I forgot to mention something in my last entry. Most of the books I mentioned are children's books, but the ones by Jerry Spinelli are very good for people of all ages. My parents love them!

If you don't like reading, then don't read this. If you do, then read on!

I've decided to make a list of a bunch (but not all) of my favorite books so other people can enjoy them, too. Here they are:

All books by Jerry Spinelli (especially Stargirl, Love Stargirl, Loser, and Eggs)

The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart

Peter and the Starcatchers (and sequels)
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

The Giver
by Lois Lowry

Love, Ruby Lavender
by Deborah Wiles

Ballet Shoes (and sequels, there are two, I think)
by Noel Streatfield

A Mango-Shaped Space
by Wendy Mass

The Tail of Emily Windsnap (and sequels)
By Liz Kessler

Fairest
by Gail Carson Levine

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
by Kimberly Willis Holt

The Penderwicks (and sequel)
by Jeanne Birdsall

Snow is fascinating. I started thinking about it a few days ago when my sister asked, "If ice is frozen water, then what is snow?" I wonder about that. Is snow half-frozen water? Or maybe half-melted ice?
Also, snow comes and goes much differently from rain. With rain, it starts drizzling, then gradually the water comes down harder and harder. Rain never lasts more than a few hours, and always leaves as gradually as it came. But snow can be much more unpredictable. It could be very still outside one minute, and then the next minute huge flakes are coming down everywhere. Snow flurries could last minutes or even days! What is the difference between snow and rain (besides the fact that snow is frozen) that makes rain predictable and snow not?
And how can all snowflakes be different if there are so many billions of them, especially if each one has exactly six points (or is it five)? Snow confuses me.

"... I was waiting for the bus to take me to school on my first day of kindergarten," Barry continued, "And as I stood there in the sun, I made a wish. I wished that that day would be the best day of my life. But then, from the minute that bus arrived, things just kept going from bad to worse. My busdriver was mean, the other kids made fun of my backpack with the fuzzy kitty on it, and I went to the principal's office for getting into a fight with one of them. My hopes for the best day ever were crushed, but I didn't give up! From then on, every first day of school, I wished for the greatest day of my life, but it never came. I was always made fun of, or I missed my bus, or some other disappointing thing happened."
"But, Barry, that still doesn't tell us what you have to do with the wish stuff," I said.
"I wasn't finished yet!" Barry explained, "I always thought there was something wrong with wishes and me when we come in contact, so everywhere I went since then, if someone was making a wish in my presence, I would try to stop them, and then maybe... maybe no one else would have to go through what I did."
"Go on," Kayla coaxed.
"So, when I got a job on this boat as the furnace keeper, I kept on doing what I'd been doing before. Every time someone makes a wish, I find a way to stop them."
"So, you started the engine that knocked me off the ship, then tripped the waiter? Why weren't you in the furnace room?" I persisted, curiousity overweighing politeness.
"I never started an engine. All I did was turn the furnace on high when I heard you making the wish above me," he said meekly.
"And tripping the waiter?" Kayla asked.
"Well, after you made that first wish, I decided to keep an eye on you. So I followed you onto the pool deck and, sure enough, you tried again. So I just put my foot out and tripped the waiter."
"But... that doesn't make any sense!" I said finally. "You're just a normal guy who had a few strokes of bad luck as a kid. It doesn't mean you're cursed forever!"
"Well, that may be true, but..." Barry started.
"No buts! You could've killed by friend, and that would've been very bad! I think you are taking this wish thing to a bit of an extreme," Kayla exclaimed.
"How do you know? Could all the bad experiences I had as a child be just a coincedence? They all happened on the first day of school!" Barry replied, starting to cry again.
"Oh Barry," I said, "I don't really know the answer to that. All I can say is that I think I have an idea. We might be able to find out if Barry's so-called curse is real. All we have to do is..."

Here's the fifth part of The Wish Boat!!!

When we opened the door to the furnace room, all was silent. At first, all I could see were a bunch of boxes and a big furnace. But then I saw it. It looked almost like a giant dust bunny, but when I looked closer, I saw that it was a man. He had a beard that went all the way down to his feet, and it was full of things like pieces of food that were more than a week old, hay, and who knows what else. His entire body was coated in ashes from the furnace fire, and his clothes looked like they hadn't been washed or patched up in months.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I... I... I'm Barry," the man stuttered uncertainly.
"Hi, Barry. What are you doing down here?"
"Jenny, please..." Kayla pleaded.
"I'm... I haven't left this room in years," Barry said hoarsely. "I'm the furnace keeper."
"Were you the one making noises down here?" I asked, ignoring Kayla.
"Y-yes, I think so..." Barry answered, "I... I was shoveling the coal into the furnace, and then I burned my hand, and the pain made me scream."
Kayla giggled. "You screamed? A grown man, screaming like a girl?"
"Kayla, be nice. Barry, how long have you been working on this ship?" I persisted.
"A long time, I guess. Could be over twenty years now."
"Do you know anything about any... any strange happenings going on around here?"
"Wh-what strange happenings?"
"Like, for example, bad luck when making wishes?"
"Um..." Barry's voice wavered. Then he did something very surprising. He sat down and started to cry. Not a silent, serious cry. A big, loud, wailing cry, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Uh, are you ok?" Kayla asked uncertainly.
"What is going on? Barry, do you have something to do with this wish thing?" I asked.
"Let me explain." Barry sobbed, "It all started a long time ago, when I was a young boy..."