Reading Log #1 For Novel

Author: Diana G. Gallagher

Date Started: 16/9/2000, Date Finished : 30/9/2000

Category of Novel: Other Fiction

Characteristics:

Sabrina: Sabrina is a teenage witch who lives with her aunts.She has blond hair and white skin. Her friends are Jenny and Harvey,and everbody thinks Sabrina is nice and sweet,but frankly they think she is a bit weird. Sabrina likes most of the people in the novel, but she doesn,t like Libby, the mean cheerleader and her cousin Tanya, because they act very mean to her and they do bad stuff to her. Sabrina tried to be friends with them, but it didn't work out because of their cold heartedness. Sabrina handles the conflicts in this story rather well, and did a very good job keeping things in order, and that is because she tried and tried till she succeeded, and that was very mature and smart of her.

Tanya: Tanya is Sabrina's cousin who is a witch also. She is also blonde and white skinned, and as Sabrina described her very beautiful. Not many people like this cold- hearted witch, because she is a rather mean person and casts evil spell on them. Tanya doesn't like Sabrina and her friends, because they are mortal (not witches) and Sabrina is half-mortal, but she likes Libby because she is also mean. Tanya doesn't handle the conflicts well at all, because she thinks Sabrina is dumb and doesn't know any spells, so she will win. That reminds me of the story of the 'Tortoise and the Hare'.

Setting: This story takes place in modern times, in a mall in the USA, and sometimes in Sabrina's house and rarely in the school.

Plot Summary: Sabrina and her class have assignments for the weekend to work in a store at the mall. Sabrina got to work in the shop that she wanted to work in, and in the job that Libby wanted to get, but didn't. In Sabrina's job interview, she was stuttering a lot, and almost cost her her job. At the store she worked in, she saw a very pretty girl staring at her. At home in her aubts' house, she saw the same girl, who turned out to be her cousin as well as a witch who caused the stuttering spell on Sabrina. Ever since then, Tanya has been causing Sabrina and her friends trouble. Sabrina then finally comes up with a way to avoid Tanya's spells. Will Sabrina succeed, or will she not?

Content: I really enjoyed reading this novel because it was entertaining as well as educational. Every time I'd turn a page, I'd get even more excited. This novel touched me so much that every time Sabrina was sad, I wassad and every time

Sabrina was happy, I was happy. Some of the major themes of this novel are to keep trying even f you fail, and to act nice to people even if they aren't nice to you. These themes were presented to me when Tanya casts a spell on Sabrina, but Sabrina was still nice to her, and when Sabrina thought of a way to avoid Tanya's spells and she kept on trying and trying. The characters of this novel are funny and entertaining, but not very real, because most of them are witches. The characters were very convincing, because you can tell how happy or sad they were from picturing them in your mind. The setting, which was the mall and Sabrina's house is an exciting place to be in by using your imagination. The language of this novel is appropriate, but not that appropriate because a teenager is talkning. This particular novel reminds me of many novels such as: Sister Sister, and Little Sister. I would definitely recommend this novel to people, because I had a lot of fun reading it and I think others will too. I would read more novels by this author because the ways she describes the characters and how they are feeling is phenmenal. The novel in my opinion was just right because the novel didn't keep going on and on, or was too short that it leaves people in suspense.

By: Samar Al Ansari

7C

Vocabulary Assignment

I sat in the lecture hall trying to focus on the erudite professor’s lecture, but his insular views on other countries’ policies left me distracted.  My mind wandered off, I was too busy thinking about how my relationship with Gunther went wrong.  I have told myself time and again that it’s over between us and I need to move on, but I can’t.  I have tried to convince myself that he is merely a source of pain and that I had aggrandized our relationship in my head, thinking that it was something better and greater than what it really was, but I can’t accept that.  A memory of me in his arms appeared in my mind, so I buried my face in my books to avoid any unwanted questions as to why I was crying.

            I looked up and saw Gunther walking into class, late as usual.  He had a special aura to him that grabbed my attention now more than ever.  He never looked as good as he did that day.  His thick, dark hair flowed over his ears, and his unshaven face gave him a rather rugged look.  I tried to look away, act as if he didn’t matter, but I knew that he was the only person that did matter.  To my delight and displeasure, he took the seat beside me and smiled at me without saying a word.  His smile was inscrutable; was he trying to seduce me, or just be friendly?  I blocked the thought out of my head, and tried with the best of my ability to despise him.  “He broke your heart,” I told myself, “and that action is irrevocable”.  His hand touched mine, and I told myself that it was merely an accident.  I had thought about the fate of our relationship for what seems like forever, and I came to the conclusion that he doesn’t want me.  If he doesn’t want me, then I don’t want him either.  I told myself he’s a sleazy, scurrilous heartbreaker who doesn’t deserve my love, but deep down I knew that I could never believe that.  The sight of him made my heart ache; I was the archetype of someone broken-hearted.  Oh God, I thought to myself, I have begun to feel sorry for myself!

