At 12, strawberry milkshakes and double Dutch define happiness

HOW do you spell success?

Ask Keke Palmer, a 12-year-old with a recording contract and the title role in the film “Akeelah and the Bee,” which opened last week.

Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne costar in “Bee,” a beat-the-odds story of a stellar-spelling L.A. girl. “It was fun on the set because there were a lot of kids around,” Keke says. “My mom tells me that if it stops being fun, it’s time to stop.”

But speaking of fun, Palmer’s weekend is naturally quite a bit different from the exploits of the usual Hollywood crowd.

Cruising the mall

On a Friday night, I think I’d take a friend either to the Baldwin Hills Mall or Fox Hills Mall. I don’t really have a favorite store -- I shop everywhere. Then we’d probably go see a movie. Later, we’d stop at McDonald’s for dinner. I just love McDonald’s. But for my favorite dessert, I’d go to Mel’s Diner and order a strawberry milkshake.

A sister act

I like to sleep in on Saturdays, but when I finally get up, my sister and I would get our laptops and go online. We’re best friends, and we have a lot of fun together. She’s 17 and she writes music for me, because of my deal with Atlantic Records. We sing together, and sometimes she sings backup for me. I think if I had to choose between acting and music, I’d choose music.

After looking around online and answering questions on my website, we might go to Universal Studios. I also like Magic Mountain, especially the Freefall ride.

Then I’d come home and go to the park and run on the track with my sister and mother. Or I’d do double Dutch with my friends. I love double Dutching. Then for dinner we’d go to Denny’s. It’s a good family place, and I love having breakfast for dinner.

House hunting

On Sunday morning we’d go to church and then go look at houses. We live in Duarte right now, but we’re looking to buy a house. We like Altadena a lot. Open houses are fun for us, even if we don’t buy the house.

Then we’d come home and maybe my dad would make some chicken for lunch. He’s a great cook, and my sister and I might bake a cake. After that we’d go to the beach and play around for a while, either Venice or Santa Monica. I might play some basketball there too, because I’ve really been getting taller lately. I’m 5 foot 4 now.

Or if we didn’t go to the beach, we’d go to the L.A. County Museum of Art, because they have great exhibits for kids and families on Sundays. They even had a screening of “Akeelah” there.

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-- Mark Sachs