This month I read Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus. This book follows Ellery who has just moved to a small town called Echo Ridge to live with her grandmother. Ellery’s aunt disappeared from Echo Ridge 17 years ago when she was teen, and still hasn’t been found. It also follows Malcom whose brother is thought to be the killer of his girlfriend, a teen who went missing and then was found murdered a couple years ago. Then another girl goes missing, and Malcom and Ellery become friends to try to figure out what is happening to all these girls. But, will trying to get justice for these girls put themselves in danger?

I really liked this book. It had many twists and turns that I was not expecting. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I also really liked the setting because I like when books take place in small towns. It gives the book a homey feel because everyone knows everyone and it’s like a big family. Karen M. McManus is a very good writer and her books always keep me guessing. I would really recommend this book.

My favorite character was Ellery. She was very fun to read about and her history was interesting. A character trait she has is smart. A quote that would prove how smart she is would be, “All of Fright Farm’s success is based on how much people love to be scared in a controlled environment. There’s something deeply satisfying about confronting a monster and escaping unscathed. Real monsters aren’t anything like that. They don’t let go.” This shows how she is wise enough to understand why people like to be scared when it’s fake but once it becomes real it is impossible to escape the fear.

My favorite quote from this book is, “When you come into the world with another person, they’re as much a part of you as your heartbeat.” I like this quote because it shows how much Ellery cares about her twin brother, Ezra. They were really close and like best friends to each other as they solved the mystery together along with Malcom.

It was a very hot and sunny summer day in Arizona when Sammy the sloth decided to take a trip to the baby animal zoo. She slowly walked to her car, eating a potato for breakfast as she went. After the 20 minute, 10 meter walk to her car, she drove off to the zoo. She arrived quickly thanks to the speed of her car and went up to the ticket booth to purchase a ticket.
“Would you like to buy a season pass?” the lady at the ticket booth asked. “No… thank… you…,” Sammy slowly said, “just… a… one… day… ticket… please…,”.
The lady handed her her ticket and she entered the zoo. She headed toward the cage with the baby koalas and watched as a zoo keeper entered the cage to feed them. The zoo keeper handed them leaves and they munched on them cutely. She then headed to the baby farm animals section of the zoo and looked at the pigs, cows, and chicks. Once she had looked at almost all the baby animals, she decided to head home. Sammy and such a fun day at the zoo!

I live on a deserted island. Your probably wondering how I ended up here. Well, me and my friend Ashlee decided to go on a boat ride. We were driving around on her private boat when we saw this island. We stopped here to explore and eat lunch. While we were exploring, we discovered a cave. We went inside and it was beautiful, there were really cool rocks and crystals. As we were leaving the cave, a big rock fell from the roof of the cave. I tripped trying to run out and the rock pinned me down by my feet. Ashlee tried for hours to move the rock, but she wasn’t strong enough. So, we decided that she should go back to the main island and get help. After she left, I kept trying to get out from the rock and I did it. I was free. But, no one ever came back. I don’t know if Ashlee ever made back to the main island, or if she just couldn’t find the island I’m on. That was two weeks ago. Now, your probably wondering how I survive on the island and what I do every day. First, I wake up from my bed made out of palm tree leaves. Then I look for some berries on the island to eat for breakfast. After I eat my berries, I go to the shore to fish so I can have something to eat for lunch. I catch a few fish then go to the fire pit I made. I rub two sticks together to make a fire. I then spear the fish onto another stick and put it over the fire to cook it. After the fish is evenly cooked, I eat it for lunch. Then I go for a swim in the ocean. The water is very nice and calm if you don’t go to far out. I swim for around an hour before I lie out on the beach to dry off. After that, I hunt for a wild rabbit to eat for dinner. When I finally find one I use a makeshift spear that I made to catch it. I cook it on my fire and eat the roasted rabbit for dinner. Lastly, I go to my bed and watch the stars until I fall asleep. That is what I do everyday. The island isn’t small but it isn’t very big either. There’s a small cave on the east side of the island that I go in whenever there is a storm. There are palm trees all over the island that provide me with palm leaves and coconuts. There are also various bushes filled with yummy berries. Although it gets a little lonely here on this island, I’m kind of learning to like it here.

I was told to pick one quote that I relate to from Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. I chose the quote, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.” To me, this quote means that even if your really sad, someone will be able to cheer you up. Also, I think it might mean that you should be optimistic in hard situations and not just look at the bad side of a situation. I relate to this quote because when something happens that makes me sad, it helps to look for the good in it. I also like to comfort people when their sad and help them see that it will be okay. This is why I really relate too and like this quote from Dumbledore.