AN ACT OF VALOR By Destin & Ahn, both age 10

Dempsey awoke in a hospital. Lights dimmed the hallway. Nurses strapped bandages around his arm.  His buddies from the SMU unit sat on a bench outside his room’s window. The biggest one, Campo, shuffled into the room and asked, “Are you feeling any better?” 

“Huh? What?” Dempsey replied. He lay in a bed with machines that beeped all around him.

“What happened to you?”

“Long story.”

Dempsey and the other men from his unit parked their jeeps in front of a gate. Guards unlocked it. The soldiers opened the car doors and stepped out. Captain Dunn escorted them to a table behind the gate. He laid maps across it.

“Alright, Marines!” Dunn said. “If we’re going to make it through this place, it requires some teamwork here! Here are the layouts for safe houses in case anything happens. We need to get to the parking lot, and to do that, we need to get across the street.” 

Campo flung his RPG-7 over his buff shoulder. “Pfthhhh!” he said. “It’s just across the street!” 

“Then let’s GO!” Zankie said.

They took off into an alley. Above their heads clothes hung on lines attached to a balcony. Dempsey looked to the right, a dumpster blocked a doorway. “Breaching!” Dempsey said. Campos pushed the dumpster to the left, his sweat dripped onto the ground. Dempsey kicked the door. Its screws scattered all over the floor. A cloud of smoke hovered in the air. 

“Dude, it reeks in here!” Zankie said.

They continued up the stairs.

Dunn drew out his PITHON. His sweat dripped onto the wooden staircase. His feet shuffled up the steps. “Watch your corners,” he whispered.

Dempsey groaned and rubbed his arm, opening the door to the roof of the building. As he took his first step onto the pebbly cement, a bullet hit the ground in front of them.

“Sniper!” Dunn said. “Take cover.”

Dempsey and Campos rolled to the lip of the roof. “Hey Campos,” Demspey said. “Throw me your RPG-7.”

“But I want to use it,” said Campo. 

“Just give me it to me or I’ll fire you and you’ll go home with your face broken.”

Campo tossed the weapon to Dempsey.

“On my count of 3,” Dempsey said, “suppress that hotel with fire. Three... Two.... One.... SUPRESSING!!!” 

Everyone in the unit pulled his trigger. Bullets flew, wind carried away dust. Finally, Dempsey got a good aim, and fired. Boooom. The building crashed to the ground and dust hovered in the air. “Now that’s how we do this in my world!”

Zankie’s radio buzzed. “Enemies coming on your six,” Mason said. “Get out of there!” 

“Can’t go out the roof door,” Campo said. “Once we go through that door and try to get out the main entrance we’d be smoked.” 

Dempsey handed the RPG-7 to Campo. 

“Freaking boy scouts,” Dunn said.

“So much for multi-channels chat...” Campo said. 

“Sometimes don’t you just wonder how the heck you ended up in the marines?” Zankie said, shooting his grappling hook. It caught the edge of the building next door. Rubble crashed to the ground below it. One at a time, the men slid down the rope to the ground. 

Zankie’s radio buzzed again. “Saber team, evac is on the north of your position. Get there quick; Warhammer out.”

They crossed the street. A bullet hit the gravel. “Evacuate this area,” Zankie said. “You guys take the JEEPS. They’re in the safe house.”

A grenade rolled across the street onto the sidewalk. Black smoked through the air. Another bullet hit the gravel. Campo looked up. “Sniper three o’clock.” He rolled to the doorway of a Chinese Market. BANG.

Zankie hit the ground, still in the middle of the street. Tears filled his eyes. “Help me GOD.” Blood oozed from his stomach. 

“Stay with me,” said Dempsey, sprinting toward Zankie’s wet, crimson body. A sniper shot Dempsey’s wrist. He hit the sidewalk in front of the Chinese Market.

“Campo, go get them!” Dunn yelled from behind the market’s sidewalk stand. “I’ll keep a suppressive fire!” Peaches rolled out of their bin, onto Dunn’s shoulders.

Campo laid Dempsey on the waxed floor of the safe-house. “Get a medic over here!” Flies swarmed in the light above their heads. Nurses ran into the building. They kneeled beside Dempsey and clicked open briefcases. Tools filled the case. One of the nurses grabbed a needle and stabbed it into Dempsey, 

  “He’s losing too much blood,” one of the medics said. “Put pressure on that wound.

“For god sakes, hurry. He’s DYING!” Campo said.

For a second, nothing happened. No bullets. No screaming. Dempsey didn’t wake up, Dunn kicked the door open and rushed in. “Did he make it?!” he said.

“No,” Campo said.

“Well, we can’t stay here. This place isn’t going to hold up much longer.”

Campo gave Dunn a slight grin, then his right hook connected with Dunn’s jaw. Dunn hit the ground. He groaned, spitting out blood. One of the medics rushed over to Campo. “Sir, the building is starting to fall apart,” the medic said. “You’ve got to get out of here!” 

Campo left the building, leaving Dunn and Dempsey behind. Warhammer’s voice buzzed through the radio: “The LZ is pretty hot now! Better get here quick! Ground force is hot, so go on top!” 

“On my way...” Campo ran to the fire escape. His feet shuffled up the rungs. His sweat dripped on the metal railing. Campo made it to the roof and opened the door to the stairwell. A helicopter hovered above him.  A ladder unrolled and hit the ground. Campo jumped, his palms locking onto the rope.

“Were to go sir?” the pilot asked. “And where are the others?” 

“Base.” 

“What?” the captain said. “You just left him on the roof? This was supposed to be a team,” 

“I had to!” Campo said. “The place was falling apart! Besides, it’s too late now!” 

“Here, I got a beacon signal from that area. I want you and Warhammer to go back there and look for him!”

Campo took out his radio: “Meet me at the pelican in five.”

“Yes, Sergeant,” Warhammer said.

At the safe-house, Warhammer and Campo cleared the rubble but didn’t see Dunn. A voice came from behind.

“Looking for someone?”

Campo turned around. “Dempsey! But... Where’s Dunn?” 

  “I thought you guys were shot down.”

“That’s when you’re wrong my friend.”

Back at the base Captain Keys met Dempsey at the helipad. “Good to see you Dempsey,” the Captain said. “Where’s Dunn?” 

“He didn’t make it.” 

“Well son, things happen in war.” 

Campo headed to the warehouse and checked out some blowtorches and tools. The warehouse door creaked and Dempsey’s head peeked in. “Guess what?” he whispered.

“Huh? Oh. You,” Campo said.

“When you were gone... Zankie said some last words. He said that you were a good friend to have, and for your heroic act, he wanted to give you this.”

Dempsey slid a pouch into Campo’s hand. Campo opened the pouch and inside was Zankie’s pistol with his name engraved on it, his service tag, and a small note. Campo opened it and read it out loud. “I’m gonna be gone for a while, so make sure you take enough vitamins. It’s a long way ahead for you, Sergeant.”

Campo grinned, slipping the note into his pants pocket. Then, he flipped down his welding mask and fired up his torch. Dempsey handed Campo lunch. Campo gestured toward a shelf. “I’ll eat after I finish this. I’m sorry I left you behind.”

“No worries man, like the captain said, things happen in war. I never thought I’d say this, but thanks pal, for being a great friend.” Demsey left, closing the door behind him silently. 

“No problem,” Campo said to himself.

About the Author

Helloooooooooo, I hope you enjoyed my book. Oh, and my name is Destin. I live in San Francisco with my two parents, my sister, and my two dogs. The two things I love doing most are: helping my father at work and playing video games. I’m good at Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. I could finish that game in less than an hour. When I grow up I want to be an automotive engineer because I like to fix things, and I like to be nurse because I would get to help people who are about to die. I am the only kid I know who eats chips to feel when I’m coughing. It works better than Tylenol even though the chips are bad for you. If I were weather, I would like to be the sun’s heat because when people are feeling really cold, I could help them feel warmer. My favorite book is Trouble in Madagascar because I’m the author and the story is full of tension and I think you would really enjoy that book. I am also the author of To Be or Not To Be,  Goodbye Lofu, and this story, which was actually started by Anh. He wrote the first draft and I wrote the revisions and did the illustrations. The funniest moment of my life was when I was Mrs. Rees’s class, celebrating my friend’s birthday. He smashed his cake into his face and took cream and smeared it all over his mouth. If I could go backward in time I would like to see what I looked like when I was being born. My family comes from Vietnam and I want to go there because I want to experience how hot it is there. Well, I hope you enjoyed my book and I look forward to meeting you. 

