Family Stories by Chelzea, age 10

Chapter One
Tobiey Gets Lost

The doorbell rang and my mom answered it. She was nine years old. It was her anutie bringing her a dog named Tobiey. My mom said, ''It's so cute.'' My mom's auntie took Tobiey for walk then came back to feed him and asked my grandma if she could keep her dog for her because she had no room for the dog in her house. Then the next day the dog escaped because one of my mom's sisters accidentally left the door open.

Chapter Two
Grandma

My Grandma on my dad's side of the family was walking home one night here in San Francisco. She stopped at an odd street that was near a hospital. She said the street felt dark and cold. Then she said, ''The evil is dark and cold,'' but she had to go home so she went down the street and said, ''What if I don't make it out, then who will take care of my babies?'' She kept walking until the street was no longer dark and cold.

Chapter Three
My Great grandfather

Once when my great grand father was alive he had donkeys. My mom wanted to ride one of the donkeys so she got one. At first it was calm and then all of a sudden it went crazy and it made my mom fall in a puddle. The next day my great grandfather sold both of the donkeys, and after he sold them he went inside the house and laid in bed then a few minutes later my mom went inside the bedroom and tried to wake him up and he didn't open his eyes or move. Then my mom realized that he was dead.

Chapter Four
My Name

When I was born my mom saw when they where taking me out of her stomach. I think I heard her screaming and she was also happy that she had a baby. Then a nurse took my mom to another room and asked her what my name was going to be. My mom said ''JC.'' The nurse made a mistake and wrote down Chelzea. Then years passed and my mom told me about the mistake with my name. When she told me that, I was shocked and happy to hear my real name. I was happy that I had a name I liked better than the name I have right now. I don't like the name Chelzea because it sounds kind of odd to me and I like my real name because it makes me think I was named after JC Penny and I like that store. JC also looks easy to write on tests and stuff. Chelzea means "landing place for chalk or limestone." This makes me think I'm like a chalkboard or a book people write on and I'm imagining their words in my head.

Chapter Five
My Dad

One night I heard my dad crying. I asked him what was wrong. He said, "My cousin died because someone killed him." This broke my heart. Then he told me not to kill people and he told me why my parents don't let me go to school alone. That made me so sad that inside my mind I saw three columns, one for me, one for my mom and one for my dad. Mine was empty because I felt nothing and so was my mom's. My dad's column was rising. It hurt my heart when my dad went to his mom's house for the funeral.

My mom asked me why was I crying. At first I wouldn't tell her but then I said, "I'm crying because dad said that his cousin died."

She said, "I know, he told me when he got home."

Ever since my dad's cousin died everybody in my dad's family has been sad and crying. Something happened. Every time I went to their house they would always ask me if I wanted juice or something or if I wanted to watch TV, but they didn't after ask me these things after my dad's cousin died. When we came home from my grandma's house once, I wispered to my mom and said, "Mom, why didn't they ask me if I wanted something?"

My mom said, "They did. They asked you if you wanted Chinese food and you said yes".

"I don’t remember."

About The Author

Hi, my name is Chelzea, aka JC. I am ten years old. I live in San Francisco with my mom and dad. My favorite thing to do is to sing. I am good at math. Someday I want to be good at reading because my dad says I need practice. When I grow up I want to be a rock star. If I were an animal I would be half-puppy and half-bunny because these animals are so cute and cudley. I am different from my family because I am really sensitive. My biggest fear is getting eaten by a lion. I wonder if my mom knows other secrets about me but she doesn't want to tell me.

If Mexico Were Chihuahuas by Ivy, age 10

If Mexico were Chihuahuas
then Florida would be crocodiles
If China were kittens
then Vietnam would be fish
If sadness were Missouri
then frustration would be Indiana
And I’d lay down in its sun
and let myself
burn

Poetry by David & Jocelin, both age 9

The Old Times
By Jocelin

If the 1900s were nerds
then the Ice Age would be a genius
If pencils were curious
then erasers would be know-it-alls
If airplanes were socks
then helicopters would be slippers
If cups were MP3s
then lockers would be CDs
If plants were Scrabble players
then leaves would be Scrabble pieces
If drawings were pencils
then paint would be brushes
If file folders were business people
then computers would be genies
If monkeys were women
then ostriches would be men
If arms were bracelets
then legs would be anklets



If Cars Were People
By David

If cars were people
then backpacks would be books
If houses were desks
then computers would be fatter
If doors were paper
then windows would be clocks

Crossy and the Cherries by Trang, age 11

Chapter one

Crossy put cherries, flower petals, paper clips and toenails in a metal box. She also put in some circuits and wires and microchips and closed the metal box. She drilled tiny holes in it so she could put more wires inside. She found a Soft Squish Finger Press and poked five wires into it. She softened the toenails with hot contaminated chemicals so she could poke wires through those too. She also put some batteries in the box. When Crossy pressed the red button, everything looked blurry to her. After an hour she could see clearly again.

