reading digest

Reader’s Digest 

By: Maya Parmet 

Table Of Contents:
Recipe for Homemade cookies………………………...pg. 2

Technology is Challenging………………………..pg. 3
Personal Story………………………...pg. 4
Humorous Story…………………...pg. 5

Book Review: U​ nfriended​………………..pg. 6
Golden Retrievers are better than Pugs………….pg. 7

Sunscreen Add…………………………….pg.8
Summer Options…………………….pg.9
Teen Acne…………………...pg.10

Spotlight On An Adult………………..pg.11- pg.12

1

Homemade chocolate chip cookies
My mom loves to bake homemade chocolate chip cookies and sometimes I help
her bake them. I love baking and I especially love baking with my mom. We usually
bake them in the winter time when it is cold outside, because that is when they taste the
best. The cookies are so warm when they are right out of the oven. They are the best
when they are right out of the oven. The whole house smells like fresh cookies. The
cookies are soft and chewy in the middle. On the edges they are crunchy. The inside of
the cookies contain gooey melted milk chocolate. You do not need to buy a lot of
ingredients to make these cookies. You probably already have a lot of the ingredients at
home because a lot of them are used to bake or cook a lot of things. I personally think
homemade cookies are the best because you can make them the way you want it and
use your favorite recipe. My mom’s cookies are my favorite. They are perfect.
Ingredients:
1. 2 ½ cups flour
2. ½ teaspoon baking soda
3. 1 cup butter
4. ½ cup sugar
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 2 teaspoons vanilla
7. 2 large eggs
8. 12 ounces of chocolate chips
Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and
baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until
light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until
well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the
chocolate chips

2

2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking
sheets lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to
10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight
container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Technology is Challenging
Technology: the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes,
especially in industry. Technology to other people is also this annoying thing you just
can not figure out. What exactly is wifi? Basically wifi is the thing that makes your phone
work sometimes but other times turning the wifi on will make your phone’s apps not
work and other times the opposite. Snapchat and instagram are just apps to show all
the cool things we are doing and the cool people we are hanging out with and basically
just rubbing it in everyone else’s faces. Everyone knows that they do it, they just do not
admit it. Technology is really annoying in the way that when a phone or computer
doesn't work it can frustrate some people. Sometimes when I charge my phone and it is
at 30% but then it dies because of the new update or whatever, it gets me really mad. I
get so mad that it makes me want to throw my phone but I don’t because it could break
and then I would have to buy a new phone and that would suck. Computers really make
me mad because they take forever to load. Even if I just want to log on for a second to
do one thing it will take about ten minutes. They say that web pages take long to load
on a computer because the connection is low, but what does that even mean?
Technology is definitely challenging.

Sources:
http://www.bing.com/search?q=definetechnology&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=define
technology&sc=8-16&sk=&cvid=07B0AFDBB3384ED3AD70CB2490E16943
http://ask-leo.com/why_does_it_take_so_long_for_webpages_to_load.html
http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412755

3

Personal Story
Ever since I was a little girl I have loved animals. I especially liked dogs. My
dad’s best friend Jeff had a golden retriever named Sam. Whenever Jeff came to visit
from California, so did Sam. My favorite dog was a golden retriever because of Sam. All
of a sudden, Jeff still visited us but Sam did not come with him. I was really young, so
my parents thought it was best not to tell me that he passed. My dad and I really wanted
a pet dog, specifically a golden. My mom prefered smaller dogs. It look a lot of
convincing my mom, but eventually she gave in to getting a golden retriever. I came
home from school one day and I saw a small puppy at my house. He was running
around like crazy. I was freaking out. We finally got a dog! It only took a few months for
my dog to be even taller than me if you put him on his hind legs. My dog is now five and
he is my best friend.

4

Humorous Story
My Great Aunt and Uncle were on a boat with some friends soon after they got
married. My Great Uncle used to live in Israel, so he was not very good at speaking or
understanding English. The boat came up to a bridge and everyone was afraid. They
did not know what to do. Some people started yelling “duck!” My Uncle only learned that
the definition of duck was the animal. Everyone ducked over and put their hands over
their heads while my Great Uncle was sitting up straight. “Duck? Where?” He asked
while looking around everywhere. Then he hit his head right on the bridge.

