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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Adventure Thursdays (and Wednesday)

Adventure Thursday couldn't be contained into one day this week, so it oozed out onto Wednesday and then carried over into Thursday.
First it began here...


At the Philadelphia Zoo and...

...the incredible dripping tree.

Have you ever seen anything like this? Since my MG novel has a lot to do with trees, I think this was my favorite visual at the Zoo.

But then these were also very cute too...


Thursday brought us back to Philly to this thrilling place...

The Franklin Institute.

Just in case you wanted to know, my body presently holds 20 cups of blood...

The Franklin Institute was chock full of fascinating facts and hands-on touch-me exhibits that made learning an adventure for kids (and adults). After all, it was Adventure Thursday (still wish I could have an echo machine when I type that...)
On display was a real automaton like in Hugo Cabret - one of my favorite books. (But in real life the automaton was a little creepy looking.)

They had so many things to see and do there, I couldn't name them all. My youngest daughter's favorite was the space prep ride - can't recall the real name, but it twisted and turned and spun and I felt sick just looking at it. But screams of joy and jubilation were heard from within the capsule.

The coolest visual to me in the Franklin Institute was the Pendulum Staircase....

Where will our adventures take us this Thursday? Can't say for sure... You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Hey, check out my cool poll, above to the right... Vote for your fav Harry Potter book. And after, leave a comment to tell us why...

My fav is the sixth book - The Half Blood Prince. I haven't yet read book number seven, so that might change, but for now it is the HBP. Why? Well, it might be because it is the first HP book I have read BEFORE seeing the movie... But I think it is the most well written, the fat has been trimmed, so it feels like every page moves the story forward. I am LOVING it.

When commenting, please don't spoil any endings for those of us whom have not read any HP books yet.

Thanks and Happy Adventures!

14 comments:

Angela said...

wow! You did have an adventure!

I like the one with the tournament because to me it was most exciting. But I only read bits and pieces of book 7... read part of the ending aloud when my oldest grew tired of reading.

Erin Maher said...

I agree - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was probably my favorite as well. I feel like the books really grew in maturity level along with the reader, but the story telling keeps even young readers interested for 600 some odd pages.

I've only seen the first movie, but I like the book a lot better. Same thing with the Narnia movies. My imagination knows the story so much more precisely than a movie can show. I guess that's just the magic of words and writing - no limitations.

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Oh you mean the fifth one, the Goblet of Fire. Many people say that is their favorite. I liked that one almost the least. I loved the ending though - the most hold-your-breath-blown-away-ending between books 1 - 5...

I don't know yet how book 6 ends, so I'll have to wait to find out, but I have my suspicions.

Oh maybe that is why I am loving this book the most - because I can try to figure things out and make predictions - one of the best parts to reading! With the other books, because I saw the movies, I knew already how it was going to end. Aha! Light bulb!

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Erin, I like that - my imagination knows the story so much more precisely than a movie can show - very true statement!

JR's Thumbprints said...

"The Pendulum Staircase"

Sounds like a great title for a short story. Along the lines of Edgar Allen Poe.

So how many Thursdays are left before school starts? Probably not many.

PJ Hoover said...

And waves right back at the Giant Heart. It was so our favorite thing there!
Glad you had fun!

Unknown said...

My favorite Harry Potter is 3. It had a totally surprise ending for me--I absolutely did NOT see the twist coming at ALL. It's the only book I've ever finished reading and flipped right back to page 1 to start again immediately.

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

JR - nice to see you again! You're so right! It is a GREAT title and definitely Edgar Allen Poe-ish. I think there are two left. And right again... not too many :(

PJ - the heart was awesome, but I really loved the IMAX Grand Canyon the most - did I say it was all Dave Matthews music? He has the sexiest voice around, I think.

Beth - I can't remember the twist ending of book three... oh was that the one with Mad Eye Moody? Again, because I saw the movie first the book couldn't have the optimum effect on me. But they're all great! Now I have to read Twilight before the movie comes out this December so Hollywood doesn’t ruin the reading experience again!

Clementine said...

Thank you for commenting on my blog Sheri! It must be wonderful to live close to so many wonderful places for children. The Dripping Tree is a story begging to be written. That is beautiful!

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

I know! Isn't the dripping tree amazing! It will definitely make it into my novel.

And yeah, it is nice. We live an 1.5 - 2 hours between two major cities, yet we're in a very historic and rural county.

Casey Something said...

Neat adventure! I love the dripping tree. I once had the awesome experience of touching a "refrigerator tree" (not sure what its true name is) but it was truly cold like a refrigerator.

I'm going to finish my reread of HP before I vote on your poll (providing its up a bit longer.) I know The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Half-Blood Prince are favorites but I'm not sure which is THE favorite.

The Goblet of Fire stands out in my mind because they started playing the dating game a little bit, or started recognizing their feelings anyway. That might be one reason it's a popular favorite. Plus the competitions and new characters were fun!

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

A refrigerator tree! Wow! Do you remember what made it cold? What country are they found in?

Yes, do finish reading and then vote. I am going to have something to vote about each month, so this is up until Aug 31.

Danette Haworth said...

Actually, I was wondering how many cups of blood you had.

That dripping tree is amazing.

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Hey Danette! I know I love that tree. I kept wondering if it was really real...

And the blood thing... now I know why I can't loose those last 10 lbs! 20 cups can be heavy!

“Personal limitation exists only in our ideas of who we are. Give up all notions of who you are and your limitations will vanish.”

- Anonymous