Minute Physics

Hello! sorry I haven't been posting! I started middle school so I haven't had the time for posts.

Something I've been a lot lately (and it's not my homework) is a You Tube show called Minute Physics. There are lots of videos, and they are all about really interesting stuff. I've been spending my spring break on all the old ones, learning about things like the tides, and Albert Einstein's theories, and quantum tunnelling (which is really really complicated and I can't explain it).

Here's the link--enjoy!

Two from Doug Tennapel--Bad Island and Ghostopolis

Hello! I'm back with something really special--a double review of two great graphic novels by Doug Tennapel.

First up, Bad Island. In this book a family of four go out for an outing in a small sailboat, but when the weather turns nasty, they are blown to an unusual island where they meet some of their fiercest, wildest, and weirdest creatures on earth (maybe in the whole galaxy). With something hunting them, they can't afford to care about health and hygiene-- they're caught in a battle of life and death! Thrills, chills, and excellent pictures!


Ghostopolis. In this book, what seems to be a normal boy is transported to the spirit world, where the laws of the real world are turned on their head (which is why ghosts are able to fly). In his perilous adventure, he meets a nightmare--a skeleton horse--he calls Skinny, and the ghost of his long-dead grandfather. A ghost hunter who has been fired and a ghost who escaped to the living world try to find the boy and return him to his proper place, while evil bug creatures under the ruler of the ghost world try to find and destroy him...

I think this is a brilliant use of art to help tell an exciting story! I'd have to say I liked this one best, but Bad Island is pretty great as well.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

A few weeks ago, I read the book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin. It both won the Newbery Honor and is the book for Kids Reading Across Rhode Island. I got a copy for free at the kickoff event for that.

This book involves the old man of the moon, a dragon who can’t fly, a talking goldfish, and a girl who’s determined to change the fortune of her family. The book starts out in a small village where everything is muddy. And by everything I mean everything. Then one day a man selling goldfish comes, and the girl, whose name is Minli, buys a goldfish with one of her two coins that she got when she was a baby. Her mother is furious, but her father points out that it is her money, and she can spend it.

With the advice of the goldfish, who can talk, Minli starts out on a journey to find the old man of the moon, to ask him how to change her family’s fortune. On the way she meets a dragon who is tied down and can’t fly. She unties the dragon while the dragon tells her his tale. In this story, a painter was painting a dragon for the emperor, who is a very, very angry fellow. He did not put eyes in the painting, and when he gave it too the emperor, he was furious that the painting was unfinished, but when he saw that he could make a simple brushstroke to finish it, he did. But then the dragon came alive, broke through the palace wall, and ran away. That’s just one of the stories within the story, of which there are tons.

With the dragon, Minli and the goldfish travel to a city where they borrow a page from the book of the future, and a string of destiny. Then they find another village, but when she came there she was almost killed by the green tiger, the spirit of the emperor described above. Two of the children of the village defeat the green tiger, by tricking him so that he falls into a well. Then after a brief stop in the village they escort Minli up the endless mountain.

She then gets to the man of the moon, but what question will she ask him? And will Fruitless Mountain ever bear fruit? Find out by reading the book yourself!

I loved this book so much because of the plot, the characters, and the magic of it all. Also I liked this book even though most “common sense” says white boys only like to read books bout white boys, and books with short sentences, few words, and lots of action. I fall completely out of this category, and completely loved this. Because of the talk she gave, I know that the second book she tried to write, the publishing company tried to whitewash her book, and told her to make the Chinese girl into a white boy. Thank goodness she didn’t do that here with this story!

Here's a picture of me listening to Grace talk (borrowed from Grace Lin's blog). I am the one in the maroon shirt on the right.

And Tango Makes Three

Today I read "And Tango Makes Three" a book that you've probably all have heard of, and some of you might even have read. We've been meaning to get it out of the library for ages, but never got around it until now. Tango Makes Three is one of the most challenged books children's books in the United States. In this book, there were two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo, Roy and Silo. They acted to each other as though one were male and the other female. The two male penguins started building a nest, as all penguin couples did, but got no eggs (because of both being male). So the zoo keeper gave them an egg that wasn't being looked after. And Roy and Silo looked after it. Eventually, it hatched, and out came Tango!

Roy and Silo were good parents. Tango was the first penguin in the zoo (perhaps in the world) to have two daddies.

I loved this book because it's a very sweet story! I recommend it to kids aged five and up.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, is a classic that I just read (although I'd seen the movie). I'm reading the sequel, Prince Caspian, now.

