BookReviewsWithAnya (BRWA)

Hey guys! My mum brought me a cool book from Texas, so I decided to make a review of it!

Esperanza Rising

Book Title: Esperanza Rising

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan

Pura Belpr`e Award

 

 

Esperanza Rising is story told like a fairytale. A story set in the 1920’s 

of a young girl, Esperanza, as her life of wealth and happiness changes rapidly as a sudden tragedy befalls her.

 A good story for readers who love emotion and gripping stories, Esperanza Rising is another rich tale that Pam Munoz Ryan has developed, inspired by her Grandmother  who also moved to the United States after her loving father’s death. 

Esperanza Rising will become one of the rare books which you will never close until the very last page, with beautiful messages and philosophical sayings hidden like treasures in every chapter. 

(this review is based on the reviewer’s opinions and statements.)

© Anya Rafa 2014 

My Favourite School

My heart throbs when the name is mentioned,
The school where I could learn with pride,
The teachers, not yet pensioned.
I wish, I wish, with all my might,
That I could come back to learn,
At Ironside.

Message to school: Wish I could be there to see you evolve, from great comes greater, from nice to nicer. I miss you, 4FN!

Harry's Mess

By Anya
 Mummy's on the phone,
And Daddy's out in Rome,
And Granny's gone,
playin' Bingo.
Who does Harry ask?
Who does Harry tell?
Oh no, Harry's trousers are wet!
Mummy's finished calling,
And Daddy's back from Rome,
And Granny's come home from playin' Bingo.
But Harry is soggy,
But Harry is stinky,
Who  cleans up Harry's mess?

Meaning of the poem:

Harry is wanting too pee, but he can't go to the toilet himself, so he wants to tell his parents, or his granny. But they are all busy, and Harry ends up peeing on the floor!

Edge of the Cliff

Chapter One- Revenge Is Best Served Cold

I hugged my knees and stared. The water reflected back a sad, small, humiliated girl. How could Bridgette do this to me? She was my best friend...But then again, Bridgette does unexpected things. Why would she call me names in the playground then?
I replayed the horrible scene in my head, over and over again.
"She thinks she's so great," her voice echoed in my mind. "Oooh, her dad is a professor! I'm SO scared!"
The picture of Bridgette's horrible smirk was etched in my mind. Clarissa and Mindy were silent, gaping, statues.
Suddenly, I picked myself up and ran out of the garden, out, into the empty street. "I will pay you back, Bridgette," I said, kicking a stone. "And that's a promise."
Then, I turned, and walked back to the classroom.
"Have you been CRYING, Tiffany?" Elisa said, shocked. "Who made you....."
I looked around to see if anyone was watching, then leaned into her ear and said. "Bridgette. But don't tell her I told you."
"Promise." Elisa pushed her bracelet further up her arm. "What did she do?"
"Uh..." I mumbled uncomfortably. "Called me REALLY mean names....Yeah, I don't want to talk about it."
Clarissa and Mindy went over to talk to me, but Bridgette hissed, "Don't! We don't talk to freaks."
One thing for sure was she said it loud enough for me to hear.
I took a deep breath and said, "Who's the freak? You? Well then why did THEY talk to you? Let alone breathe in you? I mean, you could catch a TERRIBLE illness."
I quickly covered my mouth, but Bridgette wasn't angry. "Oh really? You are.........um......" she uttered back.
Suddenly, I remembered an insult I'd read in a book. "Well, hellooo? You just proved it. Your head is SO empty that if I shone a torch in your ear, your eyes would light up."
"Fine then, anyone can join Tiffany. As if," Bridgette smirked the same horrible smirk she had in the playground. But this smirk fell down into gaping silence.
"I'm joining her," Mindy said bravely.
"I am too," Clarissa piped in.
"Fine then," Bridgette said, even though she was lost for words. I could see the sly light in her smashing. "Go catch cancer or something."
You see, when it's RE, we have tasks because we don't have religions in the list. And they are always math tasks. Bridgette ALWAYS copies from Clarissa.
"Okay then," I smirked. "But remember to study. RE is in half an hour."

Goodbye Chippy

I took you in your brand new cage, gleaming white and new.
You ran inside the cage,
Feeling excited and blue.

I checked on you and saw you,
Your stomach sore and hurt,
I put you in a box,
Lined with soft fur.

I fed you daily, made you happy,
But I acted too late.
Goodbye Chippy,
May you close your eyes and let god decide your fate.

By Anya

NEWS BULLETIN : SAD

Chippy died. Yep. It was a few minutes before lunchtime, and I checked on him. He was in his tunnel, and he had an upset stomach. I think normally it would have been harmless, but he was a baby. I checked after lunch, and he was dead. I poke him with a pencil (the soft end, of course) and he didn't move. His heart didn't beat, and he wasn't a Syrian hamster, so he wasn't hibernating. Plus, he was squealing. After that, he was silent.
May you rest in peace, Chippy.

News Bulletin: NEW HAMSTERS

Hey guys! I'm going to start something called the "News Bulletin". So, I only have two things to tell you today....NEW HAMSTERS. Yep, two normal hamsters. (I think that's their breed....:-I)
Mine is a two week old (that's what my cousin told me). He looks a BIT like this:

But my hamster doesn't have that much black on him. He is called Chippy, and he loves to run around in circles when he hears music. I call it dancing.



My sister, Iris, also has a hamster. He sort of looks like this:
His name is Max, and he loves eating. He isn't as big as the hamster in this picture. Once, he bit my sister until her thumb bled! But he's cute.









Next headline:
Today was 'Idul Adha'. You pronounce it "Eidul Adeha". We fast for a day, then, after that, we pray together. We only do two raka'ats, but we say "Allahu akbar" seven times.
Weeks, maybe even MONTHS before it happens, people buy an animal. Cows, sheep, in Arab, maybe even CAMELS! Usually, seven people buy a cow together, since it's so expensive. Now, we buy an animal for the slaughtering. A crowd gathers and prays as the sheep or cow are cut. My mum said you had to learn to sacrifice  something to show your love for god. I said instead, could I sacrifice my LPS, but she just laughed.

Okay, anyway, so when you finish sacrificing the animal, the people cut it and divide it amongst everyone. In my entire village, there were only seven animals!
In my Grandma's village, there were like, twenty!
After that, everything went back to normal for most people.
Thanks for listening to this report!