            The class was dismissed, and I decided to take my time packing my things; I just had to stay a little longer.  Girls came next to him, and began to talk to him, and I acted as if I didn’t care.  I acted as if it wasn’t tearing me up inside; I was so tempted to talk to him.  I had never noticed how affable he was even though I have been with him for over two years.  I was so tempted to talk to him, but I didn’t because I was sedulous in trying to get over him.  As I put my bag on my shoulder, he tapped my back and called my name.  My heart gave a little jump, but I just walked away.  That action made everyone think that I had repudiated our relationship, and it was inferred that I had gotten over him, and that I no longer cared about him.  I was proud of myself, but my heart still ached.  I felt this huge weight on my heart, because I kept everything bottled up inside.  I didn’t want to confide in someone, because they might see me as querulous.  I walked home telling myself that I despised him and that I was over him, but I felt so much love for him.  They weren’t lying when they said there was a thin line between love and hate.  

Samar Al Ansari

Grade 11.5

11 November 2004

Malaria

  Definition:

     Malaria is a communicable disease caused by protozoa, which has four species, which are P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae.  Malaria is transmitted to humans by the Anopheline mosquito.  The transmission of the disease is affected by climate and geography.

  Incidence:

     Malaria is common in Africa and South-East Asia, and is re-emerging in areas which have been under control.  Several developed countries get malaria from endemic areas, because of international travels.  Malaria is a public health problem in more than ninety countries.  Mortality due to malaria occurs in young children in Africa, especially in areas with poor health services.  The disease is endemic in one hundred and one countries mostly in the African region.

  Symptoms:

     The symptoms of malaria include fever, shivering, pain in the joints, headaches, repeated vomiting, convulsions, and coma.  Sever anemia might occur. 

Malaria in Children:

Malaria is very common among children who live in certain endemic areas.  In Africa, children under five years of age are chronic victims of malaria.  Children often die in less than seventy-two hours after developing the disease.  In children who survive, malaria takes away their nutrients and affects their physical and intellectual developments.  More over, malaria is a main reason for poor school attendance.  About three million children die from malaria per year.

  Prevention:

     Prevention of malaria includes a variety of measures.  Measures that protect infection are directed against the mosquito which include personal protection measures like, protective clothing, repellents, bed nets, and community protection measures like, use of insecticides.  Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are fundamental in malaria prevention.  Children and pregnant women are especially important in malaria control.

  Treatment:

     A limited number of drugs are available for treating malaria.  In many parts of the world drug resistance has caused difficulty in treatment of malaria.  The drugs available to treat malaria are antimalarial like, chloroquine.  Malaria isn’t very easy to treat, and there isn’t much hope for quick recovery.  The treatment for malaria is very expensive; and that is why many poor children and others are dying from this awful disease. 

Samar Al Ansari

Grade 7

Larry King Live with Ralph

Objective: Demonstrate an understanding of the underlining theme of the novel.

Larry:  Good morning folks, we have a very special guest with us this fine morning, which I’m sure you all know or might’ve heard of.  On the show with us today is one of the survivors of the plane wreck of an uninhabited island just off the coast of Spain, Ralph, the twelve year old Englishman.  How are you feeling this morning, Ralph?

Ralph: I have felt the same ever since I got back.

Larry:  And how is that?

Ralph:  I feel different.

Larry:  Well that’s understandable.  Let me ask you something Ralph, how did it feel to be on an island with a bunch of other kids, with no adult supervision?  I bet you guys want crazy over there?

Ralph:  It was frightening; with the pass of each day I grew more and more terrified.

Larry:  Yes, it is very frightening to be in an excluded world without adults where animals ran free, etc.  Of course you were scared, you were in a strange setting.

Ralph:  I wasn’t scared of the setting Larry, I was scared of us.  Sometimes, I even grew afraid of myself.  I got used to the new setting, but I could never get used to the evil of man.

Larry:  I’m sure if there was adult supervision, you wouldn’t be afraid of your little friends?

Ralph:  Adult or child, man has darkness in his heart.  Everyone has a beast in them, and some of us tame their beasts better than others.  The presence of adults wouldn’t have made a difference.  Look at the adults now, they’re at war; brothers are fighting brothers, for dark reasons.  The innocent and pure ones are dying, while the dark ones grow more powerful.

Larry:  Have you always felt so pessimistic about man, or was this view of man acquired on the island?

Ralph:  I was blinded and couldn’t see man’s real image before I was on the island, but on the island I saw clearly for the first time.

Larry:  Did you start ‘seeing clearly’ on the island since the beginning, or was it towards the end…?

Ralph:  I realized man’s true nature when people started becoming selfish and disregarded important things like the signal fire and the conch.  I kept on telling them Larry, that the signal fire was the only way that we would get rescued, but no body listened to me, everyone was selfish.  As for the conch, it was an item we used in assemblies.  If you held the conch it meant you had the right to talk and to be heard, but people started disregarding the conch, till finally it was destroyed.

Larry:  Why do you think they didn’t listen to you?  According to my information, you were their leader, surely some of the boys listened to you.

Ralph:  At the beginning, everyone was scared and confused, so they listened to me.  But as the days past, everyone became more selfish and did things according to their wants and not their needs.  I made decisions based on our needs, and only four wise boys were my true supporters.

Larry:  Two of your supporters were killed, right? How so?

Ralph:  Two of my supporters, Piggy and Simon, were murdered.  Simon was the only innocent and pure hearted one on the island, and Piggy, was…someone I needed desperately.

Larry:  Murdered by who?

Ralph:  By the beast that laid within all of us, the beast that emerged with the absence of order.

Larry:  Wow, that’s pretty insightful for a twelve year old child.

Ralph:  I am no longer a child Larry, children are innocent.

Samar Al-Ansari 11.5

Oct. 1, ‘04