Monday, December 21, 2009

To Be or Not to Be by Destin, age 8


My parents want me to be a doctor so I will make a lot of money so I can buy a house instead of renting an apartment. I don't want to be a doctor because I'm scared blood might spread around my eyes.

My parents would be upset if I became a police officer because I might get shot. I don't want to be a police officer because I might die in one second.

My parents don't want me to be a cook because cooks don't make a lot of money. I don't want to become a cook either. If I become a cook at the restaurant where my dad works I will have to work harder than my mom.

I don't want to be an adult because when I turn into an old man my hair will turn grey.

I want to be a scientist when I grow up because then I will be able to invent anything and I want to learn about Mother Nature. I want to invent machines like a robot sea creature. I will just make a piece of goo and put any battery inside of it. Its goal will be to look for gold under the sea and look for parts of the Titanic.

I also want to be a marine biologist so I can learn about sea creatures. I want to learn how to take care of tropical fish because when you feed human food to fish they might die the next day.

About the Author

My name is Destin. I am eight years old. I live with my mom, dad and sister in San Francisco. I have been to Los Angeles. This is my first published book. I am in third grade. I wonder if turtles like dogs and cats. My biggest fear is Black Widows because they are poisonous. I am good at Kick Ball and Two Square sometimes. I like to play my PS3 and my DSi. My favorite games are Street Fighter four and Soul Calibur four. Someday I want to be good at soccer. If I were a tool I would be a screwdriver because when someone breaks something they will just use me and they will fix whatever they broke. If I were granted a wish I would wish to be a good student and participant in class.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Apple Explosion by Michelle & Nhung, both age 10


Chapter 1
We have to win


“Oh my god, we got the perfect slime color for the project,” Joanie said standing in the middle of the lab she shared with her sister. “We’re going to be a shoo-in! We might win!”

“Of course we’re going to win,” Cassie said as if she were a master at everything. “We’re rich, beautiful, and smart. Hah to all the scientists out there because I’m the best!” The expression on Cassie’s face was full of rage and power.

“Excuse me,” Joanie said, looking at Cassie with her big eyes.

“Did I say me, I mean we.”

“Yeah you better,” Joanie said, nodding her head. “Oh yeah and Cassie.”

“Yeah,” Cassie said looking at Joanie curiously.

“You’re really weird.” Joanie giggled.

“I know,” Cassie said with confidence.

Cassie and Joanie went to school to sign up for the science contest. They planned to build a giant bomb shaped like an apple. After school, Joanie and Cassie went back to their lab. It was full of blueprints and different creations like the Peace Maker Professor Sally gave them. Cassie stopped, tucked and rolled to a table covered with mechanical experiments and grabbed a bag full of mini time bombs. Joanie set them to go off at five thirty on the day of the science contest. Joanie gently put them into a five-foot tall metal apple.

After five days the two sisters got ready for the Science Contest. Joanie put on a white coat with three red stripes on one sleeve and three blue stripes on the other. There was one black stripe down the middle. Cassie put on a similar white coat. They got into their limo where their chauffer was waiting for them. They strapped the apple to the roof of the car. When they got to the science fair, they pushed the apple through the front door. As Cassie pushed, fireworks were flying everywhere in celebration of the science fair. Cassie pushed the apple to the podium. “What a funny looking project,” one of the judges said. “What is it?”

“Well,” Cassie said staring at the judge’s wrinkly forehead and his eyebrows as big as full-grown caterpillar. “It’s an apple that can give you a filling of grape jelly.”

“What?”

“For example, you have a donut and you want a filling but you can’t fit this entire apple in your house.”

“Yes, yes” the judge said stroking his freakishly long beard.

“So, all you need to do is by it in stores mini version.”

“That is an excellent idea. if you girls win we will absolutely consider your project as a nice filler.”

“Thank you very much sir.” Cassie about to walk away when she stopped herself and said to the judge, “Oh, and nice beard.”

