In October, I read the book Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Iceberg is a historical fiction about a young girl named Hazel. Hazel has to travel to New York to lived with her aunt and work in a garment factory to make money to send to her family back in England. She didn’t have enough money to purchase a ticket, so she stows away onboard and as she explores the ship. She meets a poster named Charlie and a first class passenger named Sylvia. As she wandered through the ship trying not to get caught, she meets Mrs. Abelman, a sweet former governess. She gives Hazel a notebook, so she can write about a the questions she has and so she can write her newspaper story. However, while on their way to get to New York they hit an iceberg. Sylvia and Hazel were helping others to get to the top deck where the lifeboats were, while they’re helping they heard Mrs. Abelman calling for help. They got her out of her room, She told Hazel and Sylvia to got with Mrs. Gruber to the lifeboats. Hazel wanted to find Charlie, so they all could go to the lifeboats. Hazel wanted Mrs. Abelman to come with them to the lifeboats. Mrs. Abelman was helping others who could not speak English and were trapped in their cabins. She told Hazel that she would try to get up there, before Hazel left, Mrs. Abelman gave her a metal tin box to store her notebook with notes inside. She writes her story about the titanic to try to sell to a newspaper publisher.

I recommend reading this book because I love reading about historical events that happened throughout history. I was entertained throughout the whole story and I didn’t want the story to end. I loved how the story ended with Hazel writing her story and having all her friends with her and thankful for the people who sacrificed themselves for them to make on the lifeboats.

Hazel was my favorite character, because she was curious and didn’t letting anyone stop her from accomplishing goal of writing her own story. In the book it states, “If I was going to sell my first news story, I needed to write about life on board for the wealthiest passengers, not the poorest passengers. Which meant my next decision be either brilliant or utterly foolish. Or both. I needed a way back onto the first-class promenade. I glanced over at the deckhand. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere, but I did remember the gate that Charlie had led me through earlier. Hadn’t he said on the first day, the officers would be more lenient about mistakes? I hoped so because I intended to make another one.” (pg. 39) This quote proves that Hazel is curious because even though she wasn’t a real first class passenger, she needed to go to the first class deck so her story sounded professional. Hazel was rethinking her decision, but she was going to risk getting caught by the officers so she write about the first class passengers.

My favorite quote from the book is a letter Mrs. Abelman wrote to Hazel. It states, “In only the short time of our acquaintance you have become dear to me. Almost from the first moments on board, you reminded me of my daughter. She was as adventurous and brave and strong as you are. I never wanted her to work in that garment factory, but she insisted that she must build her own life. So must you, Hazel. But your own future with a pen in your hand and notebooks to fill. You have so many questions. Now go and find all of your answers. The questions are the best part of you for they will guide you into a future better than you can possibly imagine right now. I have one last gift for you. Use it wisely and it will allow you to live as you choose.” This is my favorite quote throughout the book because it shows the bond between Hazel and Mrs. Abelman in such a short time, Hazel has helped Mrs. Abelman when she needed it. Hazel didn’t want Mrs. Abelman to die on the ship, she begged Mrs. Abelman to go to the lifeboats, but she wanted to some of the passengers who don’t speak English and wouldn’t understand the instructions. Mrs. Abelman wanted for Hazel to live the she chooses, the short time Mrs. Abelman had she wanted to make sure everyone on the deck was safe. Hazel cared about Mrs. Abelman and wanted her to be safe, Hazel learned that there’s a high road and a low road and the meaning of taking the high road.

I would want to be twenty five years old forever. Twenty five is a good age because your brain is fully developed and you are becoming an adult. When your twelve you have go to school and they’re many test you have to take. Most of the time you have get a good score in order to keep your grade up. Some people are tall enough that they can ride tall roller coasters, you also can drive cars. By being twenty five you have to shop for yourself and you have to worry about taxes and gas prices. I would love to be able to have my own job and do what I love. I would have more knowledge about life and social situations. There are so many reasons to be twenty five years old and those are just a few.

The movie universe I would love to live in would be The Wizard of Oz. I would love to go on a quest meeting new people and try to trying to fulfill others’ wishes. I imagine walking on the yellow brick road seeking to get to the Palace of Oz, trying to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West and get back to Kansas. I would want to meet the munchkins and listen to their Welcome to Munchkin Land song. I would love to meet new people and help them find what they’re searching for. It would be amazing to learn about the characters and the challenges they’re facing. I would for sure want to live in the Wizard of Oz.

