Are tight rules suffocating America's children? An Editorial by Meg Y.

In many cases, children want to get out there and see the world. To learn and play and have fun. But are parents and schools becoming too overprotective?

I'm not saying that wearing a helmet is a bad thing. I mean, things are getting over the top. Here is a case in the school system in Newark, Delaware. A six year old boy had just joined his local Cub Scout group. He was very excited, and brought his utensil that works as a spoon, a fork, and a knife. He got in major trouble for it, being said that he broke the school's no tolerance for weapons policy. Though I do not know the type of knife, you think no 6-year-old would be out to kill! He went to a committee hearing. He was suspended from school and faces 45 days in a district reform school. 45 days in a reform school! And this is a 6-year-old bringing a little Spork to school. I bring a possibly similar thing to school when I have yogurt or pasta. Am I in trouble? Tell us what you think by commenting.

Source:

The Miracle Worker: a review by Emma R.

The Miracle Worker was an excellent play, which included twelve parts, played by eleven kids.



Doctor - Isabel Ryde

Franklin Benjamin Sanborn - Isabel Ryde

Kate Keller - Madeline Guth

Captain Keller - Ian Reid-McGaffin

Martha - Helena Redgate

Percy - Alex Dangel

Aunt Ev - Kaitlyn Schaaf

James Keller - Christopher Sykes

Annie Sullivan - Dahlia Raz

Viney - Mary Sapp

Dog - Hobbs

Helen Keller - Lisa Raddassi



The main part, Helen Keller, was played by Lisa Raddassi, and included almost no speaking on her part, except for grunts, screams, and laughs. She had many tantrums, and she had to throw herself on the floor countless times, kicking and screaming. At many parts, it really looked like she was blind, because she would look out over the audience, not looking at anything in particular. She had to walk carefully and wobbly, holding onto whatever furniture she could grasp along the way.

Viney was the server and cook, Kate Keller was the mom, Captain Keller was the dad, Martha was the maid, James Keller was the son, along with Percy who was the other son, and the dog was Captain Keller’s, and was at his side as he walked onstage to talk to Annie Sullivan.

This was an amazing play. The actors did a wonderful job, and played their parts thoroughly. My favorite scenes were the food fight and the last scene.

A dramatic scene was the food fight, where Helen Keller (Lisa Raddassi) was having a tantrum and refused to eat with silverware. Only she and Annie Sullivan were onstage at the time, and it included some really excellent turns. There was thrown water, spat out food, slapping, crawling under tables, and plenty of screaming and crying.

My other favorite scene was the last goodbye scene. Here, Helen (Lisa Raddassi) learned the sound for “w” in the word water. She then spells mother, papa, and Anne, and then hugs everyone. This scene was so sweet, and it made me so happy to learn that Helen was really going to learn what she needed to. Everyone in the audience was sighing, and thinking the same thing - awww.

This play was all about what miracles can happen in the tough situations you find yourself in, and I truly enjoyed it!

Helen Keller Interview By Lea M.

Lisa Raddassi as Helen Keller

Why did you audition? Just for the fun of it.

Did you think you'd get in? Not really.

Back then, if you got in what part do you think you'd get? I thought I'd get Helen.

What do you think of the show? I think the show is hard because of the physical scenes and all the lines.

What's it like being Helen Keller? Being Helen Keller is a big part for me and sort of strange too because I have never known this person so for me to act her out it's difficult. Also having the main part is a ton of stress because if I mess up everyone will notice!

Are you happy with your part? Yeah, I was happy with my part.

What is the best part of being Helen Keller? Mostly getting to throw things around and get sweets from Madeline (Mrs. Keller) and acting.

What is the hardest part about being Helen Keller? The hardest part is faking the slaps.

What was it like performing on opening night? Opening night everyone was freaking out even me!

Are you ready for closing night? I'm ready for closing night because I need a break from practices.

Are you excited, nervous, or another feeling? I am relieved that it's over.


Are you sad too? Not really, now I have time after school to study more and I can have more activities.

What else do you want your fans to know? Thanks for coming to the performance!

An Original Poem By Sophie J.

This Is It: a Movie Review by Julie N.

