High-Interest Fiction and Nonfiction
This fable was told by Aesop, a storyteller who lived in Greece thousands of years ago. This story has been retold over many centuries by many different authors.
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Why Do Roaches Rule?
Going, Going, Gone What happens when someone tries to catch a cockroach? In an instant, the cockroach disappears into a crack in the wall. When danger appears, the cockroach is gone. The cockroach is a very capable insect. Its body, speed, and habits all help it avoid danger. An adult cockroach can squeeze through a tiny crack no thicker than the edge of a quarter. The cockroach’s speed helps keep it safe, too. It can travel at about three miles per hour. That’s very fast for such a tiny creature. Cockroaches are hard to control. Getting rid of roaches in a home or office can be a hard job. One reason is that cockroaches reproduce at amazing rates. Another reason is that cockroaches like dark places. They usually come out only at night. During the day, they stay in dark cracks or warm places. Sensors for Scooting But how do cockroaches know when to scoot away? Until recently, experts didn’t know what made these insects so crafty. But now, scientists have found that roaches have sensors for detecting tiny
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The Wind and the Sun a retelling of an Aesop fable
Freddie Ramos has a secret: His purple “zapatos” give him super speed. In this excerpt, Freddie checks in on the shoes’ inventor, Mr. Vaslov, who is working on an on-off switch for them.
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by Kristine O’Connell George Hawk’s Shadow
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The Wind was angry and blustery. The Sun was easygoing and friendly. Being so unalike, they usually avoided one another. One day, however, the Wind and the Sun met above a path outside a small village. At once, the two began to argue. The Wind boasted that he was certainly more powerful than the Sun. The Sun argued that he was absolutely more powerful than the Wind. “I am very strong!” cried the Wind. “I can move ships at sea, topple trees, and bring on the winter!” The Sun declared, “I cover the fields with flowers, ripen the fruits and grains, and bring on the summer!”
Many years ago, there lived a king named Midas. King Midas was very, very rich. It was said that he had more gold than any other king in the world. One room of his great castle was almost filled with gold pieces. Although King Midas had a good wife and a little daughter whom he loved very much, he loved his gold even more dearly. His one great wish was more and more gold. One day, while he was in his gold room counting his money, a mysterious voice suddenly spoke to him. “Midas, you are the richest man in the world,” said the voice. “There is no king who has so much gold as you.” “That may be,” said the king. “As you see, I have this room full of gold, but I should like much more; for gold is the best and the most wonderful thing in the world.” “Are you sure?” asked the voice. “I am very sure,” answered the king. “If I could have but one wish,” said the king, “I would ask that everything I touch should turn to beautiful gold.”
As I watched, Hawk’s shadow swept boneless dark across my feet, then, scaled these rocky cliffs— a silhouette, silent, fleet.
Q: What makes something funny? A: Some people may find silly jokes very funny.
Informative / Explanatory I’m not the most patient guy. Every afternoon, I knocked on Mr. Vaslov’s toolshed. He opened the door halfway to talk to me. “Are you finished?” “Not yet,” Mr. Vaslov answered. “But I have a great idea.” “What?” I asked. “A wristband with a button you can press.” “Sounds great! When will it be ready?” “Inventions take time, Freddie.” Mr. Vaslov gently closed the door. The days went by slowly. I got tired of watching my friends play basketball at recess while I pretended to have a sore ankle. And Mr. Gooley got tired
of my excuses about why I couldn’t run during P.E. “What hurts today, Freddie?” Mr. Gooley asked, when I came up to him, holding my hand over my left ear. Mr. Gooley let me sit on the bench again, but I could tell he was getting suspicious. I didn’t have any body parts left to complain about. Keeping my super speed a secret was taking a lot of brainwork. It’s not easy to come up with good excuses. “Mr. Vaslov!” I knocked on the toolshed door a week later. “Is my on-off switch working yet?” For the first time, no one answered. I knocked again, louder and harder.
Other people laugh at humorous stories or books. Still others may giggle when they hear funny songs or riddles. There are many things that make us laugh.
Elizabeth keeps diaries during her time in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. In this excerpt, we learn that her diary serves as a friend.
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Then it thinned, grew pinpoint small as Hawk sailed higher and higher above the mountain wall.
Q: What is a comedy? A: A comedy is a TV show, a play, or a movie that is written to make people laugh. When you have a choice, do you choose to watch a comedy? Or do you choose something serious, or not funny? Most people really love to laugh. Do you?
DAILY REPORTER: NEW YORK, N.Y., APRIL 14
Fable
I watched closely (or so I thought) yet somehow missed that moment when Hawk’s shadow finally caught
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Q: What were the first comedies? A: The first known comedies were plays written over two thousand years ago in ancient Greece by a man named Aristophanes (Ar-ih-STOFF-uh-neez). People watched actors perform his plays. The plays made people laugh. Q: Can people still see actors perform those old Greek comedies? A: Yes, they can. Eleven of those plays are still popular today. Actors all over the world perform them!
I wave. And wave again.
its circling, wide-winged owner, and those two distant loners soared into the sun, fused, and emerged as one.
I turn back to our house. I am trying to be brave. But it is hard because Jessie, my friend, is on that ship. Captain Smith, my friend, is on the ship, too. They are returning to England. And we are left behind here in Jamestown. I have lost so much. I feel angry and black in my heart. October 12, 1609 I shall tell about this diary. It is my second diary. In my first, I wrote about all that happened here in Jamestown. I wrote it for my twin brother, Caleb, who is in England. Then, when Jessie was leaving, I had a quick thought. Maybe she and her papa and Captain Smith would visit Caleb. Maybe they would take him my journal. Then, he would know all about how we are. They agreed!
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Fantasy
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Myth
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ENVIRONMENT
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Jamestown, Virginia 1 6 0 9
The glorious “unsinkable” Titanic sets sail for New York on its maiden voyage.
Poetry • Informative / Explanatory
THUNDERSTORM!
