c16rc

So I know, this is a boring title, and worst of all, it sounds… educational! Really, it’s cool. So my little buddy in house 43 in little Dalton® is coming with her class and she is going to interview me!! (I am ready for my closeup! Really!) So here is a story about my journey here. Though it was only two blocks away, though I would come back every Thursday for a piano lesson, this was scary. A new school, new teachers and classes, more homework, and being on the same staircase as high-schoolers! Aahhh! This was the turn of the century! (yeah, I don’t get out much.) So soon my buddy will interview me. (I make long stories for little things. Have you noticed?)

So last week I read a book that blew me away. I have always been a fan of the Emily Windsnap series, I have read he first, (The tail of Emily Windsnap) and the second, (Emily Windsnap and the Monsters of the deep). But, when I found out that there was a third, I flipped. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. It was love at first site! Emily Windsnap is the story of a girl who one day finds out she is a mermaid. People make fun of her at school, but she doesn’t tell them. She lives on a ship with her mother who can’t swim, and she doesn’t know where her father is. Later in the first book, she finds him but she has to break him out of jail, but he is not a crook, he is a merman! He was in jail because Neptune, a myth that the greeks believed in, ruler of the sea, said that he wasn’t allowed to marry a woman who wasn’t a mermaid. Emily has a friend named Milly, (her babysitter who believes in asking playing cards the answer to a problem and can change you mentally) and a friend who is another mermaid named Shona who is a perfect mermaid. The idea that amazes me is that Emily is a half time mermaid. I mean when she is outside, just walking, she has normal legs and body. But, when her skin touches water, they transform into a tail and they mold together so she becomes a mermaid. When she gets out again, they turn back to their normal form. In this book, she is living on an island where her and both her parents can live in a half sunken ship, where the bottom is filled with water and the top floor is fine for her mother. The reason they must be apart from other creatures is because Neptune doesn’t want to have other mermaids and humans to be together. While Emily is in the lower deck of her home, she finds a dimond ring. It turns out, it belonged to Neptune and the reason he doesn’t want mer people and humans to be together was because he once was with a human lady and she broke his heart. She either has to pick one parent to live with, (human life and Mom or mermaid life and Dad) or find the pearl ring that belonged to the lady that broke Neptunes heart. I can’t give away the end for you guys but I have to say that while I read it, my heart was pumping so fast that I felt as though I was really there. I recomend this book to anyone who is interested in mythical creatures such as mermaids and you really have to read the beginning of the series first. You can find it at Barnes and Noble. 

If you read Ms. Edinger’s post, you will see that I really am bringing Dina with Alice. Anyway, lets get to the point. I (as you know) am working with c16tf, and he doesn’t like to draw as much people (and cats) as I do so he is drawing the back round and I am doing Alice, Dina and the Rabbit. We decided to skip the waiting on the bank while her sister’s reading and we replaced it with just Alice and Dina sitting on the bank bored and Alice sees the rabbit and she takes Dina to chase it. I hope you like it and please please keep checking this blog to see it soon!

So now we started our Alice comics for real. Me and c16tf are getting there–really slowly. We finished our cover, and we are starting our first real page, the one where she sits under the tree and first sees the rabbit. I think that we will make the cover with two triangles, one red and one blue. We will write the title in the blue one, witch will be on top, and by c16rc and c16tf in the red one, on the bottom. I am so excited to get this comic going, and by the way, did you see the link to “Betty in Blunderland” I put in my last Alice in Wonderland post?

