For My Readers

I'm so sorry that I haven't been writing for such a long time! The Internet was down for a long while, but that gave me time to read more books.

Just a little bit ago, I finished the second Janitors book: Secrets of New Forest Academy. All books have their boring parts, even the Janitors books, but in the Janitors books, it's hard to tell when you get to that boring part. And most times, when you're at a boring part in a Janitors book, there's at least one funny sentence. In the second Janitors book, Tyler Whitesides really picks it up a notch and brings some action into the story. It's more intense than the first book.

I also just finished book three of the Fablehaven series. It's quite exciting; it has tons of action. In a perilous situation, the characters barely make it out alive. Some of them are learning how to make smart moves and what not to do. Book three of the Fablehaven series; Grip of the Shadow Plague, really draws your attention. Brandon Mull has a super great way of using words.

Another book that I just finished, is called: North of Nowhere, by Liz Kessler. It's really interesting, full of mystery. Once you get close to the middle of the book, it really starts to get exciting. It's the kind of book that doesn't have a lot of action in it, but still gets exciting. When you get past the middle of the book, the mystery starts to unfold in an exciting way. But, I have to warn you, it gets a little confusing when the characters make a confession. Let's just say that it was hard for me to understand the last chapter of the book, but that doesn't mean that you won't understand the last chapter. For all I know, you could understand it perfectly.

So there you have it; three books that I have finished since the Internet hasn't been working.
When I think of books that I need to read again (not to mention put on this blog!), I smile because there are so many! Just now, I'm thinking of around five that need to be read again.

I have just thought of one reason that this blog is not a blog about movies: The other night I watched the first Star Wars on VidAngel, and since everyone that's watched Star Wars that I know about, has either liked it, or loved it. I didn't care for it! I really didn't care for it. It won't matter to me at all, if I never see any Star Wars movie ever again. And I think that one reason I didn't like Star Wars, is because I read a lot of books, and in books, you can imagine what things look like, but in movies, you can't. Also, maybe I'm just not a Star Wars kind of person; I really prefer books to Star Wars. I just think it's a little bit funny.

Anyway, so now you know why I haven't been writing for some while, and what I've been up to during the time that the Internet was out. I guess I'd better end this post now; I've got some things to do.

P.S.  Yes, Grandma. I was thinking about that. People do get rewarded for standing up to their belief in another way than diamonds. Sometimes it doesn't seem like they get rewarded (like Jonathan Hoopes), but sometimes they do. Of course they do! They could feel super happy afterwards, or super relieved, and they could also be blessed! Good thinking!

- Maria

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

So far, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place has six books in the series. Book one, two, and three aren't what you would call boring, stuff happens. But even thought the story seems to take off at  a slow start, it really starts getting exciting in the fourth book. The story just has lots of time to build.
Right now in the book (the fourth), about... chapter ten(?), I feel the book has a mix of a proper English day, a pleasant lady, dainty things, but not too(much), and an exciting adventure, full of mysteries yet to be solved, important things to do, and danger to behold. And the wonder of it all! The tales to be told, that when told, will push the adventure deeper, and the mystery closer to being solved. The Latin words, the valuable phrases, the schooling, yet something is wrong, terribly wrong, but what? Alas, she has yet to figure out. When will she (the main character, Miss Lumley) figure everything out? How did everything happen?
 The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place is a nice story, one that is sometimes calm, but yet, you happen to be on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. I highly recommend this book for readers that like a story to sometimes be calm, peaceful, thoughtful, and very exciting. The main character (again, Miss Lumley) is very delightful, and always wants to make the best decision. Her pupils (she's a governess) are cute, smart, and sometimes, funny. Again, these books (so far), are very delightful.

P.S. If you try it and it wasn't what you thought it would be, well, I'm quite sorry. 

- Maria

A short story for my dear readers

I've written a short little story just a while ago, and I thought you (my readers) might like it. It's not amazing, just... Well, I think it's okay. Enjoy!

Little Addie

 

 "What's this jewel for, Mother?" asked little Jane, who was holding up a sparkling diamond that she had found in a trunk beside her bed.

"Oh, that was your grandmother's long ago." 

"However did she get it?" Jane snuggled up close to her mother near the fire. This was going to be a story. She could tell. 

"Well, the king gave it to her."

"The king of London? Why?"

"Well, long ago, when she was almost as young as you are now..."

"Really?" interrupted Jane.

"Yes, really. Anyways, when she was as young as you..."

Jane giggled. 

