Kids in Print (2024)

CONTRIB UTORS

Arrington, Keila 8

Besley, Jackson Inside Back Cover

Billingsley, Evy 32

Boyes, Emma 35 Caldwell, Christina 27 Chen, Kaylee 26

Chen, Lillian 6, 19

Cheng, Arthur 39

Cheng, Jacqueline 33

Childs, Simone 16

Crutchfield, Lennox 2 Daniels, Memphis 23

Gatson, Nicholas 15

Brielle

Sabrina 25 Whitelaw, Haley 10, 29 Whitted, Naima Back Cover

Fungi in the Sky

Soleil Johnson | Age 11

The Adventures of Lennox Vol. 1 | My Principal is a Dragon!

“Did I see what I think I saw?! Principal Joe is a…..DRAGON?! I HAVE to go and tell Sev and Monica!” As soon as the coast was clear, I ran at FULL speed to go tell them. Sev and Monica were kind of far away so when I got to them I was out of breath! “G..g..g..whew..GUYS! You won’t believe what I just saw.”

“What?” They both said. “Principal Joe is a dragon!” I said.

Sev and Monica looked at each other in disbelief. Sev said, “What?” “Not true,” said Monica.

“Oh it is and I’ll prove it!”

“And how will you do that??” Monica asked.

Then I came up with a brilliant plan and said, “Maybe we can follow Principal Joe home after school!”

“How are we going to do that?!” Sev said.

“Lennox, WE’RE ONLY TEN!” Monica yells.

“Principal Joe walks to school and home everyday. We’re going to follow him! But not too close, we don’t want him to spit fire on us!” Monica and Sev look at each other and shake their heads.

End of day, the bell rings. RIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG I run over to Monica and Sev faster than Sonic the Hedgehog. “You guys read for our secret mission?”

“Not really,” they both said.

Then Monica said, “What if he IS a dragon? What are we going to do about it?”

“That’s why I’m going to take pictures! I’m going to post it on TikTok so everyone can see it.”

“Don’t you think we should tell the police??” Sev asked.

“Yes, that’s what I meant…Let’s stop wasting time. Principal Joe is already walking out of the building. Let’s go before we miss our chance!” As we were walking, out of nowhere Principal Joe tripped, fell and bumped his head. As he fell, his dragon tail was exposed!

“OH MY GOODNESS! Lennox, you were right! He IS a dragon!” Monica said.

“I told you! I told you! I told you! Monica…Sev, you two stay back. I’m going to get pictures. Sev, call the police. Monica, call animal control. We have a dragon on the loose!”

Then all of a sudden, a big jet comes out of the sky and swoops Principal Joe off the ground. Out of nowhere, a tall man comes out in a black uniform and said, “Lennox, how would you like to be part of our special team tracking down people like Principal Joe?”

“People like Principal Joe? Wait! There’s more like him?!”

“Yup, you tracked him down so easily. We’ve been watching you and you will be a great fit. What do you say?”

“Let’s do it!” I replied.

The man said, “We will see you later to give you more missions. Sound good, Lennox?”

“Sounds good!”

The man, the jet and Principal Joe all disappeared into thin air. “Mom and Dad are never going to believe this. But wait, how did he know my name?”

Eye of the Beast

Grayson Williams | Age 10

Silhouetted Light

Jaylen Phillips-Pinckney | Age 18

Of-fish-al

Audrey Powell | Age

Ocean’s Wave

On a walk along the ocean

The peaceful tides Welcome me.

As the water Swiftly moves

In and out, It brushes over feet

With its gentle touch. Calm sweeps over me

As the ocean greets me With a wave.

Lillian Chen | Age 8

All in a Night’s Work

Graham Mirosavich | Age 15

Lost in a Dream

Keila Arrington | Age 15

Growing Scared

When you are little you are told Over and over again

“Just imagine when you are older How great you will be”

But as you started to become older You became scared

Scared that you won’t be great Scared that you will never meet their expectations

This fear picks you up and drops you From unimaginable heights And while you are falling You think

“I did this to myself” “I failed”

As you are accepting this You feel warmth

Like lying in your sister’s arms when you are scared And it is someone who tells you something Something that will become your sun

And you will grow around this sun

Until you can pass this beautiful star to someone else And when you do you will think “How great I have become”

And you will not be great because of expectations Expectations that are impossible to achieve You will be great because you did not reach them You will be great because of the wonderful words

You will be great because you have the sun.

