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