Make De

li ci o u s
Cake Ba
lls!

Enter Our Writ

ing
Contest!

d f lo w
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i
W
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a
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Zoo!

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Hi Everybody,

Sophia H.
is thirteen years
old and lives with
her younger
brother and three
younger sisters in
NH.
To share your
ideas, ask
questions or to
submit your
poem, story, joke,
or to become an
illustrator, email
her at
harnefamilia@
gmail.com

Hi!
I'm Carley the
Cockatoo. I am
hiding
somewhere in
this issue of Circle of Friends.
Can you find me?

I'd like to make a

shout out to all
aspiring writers: Enter
our writing contest! If
you win, you'll get your story illustrated by a
Circle of Friends illustrator, and published in
the May Issue of Circle of Friends!
Speaking of writing, we have two
wonderful stories in this issue! The first one is
the next installment in the Mia series, a
suspensful, enjoyable story to read, with
wondeful illustraitons. The second is from one
of our newer author/illustrators, Annie, and is
especially aimed at animal lovers, with the fun
combination of a magical zoo with some very
unique animals. Both of these stories I highly
recommend. Enjoy this issue!

Sophia

This Month's
Challenge: Do a
wintery good deed:
Shovel the walk
for your parents,
set out a bird
feeder or some bird seed, hold the
door for someone, help your younger
sibling build a snowman. Be creative!

Want to get a fun prize?

All you have to do is perform 7 or more of

the challenges in the 2015 issues, print,
and cut out the square on the bottom
corner (one per issue) and then send them
in at the end of the year.

Synopsis: After discovering a

room in her new house
behind a trap door, Mia
finds out that it can take her
anywhere in the world with
only a press of a button! Her
last adventure happened in
Japan, but when she tried to
return there, the machine
wouldn't let her. In
desperation, and thinking
the machine was broken,
Mia hit a random button.
That button took her to the
US Virgin Islands where she
met her new friend Naomi.
The two girls are snorkling
when they discover a turtle
choking from a plastic bag.
What will they do?
Never would the girls forget
the frantic hour that followed the
sighting of the choking turtle.
Naomi swam towards the
shore, hoping to find someone anyone! - with a cell phone. Even

so, who would she call? Her parents

were staff at Coral World Ocean Park,
which was a 20 minute ferry boat ride
away in St.Thomas! Plus, they were
probably busy, as a cruise ship had
just arrived, bringing hundreds of
tourists.
Naomi wracked her brain as she
willed herself to swim faster. "Oh,
Auntie! That's it!" Naomi gasped,
remembering that her Aunt worked
for... "West Indies Marine Animal
something, something Service. Ugh!"

She groaned. Just when she

needed that piece of information
terribly, it escaped her! Naomi,
dripping wet and thinking hard,
got out of the water and scanned
the shore for a familiar face.
"Yes!" She spotted one right
away. It was the friendly man
who had taken the picture of her
and Mia on the trail! Relieved,
and positive he would find a way
to help them someway or the
other, Naomi ran towards him.
Meanwhile, Mia was
following the turtle as it slowly
and laboriously swam in circles.
It was shaking its head and
chewing the plastic bag with
weary determination as it
continued swimming around and
around and around until Mia
lifted her head out of the water
and whispered, "Oh, come Naomi
quick! It can't survive much
longer without help, just please
tell me help is on the way..." She
fought the impulse to dive down

and help the poor creature, since

she knew that it wasn't safe to touch
and come too close to wild animals
unless you are an expert at working
with them. She fiddled with her
snorkel and mask. Finally, Mia
spotted Naomi swimming at top
speed towards her!
Before long, the girls were
having a rushed debrief up to their
chin in crystalline waves, the turtle
circling a couple feet away from
their legs. "Okay. There is both good
news and bad news to report. Uh,
what do you want to hear first?"
asked Naomi.
Mia replied as she began to
braid and re-braid her auburn hair,
"The good, please."
"Well my Aunt works at the
West Indies Marine Animal
Research and Conservation Service,
(WIMARCS), so I thought about
contacting them. You know the man
who took our photo at the ruins?"
Mia nodded, braiding anxiously.
"He is here too, and he let me

borrow his phone to call

WIMARCS! Now a turtle rescue
team is on the way!" Proudly
Naomi told her friend about her
accomplishment.
"And... The - the bad news?"
"The Service is in St. Croix,
which is at least 45 minutes
away!"
"And the turtle..." Trailed off
Mia.
"Needs help now!" In unison,
they finished Mia's statement.
They gazed wistfully into space.