"She and her family were invited to the king's ball. Now, Grandmother Addie's family was rich, so she had many beautiful dresses to choose from, but she wore her favorite one: her plain day dress. Everybody tried to talk her out of it, but she wore it anyways. And when they got to the ball, the king saw her and called her over. He asked her why she wore such a plain dress. And little Addie said, 'I wear this dress tonight because it is my favorite, and i intend to be myself at this ball and anywhere else'."

"She really said that?"

"Exactly that. Well, back to the story. When the king heard this, he was delighted at this bold little girl, so he honored little Addie's family by giving them the royal jewel. And young Addie never forgot that jewel, or the king, even until her final day."
"It's really this little one here?"

"Yes my dear. Yes it is."

I actually came up with the story last night, as I have said before, but with less detail. I was in a great mood, which always means I have a lot of ideas. Hope you liked it!

- Maria

  

Words

Many books have words that you might not know. And many, you might need to look up. I've found that if you come across a word that you don't know, then if you look it up, the book is a lot easier to understand.
I've been keeping track of words that I come across that I don't know. How am I doing that? Well, once I find a word that I don't know, I look it up, and then I write the word, pronunciation, and the definition down on a pad of paper. Then later on, I can look back at the words that I've written down, and I gain a bigger vocabulary. I learn words like; impending, candidly, condone, illustrious, chagrin, balked, nattily, languidly, and dudgeon, along with their pronunciation. It also makes it easier to explain things, because I know more words, all of which mean different things.
 I challenge you to find at least one word to look up each day, and write the pronunciation and the definition down along with it, on a piece of paper, or a notepad. And when you do, I promise that it will be at least a little bit easier to explain things. Have fun!




P.S. Thanks for suggesting the Rithmatist! I'll have to try it!

- Maria

Fablehaven

Go Fablehaven!!!!!!!!!!!
Fablehaven's author, Brandon Mull, has a great way of putting action and wonder into a single book.
This series starts out wonderfully in the first book. The main character (Kendra) and her brother (Seth) are sucked into this amazing world of a fantasy. I like how Seth learns that should always listen to others that know what they're doing. The characters care for others and make sure that they know what to do when they should do it. They're careful in the beginning, when they're learning, but in the second book, things go up a notch.
Kendra and Seth started out as normal people in a normal world, until they make a decision, that effects their whole life. Then, they develop responsibility, and a tiny fear of what's going to happen next.
I've learned from the first book of the Fablehaven series and Brandon Mull's other fantastic books, The Candy Shop War and The Candy Shop War 2: The Arcade Catastrophe, that this amazing author has a way of drawing you into the depths of his books, just by the first paragraph! And boy, does his books have depth. Once you start reading his books, you can't stop! Same with Fablehaven.

Thank you, Brandon Mull, for starting the awesome adventures of Fablehaven!

- Maria

Janitors

I read the first book in a series called 'Janitors'. It really was a great book. It had twists and turns and fun characters. Tyler Whitesides (the author), really has a great imagination.
The main character (Spencer) has a great friend (Daisy) and together they save the school, with friendship and trust. They realize that not everyone can be trusted, yet there is always one person they can trust.
I like the author's idea of being a chameleon. It really makes you want to avoid being the chameleon, like Spencer found out is a great idea.
The action and comedy of this story is great, even though, of course, when you're saving the world, you've got to be serious sometimes. What I'm saying is that it has a great mix of seriousness, comedy, and action, which is what I think is a great mix.
You know how most authors have an amazing way of using words that absolutely want to read more? Well, this guy's got it!! When I started reading it, I couldn't stop!!
 I'm really glad that it's a series, one that is absolutely bound to be awesome.

So, thank you Tyler Whitesides, for sharing your awesome imagination with us!!!!

- Maria

No Time

I like books, but sometimes it's hard to enjoy them as much as I used to. Why? Are you busy? Well, I'm busy and that's what is keeping me from reading books. But when I do read books, I get really into it.

After years of reading, I have quite a bit of things to tell you that might make reading (or writing books) easier.

1. When you see words that look like this or this, usually it means that they are really emphasizing that word.
2. When people are having a three way conversation, you should clarify who is saying what. Thinks can get a little confusing.
3. When you are reading (or, again, writing) someone's writing in a book, and see a word that looks like this, (this) it means that the person crossed it out (you probably already know that, [most likely] but just saying, in case you don't know).
4. When you're writing a book and someone in it has an accent, make sure that you don't make it too hard to read.

You might already know all this, but sometimes it's nice to just have a brush-up.

When you don't have time during the school year to read, then that's what summer is for! Reading! Although, you might be busy during the summer, so at least there's night reading.
Whatever the schedule, I'm sure that you can find time to read.
Besides, a good book can make you scared, excited, or happy. So, if you're feeling stressed, sometimes a good book can make you feel better. 

