A Letter from Germany

I walked through the door, slung my backpack down and trudged into the kitchen. Then I did my usual to look through the mail. I glanced down on the table and saw a letter from Germany! It's from my Penpal! Since this is international mail I don't get letters a lot from her! So happy! I can't wait to write back to her.

Mirror, Mirror… No Mirror

"Mirror, mirror on the wall…" chanted an envious witch, "Who's the most popular of them all!" A ghostly face appeared in the shimmering surface of the mirror. "Sugar Moon, Sugar Moon is the most popular of them all." said the mirror in a cold voice. Then the face disappeared. It left the poor, young witch to think.

"Oh Wanda! Why art thou so daft?! Why can't thee be like the Mistress Sugar!" Wanda Witch screamed at herself into the abyss of the mirror. In her thoughts Wanda pictured a beautiful Sugar, dancing and laughing with her skin as pale as the moon and hair like the golden rays of the sun. This Sugar laughed and ridiculed Wanda. Wanda shook her head, "Am anything in this world? Shall Sugar ever notice me, even if I thou not a noble!" 

Wanda thought about her life. She had grown up with sugar since the dawn of that humans life, after all witches live longer. All of her life she has been envious and jealous of the Mistress. When shouldn't Sugar have been jealous of Wanda, for possessing magical properties! Suddenly a burst of hope sprang into dear Wanda's soul. "I need not to fret of these silly woes! I have kept the charm all along. In myself… But shall anyone notice?" Yes, Wanda's friend in the Mirror would notice. She stared into those sullen red eyes and smiled.

Literary Essay - Wonder

Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical challenge. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! But, this story is all about that challenge Auggie has to face.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that mast have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 198 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "He's turned the whole grade against me… and shakes his head."

(Not done)

Hawaii Skies

"Wow, look at that!" I exclaimed as I looked down from the window. Our driver did a dramatic loop and everyone in the vehicle "oohed" and "ahhed". I still can't believe it! I was riding in a helicopter! For the very first time! What was even more scary and awesome was that we were about to fly over Hawaii's most active volcano. Kilauea… "I my gosh!" I gasped! We were just flying over a lush green landscape, when I looked down to see lava. It was like an endless abyss of black. Like burning charcoal, but rock. I heard cameras click around me. I glanced through the front window to see a chunk of the road still there! It was an island in a black sea. Then our helicopter started to circulate around the mouth of the volcano. I spied the fiery red liquid, a devil lived in there… ready to burst at any moment. "Maja can you see it well enough?" I asked my sister. She nodded vigorously in response. Wow. What a helicopter ride.

Attendance

"Ugh! We have a substitute for Miss Viola today!" Grumbled Sally, to Jenny.

"Why do substitutes always call out your full name?" Jenny cried.

"It's so annoying… Plus I like Miss Viola."

Henry and Ethan walked up to them, smirking.

"You girls are always so persnickety about our teachers." Ethan sneered.

"Says the person who always get in trouble." Sally and Jenny retorted.

The boys sighed, "Class is starting, let's see which devil we get today.

All 15 of the students in class 4B walked into their homeroom class. One by one the students walked in. And each in turn dropped their mouth open and silently walked to their seat. This sub was indeed going to be a devil for class 4B… On the chalk board, 'Mrs Cross" was written in big, loopy, mean looking letters. Her name itself wanted to leap off of the board and eat the poor children. Then the old woman stood up. She was plump and round. Her face resembled one of a blood hound- droopy. Her hair was like a spider web. I don't think class 4B would have been surprised if their was a spider in her hair. She wore the most ugly brown skirt, that showed off too mush of her red, swollen, nasty ankle. Mrs Cross wore an out-of-style sweater, with a gross plaid vest that was not color coordinated.

 When the devil cleared her throat the whole class leaned back in their chairs. "Class it is time for attendance," Mrs Cross said in a scratchy voice, like a witch… the witch. My name is Mrs Cross, in case you didn't know." Sally did not want her name to be said at all.

"Alexis Anne Altermann." Alexis was the most popular girl.

"Hello! Im Fabulous!"

"Beatrice Belle Buttlesbee." Beatrice was the nerdiest.

"Here ma'am!"

"David Durango Dilapadoser." His name made every one laugh. David was the class clown.

"The one and only!"

"Ethan Eli Endrud." Ethan was the most athletic student.

"What up!"

"Gianna Grace Guarnacelli." Gianna was the animal lover.

"Meow!"

"Henry Hule Hirth." Henry was the trouble maker, and very persuasive.

"Absent!"

"Irene Inez IcMintish." She was the 'germiphode'.

"Um… Hi!"

"Jenny Jane Jestersmith." Jenny was the smartest student.

"Present!"

"Liam Larney Liamson." Liam was a real book-worm.

"Greetings from space!"

"Otto Oliver Ork." Very shy.

"Here!"

"Rayna Riley Rotterzuler." Rayna went on a lot of trips.

"Hola!"

"Sally Sue Samsonwhittbackerjoeven." Sally was a true actress.

"To be or not to be!"

"Ulysess Umby Uwatra." The teachers pet!

"Here, please call me Uly!"

"Wilson Will Wifferville." Wilson is the 'new kid'.

"Not here."

"Ximena Xen Xavimore." Ximena was the 'girly-girl'.

"Lalalalala!"

"Ok Class! Now that attendance is finished let's spend the rest of the day outside playing!"

Christmas Traditions - SS Extra Credit

In this picture… my sister and I are doing a Polish Christmas tradition call opłatki (pronounced op-waht-kee). In this we brake off a pice of this flatbread wafer, to some one else - as me and my sister are doing. The wafers are wonderfully designed to display Christmas images. The purpose of this tradition is to give blessings to the other family member for the up-coming year. 

Junior the Gecko

"Hello Junior! How are you?" my sister said in a way you would speak to a baby. "Isn't he cute." I muttered. But, it was true Junior was cute.

My friend Mia was on a ski trip. So as a result I got to baby-sit her brother's pet gecko. The gecko's name is Junior.

My family loves Junior dearly. Even though we only got to be with him for 10 days. I had to feed him LIVE crickets and mealworms, believe me: it was not easy. You see, I had to wedge my hand into the ziplock bag that was adorned with cricket limbs. The variable was that I couldn't mess up, otherwise I would have a cricket loose in my room! Anyway, Junior is very special. He is an albino gecko. Mias brother said, "Don't worry if he furs really white, that's normal."

This is Junior…