Music review

By Amelia S.

Band: Tokio Hotel

Tokio Hotel is a pop rock quartette from Magdebourg, Germany. The band’s lead singer is Bill Kaulitz and his identical twin brother, Tom Kaulitz, plays the guitar. They have been performing together since they were nine years old. After one of their shows, they met their current bassist, Georg Listing, and their drummer, Gustav Schäfer.

At first the band’s name was Devilish but a record company never signed them. In 2003, they changed their name to Tokio Hotel and were signed by Peter Hoffmann by Sony BMG in Hamburg, Germany.

In 2004, they came out with their first album, Schrei (Scream). In 2005 their first single, Durch Den Monsun (Monsoon) hit the German and Austrian ‘number one’ charts.

In 2007 they came out with their next album and another chart topping success, called Zimmer 483 (Room 483). In 2007, they also released the American version of Schrei, called Scream and in 2009, they are coming out with their second American and German album, which is yet to be named. Watch for it in stores!

Book review

By: Amelia S.

The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and The Olympians

By Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief is about Percy Jackson, a 12 year-old boy, who finds out he is the son of the god of the sea, Poseidon. After a nasty meeting with a monster, Percy and his friend from boarding school, Grover, end up in a camp of half bloods. There they meet the sons and daughters of all the other gods. They also learn that the lightning bolt was stolen from the alpha god, Zeus. Zeus blames the theft on his brother, Hades, the god of the underworld. If it isn’t found in a week there will be a tremendous fight that will make the world wars on earth seem like a chess game. So, now, it’s all up to Percy, Grover and their friend Annabeth, to return the lightning bolt safely to Zeus. Read along as they make their way through the underworld, heaven and central New York as they look for the lightning bolt and encounter some not-so-happy people. 

If you like The Lightening Thief, then check out some of the other books by Rick Riordan. He has written fantastic novels that add to The Lightning Thief series, such as, The Sea Of Monsters and The Battle of The Labryinth.

Do It Yourself!

Project: pencil case

By: Zoe N.

This easy-to-make pencil case is cute and fun and helps you stay organized at school. It’s super simple to make and only requires a straight seam on a sewing machine. Straight seams are the most basic stitches, so if you do not know how to use a sewing machine, you can learn within minuets. This project may require a trip to the fabric store so make sure that you have all the materials before you start. Now, if you feel really creative, head to your local thrift store and recycle an old shirt or dress! Not only is this less expensive, but you can find crazy prints and cool fabrics.

Materials:

• An 11x17 inch rectangle of fabric in the color of your choice        

• An 11x11 inch square of fabric in a contrasting color for the pocket

• Thread that matches the main fabric

• Straight pins

• Ribbon, 18-inches, in a color that compliments your other color choices

• Access to a sewing machine and someone to teach you how to use it if you don’t already know how

• An iron and ironing board

• Fabric scissors

Once you get everything you need, you are ready to start! If you want to check out step-by-step photos of the project look below the instructions. Have fun!

1. Iron your fabric

2. Place the rectangle on your table, right side up. Fold the square in half, printed side in, and place it at one end of the rectangle so that the bottom edges match up. Then fold the rectangle in half so the square is hidden

3. Fold the ribbon in half and tuck the ends inside the fabric so about half an inch of the folded ribbon sticks out halfway from the top and bottom of the fabric. Fold the ribbon so that the loose ends don’t get caught in the sewing machine

4. Using straight pins, pin the edges of the fabric together on all four sides. Be careful only to pin the ribbon on the side it sticks out

5. Sew a straight seam around the edges of the cloth, leaving a few inches open at the top. Next, turn the whole thing inside out. This is actually the correct side out. If you have trouble with this, try poking the eraser end of a pencil into the corners to give them shape

6. Sew closed the few inches you left open in step five. You’re almost done! Sew straight lines about an inch apart starting at the bottom of the second color of fabric and ending at the top of that piece. These are your pencil pockets. 

Now roll it up, and tie the ribbon in a bow. Walla! A cute pencil holder that you made yourself!

A recipe: On-the-Go Granola

By: Zoe N.

I don’t know about you, but I like to sleep late in the mornings. If I sleep late, though, I have to rush breakfast or eat it on the way to school so I won't be late. This simple granola recipe is easy to eat anywhere: at the table, on the bus or even while walking to school! It is prepared ahead of time, so in the morning you can just grab it and go.

