Once upon a time, there was a zookeeper having a hard time in his life. Ever since he was little, he always loved animals and dreamed of working at a zoo. Twenty years later, he owned the largest zoo ever in America located in Montana. With over millions of visitors all around the fifty states. One day, the zookeeper gets a call from his lawyer. He states that the zookeepers dad, from Arizona has passed and left him everything. His house, his little amount of money and his special potato farm that has been around for centuries. The lawyer also stated the father left a note. The note says, “My dear son, I know you have a very successful zoo right now, but I need you to take care of the potato farm. The potato farm needs a lot of care, so that may mean you have to move back to Arizona and leave your zoo. I need you to come alone and to follow my directions. I left another note in the barn so I can teach you my ways. From, dad.”

The zookeeper was devastated. He couldn’t leave his multibillion dollar zoo to raise a old useless potato farm! The zookeeper didn’t have a wife or kids, he never really talked to his dad after leaving Arizona! The zoo was all he loved, but he couldn’t disappoint his father. The zookeeper bought the plane ticket and said bye to Montana and his beloved zoo.

The dad left more letters of how to raise the potato farm. Soon the zookeeper gained a different title, farmer. The farmer kept trusting the secret letters and soon enough, the potato farm never looked any better. That’s when he had a great idea, he was going to open his own restaurant! Potato pies, smashed potatoes, anything he could think of. With his old business skills, he made the biggest potato restaurant global! Everyone who didn’t like potatoes walked out of the restaurant, just thinking about how good the food was. The farmers job was soon done. He hired workers and moved back to Montana to continue his zoo-keeping job now, the zookeeper was also a farmer and made more money he could ever imagine.

If I am on an abandoned island. I would feel mainly scared but determined to find away out. I would’ve probably gotten there from the ocean, or falling off a boat. My daily routine would definitely be different than normal. I probably wouldn’t even be able to shower or brush my teeth. I’d have to reduce many things I do in my routine if I’m on an island compared to living in my house.

If I was on an island, I probably would start my day in a shelter with leaves and branches. If I fell off a boat I probably wouldn’t be prepared with stuff like a tent. I would immediately start by hunting for food or eating food I had already prepared. I may go fishing so I can have something to fill me up for the whole day. I would then go swimming near the island. I love the beach and if I was stranded I would still try my best to have fun. Throughout the day I would set up sign and fires if a helicopter or someone was by to be saved. After I’ve done many hours of swimming and fishing, I would simply eat and go to bed, repeating my same routine.

Being on an island would be hard, especially since I probably wouldn’t be with anyone else. It would just be me and the ocean. Many things would be different when living on an island. Less resources, no electricity or clean water. It would definitely be an experience to where I can learn and feel like how it would be to survive.

Dumbledore says some wise words in Harry Potter, but my favorite one has got to be this one. The quotes goes like, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.” This quote is by Albus Dumbledore. This describes how no matter what situation we’re in, someone can bring happiness to make this dark time light up.

In the quote, when Dumbledore mentions the darkest of times, it means when we face a problem in our life, you lose someone you love or even when you get a bad grade on a test. Turning on the light means bringing light into the dark situation. So if I did get a bad grade on a test, I can think positive and maybe say I could try again, or I can use this to learn my mistakes.

When darkness comes, you need to bring light into the situation. Don’t focus on the bad things in your life when there are many good things that you can look up to. Being able to wake up everyday and start new adventures is one of the simplest things we need to be grateful for. Just by this quote. Dumbledore’s words can change your life, when you think more positive in situations.

The book I read this January was, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. This book takes place in a beach town called Cousins Beach, filled with blue oceans, and many fun people to be around. The main character Isabel who is called Belly, spends the summer in her family friends beach house with her mom and brother, her friends Jeremiah and Conrad, and their mom Susannah. Belly has had an crush on Conrad for as long as she remembered, and she doesn’t know how to express her feelings to him. Throughout her time on Cousins Beach, Belly starts new adventures and meets many new people over the summer.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others because the storyline is fun and just reminds me back to summer. In the book, Belly likes to take midnight swims and go to the beach during the sunset. I love reading those parts of the book because it makes me feel like I’m just on the beach, relaxing and reading this book. The characters are also realistic. They each struggle with their own problems and it just shows that they aren’t perfect and have their own struggles.

My favorite character throughout the book is one of the moms, Susannah. Susannah always made Belly and the other kids happy and tried her best to make their lives perfect and exciting. The fact that Susannah had been through a lot even after recovering from cancer, it just shows how Susannah puts others in front of herself. A quote to prove this is on page 71, “‘Oh please, of course he should pay you attention. You’re so lovely, darling. You’ve really blossomed over this summer. People can’t help but pay attention to you.’ I felt flattered, she was so good at making people feel special.” This quote shows how her simple saying made an impact onto Belly. No matter what Susannah was going through, she still let them know how much they meant to her.

My favorite quote in the book is when Belly explains how summer feels in her life on page 26, “For me, it was almost like winter didn’t count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers. Like I don’t really begin living until June, until Im at that beach, in that house.” I love this quote because I definitely relate to it a lot. Once I’m in that hot summer weather with absolutely not worries in my life except if I want to go to the beach or the mall with my friends. My hair turning blonde from the sun and getting sunburnt almost everyday. The three months of summer go by so fast, but so many memories are made. This book is so great and really just transports you into the story, back into summer.

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