"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.

Dragon Road

291 pages of greatness describes Laurence Yep's book, Dragon Road. Calvin Chin and his best friend Barney are residents of San Francisco's Chinatown. They like to challenge strangers at basketball and make bets to get money. One day when they are playing a game, the coach of a basketball team sees how good they are, and offers them a chance to play on the San Francisco Dragons. At first Calvin doesn't really want to play on an official team. But when they hear how much they get paid for each game, they decide to do it. They pack up most of their things and set off to play basketball. The van that they use to travel in is in horrible condition, so they have to stop for repairs along the way. The team makes many stops throughout the country and wins most of their games. Then they arrive in Idaho and see snow for the first time in their lives. They stop and play in it for a while, then set back off to play more games. On the way, one of their car's tires pops and they don't have a spare. The tire has patches all over it, so they are actually patching patches now. Then they arrive in a tiny Chinatown in the middle of nowhere. They stay in a motel instead of the van and wash their clothes and have some Chinese food. The season is starting to come to an end, so they play even harder. Calvin hurts his wrist and can't play for a few games, so he is pretty upset about that. Then comes the last game, which they win. They start the long journey back to Chinatown. When they get back, they find out that Calvin's father died, and they have a funeral. Calvin and Barney both agree that they loved their experience on the team and can't wait to come back next season. I recommend this book to sports lovers and anyone who loves a good read.

Skunk Scout (NOTE- All books blogged on starting with this one are third quarter books)

Laurence Yep is the author of the 179 page novel, Skunk Scout. Teddy lives in San Francisco's Chinatown and his celebrating his birthday with his family. When he opens his uncle's present, it is a can of mosquito spray. Teddy asks why and his uncle says that his birthday present to him is that they are going camping on Mount Tamalpais. Teddy has never been out of San Francisco before. His brother Bobby asks to come along with them. Teddy is hesitant at first, but when he sees how much Bobby wants to go, he gives in and they start planning the trip. Bobby goes to the library and gets several books on camping, so when the day finally comes, they are all prepared and ready. When they got to the campsite, Teddy had the brilliant idea of putting the hamburger in dry ice instead of regular ice. For the rest of the trip, they ate nothing but marshmallows, candy, and berries. Their uncle trips in poison ivy on one of their hikes and has to stay in the tent for two nights. Then on their last day, they set out on a long hike to the sea. But on the way, they get lost and Teddy has to use his survival skills to get them back to the campsite. They never get to the ocean, but all three of them agree that this was their best day of the camp. When they get back to Chinatown, they decide that they are not the type of people who are made for camping. Teddy says that his idea of vacation is a triple-feature at the cinema. Anyone who loves reading would probably enjoy this book.

Devils Arithmetic Responce

D)- Explain how Hannah came to better understand her family and their traditions after her "experience".
     Hannah came to better understand her family and their traditions because she saw what they all had to go through to be the family that they are today. Before her experience, she didn't really know what her family and religion had gone through. When Hannah was in the Holocaust she learned that she should have followed her cultures customs and listen to the stories her relatives had to tell her. She learned that everything she was doing was for a reason, not just to get together and have a party. Hannah also learned to understand what the number tattoos on some of her relatives arms was, and what that picture meant to her aunt. Hannah's experience helped her to better understand her family and traditions.

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