Moira Grant | Age 12

I Can’t Run Forever

I’m running. Whether from something or to something…

No! To Nothing. I’m just running. My feet hit the orange sand, dust billowing behind me. My arms pump at my sides, willing me to go faster. Breathe. My lungs fill with the sharp sting of hot, dry air. I breathe in more of it, embracing it, wanting more of it. Air? Or Sting? Both. Push harder. The golden sun blinds my eyes, embracing me in its dying warmth. My legs beat in rhythm. Kick. Pump. Gasp. Thud. Nothing more. My lungs squeeze, the air seeming to run out from around me. I push harder. I lunge with each stride, extending my legs as far as they can go.

Don’t… Stop….Running. My mind latches onto the words. Repeating it over and over. Expelling all thoughts but this. None of those thoughts- only this. I feel tears stinging my eyes, and clawing at my throat. Longer strides. Even breaths. Control. The tears claw harder. Threatening. My eyes narrow. Thud. Kick. Pump. Gasp Don’t Stop Running. I emerge on a plane of orange. Orange sky touching orange sand stretching towards orange cliffs. Wide open spaces. Nothing stopping me, nothing in my way. A smile emerges on my cracked lips, but my eyes continue to sting. I shoot my arms out to the side, ignoring the pain in my chest as I do. The hot air glides against my sticky arms and I glow in the fading sun. It shines in the hazy distance. A big burning ball of orange, shimmering as it reaches down to the horizon. They meet.

“NO!” The tears threatening to come roar harder. Control. Keep pushing. Keep reaching. “WAIT!” I call out to the sun, like it can hear me. My fingers reach out towards the sunset, grasping at the fading light as if my fingers can stop the darkness from behind me. Though everything is aching and screaming at me to stop, I run harder. I run faster. Don’t stop running. I run from the darkness gaining on me from behind. I run from the storm brewing above me, the storm brewing within me. The storm. No.  It’s close, threatening to consume me.  No.  Coming at me from every side.

“WAIT!” I scream it so loud it slices my throat. I scream so loud, something comes loose from inside of me.  I lunge forward, sobs racking my body. Sobs I’ve never let come out in a really, really long time. But this time, I don’t care. I have to reach it. I have to. Whatever it takes.  Control. Push. Breathe. Fight. Control. My legs slow.  I fall to the ground. My legs give out, forcing me to stop.  “Get up!”  I grit my teeth and push up. Only to fall right back down.  “Get up!”  I feel the sand digging into my bare knees. I feel the gasps of breath lurching my body forwards. But most of all, I feel the darkness. I feel the sun setting, plunging me into what’s behind me. What I’ve been running from.

The world disappears. My eyes flutter open. I’m in a classroom. The teacher drones on from the board in front, the glazed eyes of students stare forward. Every student, but me. I’m looking down at my paper. A blank paper. Blank but one little wet circle at the top. Using this as the beginning, I write four words.

”I can’t run forever.”

Haley

Whitelaw | Age 17

Country Road

Josh Webber | Age 10

Gen Z

Why is our society so judgmental today

Don’t they realize the pain that we carry each day

Don’t we have enough deaths from social media

As it spreads across the earth like bacteria

Why do we judge people on how they look

Instead from the inside like how we were brought up

We can change the future for the better

If we put our heads together

Instead of hurting the earth and ourselves

We have to stick together like books

On shelves

We may talk different

Walk different

Eat different

And dance different

But we all are kind of ignorant

The boomers are stubborn wolverines

Because of their actions our rights are the size of a bean

They refuse to let their old ways go

So we all might end up in New Mexico

We are called Gen Z for a reason

It’s because we stand up and fight

And let our voices be heard

Now is the time we put off our differences

And stick together like we’re in a herd.

