Ideas for a Book
Chapter 1- Overwhelming 6th Grade • October, Thursday
How could I be getting a D in science? Wait scratch that! A D-! How is that possible? Joan Allison O’Higgins does NOT get Ds! Let’s go back to the beginning of the year. I wasn’t confused with all this stuff about cells and osmosis! What happened?
Oh, well. I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. It’s not like I’m going to be a biologist when I grow up. I’m going to be a journalist.
As a matter of fact, I pretty have my whole life planned out. After I graduate from Woodrow Wilson School for Stinkers (it’s actually Woodrow Wilson School for Wildcats but…) I am going to move with my mom and my dad and my little sister Hannah and of course Sasha and Mittens, my beloved dog and cat! We are going to move to Northampton, Massachusetts. There, I will go to Northampton High School which sounds like a regular old public school but it’s not! You can take classes at the nearby college! They also have journalism classes not to mention advanced writing!
I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I graduate. But does that really matter right this second? No. That’s what I thought. J
I am short, skinny and pale. It sounds like I would be ugly but I don’t think I’m that horrendous! I have freckles, a cute button nose, and brown straight hair that’s a little under my chin, but I’m growing it out! My favorite facial feature (on me) are my eyes! They are light, light blue.
But anyway back to my school year so far. God, I hate it so much. And my teacher is a health freak. If you start coughing she’ll make you put on a surgery mask. I’ve never been faced with the horribleness of wearing one but I probably will be one time or another. Sigh.
The only thing that gets me through it all are my best friends in the whole wide world! They are Annabelle, Chelsie, Lily, and Mackenzie. Annabelle is the nicest person you will ever meet, Chelsie is the smartest person you will ever meet, Lily is the prettiest person you will ever meet, and Mackenzie (more commonly known as Mickey or Mickers ) is the funniest person you will ever meet! Put a dash of my likeable weirdness and charm into that and BAM! You get the Wonder Girls! Me and my friends just being ourselves and trying not to get caught up in the middle school drama. We don’t exactly dominate the 6th grade but we are liked, I suppose.
I just wish that it could be simpler. And that I was rich too of course but that probably won’t happen. Unless I win the lottery which I don’t play.
One cool thing that we are doing is debates! I’m the moderator which is kind of like the host. I think it’s going to be pretty cool but it’s hard. I am also sort of organizing everything with Ms.Gail and Ms.Martinez. Ms.Gail is the Media Center teacher and Mr.Martinez is my social studies and communications teacher. I absolutely HATE my art teacher Ms.Piffler! She says that there are no mistakes in art and then she finds hundreds of mistakes in our pieces of art! Grrr.
Another bad thing about 6th grade is that we have to lug our giants backpacks around with us everywhere. It is SO annoying. My buddy Daniel thought of this really funny idea. It’s like the Periodic Table of Evolution of Woodrow Wilson school. The 6th graders are hunchbacks and are really mad looking. Hmmm… I wonder why.
There’s really nothing else going on. No romances. I mean we are in 6th grade for heavens sake.
I have a relatively good life. Nice friends. Cool pets. Awesome family. Good grades. My only regret is this one- I can’t write a book!
I just always have writers block. It’s so annoying. If you’re a young writer you know what I mean! You just write three pages and then forget about it. I don’t blame you. You’ve got soccer practice and piano lessons and all that. And I don’t blame myself either! It’s hard! I have to study every night not to mention do homework. Then I have ballroom dancing classes that I need to go to in the city on Sundays. Signing up for those classes were a big mistake. I guess the classes will get better as I do but for now they are a BIG drag. And I mean big. So one of these days I might just write a book. But that’s not today. Or tomorrow. Because right now I have to do homework and tomorrow I’m going to Annabelle’s house. Soon, though.
Chapter 2- Halloween • October, Sunday
You may think this is weird and childish but I actually am going to dress up for Halloween. The only big change I’m making to my Halloween night is that I am not going trick or treating. You may think I’m crazy but I just don’t like candy!
I am also going to the Halloween dance. The dances always stink but I think I’ll go to it anyway. Ha ha ha.
I have no idea what to dress up as for Halloween. It’s a big problemo of mine. I can never think of what to dress up as. And then when I do nobody knows what I am. It’s actually kind of sad, really.
Friday at Annabelle’s house we used an Ouji Board. It was sooo scary! An Ouiji board is this thing used to contact spirits. Luckily there were only good spirits in her house! Chelsie and Lily were there too. Plus Annabelle’s little sister, Shannon.
We used the board to contact my Grandpa Meatballs and Annabelle’s Grandpa Harvey. One time the board lifted about an half inch off the ground. It was probably the scariest experience I’ve ever had.