MY CONFUSION By Spencer, age 9

My confusion lives in the North Pole

because he likes 

cold places.

He wears toilet paper

because he wants to be a mummy.

He swallows 

vanilla ice-cream

because he loves white.

He loves white because it is nothing,

and nothing doesn’t hurt his head.

He breathes fire

to burn the people

who put him in jail.

He breaks windows 

because he needs the glass for protection.

I wish he would go to sleep.

About the Author

My name is Spencer. I am nine years old. I live with my mom, dad and little brother. Some day I want to be better at math. If I were a season, I would be summer because I like vacations. If I could go back in time, I would go to the year 1912 so I could watch the Titanic sink. I am also the author of Kim Goes to Hawaii.

WISHING FACTORY By Pradipti, age 8

Birds

The first time 

I heard English

it sounded like a factory.

Busy, noisy, banging machines.

The first words

I heard in my new school

were, “Welcome to our classroom.”

I did not understand, 

so I said, “Yes.”

Now, Nepalese sounds like fast flying birds.

Striped Tail

In Katmandu there are no garbage cans.

Papers, food, trash.

People just throw it in the streets.

The buses are full of people,

inside, and on top of the roof.

There are no seats up there,

just a ladder connected to the bus,

going down the back like a striped tail.

Even when the bus is moving,

People climb up the ladder.

My mom and I only rode inside

because she says the roof 

is too dangerous.

Frog Talk

The Kalimati is the place with all the restaurants.

You can get samosas and laddu.

Shopkeepers yell, “A ata timro laddu ra pedha.”

My mom buys four samosas.

We eat them with our hands.

Then we go home.

At night,

through the windows,

I hear frog talk.

It sounds like frogs

But it might be the stars

Twinkling.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Pradipti. I live in San Francisco with my mom and dad. I am eight years old. My favorite things to do are knitting and drawing. When I grow up I want to be a lawyer. I want to be the kind of lawyer who helps people who do not have very much power. I also want to be a lawyer because there are no lawyers in my family. I’m the tiniest kid in my class. It makes me sad when people say I’m little. This is my first published book.

OWL NIGHT By Khenny, age 8

Time is the owl who lives in a tree. Time’s friend Eye-lo wanders under his tree. Eye-lo is a another owl who wears a red shirt. The sun bounces off Eye-lo’s feathers.

Time’s dad flies to the branch and perches next to Time. Time says to Eye-lo, “Do you want to see my Dad’s sword?  When I grow up I want to be a knight like my Dad. My Dad is here.”  

“Hello, kid. Did you see my sword?”

“It’s here in your tree trunk,” says Time. 

“Oh I forgot to tell you that you have to take my place in the play because I am tired.”

Time says, “I am going to dress up like a clown.”  

The play is starting. The bad owl is ready to fight. Clown says the war is starting. Time’s hands move his father’s sword. He points it at Eye-lo’s heart but he doesn’t want to hurt his friend. He only wants to show how strong he is. Eye-lo and Time do not finish the play. They leave the theater and the audience thinks it’s part of the play. Eye-lo and Time do not return. Instead they go to get pizza. 

Time’s dad flies to the pizza place and eats pizza too. “How was the play?” he says.

Eye-lo tells him they didn’t finish it.

“That’s ok. It’s smart not to fight.”

About the Author

My name is Khenny. I live in San Francisco with my mom and sister. I am eight years old. I like to sleep on my couch. My favorite books are the Pokemon books. I want to be an artist when I grow up. I am also the author of Time to Die and The Dragon’s Adventure.

ON TUMBLE-LEGS By Vicky, age 9

Nancy goes in the kitchen and finds a piece of paper in the corner on the floor. The paper is a recipe for cookies. She picks it up and she tries to make those cookies.

“Nancy, what are you doing?” her mom says.

“I am baking some cookies for you to eat.”

Nancy’s mother smells them and bites into one. “It’s so delicious. It tastes like the ones my mom used to make me in China. Where did you get the recipe?”

“I found it on the floor.”

“Do you want to work in a bakery?

        “Yes”

“Ok, let’s build a bakery.”

Nancy and her mother build a bakery in Japantown near the Hello Kitty store. The building is shaped like a cupcake. Inside, the bakery smells like cupcakes! Cookies sparkle in glass containers on the counter. Plants hang from the ceiling. Stained glass windows shine in the sun. Almost all of the things are made out of glass and wood. They have a lot of customers. Most of them have not-sure smiles. When it’s night Nancy and her mother close their bakery and go home. 

The next morning when Nancy and her mother open the bakery, they see a mess on the floor. They don’t know what happened. The windows are shattered. Splinters of glass crunch under Nancy’s feet. She lifts an upside down chair and sits on its cushion.

The next week, the thieves come again and Nancy and her mother feel sad and angry. “We can set up a net to trap the thieves,” Nancy says. Nancy and her mom build a trap. They hang it from the ceiling. Nancy and her mother wait all night behind the counter. The next morning three thieves come. Nancy’s mother pushes a red button. A net drops onto the thieves. The thieves are like flies and the net was like a spider web. They throw the thieves in the sea.

When they open the shop, Nancy and her mother have lots of customers. Four different thieves come. The thieves say to the customers, “Go away or we will stab you with knives!” The thieves steal all the breakfasts waiting on the counter. 

Nancy and her mother are so sad again. They close up the shop and find a magic wand behind a rock near their house. Nancy points it up at the clouds and it brightens the sky.

Nancy says, “Mother, let’s trap the thieves.”

“How?” 

“Use the magic wand.”

“So how do we use the magic wand?” 

“You will see tomorrow.”

The next morning, two thieves walk into the bakery like penguins. Nancy’s mother points the wand at the thieves and wiggles her hands because she is scared that the thieves will stab her! The thieves smash into each other and fall over. Nancy’s mom puts a mirror in front of their mouths. They are not breathing.

At night, Nancy and her mother walk home on tumble-legs with their hands hanging from their arms, their heads hanging from their necks. They sleep on top of their roof and dream about the thieves’ eyeballs falling out and their bodies turning to sand.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Vicky. I am nine years old. I live with my mom, dad, and my baby sister. I am good at math. I want to be an artist when I grow up because I am interested in art. One day I want to be a teacher. If I could to be a season I would be winter because I want to build a snowman. I am also the author of Sunny’s Poison, Memories of Toisan, and Guang Zhou Zoo.

MY FAMILY WHO TAKES CARE OF ME BUT ALSO MAKES ME CRAZY By Wendy, age 9

Gon-Gon, My Grandpa Who Tied Me Up and Cooked Like a Tornado and Died

One afternoon when I was four I was home alone with my grandpa. I heard loud music. I wanted to find out where it was coming from. I left my apartment and went downstairs. I got stuck in the little space where the mailboxes are, between the gate to the building and the door to go upstairs to the apartments. My brother Andy was at school. My parents were at work. The building manager found me. He brought me upstairs. He said, “Where is your apartment?” I led him there. My grandpa said, “There you are.” I told him what happened. He tied me with a rough, bumpy rope and twisted a knot on my dad’s door. He tied my hands and stomach. I cried. My grandpa went out to pick up Andy. I cried and cried until they came home. Then Andy untied me. I felt free now. The day went by, but I didn’t tell my parents. It’s complicated why. I didn’t want him to be punished and he got cancer anyway. I also loved my grandpa’s cooking! When he cooked he would whirl through the kitchen, rattling pots, clattering plates, shaking soy sauce, chopping Chinese sausages, cracking eggs, and steaming rice. The food smelled good but it was more interesting to watch Gon-gon work. My grandpa died January 11, 2010. I miss him even though he tied me up that one time because I loved his cooking so much.

