Archives for July, 2008

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The Private Notebooks of Katie Roberts

BOOK NAME: The Private Notebooks of Katie Roberts

AUTHOR: Amy Hest

Pictures by Sonja Lamut

The Private Notebooks of Katie Roberts is a book about a girl who lives in New York when her dad dies in the war. She and her mom were devastated until Katie’s mom decides to remarry. Katie does not like that idea especially when it means that they have to move to Texas!

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In my opinion, I’d give the book a four out of five. The story was very fast moving, because Katie had so many different problems and it wasn’t like there was one single problem throughout the whole thing. At first, Katie doesn’t want to move, and then she doesn’t have any friends. It was really interesting when Katie was missing home back in New York and decided to run away. That was one of my favorite parts.

The book was different from other books because it included two books in one. The first notebook was when she was 11 and the second was when she was 12. Another unique part of the book was that Katie was writing in her journal that you were reading. Overall, it was a really great book and I encourage kids like me to read it.  

Video courtesy of Tourism Australia

Video courtesy of Tourism Australia

This is our last blog from Australia, so several of us wanted to write our thoughts about our amazing adventures so far. We still have a full day planned for tomorrow…but probably the next blog to appear here will be after we’re all back home. Meanwhile…

Video courtesy of Tourism Australia
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Maya & Kat

G’day mates! This is Maya, reporting for the first part of today’s adventure. Our day began when we took a bus ride and arrived at Taroona Primary School, set atop a gorgeous hill overlooking the sparkling bay. There, we met with our Tassie buddies that we had been e-mailing prior to the trip…

Video courtesy of Tourism Australia
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Miss Daisy is Crazy

BOOK NAME: Miss Daisy is Crazy!

AUTHOR: Dan Gutman

Pictures by Jim Paillot

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I read Miss Daisy is Crazy!, the first My Weird School book. Miss Daisy doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t even know how to spell READ. She spelled it this way — R-E-E-D — that’s my name! A.J. and his friends have to teach Miss Daisy Math, Science and Social Studies.
 
A.J., Emily, Ryan, and Andrea want to rent the school and turn it into a video arcade. I have a Wii and a DS so I think that would be fun. Mr. Klutz, the principal will dress in a gorilla suit and they can have the school for a night IF they read one million pages! A.J. taught Miss Daisy about football. Miss Daisy got a real football player to come in and his name was Boomer Wiggins!  I like football too! A.J. said that he will teach Miss Daisy but it won’t be easy. A.J. hugged Miss Daisy.

They read one million pages!! They got to rent the school and Mr. Klutz dressed in a gorilla suit. If you like this book, there are a LOT more. Don’t miss Mr. Klutz is Nuts, book two in the My Weird series. I’ll be back next time!

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Abbie & Mara

Hey, it’s Abbie and Mara! After the joy of sleeping in yesterday morning, we waved goodbye to tropical Cairns and our awesome tour guide Tracy. While waiting for the plane to Hobart, Tasmania, we also played pranks on others in the airport…

 

Video courtesy of Tourism Australia

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MEET OUR BLOGGERS

They’re just like you–they LOVE reading and they’re not afraid to tell us if they like (or totally dislike) a book. Plus, they have other cool talents and interests that make us glad to have them as our new friends.

THE DOGEARED CREW

ANUVA, AGE 10

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Anuva is a sweet, smart, straight-A student. She is a big reader, and she especially enjoys books with vivid descriptions, like Charlotte’s Web. She also writes her own poems! Her favorite place to read is on the couch after lunch. She also plays the piano and clarinet. She used to have a goldfish, and hopes to get a dog someday. Last year she was a student reporter for Weekly Reader magazine, and got to interview two Camp Rock stars! She loves pizza and Indian food.

ELIZABETH, AGE 14

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Elizabeth’s family describes her as being goofy, quirky, and smart. She has two dogs named Hudson and McKenzie. She likes to read whenever and wherever she can but her favorite reading spot is in her room with one of her dogs. She is 14 years old. Her favorite color is aqua.

HUNTER, AGE 10

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Hunter is a fifth grader who loves the color green and eating tacos. His parents say that he’s responsible and curious (but can also be stubborn), while his friends describe him as funny and smart. (Hunter thinks they’re all right!) Hunter is a big reader with a collection of all kinds of books, and he likes to read pretty much anywhere! When he’s not in between the covers of a good book, you can find him in the swimming pool–he’s on a year-round swim team, and he loves to play “Sharks and Minnows” when he’s not swimming laps.

JOSHUA, AGE 14

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Joshua is sometimes called “a walking dictionary.” He is 14 years old. His favorite color is red and his favorite food is steak. He has a whole bunch of hobbies, including writing, playing video games, playing the drums (and piano!), and studying history and politics. He doesn’t have any pets, but he has a younger sister who is very creative and artistic.