ON THIS DAY, APRIL 14, 1912
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Informative / Explanatory
Interviewer: As an animal keeper, what exactly is your job? Michelle: It’s my job to keep the animals happy and safe. Interviewer: Do you work with all the animals in the park? Michelle: I work with the animals that come from Africa and East Asia. I work with rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and gazelles. Interviewer: How does your day begin? Michelle: Well, I’ll tell you one thing—it begins too early! I get up at five o’clock. Then I eat breakfast. I put on my uniform. Then it’s time to head for the park. Interviewer: What happens next? Michelle: I load my truck with food for the animals. Here at the park, we use food that the animals would eat in the wild. My animals are plant eaters. You wouldn’t think that leaves, grass, and crumbs could weigh so much! If you love animals, having a job as an animal keeper in a wildlife park would be a dream come true. A wildlife park allows the animals to live in as natural a habitat as possible. We caught up with Michelle to find out about her exciting job as an animal keeper.
The Titanic set sail from England on April 10, 1912. The enormous ship was three football fields long. At eleven stories high, it was the largest thing anyone had ever built. The ship had elegant restaurants, a swimming pool, and indoor gardens. Some of the world’s richest people were on the Titanic . It was the ship’s first voyage. This floating palace was going to New York City. The
crew intended to set a record getting there. That didn’t seem to be a problem. The Titanic was the most powerful ship on the sea, bragged its builder. There was nothing to be afraid of. No one aboard this ship worried about iceberg warnings. The Titanic was unsinkable. At around midnight, on April 14, 1912, a huge iceberg ripped open the side of the
October 9, 1609 I stand on tiptoe, looking downriver to the sea. In the distance, the ship gets smaller. And smaller. I watch till it is just a blur of white. It goes over the horizon. And drops out of sight. Gone. It is gone.
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Historical Fiction
Informative / Explanatory Believe It or Not! Birds flying high, the weather will be dry. Birds flying near the ground, soon you’ll hear the thunder’s sound. 11/19/19 1:44 PM Can a Proverb Be True? Is there anything to this old weather saying, or proverb? Yes! It’s true for two reasons. First, when it rains, insects hide under leaves and bushes. So birds stay closer to the ground to find their food. Also, birds fly lower to avoid storm clouds.
Electrical Charges Inside Clouds? It’s true! During a thunderstorm, electrical charges build up inside clouds. Scientists aren’t sure why this happens, but when it does, lightning strikes. Lightning can flash within one cloud. Or it can jump from one cloud to another. It can also travel from a cloud to the ground and even from the ground to a cloud!
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14 World Wildlife
30 Earth, Sea, and Sky Magazine
Informative / Explanatory
Informative / Explanatory
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The Morrises are on their way to Zoo Gardens Theme Park when Dad loses his way and pulls over to look at the map. As chapter 2 begins, the family has arrived by mistake at somewhere unexpected.
Dominic Cantori is a fifth-grader and an orphan whose experience in a series of foster homes has made him feel insecure and unloved. On a class trip to Ellis Island, Dominic hides in a broom closet to avoid answering questions about his family. As Chapter Eight begins, it is night, and Dominic has woken up and begins to wander through the deserted halls of the museum. . . .
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Cyberbullying Insults, name-calling, threats, pushing, and hitting are classic forms of bullying. But these days, bullies have found new ways to pick on their victims. They use cell phones and the Internet to spread hurtful and embarrassing messages about their victims. It’s called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a growing problem wherever kids have access to Internet and cell-phone technology. Perhaps you or a friend has been a victim of cyberbullying. Or maybe you have been a cyberbully yourself. Cyberbullies often attack their victims directly, sending cruel or threatening emails, instant messages (IMs), or text messages. Text attacks are carried out by groups of kids, who send thousands of messages to the victim’s cell phone. Bullies may also send out embarrassing pictures and spread lies or rumors about a victim through text messages or on the Internet. They may set up Web pages or blogs that mock their victim or invite other kids to take part in cruel polls, rating other kids as the ugliest, nerdiest, and so on. Widge is an orphan who has been given an apprenticeship under Dr. Bright, an apothecary. Dr. Bright has taught Widge a shorthand method to transcribe the spoken word. In this excerpt, a man in a dark robe has just asked Widge to demonstrate his shorthand. Sometimes the bullying takes indirect forms. For example, a bully may break into a victim’s email or IM account and, posing as the victim, send mean or threatening messages to others. The victim is blamed for the messages and may even lose his or her account as a result. These actions don’t do direct physical harm, but in some ways, they are more vicious than traditional bullying. Insults and threats sent in an anonymous message may be more severe than they would be if delivered in person, face-to-face. Lies and rumors can be spread instantly to everyone in the victim’s school, or to everyone in the world if posted online. Once spread, such false information can be hard to contradict. In some cases, false rumors have followed victims even when they switched to new schools. It’s not surprising that the effects of cyberbullying on victims can be serious, including low school grades and depression. In extreme cases, victims have committed suicide. Chapter
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by Elvira Woodruff
CHAPTER EIGHT
opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The monster glared down at me through the sunroof. It was as tall as a building, I realized. Its red eyes glowed with evil, and its mouth was twisted in a hungry grin. “D-Dad!”
And then Luke
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started to laugh. “Wow! Cool!” he cried. And I realized
“W here am I?” Dominic cried aloud. “Where am I?” “If you get any closer to the edge of that cliff, you’ll be in the sea,” came a voice behind him. Dominic immediately recognized that the words he was hearing were in Italian. One of the foster homes he lived in was in an Italian section of Brooklyn. The people in his favorite bakery spoke Italian all the time, but he had never been able to understand them. And yet somehow, now, he understood every word that had been spoken. He spun around to find a thin boy about his own age standing a few feet away. The boy was wearing brown woolen shorts and no shirt. His skin was deeply tanned, and his shoeless feet were dirty and stained. Two small dead canaries dangled from a string that was tied to the belt loop of his shorts.
Beside him stood two younger boys. The youngest, a boy of about seven years old, had a head of blond curls and what appeared to be a small, brightly painted accordion slung over his shoulder. The other boy looked a few years older. He had dark hair and dark eyes. Over his shoulder was a coil of thick rope netting. Both of the younger boys were dressed much the same, in raggedy shorts and dirty shirts. As they came nearer, there was a strong scent of sweat mixed with smoke. Their grimy arms and legs were covered in scratches, and their hair was matted and unbrushed. “Are you hunting in our territory?” the oldest boy demanded.
