DO YOU WANT BE MY FRIEND  please mark one of the boxes below.

YES +       NO   (it was a note)

This almost makes me cry about what happens next. The next day he walks into class with a heart-breaking frown on his face. He later explained that he had a fight with his new friend although the details remain mysterious. So I am writing this post so more people might visit his websites. Maybe then he will be happier. Then everybody around him will be happier and merrier for the holidays.

YOU CAN REACH BRENDAN'S SITES WITH:

www.theofficialsonic.wikia.com

www.chaoticreviews.wikia.com

www.professorlayton.wikia.com

If you are interested in visiting his websites please leave comments so he knows you are there!

I wonder how many light years the other planets are from Earth.

I hear the swoosh of my sled down a hill in the summer.

I see one of my pictures in an art gallery.

I want to travel to Europe.

I am clever and artistic.

I pretend I can fly.

I feel fortunate to be in Student Council.

I touch the sharp peak of Mt. Everest.

I worry too much.

I cry when I am injured.

I am clever and artistic.

I understand how to work with decimals.

I say segregation is unfair.

I dream about chocolate chip cookies.

I try my best in school.

I hope I enjoy middle school.

I am clever and artistic.

I am Tarah.

I am 21 years old. I've raced in the Iditarod 3 times and the closest I've come to winning is 13th place. Last year I received the Red Lantern Award and I was slightly discouraged. I asked one of the volunteers personally if I could have bib number 49, due to Alaska being the 49th satae, to see if it would give me better luck this year.

The first thing I did to prepare for the Iditarod is find several different breeders to order 18 dogs. I only use 16 of the dogs but I always but more than I need in case any of them get injured before the race begins. I always have my dogs with my family while I race. My two younger siblings train them with my old sled.

Next, I usually go to a specialty store to purchase harnesses and booties. I always buy new booties for m dogs each year because the current booties are always weathered down too much to use next year. I also buy Red Paw dog food because it increases muscle mass, energy and endurance.

Next, I go to REI to get nice thick clothing to keep me warm in the Iditarod. Then, I look to see what obstacles I should avoid. The first thing to keep in mind is you want to drop any unnecessary weight in Shaktoolik because you'll soon be crossing a section of an ocean and you don't want to go through the ice. Another thing to be cautious about is trees since they're all over the course.

Now I must go get some sleep so I can fly into Anchorage tomorrow morning.

Dr. Miller rushed over to his partner who was desperately digging away at a small part of crumbling sand. It wasn’t long before he saw sand caving in to reveal the opening of a dark red canoe. The bow of the small boat was chipped in several places and the paint was peeling away everywhere. Dr. Miller was still taking in the incredible sight while his partner, Steven, uncovered more of the canoe.

Joseph was slowly and absentmindedly circling an area of sand around his house when Amber, one of the girls from his school, quickly ran down the street and practically knocked him over. Amber was a small girl with long blonde hair. She looked like she was about to say something but she just gasped and breathed heavily as she held out a small rock. Joseph was about to walk away when he realized it was damp. They lived in a small town, about 70 miles from Cairo, with no water source for miles. Joseph couldn’t even imagine where Amber might have found the damp rock but when he looked up again, Amber was already sprinting down the road, dodging people, obviously leading to where the small rock was found.

She ran up to Mr. Mason’s house, where a gentle trickle of water ran down the side of the small brick building. Joseph observed the peculiar flow as it silently made its way across the terrain. Joseph suddenly felt a strong urge to follow the small stream. He didn’t care what Amber was going to do but he had to know where it led to.

As soon as Joseph started moving, Amber dashed up behind him with a sudden burst of speed. The stream went much farther than either child imagined. It maneuvered all around town and in one section it actually went underground but it resurfaced quickly. It led them to a patch of sand, where it seemed like it might go underground again. Joseph looked around to find that the stream had led them to the archeological dig.

While Amber was examining the patch of sand, Joseph stumbled over to Dr. Miller. Dr. Miller was talking to his partner, Steven, when he noticed Joseph staring at the red canoe they had found.

