Schoolhouse Rock

Has anyone ever heard of Schoolhouse Rock? I used to listen to it in 5th grade, then I started listening to them again. If you don't know, it's just a group that sings songs about stuff like conjunctions, American history, and how the government is set up. I started a playlist of Schoolhouse Rock songs, so if you know what I'm talking about, make suggestions! I'm always adding to it, since there are a lot of them.

Library Book Sale!

First things first, I know I haven't done the author of the month for October or September, but I've been pretty busy, with school and all, so I'll get to those.

Now, on to more important things (or at least more interesting).

Today, our public library had a book sale from 9-2 o'clock. I went there at around 9-9:30 and spent around $6.75. :)

Anyway, here's a list of the books I got, along with a small description in case you think it looks interesting.

The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry

In The Alexandria Link, Cotton Malone's son gets kidnapped, and Cotton has to find something within the lost Library of Alexandria that could change the world. (paraphrased from the summary on the back of the book; you didn't think I'd actually read it already?)

Writers of the Future, vols. V, VI, and IX by L. Ron Hubbard

These books are collections of various works of the best science-fiction of the year that the book was written in.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

No offense, but I have no idea what this book is about. I know it's about an "accusation of criminal assault" in "a quiet southern town," but that's about it. Why am I reading this book? It's a classic (or if it isn't, it will be). It's like reading J. K. Rowling and not reading James Patterson. You read one good author, you have to read another. *Note to self: READ LOTR*

Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson

And speaking of James Patterson... This book is about Daniel X having to stop an evil person from destroying his city and documenting every moment of it. Again, this is from the inside flap.

2nd Chance and The 5th Horseman by James Patterson

Both these books are a part of the Women's Murder Club series. The second one is apparently a "puzzling medical thriller" and a "gripping legal thriller", according to the back of the book. From my experience, any book by James Patterson is worth checking out.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

This book is the sequel to The Golden Compass. I haven't read it yet, but apparently there's a leopard in it (according to the cover). Sounds interesting though if you read the back.

The Keepers: The Wizard's Apprentice by Jackie French Koller

Princess Arenelle is the first ever woman to become the next Imperial Wizard, but that could all change when her father discovers a long lost son that could just as well fill the prophecy as she did. She decides to continue with her training however, but when her brother gets kidnapped and her dad tries to go rescue him, she sets out on a rescue mission of her own.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

I read The Giver, to which this book is a companion to. This book seems to be like it.

Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba by Patricia McKissack

Part of the Royal Diaries series.

9/11

Today's the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Let's have a moment of silence for all of the people affected by that tragedy. All the victims and their families and friends. All the people who witnessed the attack first hand. God Bless America.

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

Grubbs Grady's family is going to a ballet, and, since he hates ballets, he's going to be staying at his aunt's house while they're there. But there's something wrong. Grubbs can tell. His parents are acting weird, and his sister's acting weird. Well, weirder than usual. He knows that they know something that they don't want to tell him, but what? Is he going to die soon? Is that it?

When he gets to his aunt's house, he finds the best possible time, and sneaks out of the house. Grubbs walks back to his house. He checks all the windows to see if anyone's home. He goes to the back door, and he unlocks it. He walks through the kitchen and up the stairs to his parents' room. While he does, he peeks into his and his sister's bedrooms, and sees his chess board smashed to splinters.

He walks up to his parents' bedroom door. It's hot. Really hot. But there's no smoke, no fire. What's going on? Grubbs slowly opens the door, and is faced with a sight that no one should have the luck to see......

It gives him waking nightmares. When the police arrive at his house, they can't believe what they see inside. They question Grubbs about what happened in there, but they don't believe the truth. He's sent to an asylum. The doctors and nurses try everything to get him to come out of his nightmares, but it won't work. Until his uncle Dervish visits him.

Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson

Amy and Dan Cahill are travelling around the world in the search for the 39 clues. These clues lead to an amazing prize. So far, Amy, Dan, and their au pair Nellie Gomez, have travelled through Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, and Japan. Now, they're heading to Egypt in search of an ancient Ekaterina clue.

Ahh Egypt! The Nile, the pyramids, the weather, the beautiful hotels, the palm trees! Not to mention the disguises, the evil old people, and the betrayals...

Amy and Dan are in Egypt for less than half a day when they spot one of their relatives, a fellow Cahill, Irina Spasky, who's also a Lucian. She's also a competitor in the search for the 39 clues. They go on a wild chase through the Egyptian marketplace, both groups getting lost in the process. The good news: Irina has no idea where they are. The bad news: Amy and Dan have no idea where they are.

When they finally get to their hotel, guess what? They find out that it's home to the Ekaterina stronghold (which is a bad thing, by the way). And even worse? They get trapped there. Of course. On top of that? They find out the clue is underwater. Wonderful. Great. Now what do they do?

The Growling Bear Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, and their grandfather are going to Yellowstone National Park! (I've always wanted to go there) According to a legend, there's a hidden cabin on one of the park trails. In it, some prospectors hid a pouch of gold nuggets, and one of grandfather's friends has a map that shows where it might be located. But the map goes missing as soon as the Aldens put it down. On top of that, the Lost Cabin Trail has been closed due to bears. Could someone be trying to prevent the Aldens from finding the cabin?

Max by James Patterson

Max and the flock can't ever seem to rest any more. The Uber-Director may be gone, but now there are self-destructing assassins and ninja robots trying to kill them instead. Even worse, Dr. Martinez gets kidnapped, Nudge wants to go to school, and thousands of fish are dying in the oceans. Even more worse, the submarine holding Dr. Martinez hostage is right in the middle of it all. On top of all this, the navy is willing to help them find her, but only if the flock takes a "survival training course". Yeah, right, as if they haven't had enough training in survival. Sure.

Ugh. Yet another series that I have to wait for the next book to be published before I can read it. Grr (again)

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Eugenides is king of Attolia! "The undisputed, uncontested, and absolute sovereign of the land." But he doesn't even act like a king! He slouches on the throne, he sleeps through court, and he does nothing when his own attendants make his life miserable and insult him behind his back. Everyone thinks that the former Thief of Eddis is unfit to be king, even his own Guard. But the Mede Empire is waiting in the shadows for the perfect time to attack, and if Eugenides can't unite Attolia in time, the entire country will be overrun.

I've reread this book three times already! I can't believe I have to wait until next year to read the next book! Grr

A song for Maximum Ride?

What do you guys think about this song for Maximum Ride on my "Songs for Books" play list thingy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_bh-xlsaeI (Ignore the rodeo theme. Just listen to the words.)

It's not the best, I know, just a possibility.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Eugenides is back doing what he does best: stealing. But how does one steal away the magus of Sounis, the queen of Attolia, and threat of war? And how does one do this with just one hand?

The queen of Attolia has had it. She won't tolerate Eugenides in her palace any longer. When her guards capture him, she orders that his right hand be cut off. Eugenides is sent home a cripple. He spends his days confined to his room, practicing his handwriting and staring at his fireplace, and while Eugenides is idle, his country is on the verge of war with both Attolia and Sounis. He wants to help, but what can a one-handed thief do?

The Final Warning by James Patterson

Yet another Maximum Ride book. :)

In this book, Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total get to go to Antarctica and play with the penguins!!! (You have no idea how much I've always wanted to do that!) Well, they're actually in Antarctica to help out some scientists who are studying global warming (climate change). You know, that huge problem that people (scientists) always seem to be talking about that no one can change, just prevent, and that in the next hundred years or so if nothing's done about it, we're all going to die of "natural causes" (tornados, hurricanes, floods, droughts, famines, etc.). So what better way to save the world? Plus, they get to have a little fun, familiarize themselves with their new skills, and hide out from the creepy government peoples who want to use those skills to take over the world! *insert evil laugh here*

But there are a lot of down-to-earth things happening, too. Max is still jealous of anyone-no, any girl-who so much as talks to Fang alone, Angel wants a baby penguin (don't we all?), and Total has found his true love. (Ok, I'll admit, that one isn't very down-to-earth, but, if you think of him the way he thinks of himself, it kinda is.)

