My Science School

Charlotte's Web is a children's novel by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.

Charlotte's Web was adapted into an animated feature by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Sagittarius Productions in 1973. Paramount released a direct-to-video sequel, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure, in the U.S. in 2003 (Universal released the film internationally). A live-action film version of E. B. White's original story was released in 2006. A video game based on this adaptation was also released in 2006.

Charlotte's Web is considered White's most famous novel. It's sold more than 45 million copies since its first publication, has been translated into 23 languages, and has been made into several film adaptations. In 1970, the novel earned White the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, one of the highest honors in children's literature.

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Nancy Drew: Girl Detective is a 2004-2012 book series which replaced the long-running Nancy Drew mystery series. This new series is written in first person narration, from Nancy's point of view, and features updated versions of the main Nancy Drew characters. New secondary characters are introduced to populate River Heights and appear over multiple books, adding a framework to Nancy's world.

The Nancy Drew: Girl Detective novels are usually based in the fictional town of River Heights, which is located in Illinois. Other fictional cities that are mentioned are Silver Creek, East Bank, Cutler Falls, and Trib Falls, which are all near River Heights and the Muskoka River. River Heights is a 1-hour drive west of the real city, Chicago, which has been mentioned frequently.

Nancy has shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and is 5'8 in height. She has described herself to wear jeans, t-shirts, and cardigan sweaters. She has said that she is somewhere in between tomboy and girly-girl.

Nancy has been solving mysteries since she was little, making friends with Bess Marvin and George Fayne. Nancy began dating Ned Nickerson when they were in junior high, and their first date was at the Mahoney Library.

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The Ickabog is aimed for children between the ages of seven and nine. It is the first children's book written by J. K. Rowling that is not set in the Harry Potter universe, and at its announcement, Rowling confirmed that The Ickabog would not be a Harry Potter spin-off. Rowling has described the book as a "political fairytale ... for slightly younger children". Rowling first drafted The Ickabog between 2003 and 2007, as a gift for her children. She intended to publish The Ickabog after the Harry Potter series, but stopped after focusing on adult fiction instead. She left her script of The Ickabog in her attic until 2020. Rowling says that she went to her 50th birthday party wearing a dress containing the "lost manuscript" of The Ickabog. Rowling has made some adjustments to her original manuscript after feedback from her children

The Ickabog is set in the mythical land of Cornucopia, which is ruled by King Fred. The Ickabog is a monster that is said to inhabit the marshes of the North, used to explain the disappearance of sheep and people that wander into the marshes, and used to scare children. The south of Cornucopia is a prosperous area, with cities each specialising in different foods, in contrast to the less-wealthy north, known as the Marshlands.

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Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L.M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl, who is mistakenly sent to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.

Anne Shirley is an imaginative, talkative, red-haired orphan who comes to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert at age 11. Anne is very sensitive and dislikes the colour of her hair. Anne's bleak early childhood was spent being shuttled from orphanage to foster homes, caring for younger children. She is excited to finally have a real home at Green Gables.

Marilla Cuthbert is a Matthew's sister, an austere but fair woman who has the "glimmerings of a sense of humour." Her life has been colourless and without joy until the arrival of Anne. She tries to instill discipline in the child but grows to love Anne's vivacity and joy.

Matthew Cuthbert is a Marilla's brother, a shy, kind man who takes a liking to Anne from the start. The two become fast friends and he is the first person who has ever shown Anne unconditional love. Although Marilla has primary responsibility for rearing Anne, Matthew has no qualms about "spoiling" her and indulging her with pretty clothes and fancy shoes.

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Pantalaimon is Lyra's shape-shifting daemon. Pan hasn't settled on a shape yet, which daemons do when their human starts to grow up. The daemon's shape tells us quite a bit about its person. Over the course of the book, Pan turns into a mouse, a moth, and many other creatures.
Lyra's dæmon is her dearest companion, who she calls "Pan". In common with dæmons of all children, he can take any animal form he pleases; he first appears in the story as a dark brown moth. His name in Greek means "all-compassionate". He changes into many forms throughout the series, ranging from a dragon to an eagle, but his favourite forms are a snow-white ermine, a moth, a wildcat, and a mouse. At the end of the trilogy, as Lyra is entering adulthood, Pantalaimon finds his final form when Will Parry touches him, and is later described as a beautiful pine marten, red-gold in colour with a "patch of cream-white fur" on his throat.

Pantalaimon is portrayed as a cautious and level-headed counterpoint to Lyra's impulsive, inquisitive, and sometimes reckless character.

