The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic This was the first book in the All For the Game trilogy! I really enjoyed Neil’s point of view and that way that he finds a true family with the Foxes, no matter how dysfunctional they seem. He starts off with a plan to leave, yet as they grow together, he realizes just how much they mean to him. It was such a great book!
The Raven King by Nora Sakavic
This was the second book in the All for the Game trilogy! Neil knows that he can’t run from Riko and his past forever, but with the Foxes supporting him, he has more of a fighting chance that he ever did before. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot, especially how the relationships between the characters ebbed and flowed. It was really interesting!
3. The King’s Men by Nora Sakavic
This was the third and final book in the All for the Game trilogy! Neil has done everything to protect his teammates. But in the end, his past catches up to him, and he has to make one final stand. I loved this conclusion so much! Each character is so unique and all the plot points fit together so perfectly.
This was such a fun and unique book! Locke has been raised to be a thief his whole life and now is undertaking one of the biggest quests of his lifetime. The book’s style was so fun and I loved the characters. It was a great read!
Katsa is a grace, blessed with a skill. However, her skill, killing, means that everyone around her is frightened of her. She acts secretly to rescue those in need of help, when she stumbles upon a dangerous secret. I loved the storytelling as well as the whole idea of this book! It was really interesting and well-written!
This is a short story that I wrote for the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition! It won an honorable mention.
It had been a nice, normal, spring day. Before the man, before his daughter, before…well. It started with cherry blossoms. They were the first thing Aryan noticed as he headed outside, his plan to relax, to take a break. The pink flowers littered the pavement and as Aryan passed the movie theater, the smell of popcorn wafted through the open doors. All around, kids were laughing, couples were talking, and, well, everyone seemed joyful. As Aryan scanned the crowd, a pleasant smile lit up his face. It really was what some would call a perfect day. As he continued to observe the sights, setting a leisurely pace, he startled at the sight of someone unhappy. A middle-aged man was sitting on a bench, his face buried in his palms. Something drew Aryan to the man, something that he couldn’t quite explain, but couldn’t quite ignore either. Aryan laid his hand on the man’s shoulder, startling him. The man looked up, alarmed, his teary gaze meeting Aryan’s calm, steady one. “Hey. What’s wrong? Well, obviously, I’m a stranger, but…if you have anything that’s troubling you…you can tell me”. The man tried in vain to smile, “That’s-that’s nice of you, thanks. I-, well, I guess I sound stupid, but um. My daughter- she, she’s going to kill me, I swear” Aryan furrowed his brow, “Um, well. I’m sure it’s not that bad, but you can stay with me for now? If you prefer?” The man shook his head frantically, “No. I must get back to her, I must! I can’t, I have to see her again!” As much as Aryan was put off by the situation, he couldn’t help but pity the man. He must have been having some family problems, maybe a fight had broken out between the two and his daughter had gotten terrifyingly vicious. Though I don’t understand why he’d exaggerate so much… Aryan sighed, “Fine. But promise me you’ll let me walk back with you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” The man’s face collapsed in a relieved grin, “Yes. Yes, thank you so, so much. I’d appreciate that. Just…stay back, ok? If…if it happens again, you should stay safe.” No matter Aryan’s wariness, he nodded, following the man closely.
Aryan and the man walked together in relative silence, the man occasionally glancing over as if to make sure Aryan didn’t disappear completely. Aryan surveyed the apartment complex they walked up to, satisfied when he saw nothing wrong. He turned to smile at the man, “There. Is your daught-”. He stopped suddenly, surveying the man’s withdrawn expression, the fear returned to his eyes, “What’s wrong?” “She-she’s there. Don’t you see her?” He raised a finger, slowly pointing at a figure in the window. Aryan’s eyes narrowed, watching her closely. On first glance, she had blended in with her surroundings- her matted black hair and rumpled clothes matching the darkness of the room behind her.
As Aryan continued to pay attention, the figure turned around, an almost evil gleam in her eye and a manic smile making its way up those red-lined lips. He found himself backing away subconsciously, his overwhelming selfishness and greed to live overpowering his desire to help the man. Even as his legs trembled, he couldn’t look away, eyes locked onto the girl in the window. She lifted an instrument to her lips, then began to play. Aryan watched in horror as the man seemed to collapse onto himself, clutching his head desperately. As he gazed upon the man’s obvious turmoil, terror bleached his brain. The instrument….it couldn’t be? Unless… it was what he thought it was. But there’s no way- she shouldn’t have one of those… If it really was what he thought…well, they were all screwed. It was a device of legends, an instrument said to control the listener, to force them to listen to its twisted tunes, burrowing its way into their brain, until…well, until they were gone. The last Aryan saw of the man was him getting dragged into the building by some kind of force, his eyes dark and tornmented, his lips barely pushing out the words, “No- please. The Spanaritar, please. Save me.”
