Book Review - The Candy Makers

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1 Issue No. 32 May 2015 Book Review - The Candy Makers By: Kayla M. The Candy Makers, by Wendy Mass, is an extravagant book for young readers looking for a great mystery! This book is definitely a sweet one! It is a book I chose to read over the course of my sixth grade year and now I am in eighth grade and even today I still go back into it and reread my favorite parts. It took me pretty much a quarter to a half of my sixth grade year to read it. Usually I am a pretty quick reader but with all the work I had to do while reading the book, it took a little while. Overall, The Candy Makers is a charming and cleverly crafted story, told from each character s perspective. It is filled with mystery, friendship and juicy relations. In The Candy Makers written by Wendy Mass, a great author, four children have been selected to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the whole country. The contestants, Logan, Daisy, Miles and Philip, will compete at the Life Is Sweet Candy Factory to see who will create the most creative dessert. Each character has their own unique personality that helps them along the way. Some of them don t get along with each other that well. This is partly because they feel they are each hiding something from each other s background that might give them an advantage in the competition. The mystery and suspense between the characters is a great way to keep you reading and interested in the book. When you find out the real reason why the characters seem to be interested in each other, you will be astonished. As all the pieces are slowly put together in this puzzle-like book, you will love candy more than you ever did! Who will invent the most delicious candy and be the best inventor in the factory? Read the book to find out. Game Review - Batman Arkham Asylum By Timothy H. Imagine yourself as the dark knight, A.K.A Batman, as you travel through Arkham s mental hospital and mansion trying to stop the Joker and his accomplices. To get to Joker you must battle villains from Joker s Henchman to the Bane. At the beginning of the game Batman has the Joker captured in the Batmobile as he drives to Arkham Asylum. Once he is

2 there he is on his way to bring Joker to his cell when Joker escapes and runs through the Asylum to somewhere safe. Batman has to find his way to Joker and save all of the guards and doctors. He faces many villains like The Bane, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Killer Crock. You eventually catch up to Joker and he then hatches his final part of the plan which is very diabolical. Find out what happens next when you pick up your copy of Arkham Asylum at your nearest game store. Book Review Clockwork Angel By: Rebekah H. The book I read was, The Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare. This is the first book in the Infernal Devices Trilogy. The book has a girl named Theresa (Tessa) Gray and she lives in 19 th century Britain. In this time there is a secret group called the Shadow Hunters and they re in charge of keeping the creatures they call demos from killing people. Tessa arrives in Britain after getting a letter from her brother, Nate. Soon after she arrives she is kidnapped by the Dark Sisters who belong to the Pandemonium Club. While being tortured by them she discovers that she is a demon, but has a special power that no other demon has. After being rescued by none other than the dashing William (Will) Herondale, Tessa takes refuge at the London Institute where the Shadow Hunters live. There Tessa starts on the beginning of her adventure with her new found friends, James (Jem) Carstairs and Will. When she begins nothing is what it seems to be. With vampires and werewolves attacking left and right, the three are tested for their trust in each other and maybe some romance sprouts. I recommend this book because it has a lot of action and fantasy which keep you turning the pages. If you like this book, look for the second book, the Clockwork Prince. This trilogy is a prequel to the Immortal Instruments series. Book Review- Counting By 7s By: Trista M. The latest book I read is a magnificent novel by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Counting by 7s is a story about a little wonder named Willow Chance. She is a girl with a very high I.Q.. She isn t fond of making many friends with the exception of one girl she met. Unfortunately that girl had to move away. Willow is a shy girl, starting in a new school. When she arrives the kids in her grade have to take what they call THE BIG SCARY TEST! (or what we call it, the SBAC. S: Smarter; B: Balance; A: Assessment; C: Consortium.) Once she took the test and the results came back, she got a 100% which was very rare. The teachers decided she cheated and sent her to Dell Duke, the school counselor. After meeting with Dell for a long time, they established 2 things. 1. Willow did not cheat; she is simply very smart, and 2. Dell and Willow would get along very well in the future months. Willow is crushed when her parents die in a car crash. Soon after the horrible tragedy, she meets Dell Duke, Mai,

