PDS Writer's Choice Spring 2013 by Poughkeepsie Day School

TABLE OF CONTENTS “Stuck At Sea” by Eden Greene “I Don’t Stargaze.” By Adam Yachkouri 2-3 Haiku Art and Animal Reports “The Belted Kingfisher” by Ben Kalb “Belted Kingfisher” by Maya Beck “Blandings Turtle” by Julian Wood “Catfish” by Aidan Galler “Tasty Fishy” by Olivia Roelke “The Atlantic Sturgeon” by Bode Raffa “The Atlantic Sturgeon” by Kyle Johnston “The Muskrat” by Joanie Tripi-Vitali “The Muskrat” by Olive Smith-Quiana “Muskrat” by Riley Stutzman “The Great Blue Heron” by Ryanne Conde “The Great Blue Heron” by Lana Lieberman “American Coyote” by Samantha Impellizeri “The American Eel” by Milaura Eleazard “The American Bald Eagle” by Alexander Klybas “The North American Beaver” by Ayla Fish “The Osprey” by Elizabeth Cuite “The Harbor Seal” by Jackie Pyles “Spring Peeper” by Emily Carroll “River Otters” by Zsofia Markus “The Bald Eagle” by Dylan Baratta “Minecraft Comes to Life” by Julian Wiseman “Adventures” by Sam Swartz “The Laughing Zebra” by Elizabeth Ormiston “How to Swim” by Reagan Critz “Blue Jay” by Mola Meagher “Blue Jay” by Tucker Landsman “Blue Jay” by Abdul Kablaoui

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“A Visit to the Poughkeepsie Farm Project” by Matthew Seydi Pre-K Alphabet Pages “I” by Phoebe Slifstein “M” by Isabella Travis “Q” by Kaitlyn DeSiena “T” by Johnathan Schreiber “U” by Becky Sofer “Y” by Marlene Ludwig “Z” by Sasha Bernstein-Collins Kindergarten Stories “Snake Story” by Max Pyles “Rainbow Art” by Ainsley Smith “This is My Rainbow” by Dahlia Beck “Number Spider” by Avi Meyers “I Went to the Zoo” by Milo Lieberman “Heart” by Riley Werner “Silly Cat” by Delilah Lieberman “Red and Brown Ship” by Ryan Impellizeri “The Angry Birds Game” by Owin Cuite “The Monster and the Snake Collection” by Dideon Catlett “How Would Life Be Different If You Were A Bug” by Violet Stearn “Banana Monkeys” by Cole Turner “The Creeper” by Grant Soedler “Humanity” by Nachman Kaul-Seidman “The Living Legend” by Memphis Bernstein-Collins “The Temple of Athena” by Eden Bruening “The Hungry Games” by Lexi Kaminski and Zoe Slifstein “A Little Witch” by Emma Chenski “M&M’s Adventure (Part II)” by Sally Ball “Under the Magnolia Tree” by Nachman Kaul-Seidman “What is Hope?” by Gus Ball

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Stuck At Sea By: Eden Greene Until the Florida tide started going out everyone was having a great time on my Grandpa's boat. Eventually the water level dropped so far it was ankle deep. It wouldn't be easy getting home. The boat started up and we tried to go home but that didn’t happen. The boat got stuck in the sand. Now from pushing and pulling the boat out of the sand, pieces for the navigation under the boat started breaking off.

Emotions were all so different. People were scared of not getting home, trying to figure out what to do and mad this was happening. Then finally grabbing the radio we called up Sea-Tow. A boat towing company. Sea-Tow arrives to realize the water was too shallow to come over to our boat and pull it out of the sand and if they did their boat would get stuck as well.

Now it now was already 6 - 7:00. The sun is going down quickly. The only option was getting everything we could off the boat and walk about a mile to the Sea-Tow boat, and then come back out in the morning when the tide has come back in. That’s exactly what we did, but of course it couldn’t be that simple. We walked over to the boat but there were a few obstacles. There were some holes to be careful about, Some Conch and Conch shells to watch out for and some little crabs. Finally we got to the Sea-Tow boat. There were no stairs to get on. No ladder to get on so the captain/guy on the boat had to pull each of us up. When all of us got on the boat the captain said the only way to get back to your house (my Grandma and Grandpa’s house) before 11:00 is to go really fast. That’s what happened.

After about a half hour on the boat it was freezing and all I was wearing was a bikini bathing suit and a strapless cover up. Luckily there was a cute little dog that the captain had brought on the boat who was on my lap trying to keep me warm. That wasn’t enough though.

Now the captain just told us we had to go to his house first because he can’t drive the boat in the area where my Grandma and Grandpa live. My expression “UGGGGG!!!!” We went to his house but he had to drive us all back to my Grandma and Grandpa’s, but he couldn’t do that in one trip. His car wasn’t big enough. We then had to go in 2 trips. The first people to go were my Dad, My Grandma’s friend my Grandpa and me. When we got home my Grandpa got in his car went and went to pick up my Mom and Grandma. Then my Dad and me stayed home. It was a year ago but I still remember it. What a night.

