The Throne of Fire

The Throne of Fire is a 464 page book by Rick Riordan. Carter and Sadie Kane must awaken the sun god Ra using their extensive magic skills before the equinox or... well... *BOOM*.

Mockingjay

Mockingjay is the finale of the Hunger Games trilogy, and boy did it make me think. After Katniss has been turned into a murderer from the Hunger Games, and Peeta, her boyfriend, has been kidnapped, she joins a band of rebels and becomes their figurehead. Mentally scarred from the Games, she has constant trauma and nightmares.

Pages: 390

Catching Fire

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, is the sequel to the Hunger Games. Katniss has returned alive from the Hunger Games, but the dastardly leader of the Capitol, President Snow, has to make sure she doesn't start a rebellion amongst the citizens. His motive is that she acts right- or her family will not survive.

Pages: 391

I just had to put this picture of Katniss Here:

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is an action-packed, thought-provoking novel. It is set in a    futuristic society in a country called Panem, which is made up of a Capitol and twelve surrounding districts. The Capitol cruelly takes food, products, money, and other things from the people of the districts. But that is not the worst of it. Fifty or so years before the book took place, the districts revolted against the Capitol. The Capitol won, and, in punishment for the revolution, forced each district to send one boy and one girl each year, to participate in the Hunger Games. In the Games, contestants are thrown into an untamed and wild "Arena" where they battle each other to the death until they are the only one alive. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen's sister is chosen to go to the games, but Katniss volunteers in her stead. Once she enters the Arena, her whole life changes.

Pages: 375

OMZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

At first I thought it was Bieber himself singing this: Doesn't sound much different from him.

Compare:

Les Miserables

Les Miserables is a stunning account of the lives of several people during the French Revolution.

JEAN VALJEAN
One of the main characters is Jean Valjean, a convict who was sent to jail for stealing a loaf of bread for his family. After being released from prison, he met a kind bishop who gave him lodging for the night. However, despite the bishop's kindness, he stole from the priest and ran away. He was caught, and about to be sent to prison, but the bishop said he had given Jean Valjean the silver, to allow him to become a better man. Valjean leaves and becomes an extremely succesfull honest buisnessman.

FANTINE
Fantine is a poor mother who does not have enough money to raise her child, Cosette. So she gives Cosette to a wicked innkeeper named Thenardier, who forces Cosette to do all the housework. Fantine is provoked by a man, and she attacks him, condemning her to jail. But she is freed by Jean Valjean, who has become mayor of the town, but she gains a fever, and is slowly dying. Jean Valjean goes and buys Cosette from the Thenardiers, and returns to Fantine to find out fantine is dead.

COSETTE
Jean Valjean becomes Cosette's father and lives happily with her for several years. Inspector Javert, a prison guard when Valjean was in the galleys, gains a lead on Valjean's whereabouts and begins to hunt him down. Valjean is thrown back in prison but escapes and returns to Cosette.

MARIUS
Marius is a young man who falls in love with Cosette. He hopes to propose to her, but the Revolution begins, and he enters the battlefield. Meanwhile, Javert has another lead on Valjean.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT????????????

READ THIS BOOK

Pages: 585x2= 1170

Or (this was really hard to put together):
Marius and Cosette fall in love in the dangerous streets of Revolting Paris, while Jean Valjean attempts to avoid the policeman Javert.

Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare

Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare is a collection of Shakespeare's plays written in story form. They include plays such as, The Taming of the Shrew, Othello, Cymbeline, As You Like It, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Im higly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about Shakespeare. (And it gives you quite abit of Enrichment Reading Pages)

Pages= 303 x 2= 606 pages total

My Government Vid

City of Fire

City of Fire is a 308 page adventure book by Laurence Yep. The story stars the young Kushan lady Scyrie and her pet lap griffin Klestesetse, accompanied by the dragon Bayang, as well as the magical weapon-armed Leech and his pal Koko. Together the band mst join forces with the goddess Pele to defeat the evil Mr. Roland, who has done something to all of them.

Double Pages: 616 pages total

Here is a picture of Pele:


Here is one of Bayang:


Here is Koko the Tanuki:


Here is Klestesetse:

My Holocaust Project

Milkweed

As told by Uri

            I guess it all started when I found the gypsy. I was just walking around town-well, creeping, more of, looking for something to snatch. Then I saw it. Just another rich fat lady carrying a loaf of bread. Easy pickings, and besides, she would just by twelve more.