James Patterson

James Patterson is one of my most favorite authors. He's written books like the Maximum Ride series, Daniel X, Women's Murder Club series, and the Alex Cross series.

Some books I've read written by James Patterson:

1. 1st to Die - This is more of an adult book. It's about Lindsay Boxer (a San Francisco PD homicide detective), Claire Washburn (a medical examiner in the local mortuary), Cindy Thomas (a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle), and Jill Bernhardt (an assistant district attorney) banding together to apprehend the murderer of at least 3 newlywed couples.
2. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment - This one's more of an all-around kind of book. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel are on the run from erasers. (No, not the kinds of erasers on your pencils.) They're hiding out in a canyon, when erasers come swarming in and capture Angel. Now Max, Fang, and Nudge have to go back to the very place all of them were trying to stay far away from. But what about Iggy and Gazzy? Well, they're kinda pissed off that Max made them stay "home", but that doesn't mean they're just gonna sit inside and play video games until the others get back . . . .
3. Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever - So, the flock's all back together again, but now Max needs to start figuring out how to save the freakin' world! Things that happen in this book? Let's see. Well, the flock tours New York (via the sewer system), and they end up going to school (regular, public school; not the filled-with-evil-scientists-and-terrible-things-that-happen-every-day School. No. That one is capitalized.) They even get free haircuts. However, on a down side, Max does get replaced by clone. Not a copy-from-her-DNA clone, but an oh-my-God-you-look-exactly-like-her clone.
4. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports - http://bookwormscornerforpeoplewholovebooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/saving-world-and-other-extreme-sports.html Enough said.
5. Maximum Ride: The Final Warning - Still in the process of reading. Really good so far, though. :)

For more about James Patterson and his books, click the link: http://www.jamespatterson.com/

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Another book about thieves. :) Seems like I'm reading a lot of those lately.

Gen likes to think of himself as a master thief. He can steal anything. Except himself out of the king of Sounis's prison. One day, the king's magus comes to pay Gen a visit. He wants him to steal something for him. A legendary stone, said to have been dipped in the water of immortality. It is said that whomever the stone is willingly given to is the rightful king or queen of Eddis and becomes immortal. Gen agrees (not that he has a choice), and so he, the magus, Pol, and the magus's two apprentices Ambiades and Sophos head out to only the Gods (and the magus) know where.

The Thief is now one of my favorite books, up there with Harry Potter, Twilight, Eragon, and the like. One of my friends recommended it after she had read it, as well as Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia. The Thief starts out like any other book. There's a main character, a problem, a journey, etc., etc. The journey takes up more than half the book, but if you can keep up and pay attention, you'll be rewarded in the end. From p. 155 to the end, there are at least seven different major twists in the plot and surprises. You won't believe who Gen really is.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Prosper and Bo have run away from their aunt, Esther, after their mother has died. They run to Venice, of which they have heard so many enchanting stories of from their mother. A group of orphans and runaways take them in and give them a place to stay. The group consists of Hornet, Mosca, Riccio, and their leader, Scipio, otherwise known as the Thief Lord. One day, the Thief Lord gets a request to steal something for the conte. He wants Scipio to steal a wooden wing for five million lire, or about $3,650.83. Who pays over $3000 for a wooden wing? Why is it so important to the conte? Who is the conte?

The Thief Lord is the kind of book that starts slowly and gains speed and mystery and suspense as you keep reading. The magic of Venice is really brought out in this book. The description on the back of the book is so vague and unrevealing that you just have to see what happens.