In the L., the W., and the W., four ordinary kids--Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy--are evacuated to an old house in the countryside in World War II. In this house, they find in a spare room a wardrobe. Lucy hides in the wardrobe and finds that it is a doorway to the fantastical country of Narnia! Eventually, they all find their way through to Narnia, and are swept up into an adventure where they have to pit their wits and everything else they have against the White Witch! She has made it always winter in Narnia, and never Christmas.

But Edmund had made it to Narnia by himself, and met the White Witch. She had made him think that she was the Good Guy! So he betrayed his siblings, only to find that she herself had planned to betray him...and he became her captive.

The real Good Guy is Aslan, the magical lion. He comes back from over the sea and sets in motion the fall of the White Witch. But she still has a lot of power....

Who will win? What will happen to the children? And will Christmas come?

(of course you've probably read the book or seen the movie, so you know the answers).

I liked this book because of all the action, and because the story was utterly amazing and fascinating. My favorite character, was Peter, the oldest--I could sort of relate to him, because I am an older brother too.

For the next Pickled Times, I'm going to rank this against another fantasy classic--The Lord of the Rings! I might even throw in a few other books.... possibly even Zita the Space Girl....

Zita the Spacegirl

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (2011) is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. in two days, I had read it 5 times!!!!!!!!!!!

Zita and her friend Joseph are ordinary kids. While running around, they find a crater with a mysterious device inside a rock at the bottom of it. This device has a big red button. Zita, being the more adventurous type, presses it. Nothing happens. She presses it a few more times, and a portal opens, much to their surprise. Out of it comes the tentacles of an alien, tentacles that snatch Joseph and pull him back through the portal. The portal closes again, and Zita, horrified by what she has done, runs away. Then she decides to rescue Joseph, gets the mysterious device, and hits the button. When the portal opens again, she jumps through it.

When she lands, she finds herself in an alien world with mysterious creatures at every turn. She runs off through the strange streets, and once again sees the tentacled alien, pulling Joseph along. She reaches for the mysterious device, but a creature (who Zeta eventually finds is named Strong-Strong) steps on it, breaking it.

Will Zeta be able to rescue Joseph and get back through the portal? Why was Joseph captured? And where in the galaxy have they ended up? Find out in Zita the Space Girl!

This book I suggest for ages seven up. It is a bit scary, and some of the characters are a bit creepy (like the tentacled thing, and other strange creatures). But she makes friends with some of the aliens (like Strong-Strong), and they help her along the way.

I loved it because it was so exciting. It was really good. Zita is a very good character; she reminds me of my brother in personality because both are adventurous and mischievous (which sometimes gets them into trouble), daring, loyal, and determined.

Candy Bomber, by Michael O. Tunnell

Candy Bomber, The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot", by Michael O. Tunnell (2010, 104 pages).

This book is about a pilot who drops candy over East Berlin, so that the kids have a treat. You've probably heard of the second world war, and probably about the Berlin War...but here's some background information.After WW II, Germany was divided into 2 parts--the allies of Great Britain, the US, and France took one half, and the Soviet Union took the other. Berlin was in the Soviet half, East Germany, so the western alliance decided that Berlin should be split as well, into east and west halves. Then in 1948 the Soviets decided to starve out the West Berliners, and so giant aircraft started flying from the west to bring food to the western half, because there was no other way to get food into that part of the city.

Back to the story. One US pilot, Gail Halvorsen, saw a bunch of kids backed up against a fence on one of his missions. He saw that they wanted more than just food, so he gave them the only candy he had, two sticks of gum. To his surprise, they didn't fight over it--they broke into many pieces, to share. And he went back to his plane, and flew off.

He soon decided that he easily drop parachutes with candy attached, and so the candy bombing of West Berlin began. When he had candy to drop, he would wiggle the wings of his aircraft--and so Operation Viggles was underway. It brought happiness and hope to the children, many of whom still remembered the deadly bombs from the end of the war.

An excellent piece of non-fiction, with lots of information contained in both historic pictures and words. I greatly enjoyed reading this!

The pickled times; first ever issue!

Hey guys! You are looking at a historic post--the very first ever Pickled Times!

Here I will give you updates, fun facts, and sneak peaks about what books I might be reviewing next!

Updates:

Poptropica: coming soon, Cryptid Island! A great one for fans of Nathaniel Flood, Beastologist!


Dragonfable: First Snow is here! Have you completed the Falcon Reach Idol quest?

And my igloo on Club Penguin is decorated to the herring gills with Christmas goodness!

Fun Facts:

One of the best places for this is io9, but you have to ask your parents for permission--some of it is a bit too old for those of us younger than 12.