I Don’t Stargaze. By Adam Yachkouri Chapter 1 A lot of questions. It’s dark in here; well I'm not one to argue with a new life. I mean I am being born as we speak. OHHH the light! I fell onto the ground. That hurt. What am I? I look at myself. Oh cool, a mountain lion. Wow I really should've been more careful with Ex. Well anyway, I should get back to Ben, Boomer and Brady. They’re probably worried. Oh, and Makayla. I like her. She’s nice. Well I’m gonna start my journey back. “AAAHHhhhhh..... why did you grab my back? Oh, yeah, you’re my mom. Well Mom, I'm moving out.” “GRRRrrrrrrr where are you going!?” “Ahhh, how can you talk!?” “Oh ya, that’s right, you’re a mountain lion too.” “Well I'm sorry to say but I'm leaving.” “What do you mean, you leave!?” “I have to go.” “NO YOU NOT! I COME TOO!!” “Urgghh, fine, but don't get in my way.” I started to tingle. A bunch of light swirled around me. My eyes shut and opened back up. I was in my bed. I was dreaming. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. I fell to the ground and I changed into a ram. “COOL! MY ZODIAC, THE RAM.” “I got to call Ben!” Adam: “Ben! guess what!” Ben: “What?” Adam: “Wait, what's your zodiac?” Ben: “Pisces, why? AAHHHHhhhhh. ADAM SOMETHING’S HAPPENING! I'M TURNING INTO....” Adam: ”Ben are you there, BEN!? Urrgghhh this is annoying. Well Ben here I come”.

I ran to Ben's house. Water was dripping from the roof. This can't be good. I have goosebumps. Dang, well this is scaring me a lot. I opened the door, well, charged at the door and ran in. I saw a giant serpent in his room. “Ben is that you?” “Ya, what's going on and why are you a ram?” “I don't know but I didn't know my zodiac was Taurus, I thought it was Leo the--AAAAAAAHhhhhhh IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!!!” The light flashed around me. I started to change into a lion. What? I thought I was Taurus, now I'm Leo. Hmm... there must be a book on this. TO THE LIBRARY! “Uhh Adam?” “Yeah, Ben?” “You know I doubt they're gonna let us in.” “No I have a membership, don't worry.” “Adam, you're a lion and I'm a serpent.” “Oh yeah, I forgot. Oh, and what happened with Brady and Boomer? Oh and what happened with Ex?” “I don't know. The author decided to not write an ending after he had to put the tab in to go to finish the rest of the story.” ”Oh well, hold on a second. HEY AUTHOR, WRITE THE ENDING TO IT!!!!!!!” Author: “Why, I'm still writing this one.” “JUST DO IT WOULD YA AND MAKE MAKAYLA HUMAN AGAIN!!!!!” Author: “Ok, fine.” “Ugh, writers these days.” “Well, hold on.” I concentrated really hard and I turned back into a human. “Hey, how did you do that?” said Ben. ”I concentrated really hard.” “Oh umm.” Ben did the same thing and now we were both human.

The Belted Kingfisher by Ben Kalb There are a lot of birds in the Hudson Valley. The belted kingfisher is a common sight along the river.

The belted kingfisher is kind of small and it has a big head and a white neck. Their color is orange, blue, gray,and white. It has a long bill that is used to swoop down and spear fish. They usually eat fish but also eat insects, small mammals sometimes berries, young birds and reptiles. They can be found near many bodies of water, like creeks, ponds, rivers, coves, and river banks where they can see prey. It perches on branches in trees over water. The female lays six or seven white eggs. They hatch from eggs. The nest burrow can be over six feet long in the two weeks after the female lays the eggs they will hatch birds are featherless blind and helpless. Their eyes will be closed for two weeks the parents takes care of them for four weeks.

The call of the belted kingfisher is called a rattle call. It might give you a headache. It can be very loud and annoying but it is still a very cool bird.

To hear the kingfisher call, go to: http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allaboutbirds.org%2Fguide%2Fbelted_kingfisher%2Fsounds&sa=D&sntz =1&usg=AFQjCNHw3k8HJFZokyhoLPGQZ0jAWU-CIw

Belted Kingfisher

image from Hanover Conservancy

By Maya Beck Have you ever wondered what the belted kingfisher looks like? The belted kingfisher’s length is 13.7 inches and their wingspan is 23.8 inches. It weighs only 5.28 oz. They have blue and white feathers on their bodies with a white dot in between their eyes and the underbelly is white. The females have a rusty band of feathers on their bellies. Its beak is made for catching food. It is very sharp and it is pointed like a sideways ‘V’. Belted kingfishers eat in an unusual way. They kill their prey with their talons and then they throw the prey up in the air and then eat it headfirst. Belted kingfishers eat a lot of fish such as suckers, sickle backs, perch, pike, They also eat butterflies, insects and berries. The belted kingfisher loves to live in different types of burrows. They can live along train tracks and roads but usually they live near exposed rivers or lakes to be near their prey. They lay their eggs in the burrows. Belted kingfishers breed in April and May. They have up 5 to 8 eggs. It takes 23 to 24 days for the eggs to hatch. When the babies are born they weigh 8 to 9 grams. When the baby belted kingfishers are born they screech. Belted kingfishers have a piercing rattle. They have very good eyesight. A lot of bird watchers love them.

Muskrat by Riley Stutzman

You may see a large variety of Hudson River animals but not any are as remarkable as the MUSKRAT.

Muskrats are a small animal, about twelve inches long all together with a tail length of 8-11 inches. Muskrats have blunt heads and small non-descript eyes and ears. Adult muskrats weigh between 2.5 and four pounds. Muskrats are covered with thick insulating brown fur. They paddle in the water with their partly webbed hind feet. Muskrats have to use these physical features to get their food.

