By Kelly Keene “Today, we are going to talk about passive voice.” The class groaned. Riley didn’t even look up from their phone. Sebastian continued to doodle. “Passive. Voice. What does it really mean to give something a voice?” Ms. Dominguez said. “You have a voice. I do too.” Sam turned to his backpack to … Continue reading A Lesson on Passive Voice
Author: Kelly Keene
“Beautiful Boy” Book Review
By Kelly Keene Title: Beautiful Boy Author: David Sheff Star Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: A real life account of one father trying to save his son from narcotics. Sheff starts with an account of a seemingly perfect visit from his adult son. The family gathers, and kids play with water guns in the yard. Everything seems … Continue reading “Beautiful Boy” Book Review
“Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” Book Review
By Kelly Keene Title: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim Author: David Sedaris Star Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: This is a collection of short stories from Sedaris’ childhood up through the time he moves out of his parents home and start to find his own way in the world. He shares colorful anecdotes that explain … Continue reading “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” Book Review
“The Splendid and the Vile” Book Review
By Kelly Keene Title: The Splendid and the Vile Author: Erik Larson Star Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: Larson follows Churchill and his family from the fall of France to Pearl Harbor, and all the air raids in between. Throughout this accumulation of speeches, personal accounts and diary entries we learn about the family dynamics, politics, love … Continue reading “The Splendid and the Vile” Book Review
Acceptable Petting
By Kelly Keene Paula brought her dog, Stella, to the bar on Saturday. Stella is a rescue. Some sort of chihuahua mix with Dobby ears and an aggressive underbite. I know that her previous owners passed away, and that she and the other dog she had lived with were separated at the shelter. Paula adopted … Continue reading Acceptable Petting
Ambition
By Kelly Keene “You’re ambitious, aren’t you?” He looked down at me, and for a moment, I started to doubt my plan. I had just finished outlining how I would take what I had learned from a year-long teaching fellowship and apply it to my classroom. The fellowship was awesome. Every session we had brought … Continue reading Ambition
Experiences or Relationships; My Response to “Into the Wild”
By Kelly Keene I am reading Into the Wild and loving it. I hated it before when my mom read it and loved it so much that she put quotes from the book up all over our house. Reading it helps me understand my mom so much more. I just finished chapter six, where Chris … Continue reading Experiences or Relationships; My Response to “Into the Wild”
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” Book Review
Title: Their Eyes Were Watching God Author: Zora Neale Hurston Star Rating: 3/5 *Spoiler Warning* Synopsis: Janie Mae Crawford sits down to tell her friend Phoebe her life story; how she survived three husbands, a hurricane, and the south in the early 20th century. After Janie’s mom abandoned her to grow up with her strict … Continue reading “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Book Review
“One Summer” Book Review
Photo Taken by Kelly Keene Title: One Summer Author: Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki Star Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: A young girl visits a lake house with her mom and dad. She meets up with a friend she only sees during this annual vacation and they go to the corner shop for candy and movies. The main … Continue reading “One Summer” Book Review
The Longest Bell
By Kelly Keene February 5, 2019 It’s the one sound you never want to hear. Action is delayed as it rings and reverberates radiating off the stone cold walls. Schools are normally warm and happy, but when the long bell rings, the halls are silent. And there is not a soul in sight. Shaky hands … Continue reading The Longest Bell