Judy, My Sister Who Walks

My baby sister, Judy, was born on September 19, 2010. She is one now. She crawls through the jungle of our apartment, roaring. She slides on hands and knees across the table like an ice-skater. Judy is learning to walk and here’s how: she squats down. She lifts her hands and wobbles toward me. She falls. I take her hand, pull her up and she walks. Now she walks everywhere. Whenever I give Judy something to eat, I run away and she follows me because she thinks that I have more.


Andy, My Brother Who Broke his Wrist

My earliest memory about Andy is when he broke his wrist when he was eight. He jumped up and down on the bench at school. He fell and broke his wrist. An herbalist wrapped a cloth around his arm. The cloth smelled like garlic and onion. It felt like a bumpy road. The herbs didn’t work so he went to the hospital and got a cast. Andy probably felt weird with a broken wrist but I felt excited because it was the first time I saw a cast! Andy is a graduate of Room 2 and he wrote a book about his experience called My Broken Wrist.

My Mom and Dad Who Got Divorced

My parents got divorced. They used to silent fight sometimes. They argued so much that they got divorced. It was scary when they fought. One day my mom and my family (except my dad) moved to a new apartment in Chinatown. I wondered what was going on, but I didn’t say a thing. I left things alone. I like that I moved and I don’t like it too. I like that my mom and dad don’t have to fight anymore, but I don’t like that my dad is alone. He says, “I miss you and why don’t you come home?” I feel sad for him. I think there is a silent wall between my parents.

The Lady From Beijing Who is Demanding

A lady came from Beijing to live in my dad’s apartment. I don’t even know her name. The first time we met, her pretty dress swirled, defying gravity. In the car, she doesn’t like to wear a seatbelt. In the house, she doesn’t like messes. She doesn’t like to take off her shoes. She is demanding! She makes me get out her slippers from the shelf. I saw a picture of my dad and the lady holding hands and staring at each other. He was wearing a tuxedo and the lady was wearing a wedding gown. I think they got married and didn’t tell me.

 Here are three things I wonder about her:
1. Is she a model in China?
2. How old is she?
3. Is she my dad’s wife?

She looks mean, but pretty. I am scared. I’m not even going to ask my dad if they are really married. My plan is to keep wondering and running away from my fears.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Wendy and I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco, sometimes in Chinatown with my mom and grandma, and my brother and sister, and sometimes on Polk Street with my dad. I speak Chinese at home. My family came from China, somewhere I have never gone. I would like to go there one day. I like to draw and I am good at running. When I grow up I want to be an astronomer. If I were to have one superpower I would choose the power of transformation because if I were falling I could turn into a bird. If I were to go back in time I would choose to go to the year 0 because I want to see Jesus Christ being born. I am also the author of Stung and Election Day

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THE LOST VOICE By Jessica, age 8

A man with a beard and a star-covered dress hid in a trashcan in front of the Fillmore Auditorium. He pointed his wand at the building. He froze like a statue and thought about making Sally throw up. His magic sped through the wall and rested in her throat.

*

Sally walked onto the stage. Her braids flung back and forth in front of her face as she rumbled like an airplane. She threw up red stuff. She couldn’t sing because she was really embarrassed. They stopped the song and the guitarist called the doctor. The doctor said Sally could not sing anymore. “There are four people in your band, right?” the doctor said.

“Yep,” the guitarist said.

“You can’t finish the concert,” said the doctor.

The guitarist felt sad about Sally. The guitarist said bye and he hung up the phone.

*

Sally went to the desert because people say this is a good place to hide. Fog covered all the cactus. She saw a pile of mud. It was huge. Sally jumped in the mud. The mud was too hot. Her brain shut down. Her head spun like a tornado. A person ran out of the fog. Sally took a notebook and a pencil out of her backpack and wrote hi. The person waved his hand at Sally. She waved back. The person said, “My name is Jack.”

Sally wrote in her notebook, I can’t speak.

Jack yelled out loudly, “What’s up!!?”

Sally rolled her eyes at Jack and wrote in her notebook, I am not deaf! She pulled a large tent out of her backpack then Jack and Sally set it up and went to sleep. A plane landed in the desert. Sally and Jack woke up with their hair sticking up.

“Don’t worry,” Jack said. “That was just a plane landing on the sand.” Jack’s eyes popped out as if a bee buzzed inside his brain. “Let’s go outside!”

Sally and Jack ran outside. Jack said, “That is the biggest plane I’ve ever seen.”

Five men came out of the plane. One said, “Get in the plane.”

Jack said,” Okay.” Sally and Jack stepped into the plane.

Jack said, “Cool!”

The airplane flew and flew and landed in a park.

The men said, “Good bye.”

Sally and Jack wandered around the park. They saw a guy sitting on a bench by a fountain. He wore an army helmet and a coat made of feathers. He said, “My name is Sam.”

“Oh, hello, Sam,” said Jack.

“Do you want to come to my house?” asked Sam. “I have snacks.”

“Sure,” said Jack.

Jack and Sally followed Sam to his house.

Jack asked, “Can I go to bed?”

“Ok. We have a bed for you,” Sam said. “Go down to ninth door on the right. Sally, you can take the room across the hall. I have a vampire movie if you guys want to watch it with me.”

“Vampire movie, huh?” Jack said. “Well, how nice.”


Sam went into his room and Sally went to hers. She dropped her backpack on the rug. Its furry green hairs lay down under her shoes. She pulled out her dairy and wrote: November 12. I found a person who is a little fat. Sam is rich. He’s nice but his eyes glow red in the dark. She put her diary in her backpack. She stood up and opened the door. A sheet hovered in the doorway. She lifted the sheet. There was no one. A string hung from the sheet. Sally grabbed for the string but her hand went through the sheet! A ghost, Sally thought, and ran to Jack’s room. When she opened the door she saw Jack trapped in a birdcage. The man in the starry dress from the Fillmore Auditorium was there.

“Help, Sally!” yelled Jack.

“Ni gow nee mah!” said the wizard. The house shook. “Do you want me to let Jack out?”

Sally wrote on her notepad, yes!

“Then give me your hair!”

Why? Sally wrote.

“I need it for my collection.”

Jacked looked seriously at Sally. The wizard twitched his finger. Scissors and a bottle of hair spray floated into his hands. Sally snatched the scissors and snipped off her braids. The wizard’s hand turned into a gun. A pink puff giggled out of its barrel and came swirling toward Sally’s mouth.

“Sally!” said the pink puff. ”Eat me!”

Sally opened her mouth and swallowed the pink puff. She said, “Ah!! It tastes like ice cream!”



About the Author

Hi! My name is Jessica. I am eight years old. I live in San Francisco with my Mom, Dad, my brother, and my sister. I like to knit. My favorite book is The Big Adventures Of Majoko by Machiko Fujo. I go to Chinese School on Sundays. I am learning Mandarin. I already speak Cantonese. My favorite foods are chocolate cakes and chocolate ice cream. Yummy! I am also the author of In My Bakery.

WHEN I WAS LITTLE By Liyi, age 9

Pigeons

When I was four I used to feed pigeons in New York with my grandma and my mom. The sky was gray but it didn’t rain or snow. Grass and colorful flowers moved back and forth in the wind. Feeding pigeons was illegal but it was also fun because they made these cooing sounds when they ate. One time I saw a pigeon with only one leg. It frightened me because I thought my leg might disappear too. But it was also funny because that bird looked like it was playing hopscotch. It’s head faced the other way but its eyeball was glaring at me.



Preschool

When I was in preschool there was a boy who usually slept through the whole naptime like a hibernating bear. But one day he didn’t, he just sat up and swirled his tie. He wouldn’t sleep. The teacher grabbed his tie and pulled on it. The boy cried and cried. I stared at them. Another kid peed on his mat and the yellow liquid rolled onto the floor. The teacher stopped pulling the crying kid’s tie and helped the wet kid change. I pretended I was sleeping when the teacher looked at me. I was so scared. I thought the teacher was going to throw my shoe in the trashcan. She did that to other kids who didn’t sleep. I was really lucky that she didn’t see me. I wonder why they let this mean person be a preschool teacher. She probably thought she was teaching kids a lesson. I wonder if when this teacher was little, her teacher was mean to her. Once there was this lady who slapped my face when I came out of my apartment. She didn’t tell me why. I didn’t tell my mom because I was afraid that she would try to take revenge. When I’m a grown up, I know I won’t be mean to kids. I hope that slap won’t turn me into a violent person.