Muskrats eat the roots, stems and leaves of cattails, pickerel weed, pond weeds, arrowheads, water lilies and other aquatic plants which are the mainstay of the diet.They find these foods close to their homes. They live in ponds, lakes and streams and may occur in brackish habitats but prefer wet marshlands for their homes. Muskrats give birth to 4-8 babies, called kits and can have up to three litters a year. After a gestation period of 25-30 days, the baby muskrats are born hairless. The kits are blind for the first two weeks of their lives, after which they venture out of the den for their first swim. Muskrats can live for up to three to five years. Muskrats are actually primarily nocturnal and semi aquatic.

Coyotes By Samantha Impellizeri

Smaller mammals have to look out for foxes and sometimes bears, but also the most vicious of all.........the Coyote!!!! Coyote’s look very similar to foxes. They usually weigh around 35 to 45 pounds. Their length with their tail is 4 to 5 feet across. Coyotes have sharp teeth, large ears and a bushy tail.They have very long legs and a dark eye color which is mostly brown. Their fur color is a blondish-red. A Coyotes sharp teeth help them find food. Coyotes are good eaters. They are very fast runners which help them attack their food. Coyotes eat almost anything.They eat fruit and berries.They also eat small mammals and insects. Some small mammals that they eat, include rabbits and mice. Coyotes like to travel a lot which helps them look for their food.

You can find Coyotes in many different places.They are often found in deserts or the plains.They live in Central America, North America, including Alaska, and in the Hudson Valley area. Coyotes also live near people. They are very territorial animals. Do you ever wonder what a Coyote’s life cycle is like? Coyote parents play together after the female has chosen her mate. They do this during winter. Baby Coyotes are called pups and are born alive looking small and helpless. The pup’s nose looks big compared to the rest of its face. The mother usually has about six pups at a time. When the pups are three weeks old, they begin to leave the den looking like miniature bears. Coyotes live as a family unit like people.

A Coyoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proper name is Canis Latran. When a coyote and a wild dog mate, they become coydogs. A coydog gives birth at a time of the year when the pups cannot possibly survive. Coyotes are very interesting animals. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The American Eel

image by Ellen Edmonson and Hugh Chrisp

By Milaura Eleazard Have you ever seen a fish that looks like a snake? If you have youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve probably found an eel. Baby eels look like clear pieces of tape. When they get a little older they look like pieces of clear spaghetti. Only their eyes and their red gills can be seen. When eels are elvers they are green, brown and yellow. When eels are 10 years old their eyes grow larger and turn silver. Eels have sharp teeth that they can use when eating. Did you ever wonder what eels eat? Large adult eels grab big pieces of meat with their teeth. Then they spin their bodies to tear off the meat. Eels also eat eggs, small fish and snails. Eels find all their food in the water where they live. In fresh water the eel eats freshwater creatures but in the Sargasso Sea the eel eats salt water creatures. When tiny eels are born most of them swim from saltwater to the Hudson River or other freshwater in New York. But some eels stay in salty water, marshes or bays. After one year of swimming from the Sargasso Sea the young eels reach the Hudson River. At this part of their life cycle they are called elvers. Elvers live in the Hudson River for a decade or more.There they grow into adult eels. When eels are adults they go back to the Sargasso Sea where they were born and they spawn, or lay their eggs, and die. There are two special things about the eel. One is that while other fish are breeding in the spring, the eel is swimming to the Hudson River to live its life. Second, eels use their skin to breathe instead of lungs but they still have gills. That was my report.

Spring Peeper

By Emily Carroll Spring peepers got their name because they peep at the beginning of spring. Frogs in general have long, powerful jumping legs. They have teeth in their upper jaws and a long tongue. The spring peeper is brown or tan in color with dark lines that form an ‘X’ on its back. They weigh up to about a pound and the spring peeper’s length is about one and a half inches. They have large toe pads for climbing although they live mostly on the ground. Spring peepers have a long sticky tongue to catch bugs. The spring peeper eats bugs such as beetles, ants, flies and spiders. Spring peepers eat meat and have to live near rivers, creeks and marshes to get fish meat. Spring peepers live in northern and eastern areas of Canada and the United States of America. They are found in wooded grassy areas near swamps and ponds. Spring peepers hibernate in trees during the cold weather. Spring peepers have a five stage life cycle. Spring peepers mate and lay their eggs one at a time in water and the eggs hatch 3 to 5 days later. The frog spends the rest of the year in the forest. Their eggs hatch as tadpoles and then they turn into froglets after 40 days. Eventually they turn into an adult frog. The spring peeper is such a small frog that many people don’t even see it. It is the size of a paper clip. But you can hear it. The spring peeper’s call is very high pitched and can be heard at night in the beginning of spring.

The Bald Eagle By Dylan Baratta Physical Characteristics

The bald eagle is a really big bird. The body feathers are brown.The eagle has a curved yellow bill which helps it break its food into pieces. They have sharp talons on their feet. Their wings can span up to seven feet or less. On the head it has large, sharp eyes which are always scowling. The eagleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sharp eyes help it look for food. Food

The bald eagle is a fish eagle which means it eats a lot of fish. They also eat meat such as reptiles and small mammals. They are predators and when there are no fish in winter they hunt ducks and other water birds. When the eagle hunts it uses its sharp eyes to see its prey. Then, they catch their prey with their sharp talons and tear it apart to eat it.