"I struck gold!" said Crossy, walking through the entrance to Cherryland.

Chapter two

Crossy went into a cherry mineral cave. She plucked a cherry from the wall and put it in her mouth. She thought it was the BEST cherry she had ever eaten. She found a secret doorway in the wall, and opened it. She went through it, entering a dark room. It was like a moonless night without stars. She heard a giggle.

"Welcome to my kingdom," said a voice. A light went on. A girl in a black dress stood in front of Crossy. Live bats were taped to her shoes. They flapped their wings wildly, trying to escape. She asked Crossy for a golden cherry.

"I don't have a cherry."

“Don't play dumb with me, mortal."

A low voice called to the girl. “Princess come here," said the voice.

“Father, stop calling me princess," said the little girl.

It was Crossy's chance to escape. Crossy ran and as she looked back, she bumped into a man.

"How dare you bump into the king"! said the man.

"I'm sorry," said Crossy, bowing. She didn’t really believe this was the king so she decided to wait for him to fall asleep and look for his ID. As she walked away, she saw an invitation in his pocket that said, “Party on May X X I X X X I (2,811,111). Party ends at X X I(12) pm.

Chapter 3

She snuck into the king’s attic and looked left and right and saw an air vent. She crawled in and waited for the king to come home and fall asleep. When he did, Crossy slid out of the vent and looked in his pocket and found his ID.

“YIKES ! He is the king,” she whispered. She climbed back through the vent and struggled along the small passageway. She crawled farther inside. She looked through a metal grate. A golden cherry sat upon a small stand in the king's personal room. She pushed open the grate and jumped out. "There you are my precious," Crossy said to the cherry. She took out a mirror from her pocket and put it in front of a laser protecting the cherry. The mirror made the laser point at the TV, which made the guard fall asleep. Man he's loud snorer, thought Crossy.

She climbed back up to the vent. “Finally I have the cherry.” She remembered a myth about the Golden Cherry. If you wished upon it, it would grant you a wish. Crossy made a wish on the cherry. She wished that she were the queen and as soon as she made her wish, she heard waves of cherry juice splash on the shore outside. She also heard high pitched cherry bells and she was a queen! She had a crown with a cherry jewel, the fruit was a ruby and the hearts were diamonds. Crossy wore a dress that was connected to her shoes with plastic tubes so she would never lose them. The shoes were connected to her feet with hot glue so she would never lose them! They were high heeled and when she went to sleep, she just pushed her heels foward until her shoes were flat. The air vent had transformed into a palace. She called the place "Crossy Land."

When crossy took a shower, she pressed a pink pearl cherry-shaped button on the faucet and she was clean because there were six built-in bars of soap that scrubbed and peeled off dirt and dead skin. She never ever complained about her life or about how her life used to be miserable.

Crossy met everyone in Cherryland and took a bite out of them.

Chapter 4

Crossy found the king in his courtroom. “Your royal Cherriness, will you be my king?” said Crossy.

“No way woman, you’re way too funky smelling!” said the king.

“But, but, but I will jack your men’s cologne, so I will not smell funky!” said Crossy.

“Go away,” shouted the king, “or I will destroy your cherry grove/crop thingies! By the way, smear some of your cherries on yourself so you’ll smell a little bit funky fresher.”

“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” cried Crossy.

Crossy got mad so she made a potion out of dingo-lingo cherries, her hair (two strands), cherry toad legs and her spit. She put everything in a huge pot and boiled all the ingredients. She took a large beer mug and a cooler and ran through a cherry flavored candy cave with the pot. She saw a girl who looked like her named Jen-Jen. They teamed up because both girls were rejected by the king. They both went to the castle to give the potion to the king. When they got to the castle’s gate the guards were asleep.