ENVIRONMENT
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at the same time that the monster wasn’t alive. It was a mechanical figure, part of a giant billboard display. Ducking my head to get a better
ONE DAY AT HORRORLAND
I finally managed to stammer. Dad was bent over, fumbling through the papers in the glove compartment. “Wow!” I heard Luke cry. I turned and saw that Luke was staring up at it, too, his blue eyes wide with fright. “Dad? Mom?” My heart was pounding so hard I thought my chest might explode. “Lizzy, what is it?” Mom asked impatiently. The monster lowered its head over us. Its mouth opened wide, ready to swallow the whole car.
view through the side window, I saw that Dad had pulled the car up right beside the billboard. My parents were so busy arguing about maps, they hadn’t even noticed it! I stared up at the red-eyed monster. It lowered its head and opened its jaws. Then the jaws snapped shut, and the enormous head slid back up. “It looks so real!” Clay exclaimed, staring up at it. “Didn’t fool me,” I lied. I wasn’t going to admit that I nearly leaped out through the sunroof. I’m supposed to be the calm one, after all.
In Greek mythology, textile arts, such as weaving, were considered blessings from the goddess Athena. Athena was the keeper of all household arts, and by her grace alone any mortal could become skilled in them. A country maiden, Arachne was so blessed.
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Wildlife
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“Me?” Dominic sputtered. “Hunting? No!” He was equally shocked to hear his own words coming out in Italian. The three boys circled about him. Carmen Teresa has gathered stories from various generations of her Latin-American family and compiled them into a collection of short narratives. Here is an excerpt from her grandfather’s reminiscence of a family outing during his childhood in Cuba.
Letter From a Pilgrim Girl
for $ale f . d oTl laakr isntgo epnudr cahnagseer eedn daannigme ar el sd owuitl dol iff et. h e w i l d tehxrt ei nact teinosn . tWh eh eenn vai r os pnemcei enst . bIetc ocma ens leexatdi n ctto, os pt he ec ri e ps l tahnat ts uasnedd at no i emaat ltshaereexat if nf ecct t sepde, ct ioeos. mT ha ye nt hoalto tnhgee re xh taivnec tf osopde,cai ensd ut sheedptl oa net as t acnodu al dn igmr oa wl s out of control. An Environmental Problem t B o u S y o o e w m r n s e r a p a r e r o e o u p s n l p e d e c p t i a h e y s e t h h w u a o g t r e l a d r a e m s p p o r e u o n n t d e t c s t b e o i d l f l i b o m y n o s l n a e w o y Short Reads for
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H ave you ever dreamed of owning a pet python or a clever monkey? It’s fun to imagine, but in reality wild animals don’t make good pets. They belong in their own habitat. o f Udnoflol arrtsu nt oa toewl y,ns aonmeexpoet oi cppl ee tw. iTl lhpeayybtuhyo us ns aankde ss a fr n o d m t B o r r a t z o i i l s , es and fro p m arrot M s ad fr a o g m asc A a u r, str m al o ia nk a e n y d s MS t ea xt ei cso, .pIeno mp l ae nsymcuogugnlter isens a, ki necsl, uldi zi na rgdtsh, es pUindiet resd, centipedes, and butterflies out of national parks. Sb ou mt me opset oppel eo phl ea vwe hboesetne aal rarne ds t es md uf og rg l ep oaanci hmi na lgs, dusouna’tllygeistnc’tavuegrhyt.seIfvetrhee.y do, their punishment
Autumn, 1620 Dearest Aunt Constance,
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You wondered what life in a ship would be like. I can now tell you, I would trade my bed for yours in the beat of a heart! I sleep on a damp bed in a tiny cabin with mother and father. We are all packed in like so much cargo below deck. We do not know many of the other passengers, yet we live nearly on top of each other. Few of us have ever been aboard a ship, and there is much
X-Treme Sports
Essay
It was useless to protest. What feeble objection of mine could carry the weight of ten pounds of currency? I doubted the doctor earned that much in a year. Swallowing hard, I copied out the message in my best hand, as slowly as I reasonably might. Meantime my brain raced, searching for some way to avoid being handed over to this cold, menacing stranger. Whatever the miseries of my life with the Brights, they were at least familiar miseries. To go off with this man was to be dragged into the unknown. A part of
me longed for new places, new experiences. But a larger
Athena and Arachne A rachne was a simple country girl who was nevertheless renowned for her skill as a weaver—her nimble fingers and tireless care attracted the attention of mortals and deities alike. Day in and day out, Arachne set about weaving wonderful textiles on her loom. One day, a group of wood and water nymphs, shaking the leaves or foam from their hair, marveled as they clustered around Arachne’s loom. “Maiden,” they said, “The goddess Athena has taught you well! Even she would be impressed at your skill!”
Horror
Fantasy/Historical Fiction
11/13/19 9:56 AM part clung to the security of the familiar, as a sailor cast adrift might cling fast to any rock, no matter how small or barren. Briefly, I considered fleeing, but that was pointless. Even if I could escape them, where would I go? At last I came to the end of the message and gave it up to Dr. Bright, who appended his signature, then stood folding the paper carefully. I knew him well enough to know that he was waiting to see the color of the man’s money.
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Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre At the Beach: Abuelito’s Story
Jake is a ten-year-old boy who lives with his mother, a single parent. In this excerpt from the introduction, Jake and his mom are running their Saturday errands.
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Mary Lennox, an orphan of wealthy parents, has been sent to live with her uncle, Mr. Craven, in Yorkshire, England. After several months there she has made some friends, but best of all is her discovery of a neglected, walled-in garden. As this chapter opens, Mary has been haunted and puzzled for many nights by the sound of someone weeping.
seasickness. The stench is most awful! I welcome the times when we are allowed to go on deck to breathe the fresh air. When the weather is fair, the days are much the same. For food we commonly have pease or bean pottage, cheese and ship’s biscuit. We have some water but they say it will soon go bad. Did I tell you that I have a friend? Her name is Mary and I am so grateful for her. Mary and I play games, tell riddles, sing or just speak to each other. It is often too dark to even read. There are few other lasses on the ship since most families left their daughters behind until our town is built. The sailors will sometimes allow us on deck, but they are a hard lot and frighten me somewhat. Master Goodman brought his two dogs—a mastiff and a spaniel—and we chase them as they chase the mousers that chase the rats. Have I made mention of the rats? They are almost as great in size
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64 WORLD WILDLIFE
These heartfelt words of praise did not please Arachne. She refused to acknowledge her debt to anyone, even Athena. “I learned not from Athena, but through my own talent and discipline,” said she. “I am the finer weaver,” she said. “If the goddess believes her skills are superior to mine, I invite her to come and try to match me at the loom.” The nymphs shivered at the young woman’s haughty defiance, and an old woman suddenly appeared and spoke to Arachne.