Habitat

The bald eagle lives mainly in North America. Eagles build their nests in early spring. They build their nests out of branches and sticks. They build them on tall trees and cliffs. Sometimes pairs of eagles re-use old nests just adding more sticks. Male eagles collect sticks and the female uses them to build with. Their nests are eight feet across and weigh a ton. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as big as my pool. Life Cycle

The bald eagle breeds at 4-5 years old and they have the same mate for life. Two to three eggs are laid. They are white with brown spots. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs. When the eagle babies hatch they get out of their eggs with an egg tooth. The tooth falls off later. The mother keeps the babies safe and the father does the hunting. If there is enough food, three or four babies can survive. But if there is not enough food then only one usually survives. At first the babies exercise in the nest. They flap their wings and fall down back in the nest. At 2-3 months old the eaglets start hunting live food in their nests. Then at 3-4 months old they start flying and hunting with their mom and dad. At 4-5 months the eagles go hunting on their own and find their own food. They also go to their own territory. The bald eagle can live up to twenty years. The bald eagle is the largest and strongest bird predator on earth. They can sometimes be seen flying above the Hudson River probably looking for fish.

Minecraft Comes To Life By Julian Wiseman Chapter 1 Well, let’s start with this is not a regular story. It’s not greek myth. It’s not non-fiction. Its not sci-fi. It’s more fiction than anything. Ok, I know you are thinking, all this guy is doing is going on and on and on. So let’s just get to the point. I woke up in bed this morning at 3AM. I went downstairs to go play minecraft. Minecraft is a video game that personally I think it’s the best videogame ever. As I went downstairs, I remembered how my dad told me if you do something too much you become it. I got to the computer and started playing. It seemed like hours before my mom came downstairs. She seemed not to notice me. She walked in and sat on me but I didn't feel her weight on me. Then it felt like I was falling asleep. Let’s just say I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up I was not in my house. I was in the middle of a forest made of blocks. It looked like it was minecraft. I was a bit confused at first....then it all made sense. I remembered my dad saying if you do too much of something you become it. I was in minecraft. I decided that this would be a once in a lifetime chance so I took advantage of the fact that I was in minecraft. I thought it would be fun but I was mistaken. I started collecting wood. I got one wood and crafted a crafting table. I got a few more wood and

made a wood set of tools. Sword, pick, shovel, ax and hoe. I got some more wood and then I went to find a place to build my house. I went to the top of a mountain to look for a place to build. Then I saw a village! I sprinted down to the village I got to the village and it was huge! I went looking for the blacksmith's house. Inside was a chest. In the chest were iron boots, 2 diamonds and 4 gold. I thought it was a pretty good find so I got all the loot and started to build a house. I chose a spot near the priest’s chapel and started to build. It was slow-going but after an hour or so I finished. It wasn’t anything too fancy and not too under quality. It was a two-story house made of oak wood with a spiral roof and a bedroom, a living room and a bathroom. I’ll probably build more on it but I think it’s good for now. It was getting dark so I quickly killed some sheep and made a bed. Then I went up to my bedroom and placed my bed. I got in bed and tried to go to sleep. At first I couldn't get to sleep but eventually I got to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night. I heard zombie noises coming from downstairs. I went downstairs and there was a zombie! It must have broken the door down so I quickly rushed up stairs and crafted a wooden sword. I went down and started to fight the zombie. It was really easy so I won with only five hits. I placed back the door and went back to bed. I woke up and decided I would go mining. I found a place to start and I started mining. (to be continued….)

ADVENTURES By Sam Swartz

There once was a boy named Link. He was wandering in the forest one day. He found a cave for the night because he got lost. But in the cave he found the Sword of Legends. He had heard stories about the sword and then Link gave it a pull and then he knew what he must do. Then he was unexpectedly transported to the Creeper Castle.

Then the Creepers sensed some disturbances. Then they told the Ultimate Vampire Creeper Boss. Then he sent his army to defeat Link. Then Link performed the ultra slash. It cut through all the creepers at once and he made it into the castle.

Then Link made it to the castle of the Creeper Boss. He had to fight more than one creeper till he made it to the Ultimate Creeper Boss Vampire Boss. They were transported to the Ultimate Vampire Creeper Bossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s battle arena. Then the battle commenced.

Then they started to battle. Link charged at him but it did no damage, all because the creeper boss had a force field around him. But after a few slashes, the sword transformed into the skyland daggers. Link threw the daggers in the air and hit the Creeper Boss on the top of his head and killed him. Then one of the creepers hit the castle's self-destruction button.

Then the Sword of Legends transformed into an Enderbike that shoots out Mini-Ender Dragon Guards that are invisible. Then Link was on his way to the Blasie Castle to fight the legendary Blasie Boss and get something called the Dinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fire to make his sword now have magic blue flames on it.