“Why, thank you oh so much.”

“Oh no problem. I really mean it.”

The judges roamed around and observed the experiments for at least fifteen minutes. Finally the judges tallied up the scores and gave them to the announcer. “We have seen a lot of exellent work today,” the announcer said. “We proudly present, Joanie and Cassie, the new winners of our Fiftieth Annual Science Fair!”

Confetti flew everywhere! The girls received a golden trophy shaped like the earth. There was a ring around it that said, “We Love Science!” People cheered and some of the competitors cried because they lost.

After receiving the trophy, Joanie pushed the announcer and shouted, “Thank you! Thank you all!!” Just before Joanie was about to continue her speech the announcer shoved her.

Chapter 2
Oh No You Didn’t


Everyone gasped as Joanie fell down.

“Why did you do that?” someone from the audience shouted.

“She pushed me first!”

“So it doesn’t mean you have to push her!”

“You’re not the boss of me! I’m the announcer! I could tell the principal on you. He’s upstairs right now listening to Jingle Bell Rock and watching us through the window.”

“Ooh, I like that song,” the person in the audience said. “Would you mind if I go up and... Wait a minute we were just arguing about not to push that little girl up on stage.”

“Hey!” Joanie said with attitude. “I’m not a little girl, I’m a teen girl.”

The argument didn’t last long.

The fair was just about to close when Joanie remembered to inject something into the Apple. She told everyone that they had a surprise then Cassie ran to their toolbox and took out a syringe filled with purple goo. She injected the syringe into the apple. As Cassie walked calmly back to the toolbox, the apple exploded! Purple slime covered everyone and the walls.

“What in the world is going on?” the Principal shouted as a plop of slime dropped atop his gel filled hair. Principal Walker shouted so loud, Cassie dropped the syringe. It broke, leaving a big plop of slime on the floor. The Slime covered Cassie’s new shoes, leaving them sticky and purple.

“Aw man,” Cassie whispered to herself. “These shoes were new but now they’re dirty and old.”

“Stop talking to yourself,” Joanie said, looking back at Cassie. “Nobody cares what you wear as long as you wear something.”
“Oh, Ok,” Cassie said, looking down at her shoes and pretending to model them for a camera.

Joanie looked back at Principal Walker. “It was our science experiment,” she said, walking toward principal Walker. “We didn’t mean to do that.” Joanie glared at Cassie.

“I did nothing of any kind,” Cassie whispered, staring back at Joanie.

“Well, I don’t allow it,” Principle Walker shouted.

“You two will have to clean this mess spotless! I don’t care if you girls have to stay over night, just make sure that this room is clean and neat.”

“Well fine,” Joanie said, looking at the broken pieces. “Besides, I got and idea.”

“OK,” the principal said as if he didn’t care. “Carry on. Come on everybody, let’s leave them alone while we go to the movies.”

“Yeah!” the crowd shouted.

Chapter 3
Another Explosion

Cassie went to the bathroom while Joanie pulled some of the competitors’ inventions off the tables, demolished parts and glued them to a plastic tube she found on the ground. Then she managed to push a vacum cleaner into a bottle she found. She tied a wire to the end of the bottle and attached a red button to the other end. She let the machine dry because it was wet with super glue. A couple of moments later she had finished building a machine. She pressed a button and just like that, the entire mess disappeared. The machine bulged, full of purple slime. After a few seconds of silence, the machine exploded.

“Oh my goodness,” Cassie said returning from the bathroom. “I thought you would clean some of the slime up while I was gone!”

“Well,” Joanie said softly. “I made a machine while you were in the bathroom.”

“No wonder there is a metal rod sticking on the ceiling. And look, there‘s a long tube right next to me.”

Joanie sighed and walked slowly to the janitor’s closet.