Lyra must separate from Pantalaimon when she enters the Land of the Dead in The Amber Spyglass, causing extreme pain to both of them; Pantalaimon avoids Lyra for a while afterwards. However, surviving this separation allows the two to move great distances from one another, an ability only witches and shamans generally possess in her world.

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Katniss Everdeen

Katniss Everdeen is my favourite female protagonist. She is a fictional character in "The Hunger Games" trilogy written by American author Suzanne Collins. Collins has described Katniss as being an independent, strong survivalist, lethal, but good at thinking outside the box.

Katniss and her family come from District 12, a coal-mining district that is the poorest, least populated, and smallest district in the dystopian fictional autocratic nation of Panem, ruled by the Capitol. In the course of the first book, "The Hunger Games", Katniss volunteers to replace her sister, Prim Everdeen.

In the next two novels, "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay", Katniss becomes a galvanising symbol of insurrection against the tyrannical Capitol. After the rebellion is victorious, Katniss chooses not to execute President Snow. She later begins a family with Peeta in the peaceful Panem.

Maleficent

"In the end my kingdom was united; not by a hero or a villain, as legend had predicted, but by one who was both - hero and villain. And her name was Maleficent."

Even though Maleficent is a devious protagonist villain/anti heroine for most of the two "Maleficent" films, she was greatly inspired by Aurora, a girl she loved like her own daughter. She tried to protect her from all harm and eventually turned into a beautiful angel from her youth.

Maleficent has inspired me to accept and love myself as well others just the way they are. After Maleficent's unfortunate past with the ambitious King Stefan, Maleficent thought true love wasn't possible. But in the end, it was Maleficent who woke up Aurora from her death-like slumber.

Daughter of the Goddess Aphrodite

One of the female protagonists who have inspired me is Piper Mclean, from the "Heroes of Olympus" series by Rick Riordan. She is the fictional daughter of the famous movie star, Tristan Mclean. As a child of Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty), she faces stereotypes of being beautiful, but conceited and shallow. She proves to the other demigods that not all children of Aphrodite follow their blindly set expectations. She is chosen as one of the members of a Great Prophecy to defeat the evil primordial goddess on the earth, Gaia and becomes a skilled fighter. Piper shows her half siblings that being an Aphrodite is about being loving and spreading beauty. She has her own set of insecurities, which include not being liked or accepted. This also makes it easy for people to relate to her. Piper inspires me, because she did not let her father's fame get to her head or allow others expectations to weigh her down and in doing so, she created her own reputation and showed her fellow demigods that she could be unique.

Liesel Meminger

A female protagonist who inspired me is a thief that steals books. Yes, it is Leisel Meminger from "The Book Thief'. Published in 2005, "The Book Thief' is an international bestseller written by Markus Zusak. It tells the story of a little blonde girl called Liesel. She steals books and reading them helps her to face the horrors of war with courage. In fact, the first book she ever reads is an instruction manual on grave digging which she flicks from a graveyard. Later a Jewish person hidden in her foster family's basement teaches her to read and write. Did you know the characters of Rosa and Hans Hubermann in 'The Book Thief' are based on Zusak's parents? “The Book Thief” has been translated into over 40 languages and sold eight million copies across the world. Zusak was so nervous about writing the book that he revised it 200 times.

Scaling new heights

 

Arunima Sinha's autobiography "Born Again on the Mountain" inspired me a lot. A volleyball player, one day, Arunima was shoved off a moving train while fighting with thieves. A train passed over her left leg as she lay on the tracks. But she didn't let the horrific accident deter her. A year later, she trained in mountaineering and became the first female amputee to reach Mount Everest. Arunima lived her life by the motto - "Never say enough is enough".

Annabeth Chase

Annabeth Chase from the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series is my favourite female protagonist. She is the extremely smart, courageous and strong daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom and warcraft. I have heard many people comparing her to Hermione Granger from the "Harry Potter' series. But I feel that Annabeth is unique in her own right. She is both book and street smart. She can bring down her enemies just by talking to them and improvising on the spot. Although her fatal flaw is excessive pride, she is usually able to controls it. It's good to have a hero who struggles with her own inner demons. She is calculating and people who met her say that she has fierce eyes and she looks like she is thinking on how to take a person down in a fight. I like her because she is one who would never be a damsel in distress.

