Summer Submissions!

We will be taking submissions over the summer break.  Simply follow the instructions at the bottom of this page.  Email your original writing in Microsoft Word format.  Pictures and artwork can also be submitted via email.

Hang in there...only a few weeks left before vacation!

Teen Reads

Looking for something new to read over the summer?  Teen Reads has you covered.  No matter what genre you prefer, their lists, summaries, and reviews will have you running to the library (or the local book store).

The site also has author bios and several contests where you can win tons of free books!

Check it out!  Click here.

Looking for Writers!

The year is coming to a close...but the SMS Blog is looking for students who'd like to keep things going over the summer and into the new year!  6th graders who are coming in and current 7th graders, if you're interested, come and see me!

Mrs. McBride
Room 1

Great New Reads for Teens (10 class picks)

Looking for something NEW to read?  Try one of these!  Look forward to reviews on these books in the coming weeks!

The Carrier of the Mark - Leigh Fallon
Unwind - Neal Shusterman
Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure (series) - James Dashner
The Forest of Hands and Teeth (series) - Carrie Ryan
The Monstrumologist/The Curse of the Wendigo - Rick Yancey
Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
If I Stay - Gayle Forman
I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
The Chaos Walking trilogy - Patrick Ness (read the short story prequel to the series for free on Amazon)
World War Z - Max Brooks

New Publishing Opportunity!

Check this out!  If you are a creative writer and are looking to be published:

Ink Pop

Untitled Poem - Marisa Gasper

Leaves danced in circles in the soft wind.
The autumn's breeze swirled around me.
The sun shone brightly, happy to kiss the faces of others.
Trees had given me hugs before, but none like this
big
strong
beautiful
dream as big as anything.
Happiness.
Bright waves of delight breathed through this place.
A dream place.
A beautiful place.
My home.

Untitled Poem - Leah Marsh

Your fingers
carving into the sand
lines
letters
words.
A message,
but not in a bottle.
A message
to your lost love.
But why?  Why?
When the waves will wash it all
away,
like they did
to your life?

Easy Oreo Truffles

Easy Oreo Truffles

These make a good holiday treat. They are very delicious, and fun to make. 

·        Makes 12 servings

            Ingredients:

1.      ¼ (8 ounces) packaged Oreos

2.    ¼ (16 ounces) package cream cheese softened

3.     5/8 (8 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips melted

Steps for preparation:

1.     crush 9 Oreo cookies (for later use) in a food processor ( cookies can be crushed in a plastic bag with a rolling pin)

2.    crush the rest of the cookies; place in medium bowl, add cream cheese, mix well

3.     roll cookie mixture into 12 balls about 1 inch in diameter

4.    dip balls in chocolate, place on wax covered baking sheet

5.     sprinkle with saved cookie sheet, refrigerate until firm, which should take about one hour   

Interview: Taylor Young (student)

Interview:  Taylor Young

By: Kayla Blomberg

14 year old Taylor (7th grader) wants to join wrestling. Not too long ago she was interviewed about this fun sport. Ever since a year ago, Taylor has always wanted to join wrestling. Now her opportunity has come.  She thinks wrestling is fun and can’t wait to join. Taylor would also like to be remembered with a record in girls wrestling. “I would be good at wrestling if I worked hard enough”, says Taylor with confidence.  She said her favorite sports are softball (she plays left field), and wrestling. She hates spiders a lot. One day she hopes to be an artist. Her favorite book is: Never Slow Dance with a Zombie. Her all time favorite show is “Family Guy”. “I would have to say my favorite movies are the Pirates of the Caribbean series”, says Taylor.  Her favorite subject in school is language arts because she likes to read.

D & D Club

D&D Club Insider Looks.

(Plus how to play.)

            D&D club has 3 D.M’S. (dungeon masters… the masters of the fate of the game.) The point of the game is to level up past epic level… 20. You gain levels by gaining experience, which you gain by killing monsters and questing… plus if the DM is kind… great roleplaying. D&D is not a videogame. It is an RPG, roleplaying game. You need the following items to play: dice, D&D character sheet, D&D forgotten realms books, pencil, and someone to play with. The order of the people in the game is one DM or two link DM’s with an any amount of players. While playing, take care when talking to the DM. The DM has complete power over the game. When I say dice, you will probably think about the 6 sided dice… but that cannot be farther than the truth. There are d4, d6, d8, d90, d10, d20, d12. The d20 was bold because most of the game is called the d20 system.

            D&D club is just a small group of people who want to play D&D. If you’re wondering… D&D means Dungeons and Dragons.  You need to listen to what the DM says or your toast… you will need to know what is happening before it’s your turn. For example, if you’re attacked by a dragon, (very powerful beasts of that nature) you don’t want to try to detect magic. No, you want to either attack, or run away. Now you want to know the rules and beasts of the game. NOT making the DM mad. Or you (in the game) DIE.

            Now, about the club. The leader is Perry. He is the creator of the club. The “second in command” is Josh. And the third DM is Brendan Wilson. D&D only has few guns, if any and to have one you need to have great engineering skill… and other things not listed. The most “advanced” weapon will be the enchanted weapon.

