Kidsday: Thrills at a Vermont quarry

By JOSEPH BABI. Kidsday ReporterJune 1, 2012

I'd like to share a thrilling vacation idea with you -- Dorset Quarry in Vermont. It is a beautiful old marble quarry filled with fresh, clean water and lots of cliffs to jump from.

The cliffs you can jump from when safety conditions are right are up 10 to 60 feet. When you jump off the best cliff -- the 60-foot one -- it feels like you're flying in midair. When you hit the water, you'd better hold your breath.

So whether you are looking to just catch some sun rays or you are more adventurous, Dorset Quarry is the place to go. And the best part is it is free.

Want to find out about Dorset Quarry and other place to go cliff jumping in Vermont? Visit swimmingholes.org/vt.htm

Book review: 'The One and Only Ivan'

I read "The One and Only Ivan," by Katherine Applegate (HarperCollins Children's). This is a heartwarming book that will make some kids cry and some will be overwhelmed by Ivan's life story.

Ivan is a gorilla, and his life is not as easy as it seems. Ivan went through a long life; some of it was in Africa, but most of his life he was an act in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He spent his day being stared at by humans. Ivan enjoyed his life, but there were some flaws. Ivan was treated like a human boy. The man who owned him was Mack. Mack owned two animals in the act, but one of them, a very nice elephant named Stella, died. Right before he lost Stella, Mack got a new friend named Ruby.

At the end of the story, Ivan and Ruby were sent to a zoo and lived with their own kind. At first Ivan forgot how to be a gorilla because he was treated like a human for his whole life.

I'd recommend this book to kids ages 8 to 12.

Rating: 5 smiles

--Kidsday Reporter Richard Mercurio