nottingham knight writer - Nottingham Elementary School

NOTTINGHAM
KNIGHT WRITER
2nd Grade 2012-2013
Art by Lily I. and Elle S.
Art by Ryan P.
An anthology of writing and art
Exemplary Project Nottingham Elementary School Arlington, Virginia 1
Art by Elizabeth W. Special thanks to the Nottingham PTA for their generous support! PURPOSE AND VISION: Nottingham's Exemplary Writing Project was carefully designed to develop the writing skills of young authors through the power of publication. When students know their words will be shared with an audience, they are motivated to do their best work. At Nottingham, Grades 2‐5 use the Being a Writer curriculum, in which students explore a wide variety of literary genres including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, and personal narrative. Students are encouraged to use sensory details and strong vocabulary in their writing. Carefully selected picture books are read aloud for inspiration. Many students enjoy using these picture books as models to create stories with similar patterns or themes. This magazine was created from writing published online at the Nottingham website throughout the 2012‐2013 school year. Each piece was formatted individually, giving students the opportunity to design their own pages. The Exemplary Project Coordinator, Jacqueline Jules, is an award‐winning children’s author and poet. A valuable resource, Ms. Jules worked with our Knights to revise and polish their stories for publication. As you read, remember this is student work. Please note that imperfections are part of the process and our goal is to celebrate the growth and development of young writers. In our technology dependent society, the ability to communicate thoughts and ideas through writing is an absolutely essential skill. We hope you will help us by applauding our Knights' efforts and encouraging them to reach their full potential. Mary Beth Pelosky, Principal 2
Art by Sam B.
3
by Isabel B.
One day, there was a girl who loved to paint. But Kate
had no paints, so Kate had to buy some paints. When Kate
came home, her paintings were gone. But there was money on
the table. So Kate thought someone took her paintings and left
the money for her.
So Kate made another painting. She drew a house in a
country field. The house was red and the flowers were pink,
orange, blue, green, and yellow.
The next day, Kate went out to the store again to buy
more paints. When she came back, her painting was gone.
She went to her neighbor. She didn’t have it. She went to
another neighbor and she had the painting.
"I liked the painting," the neighbor said, "because I like
the country."
Kate left the painting with the
neighbor. She thought to herself when she
was walking away that she should make a
store of her paintings. So she did.
4
by Breck B.
Alligators don't go skydiving.
Giraffes aren't fireman.
Snakes can't tap dance.
Mice won't talk.
Spiders can't do 2 plus 2.
Dogs won't fly.
Trees will never walk.
Flies can't read.
If they did, that would be funny.
5
by Sam B.
I played Dead Man at Hudson's house on the trampoline.
My brother Jake was the Dead Man first. The rules are: The
Dead Man lies down and closes his eyes. He gets up after you
say, "Dead Man, Dead Man, come alive on the count of five.
"Then you say, "One, Two, Three, Four, Five." The Dead Man
gets up and tries to tag you.
My brother tagged me and so I was the Dead Man. Then I
got Jake. Then Hudson got tagged and he tagged Jake. And
then Jake got me. I liked being the Dead Man and I was happy
doing it. I liked swinging my arms and bouncing.
Next we played Wii and the game was called CNN Trucks.
Hudson and I played first and I lost. Next Jake and Hudson
played and Jake lost. Then we played Skylanders and I played
first. I was Gill Grunt and I beat the level. It was easy. Then I
was Ghost Roaster and my brother
played. We also played Mario Party
8. My favorite was Skylanders.
After that, we went back to the
trampoline and played more Dead
Man. I had a lot of fun at Hudson's house.
6
by Anderson B.
When I was three, I went on a trip to my dad's friend's
property. I climbed on the rocks there and I got a tick. I went
back to the campsite and I yelled to my dad, "My leg hurts!"
We went to the doctor and I got x-rayed. That's how I
found out that the tick had Lyme Disease. I could not walk
because it hurt my leg.
A week later, we went to an amusement park. We did not
want to get a wheelchair, so we just used an old stroller. I went
on one or two rides but it still wasn't enjoyable because I
couldn't walk and my brother was running around. I felt
jealous.
Another reason I didn't like the fact that I had a tick is
because I fell asleep every once in awhile during the day.
It was a long time before I felt better. I hope that I never
get a tick again. Now I put on bug spray every time I go to the
campsite.
7
by Ford B.
One day, I was playing in the basement with my sister.
Then, when I turned around, she was gone! The lights were
off! There was a sound. It sounded like this: "Hiss! Follow
me! Ha! My precious. Ha Ha!"
My sister wasn't there. No one was in the basement
except me and that scary sound!
I tried to run to the stairs but then I saw the lights
flash and I heard, "Hiss! Follow me. Ha! Ha! My precious.
Ha! Ha! Ha!"
I gathered up all of my courage and said, "Who is that?"
and it said, "It is I, your worst nightmare, Mummy!"
I ran up the stairs, closed the door, grabbed my favorite
stuffed animal, and ran to the kitchen to tell my mom. This
is what I said.
"Mom! There is something in the basement. It said,
'Hiss, follow me. Ha! Ha! My precious.' And it said it is a
mummy. Can I stay out of the basement?"
Mom said, "Yes, you do not have to go in the basement."
We never got to see the mummy guy so we don't know
what he looks like.
8
by Cady Rose C.
Hi! I'm a mouse. My name is Freddy and I live at the Bean Farm with Farmer
Bean. My friends are pigs and mice. I hope you like my story.
A long time ago, when I was a baby mouse, a new pig was born. Her name was
Charlie. She had a curly tail that was small. Sometimes she looked like a stuffed pig.
And she had little pink ears.
Charlie was playful. She loved to play with me. We liked to play in the stream.
We used to sneak up on Farmer Bean in his house and snoop. We watched him eat
his snack and wait for him to drop crumbs on the floor. Charlie was a great friend
and she was special to me.
One day, Charlie was missing. I asked everyone on the farm. They didn't know
where she was.
"Did you look in the farmer's house?" asked the wise lizard.
"That's it!" I said.
I plunged past the pig pens, the barn, and finally past the rose bushes. Then I
had to leap up the stairs because I was so tiny. I went through the doggy door and up
the stairs to the bedrooms. I heard snoring from the first bedroom. There was
Charlie on the bed sleeping soundly.
"Charlie!" I said. "Get up!" No answer.
I tried shaking her. No answer. "Charlie, get up!"
She opened her eyes and moved her head.
"What are you doing here?"
Charlie said, "I wanted to have a comfortable bed like humans do. You know,
it's not fair that humans have beds and we don't."
"Charlie! We're animals!" I said.
"It's still not fair," Charlie interrupted.
I told Charlie that we would get into a lot of trouble.
Charlie said, "I don't care."
"There's your favorite food downstairs. Chocolate cookies," I said.
"Food! Chocolate cookies!" Charlie whispered.
So she got out of bed. I pulled the blanket up so no one would find out that
Charlie had been in the bed.
We went to the kitchen.
"There's no chocolate cookies," Charlie said.
We heard Farmer's Bean's truck pulling up.
"Let's get out of here," I said.
We ran away from the house. We did not see the
stream coming our way. We both tripped over a stick
and came tumbling down into the water.
9
by Adeliene C.
Once, we went to a place where you could rent a house for a couple
of days. The house had two levels. The first level had a bathroom and a
kitchen. There was a living room and a bedroom and a dining room. On
the second level, there was a hallway. In the hallway, there was a loft bed
and next to the loft bed, there was a TV. That is where I slept. My loft
bed was very comfortable. In the hallway, there was a bathroom and two
bedrooms.
By the house, there was a forest. If you went through the forest,
there was a beach. At the beach, my family and I liked to build sand
castles, fly kites, and make footprints in the sand. In the house, my
brother and I would watch movies on TV and play card games, draw, and
play in the play kitchen under the loft bed. During the day, we would
usually go to the beach.
Up the sidewalk, there was a store and a place where you could
choose a shape like a princess or cup, paint it, and then get it the next
day. My brother and I did that. I painted a princess and my brother did a
monkey. By the store, you could see the water. It was very fun at the
beach.
10
by Brigid D.
One night last fall I was going to sleep in my bed. I was
wearing doggy pajamas with feet on them.
I heard a creaking sound. It was loud then quiet. I was
scared.
I jumped out of my bed. I looked outside the door.
Nothing was there. So I went back to sleep.
I heard Boom Shh! I sat up. Then I remembered it was
a vent near my bed. I got out of my bed and looked at the
vent. It was quiet. I was happy that the sound was gone.
Then I went back to sleep.
11
by Claire D.
My favorite place to go is the beach, especially Rehoboth
Beach. There is an amusement park called Fun Land. It has lots
and lots of fun rides. The best ride was the haunted house.
There were doors that led outside then went back inside. It was
really scary. My dad, my sister, and I were together.
Another ride was a car ride. It went really fast. I took off
my hair scrunchie because I thought it would fall out.
This year, I had such a good time I wanted to live there. I
think I saw a house for sale. I wished that I could have it.
One night at dinner, I asked my parents if I could have a
hermit crab. They said, "Yes, if you have enough money."
A couple of days later, I saw something else I wanted since
I was three years old. It was a little Disney princess toddler doll.
Her name was Bell. I got her at the Rehoboth Beach outlet
store. She was $15.00. I used my own money so I didn't have
enough money anymore for a hermit crab. I decided I would get
a hermit crab next year.
Two days before we left, my mom got a new boogey board
and a set of beach toys. They were for me and my sister. We
shared them. I spent most of the time boogey boarding while
my sister played in the water.
When we packed up to leave, my whole family was sad to
go. I really look forward to going next year.
12
by Hudson F.
Last night, when I was sleeping, I heard a noise. It got
louder and louder and louder. It sounded like this: Creak!
Creak! Creak! It sounded like it was coming from downstairs.
I was so scared, I sprung out of my bed. I saw a fast
movement. The noise got closer and closer until I saw my sister,
Ava. She was hiding at the edge of my bed. She wanted to
borrow something in my room. I said, "Yes." Ava took a stuffed
animal into her room.
A minute later, I heard another creaking noise. I sprung
out of my bed again. I saw my sister, Ava, again.
I told my sister she was really scaring me.
She said, "Sorry."
13
by Eli G.
My dream was about playing Laser Tag in another world.
How you get to the world is you walk into a black room. The
black room teleports you to a large room with fifty towers. In
each one of the fifty towers, there is a laser gun.
You pick up the laser gun and you wait ten seconds to
teleport to the arena. You have a minute to hide. After the
minute, your gun can start shooting. You go after people.
You have five lives. If you get hit five times, you disappear
to one of the towers.
The arena was pitch black. When you shot the gun, it
made a light to see where you were going. Your gun had a color
so you could see the trigger. My color gun was green.
In the last round, it was just me and somebody else and I
disappeared. That's when I woke up.
14
by Jimmy O G.
I went to Vermont in December. I drove to Vermont. It took 12
hours. When I got there, it was covered with snow. The snow was up to
my knees. I had to unpack my car to put my things in the cabin. After I
finished unpacking, I had hot cocoa. It was good. I went outside in the
snow. It was awesome.
After I went outside, I had hot cocoa again. I went to my
grandparents to eat my dinner. I got to sleep at my grandparents'
apartment.
The next day it was snowing. After I ate my breakfast, I went back
to the cabin. I played in a boat that was in the yard. It was fun. I put my
fishing rods in the boat. I was in the fishing boat and then my cousins
pulled up to the cabin.
They came to play with me. We talked in the boat. Then I went in
and had some hot chocolate. It was good. I went back outside. The
cabin is next to a lake. The lake was named Lake Memphremagog. The
ice was not strong enough to hold our weight.
I went to my grandparents’ house to go out to dinner at a
restaurant. I had spaghetti with butter and salt. It was good. I went back
to my cabin. I could not go up the hill. It was so snowy. So I had to go
back to my grandma’s. We got to sleep at my grandma’s again.
Next morning, I had applesauce and whipped cream. I know it
sounds gross but it’s very good. I also had pancakes. I went back
outside with my sisters. We had a snowball fight. I was like the character
Elf in the movie because I had a big stack of snowballs and I threw them
so fast. It was snowing. It was Christmas Eve!
I had dinner. Then I watched a
movie in bed. The next day, it was
Christmas. I jumped out of bed. I ran to
my stocking. I opened it and I had a
Stars War person and a light saber.
I'm going back to Vermont for
Christmas. It is always awesome
there.
15
by Kate K.
Sally was playing tennis in the backyard. Sally swung her
tennis racket and hit the ball too hard. The ball broke the
window. Uh! Oh! Mom was so mad at her. She said Sally had to
buy a new window.
Sally went upstairs and counted how much money she had
in her piggy bank. She had ten dollars. It was not enough
money. Sally went downstairs and tried to tell Mom that she
was very sorry. Mom was busy working on the computer.
Sally made a lemonade stand in the front yard and got
some money. But she still needed more. So she stayed all day at
the lemonade stand to get enough.
She went to her mom and said that she accidentally broke
the window and she had enough money to get another one.
