To me, this post is very special because it is dedicated to one of my favourite books, ‘Dragonskin Slippers.’ ‘Dragonskin Slippers,’ written by Jessica Day George, is jam-packed full of my personal thoughts and memories from Scotland, the country where I was born and grew up in. I bought it at a book fair in Rhu Primary (my old school) when the majority of what I was reading included a great deal of fantasy. The charactors in the book have similar personalities to my old friends, which is most likely the focal reason for why I especially enjoy it. Obviously, it is an extremely, exiting read, otherwise I would not have read it anymore than the three times I already have. 

The story kicks off when Creel, a freckled, penniless, farmers daughter is abandoned outside a dragon inhabited cave in an unsuccessful attempt to pull her, and her family out of poverty. Instead, Creel ends up befriending this old, brown dragon and escapes not only with her life but also with a pair of very extraordinary shoes. Since going back home is not a wise option, Creel decides to journey to King’s Seat in search of work in the embroidering business. Adventure awaits her presence there; more dragons, a princess foe, and an extremely heavy responsibility. Not just the lives of the entire Kingdom, rest on her shoulders now, but also dragons’ too. In order to save everybody, Creel must be brave, but how on Earth can an ordinary, peasant girl save the lives of many others? Read ‘Dragonskin Slippers’ to find out. Believe me, it is more than worthy of your read.

‘Dragonskin slippers’ is set in the past and is a fantasy in the sense that the book is based around dragons and their magical ways, but I find, that you can also relate the relationships and situations between charactors to life as we know it. The idea and the plot is original and uniquely written. Of all the times that I have read this book, I have never once gotten bored, so I don’t see why you should either! 

I think this novel is trying to tell you that life is never easy. To get what you want most in life, you have to overcome many other inconveniences on the way. I am tremendously fond of the way that this book reminds me of a very close friend. It is quirky and every new idea has an unpredictable outcome, just like her!

I am still very new to this whole edublog idea, but I think it is great. It is a really inventive and an almost quirky way to show your opinions to the world! Here are the questions and my answers: 

Q1. What do you think about using a blog/ website for learning at school?

A1. I think that using a blog at school is an imaginitive and modern way of learning. It makes it more interesting for the host and for the reader. I think that it would be exciting to have a personal website as well, as that would give you more freedom in the layout and design.

Q2. What are the best/worst things about using blogs?

‘Wipe Out’ is a middle-sized book written by Mimi Thebo. I borrowed it from the library this lunch-time, and was so absorbed in it, that, I have already finished! This is the basic plot;

Billy, an 11 year old boy, is still getting used to the idea that his surfing-mad mum is dead. In order to get over the shock, his dad packs him off to his Aunty Mary’s. There is alot of problems to solve, some that might not seem as obvious as others, and yet staying at his Aunts seems to be the answer, for him and for her…

This book is very engaging, from the start all the way to the finish. Mimi’s use of language is simple but descriptive and affective. I find that, as weird as it seems, I can relate to alot of the problems that Billy and his Aunt eventually overcome. The way that this book paints its story is alot like real life, but it keeps you interested in every chapter. I have been recomended this book by a friend, and I will now d the same for you. 

I know I haven’t updated my blog in a while so I am going to give you a 700 worded story to read. We all wrote one for a competition that the school had hosted. The competition rules were not very strict, in that you only had to write a short story (around 500 words) that showed something to do with a ‘journey’. The reason I was interested in entering, was because if you win (which has not yet been decided) you get vouchers for Starbucks! This is the one that I entered;

The Journey to Heaven.                                     

BOOM! An overly fat, and overly fluffy, ginger cat skidded across the busy main road that overlooked Yokohama Bay. A quick burst of agonizing pain, and then it was all over. Nothing was left. Just one last, and definitely the most horrific, memory of all, consisting of a road, a car, and a drunken driver. But his journey was not over yet. It had only just begun…

