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Grand Prize Voting for the Grand Prize Winning Book will begin July 1, 2008, and end on September 30, 2008. |
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2007 — 2008 Writing Contest (May 08):
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The Leprechaun Who Doesn't Know Magic! By Kyle Age 8 San Jose, California Once upon a time there lived a leprechaun named Tom. He was playing a tune on a fiddle on a sunflower. A boy named Max was walking by and picked the sunflower with Tom still on it! Max ran over to his house and told his Mom, ''Look Mom! A leprechaun!'' said Max excitedly. ''Wow," said his mom, not believing him. So Max ran upstairs to his room. He grabbed a flashlight and turned off the lights. He did this so Tom wouldn't be scared and run away or disappear. But unfortunately the flashlight burnt out. ''Darn it!'' said Max. So he went downstairs to get batteries. Tom tried to disappear, but he was the only leprechaun who didn't know magic! Suddenly, Merlin the wizard appeared! Merlin had a wizard robe on, he also had a pointy wizard hat with stars on it. Tom asked, ''Who are you?'' ''Why I'm the great wizard Merlin!'' he said. ''So let's get out of here!" POOF! Merlin and Tom were at Merlin's house. "Do you want to live with me Tom?" Asked Merlin. "Sure," said Tom. "I'm glad I don't have to pay bills anymore! Best buddies?" So Merlin and Tom lived happily ever after. The Bakery Girl By Rukmini Age 7 Houston, TX Once upon a time there was a girl named Gena. She tried to make friends but she couldn't. Everyone used to tease her as she did not look too good. Her only friend was her pet dog. He truly loved her. When Gena became 18 she decided it was time to change her life. So Gena learnt to make the most delicious cakes in the world. Children came to like her baked cakes. She decided to open a bakery near her house. Many people from far and near came. They liked her and her cakes. But she had other problems to think about. She feared that something bad was going to happen. At night a jealous baker came to her bakery. He chased her dog away. Then he came back riding his horse. Gena tried to go into hiding but there was nowhere safe to hide. She was hoping he wouldn't find her behind the bakery machines but he did. He kept calling her 'girl'. The man started driving her out. Gena said "I won't go!" The surprised man raised his hand to hit her. Gena was making him mad. Gena, using her fist, punched him in the stomach. The man fell. Saved from capture, she quickly closed the bakery for the night and ran back home. She was very brave. She phoned the police and told them about the whole trouble. The next day she went to work. Gena was erasing the old menu as daylight broke. It pleased her to be back to normal. She voted the day would be bright and the weather stayed sunny all day. The Fluffy South American Squirrels By Justin Age 9 Reno, Nevada Once upon a time, on the good grassy plains of South America, there lived a family of cute, fluffy South American squirrels… One cold winter evening, the squirrels were quietly sleeping in a tree, because they had stayed up late, when they heard some music. Peaking through the tree branches, the squirrels spied an Indian tribe which was dancing in a circle. The tribe had many adults and even more children. "Ooh, look, Indian children!" chattered the squirrels. The next day, when the Indian children were all taking naps in the nap tepee, the squirrels started acting goofy and whispered, "Peek-a-boo!" through the flap of the tepee which was left open. The frightened children shouted, "Help! Help! We are being attacked by little squirrels!" As you can imagine, their parents came quickly running, because they were worried, and the squirrels ran away. Later that day, the Indian parents snuck up on the squirrels and caught them. All of a sudden, the Creator appeared and said, "Do not harm the little fluffy South American squirrels who peek-a-booed you. They are simply goofy, not dangerous." "Yes, it is true!" exclaimed the squirrels as they ran around. "Let's be friends!" Every Sunday after that, the squirrels joined the Indians for a vegetarian feast because they had all given up meat. The Creator was very proud of them all! A Dream By Andrea Plainfield, Indiana "Time to go to bed!" my mom yelled, half asleep. That day I had a field trip to the Indiana State Museum and to the IMAX theatre. We saw a very intriguing 3D film about dolphins and whales. I had so much fun that day and I was so tired, I turned off the T.V, and headed to bed. It sure didn't take long for me to go to sleep. "May I ask why you're dressed in such a way?" a lady asked. "Who are you?" I said. I looked out the window and saw something I had never seen before. I saw outer space. I saw billions and billions of stars. "I'm Patty, the head of the space station." "Nice to