Then Link made it to Blasie Castle. The Blasie body guards looked strong but Llink was stronger. Link slashed but they did not budge at all. Then link used the Panlong strike. The Panlong was an ancient dragon. The scrolls say that the Panlong strike was only

able to be used by the chosen one. The Panlong strike made the Blasie guards explode. Then Link got into a chamber. He needed to defeat the Enderman to get to the boss in the next chamber. In the chamber was an Enderman. They are one of the sacred body guards of the Blasie Boss. He used the skyland daggers. They hurt a little. Then he found a flame position, which made his sword on fire. Then he slashed the Enderman to his DOOM. Then the Enderman turned into a key that could open the door. Then he met the Blasie Boss. Link went to slash the Blasie Boss and no damage was taken. DUN DUN DUN! Then Link shot the skyland daggers but they did nothing. Then the sword was glowing and it summoned the legendary sea serpent, Sebi. The legendary serpent paralyzed the Blasie Boss and killed him.

Then Link found the legendary item, the Blasie Bow, the fire bow that shoots fiery arrows. Then sea serpent Sebi introduced Link to his friend, Tyranitar Tucker. Tucker and sea serpent Sebi wanted to come and follow on Linkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey and Link said yes and then they were their way to the next temple to battle the Stone Golem-- to battle for the legendary diamond pickaxe. So they were trying to find the sacred grove to unlock the path to the sacred grove. Then he found the sacred grove of the diamond pickaxe. Then they found a room full to the top of Endermen. Then sea serpent Sebi used an aqua-sapphire bomb and made a path through the Endermen and escaped. Then in the next room he found a chest with the diamond pickaxe. He found another door with the Stone Golem in it. Let the battle begin.

Then when Tyranitar Tucker saw Link was hurt, he charged and smashed the Stone Golem into the wall. And it broke up into thousands of bits of stones. Then the temple was self-destructing. Then the sword transformed into the Enderbike and Tyranitar Tucker road out on sea serpent Sebi, and they got out just in time. Then sea serpent Sebi made a indestructible house. Then a mythic pokemon called Keldeo appeared and swore on his life to protect Link. Then we lived in the house happily ever after. For nowâ&#x20AC;Ś

The Laughing Zebra by Elizabeth Ormiston

Once there was a laughing zebra and he could not stop laughing. The end. Or is it?? Hahahahahahahahahahahah ahahaha!!!!

Phoebe Slifstein

Snake Story by Max Pyles Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the snake. It hisses so loud that it makes a tornado. The tornado sucks up the snake and puts it down in Africa. There is also a talking cactus. It fights with the tornado and makes the tornado lure the snake back to its right place. The end.

RED AND BROWN SHIP Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about a ship. This is a ship that broke down. And the smaller ship is trying to save the bigger ship.

By Owin Cuite This is a game you can get on your ipod and ipad. You can play it. You have to shoot a sling shot that has the bird at the pig.

The Banana Monkeys by Cole Turner

Yes, I am creating a narrative with my close encounter with dangerous monkeys. WOW! Oh, I’m sorry. I go crazy at random times after my traumatizing moment with monkeys. These monkeys tend to eat things. Can you guess what they eat? If you guessed bananas you’re right. HAHA, actually you are wrong. They eat chocolate muffins with cheese. Now when you ever eat spaghetti and grass balls, they will hide in it and scare you to your recycling bin. And you will eat the recycled paper because you're scared. What? You say you don’t eat grass balls. Then they will hide in your rotten brown cabbage and scare you to your recycling bin (yeah you have heard it before). What? You don’t eat moldy brown cabbage??? Wow, what am I? A hobo??? Actually I am (Cry Cry Sad Sad). These monkeys are horrifying they tell....... JOKES AAAAAAHHHHHH. Oh, they poison worms too. One time I was just gonna eat a worm and then the worm was like, “Dude, don’t eat me.” And I was like, “Too bad, Dude.” And he was like, “ Man, I’m Poisonous”. I stared at him........................... Then I threw him on the roof of a house. He was like, “Dude, get me down from here.” I was like, “I don’t think so.” I stomped away after that.

Then a monkey jumped on me and I almost had a heart attack. I ran screaming into a library and I jumped on the cashier and yelled, “Get it off me!”

Now think about it from the point of view of a person in the library. A hobo with a monkey on his head comes running into the library screaming a high pitched scream like a little girl. Then he jumped on a cashier and yelled get it off!!! But that doesn’t matter. That is the end of my narrative.

Oh, the worm eventually got off that ceiling. One day I woke up and the worm was like “I got down, dude!” And I was like “You stink, dude.”

And he started dancing on my face and then I threw him on a roof and he was like “Dude, get me down,” and I was like, “No way, dude.” THE END

The Creeper by Grant Soedler

I was in a village, in which I had a house, I saw a creeper, and followed it, quiet as a mouse. I followed the creeper on a gravel floor, And cried “Oh No!” as it went through my house’s front door. I killed the creeper with fire, so it wouldn’t destroy my house for it’s sire.

(Herobrine) creeper

me (with gold sword and armor

zombie herobrine Later, when I went to craft a bed a night, I looked outside, and saw a creeper!, which gave me quite a fright! Shaking with fear, I went to craft my bed, Realizing I had no wood, I said, “Oh dread!” I got three wood, and finished my bed, I looked outside the window, and saw a zombie’s head! I broke the window, and jumped outside, I killed the zombie, and said to it: “good bye!” I drew my bow, ready to fire, So the creeper would not kill me for it’s sire. (Herobrine) I turned the corner, ready to confront it face-to-face, But the creeper had vanished!, without a trace!

Humanity

We, humans, are filled with so much pride from our achievements, thinking that our discoveries and accomplishments cannot be bettered until they are, Yet we have only discovered a fraction of the knowledge in the great archives of the universe So much and yet so little.