My. This will be a loooong post. As you may know, my class went to Plymouth Plantation as a class trip because we are studying the Pilgrims. This was a sleepover trip, as we left on Thursday and came back on Friday. The very first thing we did was we went to this grave yard. I hated the graveyard because we were inches away from dead people covered in grass and dirt and doesn’t that just creep you out? When we finished that, we saw (this was my favorite part) the Mayflower. Actually, the Mayflower II, a remake. I got to see the beds, (they look so uncomfortable, wood, straw, a blanket.)The dusty and smelly deck, (eww) and this is the first time I saw a Pilgrim actor. There were actors everywhere dresses in Petticoats and aprons and telling us about their “journey” and how they kept “casting.” We brought along T, our turtle friend from the books T Turtle Travels. He got in a lot of pictures with Pilgrims. Once, when we asked a Pilgrim to hold him for a picture, he gave T one look and then he said in disgust like T was more garbage then a turtle, “We eat turtle soup, here.” I whisked T away after the picture like he was sitting on fire. Meani Pilgrim. Also, we got to go to the Pilgrim village and see all the Pilgrim homes. This is where we met the turtle soup guy. There were dirt floors in most of the houses and there were Pilgrims with pocket knives walking all around. We met a nice Pilgrim boy; he looked around 17, named Love Bruston who was sawing a whole load of wood for firewood. He let us each try. We met so many friendly Pilgrims that time flew by so fast. We got to plaster a house with mud; we got to meet a feathery bunch of roosters, and a herd of bulls. Along with all this, we got to learn all about the Pilgrim games, (such as hoop and stick, ball and cup, bubbles, ect.) how to write with a quill pen, and how to dress like Pilgrims. (Wow, they wore so many layers, even in the summer!) We also got this Pilgrim dinner. Uh, whoopie. They had said they would give us turkey pottage. (I had been calling it turkey slop-in-a-pot before we came) but they switched it on us! They gave us this turkey with onion sauce and these johnnycakes things. I have to admit that even though the turkey slop-in-a-pot was not my favorite, the johnnycakes were really good. If you look at them, you could easily mistaken them for sugar cookies, but they taste like nothing I have ever tasted. They were great. And, once we got on the bus home I thought about what I had just accomplished. Now all I can say is that I am grateful for the light switches and lamps in my house!  

Okey-dokey. Now we ventured into the comics. I am working with c16tf, as you might know, and since I am a cat lover, I made Alice take Dina, her cat she talks about in Alice in Wonderland. I never thought she would be orange! Anyway, in my comic (down the rabbit hole), Dina follows Alice down the rabbit hole and she’s always in a conversation with Alice. Let’s just say I like comedy. Here, read our script. If you like this, chances are, you should go see c16tf’s! Really! (A: stand for Alice, D: is for Dina and R: is for rabbit)

A:“Ahhh. Dina, I am sooo bored.”
D“Meow”
R”Oh! I am late late for an important date!”
A: “Dina did you see that!?”
D: “Meow”

Alice runs with Dina after the rabbit.

A: “Heh, heh, heh, Whoa, this guy’s fast!”
D: “Meow!”
A: “Ooh! A rabitt hole!”
D: “Meow!”

They jump in after the rabbit and start to fall.

A“AHHHHHHHHHHHH! DINA THIS IS SOOO CRAZY WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!”
D: “MEOOOW! HISSSSSSSSSS!”

They land

A: “Ouch! Dina are you OKAYE?”
D: “Uh, meow?”
A: “Dina, did you just TALK!?”
D: “Well…I’ve always had a very large vocabulary, yet under the circumstances I had to keep it secret. Now I’m explaining that I really am very well educated.”
Fog……………………………………………………………………..
A: “Ugh, my head! When I fell I must have gotten knocked out. You can’t really talk, can you Dina?”
Silence…
D: “Mew.”
A: “Good. Now let’s go.”
They both walk down a loooooong hallway.
A: “Ooh! A door! It’s too small for me to fit through. L ”
D: “Mew.”
Dina rubbs against a small green bottle.
A: “What did you find there, Dina?”
D: “Meow.”
It says drink me.
A: “It says drink me! Okay!”
She drinks it.
A: “WHAT THE…Ook! What a queer feeling!

Alice starts growing and growing… AND GROWING!!

And that’s all we have so far. Now once that is finished, we will draw our illustrations. Now go to c16tf’s blog!

Here is my Cinderella story. Instead of the classic glass-slipper-fairy-godmother-ball kind, in a shelter kitten’s point of view. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!!!!!!!!!

Kittenella…

I once knew a small brown kitten with dull markings and particularly long whiskers. Kittenella, an American Shorthair at an animal shelter, wasn’t the prettiest of the litter. Or the bravest. Well, lets just say that she wasn’t the freshest cookie out of the oven. And her litter took advantage of it.

One ordinary day, the phone rang. All the cats strained to hear the volunteers talking.

“Hello, Who is this? Buck Billionaire? Oh my goodness! You want a kitten? You are coming here? Tomorrow? Okay!” She slammed down the phone and went running to tell the others. The whole litter stared at Kittenella. They knew she would be the one. Something must be done!

