Review of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

I listened to Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, on audiobook.  Part of it was really funny, and the rest I didn’t really get.  Some of the time, I didn’t get what was going on.

Like, I didn’t really understand how Becky and Tom suddenly walked into the cave, and got lost.

In this book, Tom Sawyer, a young conman, who wishes to be a pirate or an outlaw robber when he grows up, searches for a treasure of great value (lots of money.)

I highly recommend this book to people who want a funny read.

I visited the Mark Twain Cave, the same one where Tom and Becky were lost.  At the beginning, this cave has glimmering rocks, then later on, I found something that looked like a crystal.  Later on, I found out that this was the purest form of limestone, but it was so pretty that I kept it.

We listened to another book by Mark Twain called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  In this book, a boy named Huck Finn must face his blood curdling drunk of a father, and the rest of the world.  When I say the rest of the world, I mean a large portion of the world, the Mississippi River. 

Huck Finn doesn’t have the best life, but he tries to help a Black slave named Jim from slavery.  They must face the horrors of the Mississippi River such as the monstrous rapids, and the large rocks, and the big steamers. 

At the end, the runaway slave, Jim, was attempted to be freed by Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.  I can’t tell you everything, but I can say that the main idea of the story is that slavery is wrong, which I totally agree with.

If you want a good adventure raft story, this is the book to read.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Penguin Classics): Mark Twain, Guy Cardwell, John Seelye: Books

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Mark Twain: Books

Review of Wright 3

In the book, The Wright 3 by Blue Balliet, three kids who call themselves the Wright 3, try to save Robie House (designed by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright) from demolition.

I think the author tries to ask the question of whether the Robie House is a piece of art, or just a house.  I believe that the Robie House is just a pretty house, not a work of art. 

You want to know why I think that?  It’s because there is one thing that defines a house.  Is it a building that is lived in, or was lived in?  Yes, Robie House was lived in, so it is a house, not a work of art.

I know it goes against the spirit of it all, but I’m a big picture kind of guy.

The story was a good mystery, but I didn’t completely enjoy it because it’s not my kind of book.  It was a suspenseful mystery that left you wondering what would happen next.  I recommend it for people who like a thrilling mystery.

Related Post:

• An Architect’s Dream

Wright 3: Blue Balliett: Books

Review of Yolonda’s Genius

Yolonda’s Genius, by Carol Fenner, is about a girl named Yolanda who has a brother who supposedly is a genius on the harmonica, but no one knows this except her. Yolanda must get her brother noticed by everyone else.

Throughout the book, Yolanda learns what it means to be a genius. It means to be smart, but also to be able to take old material and turn into something new. In a way, Yolanda is also a genius because of the way she encourages her brother to play the harmonica well again, and how she gets him noticed.

It wasn't my favorite book, but it might be good for anyone who likes realistic fiction.

Yolonda's Genius: Carol Fenner: Books

Review of the Dinosaur Resource Center

I visited an amazing dinosaur museum that had a whole bunch of really cool dinosaurs.  They had:

• a T-Rex
• a Pteradon
• a Plesiasaur
• and a whole lot more.

We had a really good tour guide, who is pretty much a real Paleontologist, named Stephen.  He is in college, studying to be a paleontologist, and he works for the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center.  He’s gone on 12 digs in only two years.  That’s a lot!

Stephen encouraged me to be a paleontologist.  He said it was really fun, and not to worry about making money.  As long as you enjoy what you you’re doing, you can find a way to make enough money.  He’s my role model!

In the gift shop, they had real ammonites, and casts of lots of other dinosaur bones.  The Dinosaur Resource Center makes casts of dinosaur bones for museums around the world.

They even made made casts for the movie Sea Monters!

No museum in the world could top this one, they had everything, or a whole lot.  If you’re in Colorado, that’s the place to go.

Have a funasouraus day!

Sickening Prairie Dog Town

 

Today, we visited the Prairie Dog Town in Oakley, Kansas , or should I say, Animal Torture Ground.  There were several animals, treated like slaves, or at least that’s the kind of leisurely home they got.  You know how wolves need a lot of land to roam around in?  Well, there were two wolves stuck in a cement grounded, hole in roof so that rain can get in, teeny cage.

  

In the gift shop, they even made fun of the animals.  They cut a cow’s butt off and glued googly eyes to each cheek.  And, they had rattlesnake heads displayed everywhere.  The person running the place was no better.  He was a freaky looking guy who acted as if the animals just meant money.  He even gave us dog biscuits to feed the prairie dogs, and I do mean dog biscuits. 

An Architect’s Dream

I figured out what I want to be when I grow up.  I want to be an architect.  First of all, I want to be an architect because I really like to design buildings and build them on Roblox.  Second of all, I want to be an architect because I have all these great ideas for new houses of the future.  I even have a cool design for a really strong bridge.  I had a really good idea for an eco-friendly city, but Kayla teased and criticized me about it.  So, I gave that idea up, but I still want to be an architect.

We went to see the Robie House that was in Blue Balliett’s Wright 3.  The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the same architect who designed the Guggenheim, the round building.  I don’t usually enjoy visiting buildings, but this one had a very interesting design.  It was interesting because it had all these art glass windows, and when you’re in the area that leads to the front door, it feels like you’re already inside.  Plus, when you’re inside, it feels like you’re still outside.  It’s an inside-out house.

Another thing we did today was we went to the Chicago Blues Festival.  It wasn’t my ideal time for a Saturday.  There are a few reasons why I didn’t really enjoy it that much.  One was that it had just rained so everything was soaked.  Although I guess I should be happy that it wasn’t still raining.  Another reason was that all the singers were yelling, and it was so loud, I was afraid that I would lose my hearing before I even reached my 20s.

Wrap it all up, and it was just an ok Saturday.

The Beginning Of A Cross-Country Trip

Today is the first day of a trip across the country named the United States of America.  So far, on my trip, not much has happened yet.  Supplies are running low, and I don’t know if I can survive the whole summer, although we are getting back in time for my birthday at the end of August.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I’ll be sure not to tell you anything about that.  And the day after that, we are going to be in Chicago, famous for all its famous things.