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Magazine Article Sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are spending the summer of 1968 in Oakland, California, with their mother, who left them behind years earlier. In this excerpt, the sisters are spending the day at a Center while their mother is working.
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Marie Curie: 1867–1934 Born: Poland Nobel Prize: 1903 2nd Nobel Prize: 1911
I remember those evenings well when I was a young boy in Cuba, those balmy island nights before a trip to Guanabo Beach. The spicy aroma of tortilla española that Mami had left to cool would waft through the house as I lay in my bed. But I was always too excited to sleep. All I could think about was the soft white sand, the warm foamy water, and Mami’s delicious tortilla . Ahhh. A day at the beach. It was full of possibilities. One Saturday in May, I was awakened at the crack of dawn by sounds of laughter. My aunts, Rosa and Olga, had arrived with hammocks, blankets, and an iron kettle filled with Aunt Rosa’s steaming congrí . And best of all, they had arrived with my cousins: Luisa, Mari, and little Javi. Uncle Toni had come, too.
When we were ready to leave, Papi, the only one in the family who owned a car, packed his Ford woody wagon with the nine of us. No one cared that we children had to squeeze into the back along with the clutter of pots and plates, food and bags, towels and blankets and hammocks. Soon the engine turned, and the car rumbled down the road into the rising sun. Along the way, we drove past sugarcane fields and roadside markets. My cousins and I shouted warnings to the barking dogs and laughed at the frightened hens that scurried in every direction at the sight of our car. It seemed like a long time until the cool morning breeze that blew into the windows turned warm. And the growing heat made the aroma of Mami’s tortilla all the more tempting.
by Audrey Couloumbis
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Here’s what this dangerous sport involves:
Historical Fiction
• X-Treme Gear: parachute, altimeter, jumpsuit, protective padding, helmet, gloves, and an automatic activation device (ADD)—in case the chute doesn’t open! • X-Treme Conditions: jumping from a plane at about 11,500 feet (3,500 meters), free-falling to about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) • X-Treme Risks: Things happen FAST, the parachute may not open at first, and the landing may be rough. • X-Treme Challenge: If all goes as planned, the skydiver has defied gravity, though briefly.
“Joey Ziglar says it’s boring, grocery shopping with his mom,” I said. It was our usual Saturday- afternoon trip to the store. “Lucky for you, I’m not Joey Ziglar’s mom.” “It’s a little boring,” I said. “Sometimes.” “You’ve got your own
“White chocolate with some kind of nuts. And chocolate chip.” “Good picks.” She looked pretty cheerful about the cookies. She likes the ones with strange nuts. I pushed the filled- to-the-top grocery cart outside. Everything up to this point was like any other Saturday.
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Frances Hodgson Burnett
list and a budget,” Mom said. “What more do you want? A dance routine?” “We-ell—” “Get real,” she said with a little smile.
Skydivers achieve terminal velocity when the downward force of gravity equals the upward force of drag, so they are falling at a constant speed. The average terminal velocity of a skydiver is about 120 mph (195 km/h). In contrast, a raindrop has a terminal velocity of about 17 mph (27 km/h). Terminal Velocity
As we walked out to the car—no, as we skidded and skated across the icy parking lot, sometimes sliding away and then coming back together like we each held the end of a rubber band—Mom said, “Let’s make one more trip to the mall. Last-minute Christmas shopping.” My hopes that she’d be looking for a bicycle sank. If I was going with her, she wasn’t shopping for me. I would stand in line to hold the space, and then I’d carry the bag. I shoved the grocery cart around our car to the passenger side, huffing it over an icy ridge running along the ground. “I’m old enough to stay home alone, I hope you know.” Mom said, “Not a chance. Who’s going to lug the loot ba—” and the locks on the car doors sprang open. I opened the door and unloaded the cart, putting everything on the floor in front of the backseat. It took five minutes, probably less. “Mom?” I said, looking around when I’d finished. I didn’t see her. “Mom!” I yelled. “Mom?”
Greek Myth
Letter
13 “A lot of the stuff on my list is a snore,” I said. “Bread, cereal, canned tuna. Juice boxes, milk, and ice cream.” “You weren’t listening,” she said. “You have a budget. Figure out how to get yourself a treat out of it.” 11/25/19 3:57 PM It took me nearly an hour to do it. I mean, there’s just one canned tuna we like. And we always try to pick ice cream that’s on sale. Where’s the wiggle room? I found it. Two boxes of cereal cost an amazing amount of money—more than ice cream. Oatmeal is cheap and healthy. Cocoa Puffs are neither. Cocoa Puffs don’t taste as good as big, soft cookies that could be homemade, so that decision practically made itself. Mom spotted the oatmeal in my cart. “Figured out how to buy treats on your budget?” “Cookies,” I said. “Big, soft cookies.” Mom’s eyes lit up. “What kind?”
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From CHAPTER XIII “I Am Colin”
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It was a big room with ancient, handsome furniture in it. There was a low fire glowing faintly on the hearth and a night light burning by the side of a carved four-posted bed hung with brocade, and on the bed was lying a boy, crying fretfully. Mary wondered if she was in a real place or if she had fallen asleep again and was dreaming without knowing it. The boy had a sharp, delicate face the color of ivory and he seemed to have eyes too big for it. He had also a lot of hair which tumbled over his forehead in heavy locks and made his thin face seem smaller. He looked like a boy who had been ill, but he was crying more as if he were tired and cross than as if he were in pain.
Mary stood near the door with her candle in her hand, holding her breath. Then she crept across the room, and, as she drew nearer, the light attracted the boy’s attention and he turned his head on his pillow and stared at her, his gray eyes opening so wide that they seemed immense. “Who are you?” he said at last in a half-frightened whisper. “Are you a ghost?” “No, I am not,” Mary answered, her own whisper sounding half frightened. “Are you one?” He stared and stared and stared. Mary could not help noticing what strange eyes he had. They were agate gray and they looked too big for his face because they had black lashes all round them.
