Counting by Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This week I read a book about a girl named Willow Chance, who is very smart. She knows many things most people don’t know, and she responsible. Most of all, she loves gardening. She basically had a forest in her backyard and all of her fruits and veggies were homegrown, and organic. But when something happens, it pulls a big thing out of her. She can’t think straight. There are many major changes in her life, whether she likes it or not. This was a really good book, I especially loved it. It’s also really sad. It kind of relates to us in  a way, and it’s pretty realistic. I feel like this book makes you really care for the characters and that is one reason why it is a great book. It has no mature topics or language, but, like I said, it’s pretty sad. Counting by Sevens is a strange title, but if you read the book you will understand why it is called that. I would recommend it to everyone, and it’s a book that everyone should read.

SOL Spring Trip

The waves crash against the sand, making a loud, yet peaceful sound. The weather is nice, but the wind is strong. We all go into the ocean, slowly adjusting to how chilly it is. It's not really cold, but the fact that the sun is setting and not there to warm up the ocean makes it kind of cold. Right away I dip my head in, after getting in pretty deep. Then I stand up in the coral, which is hard to get onto, especially with the waves trying to brush me off by making the currant stronger. After finally getting onto the coral reef, I shiver because when I stand up on the coral reef it makes the water be up to my knees, and being in the water for a while and then standing up makes me cold, and the water warm. The waves start to get bigger, and it gets really cold, so most of the people get out and we run to get the showers. Off to dinner, after taking a warm shower.

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

This is a really good book, about a girl named Opal, who lives with her dad, the preacher, and one day she goes to the Winn-Dixie grocery store and sees a dog standing outside it, so doesn't buy anything and just brings back the dog. That's when Opal's life REALLY begins. She names the dog Winn-Dixie, after the place she had found him, and takes him home. Her dad instantly falls in love with him, Winn-Dixie makes the dad more open. He shares something with Opal that he had never shared before- 10 things about Opal's mom, who had passed away years before. Winn Dixie isn't just any dog, and because of him, this book is really good. I would highly recommend this book for someone who wants an easy read, that's touching, and really sweet. I read this book within a few days, because it's pretty short. Overall, everyone needs to read this book, and if anything, read it again.

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O' Connor

This book is about a girl named Georgina Hayes, and she doesn't have a home, so she lives in her car with her younger brother, Toby, and her mom. Her dad left them, and they are trying to save up money to buy a home, so their mom has a job and they are doing everything they can to earn money. But Georgina sees a reward sign for a missing dog and that changes her life. There was no way she would find that dog, but the reward was $500. And that gets her thinking. Maybe she could steal a dog, until the owner puts up a sign, and gets the reward to earn money for a house! This book just shows Georgina trying to face the problems of life, and although it's hard, she is brave and tries hard, and theta's what makes her my favorite character. This has no mature topics, and it's a really easy read, so if you want a quick readI would recommend this one.

Logan Poetry Map- Memories

#1

Looking back,
It's funny.
How scary it was walking
Through those front doors,
Finding the classroom
Where the next 9 years
Of my life begin.
I wouldn't let go of my mom,
I was too scared.
I didn't know anyone,
And one question kept
Entering my mind:
"Will I find any friends?"
And I did.
This was where I started
To learn more about school,
And everything.
It all was new to me.
Preschool was fine,
But I didn't learn.
I wouldn't still be here
Without this experience.
Walking out those 'huge' front doors
I walked into,
A scared little girl,
Will be hard.


#2

It gets taken away,
For maybe a little more than a day.
When there is snow,
We're out there you know
And out there we will all stay.

It's where we eat,
It's very sweet,
It's where we bond,
Even if there are ponds,
For that is how we greet.

Limerick

~These Limericks don't really make sense~

There once was a city named Floorium,
Where everyone stood on a podium,
Because they were short and didn't like ports
And ate a lot of sodium.

There once was a person at Logan,
Who really liked to write slogans,
He wrote about cats
And didn't like bats
And he lived in a hogan.

