Clarice Bean

Book Review
Clarice Bean: Utterly Me
By Lauren Child


This is me, Clarice Bean. I am not an only child, but sometimes I wish I was.
Clarice Bean’s life is as up and down as a rollercoaster. There are ‘up’ times, when she can simply sit and read about Ruby Redfort, girl detective, and there are ‘down’ times, like when Betty goes missing, or when her brother, Minal Cricket won’t leave her alone.
But life is meant for living, and Clarice Bean certainly lives it.
Lauren Child outdoes herself again with ‘Clarice Bean’, a fantastic and humorous story for children ages 9 to 13.
Lauren Child’s other Clarice Bean books include:
* Clarice Bean: Spells Trouble
* Clarice Bean: That’s me
* Clarice Bean: Don’t Look Now
* What Planet are you From Clarice Bean?
* My Uncle is a Hunkle says Clarice Bean
Lauren Child is also famous for her ‘Charlie and Lola’ books as well as many others.

Jordan

The Loaded Vacuum Cleaner Caper

This is a story that my sister, Kaity wrote after having a rather awful experience at work last night.

The Loaded Vacuum Cleaner Caper

It was a very interesting experience, I assure you.
I’m a Hygienic Engineer, working at a Centre for the Improvement and Entertainment of Young Minds (cleaner at a preschool). So I go to work, and I'm vacuum cleaner less; as my boss took off with this important industrial equipment, because of a strange vacuum cleaner klepto compulsion.The head of the preschool gets me the new part, for the broken vacuum that she picked up in Dubbo (I feel the need to kiss her feet, but determinedly resist). And the VC expert (that would be me), sets to work to put the new part in.

She (That's me again...) is fiddling with the head to get the old part off, when suddenly a Large, Grey Mouse leaps out of the end of the Vacuum cleaner.the VC expert handles this quite calmly (screams and hurls the hose away from her; pants wide-eyed for a minute, then checks quickly to make sure no one is around) she gingerly picks up the offending hose, unsure if there are any other Giant Suicidal Rodents waiting to Jump out and Menace her, and continues with her workShe scrapes the join. No luck. She wrenches. No luck. She retrieves a knife from the kitchen and threatens the wretched motionless plastic.It makes an impudent reply so she uses the knife, and actually manages to get the first stage done. The VC expert congratulates herself on this accomplishment, and sets to work to complete the jobit is not long before she realizes that the manoeuvre required is beyond her advanced expertise, so she pesters her boss, who just happens to be out of town. Upon her boss's advice, she scoots over the road to a couple of stranger’s house to pick up available electronic cleaning paraphernalia.She knocks. No answer. And again. No answer. Mumbling unintelligible words, she opens the door, and tiptoes in.'Hello?' silence
Walks further in
“Hellloooo??’

Walks in...To the kitchen, where the whole family is having dinner...this, of course, is not awkward at all. The family appears unperturbed at the harried looking girl, wandering uninvited into their kitchen, a freak that looks rather like she's been wrestling with a VC for an hour and a half...the man offers her some dinner (she declines), and the lady fetches the VC then its back off to the House of Horrors to finish the darn job. At 9:45 p.m. when she is finally picked up, her ride drives in, at the same time as a Security Van, the driver of which is no doubt astonished to see a girl come out of a darkened preschool carrying a vacuum cleaner and a backpack.

Jordan....
....Well actually, rather Kaity, because she wrote it....

Kaity

Final

Early tomorrow morning my mother and father leave for Switzerland to travel with Kylie. There has been a lot of organizing and a lot of final words and a lot of final bookings. I too have been doing my own organizing.
My list consists of things such as bungee jumping, all-night movie marathon, party-of-the-year, etc.
I wonder if she'll have as much of a good time as I will...

(Nothing personal, I'm just kidding, Mum. I'll miss you.)

Jordan

Angela, Private Citizen

Book Review
‘Angela, Private Citizen’
Nancy K. Robinson


Angela Steele is excited that Income Tax Day has finally arrived, and this year, she’s determined that she will pay her taxes as well.
She sends her Income Tax form, along with her life savings, to the President of the United States absolutely sure that it will help with the national debt.
Meanwhile, her sister Tina wants to go to Camp Sunset with Melissa, but is worried about the cost. Apart from that, she is trying to get Doug to notice her, arranging her career as a city planner, and trying to help Nathaniel win the science fair.
With these happenings at the Steele’s, life cannot be boring, although it can be strange, and definitely humorous.
A fantastic story for ages eight to twelve.
Some other books in this series are, ‘Mum, you’re fired!’, ‘O Honestly, Angela!’, and ‘Angela and the Broken Heart.’ ♥

Our Furry Friend, May Not Be So Friendly

After writing my last blog I have suddenly become more aware to Tesse's frequent actions of mysteriousness.