There is a story told about Marie Curie as a little gq iur il e. tMl ya. rMi ee wa naws hc oi l ne ,c he ne rt rsai tsitnegr so wn ehreer bbuosoykbaunsdt l irnega d i n g ad bi do un to bt un iol dt iicnegwa hpaytrha emr i sdi sotfecrhs ahi ar sd abruoiul tnudnht iel rs. hMeasrti oe o d upItawndouklndoncoktedbeovsuerrpthriesicnhgaiifrsth! is story were true. As ac ocuhlidl dd, iMs tar raicet lhoevre df r ob mo ohk es ra sntdu de xi epsear ni md esnhtes .cNo no tt ihni un eg d to love learning as she got older. A Woman Ahead of Her Time
Realistic Fiction
RITA WILLIAMS-GARCIA Civic Pride
Informative / Explanatory
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. . . I had been scared once. Truly scared for Papa. It happened two summers ago. Big Ma had gone back to Alabama ahead of us to visit family and take care of her house. We had packed up the Wildcat and had driven down to Alabama so my sisters and I could stay there for the summer. We had been driving all day, all night. Talk about being a long way from home. If we needed to stop, we found a gas station or
. . . At the Center we had a civics lesson. We were being taught our rights as citizens and how to protect those rights when dealing with the police. . . . Crazy Kelvin . . . broke our rights down step- by-step as if there was no time to lose. Any given day a police car could stop my sisters and me on our way from the Safeway market and search our bag of groceries. We had to be armed with our rights. . . .
16 Scientific Discoveries
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In this excerpt, Mr. and Mrs. Darling have gone out for the evening and their three children—Wendy, John, and Michael—have been tucked into bed. The night-lights of the children soon dim. . . .
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There was another light in the room now . . . . when it came to rest for a second you saw it was a fairy, no longer than your hand, but still growing. It was a girl called Tinker Bell. A moment after the fairy’s entrance the window was blown open by the breathing of the little stars, and Peter dropped in. He had carried Tinker Bell part of the way, and his hand was still coated with the fairy dust. Peter amazes Wendy with stories of Neverland, where he lives with the other lost boys—but no girls! He tries to persuade her to come join him there, and spins tales that are sure to make Neverland irresistible. But the only way to get there is to fly, and the children do not know how to. “I say, Peter, can you really fly?” asked John. Instead of troubling to answer him Peter flew around the room. “How brilliant!” said John and Michael. “How terrific!” cried Wendy. In fact it looked delightfully easy, and the children tried it first from the floor and then from the beds, but they always went down instead of up. “I say, how do you do it?” asked John, rubbing his knee. Chapter 3 Come Away, Come Away!
What Is an American? We have always helped in struggles for human freedom. And we will help again. But our hundreds of millions of liberty-loving allies would despair if we did not provide aid and encouragement. The quicker we help them, the sooner this dreadful revolution will be over. We cannot, we must not, we dare not delay much longer. The fight for Britain is in its crucial stages. We must give the British everything we have. And by everything, I mean everything needed to beat the life out of our common enemy. By 1941, Germany’s Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, had invaded many countries and were a major threat to U.S. allies. Despite these facts, many Americans didn’t want the United States to enter World War II. Harold Ickes, President Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of the Interior, expressed his opinion about fighting Hitler in this speech on May 18, 1941.
The Volcano That Shook the World Krakatoa, 1883
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What Killed the Dinosaurs? Since life began on Earth, countless plant and animal species have come and gone. In fact, most species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. Extinction occurs when the last living member of a plant or animal species dies. Once it has become extinct, that species will never be found alive on Earth again. One of the most famous examples of extinction is the dinosaur. Many types of dinosaurs had already flourished and faded during their 135 million years of dominance on land, but in the late Cretaceous Period—about 65 million years ago—the dinosaurs disappeared completely. No one knows exactly what happened. But scientists have suggested several explanations. Ideas About Dinosaur Extinction Most scientists are convinced that the death of the dinosaurs resulted from some kind of devastating event. A number of these ideas, or theories, have been proposed to explain how these animals suddenly died out over a relatively short period of time. Asteroids In 1980, the American physicist Luis Alvarez and his geologist son, Walter, came up with the Impact Theory. The two scientists suggested that an asteroid, an enormous rock from outer space, had struck Earth at the end of the Cretaceous Period. According to this theory, when the asteroid hit Earth, it released a giant cloud of dust into the atmosphere. The cloud blocked the sunlight and darkened the sky for years. All plant life was destroyed, leaving the plant-eating dinosaurs without a food supply. The death of the plant eaters led to starvation of the carnivorous, or meat-eating, dinosaurs as well. The Alvarezes believe that most dinosaurs died off within a year or so after the disaster. Many scientists agree with the Impact Theory. There seems to be a great deal of reliable data that support an asteroid collision. Volcanoes According to geologist Dewey McLean, one of the greatest volcanic episodes in Earth’s history was the Deccan Traps event. About 65 million years ago, volcanic eruptions flooded over a million square miles of the area we know today as India. Earth was surrounded by a dark cloud of debris, which triggered eventual mass extinctions. However, this theory doesn’t explain why many small mammals and marine plants and animals survived. Short Reads for
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A volcano is a hole in the crust of Earth. It forms when molten rock, or magma, erupts to the surface, where it is called lava. Some people think of volcanoes as vents—nature’s way of cooling off the planet. The volcano of Krakatoa had been dormant for 200 years. Then, in May of 1883, Krakatoa suddenly awakened, with cracklings, explosions, and smoke. Sunday, August 26, 1883 It was an especially lovely afternoon in Anjer, a small seaside town on the island of Java. As palm trees swayed in the breeze, families rested or strolled along the sparkling white beaches. Others walked along the town’s streets. This Chinese folktale tells the origin of the sun and how it came to bless all living things on Earth with its daily gift of warmth and light. Suddenly, at about one p.m., the sharp crack of an explosion shattered Anjer. The people of Anjer must have known that the sound they’d heard had originated in Krakatoa, the nearby volcanic island about six miles long and two miles wide. Most people sensed that the noises and smoke of this afternoon seemed different from the rumblings of the past few months. But nobody could imagine the catastrophe that was about to overwhelm their beautiful land. By midafternoon, the town of Anjer was enveloped in an eerie darkness. Clouds of smoke had spewed into the air, covering the sun. Hot ashes rained down and people could hardly see their hands in front of their faces. From time to time, a red, fiery glare could be spotted over the volcano. The seas began to behave strangely. Waves crashed wildly against the shore. In the harbor, churning water tore boats loose from their moorings and dashed them to pieces. The town’s telegraph operator tapped out reports to the city of Batavia (today it is Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital), 100 miles to the east. But at six p.m. the telegraph cable broke, and the line went dead. The telegraph operator hoped to fix it in the morning. That was not to be. Monday, August 27, 1883 Monday arrived, but dawn never came. The sky was completely dark. Then, at exactly two minutes past 10 a.m., the unthinkable happened. Krakatoa exploded into smithereens. Short Reads for
by J. M. Barrie
Jonathan Harker is sent to Transylvania to deliver papers to Count Dracula, who is purchasing a house in London. Jonathan is the only guest in Dracula’s castle, and keeps a journal during his time there.