“Buky Chu chu buu buu dihe dihee hiae he momoma,” snored the guards.

Jen-Jen and Crossy rushed through the gate and it creaked loudly because the guards didn’t put oil on the hinges. The girls looked at the guards to see if they’d woken up. They hadn’t. The girls tiptoed up the castle staircase to the third floor. They gave the potion to the king. He drank it and fell asleep.

“Yes!” the girls said.

“Jen-Jen,” said Crossy. “I think we are going to be rich because the king is rich!”

“Cool!” said Jen-Jen. “We can take all his treasures while the potion is still working."

Crossy thought Jen-Jen was so ugly and disgusting because she acted so snobby and she said she was the ruler of Crossy Land so Crossy made a potion for Jen-Jen. Crossy found a pot and inside she put fingoling cherries, pink plaster, blue plaster, red plaster and Jen-Jen’s own hair with flavored highlights. She boiled everything then Crossy got a bottle and went to the Cherry Fields Lakes and filled her bottle with the lakes’ cherry juice. When the potion was done boiling, Crossy got another bottle and filled it with the potion. The liquids looked no different but Crossy put the letter C on her bottle of plain cherry juice and J-J on Jen-Jen's potion bottle.

The next day Crossy went to Jen-Jen's house with the bottles to celebrate

When Crossy gave the potion to Jen-Jen she grew a long nose and passed out. Crossy was having a fun time ruling her castle but then the king popped out of nowhere.

“YOU!!!” shouted the king. He was on a motorcycle with flaming cherry bunnies printed all over it. The king’s soldiers were on cherry-patterned horses.

“WHHOA horsey,” shouted the soldiers.

"How dare you come to my kingdom, what did we do to your kingdom? We didn't break through your castle wall, did we? Hmmmmmm, did we!"

"Wellll, Nooo!" The king stammered.

"So, why did you did it then?" Crossy said.

"Ummmm, ummmm, I don't know ........ because I felt like it."

“You horrible monster!" Crossy said. "Frezze thisss kingg intoo aaa goldennn statueeee mmmake himmmm feellll painnn likkkkkke a wolff izz biting him!!!!"
"Noooooo!" cried the king

"Wow did I really do magic?" Crossy licked her lips and tasted cherries.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Trang. I'm in fifth grade and I live in San Francisco. My birthday is May 28. I was born in the year of the tiger because I was born in 1998. My favorite animals are tigers, dogs (I have a dog named Bee) and baby mice when they are alone without a mom or helpless. I wonder if I was born to enjoy everything I love or if I was born to endure sadness.

Dimension Problem by Jason, age 10

A blurry spiral appeared on the screen and Hammond and Raphael went spinning into it. They entered the War! They touched the ground and their hands went through but not their feet. Everything was transparent.

“I am thirsty,” said Hammond.

“Get your own!” said Rafael. Hammond drank all his water.

“I am still thirsty!”

“Too bad!”

Hammond removed his gun and bonked Rafael with it. “Why did I do that!” said Hammond.

“It's ok,” said Rafael, getting up.

“DIE!!!” Hammond said and he bonked Rafael. “Oh, well.” Hammond removed his shovel from his backpack and dug a hole and buried Rafael.

In a few minutes, Rafael dug himself out of the dirt. Flies buzzed around. It smelt like manure.

“Now where is Hammond?” Rafael looked around.

“Must suck blood,” said a voice.

Rafael turned around and looked behind him. A whole army of zombies came toward him. Their bones stuck out. Their eyes shined like a star. Rafael shot all the zombies with his shoulder cannon and ran. He saw a motorcycle, got on it and rode it away. He looked at the deserted world. He felt cold and drove up to space.

Rafael sensed someone was in trouble. He saw a large pyramid made of zombies. Rafael sped away and the zombies were gone. He pressed the EXCELERATE button. Then he found a person lying down. It was Hammond!!! He looked injured and wounded. Rafael stopped and picked him up. He put and him in a small cart and took him to an abandoned hospital. Rafael found an elixir on a shelf and gave it to Hammond, and after he drank it, he healed and his injury disappeared from his skin. Hammond quickly got up and found a plane. They got on and flew it away. While on the plane, Rafael pointed to a space satellite through the window.

“It will have lots of food, equipment to kill monsters and… aaaa? Hammond?”