“We dug that up yesterday,” explained Dr. Miller.

“There’s some plates over there too,” added Steven

“We think there might have been a civilization out there due to our discoveries,” exclaimed Steven.

Joseph slowly made his way over to the plates and cups with flowery borders.

“Where do you think the civilization was?” asked Amber, who had snuck up behind Dr. Miller.

“We think it might be about a quarter mile west from here.”

Joseph and Amber nodded in synchronized movements.

“Joseph, look the water’s back!”, shouted Amber.

Joseph looked to his right and sure enough the stream was curving around Amber’s feet heading out toward the desert. They followed the water for about an hour when, again, it ended at a large pointed rock.

Joseph had started to head home when Amber yelled at him, “It’s not a rock, it’s a roof!”

“What?”, exclaimed Joseph.

Amber had already started digging at the pointed roof. She soon uncovered the rest of the roof, revealing shingles and gutters. When they got done with that they worked on an odd indent in the sand which turned out to be a yard to the house. Hours passed and they realized Dr. Miller was right; there was a town out here.

“Wait, where did the town get their water in the desert?”, asked Amber.

“The stream,” exclaimed Joseph.

When they finally walked back it was 5:00, they had spent 7 hours out there. As soon as Joseph got home he fell right asleep with the stone in his pocket.

Rain splattered like damp teardrops against my jacket as the humidity of the forest swallowed me into shadowy depths. It was impossible to hear anything other than the trembling oaks of Ireland and the squelching of my boots in the thick mud. The sun had set nearly an hour ago and the musky smell of distant bonfires was easily getting my attentions. The wind carried an interesting scent to my nose, so I curiously urged myself forward to find what was emitting the strange aroma. I silently crept towards a grove of trees which groaned from the pressure of the rain and wind. Suddenly, a shadow swiftly circled the tree trunks several times revealing long striped red stockings and vibrant green shoes. The abnormal movements soon ceased and a man appeared from the circling mist, barely the height of my stomach. He wore a tall green hat with red ribbon tied around the edge. Tucked in between the ribbon and the hat was a soggy clover, with several rips and tears. He had sapphire eyes and fiery orange hair. He also had a gray tail coat that was covered in a garnet pattern which flowed like a river’s current. His elfish ears stuck up half the height of his top hat and were paler than the rest if his skin. Jingle bells hung from his muddy, green shoes, like small golden berries. His hair stuck to his face in wet strips. The melancholy expression on his face mimicked the night sky. He stifled a single whisper before gliding into the forest but the words soon died in the fast moving wind.

Under ice a timid flow,

Feel your rosy red cheeks,

The only thing colored in a world of snow.

Children's laughter fills the air,

The crisp crunch of snow under feet,

Hear the shattering icicles hit the ground,

Patted and pushed down by sleet.

By now the sun is falling down,

The trees waving their goodbyes,

Night rose above them,

Like day itself was closing its eyes.

By Tarah

There were many exquisite characters that stayed on Lonely Island. Several characters include Hannah who is the oldest child, Zachary who is the second oldest, Sarah Emily the youngest child, and Aunt Mehitabel, an electrifyingly odd woman who owns Lonely Island. Hannah has thick, naturally curly hair and is 12. Zachary is obsessed with science and is 10. Emily admires fairytales and is 8. Another character is Fafnyr Goldenwings a tri-drake dragon; brilliant gold in color who soon makes friends with the children. A tri-drake is a scientific term for three-headed dragon. Tri obviously stands for three and drake is an honorable name for a dragon.

My favorite scene from the book took place when it was a dark stormy night and the wind was howling about the house. For any normal human, this weather would be considered appalling but to Zachary and Sarah Emily it was apparently charming weather for exploring. They had just arrived at Lonely Island and were ready to investigate. As soon as Sarah Emily woke Zachary, they tiptoed up the stairs to the tower room obviously not wanting to be heard. Unfortunately, the ancient stairs did not agree. The stairs gave an ear splitting jolt that made Sarah Emily squeal and leap a foot in the air every time they were stepped on. They eventually reached an area where three doors leapt ahead of them. They tried opening the three doors individually and the first two opened innocently. However, the third door remained locked. Sarah Emily was puzzled but Zachary jumped in the air landing on a step that gave a great bellow.

