c16mm

At the beginning of 2008 my class studied forced immigration. Forced Immigration was when blacks were taken and they immigrated because people needed slaves in America. We learned that the slaves were taken as cargo on ships and then sold to masters. If you read my post Africa is My Home; The Story of Sarah Margru Kinson, you will see that my teacher Monica Edinger wrote a book on forced immigration about a girl on the Amistad ship. I’ve really enjoyed this study and I hope to learn more about this topic.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland story was the strangest I’ve ever heard. But I have to say; now it’s one of my favorite books of all time. As a read aloud book our teacher read Alice and we learned about Lewis Carroll and the girl he wrote the book for, Alice Liddell. We watched movies about that time and a Betty Boop version of Alice.

Today we started a project to do with this book. We were assigned partners and a chapter or two to abbreviate and make a comic out of. I’m working with c16km and our chapters are The Mock Turtle’s Story and The Lobster Quadrille. I’m excited to continue this project and to continue writing posts about it.

Hi, my name is Bella. My parents are divorced so every year I spend winter vacation with my father and his new family. Last year we went to a hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida.

My dad remarried a lady with two daughters that are three years older than me. Their names are Dani and Al, (short for Danielle and Alexandra.) They’re really bad to me but I love spending time with my dad.

My Story Starts

I was getting off the airplane. I just turned 15 and I couldn’t wait to celebrate with my dad. As I stepped off the plane and saw his face, a very broad smile set upon mine. I hadn’t seen my dad since the summer.

Our drive back to the hotel was so much fun. We talked and laughed a lot. He told me about a New Year’s ball coming up that we were invited to. I was so excited to get a good tan.
When we pulled into the hotel our fun ended because standing there were Dani and Al.

“Hi, girls,” I said, trying to sound pleasant. “Great to see you.”

“Hi, Bella,” said the girls.

I knew they were just being nice to me because of my dad.

“Well, this is a great way to start off a vacation!” said my dad blindly. “Have you seen your mother?” he asked the girls.

“Yeah she’s at the concierge,” replied Dani.

“I’ll go and tell her that Bella’s here,” exclaimed my dad.

Moments later my dad came back with my stepmom, Linda. “Hi Bella!” she said giving me a big hug. “It’s so great to see you.”

“Nice to see you too,” I said, returning her warm welcome.

“I got us chairs at the pool. Dani, Al please take Bella to our room and let her get ready to come to the pool. You know where our chairs are.”

When we got up to the room the girls started saying stuff like ‘You don’t belong with us,’ and ‘Your daddy doesn’t love you anymore.’ Worse, they locked me in the room. They snuck out when I was putting on my sunscreen. And I couldn’t get the latch undone. I couldn’t call my dad because he forgot his cell in the room and I didn’t know my step mom’s number. So I sat and read. When the girls came back they told me not to say anything or they would deny it.

They told me to remember the time that we were at Disneyland and they were just tall enough to ride the Matter Horn rollercoaster. I had to go to the bathroom so my dad made the girls take me. There was a really long line so I had to wait. I really had to go and the line was really long so I peed in my pants. When we got back to my dad and Linda my pants were soaked so my dad made us go back to the room. By the time I was ready to go back out the Matter Horn was closed and it was our last day. The girls hated me ever since. They never went to Disneyland again.

That night we went to dinner at a really good restaurant called Palm Beach Grill. I was sitting next to Al and I was drinking coke. I was wearing a skirt that Linda got me. I really liked it.

When Linda went to the bathroom, Al purposely turned to me and knocked my glass of coke so it spilled all over me. It seemed my dad didn’t see because when he finally look over he said, “Oh, Bella what are we going to do with you?”

I thought about telling him the truth but then I remembered the Disney story and I decided not to. Dani and Al would really get me back if I told him that.

Later, back at the hotel, my dad took me out for ice cream. There was total silence until I said, “It was Al that spilled the coke on me.”

“I know,” said my dad in a kind caring tone. “I’ve been watching them.”

“Thanks,” I said, feeling a little bit better. “Linda is really nice but her daughters are so mean.”

“I’ll have Linda talk to them,” he said.

When I got back to the room I went to make sure my dress for New Years was there. I started to look and I couldn’t find it. I was so worried.

“What did you do with my dress?” I said to Al and Dani in a very angry tone.

“We hid it, stupid,” said Al. “So now you can’t go to the party and we get to hang out with Jarred.”

“Who’s Jarred?” I asked, half mad and half interested.

The girls started laughing, “He’s the hotel owner’s son and he’s gorgeous!” said Dani, still laughing.

“Oh,” I said kind of upset, “Night.” And then I went to sleep.
I woke up very early the next morning. I checked my watch and it said that it was 5:30am. So I decided to jog to town. I got up, got dressed, and wrote a note to my dad and Linda.
Went for a jog, be back at 7:00.
Bella

While I was running I passed this store called Cinderella’s Closet. In the window they had the most magnificent dress. It had a silver straps and it was light pink. I love pink!