Here’s a short story I wrote based on the song “Lost Umbrella” by Inabakumori!
Mayumi held her hands over her head, a makeshift umbrella, as she bobbed and weaved through the throngs of shoppers, her gaze solely on the small black cat in front of her- Kyoho, as she had dubbed it. The cat glanced back, as if to check she was still following, then plodded on determinedly. Mayumi’s breath caught as Kyoho disappeared from her gaze, eyes narrowing as she searched the crowd, before it reappeared, letting out a plaintive mewl. Mayumi exhaled, relieved, increasing her speed.
Kyoho had appeared right when she had lost her umbrella, the wind sweeping away the bright yellow parasol. Mayumi had stared after it despondently, hand reaching out in a futile attempt to grab it. It had been yet another unlucky event on top of a slew of bad days. Just when she was about to step into the protection of an awning and wonder if she should just go home, the sensation of something winding between her legs caught her attention. She had looked down, startled, to see Kyoho, the small creature looking up at her innocently. As she bent to scoop it up, it had taken off, with the occasional backwards glance to see if she was following.
She was. She didn’t know why she was, but she trusted the cat. Call it a soft spot, call it idiocy…but still. Kyoho seemed like a friend. A feline friend who couldn’t quite talk, sure, but a friend all the same.
Kyoho rounded a corner, and Mayumi, nearly out of breath, did the same moments later- only to come face to face with the umbrella, tangled in the branches of a tree. Mayumi sucked in a breath, staring wonderously at the cat, back to winding around her feet. She cautiously made her way over to the tree, reaching up on her tiptoes to try and nudge it back to the ground. It fluttered down, along with a few ginkgo leaves, a young, bright green, hopeful, determined. As if to symbolize that it wasn’t all lost. That there was still hope. Mayumi picked up the umbrella, turning to thank Kyoho, to express some form of gratitude to the cat, but when she turned back…it was gone. Vanished into the sea of people, off to perhaps save another lost soul.
Mayumi took a deep breath, hefted the umbrella back over her shoulder, and set back off on her journey.
This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff I read this book for school and it was really interesting! Tobias, or Jack, has followed his mother to Utah, hoping for a new life. However, wherever they turn, misfortune follows them, as Jack learns who he is and what he truly wants in life. It was a really interesting book!
One Thousand and One Nights by Hanan al-Shaykh This was a retelling of the story of Scheherazade, who told stories to a cruel king so that she wouldn’t die. I really loved the way the stories were written, each individual story a part of something bigger. It was beautiful to read and I definitely recommend it to you!
Tales of India: Folktales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu by Svabhu Kohli and Viplov Singh This book contained folktales from India, as well as the most gorgeous illustrations! I really enjoyed the way the stories were told in simple terms with Indian vocabulary. It was really enjoyable to read and learn about all these folktales!
Lennon’s life, once ruined, was saved by the Drayton College. The college specializes in “persuasion” and Lennon is one of the most gifted students. But the corruption that lurks around the school is terrifying, ad well as its past. I really enjoyed this book and its plot!
While in New Zealand, we decided to explore the geysers- hot springs that erupt due to the pressure of gases below. We explored both the geysers at Rotorua and at Taupo and they were both magnificent!
First, at Rotorua, we visited Te Puia, which also housed the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and a Kiwi Conservatory. We started off by getting to see the bubbling mud, which is known for having medicinal properties. After that, we headed to the Kiwi Conservatory. The conservatory was kept dark and quiet, as kiwis are sensitive to light and noise. We weren’t allowed to take photos, but it was definitely a unique experience, as kiwis only live in New Zealand. Then, we saw the geysers, the main one being the Pōhutu geyser. Finally, we concluded with a performance of the traditional Māori war dance, which was really cool to see!
After this, we went to Lake Taupo. The lake is unique as the whole area was formed by a series of explosions. The explosions formed a crater, which was filled by water, forming the lake. The lake itself is quite large, roughly the same size as Singapore. We took a floatplane, a small plane that takes off and lands in water, from this lake to another geyser- the Orakei Korako Cave & Geothermal Park. The park was lush, full of tropical foliage, and geysers ranging from big to small. It was a great experience!
