Week #3 Europe pages 74-109

Adam makes it safely to England with no scary

mishaps on the Queen Mary 2- whew!

(Double-decker bus and Big Ben are famous sites in London, England.)


Adam takes a quick side stop to stand on the prime-meridian.

FUN FACTS:
The Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of longitude) which is defined to be 0°.

The Prime Meridian and the opposite 180th meridian (at 180° longitude), which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Standing on the Prime Meridian is a popular touristy thing to do- if you find yourself in Greenwich, England.

On-to FRANCE!

Some sights of Paris :

Adam visited the Arc de Triomphe
The construction of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was ordered in 1806 by Napoleon, the French Emperor.

Napoleon wanted to honor the Grande Armee, the name of the French army at that time.

The Grande Armee had conquered most of Europe and was then considered invisible. After his Austerlitz victory in 1805, Napoleon said to his soldiers : "You will return home through archs of triumph".

The construction of Arc de Triomphe was completed in 1836, long after Napoleon's death in 1821

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame is a Catholic cathedral built during the Middle Ages. (And one of the main tourist attractions with it's breath taking stain-glass windows.)

Eiffel Tower
History behind the Eiffel Tower: It all started with a Design Competition hosted by the French Government in the 1889. They wanted to mark the the anniversary of the French Revolution, and held a design completion for a suitable monument. From over 7 hundred submissions, the proposal by the noted bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel was chosen unanimously. It called for an entirely open-lattice iron tower 984-feet [300-meters] tall.

It was sitting at the base of this grand structure that Adam learned the hard lesson once again: TRUST NO ONE.

Caught by trappers- all for the want of a crepe.

If you would like to taste a crepe {click here} to my personal blog where I share some of our favorite crepe recipes.

Kobenhavn, Denmark:

This Little Mermaid statue is one of the most famous tourist attractions. Created by Edward Eriksen in 1913 who was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale.

This weeks questions:

Adam has had to deal with many trust issues this week. Who to trust? Who is trustworthy?

Mrs. J (His Pilot) had told him to trust no one.

What do you think about this advice? Now he has teamed up with Meredith... is that a smart move?

Prince Oh advises against Adam forming a team with Meredith... but he (Prince Oh) has lied to Adam too! Can Prince Oh be trusted?

And once someone has betrayed a trust... can you trust them in the future? What do you think?

Week 2: Salt Lake City pg 37-73

So much has happened to Adam this week! He made it across the United States and has learned he is not the only 12 year old trying to travel around the world this summer!

First let's review some sights ...

Second Stop: Salt Lake City!

A big city in the valley of mountains.
You might have watched the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake. It is known for having the best snow in the world!

( If you like to ski or snowboard.)

Sears Tower in Chicago: Adam was able to see from it's Sky deck four states!

This famous skyscraper has 110 floors and a height of 1,450 ft (442 m). It was the world's tallest building at its completion in 1974 and remained so until 1996! (It was surpassed by the Petronas Towers (1,483 ft [452 m]) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

And in New York this is Rockefeller Center and the ice-rink

And the majestic stone lions in front of the main public library in New York!

Then a voyage on the world famous Queen Mary 2~

If you want to learn more about the Queen Mary you can visit their official site here: http://www.queenmarycruises.com/

and see pictures of what it looks like on-board!

Answer the following questions in your comment:

1.Have you visited any of these places? What sites did you see? What was your favorite?

Adam has met another contestant and this trip is turning dangerous! Who can he trust?

2. What do you think about Prince Oh? Would you continue the race/game/trip? Why or why not?

Week 1 : San Fransisco pg 1-36

Our adventure begins with Adam Story in San Fransisco!

One major landmark in San Fransisco is the Golden Gate Bridge!

First stop is in Reno, Nevada!

Here's a fun fact you might not know:

"Nevada is the largest gold-producing state in the nation. It is second in the world behind South Africa."

(There are other fun facts about Nevada at http://www.50states.com/facts/nevada.htm)

To answer the following question you will have to read pages 1-39.

Questions: Answer questions in your comment.

Why is Adam a loner? Why doesn't he have many friends? Post a comment in our comment box with your thoughts.

Activity: Map out your own trip around the world. Name at least one country you would want to visit? And what you would hope to see along the way?

On page 35- Adam resupplies himself with travel treats. What would you bring along to snack and pass the time?

Book Club Tip:

The fun of this book club is going to be commenting in our comment box. So make your comment and answer the assigned questions- then come back and read other comments.

Comment again and again- responding to fellow book clubs members!

There is no limit to how many times you can comment- and the more you comment...the better chance you have to win a prize!

There are a few guidelines about comments.

1. (MOST IMPORTANT:) Have your parents permission. Even let them review your comment to make sure they are comfortable with the information you share on the internet.

2. Stay on topic or related to a comment. Know that I will remove any comment that is unrelated and off topic. Don't waste your time commenting about hockey games or your family vacation... unless you are connecting it to the story in some way.

Comments that are seriously off topic don't qualify for drawing for prizes.

3. There is no limit to how many times you can comment and respond to comments.

So let's say Hubinator comments he wants to travel through Egypt and see the Pyramids on his trip around the world. A fellow book club member might comment back " Me too! I've always wanted to see the Nile and Nile Crocodiles!"

4. Keep comments nice. There are no right or wrong answers and we all have different opinions. I will remove any comments that might make someone feel bad.

Forexample: Jay Jay says he thinks Adam is a loner because he studders and is shy. Alice reads the comment and thinks 'WHAT??? Adam doesn't studder!?!? Jay Jay you aren't even reading the book! '

Alice doesn't need to comment that. When she comments she could say, " I think Adam is a loner because....(give her reason)..... . Jay Jay what makes you think Adam studders? I didn't think that when I read chapter one."

Jay Jay can then respond and explain his comment. "There are parts in the book where he seems to stumble over his words, for example..(gives page number and example)......."

Sharing our different ideas and comments are what make book clubs fun! So you don't have to agree with everyone. Don't be afraid to share your own thoughts.

Magic Tree House Series

This series is good for the younger chapter readers, and is very good at what it's made for-teaching kids about various subjects, as they go back in time.

In other areas, it has very little depth,such as the character's personalities- they seem so generic.

But, little kids who are only looking for action and don't care very much for these small things will enjoy the plot of going back in time, to see the various settings, such as ancient japan or the period of the dinosaurs.

In the later magic tree house books, they begin to go to fantasy areas instead of the past, which effectively takes away the educational aspect- probably more interesting for children, but it takes away one of the hooks that draws parents towards the series, too. All in all, if you have a child who's reluctant and enjoys action and a fast pace, this book is for them- with an educational feel, too.

Legend of Red Horse Cavern by Gary Paulsen

ONLY 55 pages but packed with action- mystery- murder!
5 Stars!

Summary from the back of the book: "Deep in the damp, dark caverns of the Sacramento Mountains, Will Little Bear Tucker and his friend Sarah Thompson discover the secret of an ancient Apache legend. But armed bandits are after them. A headless Indian brave haunts them. And when they lose their way, they may not escape the eerie underground maze alive."

I loved this book- I don't know what to say- without spoiling the suprises.. so I just used the summary from the book. (I hope that is not "cheating") The author did such a great job of making me feel like I was there with Tucker and Sarah. I would recommend this story to EVERYONE!