Sally went with her mom to a store to get the window. Her dad
put it in.
After that, they were a happy family and Sally was more
careful.
16
by Owen M.
There was a football game. It was Turtles vs. Zebras. It
was about to start. The Zebras kicked the ball to the Turtles.
The Turtles ran the ball to the 50 yard line from the touchdown.
The Turtles threw. It was a pick. The Turtles got a safety. The
score was 2 to 0. The Turtles punted the ball. The Zebras did a
touchback.
The Turtles got a sack. It was a safety. The score was 22. It was halftime. Halftime just ended.
The Zebras got the ball and the Zebras ran the ball and
scored. The score was 8-2. The Turtles ran the ball. They
scored. The score was 8-8. They went to overtime.
The Zebras kicked the ball. The Turtles ran the ball to the
50 yard line. The Turtles got sacked. It was second down. The
Turtles ran the ball.
It was now third down. The Turtles kicked a field goal. It
missed.
It was fourth down. The Turtles punted the ball. The time
was about to end. The Zebras ran the ball. Overtime just
ended.
The final score was 8-8. It was a tie.
17
by Mia M.
Penguins don’t sing the Pledge of Allegiance.
Parrots don’t wear tutus.
Zebras don’t bake cakes
Pigs never met Betsy Ross.
Puppies never met Lady Gaga.
Kittens never lie.
Cows are cuckoo.
Giraffes don't go to school.
Bunnies don’t wear bonnets.
Reindeer don’t like rain.
Cats don't shave their whiskers.
Turtles don’t ice skate.
But it makes me laugh
When I think about animals
Doing crazy things.
18
by Ava M.
A couple of days ago, on North Ottawa Street, not far
away. . . .
It all started with a sheet of paper. Ava was putting the
finishing touches on Darth Paper. Darth Paper is an origami
shape, like the one from Star Wars.
Little does Ava know that soon Darth Paper will take over
the world.
This is how Darth Paper takes over the world. He goes to
the highest point of the world. Then he lets everybody know
that he will be their new master. He wants to take over and
destroy the world.
When Ava finds out, she's horrified. She gets her scissors
and tries to cut Darth Paper apart but nothing works. Darth
Paper is too powerful. He puts on an invincible suit so nothing
can hurt him.
Darth Paper soon takes over the world. And to this day, he
travels the world to destroy anything in sight.
Darth Paper does all of this because his dad was a poster
board. His dad was bought and all the other sheets of paper
laughed at Darth Paper. When he was bought, Ava made him
into Darth Paper and he got his revenge.
19
by Allie M.
One time I heard a scary sound and the lights were
flashing. And I got so scared that I hid under the
blankets.
It was nighttime. I hid under the blankets for one
minute. Then I went to my mommy and daddy's bed. But
I heard the thunder again. I hid under the blankets
again.
My sister is scared of the dark and thunder, too. She
came into Mommy and Daddy's room after me. Mommy
said we could stay.
When I sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed,
sometimes I get scared there, too. I do not like the noise
because it is dark and it sounds like cars crashing. But
sometimes, I calm down and I go to sleep. Then I do not
hear the noise again.
20
by Noah R.
The bug was looking for a friend, but he didn’t find a friend.
So he kept on going and he found a tree.
In the tree was a squirrel.
“Hi,” he said. “Can I be your friend?”
“No!” said the squirrel, “I have my own family.”
So the bug went to an apple tree. In the apple tree was a rat.
The bug said, “Can I be your friend?”
The rat said, “No! I have my family!”
The bug said, “But I don’t have any friends.”
“So,” said the rat.
“OK,” said the bug sadly. He didn’t find any friends.
He went to a maple tree. In the maple tree was a cat. The bug
said, "Can I be your friend?"
"Sure," said the cat.
And the bug was happy.
21
by Daniel S.
On Saturday, December 8th, I went to a Wizards game. I
really got freaked out when they said the lineups. After they
said the player's last name, flames shot up. I got really scared.
The Wizards are a basketball team. They used to be the
Bullets and before that, the Generals.
My brother Teddy's friends offered us the tickets. We sat
at center court. At center court, we could see everything: the
court, the seats, and the players.
We got a ton of Wizards' stuff. We got two basketballs,
glasses, and chains with the Wizards logo.
They played the Golden State Warriors. The people in
front of us were Warriors fans. The game started at 7:00. It was
really cool. It was also very epic. Originally, the Warriors were
crushing the Wizards but they made a comeback. It was a
seesaw battle. I say that because it was back and forth, like a
seesaw.
The final score was Warriors 101 and the Wizards 97. I felt
bummed out because the Wizards lost but I still had a good
time. It was exciting.
22
by Ella S.
I was at a play date with Mia. She was at my house. We
were in the woods in my backyard. We brought snacks and
some Ziploc bags to put sticks, leaves, and acorns in.
We were sitting at an old picnic bench, eating potato
chips. Then we heard a noise. It sound like, "AWOOL." We
were pretty scared.
I decided to stay for a minute because I thought it was
probably a dog. Then we heard it again. We thought it was a fox
and we were so so scared. We looked at each other. Then we
quickly packed up the stuff and ran back to my house. We
asked Carrie, my stepmom, what she thought it was. She said it
was probably a dog and not to be scared.
We didn't go back to the woods.
23
by Brady U.
On my X-Box 360, I like to play Lego Batman. It is fun
because you have to beat cool levels. Some levels have
vehicles like cars, motorcycles, boats, and helicopters.
There are other levels with powers and levels with a lot of
bad guys and some alligators and some obstacles like water
and acid. There are suits like Robin with technology suit, water
suit, and magnet suit. For Batman, there’s glide suit,
supersonic suit, and demolition suit. Criminals are Catwoman,
Clayface, Riddler, Bane, Killercroc, and the Joker.
I play in my front room. It is a one-player game. I’ve
beaten a lot of levels on it. I feel excited when I play because
the levels are challenging.
24
by Ashleigh W.
There was an owl who always wrote books in the library.
Click, Clack, Hoot, Click, Clack, Hoot! He wrote about his
adventures in the woods.
The librarian had to say, "Shhhh! Whisper noises," to the
owl.
One day, the librarian asked the owl if he would write a
story for her. But he said, "No, you always say at least ten times
a day, 'Shh! Be quiet!'"
She begged and begged. The owl finally said, "Yes." He
wrote a story about the library. He published 12 copies to put
in the library.
The librarian made banners and posters for kids to check
out the owl's books.
After school, all the kids rushed to check out all the owl's
books. All the kids loved the stories. The book told them all
about the library and the sections.
The librarian liked the book, too. She asked the owl to
make one more copy because if a kid didn't have that book, she
would let him borrow it to help him find any book in the
library.
25
by Elizabeth W.
When I lived in my old house, the vent went "Woooo.
Woooo." I was scared at first. It sounded like a ghost.
So I told my mom. She told me to show her. So I led her to
my vent that went, "Woooo. Woooo." She called Dad to see it.
He told me it was nothing to worry about because he was going
to take a good look at the vent that day.
But when Dad looked at the vent, there was nothing he
could see. He got a screwdriver and took the cover of the vent
off. Then he used a flash light to take a good look at it. He said
there was nothing there.
So he told me to stay away from that vent until we figure
out what it was. But we never figured out what it was, so it is
still a mystery. The whole time I lived there, the vent went,
"Wooo! Wooo!"
26
Art by Alex Y.
27
by Sally Jo A.
When I went to the Ritz, it was divine. The Ritz is a fancy
place where you can eat. It’s sort of like a plaza. It was
decorated like Christmas with a Christmas tree.
We all brought gifts. There were six girls that were my
friends (no boys) at my table.
Girls wearing costumes to look like princesses came into
room. We took pictures with them. They were dressed up like
Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, and
Cinderella.
We ate chocolate covered strawberries with snowflakes on
them. There was also a ginormous Gingerbread House! The
Ritz gave out crowns and wands. I had fun that day!
28
by Jackson B.
Once upon a time I lived in a snow globe. But I do not like snow
globes because it is cold running back and forth to get the globe to
fall and break. I do not want to be trapped in glass.
There is a house in the glass with us. People have not shaken
me in a long time because we’re stuck in the attic. No one wants us
anymore. There is also a cat that lives in the attic with us. We’re
afraid he will eat us if we get out.
Before I was trapped in the snow globe, I had a baseball in my
pocket. I threw it at the glass and it broke. I was so happy I decided
to roll in the snow from the snow globe.
The next morning I woke up and guess who was stuck in the
chimney? Santa! He saw us and left us some toys, so it was not so
bad in the snow globe after that because we were happy with our
new toys!
But there were no toys then for the other people in the house,
so they were not happy. But they did find the cat in the attic who
they were missing and had not seen in a long time. They were happy
and the cat was their Christmas present!
29
by Katie B.
One morning at Nottingham school, Katie, Natalie, Maeve,
and Celeste came in to give Miss Gassman a guinea pig for a
surprise.
Miss Gassman said, “Thank you, guys.”
The next day, they got Miss Gassman a chocolate filled
cookie. That afternoon, it was gone.
They said, “Oh, no! Who would take it?”
Katie, Natalie, Maeve, and Celeste walked home together
and talked while they walked.
Katie said, “Let’s meet each other at recess tomorrow.”
The next day Celeste got dressed, ate breakfast, brushed
her teeth, and headed out the door.
Celeste met Maeve, Katie, and Natalie walking to school.
When they got to school and went to the classroom, Maeve saw
that the guinea pig had chocolate on its nose. They told the
teacher. The teacher said, “Yes, my cookie is missing!”
That day, Miss Gassman asked all the children if they had
seen the cookie. They all said, “No!”
Katie, Natalie, Maeve, and Celeste stayed after school
talking to the teacher. Maeve looked at the guinea pig. The door
was open. The guinea pig had eaten the cookie. Ha! Ha! Ha!
30
by Jake B.
One day at Nottingham School, there was a TV inside a
classroom. There were four kids named James, Zach, Alex, and
Jake (me). In the middle of the night, Zach came in and the TV
was gone! We scanned the whole classroom but it was gone.
Who wanted it?
Then everyone was quiet. Alex whispered. “We need to
find that TV and fast! Before our teacher finds out and tells the
principal.”
“What should we do?” asked James.
Alex said, “We will solve the mystery. Let’s look for it!”
“Let’s look on top of the cabinet," Zach said.
“Good idea,” I said.
We found some cords but they were broken. Then we went
outside the classroom and saw a cable plug to the TV and
someone running with the TV screen. We ran after him. His
name was Joe. He went to the gym. He went out the door and
took off. But Zach, James, Alex, and I will never quit. We kept
running after him. Then we caught up to him and got Joe. But
he escaped in no time and it was almost time for school. We
went inside the school and kept chasing him through the
hallways.
Then we caught him and told the principal. Joe explained
why he stole the TV.
The principal said, “You need to earn money to get a TV.”
I guess Joe is going to have to get a bank account.
"Noooo!" said Joe.
31
by Maeve C.
One February day, everybody finished their mystery bags
in the classroom. Ms. Gassman put all the bags on a clothesline.
The next day, the bags were gone. Who would want the
mystery bags?
Ms. Gassman said, “I really hope someone will step up and
find the bags.”
Then I thought, “I can find the bags.”
I told my friend Molly. She has yellow hair and she loves
to look at art.
Molly agreed. So we started our case.
The next day Molly and I went to the school. We went into
the classroom and walked around. Then we stopped. We both
saw a yellow piece of hair. Molly stood still and rolled her eyes.
Then I looked around the room. I saw some of the bags
stuffed in her desk. Then I ran to her locker and opened it. I
saw the bags.
I ran back to Molly and I shouted. “Why? Why? Why did
you steal the bags?"
“Because I wanted to see all of the beautiful pictures,”
Molly explained.
“When they are on the clothesline, you can just look up
and see them,” I answered.
“Oops!” Molly said.
32
by Zoe E.
Olivia, Annally, and Owen, (who were all ten) were talking about Valentine’s
Day in Olivia’s bedroom. It was in five days! Then Olivia said, “Why don’t we buy a
chocolate heart for all of us?”
But little did they know that someone would steal the hearts.
The next day, the three friends set up a hot chocolate stand. Lots of people
came by. By the end of the day, they had saved enough for one packet of chocolate
hearts. So Olivia bought raspberry chocolate hearts.
The bakery was filled with wonderful smells. There were hundreds of
chocolate hearts but Olivia chose raspberry. After she had paid, she went home and
went to sleep.
In the morning, when she woke up, the chocolate hearts were gone! When
Olivia called her friends, she felt unpleasant. Owen and Annally came immediately.
She told her friends, “I left the chocolate hearts on my windowsill. I looked all
around the house but I couldn’t find them.”
Then Annally took out a notebook. The three friends decided to go to the park.
But why? The friends dashed to the park.
They saw someone running with muddy footprints and raspberry jam
dripping from a brown bag. The person was running across the playground. So
Olivia, Owen, and Annally followed the suspect to the bakery. There, they saw
Conrad, Kelly, and Arin from school, all with jam dripping down their bags. The
baker, Mr. Tones, was confused. But the trio didn’t pay any attention to him. Olivia,
Owen, and Annally decided to interview Conrad, Kelly, and Arin.