We, humans, think ourselves so kind, so aware, so considerate, so intelligent, Yet, we humans, wage such brutal wars over land and wealth and power With the maturity of infants, yet the might of giants.

And still we are so sure of our greatness, like a lion ruling its kingdom before a hunter comes.

The Living Legend by Memphis Bernstein Collins 12 year old Mark was playing video games when the doorbell rang. Hello my my name is Mr. Narrator and I’m going to tell you a story-- no it’s not about penguins now stop talking Tina, it’s about gods. No not the god of penguins. Stop talking, Tina, you know what, I’m just gonna start telling my story. So where was I? Oh yeah, so Mark was playing video games when the doorbell rang. He came down, opened the door and there was a package. STOP TALKING, Tina. It was not a penguin. What it was was a book, from his traveling grandfather. In the note on the book he wrote: Dear Mark, Right now I am in Greece about to meet your mother there. I hope you like the present I got you From Grandpa Bill P.S. Your mom actually picked the presents out. Mark felt all jittery. Grandpa was going to meet his mother! He hadn’t even gotten a note from her so much seen her. “Lucky” he thought. Then he looked for the presents. What he found first was awesome; it was a.... NO IT WAS NOT A FREAKIN’ PENGUIN!! NOW STOP TALKING, TINA!!!!!!!! It was a knife. NO TINA!!! THE KNIFE WAS NOT TO CUT OPEN THE BOX WITH A PENGUIN IN IT. IT DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A PENGUIN IN IT!!!!! NOW SHUT IT!!!!!! It had something etched on it. NO, THE ETCHING WAS NOT A PENGUIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was an owl and next to it was a-- NO TINA, IT WAS NOT A PENGUIN!!!! CAN SHE PLEASE LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??!?!?!? PLEASE I BEG OF YOU. What it was was a olive branch. He wondered what it meant so he made a sandwich (it helped him think) and looked at the knife. It kinda looked like a throwing knife. Then it dropped, “Eeeeeeek!” he screamed. He pulled his foot away just in time to his relief. The knife broke on the floor but not like in half but split into like a dozen different knifes. Then the knives picked themselves up and arranged themselves and formed into the shape of a-- I’M JUST NOT GONNA TALK......TO YOU. I’M JUST GONNA CLARIFY THAT I, MR. NARRATOR, WILL NOT TALK TO TINA. THAT’S YOU, TINA. It formed the shape of a owl. This, he thought, was very weird, so he decided to put them away and look at them later. He thought about telling his dad but he remembered that he had gone shopping. Then Mark heard a knock. When he opened the door it was a-- NOT A PENGUIN. YOU KNOW I DON’T LIKE PENGUINS AT ALL. BE QUIET.

Now, back to the story. When Mark opened the door he saw a man with a black coat, black pants and black sunglasses, but what was most interesting was that he had no hair on his body and he only had one eye. “AHHHHHH!” Mark screamed as he slammed the door. “Uhhhhhh,” the man groaned and broke the door down. “AHHHHHH!” Mark screamed (again). “It’s a--” TINA, IT WAS NOT A PENGUIN! NOT A EMPEROR PENGUIN, NOT A MACARONI PENGUIN, NOT A KING PENGUIN, AND DEFINITELY NOT A BLUE FOOT PENGUIN, SO BE QUIET, TINA. BE QUIET BE QUIET BE QUIET! IT WAS A CYCLOPS, NOT A PENGUIN. OK, SO BEEE QUIET. I’m sorry folks. It is just that Tina the Hippo is being annoying. Oh, and by the way, I am a penguin-- a blue foot penguin to be exact. So the man-cyclops came crashing through the door... To be continued...............

In the Temple of Athena By Eden Bruening Chapter 1: Percy

Hi Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Percy Jackson. You might have read some of my other books. But let me tell you this is the most exciting. I am telling you right now, if you are not a demigod do not read in farther. It is dangerous for you-- like seriously, it is really dangerous. Now on to the story. Oh, I forgot to tell you-- me and Annabeth got a new quest yesterday and want to know what is in the Temple of Athena. Annabeth is so excited. Oh Annabeth will be so excited. I got something for her that is made out of gold. It is really pretty. I got it from someone on the side of the road. She claims it is Greek and it has a lot of magic powers.

Ok, getting back to the story. I am going to meet Annabeth by the water. She wants to talk about instructions and what we should do when we get there. By the way, something is waiting there for us. We do not know what it is. It is soooo creepy.

To be continued....

