The Brothers Grimm

You may know the name Grimm from a book of fairy tales. What you may not know is how many of them were Jacob and Wilhelm's (The Brothers Grimm). What do you think of when somebody says Cinderella? Does The Brothers Grimm come to mind, probably not, you probably think Disney or Nick because of the movies. Well they weren't the ones who came up with it, The Brothers Grimm did. Actually they just wrote it down, it had existed long before they were born. The Brothers Grimm didn't actually create any stories, they just heard them from people and wrote them down.

When you think Rapunzel your mind probably goes to Tangled but guess what, The Brothers Grimm wrote that too! However, it has been changed quite a lot since the original. In the original The evil woman does not go out to the kingdom, Rapunzel's hair does not heal and the prince, yes prince not thief, gets his eyes poked out.

The Brothers Grimm lived in Germany their whole lives. The Brothers Grimm always loved stories, it didn't matter what it was about. One of their favorites though was one with princes and princesses wicked step sisters and balls- we call it "Cinderella".

When they lived Germany was many different kingdoms. All Germans had in common was their language. They didn't even think of themselves as Germans they thought of themselves as Prussians or Hessians.They wrote the fairy tales down not only for enjoyment but to help bring the country together. How can Stories bring a whole country together? Well the stories were something all Germans had in common it was something to be proud of. Neither man lived long enough to see their country united. However they brought joy to generations to follow.

Today adults and children all over the world still read The Brothers Grimm's fairy tale. If you would like to read it for yourself follow this link.

The Roman Mysteries: Secrets of Vesuvius

The Roman Mysteries: The Secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence was published in 2001 by Penguin Group.

Jonathan, Flavia, Lupus and Nubia, friends and detectives, sail to Flavia's Uncle Gaius to spend the summer at his house. There they uncover a riddle that could bring them great treasure. Meanwhile, tremors are shaking the ground animals move and people dream of nearing doom. One of the worst natural disasters in history is about to happen. Read the book to find out more about this horrible disaster and the great treasure.

Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus start out in Ostia right after having found the thief from The Thieves of Ostia, the first book in the Roman Mysteries series. From there the friends move to Gaius's farm which is somewhere between Pompeii and Stabia. Gaius's farm is a very large farm that also has vineyards all around it.

Flavia is a courageous young girl who is intelligent and  has a very good mind for problem solving. Nubia is a slave girl who watched her family get murdered and with her charm can make any beast fall asleep. Jonathan is a funny Jewish boy who tends to think everything is his fault (and sometimes it is). Lupus is a mute boy learning to read and write and when angered will stomp off and not come back for days. There is also Flavia's dog Scuto and the two puppies Nubia's puppy Nipur and Jonathan's puppy Tigris.

Caroline Lawrence was born in London,England. Shortly after her birth her American parents moved her family to Bakersfield, California where she grew up. When she was twelve, her family moved to Stanford, University in northern California so her father could study there. Caroline inherited her father's love of words and her mother's love of art. In 2000 Lawrence wrote her first book The Thieves of Ostia, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. Caroline now lives with her son Simon and husband Richard in London.

I really liked The Secrets of Vesuvius  because of it's mixture of fiction and facts. I recommend this book to people who like fiction, mystery or historical fiction. If you like this book I would recommend reading Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene. If you like the book try playing the game made by CBBC.

My poems

I wrote three poems this week for school. Here they are:

The Elephant

Elephants, Elephants

incredibly smart elaphants

one has learned to talk 

Koshik Koshik

he has learned to talk

defying the laws of nature

an extraordinary creature

Koshik has learned to talk

The Dog

Once the old dog would run and play

but now he just sits there.

Once the dog would never lay

but now he just sits there.

Once the dog would play in the sun

but now he just sits there.

Once the dog was a playful pup

but now he just sits there.

Winter

the white snow is falling

bunnies hopping around

in the stillness of the land

nothing makes a sound

i find some delicous nuts

i crack them open and poof they are gone

the chill threatens to freeze me

I'm cold beneath my coat

the smells of fall are fading

those of spring yet to come

but for now i will enjoy myself all winter long

Pollyanna

 I liked Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter because Pollyanna is always so happy and glad about everything. Even though it was published in 1913, Pollyanna is written like any other book you might pick up at a book store today. The language is a little out of date because of when it was written, but other than that it is pretty easy to understand. I recommend this book to people who like classics, realistic fiction, orphans or just family.

When Pollyanna's father dies she is sent to live with her strict Aunt Polly who only takes her in because she believes that it is her "duty". Aunt Polly believes that Pollyanna was an unnecessary child giving the fact that the world was already full enough. The small town where Pollyanna is sent to live is full of people who are quite unhappy, but Pollyanna finds a way to turn things around. How can one little girl change the whole town's mood? Read the book to find out.

Aunt Polly's house is located on a hill outside the town of Beldingsville, Virginia. The people of Beldingsville were always unhappy until Pollyanna came along and changed everyone's outlook on life. When Pollyanna gets into a terrible accident it effects the whole town. Everybody wants to see her to give her a message to make her happy about something in the horrible situation she is in.

Aunt Polly is bitter and uncaring in the beginning of the book. She doesn't care about anything but doing her duty. Throughout the book though, Pollyanna changes her attitude so that in the end she is kind, loving and caring to Pollyanna.

Eleanor H. Porter was born in Littletown, New Hampshire on December 19th, 1868. Porter married Jon L. Porter in 1892. She started a singing career at  the New England Conservatory of Music but by the early 1900s had given it up for writing. She published her first book Cross Currents in 1907 but her first big hit was Miss Billy, published in 1911 followed by Miss Billy's Decision in 1912. However it is Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up that she is still remembered by today.

IL: MG - BL: 5.2 - AR Pts: 8.0

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape

 
The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape by G.P Taylor, published in 2008 by Markosia Enterprises, LTD, begins at Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children. Saskia's side of the story mostly takes place in Spaniards House, a big grand house on the top of Parliament Hill. Sadie's side of the story is constantly moving from Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children to Hampstead to Spaniards House.

Mischievous twin sisters Sadie and Saskia Dopple think they rule Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children and everyone else does too. When somebody adopts only Saskia, Sadie says she still rules even if  both girls are not together. Right before Saskia gets in the car Sadie makes a promise that she will find Saskia and they will be together. Throughout the story it switches between Sadie and Erik's adventure and Saskia's adventure.

The Main characters are Sadie and Saskia Dopple, who are completely identical except for Sadie has a yellow left eye and a blue right eye while Saskia has a blue left eye and a yellow right eye. The only other difference is Sadie thinks before she speaks making her the quieter yet more dangerous one.

Page 164-5

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles are known for their interesting mixture of comic, picture book and chapter book all smashed together between the covers. This structure makes for an interesting reads. Look at the picture to the left and see the comic strip on one page and picture book on the other.

In Great Britain G.P. Taylor is being called "The new C.S. Lewis" and "Hotter than Potter". In 2004 his first novel, Shadowmancer, reached #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers. His novels have been translated into several different languages all over the world. His other books include Shadowmancer, Wormwood, The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street, Tersias The Oracle and more. For a complete list check out his website at Gptaylor.info/.

I like this book and recommend it to anybody who has the time to read it. The First Escape is the beginning of the epic Dopple Ganger Chronicles. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens next.

 IL: MG - BL: 4.7 - AR Pts: 4.0