There's also a movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ejEo5CcDOs

Songs for Books

As you can see, I have a new playlist of songs that remind me of certain books. "Hedwig's Theme" for Harry Potter and "River Flows in You" by Yiruma for Twilight. But I can't think of any others. So, if you know of any other songs that remind you of books or are from movie adaptations of the books (like Harry Potter), and you're willing to help me, please, do tell.

P.S. - If you don't like the colors, too bad. I kinda don't like them either, so I'll try to work on that.

Plant Art!

Another midnight art idea. :)

The Dinosaur Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Aldens are going to a museum! Yay! Now, a lot of people find museums boring, but this museum has a very interesting exhibit. An entire Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. At least, it used to be an entire Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. One day, Henry, Violet, Benny, Jessie, and Soo Lee find out that some bones from the skeleton are missing! Who could have taken the bones? Could they have been damaged? What happened to them?

This is one of those mysteries that just plays itself out. There's not really much figuring out on the Aldens' part.

Just saw HP6!

Well, not really. I saw it at 1:10, but when I got home, I had this stabbing headache. I could barely think, let alone go on the computer. Anyway, on to more important things.

The movie was AMAZING! I loved it! I really liked the part when Dumbledore and Harry are on the small island in the huge crystal cave, and Dumbledore scares away the skeletons with this huge magical pyrotechnics show.

Oh my God. Theaters should get more comfortable seats. I mean, my butt hurt almost the entire movie! I had to keep moving around to make sure I could still feel it. You sit in a large, dark room for 2 hours, the least they could do is put in more comfortable seats. My dad's car's seats felt better!

Mraëd

This is the fishy I drew at 2 o'clock in the morning. (I really should stop drawing in the middle of the night.)

The Mystery of the Lost Mine by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Henry, Jessie, Benny, Violet, and their grandfather are taking their grandfather's friend's RV to RV Haven in Arizona. Grandfather helps the owner of the RV fix up his cabin while the four children go exploring. One day, they learn of the story of the Lost Dutchman's Mine, and the story of Jake, the old prospector searching for it. Every morning, Jake comes and gets his supplies from the local diner, the Chuck Wagon, but one day he doesn't show up. The Aldens start getting worried. Where was Jake?

The Mystery of the Lost Mine is a classic Boxcar Children book. It's got a mystery that's not too serious, but isn't too trivial either. It's not that long, and it's just the kind of book I like finishing before I go to bed.

Harry Potter Playlist!

I made a Harry Potter play list to commemorate the unveiling of the new Harry Potter movie! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

New Playlist!

Hey all! My friend Anna gave me the idea to put a playlist on my blog. (Check out her blog! It's really sweet! But if you suffer from seizures, you might not want to, what with the awesome flashing lights and all: http://annassuperawesomepage.blogspot.com/)

The playlist is gonna be changing every once in a while, in accordance to any major holidays/events and stuff. So check back often!

HBP movie coming soon!

OMG. The new Harry Potter movie is coming out this Wednesday! (Darn it! Why couldn't it be on a weekend??) I'm gonna beg my parents to go see it. I wonder if it'll be on at Jordan's Furniture.... Hmmm....

Here's a trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdJMUbThoaQ (It's comforting, what Dumbledore says at 1:25, isn't it?)

I can't wait!!!! (click on the little HD button in the corner for a bigger screen thingy)

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/ (Drat, it's only going to be partly in 3D on July 29. I can't wait that long! Guess I'll go see the normal one.)

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel are all your "average kids," driving across the country. If, you know, super strong avian hybrids with science-fiction-like powers were considered your "average kids". But why are they driving? I mean, couldn't they just fly across the country? Why take a car if they have wings? Probably because it's less noticeable. And yet, they go back to flying anyway. So, while they're resting in a canyon in Texas (don't ask), Max gets a message from the Voice. (Yes, she hears a voice in her head, but just one. Hence the big capitalized "V". And it's not hers. It's actually her ******'s. Oops. That was close. Anyway, I should probably finish before I give away something REALLY big, like, for example, that her parents are ******** ******** and *** **********. I really should stop.) I should also stop talking in those parentheses. After all, they can only stretch so far.