Roberts | Age 15

The Alchemist

Lydia Moore | Age 16

Ameria

South Carolina Serenity

Nicholas Gatson | Age 11

The In-Between

I have slipped into a world beyond my own, Where ink like water ebbs and flows.

Defying morality, trees arise, Where somber heavens cast a melancholic guise.

Light from another sun fills the world with a harsh glow,

Bathing the world in its surreal charades.

Granite trees like pillars of stone, Crimson leaves dance on tranquil air’s throne.

Joseph Smith | Age 15

Heart Dot

Simone Childs | Age 8

Dream on, be that person.

The one who makes a world so true with gizmos and gadgets, with oceans so blue.

This could be our world all it needs is YOU!!

One person so hopeful and true.

DREAM

But it’s just a dream that’s all it will ever be.

Until someone dreams the same thing as me.

Maybe one day a person could make this world true.

But for now, there is nothing to do but wait for a person just like you.

Grace Lopez | Age 9

Stronger and Braver

Bravery

We think it’s not being a “baby”

Or not being scared

But it’s not

Bravery is being afraid and overcoming your fear

Even though you’re scared. You don’t run away. You go to your fear and say I’m BIGGER, STRONGER AND BETTER than you......

I will overcome it!!!

Skylar Jones | Age 10

The Beginner

Jonny Steffee | Age 15

Piano Lesson

Excited Brave

Black and white keys

Ode to joy

Fingers help me play

the piano

My teacher is helpful

Concentrate

Notes Happy I take the music in my heart.

David Ellington | Age 14

The Music Phoenix

Lillian Chen | Age 8

A Thousand Nights in the Sand

The events of the recent night haunted me in my sleep. Red flashing lights, flaming aircrafts and soldiers dropping left and right flared in my mind. With a start, I sat straight up resulting in my head smashing into the wall of the escape pod which I was trapped in.

Once the throbbing pain in my forehead eased, I kicked the jammed door open with all my strength. Sun pounded into my eyes after hours in absolute darkness. After adjusting to the light, I crawled out of the escape pod and found my hands deep in golden, red sand. My eyes exploded at the sight of the burning sand. Quickly, I scrambled out of the pod and to my feet, my heart pounding. I was trapped in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand dunes and a scorching ball of fire above me!

I was used to my home planet, full of botanical gardens, crystal rivers, shimmering caverns and blue, usually rainy, skies. Now I was in a sweltering wasteland. I thought I should spend the days in the pod, but when the sweat poured down my brow and my body began screeching for water, I knew I had to search for refuge. Taking the little bit of supplies from the pod and dressing to guard myself from the sun, I began to trek the dunes.

Only an hour out, I began to hallucinate. I tried to use the water from the pod I had left sparingly. After two hours, all the water was gone. By nightfall I found a cavern and collapsed. I stared up at the starless sky and dark moon. As my vision became fuzzier and my head heavy, I realized there was no use carrying on. I closed my eyes and waited for it to come. I heard something hit the ground beside me. I opened my eyes to see a tin bottle roll towards me. Realizing what it was, I dove for it and gulped the fluids down. It had an unpleasant taste, but that didn’t bother me. Poisoned or not, I wanted, needed water. When the bottle was empty and my mind began to function properly, the realization of where the water bottle came from hit me.

I stood straight up and scanned my surroundings. It was a while till my eyes set on a dark figure crouched on the edge of a slope. The figure stood up and made its way towards me. It was a tall man covered in dark cloaks, wearing a hood and mask. He moved right up to my face and looked me up and down. I was terrified. He threw my hood back, releasing my curly blonde hair. Then he looked me straight in the eyes and touched my face. My bright blue eyes met his dark, brown eyes.

“You’re a Veerian,” said the man with a strong, slurred accent. I nodded. The man removed his mask and hood. His bald head and dark skin was tattooed with a chimera being slaughtered. It divulged who he was, a Dune Soldier. The most feared soldiers yet thought never to exist. I knew instantly that if I had any chance to return to my planet and save it, I had to make an alliance with these people. The man tied my hands and tugged me along with him.

“Where am I going?” I asked him.

