Sistories is a podcast about travel hosted by two sisters–Maryam and Nour! https://stonesoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vassar-St.m4a NOUR and MARYAM: Hi, everyone!! Welcome to our podcast Sistories! MARYAM: Hi! I’m Maryam, the Magnificent, and it’s incredible but this is our FOURTH podcast of Sistories! My sister and I LOVE to travel, and we want to inspire YOU to travel, too! So, get ready for a COOL trip to ITALY! Amore Mia! NOUR: Last month’s episode was about COOL PLACES to VISIT. We talked about GRENADA. Today, we are going to tell you all about Italy. I’ll start with some fun facts: The official name of Italy is the Italian Republic. That sounds a little formal, so I’m not surprised they just call it Italy. The name Italy comes from a GREEK word “Italos,” which is the name of a legendary king. There are a lot of Greek words used in Italy. The capital of Italy is Rome, which is also the biggest city in Italy and where my dad found his favorite gelato flavor, which is rice gelato (be sure to add cinnamon!!) Rome is nicknamed “the eternal city” and has many historic landmarks like the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. It was so crowded at the Spanish Steps. Everywhere you looked there was a mob of people coming towards you! Italy has a population of a little over 59 million people. It is about the same area as New Mexico! Italy’s official language is Italian. I learned a bunch of phrases in Italian like grazie and buongiorno. The money they use there is called Euros. It is very colorful. Italy’s major mountain ranges are the Alps and Apennines. Someday maybe I will get to ski on them! One of my favorite places I visited in Italy was the Colosseum. It is the world’s largest amphitheater. It is 157 feet tall and over 600 feet by 500 feet. It was built on an artificial lake and was destroyed by natural disasters. It is a symbol of Christianity. The Colosseum has 80 entrances and is in pretty good shape for its age. It is over 2,000 years old. It can hold up to 80,000 people. Maryam: Hi, everyone it’s Maryam the Magnificent. My sister told you some facts about Italy, and I want to tell you some other facts and STORIES! First, do you know that Italy was established in 1861? That’s a long time ago. Another very important fact is that Italy invented PIZZA! I ordered that almost every single time I went to a restaurant! Sadly, I had to try out some other foods like pasta and seafood and other fancy dishes. Another interesting fact is that Italians invented glasses! If the Italians hadn’t invented them, we would all be walking around with blurry eyes! Another super super cool fact is that there are still active volcanoes in Italy. I didn’t know that when I was there but now I do. The first time I went to Italy I remember it was for a wedding. I was little. We visited many cities like Florence and Venice. We got to ride on little boats in Venice because the city is in between lots of rivers and water! The second time I went to Italy we went with another family. We rented a house in Florence. That’s the time that we lost our bags, and we had to buy lots of clothes from there. I still have Italian clothes in my drawers! The last few days, we finally got our luggage back, but it was no use! Both times I went to Italy I ate lots and lots and LOTS of gelato. My dad likes rice gelato, and I like mango. You know how my sister was talking about the Colosseum? I am going to be talking about the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Now, the leaning tower of Pisa is obviously leaning, but the surprise is how is it still standing? No one knows exactly. You can take lots of cool pictures there. Do you know that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is over 800 years old?! A pretty cool fact is that Pisa survived four earthquakes! Like isn’t that crazy?! NOUR and MARYAM: Thank you for listening to our podcast Sistories today! MARYAM: Next time we are going to talk about another cool place to visit: Mexico! NOUR and MARYAM: Have a great trip! Ciao!
