The Daring Book for Girls - Andrea J. Buchanan [136]
Carefully raise the mold out of the water and hold it above the basin while the water drains. The pulp mixture should be in a uniform layer across the screen. (If there are holes, or if the pulp is not lying evenly, submerge the mold again and give it another try.) Press down on it gently to squeeze out the moisture, and use a sponge to soak up excess water from the bottom of the screen.
After the mold stops dripping, flip the screen paper-side down onto your felt, flannel, or other blotting material. Press out any moisture with the sponge and then carefully lift the mold, leaving the wet sheet of paper on the fabric. Use your hands to press out bubbles or other slight imperfections.
Place another piece of blotting material on top of the paper and use a rolling pin to squeeze out the moisture. Now your handmade sheet of paper needs to dry. Find a good spot and let it sit for a few hours. You can also use an iron (on a medium setting) to encourage the drying process; just make sure to iron the paper through the blotting material, not directly on the paper itself. When the paper is fully dry, carefully remove the top cloth and then peel off the paper. Now you are all set to begin using your handmade paper for whatever you desire.
Books That Will Change Your Life
WE PRESENT these titles for your reading pleasure, knowing there are endless books beyond this list to discover and love, too. We know you will read them in your own fashion and at your own pace.
20 GIRL CLASSICS
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, and her other books too.
Anne of Green Gables (and Emily of New Moon) by L.M. Montgomery
Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Caddie Woodlawn (and the sequel, Magical Melons) by Carol Ryrie Brink
Charlotte’s Web by E.B.White
The Famous Five, a series by Enid Blyton, with Dick, Ann, Julian, George (a girl!), and her dog Timothy.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
The Illyrian Adventure series by Lloyd Alexander
The Little Princess (and The Secret Garden) by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Keep Climbing, Girls by Beah H. Richards
Little Women and Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder—the entire series.
Lizzie Bright (and The Buckminster Boy) by Gary Schmidt
Mandy by Julie Andrews
Matilda (and The BFG) by Roald Dahl. Actually, make that anything by Roald Dahl.
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Ramona by Beverly Cleary (the series)
OTHER FAVORITES
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Seven classic novels from the 1950s, including the most famous, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. All seven, in time, and as you grow.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency and other madcap stories by Daniel Pinkwater
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell, about a girl Robinson Crusoe. When you’re done, read the original Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien
My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Out of the