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These excerpts are from the sequel to Philbrick’s award-winning Freak the Mighty .
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The second step must be to aid and encourage our friends and allies everywhere. And by everywhere I mean Europe and Asia and Africa and America. And finally, the most important of all, we Americans must gird spiritually for the battle. We must dispel the fog of uncertainty and
In this excerpt from the start of the book, we learn that through helping her gravely ill grandfather, Alex begins to understand the depth of her connection to him.
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The Nazis entered Paris in 1941, following their invasion of France. This photo shows the Germans taking part in a victory parade at the Place Clemenceau, Paris.
1. The Whole Weird World
Ho Yi THE GRAND ARCHER
vacillation. We must greet with raucous laughter the corroding arguments of our appeasers and fascists. They doubt democracy. We affirm it triumphantly, so that all the world may hear. Here in America, we have something so worth living for that it is worth dying for! The so-called “wave of the future” is but the slimy backwash of the past. We have not heaved from our necks the It is the summer of 1969 in Spanish Harlem, New York City. Evelyn is a Puerto Rican teenager with mixed feelings about her Latino heritage, and she is about to deal with big changes in her life.
By Bram Stoker Adapted by Emily Hutchinson
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“This novel is meant to be savored in delicious bites. I loved its snap and down-home-El Barrio-in-your-face-tell-it-like-it-is tone.” — Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
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“The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano should be placed on proud display with the literature that enriches our multicultural America. History will come alive for young readers who will identify with how a great historic moment can affect one girl and her family.” — Julia Alvarez , Pura Belpré Award–winning author of Before We Were Free and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents “I love this book! It’s smart, real, painfully funny, and filled with the wisdom of a writer who can get to the hearts and souls of her readers. Sonia Manzano, standing ovation! (Encore, please!)” — John Leguizamo , Emmy Award–winning actor-comedian “An important story about activism, acceptance, and love. Sonia Manzano vividly portrays a neighborhood in turmoil, with embraceable characters who change history.” — Pam Muñoz Ryan , Pura Belpré Award–winning author of The Dreamer and Esperanza Rising
SONIA MANZANO THE REVOLUTION OF EVELYN SERRANO
THERE ARE TWO SECRETS EVELYN SERRANO is keeping from her family — her true feelings about growing up in their Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her sassy grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Then, like an urgent ticking clock, events erupt that change everything. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, set the street's garbage on fire, igniting a powerful protest. When Abuela steps in to take charge, Evelyn is thrust into the action. Tempers flare, loyalties are tested. Through it all, Evelyn learns important truths about her Latino heritage and the history makers who shaped a cultural identity. Infused with actual news accounts from 1969, award-winning actress and writer Sonia Manzano has crafted a gripping work of fiction based on her own life growing up during a fiery, unforgettable time in America, when young Latinos took control of their destinies.
My name is Maxwell Kane and the thing you should know about me is this: Even though I’m a big dude with a face like the moon and ears that stick out like radar scoops and humongous feet like the abdominal snowman, inside I’m a real weenie. A yellow-bellied sapsucker. A gigantic wuss. A coward. I’ll do just about anything to avoid a fight. I’m scared if I hit somebody, they might stay hurt forever, or worse. And then they’d haul me off to prison and everybody would say what did you expect, the boy is a bad apple just like his jailbird father. Okay, maybe I am a little weird, but if you really think about it everybody is weird. That’s the truth, and if you don’t believe it then maybe you better listen up while I tell you about me and the Bookworm and what happened when the whole weird world was out to get us. SCHOLASTIC PRESS An Imprint of www.scholastic.com 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 Printed in the U.S.A. SONIA MANZANO has affected the lives of millions since the early 1970s as the actress who defined the role of Maria on the acclaimed television series Sesame Street. Sonia has won fifteen Emmy Awards for her television writing and was twice nominated for an Emmy Award as best performer in a children's series. Adding to her list of credits, Sonia has been named by People En Español magazine as one of America’s most influential Hispanics. This is Sonia’s first novel. She lives in New York City. Jacket design and image created by Elizabeth B. Parisi, with images by Afton Almaraz/Getty and Buena Vista/Getty
RISEUP_W_What_Is_An_American.indd 1 It started like this. One day after school gets out I’m kind of moping along, minding my own business. Taking the long way home because there’s nothing to do when I get there, so why hurry? I’m making sure not to step on any cracks and my brain is telling me don’t be such a moron, it doesn’t matter about cracks in the sidewalk. But my feet won’t listen and they keep being careful, because you never know about cracks, do you? Get a life , my brain says. That’s when I hear the girl screaming. She’s not saying anything, just screaming so loud it puts a shiver in my bones. It makes me freeze up and not move and wish I could be invisible, or at least small. It makes me wish I could turn my ears off like you switch off a radio, and not hear anything. Most of all I want to run away and hide somewhere safe. Because you can tell from the scream that somebody wants to hurt her. 9 780545 325059 51799 ISBN 978-0-545-32505-9 Short Reads for
Long ago in China, there lived a man named Hou Yi, who was such a renowned marksman with his bow and arrows that the gods appointed him to be the Grand Archer of the Gods. The gods summoned him whenever their children needed to be disciplined. This also made Hou Yi so powerful that many of the peasants were afraid to speak to him. At this time, a wide variety of flora thrived on an island paradise to the east of China. The most magnificent of all these plants was a magical tree called the Fusang. The Fusang’s branches reached all the way to the heavens, and its branches shaded hundreds of miles. Among its massive leaves bloomed brilliant flowers in warm, vivid colors, such as magenta, crimson, scarlet, and violet. The sun god, Dijun, and the sun goddess, Shiho, had ten children, ten boys who were themselves fiery suns. They lived in the Fusang tree, chasing
12/3/19 9:26 AM one another and swimming in the ocean. Each day, their mother rode across the sky in a pearl-shell chariot pulled by six flaming horses, and the suns would compete to work with her for the day. The fastest sun to climb to the top of the Fusang tree would leap into the chariot to wake the creatures of Earth and spread warmth and light across the world. A sun would often take a particular interest in one part of the Earth and focus too much heat on it, however, and Shiho had to scold him for this. When the returning sun arrived home at dusk, he leaped out of the chariot and performed spectacular dives and twirls on his way back down, cheered on noisily by his brothers. For many years, the suns lived happily with this arrangement, but eventually they grew bored. They plotted to create enough light and warmth to last the Earth several days so they could spend more time playing. Their plan was to run across
How Surfers Catch a Wave
RISEUP_X_Krakatoa.indd 1 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. Address Delivered at the Dedication of the Cemetery at Gettysburg Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863
Passages from Jonathan Harker’s Journal
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Study the shapes of the waves. There are many different types of waves—some are more powerful than others, the direction can vary, and the timing of their breaking can differ greatly. So it is important that surfers be able to identify what a rideable wave looks like. A beginning surfer would do well to start learning on a broken whitewater wave—one where the foam continues to move toward the shore. A more experienced surfer will look for a wave shaped like an arc.
