Fiction
It had been five days since Mae had seen another person. It had been five days since she had brushed her hair, taken a shower or changed clothes, and those were just a few of the previously considered necessary things which she had not done since June 30. But it would end soon. It had [...]
Fiction
It was a beautiful morning in California. The ocean sparkled... the trees were a lush green... what a perfect time for the loud, unwelcome buzz of the alarm clock. Ryan got out of bed and shut the thing off. A little too suddenly, he decided, as he began to grow dizzy and weary He staggered [...]
Fiction
Mina gazed across the playground—over fifty children her age were scattered in front of her, but not one of them would be her friend. It wasn't that they were unfriendly; three of them had already asked her if she wanted to eat lunch with them, but it was Mina who had vowed not to [...]
Fiction
Her room was quiet. Too quiet. In fact, the whole house was quiet, and Abby knew why It was empty—all except for her. There had been a note, of course, there was always a note, waiting on the table after school. Abby: Gone out for a while. Be back soon. Love always, Mom Abby wondered [...]
Fiction
The farmhouse was small and old. Its ancient yellow paint was peeling from the clapboard walls. Its black roof was worn and was missing some shingles and sagged in the middle, as if an elephant had once slept there. "I know it's not perfect but it just needs a few homey touches," my mom said, [...]
Fiction
The sun is setting over the ocean as I walk out onto the porch. Reflecting the last rays of the sun, the ocean sparkles a bright, brilliant orange. I leave my beach house and walk out onto the sand, which feels cool and slightly damp beneath my bare feet. I glance up at the beautiful [...]
Fiction
Rebecca knew a lot more about life than most children do. Rebecca, being the eldest of three children, had a lot of experience with young kids. She was kind and accepted the challenges that everyone must face now and then. What she did not know was that something huge was coming, something that would change [...]
Fiction
Sunlight beamed onto Gareth Then's face, forcing him awake. It was the morning after Gareth had arrived at his Uncle Turif's cabin on the island of Belmopan. The cabin was in a clearing of the isolated Zel Forest, and Turif lived there alone. Gareth was there against his wishes. Dinner the night before had been [...]
Poems
Smoke rising Into the dark sky Crickets chirp And a twig snaps Warm air presses against me And a cold wind Blows behind my back The fire crackles And Mother laughs As my marshmallow Blows up in flames Then it is bedtime Crawl into the tent The air is cold But inside the sleeping bag [...]
Book Reviews
My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier
My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier by Lynda Durrant; Clarion Books: New York, 2006; $16 To be free can have multiple meanings, but to Jennie Margaret Hodgers, in My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier, it symbolizes having no skirts. For her, losing her skirt would mean losing [...]
Book Reviews
Underground Man, by Milton Meltzer; Harcourt Children's Books: New York, 2006; $17 Milton Meltzer's Underground Man is a fictional but historically accurate account of life during the Civil War. Josh, a teenager, leaves his farm home to start a life of his own away from his parents. During his travels, he meets a runaway slave. [...]