3 Quang-Ha, Pattie Nguyen and Jairo Hernandez (a taxi driver). These extraordinary people help her get through this hard time of becoming an adopted child with no parents or relatives able to take her in. When the accident occurred, Willow lost all of her interest in everything around her. It was like she pushed everything and everyone away. Things like her personal nursery for her many plants and her idiosyncrasy of counting by 7 s whenever stress occurs in her life. Will Willow ever become her normal self? Or will her new friends be able to give her a life as if the crash never happened? I think you will enjoy this book. Bleeding Heart Flowers By: Priscilla N. If you have never grown a garden or flower patch it is a great idea to start off with some Bleeding Heart flowers. This type of flower is an easy beginner flower to grow that will last for years with proper care! First, I will introduce you to this flower. It is a flower with beautiful foliage that thrives best in moist cool areas in the spring and summer. These flowers can bloom in colors like red, pink, white, and yellow. They can be from 6 inches high to 2 feet high. The flowers are truly spectacular. The flowers hang on droopy branches with occasional leaves here and there. The flower is shaped like a heart, as the name implies, and in the center at the bottom the heart splits and a long bud comes out as if the heart was bleeding. Now, you will learn how to take care of this plant. After putting the seeds 1 inch deep in an area of light to medium shade and well-drained soil, apply a thin layer of compost and 2 inches of mulch to maintain moisture levels and control weeds. After that, just make sure to water them and they will grow! These flowers will last for years and sometimes spread seeds around and re-bloom themselves. I hope you have a fun time growing this flower and enjoy its beauty! New Science Teacher: Mrs. Fridinger, The Inside Scoop By: Trista M. Q. What made you want to become a science teacher for 7 th grade? A. When I was younger, I loved to play teacher with my two brothers and I ve always loved science. My eighth grade science teacher really sparked an interest in science for me, so much so, that I went to Bridgeport Regional Vocational Aquaculture School for part of high school to study marine sciences and technology. At the Aquaculture School, I was the treasurer for the FFA and the cofounder and editor of the Aqua Log Newsletter and I loved being part of that school. Later in life, I became a mentor to a middle school student in Bridgeport and it was at that time I knew I wanted to change careers and become a teacher. Q. What college(s) did you go to? A. I graduated with my undergraduate teaching degree from Southern Connecticut State University and just graduated in April from the American College of Education with my master s degree. Q. What was your favorite unit of study for seventh grade? A. My education degree is in biology, so all parts of biology are my favorite part to teach my students. My favorite lab this year so far has been the chicken wing dissection and watching

4 my students discover what the muscular and skeletal systems look like. My two other favorite activities were putting together the Periodic Table of Elements and the human size drawings of the organ systems. Q. Would you recommend teaching as a profession? Why? A. I would recommend teaching as a profession because it is very rewarding. One of my favorite things about teaching is watching my students learn. However, I also learn so much from my students, which makes me a better teacher and a better person. Every day is a new day and being able to make an impression on your students each day is the reason why I would recommend this profession. Q. What is your favorite part about teaching? A. My favorite part of teaching is getting to know the students and teaching them about science. I love seeing my students learn new things in class and be able to relate them to their own personal lives and experiences. One of the best things so far this year is when a parent told me their student explained to them why their tire pressure on their car tires was different in the winter time because of what they learned in my science class. In addition, I love when students share with me their knowledge about science, especially when they create the science fact of the day. Q. Where else have you taught besides Swift? A. Before I started teaching at Swift Middle School, I had taught at two other school districts. I was a long-term substitute at Shelton High School and taught eighth grade science for three years at Scofield Magnet Middle School. Q. What do you think of your students so far? Are they what you expected? A. I think the students at Swift Middle School are great. The Blue Team students make me smile every day and are very good at using their manners. In addition, the Blue Team students have been very sweet and supportive this school year. Other facts: I absolutely love baseball, football and NASCAR. Living in Connecticut, between New York and Massachusetts allows me to be a New York Yankees fan and a New England Patriots fan. My favorite Yankees player will always be Bernie Williams. My favorite New England Patriots player is Julian Edelman. My favorite NASCAR driver is Jimmie Johnson and my second favorite in Martin Truex Jr. I have two cats. Gunnar Voldemort is a Norwegian Forest Cat and Hunter Jase is a Maine Coon Cat. They are both big cat breeds and take up a lot of room in the house! In addition to my love of sports, I love music and going to concerts, but also love going to and collecting lighthouses. I have at least one lighthouse in every room of my house, including the garage. I also love to go fishing and have a pink fishing pole. I once caught an 8.5 pound Lake Trout in New York which is mounted on the wall in the man cave.

