Archives for November, 2010
Posted by The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles off the coast of South America in the eastern Pacific Ocean. These islands are of volcanic origin and most were formed due to a hotspot under the earth. Their isolation has brought about their great biodiversity, where species vary from island to island.
It was a great privilege for me to go to the Galapagos and to retrace Darwin’s footsteps. We scheduled the trip to be during the Thanksgiving week. I was off from school that week and my birthday was coincidentally on Nov 26.
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Reinvention of Edison Thomas
AUTHOR: Jacqueline Houtman
The Reinvention of Edison Thomas, by Jacqueline Houtman, is the story of a very smart boy named Edison Thomas. Edison, also known as Eddy, hates the name his parents gave him–it makes him sound too much like Thomas Edison. Eddy loves to invent things, and he is confident that he will win the science fair he is competing in. But when he gets 3rd place, he is devastated. Back at school, he suspects that his (former) best friend Mitch is bullying him, and confirms it after a few incidents. You see, Eddy has Asperger’s syndrome, making him very smart but somewhat inept at social interactions. His lack of skill in the social department is what makes him have trouble detecting simple emotions and feelings of others, as well as explaining his lack of friends. Sure, Eddy has a couple of friends, but he has nowhere near as many friends as an average middle-schooler would. One of his friends was the crossing guard at the street leading to the school. After budget cuts, the crossing guard got laid off, and Eddy was concerned about the children crossing the street. Because of his concern and his love for inventing things, Eddy created a machine that would help keep the children safe. Most of the story revolves around this invention and its importance to the storyline.
My favorite part of this novel was Eddy’s personality. People with Asperger’s syndrome have always interested me because of their mental ability, but the way the story was told really let you get inside his head. Eddy doesn’t like loud noises or change. Whenever he gets angry, he says the periodic table of the elements in his head to calm him down, and he refers to all living things by their scientific names in Latin. Sprinkled throughout the book are random facts from Eddy’s brain that give interesting tidbits of information to think about while reading the captivating story. All in all, I recommend this book to kids of all ages, especially those who enjoy math and science.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Stone Fox
AUTHOR: John Reynolds Gardiner
Welcome to today’s book club meeting!
We just finished reading Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardner. It was a short book, and a sad one, but we enjoyed reading it.
If you have finished the book, click “See More” to go to the meeting.
If you haven’t finished yet, stop here!
Do you have an idea for what book we can read in December? Leave a comment, and your pick might be a future Book of the Month!
Read the whole post »
Posted by After you’ve enjoyed your turkey and all the fixings this Thanksgiving, play a computer game to help the hungry around the world. Play Freerice, an online vocabulary game. For every correct answer, ten grains of rice will be donated to the World Food Programme. Play with your family and friends, and you can donate a whole bowl in no time!
Sixty-six million primary school-age children around the world go to school hungry every day. The World Food Programme provides meals to 22 million children at school. Since its launch in 2007, Freerice has earned enough rice to feed 4.2 million people for a day.
Visit the Freerice website to play.
Want more word games? Try playing Dead Man’s Chest Hangman or Anagram Farm.
Image courtesy of the World Food Programme
Florida’s Zoo Miami welcomed a new arrival last week–a new pygmy hippo calf! The calf’s mom, Kelsey, has lived at Zoo Miami since 1993. Pygmy hippos are extremely rare. There are only a few thousand living in the wild in West Africa.
See pictures of the hippo calf on the ZooBorns website.
Want to visit the pygmy hippos? Visit the Zoo Miami website to plan your trip.
Get the facts on hippos in the Creature Feature.
Dead zones are areas of the ocean that no longer have enough oxygen to support sea life. For over 20 years, a dead zone has formed in the gulf due to run off from farms. This year, researchers are worried that the dead zone may increase in size due to the oil spill in the gulf. Microbes consuming oil from the Gulf of Mexico’s BP spill use up oxygen when they die, raising the threat of an expanded dead zone. Scientists are looking at years of dead-zone data to determine whether the dangerous region grew after the spill.