            I snuck up from behind, slowly and craftily. My hand darted out, but there was a yell of “Stop! Thief!” and the bread was gone.

            I silently congratulated myself. Good, Uri. We’ll eat well tonight. Then I realized something. The bread wasn’t in my hand. I swerved around. I saw a little blur running past, carrying the bread. The midget had moved so fast I didn’t even know it was he who stole the morsel! 

            Right as he passed the alley where I was hiding I made an instant decision. I reached out and grabbed him by his ratty shirt’s collar. I started off running, dragging the gypsy behind me. He would fit right in, after all. We were all Jews, so a gypsy would just increase our diversity. Besides, he was good at snatching, and could help fill our bellies a little more.

            I brought him to see the boys. They were a little rough on him, I think. But he needed to know the truth, the little boy. They yelled and threw food. They told him about Jews. What they said was true, unfortunately.

“Even Cannibals hate us!”

“Even monkeys hate us!”

“Even cockroaches hate us!”

They crowed and laughed. The midget was taking it all surprisingly well. He just stood there and stared. They continued to argue. If I didn’t argue back, soon he would be booted out.

I suddenly lunged out and grasped the yellow stone around his neck. I showed it to everyone. “He’s a gypsy.”

That caught their attention. “How do you know?”

“Look at his eyes, how black. His skin. And this…” I held up his stone.

The boy just continued watching us, interested. We locked eyes. Then I realized how much he looked like Jozef. He had to stay. Maybe having him near would lessen the pain of losing my brother.

Fortunately, the argument was cut short by the arrival of the old stable man. He yelled at us, but we just yelled and threw food back. I instructed the boy where to sleep. I then went out scouting for some pickles. I needed them to calm my nerves.

*                      *                      *

It wasn’t for another month until I told the boy about Jozef. I only told him what he looked like, how he was small like the gypsy, and growing fast. The boy looked extremely interested, but when I stopped talking, he just lay back down and went to sleep.

I turned over in my bed, glad I had gotten that off my chest. Then I remembered.

I had previously spent several hours inventing a story for the boy, who called himself “Stopthief.” His “story,” courtesy of me, was that he was born to a gypsy family with seven brothers, nine sisters, and two great-grandmothers. A little ridiculous, but the poor little gypsy didn’t know it wasn’t true. I told him that the jackboots were practicing bombing, and that they saw Misha’s caravan, so they let it drop. After all, to the jackboots, gypsies are just above Jews. I told Misha that he survived and came to Warsaw, stealing.

He also became obsessed by his name, Misha Pilsudski. He’d run up to people and shout it in their faces right before he snatched something right out of their hands. He never got caught, but I knew, someday, he would.

*                      *                      *

Misha was as happy as the flies that buzzed around the city. After all, the flies were the only thing happy, besides Misha.

He would romp around the city gaily until he found someone with something to snatch. Then he would run up to them, yell “Misha Pilsudski!” in their face, and then zoom off before the person could realize what had happened. The little boy seemed so content, and then I realized why.

One day he came running back to the alley where the boys and I lived, and placed down a birthday cake. “They were trying to burn it!” His eyes were wide, and he looked horrified at the thought. He explained how he had been constantly visiting a little Jewish girl and giving her food. When the rest of us were hungry enough!

“Stupid.” I said, and gave him a blow to the ear. He took it and then continued talking.

“But- they were lighting the-”

I sighed. “Those were candles, stupid.” I was about to turn away, when I realized how good that cake looked. “I suppose it shouldn’t go to waste…”

Misha just nodded heartily and dug in.

*                      *                      *

It wasn’t long before they sent us to the ghetto. Everyone was very solemn and sincere, except, of course for Misha and his little girlfriend. They talked about the ghetto like it was a wonderful place.

Misha began to live with the little girl’s family, the Milgrom’s. I watched them, even though I had been brought to train with the jackboots just a little while ago. Dirty gypsy, I thought, but I couldn’t push the thought about how much he looked like Jozef.

I tried to convince myself that by becoming a jackboot, I could eventually free the Jews and Misha, but I knew that it would never happen. I could at least save myself, though. My ancestors were not Jewish, even though I am a Jew, so because of my red hair, the jackboots do not know.

Misha found me once in the streets outside the ghetto. Apparently, there is a hole for him to sneak through. I told my fellow jackboots, and we boarded it up.