From my little brother: "I am reading the Harry Potter books. I started three weeks ago and have almost finished Book 4, The Goblet of Fire."


Sneak Peaks:

The book I want most for Christmas: Book 3 of the Prometheus Project--Surrounded

Books coming soon on pickledbananas: The Edge Chronicles, vols. 1 and 2, and Candy Bombers.

In issue 3, my very own comic strip will be here!

See you soon!

Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science (my 50th post!)

Case Closed? by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Michael Wandelmair (2010, Kids Can Press) is a very excellent piece of non-fiction, probably one of the best books I've ever read. Inside it, it offers answers (as far as is possible) to nine most intriguing and puzzling mysteries ever. They include the stories of the INS Dakar, the Anasazi, and what befell Hapshepsut. So you can see, the book is global in scope.

They used lots of different approaches in solving the mysteries. The scientists involved used computer simulations, archaeology, genetics, forensics, historical evidence, and, in at least one case, the search for the legendary city of Ubar, satellite imagery. It was fascinating!

The most intriguing thing is, is that some of the mysteries here aren't fully understood--for example, what happened to Hapshsut's father, King Thutmose I. But in some cases, you actually get the answer--Anastasia, the lost princess of Russia, was never really lost, and neither was her brother--they were just buried separately!

I'd like to see a sequel, because I know some mysteries they've missed--things like Shangri La, and King Arthur, Flight 19 in the Bermuda Triangle....

I'd recommend this to kids above the age of eight, because some of the pictures are a little disturbing (dead people) as are some of the stories (like the burial and exhumation of the Romanovs).

The Whipping Boy

The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman, is a brilliant work of literature. A whipping boy is a boy plucked off the streets, and when the prince does something naughty or bad, like tying all the lords and dukes powder wigs to the chairs, the whipping boy is called in to take the prince's punishment.

The setting is long ago-there are horse drawn carriages, and powdered wigs, so it seems Georgian. Also there a boiled potatoes--so it has to be after the European discovery of America. The main events take place in a castle, a forest, a town, and a fair.

There are two main characters. First is a spoiled and obnoxious prince, known as Prince Brat. His silliest maneuver--while fleeing the castle (more about this later), he takes his crown with, probably to make villains kneel before him, says the narrator. The second is Jemmy, a boy from the streets, is the whipping boy of the title. Cool fact--Jemmy started out as a rat catcher, but as a whipping boy, he learned to read and write.

In this book, Prince Brat, who is probably one of the most naughty boys in the land, decides to get out of the castle because it is so boring. He has done every single prank he can imagine, and none of them are to his liking. So he decides to run away with his whipping boy...who by the end of the book is his best friend...Jemmy of the streets. In their journey they meet two of the most dreadful villains ever, Hold Your Nose Billy, and Cutwater. They take all the food the boys have, which was mostly packed by Prince Brat, and worse, they ask them to write a letter to the king saying that if he ever wants to see his son again, he will have to bring them a wagon load full of gold. A wagon load. How much is a wagon load? Probably if you got a wagon load full of American dollars you'd be a millionaire.

After easily running away from the baddies, the boys run into a girl with a dancing bear, who scares off the villains who are still on their tail. Then boys, girl, and bear hitch a lift with the hot-potato man who is going to the fair. There they run into Cutwater and Hold Your Nose Billy once again. They flee through sewers...will they be eaten by rats, or will they find some way to escape?

This is probably one of my favorite books. I first heard of it when it was used as a piece of literature we had to correct in my classroom, and my teacher suggested reading it. I looked in her library, but it wasn't there; happily, I found it in the public library. I liked it because the characters were very interesting, and the plot was great!

One especially interesting thing, I think, is that the chapter titles (things like "In which we observe a hair-raising even") treat you not as a reader, but as a character. My mom says this is just an old fashioned style of chapter titling, but I liked it!

A very funny YouTube clip for Lord of the Rings Fans!

Check out what my dad found on YouTube:



Isn't that hilarical!

The Prometheus Project--Trapped

The Prometheus Project is a very good work of science fiction for middle grade kids. To date, there are two books in the series--Trapped (2006) and Captured (2007). My mother first got these to review on her own blog last year, and now finally I have read them.


In Trapped, two very ordinary kids, Ryan and Regan Resnick, move to a very boring town called Brewster, PA--"more like snooze-ter," they think. When they overhear a discussion between their parents about secret codes at the mysterious Protract Company that their parents work for, their curiosity is overwhelming and they decide to go explore the Protract Company for themselves.

What they find is something that is completely out of this world. Really.