Philadelphia

When I was seven I lived in New York, and my family went to Philadelphia to visit my relatives. When I got there, I was shocked to see my fifteen-year-old cousin drinking out of a baby bottle. She sucked on it while she was playing video games. Blue light from the TV reflected off the glass bottle. Sometimes I still felt like sucking on a baby bottle like my cousin. I wanted to be a baby again so I asked my mom to buy me a bottle but she said no. I don’t feel this way anymore and I didn’t even notice when I stopped.



About The Author

Hi! My name is Liyi. I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom. I like to make art using recycled parts; my teacher Robyn does that for art projects. I didn’t think it would really be fun but when I tried it I liked it. I am good at thinking of new designs. I want to be good at climbing someday. I also want to be an artist. I am different from other kids because I am very scared and shy of most people I don’t know. If I were an animal I would be a honey badger so I would be able to protect myself with my long claws. I would dig holes to stay out of the hot sun. My favorite books are the Ivy and Bean series even though they are for little kids and I’m a big kid. If I could have a superpower it would be super speed so I could win capture the flag all the time instead of Brandon. If I could go into the future I would go to 3002 because I wonder if I will still be alive that year. My family is from China. I was born there but left when I was a baby. I don’t know how the weather is or how it looks and I wonder what the schools are like. I would like to go someday. I speak Chinese at home. I also wrote The Beautiful Lady. This is my second published book.

SHARK STORY by Alex, age 9

Clink, Clink, Clink, Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle. Mr. Liang dumps bottles and papers into the recycling bin. “Why did people elect me?” asks Mr. Liang. “And who is supposed to empty the recycling?”

“You are, Bill,” says Mrs. Liang, his secretary, twin sister and wife. “Did you know the area was restricted?”

“Do you mean the sixth Floor? We have a key to there.”

They take the elevator to the sixth floor of City Hall. There is a green army tank in the middle of the hallway, the sun gleaming off its armor. Dust flies through the air.

Cough. Cough. Cough. Cough. Cough. Cough. “Does the tank work?” asks the mayor.

Mrs. Liang says, “I think there’s a way we can use it to solve the unemployment problem.”

“Will it fit in the elevator?”

“Sure! Why not?”

They get in and drive the tank into the elevator, down to the first floor, out of City Hall, right past the metal detector, and out to Union Square.

“Why are we doing this?” Mr. Liang says.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Nope.”

“Okay,” Mrs. Liang says. “I want to get rid of adults. They are blaming you because the employment rate is sky high, and this is the only way.”

“What is the ‘only way’?”

“We have to kill them off.”

“You’re kidding. With this tank?”

“Well, not exactly. Just watch.”

“This tank looks like it’s from the Korean War or World War II. Do think it’s still any good?”



BOOM, CRACK! The Victory Statue tilts diagonally, pointing its trident at the sun. It creaks loudly as it crashes down onto Macy’s. Everybody gasps.

“Someone get help!” yells a tourist.

“I’ll call 911,” says a woman in purple velvet.

Everyone stops shopping and stares at the Victory Statue.

“Well, no one looks dead,” says Mr. Liang. “I think we need to try something else.”


The next morning Mrs. Liang picks up the phone.

“This is Dow Chemical Lab, San Francisco Bay Area Branch. May I help you?”

“Yes,” says Mrs. Liang. “Do you sell hexazylenadultium? Can you tell me about it, too?”

“Yes.” Tap. Tap. Tap. “Just a minute. Hexazylenadultium is a nonmetal chemical poisonous to adults. Why do you need this anyway?”

Mrs. Liang flips through her notepad. Not enough jobs, too many budget cuts. Kids keep turning eighteen year after year. I want to commit suicide, and kill my husband. She twirls the telephone cord. She kicks her chair. She bangs on the stapler. “I’d like to order one thousand gallons. Send it to City Hall in San Francisco, Federal Express, next-day air.”

“Gallons? What? This chemical is only sold in milligrams.”

“Oh.”

“If you need a lot, use shark fins. They contain high levels of this carcinogen.”



The fax machine beeps. Mrs. Liang pulls out the page and reads it then hands it to Mr. Liang. “Look at this,” she says. “It’s about a campaign to ban shark fin soup.”

“Perfect idea,” Mayor Liang says. “Let’s save sharks!”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“What?”

“It’s Chinese tradition.”

“It’s bad for the environment.”


Mr. Liang takes his place in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers next to all the other board members.

“What about AB 376?” Supervisor Sherman says.

“Where’s the agenda?” Supervisor Wu says.

“What about our budget problem?” Supervisor Lewis says.

“What about Occupy San Francisco?” Supervisor Lau says.

“Eureka!” Mr. Liang yells. “I have the agenda.”

Supervisor Mirkarimi rushes into the chambers, waving his cell phone. “Look at this!”

Mr. Liang and the other supervisors look at the screen. “Isn’t time for North Park?” Mayor Liang says.

“No!” Supervisor Mirkarimi says. “Watch.”

“Jenny Jang here,” says a reporter on screen, “Live in Vacaville.” Behind her crowds of people are marching. “I have one of the protest leaders here with me. Mrs. Liang.” The reporter turns to the mayor’s wife. “So, tell us, why are you against AB 376?”

“It’s racist!” Mrs. Liang yells. “This is a protest against racism.”



Mrs. Liang walks into the mayor’s office, holding two bowls of soup.

“What is that?”

“Shark fin soup!”

“We’ve been to tons of banquets this year and you never ate any shark fin soup. Why do you love it so much, all of the sudden?”

“Look, I called Dow Chemical.” Mrs. Liang tells the mayor about her phone conversation. “It could be the solution to the unemployment problem.”

“Okay, let’s eat.”

“Yeah, why don’t have mine, too, honey?”


About the Author

Hi, my name is Alex. I’m nine years old and I live in San Francisco with my three sisters, my mom, and my dad. I like democracy. I am interested in voting and protesting. I’m different from other kids because I’m into bureaucracy. For example, I really like learning about rules and filling out forms. My favorite book is Journey to Topaz because it is set during World War II. If I could go back in time, I would go to the time during the Chinese Civil War because I would like to ask Mao Zedong about his ideas. My parents come from Vietnam, which is country I never been to. I would like to go because I want to see how they deal with their economy. If I could ask everyone on Earth a question, I would ask, “Do you like communism?” I wish everyone had the right to free speech in China. I’m also the author of Don’t Worry About It And Other Stories.

LOVE THIS STORY? DOWNLOAD THE BOOK HERE, COMPLETE WITH ALL ILLUSTRATIONS!

HAIR HELP By Jessie, age 9

“Do you know where my I pod is?” Frank said, shuffling through Bob’s backpack. “What is all this stuff here?”

“It’s my stuff,” Bob said. “I need it for my style.”

A flight attendant pushed a cart down the aisle and said, “Do you want a beverage, sir?”

Frank said, “No thank you” and picked up a skinny can and reads its label. “A weightless spray with UV protection that gives polished shine and a sensuous, soft touch to the hair?”

“Well, doesn’t it?” Bob said, touching his hair.

“Don’t bring that next time!”

“You don’t know style.”

“I don’t care! Just don’t bring it!”

Bob didn’t answer. He looked through the window at the wing. “What’s that?”


A falcon flew into the one of the engines. Babies screamed. Bob and Frank grabbed their parachute packs. They jumped out of the plane. Their hair flew up and wind blew them through the sky. They pulled their parachute cords and two black canopies popped open above them.

Bob and Frank landed. All around them rubbery petals poked out of curvy-stemmed plants. Branches of boab trees clawed at the sky above them.

Bob said, “Good thing I brought the parachutes.”

They took off their parachute packs. “We’re probably somewhere in the outback,” Frank said.

“Let’s go that way,” Bob said, pointing at a cluster of tree “Frank! I'm scared that a wild animal will attack us.”

