Palace of Mirrors book review

Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Palace of Mirrors caught my eye with its medieval theme and mystery story.

What I learned form this book is things are not always what they seem and do not believe what everyone tells you. Even your closest friend might be lying just to save themselves.

Haddix did a good job at details. I was able to imagine everything that was happening. Right down to the clothes they were wearing and their facial expressions. When Cecilia and Harper went into the Palace of Mirrors, I could imagine just what it looked liked. I enjoy reading books that you can visualize the story in your head.

Cecilia is just another peasant girl. Or is she? No she is not. Cecilia is the true princess, but she is hiding because there are evil forces that want to kill her. They have killed her parents so it is not safe for her to be on the throne. There is a decoy and her name is Desmia, but she thinks she is the real princess. While Cecilia is in hiding, she is studying all of the palace rules and how to be royalty. As she gets older, she knows that it is time to take back her crown. Cecilia and her best friend Harper go to the capital city and to the famous Palace of Mirrors to reclaim her throne. Along the way they face many struggles that may even endanger their lives.

I enjoyed this book because Palace of Mirrors kept my attention and I always wanted to keep readying. This book is good for teenage girls that love a good mystery and suspenseful story.

That Summer book review

Sarah Dessen’s That Summer caught my eye and made me think about the real hardships that teenage girls like me go through.

This book is the kind of style I like simple and easy to follow along. The style is like most books I have read. Usually the style is easy to paint a picture of the setting in your head. You can see the buildings and the emotions on the character’s face. I enjoy reading books like that.

For fifteen year old Haven, this summer is going crazy. Her father and mother got divorced and now her father his getting married to the local weather lady, Lorna Queen. Her sister Ashley is getting married to Lewis Warsher, who does not seem to suit her at all. On top of everything, she is almost six feet tall and still growing. Ashley had an old boyfriend Sumner, who made Ashley care free and Haven missed that. Luckily he shows up and makes Haven summer exciting. There is something about Sumner that Haven does not know. Is it good or bad? Read the rest of That Summer to find out.

I recommend this book for teenage girls. This book is exciting and keeps you wondering about what will happen next.

Book review of Julius Caesar

Shakespeare's play on Julius Caesar shocked me with its true story of Caesar and how his friends betrayed him.

Something I learned from Julius Caesar that you need to keep your friends close and do not take anyone for granted. For example, just because someone is nice to you, they might be a jerk behind your back and not like you at all. Brutus, Caesar’s friend, was very close to him, but yet he was the one who helped plot a plan to murder Caesar.

Caesar was the emperor or to be emperor of Rome. He had a wife Calpurnia. Brutus and Cassius were patricians that conspire against Caesar. During the play, Shakespeare did not talk much about their characteristics much. That made it hard for me to get a mental picture of them. I could not paint a picture of what they looked like or what the scenery looked like. There were just voices in my head instead of a whole picture.

At the beginning, Caesar is offered the crown of Rome, but he refuses. Throughout the play, many people are telling Caesar to beware the ides of March. He refuses because he thinks that is showing weakness and the Gods will decide when he dies, so he cannot do anything about it. Caesar goes to the senate meeting and he his murdered by Cassius, Casca, Cinna, Brutus, Ligarius, Cimber, and Trebonius. After Caesar’s death there is a war for power and the ending might shock you.

If you want to find out what happens then read the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. You will like this play if you are a Shakespeare fan and you love drama.

What makes a leader a true leader?

What makes a leader a true leader? Many people in our world try to make themselves the ideal leader. There have been cruel leaders and angelic leaders, but even the cruel leaders have made a difference in the world.
When people say cruel leaders many people think of Hitler. He was a powerful leader, who made many people follow him. He was a dictator of Germany. In his ruling, he killed an astounding number of innocent people. In a way, Hitler was a true leader because he was able to connect with a lot of people and make them follow him. Even though he did some bad things, he is still a true leader none the less.
Another leader I think of is Martin Luther King Jr. because he spoke out to everyone and was not afraid of the harsh consequences. Martin Luther made speeches about how he was hoping one day that everyone would be equal and there wouldn't be a border line between whites and blacks. Not everyone agreed with him, but many people agreed and followed him. I think many people can look up to Martin Luther because he was a courageous man. He was a true leader because he believed in blacks and whites being equal and did everything in his power to achieve that goal.
There are many characteristics that can make people true leaders. Hitler and Martin Luther are the people I think of when I hear the words true leader.

My name

My English teacher asked my class to find out what our name meant. The results I found where very interesting to me. My name Natalie is very pretty to me, but I have always wondered what my name meant and why I was named Natalie.

The name Natalie means born on Christmas Day or the name means the gift of God. That makes me feel special because I am a gift of God. Even though I was not born on Christmas Day, the name is still special to me. I did not know what my name meant until I looked up what Natalie meant and I was very surprised. I feel special now and I want to live out what my name means.

The origin is French and Natalie comes from the Latin name Natalia. When I found that out I found that funny because some of my friends call me Natalia just to mess around with me. I am neither French nor Latin so I do not know why the name Natalie came up, but I am glad the name did.

My mom picked my name out. Not with my dad’s help, but all her idea. My dad only said the name was pretty. My name is not in the family. My mom told me that she thought the name Natalie was a very pretty name and it was her favorite, so if she had of girl of course she wanted to name her Natalie.

My name has a special meaning to me and I am glad my mom and dad decided to name me Natalie.

Reasons For The Seasons

Happy Thanksgiving! We hear that a lot this time of year, but why is that? What are the reasons for the seasons?

1) We have Thanksgiving because this time of year is when the Pilgrims came to America.

2) This is a time when families come together and catch up on life. I do not get to see my family all the time, so Thanksgiving is a time when I get to see them.

3) Grocery stores get a bunch of business during Thanksgiving. Everyone is buying turkey and dressing.

4) The grandparents have something to look forward to. They love seeing their grandchildren.

5) All of the homeless people get fed around Thanksgiving Day.

6) Everyone has an excuse to eat everything in site and not feel guilty about it.

7) Wives love to cook, so they get to cook for everyone on Thanksgiving.

8) People can feed the dogs the left overs and not feel guilty.

9) Little kids can eat all the pie they want.

10)Everyone gets in a giving mood and they give, give, and give some more.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens was a very informative book. This book made me think about my life and the good and bad habits I have. I enjoyed the book because Sean Covey made his book interesting and fun to read and the book was informative.

My favorite habit was habit 2, begin with the end in mind. This habit is very important because many teens just go with the flow or do whatever they want, without really thinking about the future. Covey starts out by asking us to make a personal mission statement, which is like a personal motto that states what your life is about or the rules you would like to follow. This doesn't have to be long, but needs to state the rules or guidelines you want yourself to follow daily. In this chapter, he talks about goals. You need to think about the costs for your goal. Whether or not you are willing to make those sacrifices. Put your goal in pen so that the goal is no longer wish. He tells us to just do it! Go for your goal and try your hardest no matter what gets in your way. Don't be afraid of failing and if you need help then there are plenty of people around you who will help you with your goal. They want you to succeed not fail and they will support you. Last he says to make our lives extraordinary! Life is too short to be scared. This is the habit I am going to fulfill. This will help me later in life and thinking about my future gets me motivated to do my best now. In this book, Covey has put little exercises that help you with the habits. I thought they were fun and a way to get involved.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is having a tough time. This book will help you be more positive and get your life back on track. If you are doing just fine in life, then I still recommend 7 Habits because the book is fun to read and will still help you in life.