“Do you want to live? Then you must spend a thousand nights in the sand,” he told me. A thousand nights in the sand. The only way to be accepted by these soldiers. To independently wrestle a chimera in the depths of the Flaming Dunes.

Georgia Kiser | Age 16

Windblown Horse

Hadassah Vinueza | Age 12

Ode to Freshman Year

My biggest fear is that in these four years I haven’t learned a single thing.

These years they say are the best of your life should have been filled with more laughter and photos of our arms around each other but I’ve spent too many hours lying on my bed

pensando en ti pensando sobre mi vida pensando sobre el mundo

What is it that makes success? Some say money. Some say popularity.

I say friendship. I say memory. Keep it close to your heart. Don’t let it go.

Sophia Hammond | Age 17

Bonfire

Memphis Daniels | Age 14

Eye See You

Zaniya McClellan | Age 8

Beauty

Beauty is like a ruler

Always measuring to “fit in”

To be in the standards

Never feeling happy with yourself

Beauty is like never being happy

Always wanting more

But never able to get more

What are these beauty standards that we set to women?

Beauty is like plastic

Using it to feel pretty

To fit the beauty standards we established

Not even being happy

All women are beautiful

They all deserve to be treated better

No women should be privileged just because of looks

Everyone is beautiful, including you

Allison Powell | Age 11

The World Did Not End When I Was Seventeen

i think i’ve been realizing a lot of things about the world things that only hit you in the middle of the night it really makes me think about the meaning of my existence i am so alone at only seventeen does it ever change? the agonizing pain of being a living, breathing human being?

i am in my body, but i am not me i realize my own humanity at the same time every day i’m seeing my own face for the very first time is this what consciousness feels like? is this who i was always meant to be? and yet i do not know myself

i’m dying to meet the girl that everyone around me knows my name is not my own, i do not belong to this identity i’m screaming, dying, reaching grasping at the universe and then there is one day left and i can finally realize i’m still alive and the world did not end when i was seventeen.

Sabrina White | Age 18

In defense of being dramatic

I want to be a writer, I say, and I mean it not in the sense that I am stringing words together, necklace beads and daisy chains— the language is a beautiful part of it, of course, but I think it is more so the pain, see, the daisies I pluck and weave had to spring forth from somewhere. Before the soil was gently patted down and watered someone had to ravage it, turn it inside out so the rich smell of loam rose into the air like it was beckoning the sky to cry. All creation must happen like this, because before creation there is void and a wanting, like how Adam needed a warm body next to his so God dug His fingers deep into the flesh He had just sculpted and pulled until He heard a crack— readers recognize writers, I think, like how Adam recognizes his rib. He runs his palm over Eve’s side and feels the ridge under smooth skin, and he thinks to himself that if God had not done it first he would have tried. Oh, he would have tried, and what I mean to say is do you ever feel that itch within yourself, whispering that the only way to appease it is committing some sort of violence? The soil does not forget what it took to make the flower, and the flower can never undo the snap of its stem, and when I write my fingers stick together, grass stains and sugar sap, ichor and marrow, so that I can hardly tell where the wound ends and the garden begins. Better to cultivate than to swallow down the pain. Better to feel the fresh-blood warmth than to feel nothing within you at all.

Kaylee

Chen | Age 18

Untitled Christina Caldwell | Age 17

A Family Hike (Mom’s Perspective)

Arrival

Car doors slam

Boots crunch on gravel

Ahhhhhhhh

Smell that fresh

Pine

Mountain

Creek

Dirt

Finally here

Peace (a definition)

Freedom from disturbance: tranquility

Almost but not exactly Almost relaxing-but not quite Laughter

Car engines roar

Bug spray stings my nose

F

Maybe more relaxing than I thought

Quiet

My life has been LOUD lately

Students and kids asking questions

Dog barks

Laundry turning over and over

Car engines constantly humming

But here in the forest…

It is quiet

But not the silent way

The birds chirp

The squirrels chatter

The leaves crunch

Jackets rustle

Family talks

Quiet in the best way, I think

Worried (a definition)

Anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems

Turn around?