"You don't suppose we could do

the rescuing ourselves, do you,
Mia?" said Naomi slowly.
"Well I read that you shouldn't
get too close and try to rescue
creatures unless you are certified in
animal care." Mia declined the idea.
The more Naomi thought about
it, the more confident she became.
"Come on! I have seen my Aunt
rescue native animals countless
times. I never have seen her deal
with this situation, but it's easy! All
we need to do is take that bag off.
Imagine: 11 year olds
rescuing a full grown
turtle by themselves!" She
exclaimed. "Think about
it, Mia! It's an amazing
opportunity!"
Mia wasn't so sure.
"Do you have a plan? Do
you think WIMARCS
will approve?" She
inquired.
"Listen, I don't

know, but we have got to try. As

for the plan, you have to hold the
turtle while I remove the plastic
bag!" When Mia frowned Naomi
consented. "I guess the other way
around would work, too."
After more debating, the girls
finally decided to give it a whirl.

They took a deep breath and

looked into the water. The turtle
had sank down to the bottom of the
shallow sea. Alarmed, the girls
swam to it.
"Please, make it still be alive, oh
please!" Thought Mia as she dove

down to the turtle. It weakly

blinked at her. It was still alive!
The girls took their designated
positions according to the plan
they had made. Naomi behind the
turtle, holding on to its body and
Mia in front of it, ready to pull the
plastic bag off. She gently but
firmly tugged off the bag as Naomi
rhythmically stroked its shell. The
tasked proved to be easier than
they had thought it would be, and
the bag was off in a jiffy. They
triumphantly smiled at each other,
but their job wasn't done. Both
girls had watched documentaries
about turtles, and they knew that
every few minutes they had to
breathe air to live. This one simply
didn't have enough strength to
swim up for a breath of overdue
oxygen, so the friends were going
to have to lift the turtle up for air.
Together, they gently supported it
and lifted its head out of the sea.

After a while of inhaling precious

oxygen, the turtle slid out of their
arms and back into the ocean.
Only then the girls realized they
would never see the turtle again.
They suddenly knew that turtles
were in extreme danger and that
they, two 11 year olds, had actually
rescued one by themselves!
Mia found herself wishing that
she could help all the turtles, all
over the world, and Naomi felt a
writers inspiration coming. She
could write an article about Green
Sea Turtles!
But now, they had to see the
gentle sea creature once more
before it would leave. To their
surprise, it hadn't even swam one
foot away! It was eying them as if it
was thinking: "Follow me. You
helped me, so I shall give you
something in return."
Awestruck, Mia and Naomi
lifted their heads out of the water

and gaped at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm

thinking?" Naomi wondered, with wide eyes.
Mia raised her eyebrows. "What?"
"That the turtle is trying to communicate with us?"
"Exactly! It's - it's as if it's telling us, 'follow me, I
have something to show you!'" Mia exclaimed. "This is
great! I have officially named this one Shelly."
Naomi laughed, "So what are we waiting for? Let's
follow Shelly!"

TO BE CONTINUED
IN THE NEXT ISSUE
OF CIRCLE OF
FRIENDS...

Follow the instructions below to make these gorgeous

snowflakes! You can hang them in the window, from the ceiling,
all over your house!
Step 1. Take 4 popsicle sticks
and criss-cross them in the
pattern on the left. Glue them
together. Hot glue guns usually
work better, (make sure you have
parent supervision!) but normal
glue will work as well.

Step 2. Decorate with markers,

paint, glitter, pom-poms, gems,
and other fun things! (See right)
Step 3. Glue a ribbon to the top
of the snowflake, and hang
around the house. (Again, glue
guns work better for this step.)