From the sensational films from the past up until now, it has become increasingly rare to see celebrities who are popular with our age group contribute their part to the music that they supposedly created. The most common songs appreciated by most teens or preteens in our age group are performed by incredibly lucky and wealthy, somehow famous, teenagers who are basically robot slaves to their producers and directors and everyone who does all the work for them. Of course, there is always an exception, in this case, Michael Jackson. This Is It easily proves that Michael Jackson was truly involved in every aspect of his way to a phenomenal production. The tremendous effort that he had made and all the energy he had put in was impressive yet also very sad; he was so full of enthusiasm, he seemed so full of life, but of course we now know that those were his final days. Michael had his opinion on every note that was played on the piano and every step his shimmering, black dancing shoes took. We know the Michael onstage is confident and strong. Some of us know that Michael appears shy to reporters and some others when the camera is not rolling and music is not playing. This movie shows us the real him. It allows us to witness his actions and opinions every step of the way. If I were to be critical, I would first warn you that it is more of a documentary than a story with a plot. But somehow Jackson manages to give it all the soul that a great story would need. I also thought the beginning was a tad poor, with random people saying irrelevant things about their experiences performing with Jackson, which kind of took away from the fascination that Jackson provided himself. Jackson also weaved a theme of helping and saving the Earth into some songs. With his leather jacket and all the fertile ground that must have been destroyed to build the enormous theater, I thought that was a little over the top. These songs themselves were great, but the message behind them seemed to be delivered poorly. Like all movies, it had its pros and cons, but overall it was very entertaining to see how Jackson improved his performance dramatically and didn't hesitate to make it exactly the way he wanted it. I recommend it easily to all Michael Jackson fans, (like me), and all who enjoy seeing a man, although fifty years of age, work intensely to make his show a great success, and give fans the same vibrant and exciting Michael Jackson that was a child prodigy and a teenage heartthrob, now a world famous and incredibly talented adult. [Editor's note: Even though he's dead.]

"The End of the Girls" A Story by Isabel F.

Bianca thought of herself as sweet. Well, wasn’t she? Bianca was the kind of girl who would tutor a friend in math or compliment someone on an accomplishment. But standing behind Joyce and Mallory, watching Colbert cower in front of them, she didn’t feel sweet. Not at all.

Bianca, Joyce, and Mallory had always been “the girls”. They were a set, a threesome, a package. Not one of them could ever imagine life without the other two. But this year, Bianca started to notice an unwelcome change in her friends. In addition to now spending hours on clothes and hair, they were simply becoming… well, mean. Mallory giggled when Joyce openly sneered at another girl’s haircut; Joyce echoed Mallory’s words of hatred for an innocent boy who blushed whenever a girl looked at him.

Bianca started to become more and more uncomfortable around her old friends. She felt compelled to break away from Joyce and Mallory, but after all, they had never said a mean word to her. And besides, if “the girls” were gone, who would Bianca have left?

At lunchtime today in the cafeteria, Bianca, Joyce, and Mallory stood in the lunchroom line, up to their usual tricks. A geeky but pleasant boy named Colbert stood behind the three girls. He and Mallory simultaneously reached for the last Caesar salad. Almost instantly, Colbert let go. He would never dare to challenge Mallory. She was developing quite a reputation among the other students as somebody not to cross. But that split-second of tugging proved to be all Mallory needed. “Colbert! How rude!” she exclaimed with an air of distaste. “A guy should always let a girl have the last salad. Don’t be such a pig.”

Colbert’s cheeks went scarlet, and he pushed his glasses up nervously. “Oh, look, Mal! See, he’s turning pink! Just like a pig!” Joyce cried, finding the disdainful comment hilarious. Colbert’s two attackers erupted loudly with laughter. Bianca slunk away from the scene in horror. As soon as she sat down at a table, she regretfully wished she had stood up for Colbert. Why couldn’t she be brave? As soon as Mallory and Joyce started their evil torments, all of Bianca’s courage popped like a balloon.

Emerging out of the lunchroom, Mallory and Joyce joined their friend in the cafeteria. They were still snickering about Colbert. “Oh, Bibi, was that funny or what?” Joyce asked lightly. Summoning all the guts she had, Bianca replied,

“Not really, actually.” She immediately ducked her head. Joyce frowned, looking over at Mallory, who spoke next.

“What did you say, Bianca?”

“I said that wasn’t that funny. It was mean.” Bianca repeated. Mallory raised her eyebrows, a scowl creeping on to her otherwise pretty face.

“Get a life, Bibi. We were kidding.”

“Yeah, seriously. Can’t you like, take a joke?” Joyce said nastily. Bianca shrugged.

“Whatever, guys. Just for me, can you find something else to joke about?”

“Sure, I guess,” said Joyce.

“Fine, Bianca. We won’t diss Colbert anymore. In fact, we won’t pay any attention at all to Colbert. We’ll just act like he’s just not there,” Mallory agreed, with sugar in her voice.

“Thanks so much,” said Bianca, relaxing back into her chair.

By lunch the next day, Bianca realized something was up. Nobody was meeting Colbert’s eyes when he gave his usually awkward half-smile or replying when he addressed them. In fact, nobody was paying any attention at all to Colbert. They were acting like he just wasn’t there. Mallory had kept her word.

Bianca made a point of smiling at Colbert in English class, and greeting him in the halls. It wasn’t much help, but at least she wasn’t overlooking him like everyone else. How did Mallory and Joyce manage to get the whole grade under their manicured thumbs?