Olivia interviewed Kelly. Owen interviewed Arin, and Annally interviewed
Conrad. They asked questions like, “What’s in your bag? Where are you from?”
Finally, Annally shouted, “Conrad stole the raspberry chocolate hearts!”
“But why?” asked Olivia.
“Well, when I asked Conrad, he turned red in the face. When I looked in his
bag, it was there,” explained Annally.
“Wow,” said Owen.
Then Conrad was fined.
And that’s how Valentine’s Day was saved.
P.S. You are never going to find out why they wanted to go to the park.
33
by Celeste G.
If I were stuck in a snow globe, it wouldn’t be too fun!
You see, I have experience. It was a lovely town with
carolers, bakers, and kids sledding down hills. But wait!
There’s more.
One day, not long before Christmas, there was a big
blizzard. And it almost felt as if our town was shaking!
People were stuck in their houses and they couldn’t get out.
Weeks passed and it was a day before Christmas when
everyone finally came out. Everyone got straight to work
decorating their houses. If everyone put any more lights on
their houses, the power would go out! If they put any more
decorations on their house, it might explode!
When it got dark, we roasted marshmallows until we
heard jingle bells. We all quickly ran inside before Santa
saw us. We quickly pretended to be asleep.
That was my Christmas in a snow globe. Would you like
it?
34
by James H.
I saw people singing Christmas carols and cooking
gingerbread houses. It smelled so good, I followed it. But
the smell was coming from the other side of the glass.
Then I heard something. It was the bell of Christmas
Day!
“I have to get out of here!” I thought.
Then I spotted a hole in the top of the snow globe.
Someone shook the snow globe and I shot up through the
hole.
I was finally out. It was Christmas morning. I opened
one of my presents. It was a snow globe!
35
by Elizabeth I.
Now picture this—a beautiful day, I was sitting
on the deck with my mom and Cooper, my dog. I saw a
weird thing. It was a leaf. I picked it up and I ate it.
I threw up! They saw me. My mom picked me up
and took me into the bathroom. I saw Mr. Ducky. He
helped me take a bath! That’s when I learned not to
eat leaves.
36
by Anne-Sophie K.
One day in Longfellow School, Ellie and her best friend,
Regan walked into their classroom. Ellie noticed that the
Valentine Box was gone! Ellie told Regan. They were wondering
who would want to destroy Valentine’s Day?
In math, both Ellie and Regan and the whole class, except
Eliza, were so miserable about losing their valentines. Eliza told
the teacher that she never got valentines.
They went to music the next period. When they got to
music, they found a suspect.
“Oh no! It’s the prankster named Ray Rice!” Ellie said.
At last, Regan spoke up and whispered, “I saw some
valentines leading to Eliza’s backpack.”
“Wow! How did you know that?” Ellie said.
Regan said, “I saw it with my eyes.”
Finally, it was the end of the day.
Ellie said, “Let’s go get the valentines.”
Regan and Ellie crept to Eliza’s locker and opened it.
Hundreds of valentines came pouring out. Ellie quickly grabbed
all of them and cleaned up so that it looked like nothing
happened. They found their teacher, Miss
Gassman, in the teacher’s lounge.
They said, “We found the valentines.
Eliza took them.”
Miss Gassman went straight to Eliza
and said, “Why would you take the
valentines?”
Eliza said, “Well, I never get valentines, so I wanted to give
the other kids a chance to feel what I feel.”
Miss Gassman said to the class, “Please! All of you make a
valentine for Eliza.”
So they did.
37
by Molly K.
One warm summer day in Hawaii, Jo and Olivia were
sitting on Long Beach Island. They wandered off the island into
the ocean for a minute. When they trotted back to the island,
Olivia froze in silence. All she said was, “The island’s gone.” All
they found was a bottle with a note that read:
One clue, some more to go. Can you find the
island? No one knows. It is somewhere no
one can find it.
They swam to the nearest beach as fast as they could. They
asked people about their day to see if they were witnesses.
When they came across Mr. Colombo, he was acting all
suspicious. They followed him every step he made. They
followed him to his master’s house, Mr. Rubber Ducky (the evil
inventor).
“BE QUIET!” Olivia snapped at Jo.
Jo boasted back at her, “Look!”
They saw Mr. Colombo holding parts of a tree from Long
Beach Island!
Jo and Olivia crept out of the building. At nighttime, they
sauntered to the building and found a bottle.
They went to the police. When the morning came, they
showed the police their clues and the bottle.
The bottle read, “Disappearing sand,
invented by Mr. Rubber Ducky.”
They put a reverse liquid in the water and
the island reappeared. On the news, they said,
“The evil inventor and Mr. Colombo broke out
of jail.”
Then Jo said, “Here we go again.”
38
by Natalie K.
One sunny day, I was playing with my stuffed dog. I put it
on my bed. Then I went to the store with my mom. When I got
back, it was gone! My dad and my sisters were on my bed where
I left my stuffed animal.
I wonder who stole it? My baby sister’s toy was on the
ground. She must have dropped her favorite toy. Then I looked
in my room for my stuffed dog. My dad was in his room with
Mom. Ava was in her bed. Audrey was not there. I searched
everywhere, except Audrey’s room. I went to her room.
I saw some of Audrey’s hair behind the rocking chair. I
looked behind it. My sister was playing with my stuffed dog.
Next time I will have to hide my stuffed animals.
39
by Zachary K.
My Frankenstein's name is Zacoshua. He is 3"4. He likes
Frankenball. He plays by himself at home. He lives in
Frankenvillage. He has green hair and ripped pants. He has no
shoes, his shirt is ripped, and his hands are blue. He has bolts
in his head and that's why he is made out of electricity. He got
struck by lightning. That's why he has that scar. His feet are
blue.
Frankenvillage is like a dump. They
eat banana peels. Zacoshua is 13 years
old. He fell off his bike. That's why he has
a scar. He's friendly. He doesn't brush his
teeth. He has ticks in his hair. He doesn't
clip his nails. He has blood down his
back. He has cuts and scrapes. His dad
works at Franken Foods. His mom works
at Franken Salon. She works hard. Every
day his dad brings Frankenjuice home.
40
by Alika L.
I remember that I lost a stuffed animal. We
went to Finland. We stayed at my mom’s friends. I
had 5 euros. I bought a stuffed mouse. I named him
Weber.
I accidentally left Weber in the bathroom. I
could not go back in the bathroom because we had to
pay money. I feel sad because I left Weber in the
bathroom. I will never forget that stuffed mouse.
41
by Griffin L.
One summer day at my friend Tristan’s house, he got a
new hamster. The next day, it was gone. I called Mr. Monk. We
were both thinking the same thing. Who would steal a hamster?
I saw some crumbs leading up the stairs. Mr. Monk
stepped on the first step and this is how he solved the mystery.
“Mr. Monk,” I said. “I see something. It is some sort of ID.
The name starts with a lowercase d.”
“Aha!” said Mr. Monk. “We have suspects, Danny and
Dorin. Let’s question them first thing.”
We went upstairs to talk to them.
“Danny,” I said. “I know you did it.
“What?” Danny said.
Rowan said, “Danny was with me all last night.”
“You’re free to go,” Mr. Monk said.
“Dorin’s next,” I said.
“Wait!” Mr. Monk said. “Look at the ID. Dorin is spelled
with a lowercase d. Aha! You did it, Dorin.”
“How did you know?” Dorin asked.
“Because you want a pet,” I said. “And the ID is spelled
with a lowercase d.”
“Where’s the hamster, though?” asked Mr. Monk. “Check
in his room.”
“No! No!” Dorin said.
“It’s in the room,” I said.
And right on the highest shelf was
the hamster. Hooray! We solved the
mystery.
42
by Jonah M.
Hi, my name is Jonah. I’m at the Staples Center and I’m
practicing for the NBA finals. Our coach, Mike Dantoni, stated
our groups. I would be with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard,
Steve Nash, and Anton Jamison.
I went back to the court for a scrimmage. I was first
captain. Pau Gasol was second captain. I picked Kobe. Pau
picked Steve. I picked Dwight. Pau picked Anton. Then we
started the scrimmage. Dwight and Steve went for the tip.
Dwight hit the ball to me. I swished a 3 pointer. We won the
scrimmage 112-115.
I went back to the locker room but both of my jerseys, my
home and my away jerseys, were missing. I WAS SO
INFURIATED!! WHO WOULD STEAL A JERSEY?
I couldn’t play without my jersey!! I searched for clues. All
I could find were autographed books.
After the scrimmage, our coach talked to us. I noticed Pau
had a yellow shoe that was different than the other one! I
thought I saw one of those before in my locker.
I sneaked into the locker room. I saw the yellow shoe Pau
had on. I looked in his locker. I found both
jerseys. Everyone came back.
I asked Pau, “Why would you steal my
jerseys?”
He said, “I didn’t want you to play.”
Pau was fined one million dollars by the
league and he couldn't play anymore.
43
by Olivia M.
One pleasant Friday, Zoe, Molly, and I were getting ready for
school. We strolled over to Nottingham and into our classroom. We saw
that one of our teddy bears was missing from the classroom. It was
supposed to be by the Smartboard in the Lovebug chair.
We asked Miss Gassman if she knew what happened. She
explained to us that she had no idea what we were talking about.
Zoe, Molly, and I started to walk around the room and try to search
for clues. We couldn’t find anything, just dirt.
“Zoe! Olivia!” yelled Molly. “Come here!”
We hurried over to Molly. “I found a trail of stuffing!” she
explained.
We all tracked down the trail and it led out the door. The stuffing
trail went all the way to Mr. Katoen’s room. Since Mr. Katoen was still in
the room, we decided to interview him. We asked a lot of questions.
“Do you know anything about the bear?” Molly asked.
“What are you girls talking about?” Mr. Katoen questioned.
“We’re talking about the missing teddy bear,” Zoe said.
“Sorry, ladies. I don’t know anything about your teddy bear.”
Zoe, Molly, and I slowly trumped out the door. We felt kind of
guilty. But wait! Miss Gray’s class had some shadows. We walked into
the room. Miss Gassman was trying to hide the teddy bear.
“Miss Gassman!” I screamed. “Why would you steal the teddy
bear?” I asked.
“It’s so fluffy, I’m going to die,” Miss Gassman yelled.
“You could have just kept it in the classroom,” Zoe explained.
“Oops!” Miss Gassman said.
44
by David O.
I think someone stole a diamond but not just any
diamond, the Emerald Diamond.
I’m pretty sure it’s the man named Black Brown because
he always has his curtains down in his house. He always has his
jacket zipped and he avoids talking about the diamond.
Jack Jaws saw Black Brown taking a stroll through the
graveyard. But why? Yes, the Emerald Diamond. I know exactly
why Black Brown was trying to steal the Emerald Diamond. It
is because he does not have a lot of money.
Charles D. Woodley, the person who found the Emerald
Diamond, was born in 1706 and died in 1809. They put the
Emerald Diamond in his grave. No one will ever know what will
happen if they dig up his grave. Legend has it, the person will
pass out.
Black Brown was caught by Jack Russel and Jack Jaws.
Jack Jaws distracted Black Brown from digging up the grave by
yelling out his name. Jack Russell threw an iron ingot at Black
Brown’s face and made him pass out.
“Our mission is complete,” Jack Russel said.
“Nice job,” Jack Jaws said.
“We make a good team,” Jack Russel said.
45
by Audrey O.
Once upon a time, I lived in a snow globe in a cottage.
I wish someone would shake this snow globe because I want it to
snow soon. But until then I think I will decorate my cottage. I put lights
on it and a blow-up Santa Claus.
Then, it started to snow. I'd got my wish. I started to play in the
snow. I made snow angels.
After that, it was time to go warm up with hot cocoa.
Then I went outside to go snow shoveling because the snow was
knee deep. It was too deep to shovel so I decided to sit next to the fire.
After that, it was time for dinner.
Before I went to bed, I put out sugar cookies for Santa because it
was Christmas Eve.
The next morning, I ran downstairs to see if I got any presents. I
got twenty. I was happy.
46
by Jack R.
After school, I had a sleepover with my friend, Eli. At my house for
dinner, we had chicken, ketchup, and chips at my kitchen table. After
that, we saw a show called Avatar, the Last Airbender. It is a cartoon
show about this kid named Aang who needs to unlock all four elements.
Five minutes after the show ended, we fell asleep.
When we woke up, it was about six o’clock in the morning. Eli and
I went to the basement and played a Wii game called Skylanders Spy
Ross Adventures! We did a level where you had to complete a card
game. It was not easy but we got the job done.
Then my dad got home from his work trip. I was filled with joy.
And he went back out to get Dunkin Donuts. He got three kinds:
chocolate glaze, plain glaze, and sugar glaze. Thirty minutes after that,
my brother woke up. We ran up the stairs really fast. My dad had
bought 50 little munchkin donuts. I ate 15 donuts and I was stuffed.
