Sloane's Blog

The storm was crazy. Our boat wasn’t big enough for this. Next thing I know the boat tipped over. That was the last thing I remember, now I’m on this weird little island in the middle of nowhere. I have lived on this abandoned island for over a year. It took such a long time for me to adapt and figure out how to get food and clean water. Luckily, a pot washed up on the shore one day after I woke up. And a few days ago a machete washed up on shore after I got back from my walk. My island is not as big as you think. It only takes about an hour to walk around the full thing. There are many tall palm trees on my island. The water is crystal clear and very beautiful. The sand is super soft, and fun to play in. I also live with wild chickens, they make good meals when needed. I have a nice little shelter I made from tree branches and palm leaves. It is more comfortable than you would think. I get little rain storms every now and then, so I decided to weave my palm leaves together and make my shelter better and make a blanket. I have learned how to make a fire with two rocks, and I learned how to make a little meal out of a coconut. If I’m lucky, I will go out and catch a fish with my spear I made. It was made from a rock I sharpened and a wood pole that I tied to it. My daily life includes a lot of hunting, swimming, and collecting different things. As you can see, my life out here isn’t too bad. I just don’t know how much longer I can stay like this. PLEASE SEND HELP!

This month I read As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson. This book is the last book of the series A Good Girls Guide to Murder. This book is about a teenage girl named Pip. Her life isn’t so great. She can’t sleep, and is traumatized by what happened in Good Girl, Bad Blood. She has a hard time remembering her own self. She doesn’t remember how much love she has in her family. But Pip knows once she has another case to solve, she will go back to her old self. One day she starts getting weird messages from an unknown person. They keep asking: Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappeared? Later in the story Pip finds out who it is and the connection it has to her friends. She also finds out little clues that helped her on the way.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking for something detailed and intense. This book is full of suspense and has a great story line. Holly Jackson does an amazing job connecting the other two books to what was going on throughout the story. When she recaps what happened to lead up to this, it all comes together to make sense. The books are written in a specific way so it can all be one story, just in three different books and three different scenarios.

My favorite character is still Pip. She is such a powerful and smart character. Everywhere so goes she makes a difference. One quote to prove this is on page 252, “That was something she could do, though. A plan, to keep her mind busy. Pip could help them to find… killer, to lock him away in a cage she just needed to leave enough of herself behind,” This quote shows that Pip is smart and she can come up with plans to save other people and herself fast. She can put her mind to anything and she will find a way to complete it. That is why I like her so much.

This book is full of amazing quotes. One of my many favorites is in page 550. It states, “Pip didn’t know what was waiting for her at the end, she couldn’t see that far, and the light was failing, night drawing in, but maybe, just maybe, it would be something good.” Not only is this one of the last lines in the book but it also shows how much Pip wanted to succeed in what she was going through. I am super sad to be done with this series, but I can’t wait to read Holly Jacksons other books!

A wise man once said, “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” As most of you know this is from Harry Potter, specifically from Dumbledore. This quote has a lot of different meanings. But to me this quote means that you should do the right thing rather than the easy thing. Most of the time the easy thing is not right, but the right thing is always right. I have had many experiences where I choose the easy way over the right way. When I was younger I wanted the last cookie on the plate, but my sister asked me to share with her. So, I broke the cookie in half and left it there for her to eat when she was ready. This is because I was taught to always put others before me, even in doubt. That is why this quote applies to me. I believe that I do need to improve on this, and remember this quote. And, practice helps you get better, not perfect.

This week is my birthday! My real birthday is on Saturday, but I get spoiled by my family all week. Just a few days ago we collected some of our many gifts cards and went shopping. On Monday, I got my nails done and ate at CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) with my Grandma. I’m also going to Target to shop and look around for my birthday with my Auntie. Yet, my real birthday would go like this, I would wake up and eat pancakes with my family. Then, I would open my gifts from my family and get the final details we need for my hang out. I would also have some of my family over to celebrate with them for a little while. Next, I would hang out with my best friend for a couple hours and start setting up for the party. Lastly, we would prepare the food and for my friend’s arrival and start the party! Imagining this is only making me more exited! I can’t wait to become one year older!

My mom is the person I greatly admire. She is super kind and loving. She is always willing to do things for my family that she doesn’t want to do. Her ears are always open when you need some one to talk to, and she will always try to be places to support you. When I was recovering from my two spinal cord surgeries, she slept on the couch with me when I couldn’t walk up the stairs. We binge watched so many shows together. That experience brought me closer to her. Every day for twenty-eight days she drove down and back to San Diego for me to get my ten minute radiation treatment. One day she tried to take a short cut, but instead of a one hour drive it was a seven hour drive. Another day, we sung the whole way there and the drive felt like five minutes. She has gone through so much, but you can never tell. She is always so happy and loving to everyone. In my family we joke a lot. She is always the first person to laugh, even when the joke is about her. I am super lucky to have a mom that is fun, confident, intelligent, and strong. I could never repay her for all of the things she has done for me these last few years. That is why my mom is my amazing hero.

Instead of making a New Year’s resolution, I am going to focus on one word. That word is creative. There are many reasons why I want to focus on this specific word this year. Firstly, I would like to journal more. This would help me express myself, and I will be able to write about my thoughts and feelings. Also, I want to work on thinking outside of the box. This will help me when I do projects, I will be able to make my creation more fun and enjoyable. Lastly, I would like to work on writing stories more often. This will not only help me when writing projects occur but also help me write about my life experiences in detail. This word will help me be more joyful and happy when talking or looking at my work. Those are only a few reasons on why I choose creative as my word for the year.

This month I read Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. This book is about a high schooler named Pip Fitz-Amobi, and her podcast. As she finishes up her last case in detail, something happens that has to do with one of her close friends. Someone goes missing and now it is Pips job to find out where he is and what happened. As she works with different people and goes different places she continues to uncover secrets about people and her town.