At lunch, Bianca questioned her friends. “How did you get everyone to ignore Colbert like this?”

“Simple. We just told all the girls we would let them into Club Runway,” Joyce explained smugly. Club Runway was a fashion design club Bianca, Joyce, and Mallory had founded back in September. Bianca had never wanted it to become so exclusive, but the wiles of Joyce and Mallory proved otherwise. Only the best and the brightest were admitted into “the girls’” private association, and so far, that was just a very select few.

“And what about the boys?” Bianca inquired in wonder. Her friends showed their cunning side with this. Mean but clever, that’s what Joyce and Mallory had become.

“We separately promised them we would go with them to the spring formal. As if!” Mallory laughed out loud at this one. Bianca frowned. If the girls knew Club Runway was remaining as exclusive as ever, and the guys realized Joyce and Mallory would never consider them as spring formal dates, maybe they would warm up to Colbert.

Bianca enlisted somebody to help spread the word. Kate, a graceful, intelligent girl, was Bianca’s closest friend beside Joyce and Mallory. They had attended the same ballet class since age seven, and had grown into advanced dancers together. Kate and Bianca went to separate elementary schools, but were happy to now see each other every day in middle school. Kate had her own set of friends, but she and Bianca still socialized, even though ‘the girls’ didn’t like her much.

Since Joyce and Mallory were becoming so snobby, Bianca had found Kate to be even more giving and friendly. They started to have sleepovers after ballet class, and instant messaged regularly. Bianca frequently considered dropping Joyce and Mallory for Kate. And, Bianca thought sadly, this Colbert incident was the last straw.

After school, Kate and Bianca got to work emailing and calling the other kids with the news. They were all appreciative, but obviously disappointed. It seemed pretty sweet to be a member of Club Runway, or go with Joyce or Mallory to the spring formal. But Bianca felt like she was betraying her long-time friends. Kate helped to convince her otherwise.


“Come on, Bianca. You’re doing a good thing for everyone, not to mention Colbert. And really, are girls who would torture somebody like that really such good friends? You never know, tomorrow they could turn on you.” Kate put an arm around Bianca, who sniffled.

“Thanks, Kate.” Bianca said gratefully. Really, Kate was the truly sweet one. Bianca now knew what to do. She would gradually slip away from under Joyce and Mallory’s grasp, in favor of the pleasant company of Kate and her friends. Maybe being admired (and feared) by the other students was good enough reason for Joyce and Mallory to be bullies, but Bianca knew she was better than that.

Just As Long As We're Together By Judy Bloom: A Book Review by Sophie J.

Since second grade, Rachel and Stephanie have been best friends. But when Alison Monceau movies into their quiet Connecticut neighborhood, everything gets shaken up. Stephanie really likes Alison, and really wants for the three of them to be best friends, especially because they are all neighbors. But Rachel isn't so sure. Rachel is afraid that Stephanie likes Allison more than than her, and gets quite flustered. And of course, it doesn't help that so much is going on in all of their lives at the moment. Stephanie finds out that her parents are getting divorced. Stephanie and Rachel find out Allison's mom is the famous "Gena Farrel," and that Allison has a talking dog! After a while, Rachel gets quite mad at Stephanie and Allison. This is mostly because she is so jealous and is still convinced that they like each other more than her. She ends up saying some mean and personal things to them, and really hurts their feelings. Can their friendship be saved?

Interview: Another Faust by Caroline H. and Isabel F.

We came, we saw, we interviewed. Last Thursday November 12th, a group of the lit mag staff went to the Concord Main Library to listen to a much-anticipated author talk. Daniel and Dina Nayeri, the brother-and-sister team who wrote Another Faust, are not only interesting because of their unique writing style, but also because of their interesting background. Both were born in Iran, where many books were banned because of the country’s “restrictive government.” When the Nayeri family immigrated to the USA, neither Daniel nor Dina spoke a word of English. They agree, however, for them a door into American culture was through books and reading. Once the two elementary-age kids mastered beginning literature, they “gravitated towards the classics”. This is because it was safer to read books about 19th century England rather than late 20th century America: this way, Daniel and Dina could start off on the same foot as their peers.

This childhood attachment to the classics is what led the siblings to retell stories like Faust, a well-known story by the German author Goethe. Their “Another Series” of books will include retakes on Peter Pan, Jekyll and Hyde, and similar tales. A main motivation is to direct young bookworms towards classics that otherwise may feel unaccessible. Another Faust and its descendants will assist in setting a reader up for the original and more challenging version of the story, with the same basic plot framework and choices involved.