Young Bloggers
Auggie & Me, Reviewed by Elaine Elizabeth Jinto, 13
Friendships can be hard to keep up with. There are lots of times when we feel it would be easier to not be friends with someone, and lots of people test your loyalty everyday. This idea has been explored in a unique way by R.J Palacio in her book Auggie & Me. Palacio’s first book, Wonder, tell us the story of August Pullman- a boy with facial deformities going to school for the first time. The book has been written from various perspectives as August navigates through fifth grade, coping with studies, activities, bullies, and making new friends. Touching people’s lives in different ways! It is a warm, comfortable, and happy book, something that anyone would love. Auggie & Me is Palacio’s next book, and it is not a sequel! This turned out to be a little disappointing, as I was hoping to know what happens to Auggie, the Pullmans, and all his friends and enemies when Auggie enters sixth grade. Auggie & Me is a companion book; it does not continue where Wonder left off but just broadens Auggie’s world, from the perspective of three very different people in three different chapters. Auggie’s archenemy, Julian, in “The Julian Chapter” Auggie’s childhood friend Chris who left North River Heights before the happenings in Wonder, in “Pluto” Charlotte, the only girl to be chosen as Auggie’s welcome buddy in the first book, in “Shingaling” Surprisingly, this book does not tell us much about Auggie, rather about the troubles faced by these three kids. Troubles at school, at home, in the park, and mostly the trouble with their friends. It does, however, give us a different perspective to Auggie’s life too. “The Julian Chapter” Julian was the biggest bully in Wonder, and none of the readers like him. He is the one who started the Plague game to bully Auggie; he was the one who called Auggie freak; and he was responsible for leaving mean notes in Auggie’s and his best friend Jacks’ locker. If you Google this apparently very mean kid, you can even find posters like the one given alongside. But is Julian really bad? There must be a reason for him to act like that, and that is what is explored in The Julian Chapter. One reason I like this part of the book is that Palacio has not given up on any of her characters. She has explored circumstances even from a bully’s point of view. But I won’t tell you anymore. Julian has his own difficult story to tell! “Pluto” Christopher Angus Blake is Auggie’s childhood friend, who left the neighborhood before the events in Wonder take place. He knows Auggie is different, but he has always been his friend. However, Chris finds it hard to keep up with the friendship and thinks of letting go. In “Pluto,” we can see snippets of Auggie’s life before he starts 5th grade in Wonder, and also Chris working hard to save relationships with his friends. Lots of people are testing Pluto’s loyalty, and he isn’t sure how far it will stretch! P.S: It would be interesting for you to find out why it is called Pluto. “Shingaling” Charlotte Cody is a nice girl. She never was mean to Auggie; she always waved high whenever she saw him. She was totally nice. But, Charlotte, unlike Summer and Jack, did not go further than that. She did not want whispers about her and Auggie; she did not want anyone to think she was actually friends with him. But we never knew from the first book, that there is a lot going on in Charlotte’s world during 5th grade. Old friends and new, mean girls, the mystery of Gordy Johnson, and of course the big dance performance in Carnegie Hall that year. While learning to do the Shingaling, Charlotte makes new acquaintances and good relationships with Ximena, Summer and Maya. There is of course a lot to enjoy in the third and last book, and I would recommend it to you wholeheartedly. Auggie & Me is a beautiful book, and I give it 5 stars. I feel like anyone in middle school right now should try it, because it gives you new perspectives. But to understand and to enjoy the book fully, you will have to read Wonder first. P.S: There is also a movie which I will reviewing later on. Auggie & Me by R. J. Palacio. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Anne of Green Gables Series, Reviewed by Elaine Elizabeth Jinto, 13
Change is always scary and sad. Once you get used to a particular change, there will be a new one. I dislike change and would like life to go on as it is now forever. But reading the Anne series by L.M. Montgomery has changed my mind a little. Maybe change is not always bad? I will leave that for you to find out. The series follow spirited, imaginative, hot-tempered, headstrong, red-haired (please do not judge her based on this) Anne, from the day she arrives at Green Gables to her life as a mother of six children. Anne Shirley, an orphan, is brought to Green Gables by the Cuthberts, but she realizes that they do not want her. They want a boy to help them in the fields, and a girl would be of no use. Anne is bitterly disappointed for she had been so happy to come to the lovely, cozy farmhouse and excited about the prospect of a nice, loving home. As a reader, I had gotten acquainted with Anne in the past chapter, and I felt so sorry for her at this point. Fortunately, after a surprising turn of events, Anne stays on at Green Gables to be brought up by the crisp, stern, and practical Marilla and the kind and shy Matthew. The first two books portray her childhood, the third one is of her in college, and the last ones are of her as a young mother and wife. Her scrapes, adventures, stories, “kindred spirits,” and “bosom friends” all make these books friendly. One of the many reasons I like the books is that Anne seems to be as weary of change as me, and the way she gets over them make me feel better about what lies ahead of me too. I feel like anyone of my age should actually try the books. It is certainly worth it! Another reason I like it is because I see myself in those pages, and I am sure you would too. My favorite book of the series is the first one because as Anne often says herself “there is a scope for imagination.” I feel I too can share Anne’s whims, fantasies, and flights of imagination in the first book. In the other books I felt that this was not possible. Another reason I did not like the later books is because that it seemed pretty tame compared to the first book. On the whole, however, the books are awesome, and I recommend them wholeheartedly for absolutely everyone!! Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Puffin Books, 2014. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