I decided to ask my dad about getting it for me for the New Years party. At that second I looked at my watch. Then I realized that today was the 31st. And that it was 6:45. So I turned around and sprinted to the hotel. I got there just in time. My dad and Linda woke up at 6:50 and Al and Dani just woke up. The girls and Linda instantly got ready to go to the beach but I stayed with my dad. As Linda and the girls left I said, “We’ll be down later.”

“Okay,” replied Linda.

When they walked out I said, “Dad, I went for a jog this morning and I saw this really pretty dress.”

“Yeah,” said my dad.

“And the girls hid my dress for tonight’s party so I was wondering if you would go and get it for me.”

“Did you ask Al and Dani to give it back?”

“Yeah,” I said softly, “and they didn’t. But I like this dress better! Daddy please!”

“Okay,” said my dad giving up. “I’ll get it for you.”

So we bought the dress. There was one left and it was just my size. We were walking back when my dad’s phone rang.

“Hold on one second,” said my dad, rummaging through his pockets, trying to find his phone.

“Sure,” I said.

A couple minutes later my dad got off the phone.
“That was Linda,” he said, “she wants us back at the hotel in 15 minutes.”

“We better hurry,” I said.

Then we ran back the hotel and got our swimsuits on just in time to meet Linda.
It was already 12:15 so we missed half the day.

“It’s time for lunch,” said Linda.

“I’m starved,” said my dad.

“Dad,” I said very sweetly. “Can you order for me? I just want to take a quick dip.

“Sure,” said my dad.

I decided to go to the playground. I sat on the swings and thought. Then a boy came up to me.

“Hi, I’m Jarred,” the boy said.

“I’m Bella.” I said sweetly.

Jarred was very cute. He had short golden hair and piercing blue eye. He seemed very nice.

We started talking and instantly became friends. I told him everything that happened since I got there. Then he said, “Are you going to the party tonight?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Well,” he hesitated, “I was wondering if you would like to go as my date?”

“Sure,” I said, really entranced by him.

“Okay,” he said, “So I’ll meet you outside the ball room at 7:30.”

“Okay,” I said and he walked away.

Then I remembered. Oh my, the girls said that the hotel owner’s son was named Jarred. I had to remember not to tell anyone whom I was going to the party with.

The afternoon went by very quickly. I awaited my date with Jarred as we spent the rest of the afternoon together. We went swimming in the pool and the ocean. Then we went boogie boarding and on the banana boat. The best part was the girls were in town so they didn’t see me with Jarred.

At 5:30 my dad called me to go to the room to get ready.

I went up to the room and got straight into the shower. I took a nice long shower and then I started drying my hair. I spent a long time on that, making it look gorgeous, and then I pinned it up with blue pins that matched with my dress. I was putting on my makeup when the girls walked in. We avoided talking because we had to get ready for the party. Then I went to get my dress.

I took it and put it on. I finally caught the girls attention.

“What’s that?!!” they said angrily.

“Oh, I got it in town today.”

Then they started ignoring me again.

We went down stairs and we all went inside.

“I’m going to get something to eat,” I said and walked away to find Jarred.

I found him just where he said he’d be. “You, l-l-l-look gorgeous,” he stammered.

“Thanks!” I said, “Let’s dance.

We danced for half an hour and then we ate and then danced. Then we went outside to talk. We talked and talked.

Then suddenly we heard yelling. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!!!!”

“Happy New Year!” I said.

Then he did something I never expected. He kissed me. It lasted for about a second but I liked it.

Then we went back inside.

“I better go wish my dad a Happy New Year; I’ll be back in a second.” I said.

“Okay,” he replied.

I was heading for my dad but then my phone rang. Everyone was staring at me so I went into the bathroom to receive my call. On my way I dropped my bracelet that my grandma gave me.

Turns out, it was Al and Dani. They saw me with Jarred and got mad. And now I was locked in the bathroom

I didn’t know what to do. Then I decided to call Jarred. He didn’t pick up his phone.

Then someone came and opened the door and I was let out. It was Linda.

“Thanks,” I said gratefully.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

I told her everything and she said that she was already planning to talk to Dani and Al about their behavior.

I guessed Jarred went to bed, so I decided to go back to the room. The second I got there I fell asleep.

The next morning at breakfast I couldn’t find Jarred anywhere. It wasn’t until later that day that I realized that my bracelet had been missing. Then Jarred came over.

“Are you looking for this?” he asked holding my bracelet.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, “Where did you find it?”

“You dropped it last night. I went home to make sure I’d keep it safe.”

“Thanks, again. My sisters locked me in the bathroom.”

“I knew you had a good reason for not being there.”

We spent the rest of the vacation together. He even made Dani and Al apologize to me when we ate dinner with him and his mom the next night. He promised to call me if he was ever near my house and I gave him my email. I’m so excited we’re going back next year.

 

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I just recently met Laura Amy Schlitz the author of the Newbery Winner Book Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Ms. Schlitz was incredibily nice and it was so exciting considering that my teacher Monica Edinger was on the Newbery Committee.

Ms. Schlitz’s book is a book of monologues and dialogues of children from medieval times. These children are suppose to be between the ages of 10 and 15. There are royals and servants and some of the people know each other and interact.