Then Eli ate about 20 donuts. He couldn’t finish the last one.
50-15-20=15. My little brother ate ten donuts. So now 15-10=5,
so now there are only five donuts left. My dad ate three more donuts. 53=2. So we ate 48 donuts out of 50 donuts. My dad thought that was
amazing. Eli and I felt sick! We got some water and felt much better.
Then we went back to the basement. We did a new level on
Skylanders at home base. It was like a puzzle. It was very hard. We
tried to complete the puzzle. Finally we did it! You had to move the ball
into a couple of holes and into some energy spheres. It all depends on
how fast you do it. Some people can do it faster than others. Skylanders
is a fun game. When we finished the last
level, we heard the doorbell ring. It was Eli’s
mom. We rushed upstairs. We got Eli’s stuff
and said goodbye to each other. Then they
left. I hope to have him over again soon.
47
by Conrad S.
One day I gave Ms. Gassman a wallet in her classroom at
Nottingham Elementary. It was full of money. The next day,
Ms. Gassman saw that it was gone.
So I called Mr. Puffy who is a detective. I told Mr. Puffy
that we have a problem at our school. I wanted him to figure
out who stole Ms. Gassman’s money.
We scanned the classroom and we found footprints. So we
followed them outside the school, and down the block to a huge
tall house. We knocked on the door.
“Hi!” I said.
I saw a teddy bear that was evil. It had light brown fur and
an evil laugh. It was as tall as your leg.
We went in the house and we saw a ten dollar bill on the
ground. It was right by the kitchen. We found a secret cabinet.
We opened it and found the wallet. I got it and put it in my
pocket.
I took the wallet back and gave it to Ms. Gassman.
48
by Aleka T.
It was a snowy day and I was the only one with a purple
house and a fake Christmas tree. The others in my snow globe
had real trees. There were lots of apartment buildings.
There were kids ice skating with their parents while I was
drinking hot cocoa. Then I got ready to go ice skating, make
snowmen, and snow angels. I put on jeans, a long sleeve shirt,
and a heavy jacket. I built a snowman hiding behind a tree.
Then I went to my friend's house and played icicle freeze
tag. We also played a game called Sing-a-Long and some other
winter games.
After that, it was nighttime. I went to bed. I heard Santa
and his sleigh on the roof. I wondered what he was going to
bring me.
49
by Theo V.
Detective Theo, Jamie, and Marky were playing games at
our house when the Museum Director from the Spy Museum
called to report that the spy fish were missing.
We planned what we were going to do. That’s when we
went to the Spy Museum by teleport. It’s a machine that if you
step on it, you get teleported to where you want to go.
When we got there, Jamie noticed that the cage glass
shattered.
Jamie yelled, “The cage glass shattered!”
We all ran over for a better look.
The next thing Marky noticed was hand and foot prints
leading to the back door. The back door was cracked open.
Marky said, “The spy fish can’t go anywhere without
someone controlling them.”
Then we went outside and found more footprints that led
to an old warehouse.
“We found the fish,” Theo said.
The fish were made of metal and they had wheels. There
were two girls with the fish. Their names were Capri and
Charlotte. Capri had short hair and Charlotte had long hair. We
asked the girls to give the spy fish back. They did. The mystery
was solved.
50
by Alex Y.
One cold winter day in a snow globe, I woke up in my
snow bed. I woke up at 9:00 a.m. It was Christmas Day.
I ran downstairs to see if I got any presents. I got 37
presents. I got a lot of Legos and some games. I was happy.
Then I looked out the window and saw kids playing soccer,
decorating houses, playing in the snow, coloring with
Christmas colors, and people opening presents.
I went outside. I played soccer first. My team won 24 to 0.
Next, I made snowmen and snow angels. I went to my snow
house and had hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies.
Finally, I went to my friend's house. We played Wii. I beat
my friend at basketball Wii.
I went back to my house and watched Rudolph the Red
Nose Reindeer. After that, I went to sleep.
I love my snow globe.
51
52
Art by Anna H.
53
by CJ A.
Yesterday, I went to the zoo with my class. We were in
groups and my mom came. Philip was in my group, too. We
went to the gorillas. They were jumping on each other. I
saw a really big one, even bigger than my dad.
I asked if we could go to the tigers and the lions. I was
kind of disappointed because there were only two tigers and
two lions.
Then we went to the reptile house. There were lots of
reptiles. We saw snakes, frogs, alligators, and turtles. I
liked the alligators best because they were walking around
and fighting.
Then we went to the mammal house. When we got in, I
saw a really weird animal and I asked what the animal was
called. The zookeeper lady said that it was called the Naked
Mole Rat. I noticed he didn’t have skin. The lady said his
teeth could go through concrete and he was blind but he
had a really good sense of smell.
Then we went to the seals. We saw
them under water. After that, we went to
Asian Trails. We saw elephants and zebras.
Then we had to go back to school. I
hope I can come back soon.
54
by Katie B.
Our class was going to the zoo! We went on a school bus.
“We are here!” we all said. “Yay! Hooray!”
We all yelled with excitement. My partner was Elizabeth.
We saw the tigers first thing. We had to walk a long way
past a construction site. The tigers yelled louder than the
construction site noise. The tigers had whiskers. They had black
and orange stripes. They go by the door and scratch for food.
We watched the tigers for a very long time.
Then we went to the lions. The lions were fighting with
each other.
“Wow!” we all said. “Cool!”
We went to the rainforest. The rainforest had monkeys.
They were all free and climbing around on trees and having
fun.
My favorite part was the rainforest because the animals
were having fun.
That’s my day at the zoo.
55
by Eliza C.
When I went to the zoo, I went with my class. We split into groups.
In my group, I had my two friends, Brooke and Megan, and their
mother.
We saw the tigers first. The tigers were hiding and swimming.
They were swimming in a brown lake. They were roaring. I felt scared.
Then we saw the lions. The lions were roaring, too and scratching
at the door. They were separated from their family because they were
moving to California. A man at the zoo told us that.
Next, we saw the pandas. They were white with black spots and
they were so cute.
Next, we saw a sea lion show. The sea lions did everything the
trainers said so they could have fish treats. I laughed. The show was like
a movie theater because we had lunch while we watched. I saw some
other kids from my class.
When the sea lion show ended, we went back to the bus. Mr.
Katoen was really happy because most of us saw the tigers first.
Too bad we had to go home so soon. But I had lots fun at the zoo!
56
by Ella C.
Once, my family went to an aquarium. It was really cool!
We saw a baby great white shark. We also got to see all of these
little fish. They were very colorful.
We got to see a leopard shark, too. It had a small whale
tail and spots like a leopard.
Then we went down a hall and there was this pool. In the
pool, there were stingrays and turtles. I got to touch one of the
stingrays and I got to hold one of the turtles. The cool thing was
that the turtle did not have a hard shell. It had a soft shell. It
felt squishy.
My mom wanted me to give the turtle to my little sister. I
did not think it was such a good idea because my little sister is
only three years old. She might drop the turtle and the turtle
might get hurt. But I kind of trusted her. So I handed my sister
the turtle.
I looked over on the sign for the turtle’s name. His name
was Herbert. My sister and I thought Herbert was a good name
for a turtle.
After that, we touched the stingray one more time. It felt
wet and soft. Then we left for dinner. We ate at a Red Robin.
The food was really good. We ate hamburgers.
I want to go back to the aquarium again. It was so fun.
57
by William C.
There was once a super hero named Superboy. He had
heat vision, laser eyes, ice breath, and super strength. He also
had telekinesis, flight, super intelligence, and lava hands.
His enemy was the Lord of Darkness. The Lord of
Darkness could duplicate himself and transport people into a
shadow world. When they were in the shadow world, they could
never get out. Only the Lord of Darkness could get out. He
could transport himself through it.
Superboy and the Lord of Darkness fought many times.
One day, when Superboy was patrolling the city, he saw the
Lord of Darkness getting away with an expensive diamond. He
flew down to stop him. He hit the Lord of Darkness with his
laser eyes.
The Lord of Darkness dodged! He duplicated himself.
Superboy froze the Lord of Darkness with his ice breath. The
Lord of Darkness trapped Superboy in a metal case. Superboy
melted it with his heat vision, blasted the Lord of Darkness with
his lava hands, and threw him into a wall with telekinesis. Then
he thought of a plan with his super intelligence. He punched
the Lord of Darkness in the face. The Lord of Darkness fell
unconscious.
When the Lord of Darkness woke up, he was in prison and
his powers were gone! The Lord of Darkness was defeated.
58
by Elizabeth F.
My sister is really a cat. Do you wonder why? Then, I’ll tell
you what happened.
Miss Amanda, our nanny, forgot her phone at her house.
So we went to her house to get it. We got to meet Gunner, her
dog. When we went downstairs where Miss Amanda lives,
Gunner went after my little sister. My little sister acted like a
cat.
Gunner was on his hind legs. My little sister was
scrambling on the couch, trying to get away.
Miss Amanda came out of her room. My little sister turned
back into a person and said, “Whew!” with a sigh.
The next day, my little sister was looking for fish in the
refrigerator. I asked her what she was doing but all she said
was, “Meow!” I rolled my eyes.
Then I said, “Turn back into a person and only turn into a
cat during an emergency.”
“Okay,” she said.
My little sister turned back into a person.
After that, there were no more mice in the house but every
once in a while, my little sister got chased by a dog, when she
was annoying.
59
by Justin F.
Once upon a time there lived a dragon named Young. Young was a very, very
weak dragon. So Young was a scavenger. Young was also small. The problem was he
didn’t have enough food. One day, he found an old cookbook. Then the tiny dragon
found a recipe in the book that would make him big and strong once again.
But there was still a problem. He didn’t have all the ingredients. So Young
searched all the mountains and found all the ingredients except one. Young now was
missing one ingredient. So he started searching where a legend said there was a
devil. Young had dared to enter the land of death. He started searching in the land of
the devil. Young heard something right behind him. Young started flying as fast as he
could. Finally, Young got lucky. Young swooped down and got the last ingredient. He
had barely outrun the devil.
Now Young had discovered that a strength potion poured over food would
make him even stronger. He searched for the legendary ingredient. There was only
one. He went to the most dangerous mountain in his land. There were lots of traps,
twists, and turns. There were also lots of other dangerous animals. There were
infernos everywhere. Young had to think hard. Young only thought of one solution—
to go underground. But there were still infernos covering the whole ground. Probably
there were hundreds of chambers with lots of ingredients. So Young went back to his
mountain to fetch water. But since Young was so weak, Young couldn’t manage the
water bucket. So Young had to bring only a little bit of water inside the bucket. So
when Young got back to the dangerous mountain, Young dumped the water on the
ground and dug as fast as he could and barely got underground. His prediction was
right. There were hundreds of chambers with paths to different chambers. Young
searched and searched which felt like days. When Young finally found all the
ingredients, Young flew out of the horrid mountains and went back to his mountain
to brew the potion. He made the food and poured the strength potion over the food.
He ate it and then he became strong once again.
That is the story of how Young got strong.
60
by Kalden F.
Once my sister and I were at my grandma’s house. We
were just about to go to bed, but then we heard an echoing
sound. It sounded kind of like a waterfall. My sister was
scared. She put her head under the blankets.
“Turn on your iPod and see if there is a ghost
downstairs,” my sister said.
I gave her the iPod and said, “You can have it.”
Then I went downstairs and looked around. I saw
something move quickly. I turned on the light and it was my
sister. She came downstairs in the laundry elevator. My
grandma’s house has an elevator that takes down dirty
clothes and my sister likes to use it.
I heard a sound echoing from the kitchen. So we went
into the kitchen and I saw that the faucet was dripping so I
turned it off. We laughed and went back to bed.
61
by Reilly F.
1. Mice don’t do the tango!
2. Skunks don’t go bowling!
3. Moose don’t play checkers!
4. Zebras don’t do the hula!
5. Tigers don’t wear tutus!
6. Sharks don’t play with dolphins!
7. Dolphins don’t eat leaves!
8. Fish don’t dig holes!
9. Dogs don’t wear underpants!
10. Cats don’t eat dog food!
More About Cats: Cats don’t eat dog food because they get
dog brains. Cats don’t wear underpants because they would
look weird! Cats don’t go bowling because they would roll
with the ball. Cats don’t eat leaves because they would get a
tummy ache. My cat eats grass to cure the tummy ache. My
cat is normal. She’s four years old. My cat does not do any of
these silly things.
62
by Pilar G.
My little sister is an alien. She flies in a spaceship. She has powers
and she has a green body. She is strong. She breaks down the doors of
the house.
She goes to the library at night and reads books to learn how to
turn a human into an octopus. After she is done with all the books in the
library, she goes home across the street. She goes into the backyard and
practices the new powers she learned from the library.
Then she went inside as fast she could so no one could catch her.
She went inside and pretended to sleep in her bed.
I was watching the whole thing. My little sister pretended to sleep
so no one would find out what she was going to do and they would blame
it on someone else.
In the morning, she woke up and went outside and hid behind a
bush. Then she turned a man who was walking his dog into an octopus.