KENNAN, AGE 13

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Kennan lives with a dog named Bailey, a fish named Jaws, and a singing and dancing little sister. He is an artist, and has drawn so many pictures that his parents have no idea where to put them. When he’s not drawing or reading in bed late at night, he likes to spend his time fishing. Last year he even went on a deep sea fishing excursion in the Bahamas, and caught more fish than anyone else on the trip! He is always willing to lend a helping hand, and does his best at everything he tries. His favorite color is blue, and his favorite food is pizza.

KYLE, AGE 13

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Kyle is 13 years old and is described as being weird, smart, shy, funny, and a little crazy! He has a pavilion dog named Sydney and two guinea pigs. His favorite food is steak and his favorite color is dark blue. When he’s not reading on the school bus, Kyle loves to play the trumpet and play baseball.

PARKER, AGE 11

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Parker is 11, and he’s the extra smart big brother to THREE younger brothers…oh, and a dog named Sonny. Though technically, Sonny the dog is much older since he’s more than 80 in dog years! Parker likes to read, swim, and play soccer, basketball, and football with friends, He is also a Boy Scout. When he’s not busy with all these awesome activities, you might find him playing Guinness Book of World Records on his Nintendo DS.

SHEILA, AGE 14

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Sheila is a big reader. She always has a big stack of books on her nightstand so she can pick the perfect book to fit her mood. She belongs to her school’s book club, works on her school newspaper, and practices yoga. She’s quirky with a dry sense of humor–perfect for her place as the “peacemaker” between her older and younger sister. She loves taking pictures, collecting state quarters, the color sky blue, and spending time with her dog Sophie.

TAMAR, AGE 10

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Tamar is smart and serious, but she also has a funny side. She loves to dance, sing, and play the piano. Her favorite place to curl up with the Abby Hayes series is on the couch in the family room (it’s super-comfy, and good for relaxing). She doesn’t have any pets, but she does have two older sisters! Last year she took a trip to Israel to visit friends and family and to see the sights. She loves to eat hearts of palm, and her favorite color is pink.

PREVIOUS BLOGGERS

BRADEN, AGE 7

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Braden is a brother to DogEared bloggers Jordan and Reed. He’s smart and cute, and weird to boot! (Well, OTHER people say he’s cute. He’s not sure about it himself.) When he’s not reading, he likes to bike and play on the computer. He also belongs to a writing club. His favorite color is red, and his favorite foods are blueberries and tortellini.

ELEANOR, AGE 12

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Eleanor is in the sixth grade and has an older sister named Claire who is in high school. She also has two miniature schnauzers named Rudy and Lucy who are rescue dogs. Eleanor plays the violin, sings in her school chorus, and made her stage debut last year in a musical called “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs,” based on the children’s book by Jon Sciezka. She plays soccer and basketball. Her favorite place to go on vacation is Cape Cod with her family.

EMELIE, AGE 14

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Emelie lives in a house packed full with a sister, brother,
two cats, and three dogs! She loves to eat salmon sushi. She describes
herself as being interesting, crazy, creative, smart… and humble,
too! The best gift she ever received was to switch from public school
to being homeschooled because it gave her more freedom to be creative.
She writes, draws, crochets, and even designs shoes. Her favorite color
is green. She likes to read on her bean bag chair and in the car on
long trips.

HANNAH, AGE 12

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Hannah is in middle school this year and is learning to play volleyball AND the trumpet. She is already a fantastic swimmer (even little sis DogEared blogger Isabel says so!) and she also loves to ride horses. Usually, she reads in her bedroom where she can just close the door and escape into a good book…just as long as Kizmet, the family goldendoodle (a dog that’s part poodle and golden retriever) doesn’t interrupt.

ISABEL, AGE 10

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Isabel, or Izzy as she’s sometimes called, says she is friendly, helpful, and smart (especially in math!). People think she’s funny…and most times, she’s not EVEN trying. She’s just a natural comedienne. Isabel’s two loves? Peanut butter and soccer. She plays year-round. And she’ll eat peanut butter on anything…sandwich, banana, or apples. (Hmm…how about on a soccer ball??)

JORDAN, AGE 14

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Big
sis Jordan has two younger brothers (DogEared bloggers Reed and Braden)
and has dog, a cat, and one fish. Jordan is a gutsy girl who went
surfing in Costa Rica this summer. She is also on a synchronized
skating team called the Ice Angels. Funny, outgoing, energetic, and
nice, Jordan is also a bit of a drama queen and likes to star in
musicals.

LILY, AGE 12

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Lily is a jazz dancer and gymnast who lives in a house full of pets–almost too many to count! She’s outgoing, sweet, and funny. Her favorite places to read are in bed before she goes to sleep (so she can dream about the book) and by a pond in the summer. This summer she visited Washington, D.C. and had a chance to tour the White House garden. In addition to dancing and gymnastics, Lily plays basketball and soccer.