5

Book review: U​ nfriended
The book U​ nfriended​ has four different perspectives from four different
characters. It is about an eighth grade girl Truly who had a best friend Hazel, but then
ditched her to be with the “popular group.” Her old friend Natasha was in the popular
group. Natasha stopped being friends with Truly but then she finally decided to let her
back in the group. That is when Truly ditched (unfriended) Hazel. She ignored Hazel
because she got a better offer and did not even feel bad about it at first. The popular
group was nice to her at first. Once the girls started liking Truly more that Natasha,
Natasha got very envious and she started being mean to everyone and everyone did
not like her anymore because of that. She got kicked out of the group and Truly then felt
really bad about ditching Hazel, because after seeing how sad Natasha was when she
was ditched, she understood. A lot more in the book happens, but in the end Truly finds
a way to be friend with everyone, even Natasha.
I would rate this book a 10/10 or give it 5 stars because there is so much going
on in it and it makes you not want to ever put the book down. Also you become really
attached to the characters. Mainly, everything that goes on is really relatable. Especially
for middle schoolers.
Rachel Vail wrote this book. Rachel is an award winning author of more than 30
books for young people. She wrote Unfriended for middle school readers. Her other
books are about and for high school and elementary school readers.
People will really like this book and should read it!

6

Golden retrievers are better than pugs
Golden retrievers are better than pugs. They are better in multiple ways.
According to​ h​ ttps://www.thetoptens.com/cutest-dog-breeds/​ pugs are cuter than
goldens, but that doesn't necessarily mean that pugs are better. In the article, pugs rank
as the first cutest dog breed, and golden retrievers rank as the second cutest.
Personally, goldens are cuter because they have a soft fur coat. Pugs have barely any
fur and the fluffiness is what makes a lot of dogs cute. A pug’s scrunched up face
makes it look sad. People probably only like pugs because pugs look depressed and
they feel bad for them. Golden Retrievers are proven to be the friendliest dog breed.
Thanks to​ ​http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/13-friendliest-dog-breeds​ goldens
place in first place out of the thirteen friendliest dog breeds. Pugs are in second place.
The article says that goldens love everyone and can even be t​ oo f​ riendly. The article
says that pugs are only friendly so their owners give them a lot of treats. In another
article, golden retrievers are ranked 9 out of the top 10 most loyal dogs. Pugs are not
even on the top 10. I also did a survey of three people and they all agree that golden
retrievers are better. Goldens are lovable friendly dogs and even some pug lovers can
agree with that. I have a golden and he is five years old. Even though my dog is very
large, he acts like he is a small lap dog. He is very scared of things like balloons and
trash bags. Mostly, he is frightened of actual lap dogs. He acts like they are bigger than
him even though he is way larger. I think about the only thing he is not scared of are
people.

7

Sunscreen Add
Blue Lizard sunscreen is sunscreen for sensitive skin. It has extra
protection when you are out in the sun. You should buy Blue Lizard sunscreen instead
of the other sunscreens because it has no chemicals like the others. It also has SPF
30+. It has no fragrance so people who are allergic to fragrance can use it. It is also
paraben free. Other sunscreens may not have as much SPF, so your skin will not be as
nearly protected. Blue Lizard prevents sunburns and skin cancer from the sun. It only
uses high quality minerals so you know you're not getting the cheap stuff. The minerals
are; Z​ inc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, for broad spectrum UVA and UVB skin
protection. It involves no irritating chemicals to skin. This sunscreen is Dermatologist
recommended which is not the same with other sunscreens.
During the summer if you want to have fun in the sun but you also want to be
safe, you should use Blue Lizard Sunscreen.

8

Summer Options
In Kansas, it may seem like there are not many things to do over the summer.
Although, there are actually a lot of fun things to do. The Arboretum in Overland Park
Kansas is a nice outdoors park and garden. It also has many different hiking trails. The
Arboretum is fun for kids and adults. There are many gorgeous flowers there and there
are also ponds where you can catch tadpoles. The trees are tall and there is a forest
around the hiking trail. This next thing to do over the summer is not for all ages. Mainly
for older kids, teens, and young adults. The Worlds Of Fun and Oceans Of Fun
amusement park and water park are full of thrill and excitement. There are so many fun
rides, games, and roller coasters at Worlds Of Fun. The waterpark connected; Oceans
Of Fun, has so much waterslides and water activities like the wave pool and lazy river.
An educational and fun thing to do over the summer is to visit the prairie fire
museum.
There are huge dinosaurs there. In the discovery area there are lizards and
snakes and tons of different species. Small mammals and insects are also there. There
are even some arachnids like spiders and scorpions.