The octopus melted into the sidewalk. The dog ran away.
My little sister went back inside and went back to sleep. I am the
only one who knew what happened. No one knew she was an alien.
63
by Anna H.
Once, my little brother ate a cockroach. It was really gross.
Once, in the backyard when his friends were over, one of his
friends dared him to pick up a cockroach and eat it.
He did it because he thought that the cockroach would
taste good. He guessed right. It tasted good to him.
So now my little brother goes outside and eats
cockroaches. But every now and then, he gets sick a little bit.
I would never eat a cockroach because they live in the
ground and they are dirty.
By the way, I also don’t have a little brother.
64
by Jonas J.
If I lived in a snow globe, I would hear lots of Christmas
noise. I would hear bells.
I would eat lots of Christmas cookies like gingerbread
men. I would smell ginger.
When it’s almost Christmas time, I would leave milk and
cookies for Santa. In the morning, I would open my presents. I
would see lots of presents.
I would hear people singing Christmas songs.
In the snow globe, I would see lots of decorations for
Christmas. I would see lots of snow on the ground. And I
would see some snowflakes coming from the sky. I would go
outside to play in the snow. Lots of people would be playing
outside.
I would go sledding every day. When I was tired, I would
go back home and have cocoa with marshmallows.
That’s what it would be like to live in a snow globe.
65
by Phillip J.
The time I carved a rock was when I was in California. It
was with my aunt. My aunt is an artist. She works in a barn.
I was trying to cut right through the rock but I only got
half way through. I did a pattern that went around the hole.
The machine was really loud. It sounded like, zing, zing,
zing. I was wearing headphones and a mask. The rock was
shaped like a hexagon. It was limestone.
I said “ouch” because I was trying to disconnect the
machine. I got a very small blister. It never got too big.
I wanted to take the rock home but I couldn’t. My aunt
said if she sells it, she will give me ten percent of the money. I
still wanted to take the rock home. The rock looked like an alien
with one eye.
66
by Maya M.
I am going to my birthday party at the White House! Yay!
I will have three little cupcakes. There are only two lanes. It is a
private bowling ally.
I can only invite ten people because it will be at the White
House. It will be awesome because no one else will be there.
My goody bags will be a butterfly popper, iPad erasers,
and purple bendy pencils.
The bowling alley has pictures of the presidents bowling. I
am going to see it. My mom already saw it but now I am going
to see it, too.
My party got rescheduled because someone left the
machines on the whole night and they got broken. So I had to
schedule my party to the next month.
I love to bowl. I can’t wait for my
party because we will have all my
friends at the White House bowling
alley. It will be awesome.
67
by Ryan P.
I got to go to Kentucky with my brother, and sister, and uncle.
We watched TV in the car. We finally got to my grandma’s house.
We surprised her! She knew my uncle was coming but not my sister,
my brother, or me. She was so happy she was crying.
My grandma took us to the pool. It was fun. We got home at
6:00. We had pizza and sundaes for dessert. We played baseball after
that. Then we went home and watched a movie called Merlin. It is
about King Arthur and Merlin and Uther. Then we went to bed.
The next day we had pancakes and strawberries. After that, my
uncle took us to the arcade. We played outside on water gun boats. I
was bumping into walls because there were buttons on them that
shoot water cannons!
We had lunch at Subway and then we went home and had a
Nerf gunfight. Grandma went shopping. My uncle got us pizza from
Papa John's. We played soccer. Grandma came home and we watched
a movie again. Then we went to bed.
The next morning, we had sausage gravy and biscuits. We got to
go to a Louisville Bats baseball game. They won 5 to 7.
What a great trip I had to Grandma’s house!
68
by Theresa P.
If I lived in a snow globe, I would see snow everywhere I
looked. I would not be bored because I would have a snowball
fight with my sister. Snow would be flying everywhere.
I would smell the smoke from the neighbor’s fireplace. I
would hear the cold wind blowing against the windowpane.
I would feel snow falling on me. It feels wet and cold.
I would say to my sister, “Let's go in and get hot cocoa."
So we go inside to get hot cocoa. It is hot and it almost
burns my tongue.
That would be a great winter day!
69
by Silas R.
One day in the boys' bathroom, I started to wash my
hands. When I turned the faucet handle, it broke off and water
started flowing everywhere. I got wet.
I went outside the bathroom and told my partner Brendan
what happened. I was scared because water was spraying
everywhere.
We went back to class and told our teacher. She said she
would tell the custodians. They fixed it right away.
The next day when I went to the bathroom, I felt better,
not scared, and glad everything was back to normal, even me.
70
by Colin S.
On Halloween night, in a spooky house . . . .
“It’s midnight,” whispered the werewolf.
“I’m not done wrapping my bandages,“ whimpered the mummy.
“My boo is horrible,” muttered the ghost.
“My potion isn’t ready,” cackled the witch.
“I can’t find all my bones,” said the skeleton.
Ten minutes later, the werewolf asked, “Is everybody ready?”
“Yes!” said everyone.
“Then let’s go to the first house!” grunted the werewolf.
They went out the door and slithered like snakes in the
shadows.
Three minutes later, they were at the first house. And what
did they say?
“Trick or treat!”
71
by Brooke S.
There was a man and a girl. They were in love. The man’s
name was Mike. The girl’s name was Jullie. Mike lived in a
different house than Jullie. It was November 1st. Mike and
Jullie’s wedding was December 1st. He couldn’t wait.
So Mike set out on a journey looking for December. He
wanted to turn back when all of a sudden, a voice whispered,
“December is right around the corner.” It was November 16th
and he’d been traveling for a long time, so he turned the corner.
Then Mike was surprised to see a door that said, “TO
DECEMBER,” in all capital letters.
He opened the door. Cre-eek! Mike was so happy to see
snow and the trees didn’t have leaves on the branches! Then he
saw a church. It looked exactly like the church he was getting
married in! Mike ran to the church. Then he saw Jullie!
“You’re late!” she said. “It’s December 16th!”
“Oh no!” Mike thought. The door had tricked him! Instead
of taking him to December 1st, it took him one month ahead!
Mike turned around and said, “I’m sorry,” to Jullie.
Mike headed back to the door. He opened it. But before he
did, he looked at the door. The door said, “TO NOVEMBER,” in
all capital letters.
He opened the door and decided that he would wait for
the real December 1st to come. When Mike and Jullie got
married, they visited the door to
see if they could go back to
December 16th. But when they got
to the door, it said, “TO
JANUARY,” in all capital letters.
They went through the door
together for another adventure.
72
by Megan S.
I live in a snow globe. I wake up in a snow pile that keeps
me warm all night. When I feel the nice soft snow beneath my
skin, I feel like the luckiest snow girl in the world.
When I get up, I go to the skating rink because that is
where I stand all day so the children can admire me. When no
one is watching I bend down and lick the ice. It tastes so fresh
and cool but then a child comes out.
As I quickly try to wiggle up, the girl shouts, “Look! She
can move! I wonder if she will do it again!”
So I bend over and lick the cool ice. I bend back up and
then I grow tired and stand in my pose for the rest of the day.
When the day is done, I go back to my snow pile and go to bed.
73
by Allison S.
I woke up. Bang! Bump!
“What is that?” I asked.
It was coming from the garage. Bump!
“There it is. It did it again,” I said.
Bump!
“It must have big feet,” I said.
Bump!
“It can jump,” I said. “It is big.”
Creak!
“Mom!” I screamed. “A monster!”
“What does it sound like?” Mom asked.
“It is big and has big feet, too. And it can jump, too.”
“Wow!” said Mom. “Let’s get it out.”
“No!” I said.
“Come on,” said Mom.
Mom opened the door. “It is a frog.”
“What?”
“Yes, said Mom.
“That is very silly,” I said.
74
by William T.
We are on the bus I am sitting next to my partner Justin because
he is in my group with me. We are going to the zoo on a field trip.
“I love the zoo! My mom is my chaperone. Justin is my partner.”
First we went to the pandas. There was only one panda. I went to
a computer at the panda house that told me about pandas.
Then we went to the elephants. The elephants were stinky. Yuck!
After that, we went to the reptile house. We saw four tortoises.
Two were males and they weighed 180 pounds. The other two were
females and they weighed 80 pounds. I was surprised that the males
were so big.
Then we ate lunch near the turtles on a bench. I ate with my
friend Justin and my mom.
Then we went to the American Trail. We saw the bald eagle and
three wolves. There were beavers but we couldn’t see them.
Now it is time to go home. I am so sad that we have to go back to
school. That was the best day at the zoo ever!
75
by Manny T.
One night, when I was sleeping in my bed, I heard
footsteps. The footsteps sounded like monster steps. It sounded
like monster steps because they were heavy and loud. I heard
the steps outside my door.
I was scared. I got out of bed and went to the door. I
opened it. My mom was in the hall. She was picking up clothes.
I felt better.
I went back to bed and I fell back asleep. I heard the
footsteps again. I got out of bed and I went to the door. It was
my mom again, so I went back to bed.
I fell asleep and I didn’t hear the noise again. I must have
dreamed about the monster steps.
76
by Abigail V.
On a cold winter’s day, I woke up. I looked out my
window.
“I see snow! I see snow!” I shouted.
I got dressed in my snowsuit and went outside.
“Brrr! It’s cold,” I said.
I grabbed a handful of snow. It felt cold and light. I
jumped in the snow. It felt cold because snow got into my
boots.
I heard kids playing. They were making Frosty the
Snowman.
I wanted to play, too, but my mom called me to come
inside. I ate breakfast. After that, I went back outside. I smelled
fresh air. It smelled good and clean.
I saw other kids playing. I played with my friends. While I
played with my friends, Frosty the Snowman came alive.
“Frosty! You’re alive!” I shouted.
Then I got cold. I went inside and drank hot chocolate. I
felt warm again.
I went outside and played with my friends and Frosty. I
had an awesome time.
77
78
Art by Eric J.
79
by Reese A.
Once upon a time there were two bees. One bee was
at the hospital because she was having a baby bee. The
baby bee was a boy and the boy’s name was Brendan.
Brendan was the cutest thing his parents ever saw. They
loved Brendan so much.
Brendan was not just any bee. He was a fast,
zooming bee. He was faster than a jet. He was the
fastest bee in the world. Brendan’s wings were as wide
as a globe and as thin as a piece of paper.
Fifteen years later…he was a super hero. He
destroyed super villains that were destroying Honeyville.
Honeyville is a place where all bees live and where they
make honey. The buildings were made of honey and they
were melting because of the rain. So Brendan had an
idea. He used his special honey strength to help build the
buildings back up together. He added a little bit of sugar
and cinnamon to make the honey stronger. The buildings
got built back together.
80
by Sebby B.
My cousins lived in New Mexico for three years. I
was sad because they were so far away and I couldn’t
play with them. I wanted them to come back to Virginia.
When they left they had a going away party that I
still remember three years later. It was fun! We carved
sticks during the party. They also had a game that I won
called Duck Duck Goose. The best part was, I hit the
turtle piñata and when it broke I picked up thirty-one
pieces of candy!
When they came back, I was happy. I played with
them for thirty-one days, as many pieces of candy I got
at their party.
81
by Kate B.
One day after school, I went to my friend Eleanor’s
house. We went into the bathroom. We found a moving
panel. Eleanor pushed it hard and it slid up really fast. We
saw black and white pipes and heard slapping noises. We
thought there was a ghost inside.
We screamed! We were by the open window. Her mom
heard us. She came over and said to be quiet.
Then my mom came for me and I had to go home. I
want to go back to Eleanor’s house again someday. But I do
not want to look at a moving panel again.
82
by Ally B.
Once upon a time, there was an annoying duck. He could
not stop himself from talking. Every day, he would sing his
song.
"I am the annoying duck," he would sing. “I always beat
the farmer in every sport.”
The farmer was very defeated. Every time there was a
sports contest, the farmer would lose and the duck would win.
But the farmer said that was going to end very soon. He
got ready for the next contest, the boxing game. He was like an
angry bull and ready to end losing every time.
The farmer was very good at boxing. The farmer knew he
would win. But he was a little scared because the duck always
won in other games. But he did it and went into the ring and
said, "Hello Duck."
The duck said, "Hello, Farmer, we meet again."
1, 2, 3 fight! The farmer gave Duck a punch. Duck gave the
farmer a kick. Punch, kick, punch, kick! They fought. And then
the match was over. The farmer won.
"Yes, yes, yes," said the farmer.
Farmer and Duck lived happily ever after for the most
part.
83
by Annemarie C.
My dog is a superhero! His name is Superduperlalagooper! So
my dog has 10 super powers that are Super Strength, Magic, X-Ray
Vision. He can also turn into different people and things, turn
invisible, fly, run really fast, he’s really smart, can scan people, and
can control people with his mind. He turns back into his normal dog
look when my parents are home. My parents don’t know he’s a
superhero. Now I’m his superhero partner.
Last night, we saved a person and the entire town from a
monster destroying everything. We defeated the monster by lifting
him up and throwing him down on top of a building. He was so scared
that he ran away. My dog, Superduperlalagooper, and I make a
great team!