Chapter 4
Slime Be Gone


Joanie came smiling back with a mop in one hand and a bucket filled with dirty water in the other. Cassie thought she was going to do something crazy. Joanie set down the bucket and the mop in front of a tree-shaped blob, scooped some of it up, and threw it in the bucket. Joanie used the mop to stir the blob. Cassie looked into the bucket and saw that every time Joanie stirred the slime, the bit of blob sitting on the bottom shrunk. Cassie looked amazed, and sat on a chair to watch the show.

Chapter 5
Help


Cassie dug a Big Chunk candy bar out of her bag while Joanie stayed up working on the mess. Cassie walked to the judge’s chair and fell fast asleep. Joanie got so tired she almost fell on Cassie and almost smashed her candy, but instead she took the Big Chunk out of Cassie’s mouth and said into the judge’s microphone, “Wake up and help me clean up the other half!”

Cassie jumped onto her feet and said “Cassie on duty, ma’am!”

“Well it’s about time. “Joanie took the Big Chunk from the chair and pulled it in half. She sat down to watch Cassie work. “This is so cool.”

Chapter 6
Just in Time


By the time Principal Walker drove into the school parking lot early the next morning, the girls had finished. They put the supplies back in the closet as Principal Walker opened the door.

“Amazing,” Principal Walker said doubtfully. “I never thought you’d be able to finish cleaning this mess.”

“Well,” Cassie said, “two heads are better than one.”

“I did most of the work,” Joanie said.

“OK,” Principal Walker said. He walked over to the Big Chunk wrapper lying on the floor. “You guys forgot-“ A rumble from the closet interrupted Principal Walker. He walked slowly toward it and opened the door.

Chapter 7
This Chapter Is Shocking!


A huge blob of purple slime with green, glowing evil eyes glared down at Principal Walker. The blob was nine feet tall. Yellow dots covered its entire body.

“What is this?” asked Principal Walker.

“Who in the world knows?” Cassie shouted.

“No One!” Joanie said, walking backwards from the growling blob. The monster pushed Principal Walker to the floor and walked out the front door. They ran after it. “It’s gone!” Joanie said, trying to find it. “We’ll have to try to find it in the next book.”

“I’ll come with you,” Principal Walker said, looking down at his slime-covered tuxedo. “This creature will be avenged!”

Chapter 8
Listen Up! We Found out Something and We Need Your Help


Dear, Reader,

This letter is the last chapter and we have important information.

We made the apple and somebody put a tracking device in it for some reason. We figured that out while we were playing a game online. We looked at the bottom of the screen and a tracking detector was blinking. By mistake we threw the slime piece with the tracker into the bucket Joanie said.

We went online to our tracking device center and saw that the slime blob has left town, so we need your help to find it.
His name is Blobber. Blobber is nine feet tall. It has yellow spots all over its back and stomach. If you see it, please do not look into its red eyes or you’ll slowly catch on fire without knowing. Then you’ll ‘accidentally’ walk off the earth’s surface.
If you see him please contact us. Our number is 1123-33345-5566-66645-254-6534. Thanks for listening and thanks for cooperating. Bye and see you in the next book.

Sincerely,
Joanie and Cassie

About the Authors

Hi, My name is Michelle. I live in San Francisco with my mom, dad, my sister, two aunts, my uncle, and my grandma. My favorite outdoor activities are basketball, baseball, and kickball. I’m good at spelling, math, spying, and science. I want to be good at gymnastics, swimming, and racing someday. When I grow up, I want to be a chef, or a musician. If I were a planet, I would be Neptune because Neptune is the god of the body of waters, and controlling water is very unique and very artistic. My biggest fear is my family falling apart. I wonder if all the planets but Earth will ever be sucked into a black hole and spit out covered with life.

Hello, my name is Nhung. I live in San Francisco with my mom and dad. I am good at science, music, and math. I want to be good at reading and grammar someday. When I grow up I want to be a doctor, a dentist, or a lawyer. My biggest fear is dying on a rollercoaster. I wonder if Earth will ever shrink or fall into space without gravity.