I’m not one to say turn around

I love adventures

But it’s

Dark

Cold

Creepy

And we are supposed to go to my parent’s house after this

Family turns around

We walk down

Down the mountain

Over the creek

Past the cave

Shouldn’t we be at the waterfall by now?

Doubt (a definition)

An inclination not to believe or accept

Should’ve

I should’ve thought:

Bring a flashlight, map, more snacks

We should’ve been there by now

Dark

Dark is s l o w l y reaching out around the forest

Turning off the lights

Bringing out creatures who live in its murky depths

S l o w l y becoming night

But not slow enough

U

p

We walk back

Past the cave

Across the stream

Up the mountain

Shudder

My husband talks of

BEARS

SURVIVAL

FIRE

SHELTER

Wolves?

I shudder to think what else he will come up with

The light at the end of the tunnel

We have been trudging along

Soldiers in the dark

Husband at the front

Me as the caboose

There’s light! He cries  They run up toward the end of the pack

I’ll walk thanks

Heat and snacks

We hop in the car  Thanks to whoever invented snacks and heat  They are nice I’ll admit

Not that bad

My family is already making up stories as we drive out of the abandoned parking lot Bears!

Hypothermia!   Starvation!

Not that bad I say  It was an adventure!

I’ll never hear the end of this one

Love

The secret is It might have been bad  There might have been Bears

Hypothermia

Starvation

But it was all worth it to be with them

Mom (a definition)

The most adventurous person I know

The one who holds everything together

The most supportive and sacrificial person

The one I look forward to seeing at the end of the day.

Paige Kelly | Age 13

Nature’s Enchantment

Ava Mickle

The Color of the Leaves

On a sunny, autumn day I am taking a walk on a trail. I can smell the fresh pine and it smells like I walked into a pumpkin café. I see lovely colors on the trees like the orange of a bright-colored pumpkin, or the red of a lion waving his hair in the wind, or the yellow of the sun shining bright in the sky. I walked down that stunningly beautiful path. I felt like I was free as a bird, and it was amazing. I saw tree branches dancing in the wind and butterflies flying around with young caterpillars crawling on branches. A ladybug landed on my hand and there were baby deer running around with their mom. Young rabbits with their mom and dad were all cuddled up in huddles. Squirrels climbed up trees making the leaves shake. I heard a rattling in the trees. It was a lost kitty, but he ran away before I could pet him. Then I saw a river with the water splashing against big rocks with sticks on the wet, misty ground. I walked and walked until I stepped on something that cracked. It was just a stick, but it scared me so badly.

I saw a big bear running after a baby deer, with the mama deer trying to protect the baby. It was so scary but also cool because it’s just a part of nature. By then, it was nighttime. All the animals went to their homes or dens. Then I smelled burning leaves. I went to go look and it was the neighbors sitting down at a bonfire. I saw marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. They were eating marshmallows and smores! I heard the sound of the crackling fire, a woosh of the wind, people talking and chatting, and kids playing and throwing sticks into the fire. My peaceful walk in the woods was such an adventure!

Kylee Townsend | Age 11

Winter

Snow is falling,  Winds are calling,  The fire is so warm. Go outside or stay inside; my decisions quite so torn.  Ice skating, cookie making,  Winter is here!

Snowflakes on my cheeks,  I feel like I could leap, Into the snow, Cause Winter is here!!!

Cara Maas | Age 11

Christmas Mouse

Winter snows a lot sometimes. We hang stockings in the house Because Christmas is almost here! We love the Christmas Mouse!

The Christmas Mouse gives presents. He has a sleigh of cheese. He loves peppermints, so Don’t leave him cookies, please!

Evy Billingsley | Age 7

Christmas Mouse

Evy Billingsley | Age 7

Snow

Jacqueline Cheng | Age 10

Chronicles of Narnia (Inspired by the Book)

Sam Gieskes | Age 7

Figure Skating

You may have looked at the title of this and asked yourself, “What is figure skating?” If you did, there’s a big chance that you’re not alone. Thousands of people across the globe have no clue what figure skating is. This is the exact reason why the first topic I’ll go over is what figure skating exactly is.