For kids there are many camp options during the summer time.
Some camps are:
● The Culture House- Visual arts, music, dance, and performance
● J Camp- Dance, Day Camp, Drama, Science, Sports, Visual Arts
● Youthfront Camp- religious affiliation
● Ceramic Cafe- Coupon, Day camp, Visual arts
In Kansas there are even more camps for kids and activities for all ages to enjoy
during the summer.

9

Teen Acne
Acne is a condition a lot of teens have and can relate to. Acne is red pimples all
over your face. One pimple is not considered acne. Pimples are usually in groups
around your face to be considered acne. Teens can tend to be very self conscious
about their acne. Acne is most common for teens because they are going through
puberty. There are many treatments for acne that work very well. Acne starts when oil
and dead skin cells clog up your pores. It can get worse and create more pimples if it is
not treated. Acne is most common on your face but it can also appear on your back,
shoulders, neck, and basically anywhere else. There are two types of pimples for acne
which are whiteheads and blackheads. Whiteheads are white dots that are pores
impacted with oil and skin. Blackheads are black bumps that are impacted pores where
the material pushes out through the follicles. The black color is not from dirt. It could
possibly be from bacteria, dead skin cells, and matter that reacts with oxygen. Many
people have gone through a stage in their teen years where they have acne or
breakouts. Many people can confuse acne from a breakout reaction to something, but
there is clearly a difference. A breakout reaction on your face is a group of red bumps.
Acne includes pimples which can be red but also with whiteheads and blackheads. The
medicine for acne which can be acne cream is applied to your face where the pimples
are.

Citations:​ h​ ttp://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/teenage-acne#1
http://teens.webmd.com/girls-puberty-10/girls-teen-acne

10

Spotlighton an adult
Most adults have h ad a dream when they were a kid. Then once they get
older the start believing less and less that their dream will happen. They usually have a
normal job in an office and forget all about their dream. My grandma’s dream was to
open up a dance studio as well as being the dance teacher. My grandma went to
college and studies the all the arts including dance. She met my grandpa in college and
they got married. They moved back to where my grandma lives, Kansas and they
started a life. My grandpa had a job so my grandma did not open the studio yet. Once
my Mom and my mom’s brother and sister were born she opened the studio up. She
was the dance teacher and owner. Just liked she had always dreamed. Her kids took
dance from her and so did their friends. My grandma is a really inspiring person to me
because she followed her dreams. She is not only inspiring to me, she is also inspiring
to my mom and my aunt because when they were old enough they became competitive
dancers and were on the dance team in high school. They also shared her passion.

Interview:
1. What inspired you to open a dance studio?

“Dance helped me with confidence and I started at such a young age. I
wanted others to share my passion for dance as well.”

1. Was there any obstacles along the way?
“I had to drive an hour to get my dance masters after college. I also had to

take care of my three children while teaching.”
1. Who was your inspiration?
“My dance teacher Madora was my inspiration when I was a kid because she

was encouraging and gave me and my dance team opportunities to perform. Madora
taught me ballet, tap, and jazz.”

1. When did you start to take dance?
“I started taking dance at age two.”

11

1. When did your kids start taking dance?
“My children all started taking dance from me around the age two or three.”

1. What age did you stop teaching?
“I taught for 28 years and at age 48 I stopped because I wanted to spend my

time taking care of my family”
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be?
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a dancer and perform. Also in some way I

wanted to teach others to love to perform.”
1. What was your biggest challenge?
“My Biggest challenge was balancing my family with my job. Choreographing

dances and scheduling recitals were also difficult for me.”
1. What type of dance did you teach?
“I taught ballet, point, jazz, tap, tumbling,ballroom, and when I taught adult

classes I taught aerobics.”
1. What are your favorite types of dance?
“My favorite types of dance are jazz, tap, and ballroom.”

12

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