84
by Evie C.
Professor Bufey is a buffalo. He is nice. He is only on the
side that is doing the right thing. He is on the side that is called
the rebellion. It is very good. Professor Bufey was walking down
the hall to talk to the master. The master is in charge of the lab
where they work.
Professor Bufey told the master that two of their people
were missing. 128 was gone and 228 was gone, too. The master
said, “We have to find them. They have an assignment today.”
“Let’s get moving,” said Professor Bufey.
They went down the hall of the lab and they looked up and
down and around. They were just about to take another step
when Professor Bufey heard something.
The master said, “What was that?”
“I don’t know,” said Professor Bufey. “Let’s check it out.”
“Ok,” said the master.
They went in the room and saw a big cat.
“It is Catzilla!” said Professor Bufey.
Professor Bufey nailed down Catzilla with his metal
hooves. Then he heard someone call, “Help!”
He looked up and saw 128 and 228. They said, “Help!”
Professor Bufey said, “Let them go, Catzilla!”
Catzilla said, “Ok. Ok. Ok. If you win the fight.”
Professor Bufey said, “Ok.”
He smashed Catzilla on the wall.
Catzilla said, “You win! I am on your
side.”
“Ok,” said Professor Bufey.
And they worked together for the rest
of their lives.
85
by Nathalia C.
One Sunday I decorated my house with a big purple
spider and ghost lights for Halloween. My dad and I did
it all together. It was cold outside that day, but we
stayed outside until it was all done. The purple spider
was the hardest to set up because it was so big. We put
the spider on the brick in front of the house.
We waited until nighttime. Then my mom, aunt and
three year old cousin came outside to see our
decorations. They really liked what we had done. After
that, it was time for bed. I went to sleep, feeling proud.
86
by Leo D.
On the days near Christmas, we had a big snowstorm. The next
day, we had a big snowball fight. The two teams were Adam and I
against Julian and my dad. Adam and Julian are my brothers.
The two teams built snow forts. Our team finished first. Adam
and I tried to build our snow fort like an igloo but we didn’t have
enough snow so we broke it down. We piled up the snow from the
igloo. We got shovels from the garage and came back to the pile and
started building holes through the mountain of snow. After we built
it big enough for both of us to go underground to fight, we made
snowballs.
We had only made fifteen snowballs until the other team had
finished their snow fort. Since the other team didn’t have any
snowballs, we had to build fifty snowballs each.
Then we had a big fight. Both teams got drenched with
snowballs. We laughed. Adam and I even stuffed the snowballs under
each other’s coats.
After the snowball fight was over, we went inside the house
and cooked hot chocolate to drink. I got a mug and poured hot
chocolate into my mug. My dad made a fire and cooked lunch. For
lunch I had a sandwich with salami, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. I
had a great time with the snowball fight.
87
by Brendan H.
Jack and I had a playdate at his house. We were
playing Star Wars the whole playdate. We played in the
basement. We got toy guns and toy light sabers. We kept
shooting Jack’s mom, pretending she was a droid.
When we were pretending, we closed our eyes and
pretended to fall asleep. I saw a commander droid call for
reinforcements. They brought droidekas. Droidekas have a
force field. They can roll and shoot lasers out of their hands.
We had to block the lasers with our light sabers and
throw a bomb in the force field. The droidekas blew up. Then
we had to get rid of the droids and the super battle droids.
After we destroyed all of the droids, we had to throw bombs
in their tank. We stole the tank.
We used the tank to blow up the gate. There were three
gates. When we blew up the second gate, these awesome
kind of droids came out and dodged all of our lasers. They
came over and hit us, but we grabbed our guns and shot
them.
We blew up this big thing that had lightning around it.
That killed their power and that’s how the game ended. The
king of the droids was mad.
88
by Luke J.
I live in a house in a snow globe. Someone shook the
snow globe. Everything fell over. The furniture fell over. All
my toys crashed!
I went outside. Snow fell over. Snow is still coming
down.
I played in the snow. I made a snowman. I was sledding
down the snow.
I went back inside the house. I put the furniture back
together. I put the toys away.
I can't wait until that snow comes back.
89
by Eric J.
One day this girl named Reese asked her parents if she could get a
guinea pig. Her parents said, "yes," and she was so excited! So Reese
went upstairs to her room and thought of all the names she could think
of. Then her mom called for her to come downstairs. Reese's mom told
her to get her shoes on. Then Reese, her mom, and her dad got into the
car.
Reese asked, "Where are we going?"
"The pet store," said her dad.
When they got there, Reese saw so many pets. She asked the
person working there. "Do you know where the guinea pigs are?”
The pet store guy said, "Yes, they're right over here."
Reese picked a small guinea pig. It was blonde and white. She
named it Sniffles. It was the best day of Reese's life.
90
by Jack L.
October 22nd my mom woke me up for my birthday! My
brother Andrew opened the door and said, “Happy 8th Birthday,
Jack. Do you want to open presents?”
“Yes! I do!” I said excitedly.
I opened one. It was a Lego plane. I opened two more.
They were two Captain Underpants books and a Lego brick
master.
Then I opened a big present. It was a . . . fish tank and
fish food! I thanked my mom and dad a lot.
I always wanted to have a fish tank because I was really
interested in fish. The fish tank could hold two Bettas but it
had a separator because Bettas are a type of fighting fish. The
females are ugly because they don’t have much color. The
males are really pretty because they can be red, blue, yellow,
or purple.
My favorite present was the fish tank. I feed my fish one,
two, or three pellets twice a day. My fish tank is the best in the
world.
91
by Amity M.
I remember when I went to Hershey Park. I rode in the
car for two hours. I watched TV for one hour. And then I
listened to music for one hour. We ate lunch before we went
into the park. We had fun on all the rides.
The first ride we went on is The Scrambler. It was
amazing! I went on a log ride. We went down a huge hill with
a splash and we got wet. We went to more rides. I wanted to
go on the rides. Then, we got lemonade and ice cream. I got
an ice cream sundae.
Then I went home and went to bed.
92
by Peter M.
Once there was this hamster who was a spy and worked for the
Ladies Hamster Base. The hamster’s name was Chum, James Chum
Chum.
There was this evil man named Dr. Ho. Dr. Ho was trying to take
over the world. James Chum Chum decided to set out to find and kill Dr.
Ho. First, James Chum Chum found his headquarters in Maryland. Step
by step, James Chum Chum sneaked into Dr. Ho’s headquarters.
James Chum Chum was in the headquarters now. He saw a
shadow in the distance of the dark hallway. He squatted down and
walked forward at the same exact time.
James Chum Chum was right behind a random guard and POW!!!
James Chum Chum got punched by the random guard and was on the
floor knocked out with a bloody nose. James Chum Chum woke up in the
morning in a jail cell. At least James Chum Chum had his laserwatch.
So he turned on his laserwatch and ZAAAAP! The dirty iron bars
disintegrated into ashes. James Chum Chum escaped.
Then James Chum Chum met Grandpa Felix in a room. Felix gave
him a gadget. It was a camera that only he could use with one bullet that
would explode in one minute if you shot it.
So James Chum Chum set off to find Dr. Ho’s laboratory. When he
got there he realized that three guards were there. So he got a gun and
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dr. Ho noticed that James Chum Chum was there! James Chum
Chum got out his explosive camera gun and shot it in the corner of the
room and started running. He locked the door behind him.
Luckily, Felix had the car started and ready to go. James Chum
Chum jumped into the car and heard a BOOM!
James Chum Chum survived the
explosion but Dr. Ho died.
Afterwards, James Chum Chum went
back to England and back to the Ladies
Hamster Base.
James Chum Chum will be back!
93
by Brendan M.
My dog is 16 in dog years. I found him looking for food.
My dog steals a red convertible and he knows how to push the
start button. He goes over the speed limit. The dog catcher is
after him. I am hiding in the red convertible. So is Finley, my
dog. The dog catcher goes over the speed limit, too. He pulls
us over and he catches Finley!
Finley is scheming to get out of the truck. He charges at
the door and he pushes it open. Then for a day he tries to find
me because he likes having me as an owner. Two days later he
does find me at my house. He barks for treats. Then he does
tricks for the treats. And, he gets them! We buy a dog collar
for him and now he’s just like a normal dog with a home.
94
by Hannah M.
Yesterday, I went to a movie theater. I had to wait two hours to go
to the movie. The movie was called Hotel Transylvania. While we were
waiting for the movie, we played in the play area at Tysons Mall. It was
fun. The movie was in 3D and we wore 3D glasses. The glasses felt
funny on my nose. We waited in a long line. It was so long because
everyone wanted to see Hotel Transylvania. We took a seat and then
my dad told me to wait in the seat so he could get the popcorn. The
popcorn came with M&M’s. It was a sweet treat and I liked it! The movie
had a vampire and lots of other scary characters in it. The scary
characters really were nice in the end. I would love to see this movie
again!
When we got home, I played with my toys. It was time for dinner.
Then, I got snuggled into bed and went to sleep. I had a good dream.
What a great day it was!
95
by Katrina N.
At the zoo I saw … a RED PANDA! It was very quiet
and it was as small as a raccoon. Red pandas are even related
to raccoons. They look alike too! It was hard to see the panda
at first because it was camouflaged with the bark. I wish I was
a red panda because red pandas ROCK!
Are you wondering what they look like? Well, the colors
of a red panda are red and white. Their fur makes a pattern. It
goes red then white, red then white. It looks like stripes not
polka dots.
Are you wondering what they do? Red pandas mostly sit
and just sit. They like to relax and nap a lot too! But once in a
while they will play and climb trees. Red pandas like to climb
trees, well at least from what I saw at the zoo. I LOVE red
pandas. I can’t wait to go back to the zoo and see them!
96
by Colin O.
If I lived in a snow globe, I would live in an orange
house with my friends. The house would have a bunch of
mountains of snow all around. The house would have
eighteen rooms and we would have a whole snow gym inside.
I would have a Wii and a 3 DS XL in the house. We
would play with them a lot. Then we would go outside the
house and have snowball fights. We would ski and make
snowmen. We also play math games with cards.
I would want to live there forever because I love
winter.
97
by Aidan S.
I take my blueprint from my shed and the pieces I built already on my rocket.
Today, I think I’m going to finish it. I’m going to blast off to the moon! I am! I am!
I did finish! I am going to the moon! It is a small ship. It can fit about five
babies or two kids or one adult. I’m going with my brother, Colin. I get into my ship
and start the countdown. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1 Blast off!
I see a shiny thing. “I think it’s the moon,” Colin and I said at the same time.
“Jinx,” I said. “OK. Colin, Colin, Colin… you are unjinxed. That is not the
moon. It is a whole different universe!”
We went through the shiny hole.
“We need to get home!” I said.
“But how,” said my brother. “Holy cow!”
“Take the escape pod,” I said. “We’re crashing!”
We’re now buckled up in the escape pod. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
3…2…1 Blast off! I watched my rocket and all my hard work explode.
CRASH! We fell onto a planet. I felt dizzy. One hour later, two other people
find us.
“Where are we?” said my brother.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Who are you?”
“We are Fubbys,” said the man with a beard, belt, and backpack. “In this
galaxy, the Gayos are a lot wiser. You must see the Gayos and use the transporter
to locate the shiny hole. But you must hurry. You must get there because the hole is
closing in a day."
My brother asked how long a day is.
“Fifty hours,” said the man. “We prepared another rocket for you.”
Colin and I found the Gayos and went back home just before the hole closed.
98
by Finley T.
Once a monkey named Sofie rode her bike to the
Woodmont Y. She was learning how to do gymnastics. When
she got there, she was put with some other monkeys to do the
vault. That was Sofie's favorite thing. So she jumped on the
vault, did a flip, and landed gracefully on the floor.
Then Sofie went to the floor. She did a back bend, round
off, handstand, and a split.
She went to the bars. She did a cast back hip circle and a
cast. She also did a lot of stuff on the beam.
Then it was time to go. Sofie did not want to go. She
wanted to do more bars and vault and beam. The coach said,
"You may come back tomorrow."
So at 6:30, Sofie woke up, got in her leotard, and went to
the Woodmont Y. When she got there, she saw the coach giving
out awards to her classmates but none of them were for her.
Sofie left feeling sad.
The next morning, she said, "I am going to work hard and
get an award."
So Sofie practiced and practiced and practiced for a year.
Finally the day came. Sofie woke up at 6:30 as usual and went
to the Woodmont Y. Her coach was giving out awards.
Suddenly, Sofie's name was called. She had won an award!
Sofie had learned a lesson. It was never give up!
99
by Kieran U.
Garrett and I had a sleepover at his house. We made a
fort out of blankets on his bunk bed. Inside the fort, we
looked at baseballs cards and we built a house with Legos.
We didn’t finish the Lego house. We watched two movies
and then we went to bed.
I woke up at 4:45 a.m. I was getting bored so I took
my paper and pencil and I started drawing. I drew my house
in black and white. I like to draw.
Garrett heard this squeaking noise. Then Garrett
woke up and saw me drawing.