Black Widow

A female protagonist who inspired me was Black Widow. She is one of my favourite characters in Marvel Studio's "Avengers" films. Black Widow Natasha Romanoff seems to be calm and caring. She appears in most of the films. Her presence in the team makes it more stable and elegant. What inspires me the most is that in "Avengers: Endgame" she sacrifices her life for the wellbeing of her fellow mates. She volunteers to get the soul stone from Vormir. From that particular scene, it is crystal clear that she values friendship and the happiness of her colleagues more than her life. She is truly an inspiration to me. I realised that it is not easy to be successful in life, but if we have the will to sacrifice our life and time for our goal, we will definitely acquire success.

Ally Nickerson

The female protagonist who inspired me is Ally Nickerson from the book, "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Ally is in the sixth grade and unbeknownst to anyone, she has dyslexia. All her peers make fun of her because of her incapability to read. When she gets a new teacher Mr. Daniels, everything changes. Mr. Daniels finds about her problems and uses amazing techniques to help Ally read. Ally becomes friends with Keisha and Albert who help her out as much as they can. Ally goes to school every day knowing that she will be insulted and mocked. She has a lot of courage, determination and works really hard to be able to read. This inspired me to work hard and have determination to accomplish my goal. We need to respect everyone regardless of their abilities. Hope everyone supports others in need and helps them overcome challenges.

Kaede Kayano

My favourite female character is Kaede Kayano from "Assasination Clasroom". To be fair she is better than Sasha and Mikasa from "AOT". Kaede Kayano is a student from Kunugigaoka Junior High School. Studying in Class III-E (also known as the End Class as it is a little far away from the main campus, which all the weak students with low grade attend). Koro Sensei is their homeroom teacher. Their job is to assassinate their teacher by March 13 (Graduation Day). Sensei has the appearance of a yellow octopus with a large head and a wide smile that doesn't move. He has two beady eyes. He uses his tentacles as limbs. He is also responsible for destroying the moon and can travel up to the speed of Mach-20. Kaede is the first student to cause matches Sensei's strength. She steals the formula of growing tentacles and injects it into her body. She hides her pain behind a fake smile and when the time is right. She attacks Sensei. She wants to avenge her sister who she thinks was killed by Sensei.

Anne Frank

The protagonist who inspires me the most would be Anne Frank. Through her diary, this fourteen-year-old girl gives us a brief account of her life, and the situation which Germany was facing during World War II. Her story tells us that she was a typical teenager, who feels that no one understands her.

When the Nazis took over Germany, panic ensued among the Jewish community. It reminds me of the pandemic situation we are facing today. I can completely relate to how Anne misses her school and her friend. In fact, sometimes I imagine myself in that story. I never thought of writing a diary, but after reading her book, "The Diary of a Young Girl". I felt that I should write diary too, especially to record the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe one day my diary will also become famous like hers.

Natasha Romanoff

From her signature red hair to her red "hourglass" logo, Natasha Romanoff, or the Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a female protagonist who has inspired me for a long time. She's an agent who went through rigorous training in the Russian Red Room as a child, and goes on to join the Avengers in their numerous missions. She proves to be a strong character with a complex personality. Her harsh experiences as a child shape her personality, but she never lets her past affect her future. A cunning spy, skilled agent and a great friend to her fellow Avengers, Romanoff inspires us to move on from past experiences and create our future as we want it. Her qualities of independence, resilience, skill and ambition are what make her an inspirational character to me.

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Mark Twain worked as an apprentice pilot on a steamboat named Pennsylvania, on the Mississippi River. He got his pilot license in 1859.

Twain's pen name comes from a nautical phrase that means 'two fathoms deep,' which is safe depth for a steamboat to ply.

This part of Mark Twain’s life had a huge impact on his greatest writing, and it was in this time that he obtained the material he needed to write Life on the Mississippi.  Reading through the book, it is obvious how much respect Twain has for the river itself.  This is evident through the ways in which he describes its incredible size, and at the same time its minute complexities.  His detailed descriptions and picturesque use of language within Life on the Mississippi serve to prove to Twain’s audience that he is indeed a serious and well spoken author.  It is obvious that Twain affinity for the river itself is the source and backbone of this book, while Twain also manages to bring out the eccentricities of not only the river, but also of the people who populate it.  These stories of workers, farmers, and steamboat captains serve to bring the novel alive for the audience. 

Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, but he invested in ventures that lost most of it—such as the Paige Compositor, a mechanical typesetter that failed because of its complexity and imprecision. He filed for bankruptcy in the wake of these financial setbacks, but in time overcame his financial troubles with the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers. He eventually paid all his creditors in full, even though his bankruptcy relieved him of having to do so. Twain was born shortly after an appearance of Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would "go out with it" as well; he died the day after the comet made its closest approach to the Earth.

