MORRIS WATERS By Serenity, age 9

Jimmy dribbled down the court. A player from the other team pushed him to the ground. There were ten more seconds left in the game. “Oww.” It felt as if the sky had fallen on his hip. “Please help me,” Jimmy said.

Jimmy’s team called a timeout. An ambulance took Jimmy to the hospital. His hip was broken. He stayed there for weeks. It still was broken. Jimmy said, “When is my hip going to be fixed?”

“I don’t know,” said the doctor.

Jimmy had never had so many tests done on him in his life. Painful ones with needles.

Finally it was time for Jimmy to go home. His mom gave him pain medication. He started to walk more and more each day. One day, he went out for a walk and forgot his water bottle at home. He fell to the ground, dehydrated. Hours later Jimmy woke up with chatter.

“Oh my poor baby,” his mom said. “Oh my baby.”

“I am ok, Mom,” Jimmy said, twitching an eye.

A few days later he lay on the couch, watching TV when a commercial came on. A man said in a deep and strong voice, “Do you want to walk more?”

Jimmy nodded.

“Then try Morris Waters. It gets you on the go. Free shipping and handling.” Barney was on next. I love you, you love me, we’re a big happy family with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you. Won’t you say you love me too?

“Boring,” Jimmy said, and changed it to Sponge Bob. He heard someone in the hall and he recognized the jingle of his mom’s keys.

She gave him a hug and said, “I hope you feel better today?”

He didn’t say a word.

“I am going to cook dinner. What do you want?”

“I don’t know.”

“How about fish?”

“Ok.”

They ate. Jimmy picked at the bones with his fork. “Mama I need to- never mind.”

“What baby?” She said.

“Never mind, Mama.”

“Ok then.”


Jimmy spent the next morning on the couch, channel-surfing. He stopped on Exercise TV. Yoga for Kids was on. Jimmy got on the floor and copied the woman on the screen. Gently, bend at the hips, lower your forehead to the floor. This is Child's Pose. Beautiful.

"It is beautiful," Jimmy whispered to himself.

"What's beautiful?" Jimmy's mom said from the doorway. “I thought you were injured?” She glared at him. She looked flabbergasted.

He clicked off the TV but hid in child's pose like a turtle. “Ok. I’ve been fine for a week. I just didn’t want to go to school. I hate how you make kissy-kissy faces at me when you drop me off.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“No, you said something. What did you say?”

“I said you have pretty eyes.”

“Nope.”

“Fine, I’ll tell you. I said I don't like when you make kissy-kissy faces at me at school.”

“Have I ever embarrassed you?”

“Always.”

“You do not talk that way to your mama. Now go to your room.”

“I hate you.” He went to his room and locked his door. He found a notebook with a π on the cover and wrote I HATE MY MOM in big letters on it.

The next day Jimmy came home from school and looked for the notebook. His mother was already home from work.
Jimmy said, “How was your day?”

She opened her bag and took out the notebook with π on the cover. She flipped to the page that said I HATE MY MOM. “You wrote this?”

“Uhhhh... no.”

“Answer me!”

“No!”

“Fine then.”

The next day at school Jimmy opened his lunchbox and found a note that said, Sorry I yelled at you. I was out of line. There is a surprise for you, at home. Ok. P.S Love you.

“Wow," said Joey, leaning over Jimmy's note. "Are you a mama's boy or something?”

“Shut up.”

When Jimmy came home from school he saw a big package at the front door. It said, For Jimmy Smith.

“Surprise!” said his mother, opening the front door.

“What is that?”

“Your package, silly. Open it.”

“Ok.”

Jimmy ripped open the package and found a DVD box that said, MORRIS WATERS YOGA KIT FOR KIDS AND GROWN-UPS.

“Sooo…. Do you like it?”

“Mom, you really didn’t need to do this. Really.”

“Ohh, don’t be silly. I will do anything for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Cool.”

They went inside and Jimmy’s mom carefully placed the DVD in the player and pressed PLAY. They sat on the floor in front of the TV. Now, go into half-lotus. Jimmy’s mom placed one ankle on top of the other and Jimmy followed.

“Ah, I think I just broke my hip again.”

“What?”

“Just kidding.”

About the Author

Hi, my name is Serenity. I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom. My brother and my great-grandma live here too. If I could have a superpower I would pick being a mind reader because I am curious. I would also like to travel to the future. I would go to the year 2100 because I want to see myself eighty-nine years from now. I want to be good at drawing and writing. I am also the author of That’s the Way Life Works.

TWO AT A TIME By David, age 10

Nelson cut veggies on a chopping board for carrot soup. Victor loaded BBs into his gun at the kitchen table.

"Can I take a bite off your head?" Victor said.

"No!" said Nelson. "Victor, are you crazy? It is my precious pear head. If you're jealous then I'm not your friend, dude."

Victor lunged at Nelson and took a bite out of his head. Red juice and black seeds squirted from a gash below his ear. Nelson's face turned red. His eyes swelled shut.

"Aww," Nelson said. “Dude that's my only head. Go dial 911."

Vcitor dug his cell phone out of his pocket.

Beep Beep Beep.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"Hi, My friend is bleeding. We need an ambulance and a couple of smart medics now."

"I'll send one now, okay? Remain calm."