Poetry

Free Verse

It all starts with a center,

16 squares around it.

Then 4 people each have

4 squares.

The game begins.

The sky is gray, cloudy,

And the air smells like rain.

Puddles of rainwater surround us.

It's cold outside,

And snow is still on the ground.

I hit the ball, it comes back, 

But I miss.

I'm out.

I go to the end of the line.

The game continues.

The Promise of a Pencil by Adam Braun

This book is about a man named Adam Braun, who starts a business called Pencils of Promise, after taking a trip to India and seeing all these children begging for food and money, and when Adam asked a little boy what he wanted most in the world, the boy said a pencil. Adam built schools for the poor children and sees how much they appreciate this. This is a non-fiction book, and it doesn't really ave any mature topics. I really liked this book, although some parts were a little boring. I would recommend this for anyone, and like I said it's a REALLY good book. My favorite character was Adam, because he was really brave and smart, and really interested with new things.

Poetry- Occasional Poetry

Holocaust

They did nothing wrong.
But they couldn't do anything about it.
They were forced to walk until they dropped.
And if they lived, there had to be
a different way to die. There were machines just to kill people.
Why? People wanted to kill themselves not to struggle.
But they weren't allowed.
There are books, movies, museums- about
the Holocaust, and stories about the struggles.
Survivors- some. Deaths- MANY.
Why them?
And it wasn't their fault.
They did nothing wrong.

Poetry: Odes

Ode to the Sun

Oh sun. Without you,

What would we do?

No light, no heat.

Well, only artificial light,

Only artificial heat.

Without you, there would

Be no plants,

No me, no you.

Any that is why I love you.

Sometimes I wonder…

Will you disappear?

So no light, no heat,

Would be here?

Just the moon, and us.

But no you.

No joy, no fun, no you.

Why would you leave?

Oh Sun, Oh Sun,

I love you.

Poetry- Haikus

~Haiku 1~

The whole world spins around

But we don't feel that at all

And I wonder why…

~Haiku 2~

Nature is outside

Colors change on everything

Including our souls.

~Haiku 3~

Geese sing in the sky

Why is it that everything

Has to make a sound?

(Or almost everything)

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

This book is written through the dog's point of view, and him growing up with his owner, Denny, watching him win and lose, life. But Enzo isn't a normal dog. He's like a human trapped in a dog's body. He understands everything, just he can't talk. Denny has a tough life, with many troubles going through, and his biggest fan is Enzo. This is a really good book, but really sad and kind of tough. It has a lot of mature topics and language, but I still really enjoyed the book and everyone should read it. My favorite character is Enzo, because no matter what he is always there for Denny, and he understands everything so even though he can't talk, he does smart things that would help Denny, and the challenges he is facing.

SOL

I'm too weak to get up. I'm hot then cold, I don't even know. My dad comes into my room. Right away, I say:
"I'm not going to school. I feel terrible and my stomach hurts like crazy."
"Well then, I'm off to work. Mom is with you, I'll tell her that you're staying home."
"Thanks. Bye!"
He leaves the room, and I try to get up. My feet start wobbling, but I go downstairs. The only problem- I'm not hungry. I can't hear a word about food, or I'll feel sick. But... at least I'm feeling better than yesterday. Well, sort of. Of course I'll have to go the doctor, so I go and get dressed. Who knows, maybe it will encourage me to feel better. Maybe it will.

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods

This book is about a girl named Violet who has a strange life. Her mom and sister are white, when she's African American since her dad was, who died before she was born. She decides to learn more about her dad's side of the family, and finds out some things she hasn't expected. This book is funny, sad, and happy all at the same time. I liked this book- it was pretty good, but not the best. It was really easy to read, because it was aimed for a little younger audiences. It doesn't have any mature topics, and if someone wants a easy read, this is the right book for you. My favorite character was Violet because I knew the most about her and she was really brave and smart, and knew what to do. She had tough times, but she always dealt with them and was caring and helpful.