So. The flock decides to find a home. You know, one with real beds and hot showers, that sort of thing. Max and Fang decide to go out and scout out possible locations. While they're gone, these creepy android things in Eraser skins (no, not the erasers on your pencils, although that would be really weird) capture Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total. (Did I forget to mention Total? Well, he's Angel's talking dog. That's right. Talking dog.) When Max and Fang get back, they see that the others are missing, and start looking for clues as to where they are. They finally (and by finally, I mean within seconds) find a set of clear tire tracks leading to a long, straight road going in only two directions. The two find the semi that Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, and Total are in (that's right, no Angel) in minutes. But isn't this a little too easy? I mean, come on. A clear trail, leading directly to their missing friends? That's like telling someone to find a good book and giving them one of the Maximum Ride books. :)

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is the kind of book that will keep you up all night reading. I finished this 405-page book in two days, reading it on and off (mostly at night). I'd read like 20 chapters and look at the clock, and only 45 or 60 minutes had passed. You can feel like you've been reading for forever, and you look up and it's only been an hour or two.

Everything in this book is on the verge of extreme, from the plot line to the fights to the humor. I would be up reading in the middle of the night, and I would crack up at something that Max or one of the others had said or done. Especially during chs. 47 and 101, when they're being "questioned" by the scientists at Itex.

There's a website: http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/ that talks all about James Patterson's books. You can sign up and talk about all sorts of things. Like the apocalypse, whether or not Kristen Stewart should play Max in the movie, that sort of stuff. It's actually pretty cool. Also, Fang used to have a blog: http://maximumride.blogspot.com/, but it was moved to http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/profiles/blog/list?promoted=1. I gotta say, it's way cool. There's stuff there from the flock, but also stuff from other people, like Daniel X.

(Wow. This has got to be my longest post about a book. Ever. Four paragraphs. My English teacher would be proud. Probably not. Oh well.)

Erratum by Walter Sorrells

Jessica Sterhagen is different from other kids, but probably not the way you're thinking. She's just, different. She's always been different. One day, she walks into a bookstore, and its strange owners give her a book: Her Lif. "Her Lif"? That's not right. It must be an erratum, an error. When she starts reading the book, she realizes that it's about her life, her entire life, from when she was born to right now, when she's sitting in the bookstore; about to be stabbed???? Jessica runs away just in time. But when she looks back into the book, it's changed. There's an erratum sheet, and it tells exactly what happened to her in the bookstore. Weird. And what's all this about "saving the universe"? What's going on? And what in all the universes is the Battle of Bluntwick?

Erratum is one of those I-know-you-have-to-go-do-something-else-but-you-have-to-come-read-what's-going-to-happen-next books. It's kinda slow at the beginning, but it's like a roller coaster. There's the thrill of excitement at the beginning, then it goes along slowly to let you get settled and relaxed, but there's always that little bit of fear or adrenaline that keeps you on your toes. Then there's the sudden, unexpected drop, and everything starts going up and down. It turns in on itself, and you lose complete sense of direction. You get lost in the book, and you never know what'll happen next. Just when you think you know exactly what's going to happen, the unexpected happens.

Summer Reading

Hey all! Anyone have any summer reading they need to do? I already read my two required books for school. This is my summer reading list:

The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer

Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser

A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly

Romiette and Julio, by Sharon M. Draper & Adam Lowenbein

The Rules of Survival, by Nancy Werlin

or

Any one of the Maximum Ride books by James Patterson

I've already read The Angel Experiment, School's Out - Forever, and The House of the Scorpion. If anyone's read any of the others, or the ones I've read, let me know if you liked it or not. If it's a good book, if you would recommend it, or you think it's ****, stuff like that. :) (But if you're gonna swear about the book, can you try to censor yourself?)

