There in the sky are the unmistakable brown and purple feathers of the Jago bird “S’bongo!” I hear my mother’s voice ring clear and loud across our homestead. I look up. There in the sky are the unmistakable brown and purple feathers of the Jago bird. Its massive wingspan blots out the sun and its […]
The Pond
The sun glitters on this damp surface, lighting it up Silver fish flick their tails and in a flash—they are gone It is heaven The warm gray water feels soft, as I touch a ripple with my finger Eyes open, I dive Rainbow trout circle me as I push water back One bites my toe […]
A Lesson at the Beach
Bella ran up the beach after me. “What’s wrong?” Underneath the fluffy white clouds that rested peacefully in the cheery blue sky, the waves pushed me and my boogie board in to shore. Riding the white water was better than anything I dreamed of doing this vacation. Since the moment I first splashed into the […]
The Lions of Little Rock
The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine; Penguin Young Readers Group: New York, 2013; $7.99 Have you ever read a book where you’re able to relate so much to the main character that it’s creepy? The Lions of Little Rock made me feel exactly that way. It’s 1958, and Marlee Nisbett is a twelve-year-old […]
A Monster
I aimed the tip of the barrel up at the squirrel The branch shook silently as the wind whistled through the oak trees. The little ball of fur jumped to another branch as I pointed the flame-red sight at it. It hopped around a little, found himself a nice, big acorn, and settled on a […]
The Hero
“Excuse me, sir, I think you dropped this” The night was black and warm, the air thick and smoggy and choking with every breath. The girl and her father, walking home from the movies, did not speak. This was partly because of the empty humid night but mostly for some other reason, one that neither […]
Scared of the Dark
Thunder crashes. My world is turned into a dark abyss from which I will forever fall. Shadows creep around me as if monsters waiting for the right moment. Lightning strikes. For a second I see my normal room with everything in place. But then the shadows come again and engulf me in fear. A giant-eyed […]
In the Woods
Could something this wonderful and abnormal happen to her, and no one else? At last, Carrie thought, as “Fourth grade, Miss Ann” was called over the intercom. She grabbed her backpack and fought her way through the teeming hallway filled with excited children calling out goodbyes. Her first year at Crestview Middle School had been […]
The Separation
A haze filled the air, it was a warm summer day. I was awakened by the glistening sun rays that wrapped me so tightly in their heat. Shortly after I woke up, I was greeted by my mom and dad, smiling and happy as always; but I had noticed something very peculiar about my mother. […]
Al Capone Shines My Shoes
Al Capone Shines My Shoes, by Gennifer Choldenko; Penguin Young Readers Group: New York, 2011; $6.99 Though I am fascinated with American history, including Alcatraz, I was drawn to the book Al Capone Shines My Shoes, by Gennifer Choldenko, for different reasons. The main character’s name is Moose, a nickname that I have been called […]
Frustration, Happiness, and Pure Amazement
How I Found Chanterelles Rain splattered against ice-cold windows, and fat, foggy, clouds hung low. I was in my dad’s twenty-one-year- old Honda Accord, zooming along the highway. It was four-thirty, and I had just gotten out of the two-hour Chinese School that I attend every Sunday. My dad, sister Mia, and I were on […]
Whirling into Whispering Wind
I fall into a golden, crisp carpet of leaves watching as the wind whirls them into a painting of bronze butterflies their wings rustle and I am by the sea again remembering the summer I love the aroma of sweet-scented cinnamon sprinkled on warm pumpkin pie crunchy apples and maple leaves brushing the air with […]