Content produced by National Geographic. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation under Award # DRL-1045744
Posted by BOOK NAME: Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide
AUTHOR:
Tom DeFalco
After you read this book, you’ll look at Spider-man in a totally different way. I thought I knew a lot about Super-man, including the fact that his real-life name, Peter Parker, includes my first name, but as I started to look through this book I found out a lot more about this super hero. One of the strange things that I learned is that when Peter Parker marries Mary Jane, she gets tired of him being Spider-man all the time so Peter takes on four more super-hero identities: Ricochet, Dusk, Hornet, and Prodigy. Dusk spies on villains in the underworld, Ricochet throws gold disks at his enemies to stun them, Hornet carries a 50-pound jet pack on his back so he can fly, and Prodigy reminded of Superman.
I didn’t read this book from front to back. It would say something like “He climbed walls (see ‘Wall Climbing’ on page 146) to get to Green Goblin.” That made it really hard to put down. Everything tied into everything and I was jumping from page to page.
Some of the characters and events explained in this book have to do with other super heroes such as the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men gang, and Superman. People who aren’t interested in MARVEL comic heroes probably wouldn’t like this book. It was really hard to write this review because it is organized like an encyclopedia. If you like super heroes, I really recommend it.
In August, seven cubs were born at the National Zoo! The Zoo is giving the public a chance to name two of the cubs, one male and one female. If you want to submit a name, create a 90-second video containing the name you think would be best for one of the cubs and explain why you chose that name.
U.S. residents over the age of 13 should submit their videos by midnight on Sunday, December 5. If you are younger than 13 but you still want to participate, make it a family project and have your parent or guardian submit the video.
Learn more about the cub-naming contest on the National Zoo’s website.
Help save lions! Find out how by visiting Letters to Lions.
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Maze Runner
AUTHOR: James Dashner
Every 30 days a new boy arrives at The Glade with no memory at all. The new arrival, confused and frightened, join the other boys, known as “Gladers”. The boys learn to survive, but mainly want to escape from The Glade. There is no way in and no way out – or so they think.
Each night the stone doors to The Glade close and the next morning they open back up. Beyond the doors is a maze; nobody goes into the maze except for the maze runners. The Gladers live in fear of what lays beyond The Glade; even the maze runners. As soon as the doors to the maze opens, the maze runners run out, trying to find a way of escape within the maze.
This is one of my favorite books ever. It’s also one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever written. James Dashner built so much of a storyline within this book’s plot it was so hard to digest all of it. Even when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it constantly. My whole family loved this author and we already back-ordered the next book in this trilogy, The Scorch Trials.
I recommend this to anyone I can, but it is suggested for readers in grade 6-10. I read this aloud with my whole family and we all enjoyed it–even my parents. Definitely a favorite and I’m hoping you like it as much as we did.
BOOK NAME: Stone Fox
AUTHOR: John Reynolds Gardiner
Welcome to today’s book club meeting!
This month, we’re reading Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardner. For today’s meeting, we have read through chapter six.
If you have finished chapter six, click “See More” to go to the meeting.
If you haven’t read that far, stop here!
Geography Awareness Week is being celebrated from November 14 to 20 this year. The focus on 2010′s Geography Awareness Week is on fresh water. The Geography Awareness Week website is full of facts, quizzes, and other features you can explore to learn about fresh water on Earth.
Geography Awareness Week was created in 1978 as a time for families and classrooms to promote geography literacy. Is your class doing anything special to learn more about geography this week?
Visit the Geography Awareness Week page on My Wonderful World.
Are you a geo-whiz? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Summer I Turned Pretty
AUTHOR: Jenny Han
Every year since Belly could remember she has always gone down to Cousins Beach each summer with her mother, her brother, her mother’s best friend and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has always had a crush on Conrad, the older of the two brothers, but this summer is having second thoughts on Jeremiah. Unlike the rest of the summers this summer is different, everyone’s older and has changed. Belly got rid of her glasses and has matured a great amount since the last visit. Conrad, on the other hand, has made some mistakes that may cost him a lot. Jeremiah is still the same fun self he always was but acts different when he is around Belly. Belly has no clue what the end of this summer may bring but in the end it’s a summer she will never forget.