meet you. What's that?" I asked, pointing out the window. "Don't you remember…? You won a free trip to an outer space station." "How did I win the trip?" "You sent in an essay about a science topic." "How could this happen? I don't even like science." "Well, your essay was the best essay that I have ever read, and I've read a lot of essays." "Thanks," I said. "But how could this happen. I don't even like science." "Well, you sure sounded enthusiastic in your essay." "That's because I really like to write." "So, you're always this enthusiastic in your writing?" "Pretty much." "Well, right now you get to experience outer space." "What do you mean?" "Just follow me." Patty led me to a large room with a gigantic glass window. There were some other people. The looked at me funny, like I was crazy. "What?" I asked. "You're in you pajamas." They said. "Oops! Oh, well." "Well, put on this suit." A man instructed. I put on the suit and then they attached me to an extensive cable. They opened the window and I leaped out, scared to death. The experience was almost indescribable. It felt as if everything had vanished. I looked to my right and there was an asteroid heading right toward me. The lady pulled on the rope and rushed to pull me in just in time. "Andrea. Andrea. Andrea. I sat up in bed. "It's time to go to school." My mom said. "Mom, I just dreamt that I went to space." "Ha. Ha. Very funny." The Lost Puffle By Johnny Age 8 San Jose, CA Once upon a time there was a puffle named Joe and his mom, Mrs. Puffle. One day they went looking for fish, but Joe couldn't find any fish, so his mom gave some to him. Then Joe wondered if he could catch a big fish by himself. Guess what? He actually did! I bet you wouldn't think he would, but he did, as I told you. He actually caught a huge fish! He ate it for lunch. Mmmm, tasty. Then Joe wanted to go and see a movie. So he got to see a movie. After that, he went back to his igloo. He got there just in time, because a blizzard was starting. Then they cooked some nice warm fish cookies and milk. After that, the blizzard still hadn't stopped. They played a game called Sorry! and had a pillow fight. Maybe if he was really good, he could have some ice cream for extra dessert. He was really lucky because his mom, Mrs. Puffle, had some ice cream in their freezer and Joe got some cookie dough ice cream. Then Joe and his mom dressed up like princesses and Joe wore a really big, fat tutu. When they woke up the next morning, they wanted some more ice cream. When they got to the ice cream shop, Joe couldn't find his mom. He looked up, he looked down, he looked left, he looked right…still, NO MOM!!! But he did find an igloo nearby so he went in. A few minutes later, an Eskimo named Jack came in and asked where his mother was. Joe said, "I don't know!" So he told Jack what had happened. Jack went out to help and five minutes later, Jack came back to the igloo with Joe's mom. They ate their ice cream and lived happily ever after. 900 Acre Wood By Madolyn Age 10 Red Mesa, Colorado A long time ago, in the 900 acre wood, which is different from the 100 acre wood, there lived Zinnie-the-Rooh, Quiglet, Sabbit, Vigger, Langa and Too, Wowl and Feyeore (which, by the way, are all different from Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, Kanga and Roo, Owl and Eyeore) were all walking along the river that was next to the woods, which were very dark and had lots of scary boulders around it, when Too exclaimed, "Where is Feyeore?????" Everyone just shrugged and kept walking. Quiglet fell in the river and cried, "They got me! They got me!" "Who got you, dear?" asked a very confused Langa. "The evil swamp monsters that Wowl told me about that one night that I slept over at his house." "Oh man, listen. Those are just stories to make you scared," explained Wowl. "Apparently it scared pretty good," whispered Vigger to the rest of the gang, and they all nodded. "But, who could be pulling my foot?" Quiglet wailed. "I don't know but we better pull you out fast!" Zinnie said, wide-eyed. They pulled and pulled but Quiglet just wouldn't budge! After a while, one of the boulders moved. It brought it's head up slowly and said, "Do any of you know why my tail is moving and squirming?" It was Feyeore! "What are you doing here?" asked Too. He slowly sighed and said, "Well, I was walking along and my tail fell into the river. I've been trying to find it all day." Finally, Quiglet, with cheeks as red as blood, said, "Well, that certainly is the weirdest swamp monster I've ever seen!" "I'm the Mom Now!" Victoria and Rachel Age 10 and mom Mesa, Arizona One day the Jones family was sitting down to breakfast. At the table was: mom, dad, big brother David, little Cindy, and their dog Skeeter. "Cindy, please come to breakfast I made your favorite!", said mom. "No, I am not hungry! I want my bunny," said Cindy. "You need to be polite dear. Your