“Why, how do you know that there won’t be a wild animal the other way? There might be a sleeping tiger or a lion.”
“I just think this way is the right way.”

“How about Heads and Tales?”

“Okay then,” Bob said.

Frank pulled a penny from his pocket and said, “heads is left and tails is right.” Frank flipped the coin. The coin flew through the air and landed on Frank’s hand.

“Tails,” Bob yelled. “Let’s go.”

Thump thump. A kangaroo hopped in front of Frank. Frank stared at the kangaroo's eyes. It grabbed Bob by the shirt and shoved him into its pouch then hopped away.

Frank spotted Bob’s backpack on the ground. He opened it and found a flashlight and Bob’s skinny bottle of hairspray inside. He popped the cap off and shook it. He closed the backpack and followed the kangaroo into a cave. Frank turned his flashlight on and tiptoed. He found the kangaroo, shook the bottle of hairspray and sprayed it at its eyes. The kangaroo jumped around. Frank carefully pulled Bob out of the pouch and they ran for their lives. The kangaroo chased Bob and Frank to the edge of a cliff. Bob and Frank turned and looked down. Water swished and crashed onto jagged rocks. Bob and Frank closed their eyes and jumped off. They landed in the water and looked out at the sea around them. A cruise ship floated along the horizon. They waved and yelled, “Help!”

The ship sailed ashore and dropped anchor. The captain said, “Eight hundred dollars, please.”

“We’ll have to pay later. We don’t have any money.”

They boarded and Bob headed to the bathroom with the backpack. He came out with spiky hair a few minutes later and said, “Like my new hairstyle?”

“That looks cool,” Frank said. “I love you with spikes.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No.”

About the Author

Hi! My name is Jessie and I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, and brother. I like to draw, and I am good at reading and typing. I like reading adventure stories by other Room 2 authors because they have exciting action. My favorite is Election Day by Wendy. Some day I want to be good at kickball. When I grow up I want to be a pharmacist because my cousin is. I am also the author of A Dangerous Day in King Tao’s Palace.

SHARK By Alex, age 10

ICE CREAM By Tai, age 10

Now I am ten and I want to sleep
but I need to wash the dishes and my family’s clothes.
Just kidding!
In the future I want to drive an ice cream truck.
If people don’t buy my ice creams I will get to eat them all!
If I don’t make any money I will just sleep in my truck.
When I am fifty I’ll be sad because I will be old and not young
and children will be able to jump and play,
but not me.
I will just want to be a cloud
and go wherever the wind takes me.

About the Author

My name is Tai. I am ten years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom and dad. If I could choose any super power, I would choose the power of invisibility because I want to be able to sleep anytime without anyone seeing me. I want to be good at cutting paper someday. I am also the author of Hill of the Dead, Todd and Ben, and Because They Smell.

TIME TO DIE By Khenny, age 8 & Andrew, age 9

Shirt walks into Green’s Coffee Shop. He points to the menu. It says, One Lifetime $1. “What is that?”

“It is a lifetime,” the worker says.

“I can buy a lifetime?” Shirt says.

“Yes.”

Four people come into the coffee shop and buy lifetimes.

“I am going to kill myself,” Shirt says. “So I need a new lifetime too.”

“Why?”

Shirt thinks about what happened at work yesterday. A girl in purple tights was reaching for a Pinky Panda doll. When she pulled it off the shelf, the robots stacked beside it fell to the floor. Shirt summersaulted down the aisle. “What are you doing?” he said.

The girl cried and Rax ran over to the mess. “Can I have a bear?” he said.

“Ok,” Shirt said. “But don’t tell my boss.” He picked up a Pinky Panda doll and handed it to Rax and he walked out the door with the doll.

Shirt’s boss found out and fired him.

“Why don’t you just not kill yourself?” the worker says. “Then you won’t have to buy one.”

“Because I’m about to do something bad.”

Shirt goes to Rax’s house and sets it on fire. Rax escapes. He does not get burned up.

Shirt goes to his friend Marcus’ house. He gives him one hundred dollars and asks him to pay Rax to promise not to bother him. Marcus takes Shirt’s money and says ok.

Rax goes to Target and buys a zombie costume. Rax puts on the costume. He sneaks into Marcus’ house while he is in the shower and steals the money.


Shirt can’t get rid of Rax so he moves away. “Where should I work?” Shirt says to himself.

“Did someone say work?” says a voice behind Shirt.

“Yes,” Shirt says, and turns around. The voice belongs to a fat man with a big mustache.

“My name is Sock,” the man says. “Why don’t you work in my pizza restaurant?”

“That would be great!” Shirt says.

A year later Shirt has a wife and a house and two kids. One day while he is working someone dressed in a zombie costume comes up to him and says, “Hands up or I will kill you.”

“Shoot me,” Shirt says. “I bought an extra lifetime, so it doesn’t matter.”

Sock sees what is happening. He gets out a bat and hits the zombie in the head.




About the Authors

My name is Khenny. I live in San Francisco with my mom and my sister. I am eight years old. I like to play with my friend and my sister. When I grow up I want to be an artist. If I could go back in time I would like to see my mom when she was eight years old because I want to see if she was a good student. My favorite book is The Cat and the Hat because it is fun to play with a cat. I am good at making toys out of bottle tops and erasers and tape because my mom will not buy me toys like this. I am also the author of The Dragon’s Adventure. At home I speak Lao and English. I was born in Laos and I moved to San Francisco when I was little.

My name is Andrew. I live in San Francisco with my brother and my three sisters and my mom, and sometimes I live with my dad. I am nine years old. I have a dog named Pancho, and my favorite book is A Dog on His Own. I’m scared of clowns because of their eyes. They are supposed to make me happy but when they look at me I feel like they are trying to make me die. What I hate most is when people bug me. I am good at making my brother say mercy. I am also the author of The Ice Monster’s Anger, Lion Hunt, John and the Snake and My Dog Poncho

GOODBYE, LOFU By Destin, age 10

Chapter 1
Goodbye

“Take care of yourself,” my mom said. She lay on the hall carpet. Blood dripped down her forehead and oozed into her eyes.

A red beam pointed at my brother’s head and I yelled, “Watch out.’’

“What?” he said.

A bullet crashed through the kitchen window. My housekeeper hit the ground. Her blood dripped onto my foot. I was only eighteen years old.

Paramedics arrived in an ambulance. Bright lights blinked in my eyes, burning them. Across the street, my neighbor stepped off his front porch. From his direction, I heard the click of a gun cocking. The sun reflected off the barrel of his revolver and shined in my eyes. He pointed it at me. I ducked. The bullet hit a boulder behind me. He ran across the street and kicked me to the ground, smiling and giggling. He pointed the gun at my head.

“Any last words before I blow out your brains?” he said.

I was about to yell but my brother Lofu ran across the street and kicked the guy in the stomach, grabbed his gun and shot him through his head. Then my brother carried me into the ambulance.

I woke up in the hospital strapped to a stretcher. A lady was screaming. Crimson knives lay on trays next to bowls filled with bloody water. A man with a hole through his heart rested on a stretcher. I thought they might take my heart also. A nurse rolled me into one of the rooms and transferred me onto a bed with wires connected to an outlet. The sheets felt soft and smooth. A doctor told me to open my mouth. He threw a sleeping pill onto my tongue. Yellow ducks swam through my dreams. I couldn’t see anything. Black clouds hovered in the sky. I was in my brother’s arms.

Chapter 2
Home

I opened my eyes. Lofu had me flung over his shoulder. We were on our front porch. He jabbed the key into the lock, but it got stuck.

“Crud,” Lofu said. He climbed onto the roof with a hose somehow. He found a rope and threw it down the chimney and opened the door from the inside. I walked to Lofu’s room. The floor creaked. He stuffed a shirt into a suitcase.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “Go pack up.”

“Um, okay.”