Can you solve these Random Riddles? Use the decoder on the left to solve the
riddles below:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-

1. What do you think my sister is dreaming about?

2.

What do you think I think about her?

This amazing animal has

been the object of much
admiration and is highly
respected in the art of
falconry. Read on for more
information on this
incredible animal.

Photo from: www.wikipedia.com

Photo
from: www.oceanlight.com
Photo from:
www.nationalgeographic.om

Peregrine falcons
can fly up to 68
miles per hour
horizontally, and
can dive at 112.
Their highest recorded airspeed was a whopping
242 miles per hour!

Peregrine falcons live all

over the world, and to the
right is a map of where they
currently live or visit in the
US. For more information on
peregrine falcons, check out
their article on National
Geographic Kids, or
Wikipedia.

Breeding summer
visitor
Passage visitor

Winter visitor
Breeding resident
www.wikipedia.com

www.wikipedia.com

Peregrine Falcons can live in almost every habitat, from deserts

to forests and from mountains to sea level.
Peregrines don't build nests! They just use an indent in the side
of a cliff, where they lay 2-4 four eggs at a time.
Peregrine falcons
were very endangered
around the 1960s, but
luckily, with careful
help form conservation
experts, their numbers
have been brought
back up.
Falcons can live for
up to 17 years!
www.wikipedia.com

they%had%to%be%careful%not%to%let%the%
zookeepers(or(visitors(notice!(They(
could&also&all&escape&their&cages,&but&
only%at%night.%That%was%exactly%what%
Mango&was&doing.&In&fact,&he&was&on&
his$way$to$visit$the$new$lion$since$
he#was,#as#always,#curious.
!!!Mango!let!the!gentle!breeze!carry!
him$along,$flapping$his$wings$every$
now$and$then.$The$moon$was$out,$
and$he$could$see$all$sorts$of$animals$
wandering)around,)talking,)or)just)
Mango,'a'young'blue-and-gold'
sleeping.)He)took)a)detour)over)the)
macaw,&was&very&excited&when&a&
scarlet(macaw(named(Fiona,(who(was( lake%since%it%looked%beautiful%on%a%
moonlit'night'and'he'had'all'night'to'
secretly(a(phoenix,(moved(into(the(
meet$the$lion.$
same%bird%aviary%as%he%did.%There%
!!!Splish(splash!!A!figure!the!size!of!
were$no$other$known$mythical$
deer$but$with$a$black$coat$emerged$
creatures(anywhere(on(Earth!((He(had(
out$of$the$water.$Mango$swooped$
spent&the&whole&day&pestering&her&
abruptly)down,)keen)to)find)out)
with%questions%when%the%humans%
what%or%who%it%was.%When%he%
were$not$around.
landed&in&front&of&her,&he&confusedly&
!!!All!the!animals!in!the!zoo!were,!in!
observed(a(wet,(shiny,(magical5
a"way,"magical"since"they"were"
looking'black'horse,'with'webbed'
abnormally)intelligent)and)could)talk)
feet,%gills,%and%seaweed%tangled%in%
in#the#English#language!#However,#

her$glossy$black$mane$and$tail.$He$
cocked&his&blue&head.&What&or&who&
are$you!?!$
!!I!am!Shadow,!a!kelpie!!I!can!turn!
into%any%animal,%cast%illusions,%and%
trick&humans&into&riding&them&and&
drown&and&eat&them!"Mango"now"
regretted&letting&his&curiosity&get&the&
better%of%himself.%
!!!You! drown!
humans'and' eat$
them??'Mango'
stared'in'horror'at'
the$glistening,$
dripping'black'kelpie.'
Shadow'shook'her'
head,&tossing&water&
droplets)all)over,)
snorting(and(
whinnying'with'
laughter.**She*tried*
to#say#no!#but#could#
not$stop$giggling.$
Relieved'but'feeling'
awkward,'Mango'

tried&to&change&the&topic.&How&did&
you$get$here,$anyway?$There$are$no$
kelpies'on'Earth!
!!!No,!there!are!not!!Shadow!
agreed.'I'came'from'a'whole'
different(land.
!!!Mango!was!eager!to!ask!Shadow!
to#demonstrate#some#magic,#but#
Fiona&alighted&next&to&Mango&just&at&

