensation. She had been traveling for 3 months competing in tennis matches and modeling for Cover Girl, Nike, and Prada etc. She was at an interview when she broke down and decided she wanted to quit. She called her mom, bodyguard, and attorney and told them all that she was tired of traveling and being away from home and family. Grace escaped the paparazzi and luckily made it to her hotel where she got a completely new makeover, or “make under”.  She changed her hair, style and even got a nose ring. She was now known as Emily O’Brian.

Grace’s (Emily) mom brought a visitor with her to the hotel and her name was Ava Grady. She was a retired FBI agent and was going to be helping Grace stay under cover for as long as possible until the paparazzi died down. She was addressed as Aunt Ava. When Ava and Grace got to the airport, they flew across the United States for what seemed like forever only to land in a very small town in Alaska. Grace had to adjust to a whole new lifestyle but she learned how to make real friend, find the meaning of love and even learn valuable lessons through making mistakes. She made a new best friend named Fisher and found the boy of her dreams names Teague Denali.

Grace has many experiences and learns a lot about her family and a lot about Ava but most of all, a lot about herself. Grace spends over 3 months in Alaska but eventually the paparazzi find her, and she is forced to leave Alaska. But not before her life “goes from meaningless to meaningful.” She goes back to tennis but not to modeling and endorsing products. In Alaska, Grace began to discover her identity and what she values most and she will never lose those memories. I really enjoyed reading this book because it had good life lessons in it and it teaches the reader a lot about what really matters in life. Its not all about the fame and popularity but about carrying out your values and staying true to yourself. I loved this book.