While in New Zealand, one of the places we went to was the Waitomo and Ruakuri Caves- caves famous for their glow worms.
The glow worms are the larvae of fungus gnats and them glowing is how they signal when they’re hungry. The light attracts smaller insects like moths and flies and as they fly closer, they’re caught in the glowworms’ sticky threads and eaten. Eventually, the glowworms form pupa and turn into the fungus gnats. However, these gnats are born without a mouth and a digestive system, clearly not born to survive. They live for around a week or two.
The first cave we visited was the most famous- the Waitomo cave. In these caves, we explored the vast caverns and got to go on a boat ride to view the glowworms from all angles. They didn’t allow pictures, but the experience was legendary and will always be a part of me.
Secondly, we visited the Ruakuri cave, where we were able to take pictures! Other than the glowworms, the cave also had a ton of gorgeous stalagmites and stalagtites, as well as fossils from years past!
It’s already been a month into the New Year! Here are my top books for January.
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan This was a reread, but as always, I love diving back into the world of Percy Jackson and his adventures! This time, to get into college, Percy needs 3 recommendation letters- each from different gods as he completes their quests. His first quest is from Ganymede, the cup bearer of the gods. Percy is forced to deal with trial after trial in this sequel to the Percy Jackson series! It was really fun to read and had all of the classic humor!
Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender This was such an amazing book! Set in a world where anyone can do alchemy, we meet three amazing characters- Ash, Callum, and Ramsay. Together, they’re trying to find the legendary ‘Book of Source’ to destroy it, but Ash’s father is against them, tracking their every movement. It was incredibly fun to read and I loved all the characters and the plot!
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han I’ve watched the movie before, so I was eager to read the book! I loved seeing more of Lara Jean, especially as she tries to figure out where exactly she fits into the world of high school and boys and family life. Seeing the movie moments in the book added a lot more context and were really fun to read! I loved reading this book as well as all the characters!
The Umbrella Man and Other Stories by Roald Dahl As a kid, I loved Dahl’s children books and so, I was incredibly curious about his other works! These short stories were a perfect mix of silly and scary and were really fun to read! Dahl’s writing style is very clear and very interesting to read, so I had a lot of fun revisiting one of my childhood authors.
Recently, for my English class, we wrote a poem based on “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon and based on Holden Caulfield, the main character of “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. I hope you enjoy my poem!
I am from boarding schools from cigarette smoke and rain I am from fencing competitions (loud, angry, everyone’s disappointment as sharp as the swords) I am from the vastness of DB’s room compared to the smallness of Phoebe’s the unable-to-be-placed smell of home whose indecisiveness I remember as if I was standing there right now
I’m from phony steak and odd hats from Allie and Phoebe I’m the not-good-enoughs and the geniuses-of-our-time from try harder and life is a game I’m from Grace be with you all with friends that make you feel warm and fuzzy and essays about your brother’s baseball glove
I’m from touchy fathers and nervous mothers malted milk and a swiss cheese sandwich. From the cancer that spread through my brother’s small body, the words and phrases that are piled onto my sister’s pages. At the back of my brain lie my memories hidden from both the world and myself a handful of stars whose light has been forced to dull. I am from those shattered shards of time broken before I was even born distancing myself from the person I was and the person I am meant to be.
This year, for winter break, I traveled to New Zealand. It’s a beautiful country, full of rolling hills and gorgeous forests. One of my favorite parts of this trip has been getting to visit “Hobbiton”, the set of the beginning and end of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies.
Firstly, you arrive at “The Shire”, a small area with a cafe and gift shop, where you wait to board a bus that’ll take you to the main attraction. Onboard this bus, a short clip is played, explaining the history of the location and its significance. Hobbiton is actually part of the Alexander farms, a family farm that was chosen because of one specific tree, their lake, and the overall quaint vibe of it. After the initial filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the director had agreed to dismantle the entire set. 12 years later, however, when plans for the Hobbit movie were underway, the Alexander farms agreed to let the buildings stay permanently.
Today, the Alexander farm is still running, so as you drive from the Shire to Hobbiton, you’ll pass sheep and cows idly grazing. Inside the set, however, is a whole new world. Hobbiton is an incredibly idyllic set, where it’s possible to believe that magic is real. Real and carefully cultivated gardens are housed behind fences, bees buzz gaily to their next flower, and miniscule scenes are frozen in time. Each Hobbit house, no matter its size or importance, tells a story- in one house, fish are being roasted next to a fishing rod, clearly a fishmonger’s house. In another, bread and honey are being sold outside, while peeping in through a window, you can see an oven filled with dough, indicating a baker’s house.