Ingredients:

• Six cups of rolled oats

• One and a half cups of chopped nuts (you can use walnuts, pecans, almonds or a mixture of all three)

• Half a cup of pumpkin or sunflower seeds

• One cup dried shredded coconut (unsweetened)

• One and a half cups of dried fruit (cranberries, raisins,or dried apple cut into small pieces work best)

• Half a cup of canola oil

• One third of a cup of honey

Now you’re ready to start cooking:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large pot, combine the honey and canola oil and heat on a medium setting until they are well combined - be careful not to let it boil

3. Take the pot with the honey and canola oil off the heat and stir in everything except the dried fruit

4. Put about one third of the granola mixture on a large cookie sheet. Spread it out evenly so it does not burn. Bake the granola for eight minutes, or until it looks golden brown. Then, take it out, and use a spatula to toss the granola. The edges will brown more quickly, so be careful. Bake it for five to ten more minuets.

5. Repeat step four with two more batches. Let all the granola cool for a few minuets before mixing in the dried fruit. You can store your granola in a covered container in the refrigerator for about three months.

There are many ways to eat On-the-Go Granola! You can pour milk on it and eat it like cereal, mix it with yogurt, or eat it plain. Some people even put it on top of ice cream!

You know you're a Girl Scout when …

By: Staff

You know you’re a Girl Scout when… you accidentally flash the Girl Scout “on my honor” sign instead of the peace sign

You know you are Girl Scout when…you wear a green t-shirt with a brown sweater and think you look like a Thin Mint

You know you’re a Girl Scout when…you hold up three fingers when raising your hand in English class

You know you are a Girl Scout when…you know the multiples of 3.5 from selling all those Girl Scout Cookies!

Aski GiGi

From: our readers

Dear GiGi,

All of my friends have cell phones and I’m the only one who doesn’t have one. My parents won't let me have a phone yet. How can I convince them to let me have one?

-Cell Phone-less in the City

Dear Cell Phone-less in the City,

Try to come up with a presentation to give your parents on why you should have a cell phone. Research phones and how much they cost and why you should have one. Give examples like you should have one for emergencies and not just texting your friends then maybe your parents will decide you’re mature enough.If you go to the trouble of doing research then your parents will be sure to consider it. Good luck!

- GiGi

Dear GiGi,

I am in middle school and I want to start wearing make-up when I go back to school this fall. The only problem is my mother; she says I am too young to wear make-up and she won’t let me buy any. How do I convince my mom that I am growing up?

- Make-up Mumbler

Dear Make-up Mumbler:

I understand that you want more privileges from your mother, most everyone does. In order to gain these privileges you need to first respect her decisions. As hard as it is to believe, your mom probably has a good reason as to why she doesn’t want you to wear make-up and maybe if you ask her, she will explain her reasoning. If you are still not satisfied with your mother’s explanation, you can try to compromise with her but in the end you have to remember that mother knows best.

-GiGi

Dear GiGi,

Whenever my parents and I are in a fight and I disagree, they always yell at me for being disrespectful towards them. I don't mean to be disrespectful, I am just trying to get my point of view across. How can I disagree with my parents without being rude or disrespectful?

- Persecuted Disagreer

Dear Persecuted Disagreer,

I know how you feel, my parents are often accusing me of using a tone that I didn't know I was using. What I do, and it really seems to work, is take a deep breathe and think of PUT. Meaning PUT your feet in the other person’s shoes. How would they like it if you started yelling and screaming? They may have begun the conversation by yelling at you but the chances are that if you keep your voice down, your parents will too.

Also you need to USE the word 'I' instead of 'You'. So you don't want to persecute your parents of everything because the likeliness of it all is that not just your parents are who responsible for the fight but you probably are too. So realize what you have done and find ways to avoid saying things like, "you did this, you did that." Just admit that nobody's perfect and admit to what you have done wrong.

Lastly, you need to THINK about what you say before you say it. You wouldn't want to say something you didn't mean or something you are likely not able to take it back. I really hope this helps, and wish you the best of luck, in upcoming disagreements against your parents, or teachers, or even friends.

-GiGi