For instance, we take a picture. In these cases it is of a tent, a family shot, and a messed up toyota shot. Who is lurking in the background each time? Tesse:

Sometimes I begin to think she is more than human. After all, there is a likeness somewhat in these pictures.

And since when does a dog smile at the camera?

Have you seen this dog?

This is beginning to creep me out....

What Do They Do When You're Not Looking?

The title of this blog is in capital letters because I consider it an important question. This question can apply to many things, toddlers, friends, and mostly, animals.

Tesse is our fluffy maltese + shih-tzu puppy. This dog definitely needs to be kept an eye on. There were many times when we would walk in from going out for dinner and find her lying happily on our couch.
So tell me, what were we to think when we walk in on her and find her cuddling her soft toy?

If she does this when we're home, what does she do when we're not home?

Jordan

The Exiles at Home

Book Review
The Exiles at Home
By Hilary McKay



‘There’s a secret in the Conroy household-but it’s not likely to stay a secret for long!’
Ruth Conroy and her sisters are just beginning the school term. Is it just luck that Ruth has to go to the library on her first day at school and that she finds a form that when signed means she agrees to sponsor a child in Africa for ten pounds a month?
She decides to keep it a secret but after using her birthday money for the first payment she finds that raising ten pounds a month will not be as easy as it looks.
So she lets her sister Naomi in on the deal, and after a while, her other two sisters, Phoebe and Rachel.
When her grandmother and mother both begin to get suspicious at their urgent requirements for money, Ruth gets more desperate than ever to stop the secret from getting out.

The Green Bean

I wrote this for English this morning, it's pretty silly, but here it is, all the same.

He sat on a plate, round and green,
He trembled hard, this little bean,
The ground, it shook as a dark shape,
Moved forward menacingly like a large ape.
The giant sat down with a thump,
His face smirked, portly and plump.

His picked up the large metal fork,
And sliced open the piece of pork.
The bean, it trembled with great fright,
As the giant took a bite,
The pork let out his last shrill scream,
And the giant’s eyes did laugh and gleam.

His beady eyes looked greedily for more,
His grabbed a cucumber and it, he tore,
In half and swallowed whole then grinned,
As he let out a puff of wind.
Then his eyes settled down, on the small bean,
Shivering with fright and looking so green.

His fork moved towards it, and pierced into its side,
The bean it screamed, it cried and cried,
The giant stared at it in disbelief,
The bean was screaming with horror and grief,
The giant stared in absolute dismay,
Then stood up and ran away.

Jordan

The Devils Own

Book Review
The Devils Own
Deborah Lisson

‘She adjusted the focus on the binoculars and squinted through them in astonishment, and disbelief. There was something there- or, more exactly, someone. Peering out of the bushes of that supposedly uninhabited island was, quite unmistakably, a human face.’
‘The Devils Own’ is a fantastic read, not only does it include action and drama, but also a little romance. What makes it even better, is the fact that it is all based on a true story, the story of the Batavia, a ship wrecked on an island.
Fifteen-year-old Julie is on holidays with her family on her father’s yacht, she’s incredibly bored until one day, when something happens to change her whole holiday.
‘The Devil’s Own’ is a story of mutiny, murder, and excitement and will be enjoyed by ages 12 to adult.

Jordan

Smart

Smart

My dad gave me one dollar bill

'Cause I'm his smartest son,

And I swapped it for two shiny quarters

'Cause two is more than one!

And then I took the quarters

And traded them to Lou

For three dimes-I guess he don't know

That three is more than two!

Just then, along came old blind Bates

And just cause he can't see

He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,

And four is more than three!

And I took the nickel to Hiram Coombs

Down at the feed store,

And the fool gave me five pennies for them,

And five is more than four!

And then I went and showed my dad,

And he got red in the cheeks

And closed his eyes and shook his head-

Too proud of me to speak!

Jordan

- Note- I did not write this.