Hammond’s face transformed into a purple balloon and his cheeks puffed out. Rafael found an astronaut suit in the closet. After Hammond put it on, his face deflated and the purple faded from his skin. Rafael and Hammond looked out the window. They landed on the satellite.

“Now what was I going to say?” Rafael said, getting out of the plane.

An android was heading for Rafael.

“What’s up, Zack?” said Rafael.

“Fine,” said the android in a robotic voice. “Nothing has changed." Rafael and Hammond created Zack.

Zack lead Rafael and Hammond to a room.

“Well, I need your help,” Rafael said.

“What is it?” asked Zack.

“We need to get out of this dimension,” Rafael said. “Right Hammond?”

When Rafael turned around, he saw Hammond exploring the spaceship.

“Now get in here,” Said Zack.

Rafael and Hammond entered a tube and Rafael's fingers turned into stone. His eyes turned red. Rocks stuck to him. He became a large rock monster.

Scales erupted on Hammond’s skin. His buckteeth formed into sharp razor fangs. His blue eyes turned red. He grew two extra legs.

“Hey,” said Hammond, “that’s no fair, you get to be a big, tough, fat and ugly monster and I don’t!”

“SHUT UP!!!!!” said Zack “We have to kill the warlord, Zurk.”

“EMERGENCY!” said the recorded voice. “Zurk has arrived!”

Zurk blasted the door open and said, “Surrender or you will be destroyed by my wrath.”

“You’re crazy! Take that for coming here, DUDE!” Hammond kicked Zurk on the face and his face exploded. His head flew through the ceiling of the ship and into outer space. Suddenly, the sky filled up with an explosive firework from the head.

Hammond and Rafael went inside a capsule on the satellite. They were back to normal. They crashed and had a big tantrum. Their bodies shrunk back to normal. The capsule shook and flames flared and the capsule headed for the portal that showed the planet Earth. They blasted into it and landed on the roof of Rafael’s house.

They went to the dump to throw away the Wii and found George Bush throwing a fit at a garbage bag. He murmured that he got fired for the president. He said he wanted it. So he took it.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Jason. I am ten. I live with my mom, dad, sister, and grandma. I am good at many games like Yu-gi-oh, Bakugan, and a lot of other things. I want to be a bit more advanced in sports. I am also the author of Curses and Goshi and the Dragons.

Thing I Don't Hate by Stanley, age 10

Things that Make Me Shake by Holly, age 9

Things that Make Me Wince by Catherine, age 9

Things that Make Me Feel Like a Floppy Blanket by Lisa, age 9

Three Poems by Kenny, age 9

The Green Bone by Stanley, age 10

Lamara flew to Greenland. He saw signs that said THAT WAY, THIS WAY, BOTH WAYS, STOP WAY, and one said FREEWAY. He thought he was in a maze. He went north.

A pig jumped out from behind one of the signs and said, “I am the fat pig.”

Lamara hit the pig’s face and it melted. The boy found a green bone and it smelled like dirty underwear. When he got out of the maze, a pair of underwear with hands and legs appeared. The underwear cast a spell on Lamara: “Wam ma poma do-do boeey dmm goo-gooh, kjugiuygiiyrfgjk.”

The spell made him disappear from where he was. He felt shaky and dizzy and he threw up. He hit the ground. Trees oozed red sap. One-eyed maps flew around the trees. The maps smelled like rotten apples and cried, “Appa dah, appa dah, leeeee.”

A boy named Ham walked up to him and said, “Are you my friend?”

“Do you want to be my wife?” Lamara said.

Lamara felt something tap his back. It was his mom.

“Go to the Aswow King,” she said. “Tell him to unlock the fat spell that got me when I was cooking computers.”

Lamara went west. He found the Aswow King and said, “I will kill you if you don’t unlock this spell!”

The King clapped his feet to unlock the spell.

Lamara went home. Ham was inside the house but Lamara didn’t know why.

“I am your mom,” Ham said.

About the Author

I am Stanley. I am ten years old. I live in San Francisco and I like to go to the movies. I am good at math and science. Someday I want to be good at winning contests. When I grow up I want to be a doctor. If I were an animal I would be a tiger because they roar. My biggest fear is too many people in my house. I wonder if cats ever kill dogs. I am also the author of Monst Bump, The FF 200, My Grandma, Suxiang Chen and The Number Nine Bus.