The only thing I regret about doing that is that I feel really paranoid now. Like I walk into a room and feel like I’m being followed of watched. It is not cool.
I really don’t have much to say about Halloween itself. It’s actually one of my least favorite holidays. (Christmas being my favorite.) I like Christams not because of all the presents. Well that’s a factor but not all of why I love it. This is going to sound really corny but love Christmas because all of my family is there and it’s just so happy. That’s the only word for it! Happy!
Oh great. Writers block. Why now? I was on a roll.
OOOOOOh I know what I’ll dress up as for Halloween! A SPIDER! Naw that’s stupid. Dog? Cat? Dead bride? Pumpkin? Gypsy? Policewoman? Firewoman? Doctor? Girraffe? TV? None of these are original! Sigh. I’m hopeless.
HOLD ON BACKTRACK! What about a policewoman? That could just work…
I could get a hat and a badge and all that! Woo-wee. That might be hard…
Maybe a doctor would be easier! I already have a lab coat and one of those doctor kit things. This might just WORK!
I don’t want to be too tacky, though. Maybe I’ll just look around the internet a little...
Ugh so many choices! Well, I better get crackin’!
WOO HOO! Here’s one! How about a raggedy anne doll? Oh yaaaay! I’ll keep looking but this on is a winner!I could be a jailbird!Or Cleopatra! Maybe a pirate! SUPER WOMAN! Duh duh duh DUUUUH! Heeeeere coooooooooooomes Super Wooomaaaaaan! Alrights this is too much to remember. I’m going to make a list.
Halloween Costumes
By Joan Allison O’Higgins
Superwoman
Jailbird
Pirate
Rageddy anne doll
Doctor
Pirate
Policewoman
AND MORE TO COME!
Alrighty sounds good! Well I have to go to dance classes now. BLECH. Joan, OUT!
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That's all I have for now but I'm still working on it! Hope it's good!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Alternate Ending
An Alternate Ending to The Mummy The Will and The Crypt
Original book by John Bellairs
Johnny woke up suddenly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes to find he was in a hospital. Grandpa, the Proffesor,and Fergie were there. Grandpa’s eyes look red and puffy as if he had been crying. They were all looking grim and cheerless. Suddenly, Johnny remembered the whole reason why he had snuck up to the Squam House, has creeped into the haunted estate at midnight, had been chased by a mummified Chad Glomus, and had almost been burnt to a crisp.
“Where’s Grandma?” Johnny asked. When nobody answered, but merely looked gravely at each other, Johnny raised his voice and asked again. “Where is Grandma? Why isn’t she here? Where…”
“Grandma’s surgery… failed. I’m sorry Johnny,” Grandpa said without taking his eyes off the floor. He didn’t want Johnny to see that he was crying. Johnny was looking from the Professor, to Fergie, and back to the Professor with a look that suggested he was waiting for one of them to yell “April Fools!” Neither of them did.
Waves of despair crashed over Johnny. This couldn’t be happening! Grandma couldn’t be… Johnny couldn’t bring himself to even think the word. The D word. He wouldn’t be able to bare not ever seeing grandma smile again, or hear her laugh. Even though he had a giant headache and was hurting all over, he attempted to get up.
“No, Johnny. You can’t get up. You have a concussion. Lay down and just rest,” said the professor.
A couple of days later Johnny was back home, thinking that life was just going to back to normal when a white limousine pulled up into the driveway. Two women stepped out of it. One of them was very rich looking and was carrying an envelope. The other one looked remotely familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen her before. She looked pale and had scraggly blonde hair.
“Are you Johnny Dixon?” asked the rich looking one when he came to the door.
“Yes…” Johnny replied falteringly.
“I am Annabelle Glomus. This is for you Johnny,” the woman said, handing the envelope to Johnny. He took it and opened it slowly with shaking hands. Inside it was $10,000.
“For finding the will?” Johnny asked. The woman smiled warmly at him and nodded. Johnny could hardly talk, but he managed to say, “But I… I can’t accept this, Mam’. I didn’t find it.”
“Come on. You can’t turn that down, Johnny,” said the pale blonde woman, At first Johnny was scared because she knew him and he didn’t know her, but then she smiled at him and he remembered where he had seen her before.
“But, but, that’s impossible! Your dead!” he cried!
“No I’m not! If I were dead I wouldn’t be here!” replied Johnny’s mother.
Pretty soon they were all gathered around the dining table; Johnny, Grandpa, Johnny’s mother (named Josephine) and even Annabelle Glomus.
“So Josephine, will you please explain why you faked being dead?” asked Grandpa impatiently.