The next day in came the billionaire and his daughter, Sabrina. She had honey gold hair and an enchanting smile sure to soften anyone’s heart. All the cats were ecstatic!

A tabby cat fainted.
A Siberian cat bit a hole in her catnip mouse.
A Siamese cat hit her head on the door.

But what was this? A smelly kitten covered in kitty litter? You see, the rest of her litter had seen to it that Kittenella would not be chosen. They executed a sneak attack with the worst thing they could find. The litter box, of course!

They waited until the head was about to come to the cage with Sabrina to take the kitties out of the cage. The cats then all shoved her into the food bowl to ensure she wouldn’t be chosen!!

Kittenella watched as they were scooped away to cuddle with Sabrina and she thought about how she would love to meet her and all of this together made her cry. As a ripe tear trickled down her smelly body the strangest thing happened. The whole cage began to glitter like a disco ball and the whole room filled with light and…!

“Hello!” a sweet and gentle voice seemed to draw Kittenella to her senses. “I’m your Furry Godmother!” A Main Coon with very watery green eyes seemed to be floating in midair! Kittenella gasped, studying the Furry Godmother’s face.

“Whoo…?” Kittenella’s eyes were as big as they could be and her fur was standing on end.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help you. You are not the first I’ve helped.” The Furry Godmother soon noticed Kittenella was scared. “You are going to go live with the billionare, aren’t you?” Kittenella was stunned. Was someone actually being NICE to her? Was someone actually inviting her?

“My familly says no. They won’t let me.”

The Furry Godmother knew excactly where this was going. “I will take you!” She mewed cheerfully.

“Nononono. My family takes one look at me and I’m busted.”

“I will insure no one will know who you are.”

Kittenella seemed puzzled. “But I’m not even pretty, let alone fit for a mansion!” The Furry Godmother then slipped out of her collar a silver wand, glistening and shining. She waved it over Kittenella’s fur, transforming it from a thin dull covering to a thick, pure, coat. She waved it over her tail, and it immediedely became light and dainty. She waved it over her face, granting it beauty like never before seen. Last, she waved it over her paws and the upper right pad started glowing! Slowly, little by little a shining star formed on the pad, promissing light and elegant stepps and a unique sparkle in her eyes.
Kittenella stared at her reflection in the mirror.

“I’m I’m I’m…,” she squeeked.

“Beautiful,” the Furry Godmother finished for her. “There is one rule. You MUST get back before the others! Don’t forget!! Now go out there and shine!!!”

Kittenella’s paw (the one that had the star) seemed to tell her the way to the room the Billionare was in. Then, with all her bravery, she approached the billionare and Sabrina. All the cats gasped. A few seemed to admire her. A few seemed puzzled. A few were enraged. That was Dame, Sophia, and Susan, the nastiest of the litter. They didn’t know who she was, but there was one thing that they did know. She was not getting their billionare.

Dame squinted at her. Both cats knew that the way to win a human’s heart was through affection. So, that’s when it started. Kittenella rubbed against Sabrina. Dame did the same. Dame widened her eyes and mewed. Kittenella did the same. This was a battle of affection. The “battle of affection” went on for quite a while. Dame gave up first.

She stared at the mystery cat. “Who are you?” Dame hissed. Kittenella didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell her who she was!

“I’m I’m IIIIIII’m!?” the star on her paw started to glow again. She didn’t want it to be noticed. Sheepeshly, she covered it with her other paw. The star dimmed. She heard it whisper words from some other language. She tried to make out the words. She made out one. “Beautiful.” Just like the Furry Godmother had called her. “Beautiful.”

“My name is Beauty,” she meowed, a little louder than she meant it to be. All the cats in the room heard. The billionaire noticed the star on Kittenella’s paw. Sabrina scooped her up into a snuggly hug.

She wished she could stay in the hug forever, but then she heard Dame mumble to herself, “I’m leaving.”

Remembering the Furry Godmother’s words, “Remember to get back before the other cats,” she sprang from Sabrina’s arms and sprinted towards the cages. She slipped away minutes before the rest of the litter— and Dame.