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I am in to chick flicks and chick lit lately and this one is at the top of my list! It is very girly and every time I read it, it reminds me of summer and I love that feeling. In about every other chapter there is a flashback to summers before that and it shows the whole story. Every time I opened it I could never put it down! I hope you get a chance to read this book because you will enjoy it very much. This series is going to become a trilogy.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Little House in the Highlands
AUTHOR: Melissa Wiley
Have you read Little House on the Prairie? Even if you haven’t, I’m sure you’re familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder, an American pioneer girl. I discovered that there is another series of books that have been written to tell the story of Laura’s family going back to her great grandmother, Martha Morse. It turns out that the three generations of women before her were also pioneers of sorts.
Martha lived in Scotland in the 1780s. Her family is kind, honest people who own many acres and farms. They live by a lake that Martha thinks is truly magical with hills and valleys. Martha has to share the house with her 4 siblings, mother, father, Mollie the cook, and other servants. She is lucky in that she has a house big enough to fit everyone. The other families in the area live in two room houses; one room for the family and one room for the farm animals!
I love reading this book because Martha reminds me a lot Laura with both of them having such free spirits. Martha is also a girl who loves to run free instead of doing what she it told. I like this book because you learn very much about old Scottish traditions and I adore the fairy tales that Mother reads. You also get insight into how people lived back then such as sleeping in a box bed which sounds a lot like sleeping in a closet! Martha loves life and enjoys the simple things so that even though this was years ago, I learned to respect her. The writing style and vocabulary of this book makes for an easy read. I will definitely add this to my collection of Little House books and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
BOOK NAME: Stone Fox
AUTHOR: John Reynolds Gardiner
Welcome to today’s book club meeting!
This month, we’re reading Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardner. For today’s meeting, we have read the first three chapters.
If you’ve read the first three chapters, click “See More” to go to the meeting.
If you haven’t read that far, or if you haven’t gotten a copy of the book yet, stop here.
BOOK NAME: Ender’s Shadow
AUTHOR: Orson Scott Card
Hi, it’s Mairen again. I don’t know if you remember or not, but when I entered the contest to become a blogger for NG Kids, I reviewed a book called Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It is honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read, but then I heard about a parallel novel that was written 33 years later: Ender’s Shadow. The novel tells approximately the same story as Ender’s Game, but from a different character’s point of view. After reading Ender’s Shadow, I will not hesitate to say that it is definitely my favorite book of all time, trumping Ender’s Game and The Giver.
The story is told from the point of view of Bean, a diminutive child who is admitted into Battle School off of the streets of a Dutch town when he is just 6 – two years younger than the normal age. He is small for his age, and is therefore conspicuous among his fellow Launchies. While living on the streets of Rotterdam, he civilizes the children who live there, and is noticed by the manager of a popular soup kitchen. From there, he is passed on to Sister Carlotta, a devout Christian who works for the IF and sees something special in Bean. Throughout Bean’s career at Battle School, much more is learned about his past and his true identity.
One of the things that I really liked about this book was that it makes you think. While reading it, the reader has to figure out what significance the events have towards the events in Ender’s Game as well as figure out what they mean to Bean. I could literally read this book over and over again-in fact, I have! I read it once and liked it so much that I immediately flipped to the front and started over. I’ve read it 5 times now, and I caught something new each time,be it a sly bit of humor or an ulterior motive to a character’s seemingly meaningless actions. Overall, this is a must-read book that I strongly recommend to middle and high school-level readers.
Lun Lun, the giant panda located at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to her third cub on November 3, 2010. This is the only giant panda to be born in the U.S. in 2010, which is great news for the endangered species.
Zoo Atlanta says the cub is “roughly the size of a cell phone” and is being well-cared for by its mother. Zoo officials will be able to examine the cub next week and determine its gender. Visitors will be able to meet the new cub in spring 2011.
Learn more about giant pandas.
Watch Zoo Atlanta’s Panda Cam.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
AUTHOR: John Grisham
I had a summer book review due for school. I liked Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer so much I picked this one for the book review. And you know how much I read!