The Great Bicycle Race Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, their cousin Soo Lee, and their grandfather all decide to participate in a bicycle race to save Eagle Mountain. They're all excited about the race, but the day before the race starts, Henry can't seem to find his bike. When he does, it's trashed. The Aldens take it to Greenfield Wheels to see if it can be fixed. It can, but not before the race. So Benny and Henry ride a tandem instead. But when the race starts, everything seems to go wrong. At the first water stop, all of the water in one of the trucks has leaked out of the jugs onto the floor of the truck. Jessie, Violet, and Soo Lee find fake signs that are leading cyclists the wrong way, someone pours glue in the lock of one of the food cabinets, and a whole row of tents collapse, all on the first day! All of these problems lead to one conclusion: Sabotage!

The Great Bicycle Race Mystery is full of clues, suspects, and even a stakeout. It's one of those books that has one clue that reveals the entire solution to the mystery, with a little thinking. If you keep your eyes open, you might even solve the mystery before the Aldens do.

My dragons died

Well, as you can tell from the title, my dragons died. :( Oh well.

Funny Funny Funny :)

I got bored on YouTube today, so I started looking at random videos about optical illusions and stuff, and I found this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HL-jUsIiN8&feature=related

I'm glad I'm not smart enough yet for the CIA to want to assassinate me :)

Quests

Hey everyone! I couldn't sleep (again) last night, so I started drawing (again). This is the finished product. I even gave it a name and a history.

If you can read the writing in the corner, it says "Quest for Peace". Quests are little fox-like, horned creatures that are about as tall as a jar of tomato sauce. Since they're blind, a Quest's long whiskers help them move around. Their horns curve around like a ram's, and they have small cloven hooves, like a goat's. Its throat and stomach are covered in short, thick fur.

Every Quest has a symbol or idea that it stands for. It's markings are based on its idea or symbol. Many Quests have patterns like stripes or spots. The symbol can be found on its left hindquarters. On its left shoulder are its initials.

A Quest has three names: its first, its middle, and its last: Quest. Its first name is an anagram of a word representing its idea or symbol. Can you guess what Rowan is an anagram of? Quests' middle names go down the alphabet, from the first Quest, whose middle name was Alexandria, to the current one, whose middle name is Xavier. The middle names also alternate girl-boy.

Quests have been on this Earth since human civilization had its first major disaster. When the Quests reach Z, human civilization will either live in peace for the rest of its existence, or any evidence of its existence will be wiped off the face of the Earth. Fortunately, Quests can live to be hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years old, until the danger is past, and they can leave.

Every Quest has lived in a different major city. Rowan currently lives in a cozy little cave under Vatican City.

Listen to your Heart

It took me dozens of tries to find this version of "Listen to Your Heart" by D.H.T. I absolutely LOVE this song!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpik46kwmVM&feature=related

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A plane appeared at an airport. No one saw it arrive, except for Angela DuPre. It appeared out of nowhere, and when she boarded the plane to look for the pilot or the passengers, she discovered that there were no adults on board. Just 36 babies. Thirteen years later, Jonah and Chip both get strange messages in plain white envelopes saying, "You are one of the missing." One of the missing? Missing from where? And then Jonah's parents take him and his sister Katherine to the office of FBI agent James Reardon, who might have new information about Jonah's adoption. While they're there, Katherine takes pictures of some strange documents on Reardon's desk, documents titled "Survivors" and "Witnesses." Jonah's and Chip's names are both on the Survivors list. But what did they survive?

Found is the first book in The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It's the kind of book that drags you along for the first 150 pages, and then all of a sudden, everything's happening too quickly. You can't keep, and it feels like everything's going too fast.

Found is an MCBA book for 2009-2010.