In September, I read the book Signing Their Lives Away by Denise Keirnan and Joseph D’agnese. This book is about the fame and misfortune of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The book also talks about the fifty-six men risking their lives by signing the Declaration of Independence so the colonies could have independence from Great Britain.

I really enjoyed the book. I love learning about famous people and how they made impact on the world, I like how you could see what happened to the men and see how their lives started and how they changed from signing the document. Throughout the novel I was entertained and I wanted to learn more about the fifty-six men who risked their lives to gained independence from Britain.

The book doesn’t really have characters, but I like reading about Thomas Jefferson. I was learning about him in fifth grade when we were learning about the American Revolutionary War. I thought is was cool that he wrote the Declaration of Independence and he was the third president of U.S. A character trait that describes Thomas Jefferson is intelligent. In the book it states, “He entered Virginia’s House of Burgesses at age twenty-six. From the start, he got more attention as a writer rather than as a speaker.” (pg. 207)

My favorite line from the book was on page 10, “As the Declaration of Independence so eloquently states in its last line, they risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. We think they are worth knowing.” I like the line because it show that the men are willing to risk their lives and fortunes for the colonies so they could get independence.

I was dreaming or so I thought. I had a premonition of a disaster. I heard voices they were whispering. I was in a maze. It could go on forever. I thought about if I could ever get out. I spotted a shadow move hasty through the dark. I felt a jab in my abdomen. I glanced down there was no blood, I felt another jab. There was no blood. I ran very gingerly, I went into a corner to sit down. I heard the whispering again and another jab. I heard it from behind me, I turned around it was a strange figure. It was dressed clad in black, it was holding something I couldn’t tell what though. It was a voodoo doll it had several pins poked into the doll. The figure poked another pin into the doll, I felt a pain in my heart. There was no blood I could barely breathe through. I took short breaths and tried to stay calm, but the room was cold, quiet, and empty. I managed to say “goodbye,” with the last words I had.

The thought of my favorite meal makes my mouth water. I love to eat avocado rolls and potstickers. The sushi rice spread out on the seaweed sheets filled with avocado, rolled and cut into bite sized pieces. The crescent shaped pan fried and steamed into a crunchy texture with ground pork and cabbage inside dipped in soy sauce. I usually have water with this meal. For dessert I will usually have strawberry ice cream. I love eating the Tillamook strawberry ice cream for dessert, I like vanilla ice cream but I don’t like chocolate ice cream. I can’t wait to eat it again.

If I could design my own house it would look like a cottage beach house. The house would be on the beach looking out to the ocean. The house would be a blue and white house, it would have palm trees and bushes in the front yard. I would have a big backyard and a patio to relax and watch the ocean. The inside of the house would have blue walls and white flooring, it would be a two story house. I would have a big bedroom on the second floor, it would have a big closet and a bed. The first story would have a big living room and kitchen, it would have a view of the ocean and the sunset. I would have a fire pit in the front yard so I roast s’mores.

If I could travel anywhere in the world it would be to Liverpool, England. I would travel to England, so I could see the men’s and women’s soccer team play. My favorite soccer player is Mohammad Salah, he is an amazing left footed soccer player and I would love to see him play in person. I would also love to see the different sites in England, I would visit the different castles and Big Ben. I want to see what the places look like and the history about the different places. The last thing I would do is to try the different foods and restaurants. I would like to see the different foods and what the different restaurants serve.

Hi, my name Aaliyah. Welcome to my blog. Allow me to introduce myself. I am a seventh grader at a middle school in Tustin. I am the oldest child in my family, I have an English bulldog. I love to play soccer, while playing soccer I get to travel to different places and play soccer in different environments. I love to go to the Colorado river and the Sand dunes, I love to ride ATVs and be on the boat riding on the water. I don’t like being in cold places, I always get runny noses. I love being in warmer places rather than cold places. I love hanging out with friends, I love riding my electric bike with my friends. I love listening to music, I especially love to listen to country music. My favorite subject in school is social studies, I love learning about new people and how they impacted the world.