I trudged to my bedroom and looked at a picture on the wall. My dad hovered at the edge of the frame, catching a football. My mom sat on the bleachers behind him, smiling and clapping. The picture was taken when I was eight. My family had gone on a picnic. I remember throwing the football. It spiraled across the field. My dad caught it. He ran, dodging my attempts to tag him. He jumped and reached the end zone. Touchdown! My mom clapped. “Yay,” she said. We ran to our car. My father turned on the radio. Pitbull was singing, “Rain Over Me.” I sang as we drove. At home, I crawled into bed and pulled the sheets up to my neck.

This was before the trouble.

My stomach growled. I crawled to my dresser and grabbed a Pitbull CD. I stuck it in the player and turned it on. Let it rain over me. I walked to my brother’s room.

“Let’s go,” Lofu said.

We headed out the door. The cool breeze blew through my hair. The sun shined on my face. As I walked, I fell into a deep sleep. I saw food everywhere. Grass grew carrots, trees grew chicken and rivers streamed with Coca Cola.

Chapter 3
Dream Revealed

Back at home I awoke to the sound of sizzling in the kitchen. My brother came into my room with a tray of steaming hot sausages and scrambled eggs with green onion. There was a fork and a knife on top of a napkin.

“I’ve never seen you cook food for me in my life,” I said.

“Whatever.”

He laid the tray on my lap. I could feel the heat through the blanket.

“It’s burning my legs,” I said.

He lifted the tray and I pulled off the blanket. My skin was red. I placed the tray on my desk and kicked the blanket off.

“What the heck are you doing?” said my brother.

“It’s so hot,” I said.

I leaned over the tray and picked up the knife and fork. I sliced into the eggs. I tried to stuff them into my mouth. The green onions almost made me puke. I walked to the kitchen and threw the eggs in the garbage. They smelled like fish. I put the plate in the sink. I heard footsteps coming. There were creaking noises in the hall. I took a peek.

“What are you doing?” my brother said.

“Um... throwing away the eggs because I’m full,” I said

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“No.”

“You are just wasting my money.”

He threw a tomato. I dodged it. It splattered on the wall. I grabbed what was left of it and threw it at him but he caught it and all the juice splattered on his hand. I ran across the kitchen and we looked inside the tomato. A worm slithered through its seeds.

“I guess you don’t even know how to pick good tomatoes,” I said.

“Grr.”

He threw the tomato back at me and the worm hit my face. It crawled around my scalp and must have laid eggs. It felt so itchy. I scratched my head and killed a baby worm with my fingernail. I went to my room and got some Raid. I told my brother to look at my head. He cut off four hairs and placed them on a plate. It looked like a hundred lice were sleeping on each strand.

“Your scalp is infected,” said my brother.

“Really. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe if I take you to a veterinarian,” he said. “I think I’ll help you get to the hospital.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

We hurried to the Lamborghini. White flames snaked along the sides of the car. The headlights blued the midnight sidewalk. My brother drove. As he turned, I shook right and left. When we arrived at the hospital, we walked inside. There were two glass doors that opened automatically. A man lay against the wall near the entrance. His t-shirt read “Max is the best.” I signed a piece of paper on a clipboard and handed it to the nurse. We walked to room 415. I heard footsteps in the halls. I ran to the main entrance. Lofu looked at me through the glass. He opened the door.

“Hurry, they’re coming.”

Chapter 4
Faster

“Hurry!” My brother dragged me down the sidewalk.

“If you get out of this building I’ll call my buds to come and get you,” someone yelled from the window. His voice was deep and full of sorrow.

Lofu and I rushed away from the building. The man took out his walkie-talkie and said, “They just rushed out of room 415.”

We ran as fast as we could. We jumped over fences. My brother found a ladder and climbed onto the roof of a house across the street from the hospital. I followed him up then we threw the ladder in the bushes.

“Why did you do that?” I said. I looked over my shoulder. The men began pushing through 415’s window.

“Stop clumping the door way,” said the guy in the Max shirt.

I rushed to follow my brother. We hopped from roof to roof and jumped to the ground. We rolled across the street.

“Where do you think you’re going?” someone said behind us. It was Deep Voice, the guy from the window of 415.

I kicked his thigh. Then he looked up. I kicked him in the face. Max watched the violence. My brother sneaked behind him and took his gun. We ran across the street and hid in a Chinese produce market where my dad’s friend Andy worked. He wore a white apron. We hid behind the cash register. Deep voice and Max ran inside the market.

They showed Andy pictures of Lofu and me. “Have you seen these two kids running by?” Deep Voice said.

“No, I haven’t,” said Andy.

The two men took off.

“See ya,” I said to Andy, and walked out the door with my brother. We ran behind the house next door to the produce market. I heard a voice.

“Go check inside this house,” the voice said. I peeked around the corner. The voice belonged to a guy with fuzzy hair and black boots. “Search the perimeter. Go door to door, make sure they did not run away,” Fuzzy Hair said.

“Shh,” I said to Lofu.

“You always act like you’re dad,” my brother murmured.

“What did you just say?” I asked.

“Huh, oh nothing.” Lofu found a ladder in the bushes and laid it against the wall. He climbed onto the roof.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I said.

“It’s called a sneak attack,” he said. “Quiet down.” He jumped down and darted across the street. Fuzzy Hair ran around a house across from where I stood. My brother pushed him to the wall but Fuzzy Hair pointed his gun at him and said, “Just kneel to the ground so I don’t have to shoot you.”

I froze. My guns were in the car. My brother kneeled down and smiled.

“What do you think you’re laughing about?” he asked.

“Behind you,” my brother said.

He turned around but there was nobody there. When he turned back Lofu was pointing a pistol at him. “Just put your gun on the ground so I don’t have to shoot.” Fuzzy Hair moaned and fell on his back.

Max appeared from behind the house and threw a blade at Lofu. As it pierced his heart, the grass crunched and Max’s golden hair swooshed around the corner of the house.

“Why did you do that?” a guy with a crow tattoo said. “We could’ve kept him for good information.” He placed his hand on Max’s shoulder.

“Who cares,” Max said.

Crow Tattoo whispered, “He looks like Sherry. Maybe he’s related to her.”


Chapter 5
Doomed

I ran to Lofu and pulled out the blade. I tried to throw it at Max’s head but Crow jumped in front of it and Max ran across the street. I ran to the Lamborghini and grabbed a gun with a scope. Both men were inside the house. They peeked through the windows. I pulled Crow into my crosshairs and fired but he moved too soon. I tried firing again. No ammo! The two men disappeared down a hall. I grabbed a grenade from the glove box and approached the front door. Footsteps echoed inside. I threw the grenade at the porch and dove into a row of bushes. Flames roared from the house’s windows. Black puffs of smoke hovered in the sky. Sirens blared from down the block. I ran to the Lamborghini, jumped inside and drove off.

A yellow mustang swerved into me on the freeway. The guys in the Mustang wore black masks. One of them glared at me like he knew me. His mask left his eyes exposed. I knew those eyes. I knew who it was. My dad.

I kept driving, cutting off other cars. The Mustang swerved in my direction and I stepped on the brakes. The masked men zoomed past me and crashed into the median. I glanced in the rearview. They kicked open the doors, squirmed out and flagged down a Camry. One of the masked men opened its door and threw the driver on the pavement. I drove to my house. My brother’s keys still hung from the lock. I opened the door and took a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator. I twisted the cap off and slouched down on a wooden chair.


About the Author

Hi my name is Destin. I am ten years old and I live in San Francisco with my dad, mom, and my sister. I like to play with my Maltese dogs, Lexie and Crystal and I like to play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. I want to be good at drawing. When I grow up I want to be an inventor or a veterinarian. If I were a machine I would be the snake machine at the Academy of Sciences because I love snakes. My favorite book is Trouble in Madagascar, and the author of that story is me! The scariest moment of my life was when I was doing laundry with my sister in the basement. It was pitch black. I couldn’t see a thing. When we got closer to the washer, the light turned on! If I could go forward in time I would want to go to the year 3011 because I want to see if people will have flying cars. My family comes from Vietnam. If I had the chance to go, I would because I have never been there and I would like to experience how hot it really is. The languages I speak at home are Chiuchao and Vietnamese.

