BLUE AND OTHER POEMS By Betty, age 9

Blue

My earliest memory is the first time I broke my leg.
I was so shocked.
I didn’t sleep.
I was seven and a half years old.
I lived in San Francisco
My mom and dad said, “We were worried about you.”
I said, “It was very hurt.”
I had to wear and brace and it hurt.
This memory smells like sweet strawberries because I feel my parents caring about me.
If this memory were a color it would be blue because when I got out of the hospital,
I looked up and I saw the sky.
I thought about the sky above my grandparents’ house in China.
Blue reminds me of them a lot.

Ocean

My uncle smelled a little bit like watermelon.
He was driving me and my family from the airport to his house.
We just got to America.
In the plane ride I sat in the middle and I wanted to look out the window,
But I couldn’t see.
I knew there was an ocean out there.
I wanted to see a whale.
From the sky,
it would look tiny.


First Day of School

I sat on a bench in the yard,
all alone.
I wondered if my classroom would be blue.
The bell rang.
I had to line up.
I was very nervous
because I had never spoken English before.
Mrs. Youna took our class to our room.
The room was not as blue as I thought it would be.
I was scared that the other kids would make fun of me
because I couldn’t speak English as well as them.
That happened a little,
but there were some other kids who didn’t know that much English either.
When I got home I ate some fruit.
I don’t know what kind of fruit,
but I know it was fruit.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Betty. I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, uncle, aunt, grandpa, grandma and three cousins. My favorite thing to do is play cards with my mom and dad. I taught them how to play “Speed.” I am good at playing four-square. When I grow up I want to be good at typing fast. I want to be a doctor because I want to help sick people. If I were a kind of weather I would be sunshine because it makes plants grow.

MIND GAMES: THE SECOND ADVENTURE OF PIGGER & HIS BRAIN by Kenny, age 11

When Pigger got out of jail, he was mad at his brain because it got out of his head and ruined his plan. So Pigger went back to his lab. He made a new brain out of metal and glass from broken TVs. He kept on hitting it until new brain looked like a gray cloud. It was harder than the old one. Pigger took the cactus out of his skull and replaced it with the new brain.

Then he made a robotic jumbo bird. The bird looked liked a robin but bigger and with needles on its legs. His old brain destroyed his first jet. He went into the bird's control room and took off. Pigger couldn't find the brain anywhere. The brain saw Pigger flying to town. The brain called its robot henchmen to go to town and stop Pigger. So they flew by jetpack. It took so long.

''Huff puff,'' moaned the robots.

''Quit moaning!'' shouted the brain. The brain slapped the moaning robot ten times. Then they saw Pigger flying on in his robot bird. The brain told the robots to shoot. But shooting was not damaging the bird. Soon the brain had an idea. There was a hole on top of the bird for ventilation. The brain flew to the top with its jet pack, right into the control room.

Pigger spotted the brain. ''So we meet again,'' said Pigger. ''You are gonna pay for what you have done to me.'' Pigger took out two super zapping hammers, powered by electricity with irons heads. ''Prepare to be ham.'' Pigger tried to smash the brain. But the brain was much faster than him. The brain tripped Pigger. The brain took one of Pigger's hammers and attacked him. SMASH! ZAP! TACK! Pigger was dizzy.

"You win,'' said Pigger. ''But can you beat this?" Click. He pressed a button on his hand.

The bird was going to blow up. Then the brain had an idea. The brain pressed the FORCEFIELD button in the control room and a huge bubble formed around the bird and a tunnel stretched from the bird deep underground. Then the brain got out through the hole in the top of the bird and Pigger escaped underground. Boom!

The police dug Pigger out.

“You are going to jail again,” one of the cops said.

“Why?” PIgger said.

“You almost destroyed the whole town,” said the other cop.

''NOOOOO!!!'' cried Pigger ''Can this get any WORSE!" Then his new brain jumped out. (His skull was still open.)

''Hooray!" said the new brain. "I am free!” From now on I'll be called Pig." Then it ran away.

''NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!'' shouted Pigger. ''I will get you next time!''

About the Author

Hi, my name is Kenny. I’m eleven years old. I want to be a doctor when I grow up and I like to jump on the bed. I am hyper. If I were a planet I would be Pluto because I like to be cold. I wish it would snow all over California a little bit. This is my sixth published book. I am also the author of Bumpy’s Day, Bumpy & the Icebird, The Robots’ Revenge, My Mom and Tension Time.

GO-KART ACCIDENT By Kevin, age 9

When I was seven I had a serious accident. I crashed my go-kart. A lot of blood was dripping down my face. The fingers of my left had were cut open. I also had a black eye. I couldn’t see with that black eye. We couldn’t afford paying the hospital to cure me so I didn’t go. But I was glad because I don’t like hospitals and I was afraid they would hurt me there.

After the crash I went inside and ate dinner then I played some videogames. My mom wondered how I could play videogames when I was very injured. But the games calmed me down.

I went back to school three days after the crash but I didn’t heal for six months. When I got back to school everyone stared at me because I had all those cuts. Everyone kept asking me what happened. They were bugging me. I ignored everyone except Andy Ramirez. I didn’t ignore Andy because he was a friend, a close friend.

I don’t have my go-kart anymore. My mom made it go to Mexico. I miss it even though it’s all crashed up.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Kevin. I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad and brother. I am very good at videogames. I wake up early Saturday and Sunday mornings to play them. Someday I want to be good at math. When I grow up I want to be a game show host. Alabama Street confuses me because it is also the name of the state. If I were a tool, I would be a chainsaw because it is a powerful weapon to destroy things.