I would really recommend this book for someone who is looking for suspense and mysteries. Holly Jackson does a great job making you wonder what happens next on every page. She uses her words so well to help you imagine the setting and what is happening in the moment. I love how you get to know each character in depth and read about their story. Each person is so unique in their own way and I love how they interact with each other.

My favorite characters in this book is Pip. She has many amazing character traits, but my favorites are how selfless she is and how bold she is. One quote that proves this is on 405, “’He’s dead!’ she screamed at them all, pushing them back. ‘Leave him alone, he’s dead!’…‘He was your friend!’ Pip snatched the sign out of Mary’s hands. ‘He was your friend!’ she roared, bringing the poster board down with all her strength against her knee. It broke cleanly in two and she threw the pieces at Mary. ‘LEAVE HIM ALONE!’’ This quote proves that Pip stands up for what she believes in and she won’t back down.

There are many amazing quotes in this book. One of my favorites is on page 315, “Fine,’ Ravi said, scratching the phantom itch at the back of his head. ‘I’ll go. I know you’re only lashing out because you’re angry. I’m angry too. And you don’t mean it, you know you don’t mean it.’ He sighed. ‘Let me know when you remember who I am. Who you are.” This quote shows how much Ravi cares for Pip and shows his understanding of her and what she is going through. Cant wait to see where the third book takes me.

If I was principal for the day I would try to make every class more enjoyable for every student. It would all start with someone telling me Mrs. Tanikawa was out sick and they needed someone to step up and help, so I said I would take her place. One thing I would do is go to every classroom and ask them to take a little quiz to give me feedback for our school. This would help me know who wants to see what. This also would help if they like what we are doing and like all of our activities. Another thing I would do is make eighth grade have only one period of core and three periods of an elective. This would make the day more enjoyable and let the students have a better last year at their school. I would also have break be longer then fourteen minutes, more like twenty five. This would give students more time to socialize and give them a longer brain break. Next, I would implement a rule about having a maximum of one to two things to do per class if given homework. This would make the work after school go by faster if they have any after school activities. Lastly, I would tell teachers that they can’t have a seating chart for their good student students, they can only have a seating chart for the disrespectful students. That would show the disrespectful students that they need to be more respectful in class and to their teacher. All of these things would hopefully make our school a better place for everyone to feel welcome and respected. That is what I would do if I was the principal for the day.

I am thankful for many things this year, but here are my top three. One thing I am thankful for is my family. They support me through rough times, and never let me doubt myself. Mostly throughout this last year with my surgery’s. My mom was there to help me and she made sure that I didn’t fell alone. She showed how much she loved me by sleeping on the couch with me when I couldn’t walk up all of the stairs. My dad always made sure I had everything I needed and always wants me to succeed when I try something new. My brother and sister mess around with me and we always make each other laugh. My family is really important to and always will be. Another thing I am thankful for are doctors. They helped me with my surgery’s and stoped when something went wrong. They also pushed me to my limits and loved watching me walk around the hospital by myself. They were always super nice to me. I am also grateful that they went to school to learn all of those things to help me and other people. Lastly, I am grateful for my friends. This is because they are always there to help me and support me. They make me laugh and make me feel like I am not alone. Those are just three things that I am thankful for.

This month I read, A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. This book is about a girl named Pippa, or pip, who is doing a senior capstone project for her school. She decides to look into a murder that happened five years ago. The case was about a teenage girl named Andie Bell, and she was murdered by her boy friend Sal Singh. Pip doesn’t believe that Sal murdered Andie, and she talks dangerous people and does dangerous things to find out the truth.

    I really enjoyed the suspense and drama in this book. Holly Jackson describes the characters perfectly and the surrounding setting is always very easy to imagine. When clues are discovered and Pip traces it back to someone, the story starts to come to life. This is also a fun story to read if you like to guess who or what happened in the end. There are many adventures and opportunities Pip has to find out what actually happened to Andie Bell.

    My favorite character is Pip. I like how she is fearless and always willing to take chances. One quote that proves this is on page 19, “When you ask people in town what happened to Andie Bell, they’ll tell you without hesitation: ‘She was murdered by Salil Singh.’ No ‘allegedly,’ no ‘might have,’ no ‘ probably,’ no ‘most likely.’ He did it, they say. Sal Singh killed Andie. But I’m not so sure.” This quote shows the start of Pips journey and how curious she is. Through her bravery and strength she always gets the information she needs. Pip is very smart and can figure things out when she needs to. I also love when Ravi and Pip work together to find who ever they need to find. Ravi is Sals brother and he is another one of my favorite characters. Ravi is smart, caring, and bold. Another quote to show this is on page 304, “Don’t cry,’ Ravi said, closing the distance between them in one swift step. He pulled her into him, locking his arms around her. ‘I’m here,’ he said, ‘I’m here.” This proves that Ravi is a really sweet person and he cares for Pip.

There are many mysterious and cool quotes in this book. My favorite is when Ravi is trying to tell Pip that she shouldn’t give up. The author states, “I can’t. I’m just a kid, remember.’ ‘An idiot said that to you,’ he said. ‘You’re not just some anything. You’re Pippa fricking Fitz-Amobi.’ He smiled, and it was the saddest thing she’d ever seen. “And I don’t think there’s anyone in this world quite like you. I mean, you laugh at my jokes, so there must be something wrong with you. We’re so close, Pip’…‘You can’t stop. You swore to me. You want this just as much as I do.” This shows the power that Ravi has and how he really cares about this case, he also is trying to show Pip she can do anything. This is why they are a great team. This is why they can find out who actually killed Andie Bell.