5 Paper Air Plane Extreme Perfection Nicholas P. and Cameron N. Have you ever wanted to make the perfect paper air plane? Well, we have the solution just for YOU! Just follow these simple directions to make the perfect paper airplane. Some minor details you should know: Add weight with a small metal paperclip to the base of the wing. Make sure you keep a straight arm when throwing. Throw high up in the air for maximum speed and air quality. Top 10 Spring Activities By: Madison N. Spring has sprung! Flowers, warm weather and fun activities will come. Let s talk about the top 10 spring activities that you can do to beat that springtime heat. (All activities are in random order) 10. Garden, it is good to get outside and plant something. Nothing tastes better than something you grew yourself. 9. Make a bug house. It is fun to catch bugs and they are interesting to watch. 8. Build a fort. It is fun, even inside when it is a rainy day. 7. Go to the park with some friends. It will be a nice time with fresh air. 6. Take a hike! It is good to get exercise hiking up a hill and you will see all kinds of natural sites. 5. Do some sports! This might cure cabin fever. 4. Do some crafts. It can get your imagination going in time for summer! 3. Have a picnic outside! You can enjoy fresh air and a good meal. 2. Fly a kite. You can run and see something fly at the same time. See how high you can get it! 1. Catch frogs if you can. They are very fast! Or catch tadpoles and watch them grow into frogs.

6 Fun & Simple Spring Recipe By: Trista M. This is the simplest version of chocolate covered strawberries I know. The prep time is 15 minutes, and the cook time is also 15 minutes Only 30 minutes to make this refreshing treat for all to enjoy! This chocolate covered strawberry recipe makes about 3 cups of the strawberries (use those ratios to double and so). The white chocolate drizzles are optional *see picture*. Hope you enjoy them! Ingredients: 1. First 16 ounces milk chocolate chips 2. Next 2 tablespoons shortening 3. And Finally 1 pound fresh strawberries with the leaves Prep: 1. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries. 2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture. 3. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into Styrofoam for the chocolate to cool. Final product: (Yummy!) Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Review By Jordan E. Have you ever wanted to visit Diagon Alley with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger? Now, you can in the all new Diagon Alley area at Universal Studios Florida. The main attraction is the new roller coaster entitled, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. On the ride, you plummet down to defeat the evil Voldemort. The special effects are just the cherry on top of the awesome thrill factor of this ride. Another great ride is based on the Hogwart s Express from the books and movies. On the ride, you will be taken to the Hogsmeade area of Universal with the added bonus of a special Harry Potter style video playing on the electronic windows. You really feel like a Dementor is knocking for you to let him in. It will put a large smile on any Potterhead s face. Finally, there are many stores to explore based on stores in the book. In Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, you can try an assortment of crazy ice cream flavors like Sticky Toffee and Chocolate Chili. In The Leaky Cauldron, you can try a wide variety of foods like Fish N Chips and of course, Leaky Soup. Finally, in Gringotts Bank, you can talk to the Gringotts Head Goblin and ask him questions. He responds back. If you are a die-hard Harry Potter fan, go to Universal Studios Florida s new Diagon Alley area. You ll love it.