moment,'fiery'red'feathers'
shimmering)in)the)moonlit)night.
!!!Sorry!to!interrupt!your!fun,!but!I!
have%to%discuss%important%things%with%
Shadow,)she)explained.)Then,)seeing)
Mangos(disappointed(face,(Fiona(
added,%MangoI%bet%youll% love!the!
new$lion!$Hes$magic$too!$
!!!Mango!remembered!the!lion!and!
let$out$a$wild$squeal$of$delight.$He$
rose%into%the%air%with%an%excited%twirl,%
and$hurried$to$the$lions$habitat.
Despite'his'eagerness,'Mango'never'
glided&straight&to&his&destination.&The&
enclosure)next)to)the)lions)place)
caught'his'attention'when'he'saw'
Flora&the&snow&leopard&cub&just&
outside(it.(She(was(his(best(friend(
despite'her'carnivorous'habits;'all'the'
animals'lived'peacefully'together,'and'
never%fought%or%killed%each%other%
(except'for'the'bears).
!!!Hey!Flora,!Mango!swooped!down!
and$hovered$in$the$air$next$to$his$
friend.(I(was(going(to(check(out(what(

the$new$lion$was$like!$I$know$you$live$
next%to%him,%so%maybe%you%could%
introduce*me!*
!!!Sure!!The!pretty!snow!leopard!
smiled'up'at'Mango.'Want'to'do'the'
bucking(game(on(our(way?(
!!!Actually,!the!lions!home!was!pretty!
near%both%of%them,%but%Mango%agreed%
and$landed$on$her$back,$clinging$on$
tightly.(Flora(leaped(and(bounded(
while&Mango&barely&held&on,&until&
they%both%collapsed%into%a%heap,%
laughing,)by)the)door)that)the)
zookeepers(used(to(get(into(the(lions(
place.
!!!The!door!slammed!open!!Nobody!
was$there;$the$door$seemed$to$have$
opened&by&itself.&Mango&and&Flora&
exchanged)frightened)glances.)Then,)a)
griffin&slowly&materialized&before&
them,&flicking&his&feathered&ears&in&
combined)amusement)and)
annoyance.(He(was(just(as(normal(as(
any$lion,$except$the$front$half$of$his$
body%was%an%eagle-feathers,%wings,%

beak%and%all)and%there%were%long%
feathers(instead(of(fur(at(the(tip(of(his(
tail.&I&heard&you!&Hi,&Im&Dandelion.&
Now$shoo!$The$griffin$lazily$gestured$
away.
!!!Hello,!Dandelion!Mango!
cautiously*spoke.*Im*Mangoand*I*
was$wondering$if$we$could$see$some$
magic?
!!!You!already!saw!some!magic!!Now,!
I"have"to"get"some"sleep!"Dandelion"
exclaimed)grumpily)as)he)started)to)
close&the&door.&Suddenly&he&stopped&
and$his$eyes$glinted$merrily.$Oh,$fine!$
I"need"practice"anyway."
!!!He!started!to!stare!at!the!rocky!
path%which%the%humans%used%(the%
animals'almost'never'used'it'because'
the$sharp$little$rocks$hurt$their$feet).$
Then,&a&pebble&started&to&lift&up.&It&
whizzed'past'Dandelion,'Mango,'and'
Flora,'catching'speed.'
!!!Something!went!terribly!wrong,!just!
then.&A&polar&bear&by&the&name&of&

