My Very Special Pounamu

Today I got a very very special present from my Granny who went to the South Island in New Zealand for a holiday. She got my brother and I each a necklace called a Pounamu, a greenstone pendant which is very very sacred in Maori culture. What makes the Pounamu even more special is that you can not buy them for yourself you can only receive one as a gift. What's also very interesting is that overtime the more you wear your Pounamu it changes its colour to a honey gold.

The New Zealand and Maori cultures are very important to me as I am from New Zealand. Learning about my Pounamu and wearing it proudly show that I am proud of where my family and I came from.

Thank you Granny for the Pounamu I will treasure it for ever and ever!

Which Witch?

‘Which Witch?’ Is a glorious book full of imagination and entertainment! My favourite characters were: A witch called Belladonna, Terence Mugg and Arriman the Awful Wizard of the North because they were very loving, caring and nice people and because they do amazing magic like making flowers appear where ever they walk! This book is a story about a contest for Arriman to find the perfect witch to be his wife….a bit like Cinderella but with witches and wizards!

Through most of the contest Arriman moaned and groaned about having to get married until he saw his fiancée Belladonna. I liked this book because there was lots and lots of magic. I also liked it because it was about witches and I like stories about witches!

Which Witch? Was the second book Eva Ibbotson wrote so I thought it would be best for it to be the first Eva Ibbotson book to read and love! Next book will be ‘Journey to Riversea’ as I already have it. Thank you to my friend Lily for lending me Which Witch!

The Dark Blue 100-ride bus ticket by Margaret Mahy

This story is about a boy called Carlo and his mum called Jessica they have to save the planet from Dowlers. And they also needed to save the blue bus.

One day Jessica and Carlo went to the supermarket and Carlo found a lady that looked like a Christmas tree and started sniffing her and she stood on Carlos toes. "clumsy me. clumsy Katrina Christmas" she said, then she gave them a dark blue ticket that had silver stars all over it. It was the start to their magical journey.

My favourite parts are when Dominic and Jessica say they will get married and when they fight the dowlers.

I loved this book so much didn't want to put it down.

I liked the characters because they all had something related to me. Pearlie I think looked like me, her dad was an adventurous man and Jessica was very sensitive, all like me. I didn't relate to Carlo though.

I liked Dominic who is Pearlies Dad because he was adventurous like me. I liked his reaction when he saw the exploding porridge. I felt all excited when he heard the exploding porridge explode out of nowhere.

I liked Pearlie because she was a bit bossy at the same time as being exited and happy. I liked her reaction

when she saw the almost parrots. She was like WOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!

I liked Jessica who is Carlos Mum because she was a sensitive lady and she always loved everything. and she was ALWAYS was not sure when Carlo & Pearlie asked if they could fight off the dowlers because she thought they might get hurt.

I did not like Carlo because he was alway just asking "can we go to the the supermarket at the end of the world" and "can i fight the dowlers." This annoyed me.

There were 150 pages but I liked it so much that I didn't even notice. And when I give it back to the library I will soon get it out again. Or I might try a new Margaret Mahy book next!

http://www.harpercollins.com.au/books/Dark-Blue-100-Ride-Bus-Ticket-Margaret-Mahy/?isbn=9781869508166