THE OTHER DAY By Anh, age 10

Professor Mason dribbled battery acid into a test tube. "Done!" he said, stirring the liquid. He poured the poison into the mouth of a corpse. Its clothes started to rip and the smell of rotten eggs spread around the room. The body’s stomach ripped open and its guts fell out. Its eyes turned red and its teeth yellowed. Blood came out from beneath its toenails. Black liquid dripped from its nose. Its skin peeled off in rectangular pieces. Its arms grew and its fingernails popped off. Its muscles looked like they were going to explode. The creature choked Professor Mason and punched him hard in the stomach.

Ellis woke up in a store and didn’t know how he got there. Cracks zig-zagged across the walls. Shoes lay in jumbled piles. He pushed objects and shelves out of his way and exited out the door. No one was outside. He walked down the street. Wrecked houses lined the sidewalks. He heard footsteps from far away. He looked back; shadows rushed toward him and screams followed. He ran as fast as he could, and at the end of the street, he met a soldier. He had a cigarette in his mouth and was dressed in dirty cammies. A two-barrel shotgun was strapped to his back and a dark green beret sat on his head. The soldier yelled, "Get behind me!" He threw a grenade at the shadows. Arms blew into the air and legs scattered across the street. A piece of skin landed on Ellis’ shoulder.

"This is not where to talk,” the soldier said. “Come to my cabin. It's safer. By the way, I’m Jack."

Ellis followed the soldier on foot. They headed down Anza and turned on Geary. All Ellis could see was destruction. There were cars with broken windows. Traffic lights flashed and marine jeeps burned. Jack's cabin was like an old campground shelter with white flowers planted in the backyard. The place was painted dark brown, and the smell of coffee lingered in the air as they approached.

"What's your name?" the soldier said.

"I don't remember anything…." Ellis shook his shoulders and answered awkwardly.

"Well here, take this Desert Eagle. I don't have it loaded. You’ll have to find ammo as you go."

Ellis looked around. It was dead quiet and dark. There was a sofa next to the TV. The soldier said, "I'll call you Kevin, okay? I can't just call you an unknown guy. My name is Jack. Now get some sleep."

The next morning, Jack and Ellis ate some leftover onion rings. A radio turned itself on. If you survived the zombie apocalypse, please come to our base located in City Hall. We got food and weapons.

“Should we go?" Ellis said.

"Well," Jack said. "We got nothing to lose! I know where to find a car but it might be too risky…"

They grabbed their guns and tiptoed outside. Jack whispered, “See that parking lot? When you see zombies coming, just yell my name ok?”

Jack crept to the parking lot and approached a white SUV at the corner of the lot. It had minor scratch marks and strips of flesh lying across the hood, but he didn't mind. Shadows moved across the cement. “Jack!”

Zombies limped from behind a tall building and some of them crawled. Some were missing legs, blood dripped slowly and dried as they hauled their torsos behind them. Jack hotwired the car and drove out of the lot. Ellis jumped in and they sped away. Ellis noticed there was a big black sports bag in the back of the car. He leaned over and opened the bag. His eyes shined with amazement.

"Whatcha' got there?" Jack asked.

"What does it look like? It's a bag full of bullets!" Ellis replied, loading his gun and shoving magazines into his pockets.


They arrived at City Hall and drove into the basement level garage. They grabbed their guns and got out of the car. Zombies came from everywhere: from under cars and up from the sewer. Jack pulled out the shotgun slung over his back and Ellis slid his Desert Eagle from his pocket. Bullet holes flickered across the walls. A group of soldiers guarding the door shot at the zombies. Jack and Ellis hustled up the stairs and closed the door.

The next morning Jack, Ellis and all the others at the base took their guns and went into the mini-café on the second floor. Toothpicks and straws lay on the floor. Ellis took a mug from the kitchen and poured hot chocolate mix into his cup. He looked inside as the marshmallows swirled, making him sleepy. Suddenly, screaming came from outside. Fists burst through the windows. Bodies ripped in half and heads separated from torsos. Red and green blood pooled on the cold, white floor.

About the Author

Oh hi! My name is Anh and I'm ten years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom and sister. I like to sit on my couch and pwn people in Call of Duty: Black Ops! I'm also very good at art and doodling. My future will be awesome because I will become an artist. I'm different from other kids because I rarely go outside and I don't climb monkey bars. If I had one wish, I would wish for my school to burn down so I could stay home all day sleeping and watching Spongebob! Just Kidding! What I really wish is that my dad would live with me and my mom and sister because right now he lives in Vietnam. The Other Day is my first published book.

BECAUSE THEY SMELL By Brandon & Tai, both age 9

What he wears:
Scooby-doo t-shirts,
saggy pants,
his sister’s Hello Kitty shoes,
because he can’t find his.

What he plays with:
jump ropes and fire.

What he drinks:
7-up and Mentos.

What he makes:
guns, in case someone breaks in,
tables, to eat off of,
Pillow Pets, to sleep on,
and bowls and cups to eat out of.

What he hates:
gum, because it sticks to his hair,
and girls,
because they smell.

Where he goes:
to bed on the roof of his car
because he likes the cold and the stars,
McDonalds,
every day,
where he orders Happy Meals.
He gives the food to a homeless person and keeps the toys.
His favorite is Darth Vader
because he can choke people with his mind.

What he does not do:
Smoke in the shower,
because of the water,
and swim in the ocean,
because the sharks don’t like him anymore.

About the Authors

My name is Tai and I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom and dad. I like to sleep. When I grow up I want to be a sleeper. I want to let scientists do experiments on my brain so they can learn the future from my dreams. I am good a soccer when I am playing defense. I am also the author of Todd & Ben and The Hill of the Dead.

Hi, my name is Brandon. I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, sister and brother. My favorite thing to do in the Laundromat is to let my brother push me around in the carts. I am also the author of Trip to Vietnam, Beef Jerky and Shadow Cliffs.

MY DOG PONCHO By Andrew, age 9

It was storming the day I got my dog. My dad ran into the house with a box. In the box was a dog. He was wet and shaky, and also crying. The first time I touched him he was soft like a blanket but he peed on me. It was okay because it wasn’t a big mess. Poncho jumped on me and kissed me. Then I kissed my dad and he said, “Goodbye, got to go to work now.”

I got a bone and a chocolate chip cookie from the kitchen. The bone was for Poncho but he wanted the cookie. “No,” I said. “Chocolate is bad for you, ok?” I gave him milk.

The next week we went to a dog park. I bog Rottweiler trapped Poncho in the bathroom. I was scared. Bark bark! Poncho barked at the big dog and it ran away. Poncho was free!

We took Poncho to the beach in San Jose. It was cool and I went diving. Poncho did not want to swim. It was okay though because he didn’t like to swim. It reminded him of a bathtub.

Once I saw Poncho at an open window. I was on the ground. I ran upstairs and got him before he dropped down. He was lucky I got him or else he would have been jelly.

About the Author

My name is Andrew and I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, sister and brother and dog. My favorite author is R.L. Stine because he is scary. If I had one wish, I would wish for ice powers so I could freeze people who are mean to me. I would like to travel to Canada because I would like to play hockey. I would like to go to Alaska so I could snowboard with my friend. If I could be an animal, I would pick wolf so that I could hunt. If I could ask everyone on Earth on question, I would ask if today is the end of the world so everyone will freak out. If I had one wish, I would wish for my blay-blay back from my teacher upstairs. This is my fourth published book. I’m also the author of The Ice Monster’s Anger, John and the Snake and The Lion Hunt.

JOURNEY TO THE GOBLIN KINGDOM By Dustin, age 10

School is closed but Jose and Emerald show up at the gate looking for their lost jackets. They take their swords out of their backpacks. Jose puts on his iPod headphones. “Blame On Me” is playing. Emerald slashes Jose’s finger while he spins it around the volume control. Blood spatters the screen. "Why did you hurt me?” Jose says. “I am your brother."

"Because of what happened at work!”

Jose holds his cut finger.

“Also, you didn’t help when I was drowning in the pool at Shadow Cliffs! The big nice lifeguard helped me!" Jose pushes Emerald across the street.