Today I found breakfast waiting for me. A note from Dracula was beside my plate. In it he explained that he had to be away for a while. After breakfast, I opened a side door in the dining room and found a sort of library. In the library I discovered shelves of English books, magazines, and newspapers. While I was looking at them, the door opened, and the Count entered. He said that he wanted me to stay for a month to help him with his English. His plan was to speak it well enough so that he would not be seen as a foreigner when he moved to London. I did not
want to stay that long, but Mr. Hawkins had told me to assist Count Dracula in any way I could. Dracula then wanted to know about the house that Mr. Hawkins had arranged for him to buy. He asked me all about the neighborhood and the estate. When I told him all the details, he said, “I am glad the house is old and big. I myself am from an old family. To live in a new house would kill me. I am glad to hear there is an old chapel there, too. We Transylvanian nobles do not like to think that our bones may be among the common dead.” Short Reads for
Informative / Explanatory
Surf’s up! The sport of surfing has become a popular pastime and lifestyle for people all over the world— particularly in California, Hawaii, and Australia. Just what does it take to stand triumphantly on your board after masterfully catching a wave? Obviously, it takes a LOT of practice. But it also takes a lot of thought. Read on to discover how surfers set themselves up for “take-off” (riding a wave) by finding and catching the perfect wave.
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Persuasive
“The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano underscores the struggle that triumphed in the lives of Latinos. Here is a book that creates indelible political awareness.” — Nicholasa Mohr , National Book Award finalist, author of El Bronx Remembered
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“Thank you, Sonia Manzano, for capturing important moments for Puerto Ricans, and for reminding us that history doesn’t just happen, we live with it and with its consequences.” — Esmeralda Santiago , Alex Award–winning author of Almost a Woman and When I was Puerto Rican
CHAPTER I
Folktale “It’s night, Grandpa. It’s night and time to go to bed.” “It just rolls in, Alex,” he continued, “and all I can do is watch. It’s terrible. I can’t sleep.” 12/3/19 9:19 AM She knew that the cancer wouldn’t let him sleep. Plus, lately he seemed confused. A nurse was with him during the day. Then Alex and Mom and Auntie Francine took turns being with him I n the middle of the night, in the middle of her eleventh-grade year, in the middle of the coldest Manitoba winter for a century, Grandpa called to say that he was worried about “the dark.”
S ugar-free beets that still taste sweet, tastier tomatoes, and brighter-colored fruits and
during the evening. At midnight, when they were back in their own beds, it was hard to turn off thoughts, to sleep, peacefully to dream. “I’ll come over. Okay?” Tears tumbled down her cheeks onto her red turtleneck sweater, which she hadn’t bothered to change out of before falling into bed. “I’ll be right there, Grandpa.” “No,” he said, clearing his throat, reclaiming his dignity. “No, Alexandra Marie Sinclair. You need to rest. I shouldn’t have called. I just wanted to hear your voice one more time today. How’s school?”
An almanac is a reference book that gives current facts and stats about different subjects. These excerpts are about disasters.
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ANIMAL SCIENCE
Percy Jackson is a demigod, son of the Greek god Neptune and a mortal woman, who wakes up to find that he doesn’t know where he’s from or what he’s done. As this excerpt begins, he’s been evading two gorgons—hideous women with snakes for hair—for the last three days.
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vegetables that stay ripe longer but are all larger in size than average. How do these fruits and vegetables carry these traits? Scientists use a process called genetic engineering.
Disasters
<< Arts Profile >> MAYA LIN on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Horror (Classic)
Dolphins use a complex language made up of whistles and clicks. It is hoped that one day we may actually be able to translate what they are saying!
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Paddle out. Once a surfer has checked out the wave shapes and habits, it’s time to grab the surfboard and get paddling! The safest way to get through oncoming, breaking waves is to go to the right or left side, where the waves haven’t quite broken yet. It’s also possible to go straight through, but in that case, timing is critical. One tidbit of information that surfers keep in mind is that waves usually come in sets of three or four, so paddling out between sets is best. Note on surfer etiquette: Surfers must be aware of all the other surfers, and whoever is closest to the crest rules the wave. A good surfer checks for other surfers and won’t try to ride a wave if someone else is already there and nearer the crest.
Adventure W hen I got home, there were three weird things going on. Mami, who is usually at our bodega in the evenings, was home. There was music blaring in our apartment. At the kitchen table sat a woman whose eyebrows were drawn on with a black makeup pencil. On her eyelids was a thick spread of eye shadow the same blue as my snow cone. The woman’s lips were as pink as the inside of a seashell. And, oh, her hair—it was as orange as Bozo’s, puffed up and piled on top of her head like a wad of cotton candy. Mami was serving this strange lady a cup of coffee. Mami spoke in a very tired way. “ Mija , this is your abuela .” 12/2/19 5:05 PM
I blinked. Twice. My grandmother? I knew I had a grandmother in Puerto Rico, who had married the guy with the painted cheeks in Mami’s picture. But this lady looked nothing like any grandmother I’d ever seen. She got up to kiss me. My piragua had turned to a puddle in my cup. My grandmother’s hot-pink sleeveless sweater was low cut. She wore black cotton pedal pushers. Her burgundy-colored toenails peeked out of chunky-heeled sandals. Her accent was as thick as the blue syrup in my cup and heavier than Mami’s accent. “Rosita, you are so beautiful,” she said. She crushed me to her. My face just reached her neck. I could feel she was wearing one of those stiff
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A disaster causes destruction, usually on a large scale. The word disaster is used to describe an event that causes injuries and even loss of life. Disasters can be natural events such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. They can also be the result of mechanical failures, human error, or terrorism, such as the plane crashes in the United States on September 11, 2001. Geography Matters Not every extreme natural event has to turn into a disaster. It’s the location of the event that often makes the difference. Quakes that strike unpopulated areas can’t hurt or kill people or knock down buildings that aren’t there. Quakes that strike densely populated areas, such as the one that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, have the most potential for destruction. The earthquake hit a few miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s populous capital, destroying an estimated 280,000 buildings, injuring at least 300,000 people, and causing more than 220,000 deaths.