This book is about a 13-year-old kid who wants to be a lawyer and he’s already almost as smart as a one. He’s always in the courtroom in his hometown because his parents are lawyers and that’s where he wants to be. Also, he sometimes handles small cases for the kids in his class, and even argues for them in court (things like problems with their pets).
There’s about to be a huge case about a murder. The judge case let’s Theo’s Government class sit in the bleachers for the first session. The case is about a man who murdered his wife. His lawyer is the best defense lawyer in the town and it looks like the suspect is about to get away.
It turns out that one of the kids that Theo tutors at the homeless shelter has a cousin who was an eyewitness to the murder. BUT, the eyewitness is an illegal immigrant so he doesn’t want to tell anyone because he’s afraid he’ll be arrested and sent back to his home country.
Theo has to find a way to help the cousin step forward without getting arrested. The rest of the story is about how Theo has to solve the case before the suspect is set free.
This is a great book for 3rd grade and above. It’s not that long and I loved it.
BOOK NAME: Stone Fox
AUTHOR: John Reynolds Gardiner
For November, we’ll be reading Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. This is the story of Little Willy, his dog Searchlight, and their struggle to save Willy’s grandfather’s farm. This book was recommended by DogEared member Learn more about this month’s book on the Book of the Month page.
Look for a copy of the book in the local library, or ask your parents to help order it online. We will read the first three chapters of the story for our meeting on Wednesday, November 10. See you there!
-DogEared
Interview With “Toy Story 3″ Actress
Kristen Schaal is an American comedienne and actress who is the voice
for animated characters such as Pumpkin Witch and Palace Witch in “Shrek
Forever After” and
the web-savvy dinosaur, Trixie the Triceratops, in “Toy Story 3″ (the
DVD goes on sale today!).
NG Kids: How did you get into acting and voice overs?
Schaal: Well, I started out doing stand-up and that led to all the jobs I have now.
NG Kids: Can you tell us how your voice becomes part of a movie or a TV show?
Schaal: It depends on the project. Usually you’re in a sound booth by yourself and say each individual line in different ways and the director can take which one he or she likes the best and that’s usually how the movies work. For the TV shows I’ve worked, we’re in the room together with the entire cast and we’ll riff and improvise with each other. It depends on whose project it is, but usually you’re just by yourself in a sound booth.
NG Kids: How long did it take for you to do the voice for “Toy Story 3?”
Schaal: I probably went in two or three times and each time, only under and hour. Trixie’s only a very short scene.
Read the whole post »
Congratulations! After the earthquake caused massive destruction in Haiti, you came through with $13,400 in donations! Your donations to the global health organization PSI helped save lives by providing more than 2,200 Haitian families with clean drinking water for a year. That’s amazing. And it shows that kids really can make a difference by working together!
Read about the earthquake in Haiti.
To learn more about Haiti, visit the country profile on National Geographic Kids.
BOOK NAME: Rocky Road
AUTHOR: Rose Kent
Life choices have always been a struggle for Delilah, bad choices leaving her small family to suffer all the consequences. Later deciding she’d make a good choice for her family, she takes her daughter, Tess, and deaf son, Jordan, to live in New York.
Delilah suffers from a medical illness, making some of her days productive and successful while other days go downhill. After deciding to open an ice cream shop, Tess starts to worry about income and things seem to get worse from there. Soon she feels pressured to be the one that needs to take care of herself and Jordan.
When their life has their ups and downs, Tess tries her best to stay strong. Suddenly, she gets fed up with this sudden heap of responsibility thrown on her and takes a stand. Her opinions rise and she lets Delilah know how things need to be; specifically, how she and Jordan need Delilah to just be a mother to them.
Rocky Road is a book filled with life decisions. I liked how the author included Jordan, a deaf young boy. It added more drama to the book and made this li’l character stand out from the rest; although he obviously didn’t have much to say, he played a big role in the book.
I’d suggest this book to just about any age, everything being easy to understand. The book was overall appropriate with interesting characters. I must say it isn’t a favorite because it lacked one thing–an interesting story line.