Daisy&which*really*didnt*fit*her*
personality,at,all-happened,to,be,
striding(by.(While(she(was(walking(
down%the%path%towards%them,%the%
rock%hit%her%in%the%nose.%She%
bellowed'out'in'rage'and'started'to'
chase&after&them!
!!!By!the!time!Dandelion!had!
shouted,)onto)my)back,)Flora,)
Mango&was&already&in&the&air.&
Dandelion)ran)down)the)path,)
wincing&as&paws&and&claws&connected&
with%sharp%stone.%The%wind%finally%
caught'his'gigantic'brown'wings'right'
as#Daisy#was#about#to#pounce.#
Dandelion)and)Flora)spiraled)up)into)
the$air$with$Mango$and$forget$all$
about&the&bear&as&they&felt&the&skys&
freedom.
!!!Lets!race!before!the!sun!rises!!
Mango&challenged&the&griffin,&who&
grinned'at'him'and'exclaimed'an'
agreement(over(the(whistling(wind.
The$three$friends$raced$and$played$in$

the$air$under$the$stars$until$at$last$the$sun$rose$and$they$all$flew$home.$
Before&he&knew&it,&Mango&was&snuggling&next&to&Fionas&warm&feathers&and&
dreaming)about)all)three)of)his)new)(magical))friends.)
!!!Lets!race!before!the!zookeepers!arrive!!Mango!challenged!the!griffin,!who!
grinned'at'him'and'exclaimed'an'agreement'over'the'whistling'wind.'The'
three%friends%raced%and%played%in%the%air%under%the%stars%until%at%last%the%son%
rose%and%they%all%flew%home.%Before%he%knew%it,%Mango%was%snuggling%next%to%
Fionas(warm(feathers(and(dreaming(about(all(of(his(new(magical(friends.

THE$END

Name:!Arizona
Capital:!Phoenix
Became&a&state:!48th!state!on!February!14,!1912
Nickname:!Grand!Canyon!State
State%bird:!Cactus!Wren!
State%flower:!
Saguaro'cactus'
blossom
State%animal:%Ring%
tailed'cat
State%song:%Arizona(
March&Song
State%butterfly:!Two%
tailed'swallowtail

Californias+nickname+
Grand'Canyon'State'suits'
it#well;#the#Grand#Canyon#
is#the#most#popular#
attraction(in(Arizona(and(
one$of$the$most$spectacular$natural$formations$in$the$
world!'It'is'an'awe/inspiring,'vast,'magnificent,'beautiful'
place&to&be,&from&its&stunning&sunsets&to&the&wild&Colorado&
River.'Its'also'277'miles'long'and'is'home'to'many'plant'
and$animal$species,$some$of$which$are$only$found$in$the$
Grand&Canyon!&Most&people&like&trail&rides&on&horseback&or&
mules,'river'rafting,'and'exploring'the'trails.'Be'sure'to'plan'
a"visit"to"Arizona"someday!
Would YOU like to write the States page? Email Sophia at
harnefamilia@gmail.com for more information.

Photos by Gabby
B. Age 11

Photos by
Gabby B.
Age 11

Directions
1. Prepare the cake mix
according to package directions using any of the
recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble
while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until
well blended.
2. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave,
or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring
occasionally until smooth.
3. Use a melon baller or small
scoop to form balls of the
chocolate cake mixture. Dip the
balls in chocolate using a toothpick
or fork to hold them. Place on
waxed paper to set.
4. Enjoy your delicious cake balls!
Recipe and photo from www.allrecipes.com

1 (18.25 ounce)
package chocolate cake
mix
1 (16 ounce) container
prepared chocolate
frosting
1 (3 ounce) bar
chocolate flavored
confectioners coating

For$this$contest,$you$need$to$send$us$your$best$story$
under&1000&words.&
1. Think it! Come up with an idea for your story.
2. Write it! Write your story down. It has to be your original work, and
parents, if you're typing up your child's work, type their exact words
please!
2. Send it. Mail your story to:
Circle of Friends
P.O. Box 210
Warner NH 03278.
OR
4. Email it. Email your story along with your name, age, and what state
you live in to: harnefamilia@gmail.com
One entry per person.
I need your entry by February 15th
PRIZES!: There are 3 age categories: 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16. There will
be 1 grand prize overall and 2 runners up in each category. The grand
prize winner will get their story illustrated by Circle of Friends staff and
be published in an upcoming issue! The runners up will recieve candy
bars of their choice.

Good$Luck!

Here are the winners from last month's drawing

contest who incorperated a number into their art.

Winner:
Adam N.
Age 8

Winner:
Molly H.
Age 11