“Calm down, Peter! And I did not fake my death! Just let me explain!” Josephine continued, “Johnny was just a baby when it happened. Me and my sister Darlene were out walking one night. We were kidnapped, took away. Everyone thought that I had died but it was actually Darlene. We were identical twins and the kidnappers had switched our wallets to bamboozle the police. I’ve been looking for you forever Johnny! Trying to find out where you live, any trace even the faintest that might point me to your wherabouts. And then a week ago I bought the paper. And there you were on the front, my little baby!” Josephine concluded. Grandpa let out a low whistle. Josephine was crying tears of happiness while hugging Johnny as if she’d never let go.
As she sniffled Josephine stated, “And there’s more Johnny! Come with me everybody!” They ran outside and there standing in the driveway, leaning nonchalantly was a weather-beaten Aaron Dixon, Johnny’s father. So the Dixons were back together, at least for now.
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Original book by John Bellairs
Johnny woke up suddenly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes to find he was in a hospital. Grandpa, the Proffesor,and Fergie were there. Grandpa’s eyes look red and puffy as if he had been crying. They were all looking grim and cheerless. Suddenly, Johnny remembered the whole reason why he had snuck up to the Squam House, has creeped into the haunted estate at midnight, had been chased by a mummified Chad Glomus, and had almost been burnt to a crisp.
“Where’s Grandma?” Johnny asked. When nobody answered, but merely looked gravely at each other, Johnny raised his voice and asked again. “Where is Grandma? Why isn’t she here? Where…”
“Grandma’s surgery… failed. I’m sorry Johnny,” Grandpa said without taking his eyes off the floor. He didn’t want Johnny to see that he was crying. Johnny was looking from the Professor, to Fergie, and back to the Professor with a look that suggested he was waiting for one of them to yell “April Fools!” Neither of them did.
Waves of despair crashed over Johnny. This couldn’t be happening! Grandma couldn’t be… Johnny couldn’t bring himself to even think the word. The D word. He wouldn’t be able to bare not ever seeing grandma smile again, or hear her laugh. Even though he had a giant headache and was hurting all over, he attempted to get up.
“No, Johnny. You can’t get up. You have a concussion. Lay down and just rest,” said the professor.
A couple of days later Johnny was back home, thinking that life was just going to back to normal when a white limousine pulled up into the driveway. Two women stepped out of it. One of them was very rich looking and was carrying an envelope. The other one looked remotely familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen her before. She looked pale and had scraggly blonde hair.
“Are you Johnny Dixon?” asked the rich looking one when he came to the door.
“Yes…” Johnny replied falteringly.
“I am Annabelle Glomus. This is for you Johnny,” the woman said, handing the envelope to Johnny. He took it and opened it slowly with shaking hands. Inside it was $10,000.
“For finding the will?” Johnny asked. The woman smiled warmly at him and nodded. Johnny could hardly talk, but he managed to say, “But I… I can’t accept this, Mam’. I didn’t find it.”
“Come on. You can’t turn that down, Johnny,” said the pale blonde woman, At first Johnny was scared because she knew him and he didn’t know her, but then she smiled at him and he remembered where he had seen her before.
“But, but, that’s impossible! Your dead!” he cried!
“No I’m not! If I were dead I wouldn’t be here!” replied Johnny’s mother.
Pretty soon they were all gathered around the dining table; Johnny, Grandpa, Johnny’s mother (named Josephine) and even Annabelle Glomus.
“So Josephine, will you please explain why you faked being dead?” asked Grandpa impatiently.
“Calm down, Peter! And I did not fake my death! Just let me explain!” Josephine continued, “Johnny was just a baby when it happened. Me and my sister Darlene were out walking one night. We were kidnapped, took away. Everyone thought that I had died but it was actually Darlene. We were identical twins and the kidnappers had switched our wallets to bamboozle the police. I’ve been looking for you forever Johnny! Trying to find out where you live, any trace even the faintest that might point me to your wherabouts. And then a week ago I bought the paper. And there you were on the front, my little baby!” Josephine concluded. Grandpa let out a low whistle. Josephine was crying tears of happiness while hugging Johnny as if she’d never let go.
As she sniffled Josephine stated, “And there’s more Johnny! Come with me everybody!” They ran outside and there standing in the driveway, leaning nonchalantly was a weather-beaten Aaron Dixon, Johnny’s father. So the Dixons were back together, at least for now.
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The Newspaper Article
Meli and Chels, my two co-workers as you might call them, and I, of course, did an awesome job on the article! It really was fun, actually! We got to interview some people and Chels told me that we are going to get to take our own pictures! Maybe the middle school newspaper isn't that bad!!!
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