Things that Make Me Feel Like Electricity by Edmund, age 9

Things that Make My Ears Sting by Catherine, age 9

HYPNOTIZED by Kimberly & Anna, both age 10

Violence, action and bus transfer that comes to life... are you joining the party?

Chapter 1
Hypnotized

Cobwebs and spiders hung from the ceiling of the bus, empty as a hollow tree. The Mystery was on his way to Janet’s house to plan a birthday party for Janet’s Mom. Voices whispered and a wolf howled at the moon. The Mystery jumped off the bus and walked to Janet’s house.

As The Mystery and Janet planned the party, Janet’s Mom came back early from a class called How To Get an Attractive Man That Will Fall For You and Marry You.

“Hide!!!” said The Mystery.

They hid behind the sofa.

“I thought I saw The Mystery and Janet here,” Janet’s mom said to herself.

Janet’s mom walked to the bedroom and put on fake tanning lotion.

The Mystery’s bus transfer began to wiggle and grow. Arms, legs and a head blossomed from its body. It was three feet tall. It cast a spell.

“Obey my commands and you’ll know what to do,” the transfer said. “No matter what you do, turn your good side into stew. Abracashakachra! My fun shall live in true pain.”

Janet was hypnotized but the Mystery was not. He just pretended to be. He made his eyes turn white. Janet tried to break the spell by hitting herself, but it didn't work. Eventually Janet completely lost control of her body. The Mystery only pretended he did.

“I will grant you any terrifying wish you want,” said the transfer.

“I wish for a gun,” Janet said.

“Granted, check your pocket,” said the transfer.

“Thank you,” Janet said, looking at the transfer with an evil expression.

“I want a dragon,” said The Mystery. “And I want it as my pet and I want it to be red and it has to obey every command I say.”

“Granted, it’s behind you,” said the transfer.

“Thank you,” said The Mystery. “Now let’s go destroy the world.”

“You got it,” said the transfer.

“Ok,” said Janet.

“I’m going to be giving you each two weapons,” said the transfer.

“Ok,” said Janet.

“Janet,” the transfer said. “You get a shot gun and two nun-chucks. The Mystery, you will get two machine guns and one hundred hand grenades. Get ready to rock, let’s go!”

“Okay!” said The Mystery.

It was time to roll.

Chapter 2
The Bank Robbery

“I’ll climb on to The Mystery’s shoulder,” said the transfer, climbing on. “Let’s roll.”

The Mystery and Janet climbed on the red dragon and took off. They arrived at the Bank of Junk Food.

“First stop at the bank to steal the junk food and money,” said Janet.

Janet kicked the door open.

“Freeze,” said the Mystery.

“Nobody move,” said Janet.

“Put the money and the junk food in the bag,” said The Mystery.

The teller put the cash into the moneybag. Janet, The Mystery and the transfer ran away. They saw Janet’s mom in front of the bank.

“Hi,” said Janet’s mom.

“Shut up!” said The Mystery.

“No,” said Janet’s mom. “You don’t talk to me like that. I’m gonna call your principal!”

She opened up her cell phone and dialed. “The Mystery and Janet told me to shut up,” said Janet’s mom.

She listened for a minute and then hung up.

Janet and The Mystery looked down at their hands. Their skin turned green, they began to grow claws on their fingers and toes, and finally scales appeared on their bodies and tales sprouted from their butts. They were dragons. Janet was the dragon of darkness. She breathed out dark breath and The Mystery was the fire dragon. He breathed out fire breath.

“OMG!” said the transfer. “Why does this always happen when I take control of people?”

Their scales melted like water flowing into a river. The spell wore off, they returned to human form.

Chapter 3
The New Girl

Janet and The Mystery walked to the park. They met a new girl with humungous muscles bulging out over her white tube top. She picked up a sharp stick and threw it at a blue jay.

“What’s your name?” asked The Mystery.

“Me?” asked the new girl.

“Yes you,” said Janet.

“Kathy,” said the new girl.

“I can tell you like violence,” The Mystery said. “Do you wanna help us destroy an annoying bus transfer.”

“A bus transfer?”

“Yeah,” Janet said. “It came to life and put us under a nasty spell.”

“Sure,” Kathy said.

They walked and found Janet’s mom.