The Protrac Company has been been working on something called the Prometheus Project. A bit of history--Prometheus was one of the Titans, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. Fire, if used correctly, is very useful. But it can also be very dangerous. The same is true for the secret of the Prometheus Project. Beneath a cloud of trees, in a building whose signs warn of lethal amounts of radioactivity, lies an alien city.

And Ryan and Regan made it through all the security elements (including guards) and gotten into the city, where an accident with a generator kills their mother, and they go back in time. Will they be able to go back and save their mother, or will they be trapped in a paradox forever?

As you can see, because there is a sequel, the answer to this question is obvious...and I'm glad, because I found these books so interesting! The descriptions of the technology, and the technology itself, is fabulous, and the characters are brilliant. Overall, the book is great. I would recommend this to kids who love science fiction, time travel, and things that involve technology, and even people who like non-fiction!

The Call (The Magnificent 12 Book 1)

The Call (The Magnificent 12 Book 1), by Michael Grant (2010), is one of the best books I've ever read! It falls into the top five most favorite books of my life! It combines the outrageous, the impossible, the amazing, and the hilarical into one thing. It's a fantasy book gone mad!

A very ordinary kid named Mack gets himself in hot water with his school's head bully, Stefan. When Stefan accidentally punches his fist through thick glass (instead of Mack's head, as planned), Mac ends up saving him from bleeding to death. Stefan decides to take Mack under his wing....and then Grimlock, a weird guy, old and stinky who sort of looks like like a ghost, appears and things start going nuts. This old guy has plans for Mack, plans that involve defeating an ancient evil that was imprisoned for three thousand years...the Pale Queen!!! aka the Dreaded Foe!!!

So Mack, with his bodyguard, Stefan, are whisked off on an airplane to Australia...but things go wrong (in an ancient evil returning sort of way), and the boys are almost killed. Will the spell Mack learned from Grimlock save them, or will one of Mac's phobias come true, and he'll get eaten by sharks? Find out in THE MAGNIFICENT 12 THE CALL!

Grimlock's story about his fight with the Pale Queen is told in separate chapters, and it was sometimes a bit confusing. But that was the only thing wrong with the book.

I recommend this for all kids my age! A very good choice if you are in a local bookstore and have the money to buy it!

There's also a cool website, with games and information about the characters and places and objects--here it is.

Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary

The Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary (DK 2009) is a giant compendium of lego Star Wars models (duh--kind of obvious from the title). In this book you can find your favorite characters, ships, droids, and tons of other stuff you never knew had become lego! (and probably never needed to know). All the podracers from Episode 1 became legos, there are more bounty hunters than I knew existed...and so much more. There's lots of Star Wars information, and, of course, lego information alongside each model pictured.

My brother and I have spent hours browsing through this books-it's one of our favorites! And each book comes with a minifigure--we got and Episode 4 Luke!

It's a Secret! by John Burningham

It's a Secret! (2009), written and illustrated by John Burningham, is an excellent picture book. It's about a cat whose name is Malcolm. Usually he slept during the day, and every night he went out. One day, Marie Elaine, Malcolm's owner, wanted a drink of water in the night. So she went down stairs and found that her cat was dressed in handsome clothes! He was going to a party, and he invited Marie Elaine to come. She became small enough to fit through the cat flap, and off they went. Then Norman, a little boy in the neighborhood, saw them, and came along to the party too!

But, to get the party, they had to make it past the mean old dogs...and they did! And that's all I'm going to tell you, because I don't want to spoil the story!

It's silly and magical and fun! Nothing is explained...which room for a lot of imagination!

I like the story better than the illustrations--the illustrations look too much like a kid's drawings for me.

THE mostly TRUE ADVENTURES of HOMER P. FIGG

THE mostly TRUE ADVENTURES of HOMER P. FIGG, by Rodman Philbrick (The Blue Sky Press, 2009)

Told in the first person, from Homer's point of view (but not a diary).

Homer and Harold Figg--two orphans, living with their mean old uncle, Squinton Leach, who hates everything, thinks people are better when they're gloomy, and keeps the boys in the barn, likes animals. While Homer and Harold are feeding the pigs, Homer decides to take a piece of the stale crust for himself. When Leach sees this, he goes into a fury. Harold stands up for his little brother, and tells Leach that he feeds the hogs better then them.

So Harold gets sold to the Union Army illegally, and is sent off to fight in the Civil War. Homer runs away to find his brother, and on that adventure he faces slave hunters, guardian fail, even more guardian fail, a medicine show full of treachery and deceit, and the War itself!