Figure skating is when you do tricks on the ice. For example, jumps, spins, glides, etc.... Figure skating is also when you can compete against other skaters for rewards. In the Winter Olympics, figure skating is a very big deal and is very competitive. But you can also just do it for fun!

Now that I’ve explained to you what figure skating is, I think it’s only right that I teach you how to do some cool tricks! It’s important to start off easy when you’ve never skated before, so I’ll teach you something very simple. The first trick is called a swizzle. A swizzle is when you put your feet in a v shape, and basically form a lemon with your feet. First, you position your feet into the v position. Secondly, you push your legs out. Thirdly, bring them back in to complete a lemon shape.

Next, let’s get a little more complex. The second trick I’m going to teach you is a rocking horse. A rocking horse is basically a forward swizzle and then a backward swizzle. First, position your feet into a v position. Secondly, push your legs out. Thirdly, push your feet back together to form an upside-down v. Fourthly, push your legs back. Fifthly, connect your feet again to form the v shape that you originally began with.

Finally, for our last trick, I’ll teach you a one-foot glide. To achieve the one-foot glide, I highly recommend practicing your balance while off the ice (I’m saying that as if you’ll do it. If there’s one thing any figure skaters hates, it’s off ice!)

Now that I’ve gone over that, let’s begin. First, you’ll want to practice lifting your foot up and keeping it beside your ankle. This will make it easier when you try to do it without the wall. Second, once you feel comfortable with what you’ve practiced, go off the wall and try it not moving. Thirdly, once you’re comfortable with that, get a good amount of speed. Fourthly, while you’re skating, lift your foot up beside your ankle like you practiced on the wall.

Good job! I’m so proud of you for taking an interest in my sport. I’d really appreciate it if you give figure skating a try, I think everyone deserves to give such an elegant sport a try.

Emma Boyes | Age 11

A Visit To Remember

Every day when I was four, I would always want to go to my Gigi and Pop Pop’s house. They were the sweetest people I knew. One day, I was at their house because my parents were at work.

“Brie, Brie!” my Gigi would yell as I ran into her arms.

The sun was shining that day. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. My Gigi would cook the most delicious meals: chicken and rice soup, salmon, and oat cookies. The smell made me drool and drift off into a world of my own. My Gigi would tell me stories from when my mother was a little girl, and how much I resemble her. We would laugh and smile, and she would squeeze me tight. Then, Gigi had a grin on her face. A very special grin. I knew that Gigi had an idea. So, we ran to her room, and Gigi opened her special drawer. Her drawer was filled with little trinkets she had saved from long ago. Then, out of the drawer, she pulled a small blue, rubber cap.

“This was your mother’s old swimming cap.” She would tell me. Then Gigi wrapped the little cap around my small head. Also, from that drawer, she pulled out a small coral bathing suit, that was just my size. Gigi and I shared a small grin.

As we opened Gigi’s back door, I felt a warm breeze flow through the house. As we walked further outside, I saw a pool filled with transparent, crystal-clear water. The sun sparkled off the water like a thousand diamonds. When I looked into the water, I saw a little girl with a coral bathing suit and a little blue cap on her head in the water. It was me! I shivered as I put one leg in, then the other.

“It’s so cold,” I said.

“Try swimming around,” Gigi suggested.

I took a deep breath, plugged my nose, and went under. My eyes burned as the chlorine got into them. I then brought my head out of what used to feel like shivering cold water. Gigi laughed and clapped her hands. I put my head back into the water. I stayed under for a few seconds.

“Brie Brie?” Gigi called. She walked closer and closer to the pool. I got ready to attack. 1, 2, 3. I jumped out and splashed her with the water.

“I’m going to get you!” She said, laughing.

“But you haven’t a bathing suit,” I said.

“Well, I might just have to jump in with my clothes on!” Gigi made a big splash as she jumped in. We shrieked, and squealed, and giggled. While we swam in Gigi’s marble-floored pool, I thought: This is a visit to remember.