The Hungry Games By: Zoe Slifstein and Lexi Kaminski

Chapter 1 (The Eating) It’s 7:00. The Eating is happening in 2 hours. I can’t wait.The Eating is when they draw your name from a glass bucket. The hungry games are amazing. It’s an all you can eat dessert buffet! Donuts, Kit Kat, candy and more! Everything you can imagine. Every kid is eager to fill their starving bellies with yummy foods. The kid last year from district 1 won. He got all the donuts and Kit Kats. He won because he distracted the other 24 opponents with fake pastries. My name is Kit-Katniss Evergreen, but people call me KitKat for short. If you're wondering why, it’s because I am obsessed with Kit Kats. I am always chomping at the Kit Kat. “Kit-Katniss come here,” said my mom. Time to get ready for the Eating. Oh yah! The Eating. I took a shower, then I braided my hair, and last of all put on the dress that my mother put out for me. Then I put on my head band that looked like a Kit Kat. My sister was scared, she didn't want to get fat. She had so many dreams about get her name picked for the eating. I told her her name was only in glass bowl 1 time, she wouldn’t get picked. “Oh stop saying you’re going to be fat, you won’t get picked,” I told her. “Oh Kit-Katniss , I am scared,” said my sister Candy Apple Everdeen. “Don’t be,” I told her. We walked down downtown to the eating. After we got a piece of candy the boys split from the girls. Then they showed a video about candy land. My best friend, Twix knew the video words by heart. He mouthed to me, “Candy wonderful Candy.” I laughed and laughed. I laughed so hard, and everybody heard me. Then the girl who picked the names went up to the stage made of twizzlers. Her name was Chocolate Trinket. She said, “Ladies first,” and picked out a fortune cookie. She opened up the cookie and ate it. Then she looked at the fortune. And said, “Candy Apple Evergreen. Candy Apple looked at me. She looked at Chocolate Trinket and yelled, “I DON’T WANT TO GET FAT!!!!” Everyone stared at her for at least 1 hour, maybe even longer...! Then Chocolate Trinket said, “Ok, now get your soon to be fat butt up here.” I thought about Candy Apple. I thought about how much I loved Kit-Katniss.

I said, “I’ll do it.” I skipped up to stage and said, “Hello everybody, my name is KitKatniss Evergreen. I’m ready to eat until i'm 1,000 pounds.” I knew I couldn't win though. There were cookie monsters. They trained from when they were born to win the hungry games. They always win. Next it was time to pick the boys. Chocolate Trinket went to the boys fortune cookie bucket. She mixed her hand around in the big glass bucket. Finally she took her hand out, carrying one lucky person’s name. She cracked the cookie, ate the cookie, and unfolded the name. “Pop Rocks Malark.” Pop Rocks stepped onto the twizzlers stage. He had a facial expression of shock and sadness. I had the same feeling as Pop Rocks. A fatal memory came back to me. My family was starving. It was raining outside. I was leaning on a tree and I saw Pop Rocks. He was giving his pigs Kit Kats. I saw the Kit Kats, and I ran toward the pigs. I splashed in their mud puddle, took all the Kit Kats and ran. Then his mom came out and slapped him for letting me get them. I ran away and brought them to my family. But then didn’t didn’t matter; now matters. Right now I'm really hungry and I’m ready to EAT!

To be continued...

by Emma Sophia Chenski-- Age 8 December 2012 Chapter One -- Witch and Wizard One night a little girl, only the age of ten, lay still in her bed. She was wondering what her life would be like next year. She did not know how much her life would change when she turned eleven years old. She was a little witch and did not even know it! She could always do special things, like making glass break without it shattering. She thought it was magic, but then she thought to herself magic is not real, is it? The little girl’s name was Lily. When Lily turned 11 she found out the truth -- she was a witch!! She met two little kids -- TJ and Dandelion. Lily was so happy to meet them! They were both 11, like Lily. They all went to the same British magic school. They had to get sorted into a house. They all got put in the same house -- the Lions! There was a great feast after the sorting. TJ was too full to eat the next day! The first class Lily attended was Charms class, and Lily was so happy. She had never done magic. TJ was so happy too. They were all ready to learn charms. During the first class, they all learned how to make things float. After, they went to have lunch. TJ made Lily float. It was fun to Lily, but Dandelion was perfect at making things float. TJ called Dandelion a neat nick. She was not happy about that. TJ and Dandelion did not talk with each other after that. But Lily told Dandelion to stop before Dandelion could throw her lunch at TJ! At 2:00 pm, they went to the green house. Dandelion was not so good, but Lily…… she was perfect at herbology! TJ did not call Lily a neat nick because he was in LOVE with Lily! Dandelion was in a bad mood because of that. Dandelion loved TJ. It was hard to believe when Dandelion told TJ-- after all they were mad at each other. But when TJ told Lily, Lily was not upset. But Dandelion was upset. She was so sad that she did not come to diner! TJ did not want to be mean but Lily was really nice. Dandelion did come to charms class, but she made Lily float. It was not fun. Dandelion put Lily upside down. Lily felt like she was going to be sick. Dandelion said that it was on accident but it was not on accident. Now Lily had to go up to the nurse to make her stop throwing up. When Lily got up to the nurse she was a wreck! Her dress was torn, her face was covered with dirt. Then she said, “What happened to you?”