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In Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 finale episode, Sudha Murthy shared the story of how she became the first woman engineer of her village Shiggaon and went on to become the first female engineer at TELCO.  

Her appointment in TELCO is an interesting tale in itself. There was a time when women were not employed by India's largest auto manufacturer company TELCO. However, Murthy changed that and became the first woman engineer in the company. When the author, philanthropist appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 finale episode, she shared amazing life stories wherein she revealed this story as well and then went on to win Rs 25,00,000.

In the show, Murthy shared the story of how she became the first woman engineer of her village Shiggaon and went on to become the first female engineer at TELCO.  Talking about the incident, Murthy said, "When I was in college in 1974, I got a scholarship to study in America and I was preparing to go there. However, one day I came across a TELCO job vacancy advertisement but the advertisement mentioned that only men can apply."

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The youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature is Rudyard Kipling (UK, b. 30 December 1865, d. 18 January 1936) who won the prize in 1907. Rudyard Kipling was also the first English language author to win the prize.

Kipling's experiences during this time formed the backbone for a series of stories he began to write and publish. They were eventually assembled into a collection of 40 short stories called Plain Tales From the Hills, which gained wide popularity in England.

In 1889, seven years after he had left England, Kipling returned to its shores in hopes of leveraging the modest amount of celebrity his book of short stories had earned him. In London, he met Wolcott Balestier, an American agent and publisher who quickly became one of Kipling's great friends and supporters. The two men grew close and even traveled together to the United States, where Balestier introduced his fellow writer to his childhood home of Brattleboro, Vermont.

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Agatha Christie created her plots in a large Victorian bathtub whilst munching on apples. Before renovating her house her architect was told, “I want a big bath, and I need a ledge because I like to eat apples.”

In 1926, Christie released The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a hit which was later marked as a genre classic and one of the author's all-time favorites. She dealt with tumult that same year, however, as her mother died and her husband revealed that he was in a relationship with another woman. Traumatized by the revelation, Christie disappeared only to be discovered by authorities several days later at a Harrogate hotel, registered under the name of her husband's mistress.

Christie would recover, with her and Archibald divorcing in 1928. In 1930, she married archaeology professor Max Mallowan, with whom she traveled on several expeditions, later recounting her trips in the 1946 memoir Come, Tell Me How You Live. The year of her new nuptials also saw the release of Murder at the Vicarage, which became another classic and introduced readers to Miss Jane Marple, an enquiring village lady.

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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and academic, best known as the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

For Tolkien, the languages came first. Middle Earth and the "Lord of the Rings" epics were created around his constructed languages. Basically, he invented words and needed speakers.

He created the 15 different Elvish dialects, along with languages for the Ents, the Orcs, the Dwarves, the men and the Hobbits and more. He thought of everything: The Dwarves even had a separate sign language, because the forges they worked were too loud.

During his time at Pembroke College Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings, while living at 20 Northmoor Road in North Oxford. He also published a philological essay in 1932 on the name "Nodens", following Sir Mortimer Wheeler's unearthing of a Roman Asclepeion at Lydney Park, Gloucestershire, in 1928.

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Jeff Kinney was born in 1971 in Maryland and attended the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. It was there that Jeff ran a comic strip called “Igdoof” in the campus newspaper, and he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist.

In 2006, Jeff signed a multi-book deal with publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc. to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a print series. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was published in 2007 and became an instant bestseller. Just a year later, more than 100,000 copies were in print in the United States alone. With each subsequent book, in-print numbers continue to grow exponentially both in the U.S. and abroad. There are now more than 200 million copies of the series in print worldwide.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. The series has remained on the New York Times bestseller lists since the publication of the first book, for more than 500 weeks total, and more than 350 on the series list. The books are currently available in 76 editions in 64 languages.

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J.K. Rowling first had the idea for Harry Potter while delayed on a train travelling from Manchester to London King’s Cross in 1990. Over the next five years, she began to plan out the seven books of the series. She wrote mostly in longhand and amassed a mountain of notes, many of which were on scraps of paper.

She arrived in Edinburgh in 1993 with three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in her suitcase. By now she had a baby daughter, Jessica, but she continued to write in every spare moment she could find. When Joanne had finished the manuscript, she sent the first three chapters to a number of literary agents, one of whom wrote back asking to see the rest of it. She says that it was ‘the best letter I had ever received in my life’.

After finishing the first book and whilst training as a teacher, Harry Potter was accepted for publication by Bloomsbury. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone quickly became a bestseller on publication in 1997. As the book was translated into other languages, Harry Potter started spreading round the globe – and J.K. Rowling was soon receiving thousands of letters from fans.

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