bunny is here in the kitchen. Come on," said mom. "I don't like pancakes. I want cereal!" yelled Cindy. "Ok dear, here is Cheerios. Now please eat your breakfast and be polite." "I want more milk in my cereal! Where is my juice?" yelled Cindy. "Ok," said mom, "I do not know why you are yelling, but you need to calm down and be polite." "Mommy I am upset with you. I know how to be a better mommy. I am the mommy now!" said Cindy. Her mom thought about this for a minute. Her mom said, "Ok Cindy, if you think you are a better mom, then you can be the mom today. I will be your little girl." "Hooray!" said Cindy. "You will listen to me now!" "Just remember, " said her mom "moms work hard, are polite, and are always help their family." "I know. I know. I know." said Cindy. When Daddy left to go to work, David said, "Mom I want to go outside and play." Mom said, "Yeah I want to go outside and play too." Cindy said, "No one goes outside! No one!" "Why can't I go outside?" said David. "Because I am the mom and I said so!" said Cindy. "Just remember moms work hard, are polite, and always help their family." said mom. "I know. I know. I know." said Cindy. Later, David said, "Mom can I have some ice cream?" Mom said, "Yeah I want some ice cream too!" Cindy said, "No one eats ice cream. No one!" David said, "Why can't I have some ice cream?" "Because I am the mom and I said so!" said Cindy. "Just remember moms work hard, are polite, and always help their family." said mom. "I know. I know. I know." said Cindy. After dinner, dad said, "Hey let's watch a movie." David said, "Yeah let's watch a movie." Mom said, "Yeah let's watch a movie." What do you think Cindy said? Cindy said, "No one watches a movie. No one!" Dad said, "Cindy why can't we watch a movie?" "Because I am the mom and I said so!" said Cindy. "Just remember moms work hard, are polite, and always help their family." said mom. "I know. I know. I know." said Cindy. "Ok," said David, "you are not a very good mom. Our real mom lets us do stuff. We get to play outside, eat ice cream if we finish our lunch, and see a movie before we go to bed. I like our real mom better." Cindy got really sad for a minute. She ran up to her room. She stayed up there for one hour, 2 hours, and then 3 hours. Mom said, "Maybe we should go up and talk to her." David said, "Maybe we should go up and talk to her." Dad said, "Cindy will come down when she is ready." Finally, Cindy came downstairs. She said, "I'm sorry, I have not been a very good mommy. Of course you can play outside, eat ice cream, and watch a movie. Do you forgive me?" Her family looked at each other and then ran to Cindy and gave her a big hug. "Of course we forgive you," said her family. "Just promise you won't try to be our mom anymore." "I promise," said Cindy. The next day, Cindy came downstairs ready to go to school. When she got there her teacher told her go to sit in her chair. Cindy looked at her and said, "You know, Mrs. Koks, I know I am a better teacher…" Dragon and Princess' Apple Pie By Ruthi and Joshua Ages 5 and 8 Reno, NV Once upon a time, there were a pink dragon with green polka dots, and a peaceful princess who wanted a snack. A farmer gave them some wheat. First they tried tying one piece of the wheat around an apple. But when dragon tried to cook it, it caught fire and burned. Then they took the rest of their wheat and ground it into flour to make a piecrust. They put an apple inside. Dragon carefully baked it. And they had a warm apple pie. |
The Best Birthday Ever By Julianna Age 11 Reno, Nevada It was a cold breezy night in the middle of November; terrible day for a birthday. The only bad thing is it is was my birthday! I don't know how I will get through this day! My Grandma just called she can't make it, my BFF Samantha said her mom had a errand, my hamster named Tammy looks like my only company. I'll be bored today!!! It was about 2 hours later and I was sitting in my room quietly playing with Tammy waiting for my mom to return from the store. That's when the doorbell rang, so I sighed and got up to answer it so I went down stairs not remembering the fuzzy hamster in my arms. I peeked out the window in the door. No one was there so I started to head upstairs. Then the doorbell rang again! So I opened the door. You will never guess what I saw!!! It was my whole family; Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Mom, Dad, and last but surely not least was my loyal best friend Samantha, or as I call her, Sammy. I almost fainted, but then I saw a cake as big as a TV screen! I was so happy I thought I would explode! That's when everyone came in and we started to eat the cake and laughing along with Sammy's jokes. Tammy was even enjoying herself!!! "Thanks everyone", I said with a grin, "This truly is the best birthday ever!!" Lamp Mishap By Emily Age 10 Mr. Loungy, who was the richest man in town, was the least liked