You probably talk to friends more than you talk to your parents. That's natural. Still, most of us want a parent's help, advice, and support at times. But talking to the parents may be difficult or terrible-especially when it comes to certain subjects. Here are some suggestions to make it easier.

    Talk about everyday stuff—and do it every day. The more you do something, the easier it gets. Talking to parents about everyday stuff builds a bond that can help you discuss something more serious with them later.

Find something to chat(聊天) about each day. Talk about how your team did at the sports meet. Share something one of your teachers said. Even small talk about what's for dinner can keep your relationship comfortable.

It's never too late to start. If your relationship with your parents makes you feel nervous, try getting into conversations slowly. Mention the cute thing the dog did. Talk about how well your little sister is doing in maths. Chatting with parents every day not only keeps the present relationship strong, but it can help a might-be-worse relationship get better.

    When parents feel connected to your daily life, they can be there for you if something really important             .

Book Review by Patricia Ann Turner

    It is school holiday time and Mitch Morrow's family have just moved to a new home in a new place. Mitch can't stop worrying about what his new school is going to be like. He  is not even sure about the neighbours. Next door live the Bull family and they have two children, Di and Bruce.  

    The older of the two,  Bruce,  is a large boy,  about Mitch's age. Mitch. Watches him carry big rocks. He looks really strong and unkind. Mitch gives him the name Bruiser（彪形大汉） because he has a black eye. Did he get it in a fight? Mitch imagines all the worst possible things about Bruiser. He is probably the class bully (恶霸). In his mind Mitch thinks of him as the enemy.

    Things seem to get more worring for Mitch. He finds out he will be in the same class as Bruiser. Then on the first day of school he learns that Bruiser is his buddy for the day.

    This is a lovely story for young readers to read or listen to. It has a wonderful message for all children about facing their fears —real and imagined.

    The pictures in the book catch the worry Mitch feels and make Bruiser rcally look like a bad guy.

    My only complaint is the colour of the printing of the text. Why there are pages of different coloured print I cannot tell. They may create problems for children with poor eyesight.

    I give it four stars.

    I'm Sally, I'm a student in No.14 Middle School. This is my family tree. You can see it is a big family. My father is Jonathan, my mother is Claire. They have three children. My brother's name is William and my sister's name is Olivia. My grandparents Jerry and Elizabeth have two sons. My uncle Mike and my aunt Sarah have a son. His name is Joseph. He is my cousin. He is four years old. We all love him very much.

    My dream home is a house made of glass and it has a garden. It is not far from the sea. It is a smart house with a library. There are one million books in it! There is a big 3­D TV in the living room. How cool it is to watch my favourite films with it! It is never too cold or too hot in the rooms. When I walk into a room, the lights are turned on. The house can keep itself clean.

    There is a garden in front of the house. Many flowers are in it. And there is also a small lake behind the house. At weekends, I can watch the fish swim around or do some fishing by the lake.

    The house is far from the city centre, but there is a mini airport (机场) in it so I can fly to other places in my mini plane if I want to go shopping or do some other things. Does the house sound cool? Maybe in 20 years, my dream will come true.