Emerald says, “Ha, you can’t get me!” He gets up from where he landed—right in front of Rite-Aid. Someone walks by and drops a bottle of suntan lotion. He stares at it spilling on the ground. The smell reminds him of Shadow Cliffs. They drove there with their parents when they were little. Emerald buried Jose with sand. They ate popsicles that day. Emerald dropped his on Jose so Jose chased Emerald into the water. Jose and Emerald met some kids and played soccer against them and won. “You are a great defender,” Jose said, “and I am a great player.”

Emerald stares through Rite-Aid’s window. A red Doritos bag falls from the shelf and he remembers the last time that happened. Emerald had been working at the cash register. Clean up on the chips aisle.

Emerald said, “Yes,” and headed for the chips aisle. There were so many bags of chips.

Jose hopped down the chip aisle.

"Hey Jose," Emerald said. "Help me.”

Jose ignored Emerald and walked to the toy aisle.

"Help me,” Emerald said again.

Jose came back with a Whiffle bat and whacked the chips off the shelf again.

Their boss came stomping down the aisle. “You're fired Emerald," the boss said. “Go get your stuff. Jose will clean this up."


Jose holds his cut finger. "I’ll be back," he says to himself. He goes to the hospital and talks to a doctor.

"You need stitches,” says the doctor. “You’re lucky this cut isn’t worse.”

“Okay. Stitch me up.”

“First, you have to get some baby potion from the Goblin King’s castle.”

“Where is it?”

The doctor points out the window. “Just down that alley.”


Jose calls Emerald. “I apologize for getting you fired,” he says.

“Apology accepted,” says Emerald.

They meet at Jose’s car and head toward the Goblin King’s castle but stop at a shop and buy a sleeping potion. They put on masks so the potion won’t make them fall asleep.

The castle is surrounded by hundreds of goblins staggering toward Jose’s car. Jose tries to run them over but one of them jumps on the car’s windshield. Jose sticks his hand out the window and takes hold of the goblin. “Emerald,” Jose says. “Hand me the knife in the glove box.”

He opens the compartment and grabs the knife. He passes it to Jose. Jose holds the knife up against the goblin’s neck.
“Back off,” Jose says to the other goblins, “or I’ll kill him.”


The goblins retreat, all except for one. He has a red ribbon wrapped around his forehead. The ribbon flutters in the wind. He throws a ninja star at Jose but he shields himself with the goblin he’s still holding, and blood splatters into the other goblin’s eyes. Jose drops the goblin and drives to the Goblin King’s Castle. He drives though the door and knocks down an expensive TV. The glass shatters on the floor. They drive through another door. Mold covers the room’s walls and shelves fall onto the Goblin King. He thrashes through debris and hides in the corner with the baby potion in his hand. Jose bursts out of the car and snatches the baby potion from the Goblin King.

“Huuug huuuug huuuuuug hhuuuuug,” the Goblin King says. “Gettt themmmm III wanttt myyy babyyy potionnn.”

The goblins chase Jose and Emerald out the door but they cut their feet on the glass. Jose and Emerald drive back to the hospital.

“Doctor!” says Jose.

“What?” says the doctor.

“Can I get my stitches now?”

“Yeah.”

Jose lies down on the exam table. The doctor gives him a shot and stitches his cut closed.

“Ach,” says Jose.

“We’re, done,” says the doctor. “Try it out.”

“Ok,” says Jose. “This my finger finally!”



About the Author

Hi, my name is Dustin. I am ten years old and I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, brother and sister. I like Legos and I am really good at soccer. I want to complete a lot of goals. I want to get better at spelling because now I ask for too much help. I am also the author of My Enemy and Bill’s Adventures in the Anti-goblin League.

THREE POEMS By Alex, age 9

THE DRAGON'S ADVENTURE By Khenny, age 8

The dragon wants a powerful diamond that belongs to the Dog People. The dragon wants the diamond because if you find it and say, “Zabra,” you will disappear. The Dog people keep the diamond in a dark cave. It is frozen inside an ice crystal.

The Dog People guard all the food. If the Dragon could turn invisible he would be able to sneak past the guards and eat. The dragon walks up to the cave. The Dog People say, “This is our diamond.” They stomp their feet on the ground and scare the dragon with a stick.

The dragon goes home.

When it is nighttime, the dragon flies back to the cave. He blows fire at the dark. He breaks the ice with his claws.

“Zabra,” the dragon says.

The Dog People check the cave. The diamond is gone. The dragon is invisible. He is eating the Dog People’s chicken and grapes.

About the Author

My name is Khenny. I live in San Francisco with my mom and my sister. I am eight years old. I like to play zombies and I am good at running. I want to be an artist when I grow up. My favorite books are the Pokemon books because I like to see all the animals and creatures in those books. If I could ask everyone I know one question I would ask, “What is your favorite book?” The Dragon’s Adventure is my first published book.

MY BROKEN LIFE By Arnold, age 10

Forehead Scar

I was in the shower. My skin felt isolated from my body. When I stepped back from the soap holder, the soap bar fell. I slipped and my head hit the corner of the sink. It felt like a piece of glass piercing the skin above my left eyebrow. The blood looked like watery red paint. My head felt cold. My brother walked in and told me, “Hurry, go lay on the bed.”


Scattering Rice

He brought me some paper towels and told me to put them on my head. My mom came home and told me to get two band-aids. I bled on the bed, my mom had to wash the sheets. My brothers wrapped me with a blanket in a cocoon. I couldn’t use my hands. They were tightly bound in the blanket. I wiggled my head over the edge of the bed. I wiggled too much and my face hit the floor. My brothers helped me up but I tripped over a shoe and banged my toe on the corner of the door. I broke my toenail. My nail bled. My brother brought me a hot rice pack but it unsealed accidentally and rice scattered all over. My brother stepped on it and the rice got mashed into the green carpet. He burned his foot on the rice and hopped around, tripping over a chair and crashing into the door.


Broken Wall

Earlier that summer my brother leaped from the table to the bed, his head flew into the wall. When he pulled his head out of the wall pieces of plaster shattered on the floor. Wall crumbs whitened his hair. In the morning my mom found out but she didn’t yell at my brother. She yelled at me.


Collapsing Curtains

The next day my brothers yanked the curtain string really hard and the curtains collapsed to the floor. When my mom came home she got so mad. She told them to get my Grandpa because he knows how to fix things like that. When he showed up, he got mad. He thought we were playing but it was an accident.


Dog Bite

The last time my brother went to Vietnam our dog jumped on him and bit him on the nose. The dog bit his right nostril, but he bled from his left nostril.

Chick Eye

The next day my brother threw a pebble at the eye of a chick and the eye came out, stringy and gooey. When he told me about this I felt weird inside, a tingling feeling in my stomach.

Milk Flood

One day last year when the sky shone yellow, my mom came home with food and milk and my brother and I stomped on it and I popped the carton. My mom got mad. “Go clean it up all of you!” she said.

Melting Water Bottle

Three days later my dad took me home. I took out a Lipton teabag and I made tea inside a plastic water bottle. I poured hot water inside. My brother and I saw the bottom of the bottle shrinking and I started screaming. My brother yelled, “Stop yelling and get paper towels.” Tea gurgled out the top of the bottle and my brother tried wiping it up with the towels. The tea scalded him and he hollered and my aunt called and said, “Why are you yelling” then she hung up on accident. The burn healed and no one found out until now.

About the Author

My name is Arnold. I am ten years old. I live in San Francisco with my brother and my mom. I like to swim and draw. I want to be good at math one day. When I grow up I want to be a chemist. I would like to be famous for being a chemist who builds bomb shelters and bombs. I am different from other kids because I have a huge and complicated family that is like a regenerating body. If I were weather I would be rain so I could grow trees so they can give us air. I like the book Valley of Thorns because it has a character that drives off a cliff and dies in a valley of thorns. If I could ask the world something, I would ask: Why do people live if they are going to die? The scariest moment of my life was when I got a hole in my head, the one I wrote about in this book. If I could have a super power I would want to communicate telepathically and to control anything. If I could go back in time I would go the year 2001 to see myself being born. My family is from Cambodia, Vietnam and San Francisco. I would like to go Vietnam. The languages I speak at home are Vietnamese and English. I am also the author of The Bad Example.