man in town. He was not happy like the rest of town because he was lonley. People would glare at him since his attitude affected every one else around him. When they did he would mockingly pull out his extravagant wallet with gold edges and thumb through his bills. "Jealous people'' he would murmur to himself. Quickly, he jogged to the store. ''I am here to pick up the lamp I ordered,'' he announced. "Oh yes I'll go get it.'' The shop keeper gave a sly smile. "Here is your antique lamp.'' Mr. Loungy left with the lamp not knowing that the shop keeper had switched the lamp with a wax one. When he left Mr. Loungy thought about how he should be liked and was feeling good about himself because he had bought an expensive lamp. He sat at home reading by his new lamp as it brightly shone. After a while his lamp started to melt. Mr. Loungy did not glance at it once. By the time he looked at it the lamp had completely melted. He left to get his money back but failed. Because he lost the lamp he realized how stubborn he had been and started to give. Nice Mice Who Don't Like Rice By Emma and Julianna Age 10 and 11 Reno, Nevada Once upon a time, three little mice were born. Their names were, Cherry, Walnut and Peach. The three petite mice lived in a cold, wet, and lifeless, hollow tree. As they were young, they were still on their own. On the cold day of November, 16th, the little mice were packing food for the winter. Walnut was getting inpatient of this constant packing. "I'm sick of this tree and this blasted forest!" yelled Walnut in grief. "If we don't pack," said Cherry, "We won't have any food!!!" "What about that house," exclaimed Peach, "It is food!" It was agreed, the mice would now live in this wonderful gingerbread house. A couple weeks later, they ran out of food. Peach was so hungry, she started to gnaw on the door of the delicious home. That moment, Cherry walked in. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?" screeched the horrified mouse. "This house isn't just shelter, it is also some meals!" Peach explained. "You're right!" said Cherry, "Lets go find our brother." For the next few weeks, Peach, Cherry, and Walnut, kept eating their home. But, on the sixth week, they devoured the last of the wonderful gingerbread house. They scoured and searched for new food, warmth, and shelter. Nothing was to be found. In a wonderful village in England, an old widow opened her home to the mice and told them, "You all should be ashamed! Your house was your home so now you will pay, your punishment price is that every day you will receive only rice!!!" The moral of the story is: Your house is your home it keeps you safe, you will learn to love it or else you will pay. At The Edge OF the Pond By Neha Age 9 Carrollton,Texas At the edge of The Pond, a frog lies still, In the mist and morning chill, At daybreak the sun rises high, And climbs up into the lofty sky, Soon the birds wake up from sleep, And wake me up with their cheeps. They scold me from my bed, "Wake up! Wake up! You sleepy head!" I rose up from my cozy bed, And dressed as dreamy thoughts left my head. I went outside and looked around, And I saw a robin on the ground. "Hello Mr. Robin". I said, He looked at me and then he fled. I looked and saw a butterfly flying high, Right up into the lofty sky. I went to the pond and what did I find? Fish and animals of every kind! All Because The Phone Rang By Daniela Age 10 East Brunswick, New Jersey Once a Teenager named Alex was doing his really hard homework in his room when the phone rang. He ran as fast as he could but slipped on his homework from the day before he had forgotten to give in. So he tumbled down the wooden stairs and bounced right out the window. "Ouch!" Alex screamed. He screamed so loud the neighbors were able to hear him. So they rushed to help him. When they came he was still rolling, rolling into the street. "Help me" Alex blurted out. He finally stopped rolling, and turned around. A stampede, he thought. "Oh these are people to help me," Alex said as they ran closer. Then they stopped right next to him and one young woman called the ambulance. When they came they put him on a stretcher. But the stretcher was a little to bouncy, so he bounced really high and flew all the way back to his house. "That was fun!" said Alex. "Again, Again, Again" screeched Alex. Peter Gets Sucked Right into a Game By Dante Age 8 San Jose, California There was a boy. His name was Peter Fastfingers Flanahan. He was in the 8th grade. He was fourteen. He loved playing his video game (F15 Wars). In fact one day he got sucked into it. He played it too much! When his eyes opened, he almost fainted! He was in an F15! He was getting ready to take OFF! He said, "I can't fly this for real!" They said, "Look at the dashboard." He looked at it. It wasn't a dashboard, it was the same kind of game he was playing. He was surprised. He said, "This is