MAIREN, AGE 14

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Mairen is a 14-year-old self-described nerd who loves to learn and read ’til the wee hours of the morning. She has two younger brothers and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Skittles. Her favorite book is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which she’s read countless times. Her favorite color is green, and her favorite food is chocolate-chip cookies. (Hmmm, what about green chocolate-chip cookies?) For her birthday this year, she got her own laptop!


REED, AGE 11

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Reed says he’s cool, funny and weird (and proud of it!)…and he LOVES to play hockey! His family (including big sis DogEared blogger Jordan) just rescued a racing greyhound dog named Jibber, so he spends a lot of his time taking care of her and Archie the cat, and the two hermit crabs, King Crab and Donald…And he loves to play hockey. (Did we mention that he loves to play hockey?!?)

WILL, AGE 9

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Will is a big-time animal lover (he has a cat at home) who also likes playing video games with his older brother Amory. He loves building Star Wars creations with Legos, playing basketball and hanging out with friends. He is kind, generous and loves to make people laugh. His FAVORITE food is chicken nuggets and french fries but roasted chicken made by Will is a very close second. He hopes to one day be in the Guinness Book of Records for breaking some kind of record (like most french fries eaten in one sitting!

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The Adventure So Far

Video courtesy Tourism Australia

Video courtesy Tourism Australia

Comments:12

Alex and Michael

Hi, I’m Alex. Today the National Geographic Kids expedition team first visited a school in Cairns and the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. We arrived at the Hambledon State School in Cairns this morning and saw children along the sidewalk eagerly awaiting our arrival. At first the children were a bit timid and shy, but after talking to them for a bit they opened up and were very talkative. They taught me all kinds of cool things I never knew. They showed me berries that you could pop on your fingers to appear as if you’re bleeding…

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Missy & Savanna

Hi, this is Savanna:)
Today was packed full of exciting adventures–much like every day here in Australia. Not only did we get to experience the sights of the Barron Gorge National Parks’s wet tropical rain forest from the world’s longest Skyrail, cuddle with koala bears, and hand-feed little wallabies.

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At the end of our midday excursion we got a chance to walk around in Australia’s largest butterfly sanctuary…

 

Video courtesy Tourism Australia
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Veronica and Zach

Hi, this is Veronica. This morning we got up and checked out of our hotel nice and early and headed for Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. We saw lots of different animals there, from crocs to cassowaries. We hopped in a boat, equipped with metal grid and glass windows for protection against the croc’s massive jaws.  Every once in a while, Andrew, our guide, would hang a chicken head out the front of the boat and the crocs would jump and claw for it. Which made for great shots. The boat was a frenzy of camera clicks and kids running from one side of the boat to the other trying to get a killer shot. I think I got a couple good ones. After the (life-threatening) boat ride, we went on a walk around the park with a guide to see the rest of the animals. When we started our walk we were greeted by a little swamp wallaby…

Video courtesy Tourism Australia
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Photo From the Plane

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The Great Barrier Reef from the air, approaching Cairns

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Benjamin and Elisabeth

Hi, I’m Benjamin. As soon as we all got up this morning, we boarded a bus to go to breakfast. We went to the Rainforest Habitat wildlife park, where we got to hold some pretty cool rain forest animals, like the carpet python, tree frog, parakeet, and crocodile. We learned a little bit about each of the animals too. For example we learned that the python could grow to be several feet long. The one I held was about four feet long.

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Afterward we ate breakfast with the birds. The birds were flying around, swiping our food and drinking our juice, and sitting on our heads and shoulders. One even peed on my shoulder! It was all great–even the pee.

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The plane was delayed!!! :(

Hi, I’m Adam DeSerio. It was great getting to meet the other kids at LAX in an awesome Private lounge! We had free food, and received a gift bag containing Aussie leather hats, and an Australian dictionary. Everything was going great till one of the hosts told us that our plane had been delayed till 2:30 a.m., and originally we were going to leave at 11:20 p.m. Most of us slept right there in the airport. When we finally got on the plane at 1:30 we were notified that we ONLY had 13 hours till we would land in Brisbane! It is really funny because the leather hats were made in Australia, were shipped to Los Angeles, then were taken back Down Under, and will eventually end up back in Los Angeles! Ha, ha–it’s great!

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Welcome to the Hands-On Explorer Challenge trip blog! The departure
date for the Kids Expedition team is around the corner, on July 16.
That’s when 15 kids and two teachers, all winners of the contest,
fly to Australia. During their 13-day expedition to Queensland and
Tasmania, they’ll snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, get up close and
personal with koalas, learn about Aboriginal peoples and their culture,
talk with Aussie cowboys, meet Tasmanian students and plant trees for
their joint project to save the Tasmanian devil, and more.

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