Garrett asked, “What are you doing?”
I answered, “Drawing.”
Garrett liked my picture. We
finished the Lego house and we had
donuts for breakfast. I got a jelly
donut.
100
by Garrett W.
Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny were playing catch on the
baseball field. All of a sudden, they saw a spaceship.
The spaceship ran out of gas and landed on the earth. Five
aliens with gooey faces and very slimy bodies came out of the
ship. They also smelled disgusting. They challenged Daffy Duck
and Bugs Bunny to a baseball game tomorrow. They decided to
play 100 innings.
Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny went to all the Looney Tunes’
houses and said, “Do you want to play a baseball game against
the aliens?” They all responded, “Yes.”
The next day, they started playing. Daffy Duck and Bugs
Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes were happy. Daffy was
batting and he hit a grand slam and so did Bugs—all in the first
inning. After five grand slams and six home runs, the aliens
gave up! All the Looney Tunes went for Slurpees and the aliens
went back to Mars.
Then the Looney Tunes went to Papa John’s for dinner to
celebrate. They were starving. I joined them. Yum! Yum! I love
pizza.
101
by Natalie Y.
Professor M. L. lives in Pin-Pan, a place in China. No one
knows his name because he is a mad scientist. He wants to steal
a secret device to be the Pin-Pan Mayor! He hates the mayor!
Super Panda is trying to stop Professor M.L.
“After him!” yelled Super Panda.
Professor M.L. ran towards his lab. Super Panda clicks a
button on his wristband and goes into his disguise. He looks
like a mail man.
Knock! Knock!
“Who is it?” yelled Professor M.L.
“It is the mail man,” Super Panda replied.
“Leave it on the front step!” said Professor M.L.
It was a spy camera. Super Panda wants to know Professor
M.L.’s plan to get the secret device.
The next day, Super Panda comes back and says, “I need
the camera back. It belongs to another person.”
“Ok,” said Professor M.L.
Super Panda looked at the video and found out the plan.
He captured Professor M.L.
102
Art by Alan S.
103
by Luke A.
In the town of middle earth, I was walking around when
the townspeople ran away. I was wondering what was going on.
Then, I saw that there was a battle at Helm's Deep. So I went to
the weapon store and I got a regular silver sword. I walked into
the battle and helped the good elves to fight. I slew the evil
army called the Uruk-hai. When their lord was destroyed and
when the Uruk-hai were defeated, the townspeople were saved.
But who will defeat the bad people called the Orcs? Will
they get the ring of power back? Well, they will find out in The
Lord of the Rings, Part 2, into the Mines of Moria.
It was a dark and stormy night in the mountains. The
fellowship of the ring and I were going to get the ring from the
evil cave troll in the Mines of Moria. We entered the mines and
found the entrance to the cave. But then, a bunch of Orcs came
flying out of nowhere. I yelled, "It's a trap!"
We battled all night long until we got the ring back. Then
the creature Gollum stole the ring and escaped. We followed his
footsteps to the cave of the evil spider called Shelob. Another
battle began.
104
by Quinn C.
Trash can. Trash can.
Where all the trash goes.
Millions of flies,
flying every which way.
Buzzing around,
licking the trash,
plates of pizza and peas.
I wait
for the green and yellow trash truck
to come today.
Hooray! Hooray!
It is almost here, on our block,
just one house away and
louder than a lion's roar.
The stinky garbage is on its way
to get thrown in the dump.
105
by AnnaSophia D.
One day, an owner at the store made a candy machine. It
was a red machine. Everyone ate the candy that came out. The
candies were two inches.
Then more people came but the chewy chocolate candy
was sold out! The owner had no more ingredients to make the
candy.
No one came back because the candy was gone—until they
decided to bring the ingredients to make more candy. They
brought strawberry, vanilla, and peach. They made rainbow
candy and more people came because they liked rainbow candy.
The owner didn't use the machine anymore. Instead, he
bought shelves and sold the machine. The excited people came
back and bought the candy machine. They used it to make
candy. The owner got more money.
106
by Joe D.
My mom drove me to the Westover Library field where my
game was being played. My team was the Steelers. We played
the Jetskins. The Jetskins had one fast player on their team so I
wasn't worried. His name was Scotty.
These were my teammates: David, Cole, Brady, Garrett,
Alan, Griffin, Ryan, and Ben. In the middle of the game, I
intercepted the ball. I was so surprised because it was a bad
pass. I got the first Pick Six. Pick Six means you intercept the
ball and return it back for a touchdown. I felt really happy
because we were winning by a lot because of my Pick Six.
There were two squads, a blue squad and a white squad.
The white squad included me, Cole, Brady, David, and Garrett.
Cole was our quarterback but I changed from running back to
quarterback when Cole was out. The blue squad was Alan, Alex,
Ben, Griffin, and Ryan. Alex caught the football when it was
almost touching the ground! It was a great interception but the
referee almost said it wasn't a catch. Then he changed his mind
and Alex got a Pick Six.
Cole's dad and Griffin's dad were the coaches. They were
smart, fair, and coached nicely. We had won against the
Jetskins. The score was around 40 to 21. I felt so happy because
we hadn't won a game yet this year. This made us feel confident
and happy. It was a practice game.
I want to continue to play flag football because it's hard, a
challenge, and I like it.
107
by Colton E.
I went with my family to Maryland to spend the night in the
Chesapeake Bay on our house boat. We anchored the boat and my
sister Alaina and I went swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. The water
was cold but we had fun. Then we went to bed.
The next day, Alaina and I woke up and made scrambled eggs. I
showed her how to make them look like pancakes. Our parents woke
up and we ate them. They were very good.
Alaina and I went swimming again. The water was warmer.
Then I asked my mom if we could go on the trampoline in the
houseboat. She said yes. It was fun.
My family went fishing. We caught a lot of fish. Hurray!
My cousins live in a house boat across the Chesapeake Bay. We
went to my cousins in our house boat. We spent another night away
from home. The next morning, we went home.
108
by Isaac F.
If I could have a fantasy place, I would make a bridge
that would go around the world so then you could get places
you wanted to go far away.
For entertainment, I would have a giant amusement
park that would run alongside the bridge. The games would
be free. There would be roller coasters, water balloon toss,
and much more.
If you didn't make it to some place before night and
you needed somewhere to sleep, I would have two hundred
hotels for people to sleep in. The rooms would have a bath
tub, a bunk bed, a queen-sized bed, and a flat screen TV. If
you wanted to go swimming, my hotels would have a
swimming pool that would be 67 feet long and a hot tub 15
feet long. The parking lot would be able to hold 5,000 cars.
That's what I would like my fantasy place to be like.
109
by Lauren F.
One day, there was a man who was taking a walk in the country. He went too far.
So he found an old, very old, small store. It was about the size of an elementary school
classroom.
He went inside because he was hungry and wanted something to eat. He ate a
sandwich. Then he found a lottery game. He only had one dollar with him. So he bought
one ticket. He was thinking, "Oh, maybe, I will win."
He found a coin and scratched off the stuff on the ticket. He read the directions
and he won! He won 100 bucks. He was so happy but he thought, "How will I cash in?"
Then he noticed that the grocery store was full. It was full of ghosts and
skeletons!
"Give me back my money, Manfred!"
"How do you know my name is Manfred?" said the man.
The ghost replied, "I am really you from the future."
"How long?" Manfred asked.
"About 19 years," responded the ghost.
Manfred tried to run away but when he was at the door, a skeleton grabbed him.
Then Manfred shouted, "Let me go!"
"NO!" said the skeleton. He kicked Manfred so he couldn't run out of the store.
Then Manfred noticed that there were beds in the store. As he watched, the
ghosts and skeletons went to bed and fell asleep. Manfred tried to open the door but it
was locked. So he decided it would be better in the morning to escape. He went to bed,
too.
In the morning, a vampire appeared and awakened him. The vampire said it was
late. Manfred looked at his watch and noticed it was only 5 in the morning.
"Can't you tell time?"
"Hey, I'm a vampire. My mother never sent me to school."
Manfred tried to open the door but it was still locked. The skeleton asked, "What
are you trying to do?"
Manfred responded, "Trying to get out."
"Didn't you see the sign on the door? It says the
name of the store: Once You Are In, You Can't Get Out.
It's a true fact," said the vampire.
"So what am I going to do the rest of my life? And
if there is no food, how will I live?" Manfred asked.
"You do not need any food," the vampire said.
"Then why are you dead?" Manfred asked.
"I'm not," said the vampire.
"You are! Look at yourself!" Manfred held up a mirror.
"Uh, I am dead," the vampire yelled to the skeleton and the other mythical
creatures. "Hey, guys. We're dead!"
At that moment, everyone went crazy. That's when Manfred realized he was no
longer human but a creature, too!
110
by Lily I.
Isabella loved horses as much as anyone else. She went to school and they had
a book report about horses due. The book was called Mysterious Miniatures.
Isabella was the only one in her class without a pet. More than anything else
she wanted a pet because she was always hearing how awesome everyone else's pets
were. She read about white miniature horses, red, and even gold and caramel colored
horses.
One day, she went into town to get some ice cream. It was a hot summer day.
The flowers were bursting into bloom. Sunlight poured into the space around her.
And she looked for her favorite ice cream parlor. It was closed for renovation. So she
went to Coffyplace and she got a vanilla bean milkshake. She saw a poster in
Coffyplace. It said a miniature horse was born yesterday for sale. Without hesitating,
she ran home and told her parents.
"Where would it stay?" asked Mom.
"In my room, of course."
"Where in your room?"
"In my closet."
"Who would clean it and make blankets to keep it warm?" asked Mom.
"I would," Isabella said.
"Well, OK. Ask your father. If he says, yes, then it's OK."
Isabella nearly flew down the stairs. "Daddy, may I have a miniature horse?"
"Well, OK. Only a small one. Here is some money."
Isabella took a cab to the farm north of her home. She got there and saw the
farmer and went to see the baby horses. She saw fat ones and skinny ones, cute ones
and loveable ones. Then she saw Vanilla Bean. It was love at first site. Black specks
covered his cream colored coat. A silky mane and sparkling blue eyes glistened in the
sun. His long white tail waved in the breeze. He was two hands tall. Isabella stared.
At last, she said, "You're perfect."
Vanilla Bean whinnied in a shy and speckled voice. Isabella stroked his long
silky mane. She scooped up Vanilla Bean and she went to find the farmer. The farmer
was charging a cheap amount, only $30 because Vanilla Bean wasn't that strong. She
gave the farmer $9 for tax and she called a cab. Vanilla Bean was off to a new home
with Isabella beside him.
When they got home, Isabella's mother said, "How adorable!"
Her father said, "What a cutie!"
Isabella said, "Stop! He's a baby and too much
attention isn't good."
Isabella took Vanilla Bean up to her room.
"I will let you stay in my closet. You and I will
hang out. Tomorrow, I will build you a stall."
They played all day until dinner time. They
shared a carrot special and ate apple dessert. Yummy! Yummy! That night they
snuggled in bed together. Vanilla Bean was home at last. And he was home to stay.
111
by Allison J.
Every Christmas, my family puts up a Christmas tree. We decorate
it with ornaments. We are going to get a new tree because the old one is
broken.
I helped my dad put up the tree. It took a long time because we had
to take apart every little stem. We got an artificial tree because my dad
does not like the smell of real trees. But we still have fun decorating the
Christmas tree with ornaments. We make presents or buy them and
wrap them.
We leave chocolate chip cookies for Santa and carrot sticks and
milk for the reindeer.
On Christmas Eve, we go to my grammie's house and bring home
the presents she gives us. I help her put the little houses under the tree.
We have a big circle magnetic ice skating set for little wooden figures of
people. Before we put up the houses and skaters under the tree, we put
cotton under the things and we make snow hills out of short boxes. We
have dinner at Grammie's.
We go to church on Christmas night and sing songs. The kids dress
up like angels, donkeys, and cows in the nativity scene. Then we go on
the stage and sing more songs. When we get back to our grandma's
house, we finish up opening certain presents.
Then in the morning, we open up the rest of our presents. For
breakfast, we eat bagels and we have a lot of fun! I am going to get my
sister a Polly Pocket house, dolls, and furniture for the house because
she really likes them. I am going to get my brother a toy airplane for
Christmas because he wanted that. I made my mom a drawing. I went
with my mom to buy my dad a camera. I'll get my grandma a T-shirt
with a Christmas tree on it. Christmas will be really fun.
I cannot wait until each Christmas! It is my favorite holiday!
112
by Grace M.
Once there was a land. It was a land full of ice cream! It
was just like the North Pole except it was made out of ice
cream!
The roofs of the houses were chocolate. The windows were
vanilla. The sky was vanilla, chocolate, mint chocolate chip, and
strawberry.
Everything was made out of ice cream! You could eat
anything whenever you wanted. Whenever you took a bite out
of something, it just grew back!
If you lived there, you would be made out of ice cream,
too. You could eat yourself, but whatever you ate off of your
body, would just grow back.
It would be raining ice cream every day. You wouldn't
need an umbrella because it would rain ice cream and you
would be made out of ice cream.