awesome!" He had never played/driven a real F15. They said, "Prepare yourself!" He did. There were sixteen seat belts! "Man this is going to be great," said Peter. "I can't wait," And then, without warning, he got slingshot off the deck of an aircraft carrier. He started playing. He looked at the screen. He saw three targets. He thought maybe… if he shot them he could get home… He shot one right smack in the middle! The airplane spoke and said, "TARGET ONE DESTROYED." "Yes!" said Peter. He saw another, but…it was surrounded by guns. They started shooting at him! He did a left, then a right. He went up, and then went down. He finally shot the target. The airplane said, "TARGET TWO DESTROYED." "Yes!" said Peter. And eventually he found the last target. It was also surrounded by guns AND cannons. Hatches started opening. One airplane flew out of each one. He destroyed the last target and as quick as a snap he returned home. The Modern Teenager By Millicent Age 14 Singapore The distressing rings of the phone screeches shrilly. Alas! The baby has awoken! But the parents are frantic. They search for the phone. Their ears are deafened to the cries of their beloved, the phone rings on, unnoticed... unnoticed by them, but catching the attention of a stranger, a stranger unwelcomed. A blonde girl with outrageous curls comes bounding into the house curiously, her hair a mess. No one spares her a glance. The baby wails stridently, the parents search fruitlessly. The girl sits on their chairs, breaks them all. The girl stares at their steaming porridge, eats them all. The girl sleeps in their beds, dirties them all. The parents come to their rooms, weary from their search. The baby is cradled in the mother's arms. It peers up, its livid eyes narrowed. Its bawling ceased, but the incessant ringing continues. The infant pulls out a silver device. The parents' look sharply as the baby clicks the trigger. The girl wakes with a start, her brown eyes round. Without hesitation, she, too, pulls her weapon. And lo and behold! Upon the startled stares of the onlookers, in her palm clasps a cell phone, still shivering with vibration. The girl angles it to show the message on the screen: GoLdiLOcKs iS mY nAmE, StEaLiN' uR StUfF iS mY gAmE. The baby looks daggers. It pulls its trigger and lets out a spurt of high-pressured water. The girl is flung out of the window by the force. She lands on her bottom, dazed, but she recovers quickly. She bolts away, away from the misshapen cottage, house of three wrathful beings. Ah, some call her the thief, the coward or the miscreant. But I, no. I call her the modern teenager. Annabelle the Great By Olivia Age 9 Los Gatos, California Once upon a time there was a fairy named Annabelle. She was one of the prettiest fairies in the world. Of course this was Cleo, the fairy planet. Everyone wanted Annabelle to be the fairy queen. They wanted her to be the fairy queen not because of her looks, but she was nice and sympathetic. She was also good at decision-making. Of course Annabelle did not want to be fairy queen. Annabelle was sixteen. All she wanted was to live a normal life without her dad embarrassing her. "Beat you to the fountain!" called Zena, Annabelle's best friend. "Says who?" yelled Annabelle. The two girls' wings flew wildly. Zena got a head start, but Annabelle was catching up! The race was close. Fiercer and fiercer the race was getting. There was a lot of bumping, and laughing, and screaming. Zena won! "Con-grats," said Annabelle kindly. "Rats," said Zena happily. The two girls started laughing. Two weeks later Annabelle was shopping at the wing accessory store with Zena. "Look at these cute wing covers," said Annabelle. "But look at this cute wing-a-lite," cried Zena happily. The next day Annabelle woke up to a loud scream. She jumped out of bed and looked out the window. There was a green icky monster! She quickly got dressed and flew out her window. Annabelle raced through town as fast as she could. Then Annabelle picked up a pole with all her might. "Charge!" she yelled as she took the pole and swung it at the monster. It hit the monster and knocked him unconscious. The crowd cheered for Annabelle. Annabelle was happy. She was a beloved hero to everyone in Cleo. She became the fairy queen and lived happily ever after. Silly Sickness By Joshua Age 8 Reno, NV Sunday I had blue dots. Monday I had green nose. Tuesday I had yellow lips. Wednesday I had purple hair. Thursday I had red ears. Friday I had pink hands. Saturday I had orange legs. And now I'm feeling fine!!! Big Green Gummy Fish By Joshua Age 8 Reno, NV Once upon a time, there was a big green gummy fish who was chasing a purple crab. The crab jumped into a rock. The fist tried to follow but got stuck, head-first, in the main entrance to the pink candy rock. The crab flew out a crack. And it said that that silly green gummy fish is still stuck there today. |