- Maria

Authors

Brandon Mull is the author of Fablehaven, The Candy Shop War, and The Beyonders.
I think that he is very good at luring you to the edge of imagination. He uses words in a way that makes the story seem real, his sentences really describe what is going on, his ideas are superb, and he makes his characters seem real. Brandon Mull, along with many others, is a great author.
Shannon Hale is another great author. If you are only fond of books with action, she'll make you think differently. One of her books, The Princess Academy, isn't action packed, but that's what makes her book great. She really takes time showing you what the main character's personality is. She really takes time telling you how the character is feeling, what she's thinking, and how and why she decides to do what she does. She does have action at the end of the book, and it's exciting. The Princess Academy is a book as great as her other book, The Goose Girl. The Goose Girl has exciting moments, ones that make you think, "is she going to make it?".
Eloise McGraw, author of Moccasin Trail, also really tells you what's going on in the main character's brain. She really makes things exciting. Her books make you curious, not just the kind that makes you wonder what happens next, but also the kind of curiosity that makes you want to know more about the main character. Another of her books, The Moorchild, also make you curious. She has a twist. She makes things a bit sad, which I think makes a good book. Her books really make you stay up reading late into the night.

Great authors are ones that work hard on their ideas. Ones that want to show you what is in their imagination. These are great authors!  

- Maria
  

What are books for?

What do you think books are for?
I think books are for learning many great things, and for the sheer pleasure of being drawn into another person's imagination, into the wonderful world of fantasies, for being amazed by the nonfictional (books about real things, in this case) wonders, brought to you by an author's words that describe the world to you, in wonderful sentences. Now that is a book.
A wonderful world of imagination, the wonders of the world, the author's words... Ahhhhh. To sit in the grass, the sun pouring over your book, to smell the pages of a book while on a hammock, to feel the awesomeness of a book in your hand, being able to travel to a world where life is interesting, intense, and full of action, feeling the trampoline or the warm, comfortable couch underneath you... To feel as if you are a character, to feel the story happening to you, feeling it come to life...
Libraries, full of books, helpful, kind librarians, the smell of books all around you, a quiet place, to be drawn into an amazing world, that would have never happened if you hadn't picked up that book, or if the author had not decided to write that book.
And that is why you should write (or at least try to) a book. So that many others can be able to have that amazing experience of learning what your imagination contains, what great stories have been forming in your mind, ever since you learned what a book was even worth, much less what it was about. Even if you can't publish a book now, doesn't mean that you can't when you're older! If you just keep writing, pretty soon, you'll be so good at it, maybe then, you can write a book!

Books are amazing portals that bring you into different worlds. They make fictional worlds, become real.
Glorious Books!!!!

p.s. Sorry if you think some of the books that I will recommend aren't very good.

- Maria
 

You and Books

  Have you ever wondered how many books are in the world?
Just think, there are millions of libraries right? So, all the books in your library, multiplied by who knows how much, equals...?
Just imagine if one of those books (or series of books) was yours?
Wouldn't that be awesome?
If only it could actually happen, right? It can! If you have what you think is an amazing story idea, knock yourself out!
I've found that writing the story in Word, is quite easy. I think that saving it in Dropbox is nice, too.
  If your story is really good, you might just make some money on publishing it. Nice!
Think about J.K. Rowling's books, the Harry Potter series. They were turned into movies, they were so good. It's a possibility that you could also have your book turned into a movie too!  
 Or, you could start a blog. A blog about anything! The best part about all this is not making money, it's having fun. You can have all sorts of fun!
And the only limit is your imagination!

- Maria

Reading Rocks!

I love books.
You love books.
The WORLD  loves books... Don't they?
This blog is all about books, in case you haven't noticed.
I assure you, that all these books are great... If you're a tween.
I hope you will like this blog.

There's tons of books that I'm reading, and I thought that if I think they're good, you might too.
All these books, I assure you, are worthwhile. Some of them, I will just read over again, to make sure that they still have that wonderful charm.
Although, if you are a kid that absolutely HATES  summer reading, this possibly would be a bore to you. If you are a kid that thinks anybody that reads books in the summer, is a stupid bookworm, then this will not be of interest to you. If you are a boy, don't throw up. I apologize, but there will  be a couple of girly books. Also, I encourage you to read some of these books. Most of them are at the library, so I hope that will be easier for you.
Reading Rocks!!!!!

P.S. Boys, don't give up hope, there will also be boyish books. Enjoy!

- Maria