“Hi mom!” Janet said.

“Who is that girl?” asked Janet’s mom.

“Never mind that, let’s huddle!” said Janet.

They huddled.

“First, Kathy attacks,” said The Mystery. “Then me, Next Janet and Last Janet’s mom.”

“Ok, the transfer’s going down,” Janet whispered.

Chapter 4
The Big Battle

At last they found the transfer at the hair salon next door to the Junk Food bank and pulled him out. The transfer sent down four fireballs from the sky to crush them. They dodged them. Kathy slashed the transfer’s arms, so it couldn’t cast strong spells. But instead it cast spells with great effects. They struck The Mystery. The Mystery was in pain. Janet ran to him, pulled a sleeve off of her sweater and covered his wound. The Mystery shot the transfer on the leg with the gun. It survived. It cast more spells but everyone dodged. Janet chopped off the Transfer’s other leg with her dagger. Immediately Janet’s mom whacked the transfer on the head with her nun chucks. Its wound bled badly. The transfer melted like ice cream in the heat. Everything that the transfer granted as a wish disappeared. Janet’s mom fainted because she used too much of her energy.

“Are you alright?” said Janet

“What do you think?” said Janet’s mom, opening her eyes.

The puddle reformed in the shape of the transfer. “The Mystery, I have to find that person.”

Dun Dun Dun!!!!!

To Be Continued...

Please join us for our next adventure in Betrayal!

About the Authors

Hi! My name is Kimberly. I am ten years old. I live with my mom, dad and sister in San Francisco. My hobby is playing dodge ball. My goal is to publish Episode Two of Stink and Ink with Holly, and beat Sandy’s book publishing record in Robyn's class. When I grow up I want to become an author of Stink and Ink books. My favorite animal is a wolf spider because it’s big and scary. This is my fifth published book. I am also the author of Muni Disaster and Other Stories, Spy Twins, Spy Master’s Death and Quan, Who Buys Us Dim-sum. Be sure to visit our blog, room2ruminations.blogspot.com, and read about our class mural. Holly and I wrote the post.

Hi! My name is Anna. I am ten years old. I live with my mom in San Francisco. My goal is to publish another book this year. My favorite animal is a coyote. When I grow up I want to be a marine biologist. This is my third published book. I am also the author of Wolves and The Magic Silkworm.

Things That Make Me Feel Lost by Chelzea, age 9

Things That Make My Knees Shake by Anthony, age 9

Bad Things That Happened to Me by Alina, age 9

Things Shaped Like Blobs by the Kids in Room 2

Things that Make My Me Cringe by Ivy, age 10

Thing That Confuse Me by Tiana, age 10

Things that Make My Lungs Close up by Nathan, age 9

Things I Dream About by Andy, age 9

More Poetry Inspired by The Pillow Book

More Poetry Inspired by The Pillow Book

Poetry inspired by The Pillow Book

We got the idea for these poems from The Pillow Book by Japanese poet Sei Shonagon. Historians believe Shonagon wrote the book between the years 1001 and 1010. It includes her observations, diary entries and poems, including many that are simply lists like the poems below by Room 2 kids.

Future Wars 2: The Aliens' Revenge by Nathan & Edmund, both age 9

On Captain Nathan and Sergeant Edmund's last adventure their worst enemies were the aliens, but their missile car saved them. Now it is time for revenge.


At a temple far away, the alien king talked to his kingdom. The alien king was named Lulu. “Noooeerr,” yelled king Lulu. “Half our troops have been defeated. We must make our secret weapon.”

The aliens climbed into their mothership. “Next stop, Earth,” said Dr. Brains.

Back at the base, the town had a celebration because they won the war. “The aliens are back”! yelled Captain Nathan.

“Ha Ha Ha” yelled Dr. Brains, leader of the aliens. He was named Brains because his forehead was shaped like a spiky brain. “Behold, the mighty giant robot Dr. Brains. Now I will rule the world. Ha ha ha.”

“I don’t think so,” yelled Sergeant Edmund.

“That’s what you think,” said Dr. Brains. The robot shot its lasers.

“Aaaah!” yelled Captain Nathan. “O.K. now throw some pie at the robot.” The pie covered the robot’s windows.

“I can’t see,” said Dr. Brains.

“What do we do now?” said sergeant Edmund.

“Scream?” answered a soldier.