You could eat the ice cream when it fell from the sky.
There would be all kinds of flavors—chocolate, mint chocolate
chip, vanilla, and many more! There would be no sun because it
would melt all the ice cream.
That's what it would be like!
113
by Jack M.
I went to Colonial Williamsburg over last
spring break with my family. I got a big lollipop
at the candy store there. They make them oldfashioned and really big.
I got to go to the theme park, Busch
Gardens, too! It was awesome!
There was a new ride. It was a big roller
coaster that made my stomach feel weird. At
one point, it went really high. When it came
down, it went really fast. My mom and I like big
roller coasters but my dad and my brother
don't. I rode the big roller coaster with my
mom.
At a game, I won a big bowling pin. It was cool. I call my
pin, "Bowley." He is huge. He has foam inside of him.
While we were traveling, I went to my friend's place. We
had a fun sleepover. The next day, I returned to our rental
house. I went to Eagles, a restaurant, with my friends and my
family.
I had a great time on that trip. When we came back to
Arlington, my house smelled like when my parents bought it
brand new. Every time we go on a trip and we come back, the
house smells like paint. My brother says that the people who
painted the house come while we're away. I like it because it
smells good.
114
by Rafael M.
I woke up with a sad look on my face. I couldn't do
my Friday morning walk with my dog because he died last
week. His name was Ruff Ruff because he barked so
much. So that day, I went to the animal shelter because I
love dogs so much.
I saw happy dogs, sad dogs, tall dogs, short dogs,
take-me dogs, jumping dogs, and energetic dogs. Then I found a dog just
like Ruff Ruff because he barked so much. So I took him. Then I saw
another dog that was faster than you could ever imagine. He made me
dizzy because he ran around in fast circles. I took him, too, and named
him Speedy.
When I got home, I was surprised that those pups were jumping
around like crazy. I mean CRAZY! Now it was dinner time and I fed the
dogs their food and I had mine. Then we all went to bed and fell asleep.
The next day, at 7:30 a.m., I played catch with Ruff Ruff, Jr. and
Speedy. Speedy caught the really far balls. Ruff Ruff, Jr. caught the
closest balls.
Later, we went to a dog park. We found a game for Speedy. It was
"win the race to get the treat." Speedy won 100 races. Then we went
home.
When we were having dinner, the dogs went "crunch crunch."
"It's bedtime," I said to Speedy and Ruff Ruff, Jr. because they
looked tired.
The next day, I took the dogs out for a walk. I was dragged on the
ground because of Speedy. When we got back from our walk, we had our
breakfast and I was in pain. Ruff Ruff, Jr. was really tired and worn out.
Then we went back to the dog park. Speedy played the same game and
won 50 treats.
We went back home and the dogs had their dinner and went to bed
but Speedy was too energetic. He wouldn't go to sleep so I let him play in
the backyard. I went in the middle of the yard to watch him but he made
me dizzy. I went inside and went back to sleep, but guess who started
barking? Ruff Ruff, Jr.! So I let him out, too. Now it was peace and quiet
in the house. I wonder how long these pups will do this. At least I can get
some rest now.
115
by Ella P.
Sticky said to Gooey.
"What should we do? We are stuck in a crater on the Pink Planet.
We are only one inch tall and the Boogey Monsters are going to get us!
We can't go yelling for Earthlings and get away with it. The Boogey
Monsters have really good hearing and we don't stand a chance because
they are very, very hungry."
"I guess that is true," said Gooey.
"We are toast," said Sticky. "We need a plan."
"We have a ladder we can climb up," Gooey said.
"It is not tall enough. We are in trouble," Sticky said. "How will we
get home?"
"We can adjust the ladder so it is very tall," Gooey said. "Now we
can get up out of the crater."
"But we are still in danger because we have to get past the
Boogey Monsters, so that's a problem. What do we do?"
"We have pillows. We can stick them on our feet with our slime,"
Gooey said.
"We will be quiet now," said Sticky, "so we can sneak across the
Pink Planet and end up at our ship."
"Bye, bye Boogey Monsters," Gooey said.
116
by Ben P.
Birds don't go bizarre
Have you ever seen a duck go to Mars?
Penguins don't have carts.
Turkeys don't play with darts.
Crows don't kill
Parrots don't eat pills.
Roosters don't run races.
Chicken don't tie laces.
Sparrows don't cook.
Hawks don't read books.
Cockatiels don't cuss.
Owls don't ride the bus.
Now you've heard
that I love birds.
117
by Alan S.
I got in the car to go to Joe's sleepover. When we got there,
I saw all of my friends—Cole, Joe (of course), Griffin, and
David. We played around with squirt bottles. Then we decided
to go to Chuck E. Cheese. I played the ball drop game with Cole.
Cole got jackpot and I got 26 tickets. Together, we got 232
tickets. We traded them in for a noisy putty and squishy ball.
When we got home, we set up the sleeping bags in the big
basement. That night, we watched TV until 2:30 in the
morning. I did not sleep at all that night. I just stared at the
clock as it went tick tock, tick tock. Cole slept on the couch. I
woke him up a few times.
At six o'clock in the morning, we went outside to play
lacrosse. Then Joe's mom and dad woke up. We came back
inside because we were too loud. Joe's mom gave us each a ring
pop. We played Fifa World Cup Penalty Shootout on the Wii.
Then we had Mickey Mouse waffles. My dad came to pick
me up and I went home. It was the best sleepover ever!
118
by Riley S.
Amelia and Clara are my friends. They live right next to
my grandma. My grandma lives on Powhatan Street in
Arlington. We go there almost every day.
I go to the waterfall with Amelia and Clara. We walk
straight and then we make a turn and we walk straight again
and we are there. It is hidden by trees and not many people
know about it. We jump from rock to rock at the stream. We
stop and look at the minnows. Sometimes we catch them. One
time, there was a little pink fish.
Amelia is 10 and Clara is 13. They are cool. I have
sleepovers with Amelia a lot. Amelia and I drive the red car.
The red car is one of those cars from Toys R Us. It goes really
fast. We go to Madison Manor park. We have fun.
119
by Eleanor S.
A little girl came to school. She had been there for two
years. But she was there for a different reason. She was on a
mission. She was half padawan and half witch. How do I know?
Because that girl is me.
At recess, I played with my new friend, Riley. Then
suddenly it hit me. We were there for the same reason! We were
both on a mission. The only difference was that Riley was a
whole witch and I was a half! Then Lizzie came. She was a half
witch, too. Another witch! What luck!
Suddenly a dark shadow invaded the land. We gasped. We
screamed and ran inside to safety. Then, I said we had to
defend ourselves. But how?
Lizzie had pixie dust at school. It was liquid.
"Well, we'll have to drink it," I said.
So we did. YUCK! It tasted horrible. It had leaves in it. But
suddenly, a slight tingling sensation came over our bodies. We
were floating. We were flying off. At last, we would meet our
brother and discover secrets nobody else had found out or
uncovered.
We settled in a gigantic tree for the night. Then it
happened. I had a dream! Not just any dream! It was real! I
dreamed a fairy escaped from Fairyland. She was dressed in
buttercups. Six other fairies went after
her but they disappeared into the
haunted cornfield and turned into
vegetables. Peter Pan was on the case.
He said I looked pretty. I blushed. I
woke up in a sweat!
120
by Elle S.
I drove to Michigan with my mom and dad to visit my
cousins. We go every summer to a three floor beach house with
many stairs. It took ten hours to get there. When we got there, I
took the "funkular" up with my cousins. The "funkular" is
actually an outdoor elevator.
My cousin's names are Isabel and Charlotte. We played vet
with our stuffed animals and watched TV. Then the parents
called us for dinner. After dinner, we ate sweet ice cream. Then
we went upstairs. We played Santa's Elf and watched more TV.
Then we read and went to bed.
I woke up early in the morning around 7:30 a.m. It was
donut day. This means we go to a special restaurant and pick
out our favorite donut to take home. I like donut day because
we have fresh donuts. My cousins weren't up yet so I woke up
my dad. We went to Louisa's restaurant.
When we got back, my cousins were awake. We ate
chocolate donuts. Then Charlotte and I went back upstairs to
play. Later, we got ready for the beach. The beach is close by.
We played in the wavey water. It was cold. We built a
sandcastle including a moat and seashells. Then we took a hot
shower and changed.
We had a snack and we went upstairs and watched TV
until the parents called us for lunch. After that, we played and
ate dinner. Then we had s'mores.
We stayed at the beach in
Michigan for a week. We had
fun. I really like going to
Michigan to see my family. I
look forward to the same good
time next year.
121
by Eleanor T.
One morning, Joseph asked, "Mrs. Stokes, why is the
palm tree not lighting up? We did our job and plugged it in."
She said, "Well, Joseph, maybe it's broken. I will get a
new one."
The whole class yelled, "NO!!!"
It was so loud Mr. Flood came to our room to shush us.
Mr. Flood is next to our class.
"Why not?" Mrs. Stokes asked.
Joseph said, "The electric company is having trouble.
They predict that there is going to be a power outage. It just
started infecting electric lines."
The girls and the boys said, "He's right. I listened to it on
the news with my parents."
Mrs. Stokes said, "I won't throw the palm tree away now
that I know."
"Good," the class said.
They called the principal and
told him what had happened. He
believed them. He told the electric
company. They came to fix the
electricity.
The palm tree came back on.
"Yay!" the class yelled.
122
by Luke V.
Once, during summer break, I went to Great Country
Farm with my dad and brother. It was an hour drive.
We fed the animals like pigs, goats, cows, ducks, and
chickens. I liked feeding the goats the best, because they licked
it off my hands.
They had two peacocks there but you couldn't feed them.
The peacocks did not spread their tails out.
You can pick blueberries at the farm, too. We didn't pick
any because we don't like blueberries. A tractor brings you to
the berry patch. The berry patch was in five long lines. After we
looked at it, we decided to walk back to the animals.
We played with the road runners. They had white and gray
stripes on them. They are birds but they don't fly and they are
really fast. We chased them. We looked at the cows and petted
them. They felt soft.
You can play mini-golf at the
farm, too. We didn't because it was
time to go home. On the car ride
home, we thought about how much
we enjoyed visiting the farm!
123
by Cole W.
Scaredy and Oggy, two cat buddies, got on a boat and went on a
trip to the jungle. They found a two-foot sized pack filled with a
tarantula and a bag of Cheez-its. They left the pack but took everything
inside.
They went to a medium-sized lake and saw a big, fuzzy, beaver.
Surprised, they got close to it. The beaver stood up.
"It's Bigfoot! Run!" said Scaredy. "Hide in the cave."
"He is right outside," Oggy said.
The Bigfoot beaver didn't see them and ran past the cave.
"Feed the tarantula a Cheez-it," Oggy said.
"Ok," said Scaredy.
"It's growing," Oggy said.
"What?" asked Scaredy.
"The tarantula ate Bigfoot," answered Oggy.
They decided to go back and swim in the lake.
"Let the tarantula come in, too," said Oggy.
"Tarantula! Come out!" Scaredy said.
Splash! Scaredy yells, "A shark! Get out of the water!"
Oggy says, "Come, tarantula. Get out of the water."
Scaredy says, "Now we have to think of an idea. I got one. Feed the
tarantula a lot of Cheez-its. Then it will grow big and we will ride it
home."
"Good idea," said Oggy.
The tarantula ate all the Cheez-its. Scaredy and Oggy climbed on
top.
"Let's go!" Oggy said.
"Here we are! Home!" Scaredy said.
They made a giant cage and kept the tarantula as their favorite pet.
124
by Rayce W.
On Halloween night, a kid said, "This house doesn't look scary at
all."
He walked closer and closer. Crack! Crack! His hand reached out
but before he could get the door opened, it opened itself. Boom! No one
was there.
He came inside the house. Behind him was an 18 clawed, 20 toed
on each foot, 3 headed monster. Roar! The kid tried to walk out but a
dog with 6 feet, 6 claws, and two heads stopped him. Ruff! Ruff! The dog
barked. The kid cried. He was so scared.
Every time the kid cried, the monster grew bigger and bigger. It
grew 8 feet tall. The kid saw a hammer and he used it but the monster
broke the hammer.
The monster walked closer and closer. The kid walked back. The
dog barked and barked. The kid was heading up the stairs of the house.
The dog kept on barking.
Other kids came to the monster's house. They brought sticks and
they whipped the monster. Whap! Then they ran away.
The kid jumped on the monster and the monster yelled. The kid
tried to pull off the monster's mask but it wasn't a mask.
The police came. They shot bullets but the bullets just sank into
the monster's body. The kid hit the monster with a stick. Whap! The
monster screamed. Roar!
The monster whapped the kid away and the kid went flying
upstairs. The kid had a book in his trick or treat bag. It wasn't an
ordinary book. It could turn a bad monster into a good monster. The
monster took the book away and threw it out the window. The boy still
knew the spell. He said the spell out loud.
"Good is right! Bad is wrong!"
Boom! There was a big bright light
where the monster was. The monster was a
good monster again. They all lived happily
ever after.
125