Lily told her she got tossed upside down by a first year named Dandelion. The nurse said. “No! Dandelion is the best at making things float. She could not have made you float because you’re her best friend, right?” “No, she put me upside down and said it was an accident.” “Well if you ask me it was not an accident,” said the nurse. “If I were you I would go up to her room and ask what’s wrong; that’s what best friends do -- they say what’s wrong when their friends do something wrong.” The next day Lily felt a lot better and Dandelion said sorry that she put Lily upside down. Dandelion also said that she could not control her anger, and Lily said it was ok. But TJ, he was madder than ever. He even screamed at Dandelion. She ran crying out of the room, and Lily went after her. You can imagine what Lily said to TJ. She said a lot of hurtful things to TJ. Lily was now angry at TJ. TJ was now even angrier at everybody he met. When the teacher came up to him, TJ lost five points from the Lions and almost lost ten if he yelled at the teacher one more time. TJ was soon going to go to History of Magic, and he had to calm down soon. If they lost more points, they would lose the house cup. The Sea Serpents had won the cup for the last ten years, and the Lions wanted to win the cup this year. So they had to get points, not lose them. Lily said to TJ it was hard because Sea Serpent was the mean house, and TJ was the only lion in History of Magic class. It was a long hour for TJ, but it was ok because their teacher was nice and TJ got B+. That was a long test. Finally TJ could sit down by the fire with his friends. Lily had said sorry and Dandelion had said sorry for not talking much. TJ was happy. It was a long time since he got a B+, and that was a little sad, but worth it because he was with his friends and Lily and Dandelion had signed up for History of Magic. Lily was getting better at Charms. And Lily was almost as good as Dandelion. Dandelion did not say that you have to do this or you have to do that to Lily, because they were best friends. That night Dandelion heard a crash and woke up and screamed. It was a thief robbing Dandelion and Lily. Lily got out of bed and said …… “Professor Numbledor!” To read the rest of “A Little Witch” by Emma Chenski, click here.

M&M’s Adventure Part II By Sally The screen door slams. “WE WANT COCOA MOM!!!! WHERE IS OUR COCOA,” five bellowing voices scream in unison. “I’m sorry kids, but we’re out of marshmallows. Too much cocoa isn’t good for you anyway,” the big one replies softly. “DARNITTTTTT!!!!!” all 5 say unison again. They are so bummed, they take all their snow gear off right on the spot and go to their rooms without being asked. Later that day, the big one which we are assuming is the so called “mom”, (whatever that is), takes us out through the freezing cold and puts us next to a long black slab with a yellow line going through it. “What the heck is that?” I think. Anyway, we all pitch in to help make a small hole going through both the bags so we can escape. It’s no use. Right as we are about to give up hope, we hear a voice. It’s familiar to me but no one else. The other marshmallows don’t really like Bruda. She’s saying, “Hey y’all! wassup y’all! Yo, anyone here? M&M, my man?” she says in her accent (told ‘ya I’d know that accent anywhere!) “Bruda?” I reply in my loudest and clearest voice. “Heeeeyyy!!!!! It is you!! I tried to follow you but a snow flurry blurred my vision so I wasn’t sure it was you!!! But it is!!! Yo y’all, remain calm. I’m gonna cut y’all out. I got a machete. Scoochies y’alls’ butts to the back. Don’t want to slice ya’.” “Gosh,” I think. “Alright guys, you heard her. Scooch those puffy bootys!” No one moved. “NOW!” Everyone squishes, squashes and squeezes to the back. I could get good at this, I think. Soon all we can see is a bright white light-- and no, Bruda did not slice all of us so that we were going to heaven. It was just the winter sun.

“We’re free!!!!! FRREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!” we chant. We roll around in the snow, and throw little tiny marshmallow-sized snowballs. Since we are white, we blend in perfectly so if one of the demons is looking out his or her window, they would have no idea. “This is the life,” I think. Just then, I see something. I think it’s gray. At first, I’m sure it’s just my imagination. But then I see it again. It is gray, the color of soot. Then I hear a voice “Hallo?! Anybody home?!?” The voice is cranky, yet kind. Rough, yet soft. Oh, and I almost forgot! It is O-L-D old. First, I see the beard. Then, I see the face. Then, I start to squint but realize I don’t need to and see a slightly tanned body. “Guys guys guys guys GUYS!!” I scream, “It’s a C.O.!!! (C.O. stands for Cocoa Occupier. Duh.) We all bow in respect. “Stand up you naked whippersnappers!!!!” The old marshmallow says. “Excuse me?!?” I reply, offended. Bruda starts to take out her machete. “Oh no you don’t you crabby shananagan. You want some of this? Huh?!?!?!?!! HUH?!?!?!?!?” She’s about to charge when I put my arm out to stop her. (Thankfully.) The C.O. replies confidently, “Whoooaaahh there, you know what, I’m going to call you crazy accent dude.....!” By now I think Bruda is going to break my arm. I literally see red smoke coming out of her ears. She breaks free. She is two feet away from the elder when he suddenly pulls out a staff with a glowing blue light-- shining like a crystal. Anyway, so he pulls out the staff and zaps Bruda. She is lying on the cold snow-covered ground when the elder says, “Eh she’ll be fine, she’ll just be unconscious for about a, uhh, well I don’t know. A little while.”

Under the Magnolia Tree by Nachman Shridhar Kaul-Seidman

Brisk, light wind, Cut by low branches, Dull, alone, yet sport their own splendor.

Dancing shadows, under, A hint in the air, above.

Spirits fly, Jumping limbs, Jumping words, Flying together,

Elaborate, low, weaving together A small sound, piercing, A small stirring, The beginning.

Slowly emerging Falling, early, late Bursting Before the climax

Pink white lanterns, Floating low, Alone.

WHAT IS HOPE? By Gus Ball

Hope is being in a hole, knowing that you can get out.

Hope is disappointment, knowing you can get satisfaction.

Hope is being in darkness, Knowing you can find the light.

Hope is being at the start, Knowing you can finish.

Hope is failing and failing again, Knowing you can get it right.

Hope is taking the first step, Knowing that you can take the last.

Hope is being at the bottom, Knowing you can get to the top.

Hope is not giving up, Knowing that if you do, doubt will take you for itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own.