Slice #4

The Groom

About a year ago, Maisie decided she was going to get married.  Yes, Maisie, my 7 year old sister.  She even came up with a name.  Ryan.  And apparently he had houses all over the world because he was the "owner" of "Google, Apple, and a bunch of other companies."  Tess and I decided that we would go with it.  We organized a wedding.  I even baked a cake.  She claimed Ryan lived in Russia, which was why we hadn't met him.  Tess had the idea to program Maisie's iPad so it looked like someone named "Ryan" was texting her when it was actually us.  We had long conversations.  It was ridiculous but funny.  Eventually the wedding day came.  We got her in a bunch of white clothes that we pinned together as a dress and her friend Eva was her bridesmaid.  I was the minister.  Our parents and a lot of Maisie's stuffed animals were the guests.  The ceremony took place in our dining room and we used a scarf as the aisle.  

Before the wedding, I bought a voice modifier app and recorded myself as Ryan.  We played it at the wedding as him saying his vows.  Maisie was super excited and Eva was completely convinced.  It was hilarious.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Karou, or hope in her language, finally has all the answers she wanted.  She knows who - or rather what she is.  But she has one answer she did not want.  Now she doesn't know if her father Brimstone is alive or dead.  Her love and enemy Akiva betrayed her and put all of her kind in jeopardy.   Now in a land of misery, blood, and starlight Karou must choose whether to stay true to her name or her people.
Days of Blood and Starlight is the second book in the Smoke and Bone series.  I think that this book is the perfect way to continue the series.  It is a really well done story.  The characters were fun but it was difficult to relate to them because the story is far from our reality.  I loved the plot line for the story and I think it moved at a good pace.  I would have liked more warning before the author switched perspectives.  This book is sad and talks of torture, resurrection, and other severe cruelties.  It also has some adult content.  I would recommend this book for grades six and up.

Slice #3

The Race 

Ella stands beside me.  She is still but I see excitement in her eyes.  I kneel and gently attach her leash to her collar.  I open the front door and she bounds out.  She turns her head as if gesturing for me to follow.  I jog after her.  She stops briefly in front of our neighbor's house to smell their yellow flowers and their tree.  I wait a while and then tug softly at her leash.  She follows willingly.  She smells everything on our way around the block.  Tree after tree and flower after flower.  We make our way slowly around until I break into a run and Ella hurries to get in front of me.  We race all the way back to my house.  My Grandma is waiting.  I take Ella's leash off and hurry upstairs.  My windblown hair sticks up.  Ella is my Grandma's Wheaten Terrier but I love taking her on walks.  When I finally am ready for bed my sister walks in. 

"Soph have you seen my..." she pauses for a second and then bursts into laughter.

"What?" I ask

"What happened to your hair?" she asks between giggles

I laugh with her and  fall asleep smiling

Photo Credit:  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jayw/4906443338/">Transguyjay</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

Most children don't even know Judith's name.  Judith lives in a small, sleepy town with her mother and brother.  She is still in love with Lucas, her childhood sweetheart, even though his father held her captive for two years; and Lucas is betrothed to another.  Judith knows the truth about a lot of strange events that remain a mystery to everyone else but she was silenced by her ruthless captor when he mutilated her tongue.  But when the homelanders attack her town in hopes of attaining the fertile soil.  Judith knows that in order to save her love's life she might have to give up her own.
All the Truth that's in Me is a slightly disturbing novel because Judith talks about her mutilated tongue.  Julie Berry sets the book in an upsettingly vague setting.  The book is kind of confusing at times because the setting is vague and changes abruptly without you knowing.  I would give this book three out of five stars because the plot is good but it is confusing.  This book also has some adult topics.  I would recommend this to grades 6 and up

Slice #2

The Cliff

The cliff looms before me, getting closer.  It's small really.  Just a cornice.  But it is my first.  My coach goes first and shows us how to turn off of it.  My friend Ainsley goes first.  She lands softly on the large mound of snow.  I look at the pine trees that surround the run.  I am third in line.  Peyton jumps next.  She falls but stands up quickly and smiles.  I am next.  My coach is cheering me on.  I jump.  I'm falling and flying at the same time.  I bend my knees and land softly in the snow nearly missing a tree.  Peyton gives me a high five and then we turn to watch everyone else.  I jumped my first cliff.

Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/96924491@N00/11672159223/">Elf-8</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>

Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou is a seventeen year old art student with a strange family.  Her beastly father sends her on errands to collect teeth, of all things, right from his dusty desk in his other worldly shop and for her service pays her with magical wishes.  The second fire eyed Akiva sees her he knows there's something off.  For starters her blue hair actually grows out of her head that way.  And whats more she works for the evil Brimstone who has slain many of his kind.  So why can't he bring himself to kill her?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the first book in the Smoke and Bone trilogy.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone is an intriguing beginning to the fantasy series.  It is confusing in some parts because it is quite far fetched.  I was also confused when the author switched perspectives and didn't tell you.  Some of the characters were very unrealistic and hard to relate to.  I think it is a thrilling take on a love story.  I think all the magic in it was fun and kept you guessing.  I would recommend this to grades five and up.      

Slice #1

The Bird

I glanced at the wood deck.  It was, like everything, covered by a shimmering blanket of snow.  I could almost feel the cold wind brush my cheeks and I shivered in my pajamas despite all the blankets over my bed. I sipped my tea and looked out the window, excited for a day of sledding with my sleeping sisters.  That’s when I saw the bird.  At first it was just a streak of blue in the cold morning air.  But then the bird landed.  Right on the snow covered aspen tree.  He looked at me watching him.  He was covered in shiny blue feathers.  His eyes darted around the landscape.  Beautiful and barren.  In the grasps of winters cold hands.  The birds beady eyes rested on my staring face; then he took off.  The streak of his wings brushed the air with blue once again and just like that he was gone.  The lone bird of winter took off and left me watching a white branch.  Startled, I wondered what a bird was doing in the cold.  All the other birds had hidden or left.  I wondered was this bird lonely?  Cold?  Tired?  Or excited as I was about the large snowfall?  And with those thoughts still in my head I dozed off in my nice warm bed and dreamed about the blue bird.