While most of the houses were unfurnished, simply left as spaces for the actors or artists to leave supplies, two were fully done, remodeled only last year. The same concept artist of the actual movies was the one hired to plan out the interior, therefore ensuring that the same vibe was carried throughout. The inside of the house was adorable, complete with a scrabble set, crocheted dolls, a “mushroom guide” (of which were poisonous and which were not), and so many more details.
Finally, we were taken to the “Green Dragon Inn”, where we were able to sip ginger beer and relax with the views of Hobbiton (and swans) in the background.
Overall, Hobbiton was such a beautiful and breath-taking experience! I loved exploring the set of such influential movies and I might even be inspired to watch the movies :).
Happy 2025! I thought I’d do a small lookback as a way to sum up my 2024 and start the new year. I hope you enjoy!
January
We started the year with a New Year’s dinner at Verandah, an incredible restaurant. While January was pretty calm, there were some memorable moments- such as meeting one of my middle school friends, going to see our school’s winter play, and getting a new vinyl!
february
The main event of February was my dance school’s Kinkinni (annual recital!) I participated in two dances and gained lots of experiences and memories from each. Additionally this month, I went to watch an Odissi performance and unexpectedly ran into a friend from middle school! Overall, it was an incredibly fun month.
march
March was an incredible month! To begin with, we went to the Rodeo, a Texan classic, where I won a big plush as well as a few smaller ones. Later that month, we went to a farmer’s market, as part of a school project, though I enjoyed the trip a lot. After that, I got to see Beetlejuice: The Musical, which was super fun and entertaining. Last, but certainly not least, we went to Muscat, Oman. It was such an breath-taking experience, as we explored the desert, the ocean, and everything in between.
april
To begin the month, we went to Dallas to see an arangetram, a performance that shows the dancer’s talent and knowledge. This month was also the month of the eclipse, which was very cool! Our school also gave us a day off, so I got to go to a park, which led to a lot of relaxation. Finally, the best part of April was getting to go to a concert- Miku Expo! I had an amazing time there and truly loved the atmosphere.
may
In May, I got to visit Illinois! In Chicago, I toured two colleges- Northwestern and University of Chicago. Additionally, me and my dance group performed once again for our school’s annual recital. We also performed at the temple with an item we learned in a workshop which was another great experience! Finally, I got to see another musical- Newsies.
June
June started with another musical- Hairspray! This was followed by a Mohiniattam recital- one of the few times I’ve performed the dance form. I also got to perform with a live orchestra! After this, I was able to meet a friend from middle school and then I traveled to India for the summer. In India, I watched my aunt’s arangetram which was amazing to watch!
july
In India, I was able to watch a lot of dance performances- these were helpful to see how I can improve my dance, as well as understand more about stage presence and lighting, all which’ll definitely help me in my future. Additionally, we took a small trip to Pondicherry which was a great way to relax.
august
August marked the beginning of my school! I started sophomore year, or 10th grade, this year and faced a new set of teachers and a lot more work! It’s definitely a new experience, but I’m learning a lot and having a good time.
september
September started off with a dance performance for an item we learned within a week! It was incredibly fun to learn and perform, and overall, I think it was a great experience. After that, to celebrate my 15th birthday, I got tickets to a concert from my favorite artist- Mitski. Going to her concert was such a fun experience and I’m so glad I was able to go and see her songs live. After this, we went to another musical- Dear Evan Hansen. Overall, September was a great month with a lot of fun performances and viewings.
october
October was another nice, calm month! Overall, I didn’t do much, but I did get more dance performance opportunities! We also got to see Peter Pan, which, while being a more kiddy musical, was still well-done and enjoyable!
november
In November, for Thanksgiving Break, we went to Madrid, Spain! I gained lots of new experiences and got to witness a totally new culture, which I really enjoyed. I learned a lot and got to see some beautiful places. Additionally, we say Shucked: The Musical, a musical about corn! It was really fun to watch and I thought the sets were really interesting!
December
December started off with getting to see the Texas Winter Lights! A hotel had set up multiple light sculptures, all photo-ready and very pretty! I also went to a claw machine arcade, where I won two plushies- a Pikachu and a Kuromi! Finally, to end the year, we went to New Zealand, which is definitely one of the prettiest places I’ve visited. I loved exploring the Hobbit homes, the geysers, and the glowworm caves. All in all, it was a great experience.
As you can see, my year was action packed and super fun! How was your 2024?