We asked Dina and Daniel about their work styles in writing the book. They explained that it took 3-4 weeks to outline Faust’s plot. Then, they started trading off segments of the book to write. Since Dina lives in Amsterdam and Daniel lives in NYC, the time difference could cause problems. Yet, Dina, being a night owl, volunteered to stay up late so Daniel and she could go on Skype and interact about the writing process. The authors reveal that co-writing can cause stress in the family- they “fight constantly.” Dina’s work ethic is more systematic and attentive to deadlines, while Daniel is “loose” and relaxed. He lightheartedly commented that Dina would ask him for his latest chapter and he would make up an excuse about playing X-box instead. The lit mag is sure everyone can relate to his claims of procrastination.

We had a great time learning about the writing process and about Another Faust with Dina and Daniel. If you haven’t already, check out the book. You can also read Meg Y.’s review of it to get a better grasp of the plot, characters and mood.

Another Faust book review by Meg Y.

A dark eerie feeling will fill you heart as you turn the pages of Another Faust, By Daniel and Dina Nayeri. The chills of seeing Victoria, Valentin, Bicé, Belle, and Christian living in New York City will flood your mind. Stolen from their homes, they are given a choice of freedom and the home they have, or things they want so much they will do anything to get them. The authors make a wonderful brother- sister team whose writing style will leave you wanting more. The defined personalities of the characters give you a good sense of how the story may play out, but you will probably be entirely wrong. A retake on a classic story, it makes an interesting piece of literature, especially for those who have not read the original. There are Faustian bargains through out this book that will send your mind spinning. A fantastic composition, but a book-lover may have better luck with this book than a negligent reader, for some parts might be a bit confusing. An overall amazing find that I hope will be succeeded by many more sequels. I recommend this book for a dedicated reader, or a teen of high school age.

Look! Twilight Barbie Dolls!

A valuable addition to consumer America.

And for those interested, New Moon comes out Nov. 20th. Check the site for a movie review!

~Isabel F., Editor-in-Chief. {My note: look down there...I guess Mattel was serious.}

Eighth Grade Math in Seventh Grade by Grace O.

Every year a few select sixth graders will be placed in 8th grade algebra. When people ask what class you got into, you tell them not realizing that it is amazing to them. All you have to do to get into 8th grade math is work hard on everything. [Editor's note: And maybe have some natural talent]. Some people still think it is amazing when you tell them that you are in 8th grade independent, but to be honest it really isn't. It is just like any other class that you go to with a couple of exceptions. Depending when you have an assembly you may not have math that day while the rest of your class has math. When they have an assembly you don’t have math. Also when they have the Washington trip, you don’t have math. This all sounds so nice but there are a couple cons to this as well. If it doesn’t work out you may have math 5th period meaning that you have to go to 8th grade lunch. Your schedule may also be messed up so that you could be in two or more sections for one subject. Some math may be challenging but, you were put into 8th grade math for a reason, so tough it out. Even though some math may be hard some will be easy. You may be surprised that you are doing average or above. All in all 8th grade math is good for the brain and not “cool.”

A Tour In Photos- 3 Fantastic Pics By Emma R.

A river flowing by a valley in Zion National Park.







Sunset on the mountains in Zion National Park.






A hoodoo covered landscape in Bryce Canyon National Park.







Here's a map of where these places are:

Stevie Wonder Celebrates Sesame Street's 40th Birthday

Superstition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ul7X5jslvE

Taylor Swift By Caroline H.

Taylor Swift, the young 19 year old, has already been on Oprah, interviewed by an 11 yr. old, gone on tours, and has her music on iTunes.
Here is a review on Love Story, a recent hit:
Singing-
The actual singing, I have to hand it to her. Taylor has a phenomenal voice that she has been using since she was 11, when she wrote her first song. The one thing is that I occasionally notice her taking a breath that makes the song sound breathy, a quality that music shouldn't have unless it is supposed to.
The Message:
Taylor's message was not too good, almost like it's saying to act before you think. The basic storyline is she meets this guy who she absolutely loves. Then she sneaks out to meet with him and directly disobeys her father, who is very opposed to this. She just goes out to a garden in the middle of the might with a guy? Not the smartest thing to do.
The Words:
The words are in general very repetitive. I tracked the song and she repeated the phrase "Romeo save me... It's a love story baby just say yes" over five times almost in a row. Her words were telling a story that she just could've told speaking instead of singing, granted that it would sound better sung but all the same she just could've talked.
Here are some comments from the people that have listened to this:
"Bravo. She wrote a cliché-packed pop song with a theme stolen from the only book she ever read."
"Needs to display the theme better."
But there were some positives:
"I don't normally go for this type of stuff, but I can't deny that this song's catchy. And it makes some interesting Shakespeare references."
"I find this song heart touching."
There were many more opinions some much stronger than the ones above, and some less. Being a Taylor Swift lover myself, this made me come to my senses this song is not extremely good, just catchy. But isn't that what music business is about? Catchy? Truly?