"Open up now! This is the cop. Hello you there? Are you okay?”

Victor locked the door and pushed a table in front of it.

“Open up or I’ll break down this door.”

He dragged a sofa up against the table.

“I’m going to give you five seconds. Five, four, three, two, and one.”

The whack of an ax. A blade splitting the door in half. A table leg snapping off and splintering.


Victor grabbed the knife from the counter and stabbed the medic behind his ear. The medic fell. A needle rolled out of his first aid bag. Words printed on the needle said, morphine. Victor poked him with it and walked out the door, mumbling, “Yeah, smart medic, who's stronger now?”

“Victor, are you crazy," Nelson said softly. "You killed the medic that wanted to help me.”

"Bye, I better get out of here,” Victor said. “See you in the hospital. Yahoo. I’m going to the store.”

Victor jogged to the corner store and picked up a Mr. Goodbar from the candy rack, whispering to himself, “Nothing happened, okay. I’m feeling weird, ready to blow up. I’ll get something to eat and stay cool. What do I want? Hmmm lets see, a candy bar, or a bag of chips? I'll get a bag of Ruffles with sour cream and onion.”

Victor got in line and thought about the last time he ate Ruffles. He’d been walking home from the store with Nelson. Rain drizzled on the chips.

“We better hurry up and eat the chips,” Victor had said.

“Why?” Nelson said.

“They’re gonna get all soggy.”

“Ok,” Nelson said. “Eat two at a time.”

A siren squawked from the street. Victor walked back toward Nelson’s house, munching the chips.


About the Author

Hi my name is David. I’m ten years old. I live with my two sisters, my dad, and my mom. I like to play sports such as soccer, basketball and many more. I want to be better at not kicking the ball out of bounds in soccer. When wrote this story I could barely think of the words, so I want to get better at making choices faster. When I grow I want to make a new videogame system. I’m very different from other kids because all I want to play is sports most of the time. I don’t like sitting down and talking about random stuff. If I could be a plant I would be a cactus because if you tried to touch me, sorry I would poke you. I would like to be famous for bringing someone back to life by magic. If I could ask the world a question it would be: Who came up with god, or is it real? If I could go back in time I would go to the 1800s because I want to see what the Gold Rush was like. How many people died trying to get to the gold? This is my third published book. I’m also the author of There are Five People in my Family and Trouble in Madagascar.

IN MY BAKERY By Jessica, age 7

In my bakery, it will smell like pudding and strawberries. Everything will cost one dollar so even homeless people who live on the street can buy things. It is not that hard to get a dollar. The store will be in Chinatown and it will never close. I'm going to sell wedding cakes and chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, muffins, doughnuts, waffles and pancakes. I will keep the food under a glass counter.

I will have lots of plants hanging from the ceiling. There will be pea plants and strawberry plants and banana trees. Charms that look like houses will hang over the door. In the night it will still be open. I will have dragon statues made out of wood and I will put them on the tables. I will have a rubber stamp that says the name of my bakery in Chinese and English with the phone number and address. I will put the cakes in pink boxes and stamp the boxes with my rubber stamp. There will be two tables with five chairs at each table.

At my bakery I will have something to bounce on, like a trampoline. The trampoline will be outside, behind the building, and you will need to pay to jump on it, twenty-five cents for each turn. When you jump it will feel like you are flying.

About the Author

My name is Jessica. I am seven years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, sister and brother. I like to run and I like to bake cakes. When I grow up I want to be a baker. If I could be a machine I would be a food machine so I would not have to buy food. My favorite book is The Big Adventures Of Majoko by Machiko Fujo. One thing I wonder is: Are ghosts real? The scariest thing in my life was the time I went in a haunted house. If I could choose a super power I would choose the power to freeze people so I could win when we play tag. I want to go forward in time so I could see what I look like when I’m dead. My mom and dad come from China. I have never been to that place. I would like to go. I speak English and Chinese.

BEEF JERKY By Brandon, age 9 & Destin, age 10

A piece of beef jerky hanging from his mouth, Ruff scurries past a circle of pigeons, an old crone with a stick and a Quickly, then turns down an alley wiggling with rats and bats. He stops and jumps inside a dumpster. Robert sneaks up behind him, tongue wagging. “Boo!” He drools for Ruff’s beef jerky.

Ruff hops out of the dumpster and climbs up a tree, shaking. He looks over his shoulder. Robert is climbing up behind him. Ruff whines and yelps. Robert snatches the beef jerky from Ruff’s mouth. Ruff chomps into Robert’s hand. Robert doesn’t feel it and drifts away.

“Slow down!” the Old Crone says, shaking her cane. She swings it in front of Robert. His face pelts cement. The jerky flies across the street and lands at Ruff’s paws. He devours it.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Brandon. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, sister and brother. I like to draw and I am good at ice-skating. Someday I want to be good at writing neatly. When I grow up I want to join the army and write kids’ books. At the Academy of Sciences, we went into an exhibit that measured body temperature. When I went in my reflection turned red. Everyone else’s turned blue and yellow. This shows I am hot and other people are cold. My favorite books are the Goosebumps books because they are scary. I am also the author of Trip to Vietnam and Shadow Cliffs. Beef Jerky is my first published fiction.