TBR:
The Promise of a Pencil
Counting by Sevens
Outliers

IT"S THE FINAL ONE!!! 31/31

This is it. 31 SOLs for every day of the month. Of course, I hope I got every day of the month, and posted everything I needed to. Of course I ran out of ideas many, many times. If I could, I would definitely do this challenge again, because writing is really fun (SOMETIMES) and it's really not that bad. Who knows, maybe it will come in handy one day. I mean I won't plan on it, but just knowing how to write about your own life helps with inspiration for other writing projects. Compared to other things I have done, this is really fun. Maybe sometimes I'll get stuck, and so will everyone- but believe me, it's not that bad.

This is it.

SOL- March 30th 30/31- What It's Like to be a 7th Grader

I know. Being a 7th grader isn't as tough as being an 8th grader, but still. There's time to relax, yet again, it's your last year to really have some slack. In 8th grade I'll have 2 units, and I'll have to worry about high schools and a speech and all that stuff. But being a 7th grader isn't all fun and games, either. Instead of leaving every assignment to the last minute on that Sunday night, when everything is due on that next Monday, you would do at least some through out the week right? That's how it is here. You can't leave all that stuff to when your an 8th grader, like all those high schools. But being a 7th grader is really fun, and being in AS in general. It's not all homework and no fun, we get more freedom, and are the role models. I don't know how it will feel being an 8th grader, but I bet it's not so bad.

SOL- March 29th 29/31

The trees wave at me through the window, the slight breeze blowing them back and forth. The leaves rustle, moving to the groove of the trees. The sky is a pure blue, not a single cloud in sight. The flowers are open and alive, showing off their colors so people could admire them. The mountains have highlights of snow here and there, but not too much. There is some snow that's just there, and can't be melted. Even though it's morning, it's very warm, and once I get dressed we will head off to start our day. Sometimes I just like to start out my day by looking out the window, just so the bright colors and sun wakes me up.

SOL- March 28th 28/31

Why do we we walk? I mean, we can also crawl, run and drive, but we aren't gonna crawl for all of our life or run 24/7. Why can't we fly? Birds can, but if we try, we might not live till tomorrow. Well, bird can't drive, ride bikes, of anything like that. But at least they can run and walk. I always wonder this. It would be really cool to fly. I dream about flying, but the type of flying without the wings. We can "fly" when jumping on a trampoline or something, but not without anything below us to catch us.

SOL- March 27th 27/31

I have to write 8 SOLs for the time I'm in Israel, and I have to schedule them to post on my blog. I'm not very good at coming up with ideas right on the spot, so writing 8 Slices of Life in a row is pretty hard. What should I write about? My dog? Ok. Here it goes:

I'm laying on my bed, on my phone and relaxing, when I feel a shake from under my bed. I hear some scratching too, like something against a carpet. From what I know, but I'm not 100% sure, my dog isn't in my room. My bed starts shaking like crazy. Have I gone mad? Is something happening outside that is causing my bed to shake? Is my house getting wrecked down?
"Mom?" I call.
"What?"
"Do you feel that?" I ask stupidly.
"What?"
"The shaking!"
"No.."
Hmm. I think I've gone mad. I better check under my bed. I look. My dog is sleeping there innocently, and then gets up, and starts scratching at the carpet. How could such a small dog shake a bed? I let out a sigh of relief. I haven't gone mad. That's good.

SOL- March 26th 26/31

I draw one line. Then erase it. I draw another line. Then erase it. Everything I try to draw turns out bad.  It kind of sucks, because I like to draw, except for when everything I try to draw turns out bad. On rare occasions, they actually turn out good, for example when I drew a giraffe, and it looked really good but not right now. I never really sit down and draw, but when I have an assignment and I have to include art, I want the drawing to look perfect. But it doesn't. I start a light sketch of something, knowing that I will probably erase it. But I don't.