7 10 Summer Fun Activities By: Rebekah H. Over the summer you most likely will have free time. Why not fill it up with some fun easy to do activities. 1. Collect seashells and make a necklace. 2. Read some books! You can go to your local library that probably has a reading challenge with some cool prizes. Look through our book reviews for some ideas 3. Go camping. There are a bunch of state parks around Connecticut tat allow camping, like Black Rock State Park. 4. Make a lemonade stand; you can add snacks or other beverages to it as well. 5. Go to a fair. Throughout the summer there are many different fairs. The most popular is the Bethlehem Fair. 6. Get together with your friends and have a pool party; you can focus on a theme to make it more fun. 7. Get outside and play a sport. Learn a new one! 8. Have a barbecue and try roasting hot dogs on sticks. 9. Go to the beach. Near the shoreline there are many different beaches, like Rocky Neck State Park. 10. Make some fun summer snacks. You can make lots of treats. Check out our newspapers for recipe ideas. Cats By: Paige C. You see cats almost everywhere. You see them on T.V., the Internet and maybe even in your house. Something that you may not know is that cats have many interesting features that many people aren t aware of. So, here are some cool facts about your cuddly friend. First, cats can sleep for more than 16 HOURS a day. That s almost the whole entire day! During the day, cats can spend a third of their awake time just cleaning themselves. Their rough tongues let them bathe themselves efficiently. Wow! That s one clean cat! Another interesting fact that I enjoyed learning is that cats dream just like humans. Cats dreams are likely to be filled with chasing toys or finding a lap to sleep on. Also, when cats want to communicate with other cats, they will not meow, but will either hiss, spit or purr. A very interesting thing about cats is that they have very big eyes with varied eye colors. However, most cats do not have eyelashes, so if your cat does you are one lucky duck. Like some humans, cats are born with blue eyes, but, their eyes may turn to a different color with age. There is so much more to know about cats. Here are a few more facts: Cats have 24 more bones than a human does. In the UK and Australia, seeing a black cat is good luck, while in America it is a sign of bad luck. Cats can jump 5 times their own height. If you killed a cat in the Egyptian times you could be sentenced to death. The padding on the bottom of cat s feet is actually for grip. Cats are classified as a mammal. This is Venus A two faced Cat

8 Beachbot By Cameron N. Beachbot is a new type of autonomous robot which draws lines in the sand. After it is done making all its lines what s left is a beautiful work of art in the sand. Beachbot has a laser scanner mounted on top that see reflective poles that mark the border of the drawing field. Smart software is used to control the robot's movement. Since Beachbot was conceived by Disney Research, some of the works of art it has made include Nemo and Mickey Mouse. The Beachbot is not just a robot but a friendly looking thing which in my opinion resembles Squirt from Finding Nemo, (or a cute little turtle). You may soon see this robot on many beaches, not only Disney s. Emily and Kayla s Monthly Brain Benders 1. What phrase is hidden in the image below? 2. What has a tongue, cannot walk, but gets around a lot? 3. A railroad crossing, look for the cars. Can you spell all that without any R s? 4. What won t break if you throw it off the highest building, but will break if you place it in the ocean? 5. Which moves faster: heat or cold? Challenge: What happened in the middle of the 20 th Century that will not happen again for 4, 000 years? Fun Jokes and Riddles By: Nicholas P. Q1: Who says sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? Q2: Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants? Q3: In a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower- everything was pink! What color were the stairs? Q4: What is the longest word in the dictionary? Q5: What has hands but cannot clap? Q6: We see it once in a year, twice in a week, and never in a day. What is it? Q7: What comes up but never comes down? Information from:

9 By: Trista M. Month of spring to summer. A bouquet of flowers to pick and smell. Yellow and black bees buzzing to the rhythm of spring. Answers to Fun Jokes and Riddles A1: A guy who has never been hit by a dictionary. A2: Just in case he got a hole in one! A3: There weren t any stairs, it was a one story house! A4: Smiles, because there is a mile between each s A5: A clock A6: The letter E A7: Your age! Answer Key to Emily and Kayla s Brain Benders 1. Put it in writing! (the word it is in writing ) 2. A shoe 3. Yes, all that! 4. A tissue 5. Heat, because everyone can catch a cold! Challenge: A year like the year 1961, which reads the same upside down. This will not happen again until the year of A Message from the Brain Benders Authors: This is the last issue of the newspaper for this school year which also means, since we are eighth graders, this is our last brain benders page forever in Swift Middle School. This is a little saddening to us because we have been doing it since the very beginning of seventh grade. We will miss it a lot and hope to carry it on in high school. We hope that you and your peers have enjoyed these Brain Benders throughout the course of last year and this year. We have both decided that we encourage others to carry on the Brain Benders articles here at Swift. Thank you and farewell! Emily and Kayla From all the Swift Eagle Staff Thanks for reading! Have a safe summer!