I would trade places with Taylor Swift for so many reasons! In case you haven’t heard of her, Taylor Swift is a female American songwriter and singer who wrote songs such as “Shake it Off” and “Anti-Hero”. I would love to trade places with her because I would be rich. With this money, I would be able to travel the world in luxury and style. It would be fun to be able to have the money to buy whatever I want. I could also use this wealth and power to donate to people and places in need of help. Another reason I would trade places with Taylor Swift is because I would be able to get my voice and actions heard. Not only does she express her feelings with her music but also with her emotions. It would be so cool to go out on stage and see all of the people get so excited to see you! Finally, I would be inspirational. Many girls idol Taylor Swift because she is an example that shows that girls can be whatever they want to be – whether that be rich and successful or kind and supportive of their community.

It would be a dream to have a day as amazing as this one. This day would be exciting, adventurous, and thrilling the entire time. When I woke up that morning, I was transported to Paris magically and had breakfast in the beautiful Eiffel Tower with my friends and family. I would eat endless amounts of pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) there. After that, I would be brought back to sunny California and go to Knott’s Berry Farm! All of the rides will be line free so I can get on immediately. I would go on Hangtime, Ghostrider, and Xelorator while I am there. For lunch, I will be transported to Japan to have sushi with my best friends. We will try all of the rolls-from rainbow to tempura! Once we finish our lunch, I will go skydiving by myself (most of my friends and family do not like heights) off of the cliffs in San Diego! I have always wanted to go skydiving, so this must be part of my day. After that, I will go swimming in the warm, tropical waters of Hawaii and see all of the colorful fish dancing magically in the clear water.while I am there, I will bring some spam musubi to share with my family back at home. To end my day, I will see the Taylor Swift movie in my local theater along with many bags of buttery, crispy, movie popcorn!

For October, I read All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton. This book is a young adult fiction about two teenagers in high school living in Bel Air. They are no ordinary students – Lennon has OCD and Kyler got severely burned on the face during a house fire. When they are forced to complete their language arts project together, they become closer and closer and begin to fall in love with each other.

I found much pleasure in reading this book because all of the characters seemed like they were real people. One of the main characters, Lennon, helped me develop a deeper understanding of the struggle that people have who suffer with mental illnesses like OCD. The vivid details that L.D Crichton describes to show how Lennon copes with and faces her illness is really captivating. I never knew that such little things, like tapping your fingers against the wall or making sure everything is organized correctly could affect a person so much.

In this book, my favorite character was Kyler because he is understanding. According to the text, when Lennon asks if Kyler thinks she is weird for having OCD, he responds with ‘“So what, you have a thing. Doesn’t everybody?”’ (page 23) This evidence proves that he is understanding of Lennon because he was able to see past her flaws and to the beautiful, thoughtful girl she really is inside.

My favorite quote from the book is “Ordinary can never achieve greatness.” (page 218) This quote is meaningful to me because in life, everyone is trying to be the same as others around them because they are afraid of what other people may think of them if they are different. This world would be very boring if everyone didn’t have their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. This book encourages people to draw their own path and paint a unique future that is their own.

I would love to be two years old forever. Two years old is the most wonderful age to be because you get whatever you want, when you want it because you are still so cute and lovable! At this time, you are still able to talk and have your voice heard so you can communicate with people your ideas and desires. Another reason I would love to be this age eternally is because your brain is capable of receiving a lot of information. Did you know that between the age of zero to three, your brain can obtain more information than any other time in your life? This would mean that I would be very smart. Finally, I would love to be this age because I can get into most places for free. In most cases, if you are under the age of two you can get into amusement parks, museums, and other places like these free of cost or at a cheaper price. There are numerous reasons why being two can really be your golden years!

Peeking through the darkness of the shadows

Reaching for your soul

Etching into your brain

Making you second guess

Overlooking reality

Nightmarish future threateans you

Insanity holds you from breath

Terror grasps your throat

Inferno of what-ifs engulf your mind

Ominous future ahead

Never seeing the light of day…..

For this month’s rad reading, I read The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.

What I loved most about this book was the descriptive writing that really made you feel like you were there, spending the summer with the characters at Cousins Beach. I also liked this book because it is relatable. Since this is a realistic fiction book, many of the events in this book are similar to what might happen in real life, especially if you have siblings! This is a very sweet, heartfelt novel and I liked it very much.

As the story opens, Belly leaves her school life behind as she drives away with her family to Cousins Beach, where she has spent every summer of her life. Though she is greeted with her three favorite people – Susannah, Jeremiah, and her all – time crush, Conrad, she is soon to realize that something feels different. Conrad has been acting up and she hardly ever sees him anymore. Mr. Fisher, Susannah’s husband, hasn’t visited all summer. Worst of all, Susannah hasn’t been the same and has been going on a lot of mysterious outings with Belly’s mother. This captivating story filled with love, laughter, and loss will reel you right into the lives of the characters.

Jeremiah was my favorite character in this book because he was caring to everyone, no matter what. A quote that proves this is true is when everyone realized what was happening to Susannah. According to the text, the author states, “We were all pretty quiet until Jeremiah broke the silence. ‘This potato salad tastes like bad breath.’” After that, everyone started laughing and things seemed back to normal. This evidence proves that he worked hard to keep his family and Belly’s family together when others couldn’t. Furthermore, one can infer that Jeremiah took the risk of potentially being made fun of by his brother and friends. Because he took the initiative to keep his family happy when others didn’t, he is the strongest, best character to me.

My favorite line from the story was on page 215, “The imperfections are what make things beautiful.” This is my favorite line from the story because not only is it very true about the real world, but I feel that this is when Belly finally realizes that she is pretty by just being herself. Throughout the story, Belly is comparing herself to her friend, Taylor and other people in her life and saying how beautiful they are in comparison to her. After she realizes that she is special and unique – looking herself, her confidence is boosted and this enables her to be happier.