*                      *                      *

Weeks later, the trains came. Hundreds of Jews were getting loaded on to them. I saw a man telling the girl and Misha to run, but the little girl refused to leave the man, who must have been her father. Finally, the girl won, and jumped on the train right as it pulled away. Misha was about to follow.

Then he saw me, and I saw his eyes, so much like Jozef’s. I couldn’t let him die. Before he could see my boots, I pulled out my gun and fired at him, purposely missing. He ran away. My little brother was safe for now.

________________________________________________________________________

I chose to narrate the story from Uri’s point of view because throughout Milkweed, Uri is a rather mysterious character, and most of his actions are not clear. It was enjoyable to figure out his motives, but at the same time very saddening to watch Uri become a Nazi, but at least he did a good thing in saving Misha’s life, which proves he is not all bad.

Milkweed

Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli, is a 208 page book set during the Holocaust in Warsaw. A young thief named Misha is forced into a  ghetto where he lives an innocent life tormenting Nazis and stealing food. He is happy throughout the entire book until his "sister" willingly jumps onto a train leading to a death camp. Then he realizes the true horrors of the time he is living in and runs away from the ghetto.

Double Pages= 416 pages total

This is a picture I really like of Misha (the boy):

The Vile Village

The Vile Village is a 256 page book about the somewhat depressing adventures of the three Baudelaire orphans. Written by Lemony Snicket, the book chronicles the orphan's new guardianship under the whole village of V.F.D. They are attempting to free their friends the Quagmires, but the amount of rules in V.F.D. are preventing them from doing so.

The Arabian Nights

The Arabian Nights is a 206 page book translated by Andrew Lang about Arabian myths. Several stories are included including the Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, The Three Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister, and The Merhant of Baghdad.

Hamlet: The Graphic Novel

I just finished reading No Fear Shakespeare's graphic novel adaption of Hamlet. It is 205 pages of new adaptations and awesome art. Everyone should read it before we finish with Hamlet.

QUICK WRITE/ CAN OF WORMS/ RANDOM POST

Wow. Ms. U., you opened up a HUGE can o' worms. I doubt anybody will have the time, patience, or interest to read all of this.
PREPARE FOR ULTIMATE NERDINESS

My Planet/ Galaxy:
Name: Gladitorian
                 Gladitorian is made up of one pangaea-like continent that is surrounded by a sparkling blue sea. My capital is Gladitor Fortresss.
               
Ruler: Me
          I am known as simply The Gladitor, and I am rather mystery-shrouded.

Capital: Gladitor Fortress
                 Gladitor fortress is a huge hi-tech city that resembles a medieval fortress. The walls are made of solid marble eight feet thick with guards always positioned at their stations. There is a population of about four million people. I don't want it overpopulated (you have to go through TONS of paperwork to get in).     

Landmarks:The Hall of Memories
                  The Hall of Memories is a massive museum/library that is filled with holobooks and replicas of anything from weapons to suits of armor.
                  The Grand Palace
                  The Grand Palace is my personal residence which is practically crafted out of solid marble and twenty-eight karat gold (yeah, we got that here). My private Guards are always lurking, so don't you dare try anything!!!
                 Solstice Clearing
                A beautiful clearing in the middle of The Mountains of Tanzia that is where we every year celebrate the four solstices. Beware strange happenings, we've heard centaurs lurk around it...

Allies: Tanzia
          Tanzia is the galaxy of King Aleron of Tanzia (aka Tanner Gorman), with whom we have long shared a friendship.
          Magnasia
          Magnasia is the galaxy of King Magnai of Magnasia (aka Phillip Magnuson), a galaxy of fierce warriors and terrifying military.
         Edtrognia
         Edtrognia is the galaxy of Lord Argedt (aka Ethan Seay) and is mainly mad up of desert, but has superior technology.
       Together we make up the GTMEU, or Gladitorian-Tanzian-Magnasian Union.

I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO SAY
My book, not yet titled, tellls more. Read it here (if you have time)

Sabotaged

Sabotaged, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a 376 page book about famous children in history who have been misplaced throughout time. It is the job of thirteen-year old Jonah and his sister Katherine to save them and save time all at once.

My Life And Hard Times

My Life and Hard Times is a 114 page book about the author, James Thurber, when he was young, about ninety years ago. The book "talks largely about small matters and smally about large matters." Insane dogs, blind microscopes, battle techniques, it's wonderful.