Brielle James | Age 10

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The Fish CoCo Li | Age 9

Arslan Soner

Age 7

Thalia Potts

Big Toucan

Arthur Cheng | Age 6

Robots Defeat Dragon Cameron Martin

Anatomy of Fantasia

Katy Fort | Age 8

The Cough

Phillips McWilliams | Age 9

The Lost Bracelet

“Zoe, come on!” I yelled. “The bus is leaving!”

“Coming, Ava!” She yelled back in her high, squeaky voice. It was the first day back to school from winter break and we were so out of our routine. Zoe ran downstairs and almost didn’t make the bus. She would’ve had to walk to school if I didn’t tell the bus driver to wait two extra minutes. We both got on the bus and sat down. I was in sixth grade and my lil´ sis was in second grade. My middle school is attached to an elementary school so we ride the same bus, just walk different paths.

Once we got to school, we went our separate ways. School, surprisingly, went by very quickly. It was almost like it was a half day. Oh, wait, it was a half day, or at least early dismissal. Apparently, there was a pretty big storm coming in so we had a two-hour early dismissal. I still had all of my classes but they were more chaotic since the time was a lot shorter.

At the end of the school day, I waited for my sister at the bus stop for about 10 minutes. I finally saw her heading my way. She looked really happy, probably because she was wearing all new clothes that she got for Christmas and she got a new hairdo. We sat down on the bus.

“Hey, Ava,” She said to me. “How was school today?”

“It was good. You?”

“Amazing! Everyone complimented my new hair, clothes, and new jewelry.”

“What new jewelry?” I asked.

“This bracelet!” She pulled up her sleeve. There was nothing there. Zoe started to panic as she pulled up the other sleeve. Nothing again! “Oh no, oh no, oh no!” Zoe said speaking 10 times faster than usual. “I might have borrowed Mom´s new pearl bracelet and… lost it.”

“Zoe! You know better than to take something of Mom’s! We’ll talk about this at home.” The rest of the bus ride I said nothing. Zoe said everything. She said that she was trying to be really careful but at recess she was playing tag. It must have slipped off. She said that she just wanted to try it on but then I rushed her to catch the bus, so she forgot to take it off. How did she turn the blame onto me!? We agreed that no one would tell Mom. We would walk to school early the next day and find it.

Early the next morning, we were already on our way to find the bracelet. We emailed the school last night and asked if we could look on the playground. Fortunately, they said yes. We arrived at the school and the search began. I made Zoe retrace her steps from the last time she took her bracelet off to when she got back inside. She explained each one of the steps she took in great detail, but still couldn’t find it.

We retraced the steps about 15 times looking around the whole playground but still, nothing. It was time to give up and accept defeat. Students were already starting to arrive. I told Zoe that, if we still can’t find it by the end of the day, I would take the blame. I walked back out to my school, my head down. I was so sad. How could this have happened? Suddenly I saw something in the grass. It couldn´t be. Or could it? I bent down and picked it up. It was the pearl bracelet!

Maybe it would be safer on my wrist until the end of the day.

Deklynn Quam | Age 10

Charlotte Mimi Smith | Age 12

Cadence Holland | Age 8

My Neighborhood

Kids playing

Stomping on the road

“YAY SATURDAY”

Adults are singing

Birds are chirping

Peaceful sounds on Sunday

Cars waving as they pass

The sun is warming

Watching the window

Cats meowing

Dogs barking

It’s time to chow down

It’s a small neighborhood

With more to come

More adventures to unlock

Making new friends on the way home.

Nevaeh McKnight | Age 10

Round Frog

Fred Froggy Addy Powell | Age 8

Brick Stairs

The brick stairs that I sat on

Evening breeze

Sunset before my eyes

Was simply beautiful

The sun beaming down I smiled.

Benton Besley | Age 7

Many people made this edition of Kids in Print possible and we each worked hard to make this publication the best yet. Thank you: Families, teachers and school staff / Richland Library

Children and Teen Services Staff / Marketing and Communications / Events & Experience/ Darion McCloud / Bonita Peeples

Kids in Print Selection Committee

Taelor Johnson / Antia Martin / Heather McCue / Jennifer Naimzadeh / LaKisha Perrin / Ashley Warthen

City Trees Jackson Besley / Age 11

Timeline

Naima Whitted / Age 17