Kittenella noticed that her new beauty was fading. The Furry Godmother’s magic didn’t last forever. She looked down at the paw with the star, expecting it to go away, too. No! It stayed as if it had always been there. Oh, NOOOOO! Now the others would know it was her! Dame would do dreadfull things to her! She was dead meat!! She knew she was doomed, she knew that she could only hide it for so long.

Later, the rest of the litter padded in.

“Did you enjoy the Billionaire?” Kittenella meowed through clenched teeth. The others only scowled at her.

“There was this beautiful kitten,” Dame spat. “And I think the billionare’s gonna adopt her!” Sophia added, and then cringed.

“She was a mystery. No one knows who she was!” Susan hissed in a shocked tone. (Kittenella knew that they were mewing about her and was pleased to know they thought she was beautiful.)

Kittenella fake-moped to the corner, leaving the others to make jokes. Kittenella couldn’t come and how she couldn’t see Beauty. Kittenella knew the truth.
The star on her paw seemed to sizzle. It started to boil. It singed. What was it doing that for? It HURT. Poor Kittenella didn’t know what to do! Her paw was puffing up and she didn’t know why! The rest of her litter was fast asleep.

“Hi!” The Furry Godmother yelped. Kittenella jumped. “Sabrina misses you!”

“Huuuuuuh? What do you mean?” The Furry Godmother had just appeared in Kittenella’s cage and was focusing on the water bowl.

Then, granting satisfaction to the Furry Godmother, the water seemed to glisten. In the reflection in the water, she could faintly see Sabrina talking to a volunteer on the phone.

“I want that beautiful brown one with the long whiskers and that very interesting paw.” Sabrina said to the assistant.

“I’m terribly sorry, but that kitten is not ours. We don’t even know who she was!”

Sabrina’s eyes were brimmed with tears. “I loved that kitten! Where is she?! She’s got to be yours! She was here!”

Kittenella knew what she had to do.

“Furry Godmother? Can you make me beautiful again?”

“Yes.” Again, the Furry Godmother waved her wand over Kittenella and granted her beauty. Kittenella opened the door to the cage and approached Sabrina. She thought about the Furry Godmother’s watery green eyes.

“Mew,” Kittenella cried. Only this time it was not a shy squeak. It was a strong, confident meow.

Sabrina turned and scooped Kittenella up into another snuggly hug. But then something strange happened. Kittenella’s paw started glowing and all the Furry Godmother’s magic faded away. Kittenella looked just like her plain old self.

Sabrina didn’t seem to mind. She liked Kittenella just the way she was.
So Sabrina adopted her and Dame, Susan and Sophia had to stay at the shelter for the rest of their lives. They all lived Happily Ever After.

Now I happen to hang around Bide-a-wee a lot these days. I’ll let you in on a little secret. A new cat moved in and took the place of Kittenella. It was a Main Coon with very watery green eyes!

The End

I am strongly against Forced Immigration in all ways. If you even mention the topic I am already out the door. At least I have been like that since I’ve finished studying it. I learned so much! Forced immigration was before slavery was banned. It was very sad and cruel. Imagine you were just sitting with your family eating cookies and suddenly you were ripped away from your family and mean strangers took you away on some ship. On board you had a banana for a meal and after a long, uncomfortable trip, you were sold like an object and you were kept to obey some dude’s every command! People that were forced to immigrate were usually black people. Lots of people had to go through forced immigration. I learned all of this stuff at the one and only Dalton School.

For our study on Alice in Wonderland we:

• Read many Alice books
• Watched many Alice videos (my favorite: Betty in Blunderland)
• Watched videos from its time
• We looked at many variations (one in German, one in Chinese, so on)
• We looked at all the different illustrations

And soon, we are going to make Alice comics. Each of us will work with a partner and we will each make a comic strip of a couple chapters. I will be doing the first chapter, Down the Rabbit Hole. If you like my writing or my banner up at the top of my blog, check out the first part!!!

My class read the book Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Everyone in my class read a poem from the book. We also made a podcast of everyone’s voice. I actually got to do a two-person-poem with my teacher, Ms. Edinger. (Cool thing: she was on the Newbery!!) If you click on the play button below, (the triangle for those of you who don’t know) you can hear me and Ms. Edinger’s poem!!! Remember– I play Mariot and she plays Maud!

 

 Mariot and Maud podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download