This is a great book if you want a bit of action combined with history. If Homer was in my school, I'd automatically want him to be my friend--he's someone who gets things done the right way, but sometimes he has no idea where the train will turn...

This was one of my summer reading books, and I'm making a power point about. Great read! I suggest that everyone read it, because it might well become a classic (and in fact it was a Newbery Honor book).

My brand new wii!

On Monday I got a brand new Nintendo wii for my birthday, and ever since we've got it, the amount of time spent playing on the computer and watching tv has plummeted! I like a lot better because it is a lot more active, and everyone in the family likes. So it's a good thing to have.

I also got books, and an egg drop kit--I've read them all (reviews coming some). Even though I was playing the wii...Time these days. It seems to have loose ends...

(I haven't had a chance to build the egg protector yet. Perhaps tomorrow).

Ragtag, by Karl Wolf-Morgenlander

Ragtag, by Karl Wolf-Morgenlander (2010, Clarion, 226 pages)

Ragtag is a swallow who lives in Boston. He's one of the members of a group of birds called the Feathered Alliance. I won't tell you much about the Alliance, because I don't want to spoil the book. But I'll tell you a little--the Alliance is a group of non-predatory birds, led at first by the great owl Hoogol (even though he's a carnivore, he doesn't eat other birds).

The Talon Empire (raptors) is attacking Boston! The other clans of birds are trying desperately to defend themselves. Ragtag goes from an outsider to the leader of the Feathered Alliance, and using his quick wit, stubborn personality, and a few tricks (in the form of eagles!), helps his friends win the war.

I loved this book because of Ragtag's personality (he reminds of my little brother--he's very stubborn, and even annoying). It's a great book for anyone eight and up. High quality action.

I can't quite visualize what the human residents of Boston made of the whole thing--some were good, some were bad, and they all posed problems to the birds. But more to the Talon Empire....

A Nest for Celeste, by Henry Cole

A Nest for Celeste, by Henry Cole (2010, HarperCollins) is about a mouse looking for a home.

Celeste is a mouse; to be precise, a basket-maker mouse. She lives in a hole in the side of the dinning room wall. Her only company is the big black cat (who wants to eat her!) and two rat bullies--not much company there! Then one day when she is out foraging, she is chased up the stairs by the cat, into a room, and under the bed....there she finds a boot in which to make a home, and she makes it comfortable with a sock and some leaves.


That morning a man named Joseph finds her there, and makes her his pet. As Celeste finds out, Joseph is a very good friend. Joseph paints birds, but instead of doing it the way his master does (he takes dead birds and pins them up), Joseph likes to paint from real life.

In her adventures with Joseph, Celeste meets a bird called Cornelius, an osprey named Lafayette, and she goes through floods, death-defying chases, and another nasty encounter with the rats. Her basket making skills come in useful....

And in the end, Celeste has a home (a lovely one!). And that is what she wanted.

This is one of my all time favorite books. It is really moving. I cared a lot about Celeste. The illustations were great too. If you have ever read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it is sort of like that, because it is both pictures taking up whole pages, and also a lot of writing.

Guess who Joesph's teacher is! (he's the most famous bird painter in America....he has a society named after him...and his name starts with "a").

Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children

Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children, by Conn Iggulden, is imaginative, strange in a silly way, and takes explosion to a high art. In this thrilling collection of three stories, we met the Tollins. Here's what Tollins aren't:

"Tollins are not fairies. Though they both have wings, fairies are delicate creatures and much smaller. When he was young, Sparkler [a Tollin] accidentally broke one and had to shove it behind a bush before its friends noticed.

In addition, fairies cannot sing B-sharp. They can manage a very nice B-flat, in a quite sweet voice, but B-sharp comes out like a frog being run over by a bicycle. Tollins regard fairies as fluttery show-offs and occasionally use them to wipe out the insides of cups." (page 15)

They aren't like us, either. They are small, and have wings. Unfortunately, because they weigh so much, they can only use their wings for short hops over the ground.

In these stories, a young Tollin named Sparkler and his friends and family survive all the world can throw at them--being fired up in rockets by greedy fireworks makers, thrown into jail, and encounters with mysterious Dark Tollins from up north (note--although most of the other Tollins were used in fireworks, Sparkler was the only one who got thrown in jail).

The episodes include:

1. How to Blow up Tollins
2. Sparkler and the Purple Death
3. Windbags and Dark Tollins

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys either small mystical creatures or things that go boom. Or people looking for a good book to read.

Age: Any. It was pretty easy to read, and there were lots of illustrations.

Iggulden also wrote The Dangerous Book for Boys.