Economy

Alabama grows for grain, soybeans, and peanuts. They were ranked second for growing peanuts. Peaches, apples, nectarines, plums, grapes, strawberries and blueberries are grown in the state too. The largest vegetable crops include potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes, and watermelon. Cotton is still an important crop. At one time “King Cotton” was royalty in Alabama.

Intro

The heart of Dixie, the yellow hammer state, Alabama state.

 There is a website were you can vote for books. Check it out here.

  You need to check out a really cool website were authors judge books after they’ve read them and choose which book wins the round then after all the rounds the book that has won all the rounds wins the game. Check out the website here.

 You want a fun website to play? Check out Lure of the Labyrinth here.

Why, do people always have to open and close me? What is so interesting about me? I hate it when they slam me shut because their parents say it’s time for bed or like it’s dinner time. You know what else I hate? When people stare at me. What’s so amazing about me? Is their something on my spine? I just have a bunch of letters on my  pages. Then I get ruffly shoved into a bag and they throw my around and they take me every where but some times they take me places they don’t need to take me. Then their younger siblings find me and do the same. Take me places I don’t want to go, shove me in bags.  Well I’ll get back to you on my horrible life.

             “Oh No. Please No” I beg my teacher. I don’t want to ride Paddy”. I try to say in a quiet calm voice. But the begging wasn’t working. I now had my foot in one strip and was getting ready to jump off the mounting block and on to Paddy.  Then … “crash”. Paddy starts to kick his back legs. “How do I get him to move” I scream at my teacher. “Use your crop”Lauren (my teacher) replies acting like it hasn’t happen. I give Paddy a smack on the back, trying to make it seem like I’m suppose to be in charge, but Paddy doesn’t budge. I give Paddy another smack as hard as I can, but still no movement. Then… Paddy takes off at a canter. When were about half way down the long side I start to calm down. We’ve gone around about half way around the ring, we reach the rusty, brown double doors and Paddy takes a sharp right. I’m suddenly not feeling that comfortable. “She’s preparing for the jump” I tell Lauren freaking out. I pull the reins but Paddy doesn’t stop. I try to get my act together but the jump was coming faster. I was losing more control as we got closer. I was going crazy, freaking out. The next thing I know we’re soaring in the air above the jump. Then Paddy stumbles. I hear Paddy’s hooves hit the jump veryhard. It sounded like she broke the plastic pole for the jump. After we land Paddy starts to buck (to lift up both hind legs at the same time). I’m sliding foreword on her neck. Then I go blank, I couldn’t see a thing. I hear Lauren’s voice but it’s faint and growing softer. I woke to my mom clunking down the stairs in her dull red shoes. My mom’s screaming my name. I start to sit up but can hardly get half way before I fall down into the soft, grain, sandy ground. I could feel a trickly of blood streaming down my back.  My mom probably saw me struggle because she immediately starts to turn me over. I start to question what was going on, but was interruptedby Lauren telling two teachers to get everybody out of the barn and to get paper towels and ice. Then she told an assitant (from another lesson) to take Paddy up and untack her and put her in her stall. When Lauren walked back over here she had paper towels and ice in her hands. “I want Paddy here.” I tell Lauren trying to sound serious. “I want to get back on her.” But Lauren ignores me and starts todab me with a paper towel. It’s like she thinks no one is here. After I’ve got ice on my back and the blood was all cleaned up I was forced to go home.

               That night I dreamt that I had got back on Paddy. It didn’t end well. The next morning I thought about what Lauren did ,you know stop me from getting up and riding Paddy when I wanted to. I knew she was right to stop me from riding because it could’ve made my back worse and I wouldn’t be able to ride for a while. Now I know Lauren did it for my own good. This experiance did two things that are important, 1. I know now when I should stop riding like when I get hurt to not force myself to get up and ride. 2. I became a better rider like now I know how much force to use on Paddy and I kind of got a little taste of what is going to happen the next few months when I ride Paddy.

              ”Have you  read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? If you haven’t go find it read it now it is so good the people thought it was. If you have read it good take a seat.  What did you think ? Did you like it? Ok, Ok. Here is my coments and thoughts about it.

               Minli, belivies that she can change her fountune by going to a man and asking. But this man isn’t just a kind man, this man can tell the future he can match people up. From what Minli’s father, Ba told her it sounds like Minli can just walk up and ask. But it’s alot more complicated then that.

                Minli is a kind, smart, clever girl, I wouldn’t say  that Minli is a selfish girl because of her decision at the end of the book.  When you’re with Minli, you won’t know what she will do.  Minli loves Ba and Ma, but sometimes she doesn’t feel happy.

              If you pay close attention to the book, you will notice that the stories, Ba and other creatures/people fit into this little creative story. 

              This book is a work of art, not only with the writing is carefully done, but the pictures are gorgeous.  Grace Lin (the author) must have worked so hard on the book to create lines like this, “I do,” Minli says enthralled with eager.  This is just like one of Ba’s stories!  She bubbled with excitement, or “your talking fish?”  Minli asked, her words tumbled into each other with excitement, or “you swam all the oceans and rivers?”  Minli asked.  The questions spilled like overflowing water.

              I recommend this book for anybody who likes adventure because Minli goes on an adventure to see the Old Man in the Moon on Never Ending Mountain.

           ” I hate my life. I don’t get why we have to go around with people on our backs. It’s embarassing. Plus people are heavier these days then from back like 20-30 years because they have more junky foods, that’s what I heard from people. No human knows I can talk or listen to their language but I can. People now a days have these new things that they whack us with because we don’t move. It hurts alot and I can’t stand it when I get hurt. I get all moody and try to take it out on the next lesson but some how I always forget or those people are really experienced.  I got a lesson coming up soon. I don’t get why we have to do this it’s not like they give us extra hay, oats or treats. Sometimes, I try to stay in my stall or don’t move after they tack me up but then they start to slap me with their hand or with a rope because there is nothing else around to slap me with. I hate it when people force me to do something, you know what eles I hate, when people kiss us. People after the lesson start to kiss us on the face because they thought they had a good lesson. Also after our lesson (whose ever is riding it’s their lesson)  they give us apples and carrots but what I like is treats. The other horses and I preffer peppermint treats but any treat is fine as long as they don’t have apples or carrots in them. Well, I got to go their trying to get me out of my stall.”

                 I went to the Celtics game with Margaret last night. Margaret had never gone to a Celtics game so she was pretty excited. It was so assome. The most exciting part was probley when their was only 1 qurter left of the game because we wanted to know who was going to win. They won 104 to 80. We got on the jumbotron. We stayed up till 10:30. We had the best time of our lives together.

Check out some book reviews on Ida B here.

I think this book review on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is amazing. Check it out here.

Did you read When You Reach Me? See a book review about it here.

You need to check out this assome book review on The Willoughbys here.

Have you read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Well, check out this book review on it here.

Check out this really cool book review on Matilda here.

You should check out this book review on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon here.

What if you were only two acorns tall and a bat bit the you’re wings off? Well in this book that just all happens to a night fairy named Flory. Flory is trying to make it through her life with out her wings. With her best freind Skuggle on her side she can do anything.                                                           

Lucy B. Parker is about a Massachusetts teenager trying to live a normal life. She’s trying to but she always ends up making things worse. When she is friend dumped right before school starts she thinks things can’t get worse. But when her mom tells her she’s dating the most popular girl in the world Laurel Moses she knows it’s posible. Where every Lucy goes with Laurel it’s all about Laurel. Do you think Lucy will manage?