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BOOK NAME: The Meanest Doll in the World
AUTHORS: Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin

Annabelle Doll, Tiffany Funcraft, and the rest of their families are dolls with secret lives. When the Palmer family, the people that own them, are asleep or away, the dolls move around and visit each other's houses.

One day, as Annabelle and Tiffany are on their way back from an exploration in the attic, they suddenly hear the Palmers coming home. Caught on the spot, with no idea what to do next, Tiffany and Annabelle see one of the human's backpacks, and hide in there. They stay there for the night, but in the morning, they find themselves in a place no live doll would ever dare go to: SCHOOL. They realize that they will be stuck there until the Palmer's daughter finishes school. Tiffany decides to tour the building. Although Annabelle is a little hesitant at first, she agrees to tag along.

Oh no! The kids start getting out of class, so Annabelle and Tiffany jump into a backpack that they think is the right one. Very quickly, though, they realize that they are not in the Palmer's house. They learn that in this new home, the dolls are alive as well, and there is one doll, named Mimi, that thinks she rules over all dollkind. When Annabelle and Tiffany are able to decrease Mimi's power, they jump into the backpack they came in, and hope that when they get to school, they will find the right backpack and get back to the Palmer's house. Little do they know that Mimi wants revenge on them, so she follows them all the way home. What will the dolls do about Mimi in their home? How will they catch her? How will they stay safe?

I really loved this book! It provides you with a look on the human world from a different perspective. When I read the book, I felt as though I was a doll with a secret life as well, going on all the adventures. I would recommend this book to anyone ages 9 and up.

Tyler and Stefan, two brothers, went on a year-long trip of a lifetime around the world. They share some of their favorite memories from their trip.




Check out the rotating globe to see all of the places Tyler and Stefan visited during their journey.

Phenomenal Friday Fact

The winners of the 2012 Hands-On Explorer Challenge have been chosen! Visit kids.nationalgeographic.com to read excerpts from their essays and see their winning photos.

The expedition to Montana begins on July 6. Visit the blog to learn more and get updates from Montana expedition team!

Celebrate America's parks on May 19! Kids all over the country will be visiting parks this Saturday. Are you planning to visit a park with your family this weekend? Check out the National Kids to Parks Day website to find an event near you and register to participate. As the National Park Trust mascot Buddy Bison says, "Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!"

Did you visit a park for National Kids to Parks Day last year?

Do you have a favorite national park or state park?

Ask your parents to sign up at the official National Kids to Parks website.

(AD) Check out the National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.

(AD) Tell your parents about the National Geographic National Parks book and app.

See pictures of U.S. national parks on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Jim Neumann, My Shot

Leaving our hotel in Paraguay at 2:00 am wasn't super fun but we arrived at the immigration office just five hours later. While we waited for our boat over to Iguazu Falls, Argentina we stared at the beautiful river from shore. The sunrise and the morning mist were truly magical. This is where Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil all join together.

When our ferry arrived we all hopped on very excited to see some of the largest waterfalls in the world. Tomorrow we would go to the park, but first we had to get our Brazilian visas. We left the consulate office with our passports stamped, explored the town and found a tourist office. After hearing about all the activities we decided that The Great Adventure boat ride was by far the best even though we were told "YOU WILL GET SOAKED". The next morning we suited up, put on our life jackets and boarded the 9:00 o'clock boat. We traveled down the river for a while, as we got close to the falls our jaws all dropped in awe.

Hi everyone! I am very happy to say that finally I went around Sydney with a camera and my mum (everyone thought we were tourists). We took a picture of the Opera house and the Harbour bridge.

This is my last post on the Olympics, and frankly, it's been great writing for you guys. I've really enjoyed writing this blog, as it's helped me do things I wouldn't normally do--like interview athletes, trade pins, learn about the mascots and the torch relay. This enhanced my Olympic experience, too! The last Olympic event I went to was the men's beach volleyball.  The U.S. team got the gold medal, and I got to see them raise the American flag and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in the middle of Beijing! What a great way to end this Olympics!

Another highlight was getting to see Nadal and Federer play on the same day. It has inspired me to work hard on my tennis and I will try out for my middle school tennis team again this year (I didn't make it last year).  I also learned how a lot of different sports were played & judged (canoe/kayak slalom, beach volleyball, badminton, diving, etc.). Being able to watch a few events in person helped me appreciate how hard the athletes have to work before and during the Olympics.

Today, I'll tell you about a normal day at school. I still have to go to school until the end of the month of June.  My school specializes in music and presents concerts here and also outside of Canada.

I walk to school with my friends. It takes us ten minutes to get there. Classes start at 8:30 am. At this moment all students are very excited because this is the last month of school, but also the time for exams. I have four classes of 75 minutes and between each class a break of 15 minutes.

During lunch time I eat at the cafeteria and have fun with my friends in the park around the school. School ends at 3:15 pm. I walk back home were I do my homework and I relax. I often take the subway to go to the library Plateau-Mont-Royal were my mother is chief librarian. We have dinner together and then I go to my fencing class. The library is in downtown. I like to go in that part of the city, where it's full of people and very buzzy.


The swimming pool will open soon!

First, I want to show you a video of me weaving.



I have been weaving for about three years--since I was 11.

Last year I met Meg Cabot, the author of The Princess Diaries, when she came to South Africa. It was so cool and she was so nice!

Last week I met John van de Ruit, the author of Spud, during the launch of his latest book, Spud - Learning to Fly at this cool mall called Melrose Arch.

Every year Grade Five puts on a huge production, a play  that my drama teacher writes, and this year it was my turn!!!

My friend Sukayna and I were the lead along with two boys.

Sukayna and I were the two angels: Goodness and  Evil, who come down from the heavens to Earth and meet two crazy people, and they all go looking for the reason of evil spreading everywhere. And guess what? I was the evil angel! And Sukayna was the good angel.

Something exciting has happened at the Kakenya Center for Excellence girls' primary school! We have finally moved into our brand new dormitory!

The Kakenya Center for Excellence students are really proud of the new dorms, and they take pride in keeping their rooms very clean. They have to clean the rooms often, as the cement floor gets dirty very quickly here in dusty Kenya. This often means mopping twice a day with rags and soapy water.

My school is a French school in the middle of London, which is a bit strange but loads of schools are like that in London. We do not wear uniforms, because  in France they do not wear uniforms.

There is a Spanish school which we did a exchange with this year. There is also a Italian school in south London. My school is in South Kensington near the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum where we do visits all the time. My school has existed for about 80 years and it now almost holds 4000 pupils which is about 11 classes per year.