"Sorry!" apologized Zachary.

Without saying another word to Sarah Emily, he was off in a flash down the stairs. Zachary was back in several moments zooming back to see Sarah Emily staring at him.

"What was so important?" questioned Sarah Emily.

"The key," gasped Zachary clutching the stitch in his side.

"That Aunt Mehitabel sent us!" finished Sarah Emily.

With on 90 degree rotation, the lock clicked open and revealed a fabulous surprise. The whole room was crowded with toys and in the middle of the jumble lay a small box. Sarah Emily rushed over to the box trying to disguise her excitement.

Zachary, " squeaked Sarah Emily. "It won't open."

After failed attempts, they couldn't open the box and with one sweep of the door, the room was deserted once more.

The author's purpose in the book was to entertain. An example of purpose would be when the children first entered the cave, standing before Fafnyr, sniffing his elusive scent. Another example would be when all of the children got to experience the wonderful sensation of being pricked by Fafnyr.

As you can see, The Dragon of Lonely Island was a very adventurous book. I also believe that many other people would enjoy this book too.

RAIN

Hear it softly dance

Tapping on your cold window

Like the sky softly weeping. 

By Tarah

All my four years at school, teachers work their hardest to make sure we understand a math method or be positive I'm reading more difficult books in fourth grade than I was in first grade. It would be showing my respect to my teachers by proving I've paid attention. By getting into student council I'd be able to prove I've paid attention. I've had amazing times at Pine Meadow so if I got in  student council I could help younger kids have just as amazing times as I had.  

By: Tarah R

Well, when I fell asleep I was at a house but it wasn't my house. I was wondering why we were here when a lady came to greet us. She was rather tall and pretty fat. She had black hair and wore a blue sweater with pink puffballs around the cuffs of her sweater and the collar. She welcomed us into her house for a night and told us to feel at home. The day felt like it would never end and I always felt like someone was watching me.

It was so strange to be staying at a creepy house for a vacation because of some reason my parents wouldn't tell me. When my parents said it was time for bed, I was so happy to get to bed ,so for like the first time in my life, I didn't argue. In the middle of my dream I awoke to find myself extremely cold so I got up to get some blankets. As I got up again, I had the feeling that someone was watching me. As I came out into the kitchen, I saw the woman who owned the house was sitting at the kitchen table with such a look of shock on her face. It looked as though she had just saw Elvis Presley come back to life. I just ignored her and grabbed some extra blankets, still staring at the woman, and headed back up towards our guest room.

In the hallway to our room I saw a white small chair sliding down the hallway by itself. I almost fell over in surprise. Not until I got straight up again did I realize there was a human figure under a white sheet. I reached over to pull the sheet up when a half-transparent hand reached up to hold the cloth down. I put my arm back down to my side instantly when the hand touched mine and it felt I had a swimsuit on in a blizzard. No matter how hard the figure tried to keep up the cloth, it wouldn't let him and eventually the sheet fell to the floor.

I gasped because in front of me floating several inches off the ground was a tiny ghost. He was the ghost of a man about four feet tall who looked like he could be a professor, or if not, be really smart. He had round glasses, hazel eyes, moustache, beard and had a tuxedo with a stopwatch hanging from the side. He had black hair and had a tiny hat.

At first he looked upset but when he saw me he looked anxious. I reached out to touch him but he backed into the wall so he was out of reach. Then he gave me one more terrified and partly annoyed glance then started dragging the chair back toward the living room leaving the bed sheet a crumpled pile on the floor. He passed the woman at the table but it didn't change her expression at all.

When I woke up I knew I had one good story to tell my friends!