THE SON OF NEPTUNE
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Using Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering, or modification, is like changing a recipe. For example, if a baker mixes together all of the ingredients others normally use to make brownies, but increases the portions and adds an unusual ingredient, like pistachio nuts, the brownies will taste unlike other brownies. Genes, like recipe ingredients for life, carry traits of living things. Genes for humans determine hair and eye color and other traits.
Genes carry traits for plants as well. By adding genes to a plant, scientists can sometimes create new traits. For example, adding a certain gene to a potato plant can make the potato plant distasteful to bugs. The advantage to farmers and consumers is that these genetically engineered potatoes won’t need harmful chemicals to keep bugs away. Genetic Engineering and Allergies Genetic engineering sounds great, but some people are greatly opposed to the
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Find a suitable spot. Every beach is unique, and it’s hard to know just what lies beneath the water. Are there rocks, reefs, or sandbars that affect how the waves break? What information can the locals give about the safest place to surf? If the beach is unfamiliar, it is important to observe the waves and gather as much information as possible before plunging in.
Realistic Fiction
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1982) is located in Washington, D.C., and honors the men and women who fought in the Vietnam War (1954–1975). The main memorial consists of a pair of 250-foot-long walls of black stone arranged to form a V. The walls slope over their entire length, from a height of 10 feet until they seem to disappear underground. The surface of both walls is inscribed, or carved, with the names of more than 58,000 U.S. men and women who were killed in the war or remain missing. These memorial walls were designed by Maya Lin when she was still a college student. Lin is interviewed below. INTERVIEWER: What inspired the design for the Vietnam Memorial? MAYA LIN: For me what the Vietnam memorial had to be about was honesty, about dealing up front with individual loss. You know, it turns out it was also a requirement by the veterans to list the 58,000 names. Now, you’ve got to ask again, this is probably the first time where the group of veterans have requested it. We’re reaching a time in—it’s almost a modern time—that we’ll acknowledge the individual in a war on a national
Procedural Just How Smart Are Animals?
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NEW SCIENCE • March 33
Realistic Fiction
Informative / Explanatory
Informative / Explanatory
12/2/19 5:03 PM Ji tuss at cwohr na t? iWs thhaatt asrqeumi r roenl kt ehyi ns ks ianygi nags wi t hbeunr i e s they “talk” to each other? No one can read aj und agnmi me natl s’ s bma si ne dd , osno hs co iwe nt thi se tys bheahvaevteo. Tmhaekye da ne sdi gr enme xe pmebr ei mr. eTnhtesyt oa lsseoesht uodwy ahnoiwm aalnsi ml e aa rl sn s oTl vhee ps truo dbyl eomf hs oawn da nmi ma ka el s dt he icni ski iosncsa. l l e d at on iams saul mc oegtnhi at itoann. iSmc iaelns tti hs ti sn kmtuhset wb ea yc awr ee f du ol n. o t So what do animals think about? Donald R.
Griffin (1915–2003), a professor of animal cognition, had some suggestions. Animals may think about finding food, escaping from pa br eoduat thoor ws , ot or cma apkt ue rsi tnrgu cptruerye. sT, hs euyc hmaasy bt ihr idnsk’ nmeasktsinograbnedavuesrindgatmoos.lsT. hey may think about d eAl inbiemr aatl es l ay l st roi ccko ma nmd umn ai cnai tpeu. lSaot emoet chaenr se. v e n Griffin said that such behaviors may involve spur ec hd ihc ti gi nhge rh-ol ewv ealntohtihnekri nwgi al lsroe snpeoanndi m. a l ’ s
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from Chapter 2
The thing about plummeting downhill at fifty miles an hour on a snack platter—if you realize it’s a bad idea when you’re halfway down, it’s too late. Percy narrowly missed a tree, glanced off a boulder, and spun a three-sixty as he shot toward the highway. The stupid snack tray did not have power steering. He heard the gorgon sisters screaming and caught a glimpse of Euryale’s coral-snake hair at the top of the hill, but he didn’t have time to worry about it. The roof of the apartment building loomed below him like the prow of a battleship. Head-on collision in ten, nine, eight . . . He managed to swivel sideways to avoid breaking his legs on impact. The snack platter skittered across the
roof and sailed through the air. The platter went one way. Percy went the other. As he fell toward the highway, a horrible scenario flashed through his mind: his body smashing against an SUV’s windshield, some annoyed commuter trying to push him off with the wipers. Stupid sixteen-year-old kid falling from the sky! I’m late! Miraculously, a gust of wind blew him to one side— just enough to miss the highway and crash into a clump of bushes. It wasn’t a soft landing, but it was better than asphalt. Percy groaned. He wanted to lie there and pass out, but he had to keep moving.
In an earthquake or other disaster, the water supply often becomes contaminated with sewage, causing widespread disease and even death. But one U.S. corporate giant has come up with a lifesaving product: a water purifier called PUR. One small packet of PUR can remove dirt and bacteria from 2.6 gallons (10 L) of water, making it safe to drink. Two hundred million packets of PUR have been distributed in 57 countries, including Haiti, providing 528 million gallons (2 billion L) of clean water.
“For me what the Vietnam memorial had to be was about
level, rather than what has happened in previous wars.
honesty, about dealing up front with individual loss.”
Throughout history it was always a political statement by the winning leader about the victory. The foot
soldier didn’t count, except in World War I memorials which I had studied and realized—the effect they had, they were so moving, was because they focused on individual loss. But I think that is the definition of a modern approach to war, the acknowledgment of individual lives lost.
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24 Directions in Architecture | Spring
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