            The D&D club is sort of unstable… with the constant arguing and distractions. The person who has probably played the most is Brendan Wilson. If you want to play D&D, then you can go to room 4 on Tuesday. D&D club is planning on upgrading to Wednesday, also. If you think that videogames are better, then let me ask you this, does a videogame challenge your mind as D&D does? Is a videogame as glitch proof as D&D is? No… but a videogame is easier to play, I’ll give you that.

This report has been written by Brendan Wilson.

Book Review: Among the Free

Among the Free

Book Review

By Colette Dietrich

Margaret Peterson Haddix has written a number of memorable novels for young adult readers, including Double Identity, The House on the Gulf, Escape from Memory, Takeoffs and Landings, Turnabout, and Running out of Time. Among the Free is the seventh and final book of the “shadow children” series, which began with Among the Hidden. She has been awarded the, ALA Best Books for Young Adults award, the Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers award, and has been listed on fifteen state award finalist lists. Margaret Peterson Haddix’s book, Among the Free, is a fiction book, intended for young adult audiences.

          The book is about 3^rd children hiding out and trying to live regular lives just like every other 1^st and 2^nd child. The law has made it so that families are only allowed to have 2 children. Many families all over the world are hiding and trying to keep their children safe (if they had a 3^rd child.) There is a group called the “Population Police” who search out 3^rd children and dispose of them, if they can prove they are 3^rd children. In this book series, Luke Garner has been blending in with the Population Police under a new identity for awhile now, just trying to stay safe. One day everything changes for Luke, and he has to go on his own, stay safe on his own, and face all the dangers of everything in the world, and so do his friends.

          I highly recommend everyone read the series of the Shadow Children. It was very enjoyable, I couldn’t put them down. At the end of every page, chapter, and book, Margaret Peterson Haddix had me wanting to read more. Her style of writing is very suspenseful and intriguing. I think everyone who likes those kinds of books and have read her books, should encourage others to do the same.

Book Review: Savvy by Ingrid Law

Savvy

By Ingrid law

Review by Maddie Boe

          Have you ever wanted a supernatural power? Like being perfect or being able to save music in a jar? Those are just some of the savvy’s that the Beamount family has. In this book you will learn about the Beamount family and their secret savvy’s.

          In this book, a girl named Mibs is turning thirteen, and just like everyone else in her family, she will soon get a savvy. A savvy is a supernatural power that some people get when they turn thirteen. She can’t wait for hers, but two days before her birthday, her dad gets in a tragic car accident and goes into a coma. Mibs develops a special mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman’s bus…only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable adventure that will force her to make sense of growing up –and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

          I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and adventure because this book is full of it. I personally loved this book. It has a lot of cliff hangers and short chapters which kept me reading so much I could hardly put it down. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel to this book and any other books Ingrid Law comes out with.

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire

By Suzanne Collins

(review by Landon Groves)

          Katniss is back, and the President wants her dead. Turns out that her double suicide idea didn’t go over very well with the capitol, so it’s up to them to devise the worst possible death for her. Catching Fire is the second book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger games series and, in my opinion, the best one yet.

          With the painful memories of the 74^th hunger games still fresh in her mind, Katniss has to relive them on the victory tour. She has to travel all around Panem while people congratulate her and her fellow winner Peeta, for killing their children.

          Katniss has to find other ways to defy the capitol, if she wants to keep her dignity, though. Slowly and steadily, Katniss is becoming the face of a rebel alliance, which is determined to overthrow the capitol and its evil ways. An uprising is brewing, and she is right in the middle of it. But she doesn’t want to be; all she wants is to be home with her family, but that’s not an option. For Katniss, it’s kill or be killed.

          I thought that Catching Fire was a great book. Suzanne Collins has outdone herself in giving the characters realistic personalities, as well as suspenseful scenes. I couldn’t put it down. When I finally finished it, I just lay there, wide awake in bed thinking about it. I would recommend this book, or series, to anyone who likes suspense and exhilarating action.

Book Review: Flush - By Carl Hiaasen

Flush - by Carl Hiaasen

Review by Landon Groves (7th grade)

          Noah and Abbey’s father hates littering. The whole family knows this, but no one suspects it could ever land him in this much trouble. Throughout this book, you’ll follow Noah Underwood and his little sister as they try to make up for their father’s wild behavior and reckless tendencies.

          I thought that Carl Hiaasen did a wonderful job telling the story of Flush. Mixed with thrilling suspense and a touch of humor, I’d give it a 9 out of 10. There are countless life-like characters, such as Shelly, the outlandish hillbilly who helps them in some odd ways throughout the book. 

          The combination of Noah’s father’s bad temper and his extreme hatred of littering gets him into a lot of trouble.  Their father decides to take matters into his own hands to stop a large casino boat from dumping all their waste into the river by sinking the boat. Noah has to prove that the boat was, in fact, dumping their waste and get his father out of jail.

          There are family dynamics in the story that lead Noah’s father, Paine, to find his father.  His father had disappeared before Noah was born,  and it’s interesting how this affects both Noah and Paine’s life and what they learn when they find him.

          I would describe this book as a fast-paced novel with a twist at every corner. Every time I tried to put it down, the thing I least expected would introduce itself.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a happy ending. All in all, I thought Flush was an excellent book.