Thief of Hearts

Thief of Hearts, written by Laurence Yep, is 206 pages long. When Stacey's family from China comes to live in the suburbs of San Francisco near Stacey, Stacey and Hong-Ch'un don't get along at all. Hong-Ch'un goes to school with Stacey, and since they "know" each other, they have to share a locker. Then some items belonging to some students and the principal get stolen and are put in Stacey's locker. Everyone knows it is not Stacey, so Hong-Ch'un is being blamed. She swears it was not her, but no one believes her. Then Hong-Ch'un runs away to San Francisco's Chinatown. Stacey, her mom, and her great-grandmother, Tai-Paw go to look for her. Tai- Paw used to live in Chinatown, and she cannot believe how much it has changed. They eventually find Hong-Ch'un and take her back to her home. Stacey, Tai-Paw, and Hong-Ch'un come up with a way to catch who really committed the crime. Stacey's dad gets a special gel that you can put on something, and when the person grabs it, it turns their hands purple for quite a while. The thief turns out to be Stacey's best friend, Karen. When asked why she stole, she says because it seemed like Stacey was paying more attention to Hong-Ch'un than her. After a brief fight, they make up. By the end of the story, Stacey learns more about her Chinese culture than she learned before. This book was a great read!

"A Dream Fulfilled"

What happens to dreams fulfilled?

Does it shine like greese on a hamburger?

Or flow like a milkshake through a straw?

Does it dance like a waiter in a vintage restaurant?

Or soothe like ice cream on a summer night.

Maybe it soars like a bird flying high in the sky.

Or does it just happen?

My Holocaust Project/ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Bleet

If you have any questions or comments on my, project, put them on this post. Thanks!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a 233 pages story by John Boyne about the Holocaust. Bruno's dad is a Nazi soldier. Bruno and his family live in Berlin and they are all very happy there. But when they have to move because of Father's job, Bruno is very upset. He hates their new house and gets very curious when he sees "a farm" that is actually a concentration camp. He gets curious and asks his family, but they say to stay away. One day Bruno can't resist and goes up to the fence, where he meets a skinny, frail boy named Schmuel. They meet and Bruno sneaks some food for him. Then one day, Schmel's father is missing and Bruno asks Schmuel if he can go into the camp. Schmuel thinks he is crazy, but says yes. Then they go into the camp. But they just had to choose the day when they are going to kill of the entire concentration camp in a gas chamber. They think Bruno is a Jew, so he and Schmuel get killed together. His family figures out what has happened, and they are very sad and feel like they could have prevented it (which they could have). This book was very sad, but also very well written.

Child of the Owl

Child of the Owl, by Laurence Yep, is 278 pages long. Casey lives with her father Barney, who has lots of troubles with gambling. Because of this they move around all the time, staying in cheap motels and renting cheap houses. But when Barney gets hospitalized, Casey has nowhere to stay. She goes to live with her Uncle Phil and his family, but they are too goody-two shoes and are not a good fit for Casey. So she goes to live with her grandmother, Paw-Paw, in San Francisco's Chinatown. It takes getting used to, but Casey gets used to life with her grandmother in Chinatown. She is enrolled in a Chinese school that she hates, but copes with it. Paw-Paw takes Casey around Chinatown and shows her some things. Paw-Paw tells her a story about her family's charm, an owl. The Charm means everything to Paw-Paw and she treasures it. Casey and Paw-Paw are having a great time together, until they come home one day to find out that they are being robbed. Paw-Paw barges inside after Casey tells her to just stay outside. They come in to find that the thief is taking all their money and the owl charm! Then the thief throws Paw-Paw against the wall and she is hospitalized. Casey lives alone for a couple of month until Paw-Paw gets better. She has to use a cane all the time. Then Barney comes to meet Casey. He admits that he was the thief! He needed the money and the charm to get out of some serious debt. Casey says that she never wants to see him again. Barney tries to explain, but Casey won;t give in. After Paw-Paw gives Casey a speech that encourages her to forgive Barney, she calls him and they make up. I recommend this book to readers who can read through pretty harsh stuff.