When I met Ms. Schlitz she told me how she felt went she received a phone call that told her that she had won. She currently works at the Park School in Maryland where my cousin goes to school. She told me that it she was so surprised when she got the phone call and she told me she thought it wasn’t real.

I enjoyed Ms. Schlitz’s book and I think her book really deserved that award.

Since my teacher was on the Newbery commitee she had my class all read a monologues and dialogues from the book. Here is my podcast as Isobel the Lord’s Daughter.

Enjoy!

 

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My class wrote poems about different people on the Amistad. Here is my poem.

Africa is My Home; The Story of Sarah Margru Kinson is a book written by my teacher Monica Edinger. This story is about a little African girl that was on The Amistad Ship with Joseph Cinque. This story is about the life of this little girl and things that happen to her. Her father pawns her. She is a slave in a part of America where they didn’t allow slaves. And she went to court to be free. A kind white man by the name of Mr. Tappan was very helpful.

Ms. Edinger did a great job of using historical fiction. At one point the story was non-fiction but despite Ms. Edinger’s editor’s thoughts I think the story should stay historical fiction. It seems more interesting that way.

I feel bad for Sarah Margru because of everything she had to go through. In the end it was all worth it but it seemed like she was a little girl going through a lot of tough things.

I think Sarah Margru’s story is a story I would read over and over again.

At Dalton we have little buddies that are in a different building. The class that my class is buddied with has a relationship with a school in
New Orleans, Louisiana. I had a buddy last year so I found this really interesting and I hope you do too.

When I heard about having a buddy in
New Orleans I was scared, nervous, anxious and excited. I was scared because I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous because I wanted a nice buddy, (preferably a girl). I was anxious because I wanted to know who my buddy was and what gender they would be. I was excited because I thought it would be really cool to have a buddy that lives about 1,200 miles away from me. I was excited because I wanted to hear more about

New Orleans and about a new person. I couldn’t wait to get my first letter! In the first letter it was funny because at the beginning everyone said something like it’s good to meet your friend. They didn’t know us so they asked a lot of questions. I’ve learned a lot about my buddy. I learned where he lives and his school. It’s interesting that we have so many similarities but we still have some differences. I’ve learned that my buddy has a good personality. We have some main differences. He’s a boy and I’m a girl, he has sloppy handwriting and I have very neat handwriting.

We write letters to communicate. We talk about ourselves and ask questions. We tell about where we live, our school, and more about our personal lives in general, like our pets or our like and dislikes. I think that it’s really fun to write letters and to receive letters from our buddies.

Each person gets one or 2 buddies because the New Orleans buddies have more people in their class then we do. We got videos from our buddies when our teacher Tracy got back from her trip to New Orleans. Only I didn’t get one of my buddy because he wasn’t present on the day that Tracy took the videos.

Our buddies’ school is called The Lusher School. Each year Tracy and her class make up a fundraiser to support The Lusher School because of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans because the levies broke of strong water current.

The Lusher School sent us a king’s cake. A king’s cake is what the people of New Orleans eat on Marti Gras. There is some sort of token in the cake and who ever gets the token in their slice would have to do a favor.

Anyway, they sent us a King’s Cake. Now we are going to send them something that relates to New York City. We are going to send them bagels and possibly some other things.

NOLA is what the natives to New Orleans call themselves. NOLA stands for New Orleans, Louisiana.

Last week, my class went to see an adapted version of The Tempest By William Shakespeare. This production of The Tempest was performed by The Dalton Middle School. They did a splendid job. My favorite character was probably the student that played Ariel. She did a great job of acting.

One thing I thought took away from the play was the added songs. Shakespeare original wrote it to make it dramatic and I thought that the songs make it seem unshakespearean.

Everyone must have worked really hard and it showed.

Letters From Rifka By Karen Hesse is about a Jewish female immigrant who tries to immigrate to America and gets ringworm.

I think this book is a great example of historical fiction because of the research Karen Heese did about the time this story took place.

Karen Heese uses a lot of simile and some alliteration. For example on page 67 she writes, “There’s a fruit called a banana colored yellow like a June sun and curved.” Then on page 68 she writes, “Belgian Chocolate. It’s like biting into a corner of heaven.”

An example of the alliteration is “Nathan hid under a sack of burlap bags, one boxcar away from me.” (Page 6)

Karen Heese must have done a lot of research on the diseases typhus and ringworm considering that typhus was very common then. I did some research and found out that nearly three million deaths in Russia occurred because of typhus and more occurred in Poland. These were places where the story occurred and the typhus was caught by Rifka and her family.

I also found out a way to treat ringworm was to use tea tree oil. My guess is when she was getting her treatment her head was being washed with soap that had tea tree oil in it.

I think you should definitely read this book.

Every person in my class wrote a story about someone that immigrated. We spent a lot of time working on these stories from interviewing people to writing the final books. My oral history book is about my uncle who emigrated from South Africa. My uncle lived there until 1975. I did a lot of research on Africa when writing my story. I found out a lot about its population and about apartheid. My favorite part of this experience was finding some of the pictures of South Africa and the flag and things my uncle really missed about his country. I never knew that my uncle’s country could be so interesting.