Puddlejumpers

Puddlejumpers is a wonderfully written book by Mark Jean and Christopher Carlson. It is a touching yet exciting story about an orphan boy who discovers his mysterious past through a group of 11-inch tall creatures. When finally the time comes, he must help them defeat the enemy.

A baby boy is born to a couple, but the mother dies after the child is born. Now only the his father is left to care for the baby. One day, the baby disappears. The father, filled with grief, searches everywhere for him. Meanwhile, baby Shawn is being raised by a small group of creatures called puddlejumpers. Suddenly, the need arises for Shawn to be moved to a safer location. While on the run from a dreaded monster, he is found by a human and is taken to an orphanage for boys.

Ernie Banks, once known as Shawn, is now thirteen and still at the orphanage. He has tried many families but still has not found his place due to the fact that he is always getting into trouble. He befriends boys at the orphanage, though only to lose them to adopting families. When finally, Ernie has gotten into trouble one too many times, he is sent to work on a farm. Coincidentally enough, he unknowingly is sent to work on his father's farm. Ernie is welcomed kindly by the farm's owner, his father, and is a good worker in return. Though soon he finds out about the baby that disappeared thirteen years ago, and takes it upon himself to find him.

While exploring the farm's land, Ernie also explores his own past. Ernie finds a puddlejumper that is hurt and nurtures it back to health. She tells him that he is Shawn, the missing baby. She also explains that he needs to help them defeat the monsters, and gives him a crystal acorn to help him succeed. Though through many hardships, Ernie accomplishes his quest and saves the puddlejumpers. He goes on further and tells his father he is Shawn, his missing son.

I loved this book because of it's adventure filled pages. For example, Ernie was so brave as to explore a spooky home, and to venture through to a fiery furnace. Ernie finally found where he belonged, but did not see his 11-inch friends again. Each page leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next

Faith

June Bugg

My puppy is one of the highest jumping dogs I have ever seen! She will jump for treats, toys,bones, food, the list goes on and on. June Bugg will especially jump if she wants the same toy jasmine (my other dog) does and will try to get it before her. I figured out that she will not jump as much or as high when you are video taping her, but I tried my best. Here are the best videos out of many that weren't so good.


Faith

(P.S. Junie looks black in the videos but is actually brindle.)

The Key Lime Cove

What an awesome Christmas present! For our gift from our parents, we got to spend three watery days at an indoor water park. This was the first time I had left my puppy for longer than a day, I really missed her.( Well, I had too much fun to REALLY miss her.)

On Christmas morning, we, meaning my family and me, opened our Christmas presents and packed up our van to head to Gurnee, Illinois. When we got there we got checked in and walked 2 miles to our room that was on the other side of the hotel.( Not really.) The water park had three tube slides and two body slides. ( We were really sore after both the slides and the tubes.) I think every one's favorite slide, except for my brother Joshi who wasn't tall enough to ride it, was the Vortex.

This slide started out in a steep tube that went into an open " toilet bowl" as my siblings called it. Everyone wanted to go on it with my dad. Going on the Vortex with him was like, well, flying. We would go around at top speed, almost spilling out of the bowl. Then, your tube gets twisted back wards and you are sent shooting through the rest of the slide.

There was also a lazy river and a wave pool. ( The lazy river was frequently went on by me.) On several occasions we managed to acquire three double tubes, so that when going down the lazy river, we blocked it and the only way to keep moving was if the little hands that held us all together would just let go. ( This meaning Kylee and Seth, who held on to all three of the doubled tubes at once making it hard to pass between the walls of the river.)


On the second day we were there, in the evening we went down to the ice cream shop inside the water park. During the eating of the ice cream, my mom snatched Kylee's new video camera and took a hilarious video. ( Click here to see the video!)

I had so much fun just hanging out and spending time with my family!

Faith