“Good idea,” said another soldier. “Aaaaaah.”

The others didn’t join him.

“You got to be joking,” said Captain Nathan. “Get me the Ultra Water Canon.” Captain Nathan pressed FIRE. KA-BOOM went the cannon. Water splashed everywhere. “I forgot that thing was three thousand years old.”

Electricity sparked all over the robot. “Uh oh,” said Dr. Brains. The robot exploded. “Noooooooooo!”

“Well that’s the end of that,” said a soldier.

“No, no it’s not the end,” yelled Dr. Brains. “There will be a Future Wars Three.” Then he looked up.

(Note : There will be a Future Wars 3 if you want one)

About the Authors

Hi, my name is Nathan. I live in San Francisco. I’m also the author of Random & Sparrow, My Dad, and Future Wars. I feel like I have one thousand brothers. I never get any fun. I don’t know how the dinosaurs got here. I still have bad dreams but I don’t get up and scream. I stay fast asleep.

Hi, my name is Edmund. This is my second published book. I’m also the author of Future Wars. I like to watch TV and play with my Wii. My biggest fear is bugs.

You Die by the Kids in Room 2

Here's another Exquisite Corpse story.


You die. Your body fills with air and you grow wings and fly into a purple sky like a pigeon. Your hair fidgets like shredded snakeskin. You look like a piece of chicken. You look like a twenty dollar bill because your feathers are green now. You become a monster with ugly cooks holding knives and spoons growing out of your ribs. You become a cheese-eating chimpanzee. You fly ten feet away. You turn around. You rush to center of the Earth and you hurry up talking. You mess up a pile of books. You better clean it up or you will have black teeth. You bust into dust. But you should stop because you can play at lunchtime.

Numbers by Sarah, age 8

I have five fingers on my hand
Three of them are touching a dog
Two of them are holding a small piece of paper that says everybody’s name.

I have twenty people in my family.
None of them wear glasses.
Two of them are old, so old they have wrinkles.
Nineteen speak Chinese.
Six speak English.
Altogether we have one hundred million hairs on our heads.

I know two secrets about someone in my class.
One of them is about his nickname.
The other is about how he likes the Power Rangers

There are fifty states in the United States.
I have been to two of them, California and Nevada.
California has a lot of people.
Nevada has a lot of casinos.

There are ten ghost-fearing monsters in my house.
Two of them are sick.
Five of them are in my closet.
Three of them are under my bed.

In space there one hundred yellow stars,
One thousand yellow stars,
One hundred thousand yellow stars,
Millions, billions, trillions, zillions
I do not know for sure.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Sarah. I am 8 years old. I live in Richmond, CA. I like to play with my rabbits. I am good at playing the piano. Some day I will be a good musician. When I grow up I want to be a doctor. If I were an animal, I would be a dog because they can do tricks. I feel special when my friends play with me. My biggest fear is getting bitten by wild animals. I wonder why people eat animals. Why don’t they just eat fruit instead?

Q&A Part One by the Kids in Room 2

Here's another exquisite corpse poem we wrote together as a class. It was like playing Madlibs, except every line was blank.




How old is Mother Nature?
As old as scary houses that jump on foolish computers.
Why invent things?
Because restless cardboard oozes poisonous snacks.
Why is there anger?
Because tense opinions blackmail ominous books.
Why don’t animals laugh?
Because fluffy adoption thinks adorable chicks peck lickety-split.
Who were the first people on Earth?
Uncontrollable detectives who scaled frantic rocks.
Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears?
Because freaky wagons play on ultimate coins.
Is there a God?
Obvious remedies scurry over changeable locks.

The Swimming Contest by Mimi, Age 9

Snowball felt nervous. The lake looked fresh and clean. It smelled like ice-cream. It tasted like cotton candy. The water was hot.

“Go!” screamed the judge. Snowball dove in as fast as she could.

She didn’t want Abby to catch up to her because Snowball remembered that Abby was bragging that she got more trophies than her and now Abby wanted the swimming one. Abby had teased her, “Ha ha, you didn’t get any trophies!” and she walked away.

Bubbles dove in next. They both tried to make Abby dove slower. Snowball made bubbles on Abby’s face.