Minding my own business, that is my specialty. I can’t even begin to imagine what I have done to deserve this. First I get thrown out of my own house, and replaced by a stupid, bouncy, noisy, stuck-up, little puppy-dog, and then, if that wasn’t enough, I have now been run over by a bright, banana-yellow mini van! Whoever is controlling fate up there could have, at least had the graciousness to get me run over by a sports car, or a firari, or a James Bond car, or a… or a… or a, I don’t know! I don’t care any more. All I want to do is to curl up on the old sofa back home, have a snack, and go to sleep. I don’t even know if I’m dead. Everyone knows that when you die you go to a better place. This doesn’t seem to be a better place. I’m on a cloud, a white, glaring, damp-ish, fluffy cloud. It’s quite cooling, actually. Maybe I am in heaven. It’s making me drowsy…(yawn) I could have a nap…(yawn) just a little one…(yawn) and then I can deal with all of this later. Where I am, and what I (yawn) have to do to get (yawn) out of here. (Yawn) It wouldn’t do anybody (yawn) any (yawn) harm. Zzzzzzzzz.

Wow. What beautiful faces. Skin the color of a double cappuccino with two spoonfuls of milk. Velvety, copper-colored hair that smells of the sunshine and those eyes. Those eyes, calm, caring, and yet out-of-control whirlwinds the color of the night sky. They are as black as evil itself, but they promise me no harm. They are filled to the brim with hate, but are as gentle as my old mothers hugs. Even though their eyes are mesmerizing, it’s their voice that catches me. Their voices are like the salty lullaby of the sea. As strong and as loud as World War soldiers, but as softened and smooth as the round edge of an endless circle. They speak with a Northern Irish accent, but in a language I don’t understand. I know what they want me to do though. They want me to go with them, and I know, even before I have had time to think about it, that I will do anything, anything, to please them. I will go.

I follow behind their floating bodies, gliding through the rose-smelling air. They take me through golden forests, and blue, sandy deserts, I tread on over green sugary, oceans, and mountains of crystal. This is a bizarre world. Ground the color of blue and a green sky.

I doubt this journey will ever end. My paws are covered in blisters that are popping with every step. My breathing is raggedy and I am struggling with every movement I have to take. I don’t think I can take anymore. Do you think I can die all over again? It certainly seems possible, at this rate anyway.

Suddenly, we stop. I had been so busy wallowing in self-pity, that I had not noticed the wonder that lay before my eyes. I cannot even begin to describe the beauty of the building. It is nothing like anything I have ever set sight on before. Not even in my dreams.

What I saw was a massive Greek building, made purely from jewels and coral that shined in every color imaginable and more. The pillars that held this majestic building up were lined with gold and the teeth that the tooth fairy takes. We enter through the pearly gates and journey up the smooth path. Another beautiful, angelic person met us at the entrance to the glittering structure, and welcomed us in her deep accent. She led us through incredibly long halls and finally into a massive room that is the home to one big, red, comfy-looking sofa. Much better than the one at home. The gorgeous woman gestured towards the sofa, and I happily obliged. I curled up into a ball and fell into a deep sleep, the last thing I saw being the eyes of those pretty people, and for the first time I saw them smile.

If you press the link button at the end of reading this you will go into a link for the unartistic. It shows you how to make a comic on the computer without having to pick up pen and paper. Give it a try.link

Here is another link that will help you with a comic strip. It will help you step by step on how to think about writing a comic strip, it asks you good questions that will help you get started. 

This is on more link that I quite like. It is interesting and is good for a step by step drawing cartoon caractors. This is another drawing link, it gives you lots of ideas on how to draw difficult parts of the head.

This is my first post and I hope you will like it. My first post is going to be about the book I have just finished reading, Inkdeath…. 

Meggie a book loving, teenage girl has an extraordinary gift inherited from her father, Mo. When they get stuck in the pages of a book, that is now telling itself, Mo is forced to play the part of the hero in the form of Bluejay. All the songs the town folk sing of the Bluejay say that he is immortal, but Meggie and Resa know otherwise. When it looks like Mo is living the last hours of his life, Resa disappears in the hope that she can save him. The book is losing its wheels, can anyone save it? Read it to find out.

This book is extremely confusing if you haven’t read the other two, but is very well written. It is bubbling over with realistic emotion just waiting for you to experience. The way Cornelia has written Inkdeath, Inkspell and Inkheart, (the trilogy in order from third to first) it feels as if it were you dancing about on the well written pages, rather than Mo, Meggie and Resa. This trilogy will add many new words to your vocabulary, and, I would advise you to put it on your V.I.P list of books to read.