Michelle's Blog

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Levin Thumps and the Gateway to Foo is by Obert Skye. The description on the back is:

“14 year old Leven Thumps (aka “Lev”) lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But everything is about to change as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges 2 worlds– the real world and Foo, a place created at the beginning of time that makes it possible for humans to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and 2 transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.

“Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with special powers of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy humanity?”

This is my summary:

Leven Thumps lives the worst life ever, but then he meets Clover, a little furry thing that has a cloak to disappear and he finds that he has powers to see and control the future. Winter, a girl who has a worse than Leven (is that even possible?), all because of her mother, Janet,  who doesn’t care about anyone but herself and she makes Winter wanting broccoli while Janet gets juicy steak. But then she finds a way to escape this horror called life. When she is beginning to like life a little better, she learns about her power- to freeze anything. Clover tells them about Foo, the land of dreams. Fate brings them Geth, the mighty ruler of Foo . . . he turns into the “great toothpick”(sarcastic tone). They set off to destroy the Gateway to Foo, so Sabine, the evil guy who can also freeze anything, does not use it to control both Reality and Foo.

I will answer the following questions:

• How does information in the book fit with what you already know?

This information fits with the fact that I know that millions of children have bad lives and them having horrible lives is so sad.

• What text- to world or text- to – text connection an you make?

I made a text- to text connection:

This kind of reminds me of Maximum Ride because all nits and offings have a power. Nits only have 1 (like the Gasman/ Gazzy and Total (I’m counting talking dogs as a power)) or offings can have more than 1 power (Max, Fang, Nudge, Angel, and Iggy).

• How does this background knowledge help you?

It helps me understand that some fantasy authors like to put people/ animals/ aliens/ etc. having powers.

Isn’t she creepy???????

This book is called Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. This is what it’s about:

When Kendra and her brother Seth go to their grandparent’s house (their grandma isn’t there), they drink special milk to open their eyes to the wonders of magic, but there’s always the evil side of wonderful things. So on Midsummer Eve’s, the day where everything is the craziest in Fablehaven, one of the many sanctuaries for magic creatures, Seth is a little too curious. He opens the window and lets the evil com in. In the morning when all is well, the only happiness they find is that they’re alive. Dale, their friend is turned to lead and Lena, the housekeeper, former naiad, and their grandpa, the caretaker of Fablehaven are captured. They set off to find their grandpa . . .with nothing to find. But there is one good thing, they find out their company (a chicken) is actually their grandma, they get the witch to turn her back into a person for a price-taking off the last thing keeping her stuck in the shack and imprisoned for life. They set off to find their grandpa and housekeeper . . .just for more trouble. They find the witch unlocking the greatest demon of all, the one that would kill them all. Now all that’s left is Kendra who has to save her family and friends, but it’s going to be hard to defeat a witch and demon.

This is a Carmel Clay Public Library’s summary:

For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite. Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken — Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good — powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most.

Would I recommend this to a friend and why? SPOILER PART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

I would because this is so magical and suspenseful at this certain part because Seth opens the window to help a baby that actually was a goblin in disguise, and I got worried that Seth and Kendra might get captured by the goblin . . .or worse. And then later, their grandpa says that they should get up and that they should open the door, but then they find out it’s not their grandpa by what he says and it’s monster that probably stayed their until morning, this is only one of the exciting parts of the. I’d tell my friend, “It’s soooooo awesome and good!!!!!!!! And you have read it ’cause it’s an awesome book.” They might ask what it’s about and I’d say, “These 2 kids named Kendra and Seth go to their grandparents house, but actually their grandma isn’t there, and they drink this ‘magical’ milk that makes them see fairies and all the magical creatures and then on this certain where everything goes crazy at their grandparent’s house, which is actually a magical sanctuary called Fablehaven. And then everything messes up and they have to fix it.” So that’s would I’d say! =)

P. S. Also: READ IT!!!!!!!!!! IT IS AN AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Adults Can Learn from Kids

This speech is very inspiring and this makes me think that kids are just as good as adults. These things are what stuck out to me in her speech. Adults tell that we are being childish, but the thing is, we are going to be the next generation of adults and we will be the ones helping our community, we are who we are and soon, we will be helping the community. Adults tell us we are being childish, but being childish is helping the world, and we have been helping, while some adults are making us worse. We kids don’t think why we shouldn’t do things, but why we should. While adults think that, “Oh, this won’t help” or something like that. Adults should take a second to learn from their kids.

My Response:

I remember an article that was called, “5 eating habits you can learn from kids.” I read it and it me think, “Wow, this is something that adults learn from kids” I never would have thought that adults could learn from kids, even if they were just eating habits. So when I listen to this speech, I was amazed, half by how she could stand in front of thousands of people and not be nervous, she just stood in front off all of them and had a clear and strong voice, the other half was her life was a prodigy, she started writing when she was 6 yrs old and had books published probably when she was 6 or 7. She believed eveything she said and said it with all her heart, she never gave up on her books, no matter how many publishers said no. This speech made me think, “Anyone can do anything no matter their age.”

I hope this inspires you as much as it did for me! =)

Why I Chose “The Ruby Key”

I chose “The Ruby Key” as a book to read because a friend recommended this book, so I read the back of the book and it beckoned me to read it. When I saw read the back it told of tons of magic, adventure and fantasy (I think this is the best combination of genres ever), so I decided to read the first chapter and if I liked it, then I would finish the book. Of course, I fell in love with it, it immediately jumped into the plot (I love when books do that) So I kept reading and “The Ruby Key” swept me in. I am still reading this awesome book. This is what it is about:
Genna and her brother Dan learn about Banris’ (the village chieftain’s) deal-he is going to marry their mother and then kill their mother and brothers and sister and them, for what? For immortality. He was going to kill them all just for something selfish. They consult the ruler of nightlings (he was the one made the deal with Banris), Letrin, he decides to make a deal with them, if they bring him, a child named Doyati, he will protect them from Banris, but they will get an adventure.
This is what the back of the book says:
“When Genna and her brother Dan learn that their village chieftain has made a dangerous deal with Letrin, ruler of nightlings, offering the lives of his people in exchange for his own immortality, they strike their own bargain with the nightling lord. But the stakes are even higher. Now the siblings must embark upon a journey along the Moonroads, and bring back the key to Letrin’s downfall. . . .”
So if you liked 1 or 2 of the summaries, read it!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so far)    =) Hope you like it!!!!!!!! =)

Here is the link for my YHBA summaries and thoughts: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddfmtncp_105fsjc6zhf

This is my new writing piece called “The Kraken Awakens”. This is what it’s about:

One day, Pearl hears her parents talking about the kraken escaping and then she, Wave (her brother), and Bubbles (their pet dolphin) are on their way to adventure!

If you liked the description, click here! =)

How This Book Pulled Me In

THIS SPOILS A LOT OF STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Double Identity pulled me in because it has a really big plot: Bethany’s parents are acting strange. So it doesn’t sound too big, but wait ’till you hear why! It’s because she has a sister she never knew who died before Bethany was even born! But why can’t they stay with Bethany instead of giving her to some aunt she never knew? Why can’t they tell Bethany anything more? Why is her mom so crazy? Why did everything happen to her?!?! I have no idea, but you can find out in the book! Hope you like it!