Bubbles got stuck because Abby kicked her feet really fast in front of Bubbles so Bubbles couldn’t go. Abby stuck her tongue out when she looked back. Abby kept doing it until she bumped her head on a rock. That made her dizzy and Snowball passed her along with Bubbles. They had only 10 more minutes to get to the finish line.

Abby caught up to Snowball and Bubbles tried to slow her down by making bubbles on Abby’s face. Snowball and Bubbles almost got to the finish line. But Abby caught up and now all three girls were swimming side by side. The finish line was of front of them. Abby pushed Snowball aside and Snowball pushed her back.

“The winner is Snowball!” screamed the judge.

“Yay!” said Snowball. Snowball received a trophy that had a number “1” on it.

“Good game!” said Bubbles. They shook hands. Abby made a grouchy face at Snowball.

“No fair!” said Abby. Snowball and Bubbles walked away.

“Let’s go!” said Snowball.

“Ok” said Bubbles. They both went back to their tents and continued to play Legos.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Mimi. My birthday is August 5, 1999. I live in an apartment with my mom, dad, and sister. I like to play computer games and watch TV. I am good at art. I want to be good at grammar and math. I want to work at a Build-A-Bear workshop when I grow up. I would be a rabbit if I were an animal because rabbits are cute and cuddly. My biggest fear is poisonous insects. I wonder if there are other planets that don’t have good oxygen but are still here in our solar system.

Family & Friends by Tiana, Lisa & Ivy

We took almost a month to make all of these creatures out of felt. We used patterns from a book called The Cute Book.

It Was Her Destiny by Chelzea, age 9

My mom's name is Kyra Esquivel and she was born in Jalisco, Mexico on March 10, 1972. My mom had to clean the house when she was a kid. She lived on the countryside. My mom’s transportation was walking and it still is. She played tons of games like racing, monkey bars, ball and jumprope. My mom has five siblings she has three sisters and two brothers. She ate whatever her mom gave her to eat. My mom went to a public school like me.

My mom came to San Fransico in 1998 because her destiny was to come here. Her first day here was at Fisherman's Wharf. One of the things she misses the most about Mexico is her family.

My mom's hobbies are listening to music and exercising. She loves to sing like me. My mom's job is cleaning hotel rooms. She doesn't like anything about her job. If my mom could have any super power it would be super speed because she could finish anything in one second.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Chelzea. I am 9 years old. I live with my mom and dad. I am good at singing and baking cakes and cookies. One day I want to get better at reading. When I grow up I want to be a rock star. If I were an animal, I would want to be a puppy because they are soft and cute. My biggest fear is getting eaten by a lion. I wonder about ghosts. Why are they so mean? The hardest part of this project was asking my mom questions in Spanish. The most interesting thing I learned about my mom was that when she was a kid her family was poor and she couldn’t go to school. I think it is unfair that I can go to school and she couldn’t because she had to pay for her school and I go to school for free.

It Will Always Begin with Someone and a Pie by the kids in room 2

This story is a Surrealist style Exquisite Corpse story. Every student wrote a sentence on a piece of paper (the only rule was don't use the verb "to be") then we put the papers up on the board. We discussed the best way to arrange them and how to revise. The art here was done the same way. One student drew the head, then folded the paper over. The next student drew the middle of the creature's body without seeing its head then folded the paper over again. The last student drew the bottom of the body without seeing the head or the middle. When the creature was drawn, another student colored it in and cut it out.



It will always begin with someone and a pie. The someone will be an astronaut and the astronaut will turn into a pie and the pie will turn into an astronaut. On Saturn, the astronaut will jump thirteen feet high. Her shadow will creep all night, knowing it will not be caught. Since the astronaut is a pie, her smooth hair will not need shampoo. It will flow through the air. It will brush across my face. It will float in a green sky with the clouds. Her rocket will brake so she won't come home. Her body will fill with water soon. She will grow lady legs and she will put on a brown shirt with pictures of tiny pies on it.

When I Grow Up by Lisa, age 8

Now I am a girl and I want to be free. I am the youngest and my sisters boss me around. When I grow up I will be a woman. When I am a woman I will be free because I will do whatever I want. I will have my own bed with golden pillows. After that I will be a grandma. When I am a grandma, I will walk slowly and I will have to work in a factory making clothes and I will be tired. I will have one vase of flowers for decoration and two cups, one for me, and one in case I have a guest.

Why? by Lisa, age 8

Go flush the toilet. Don’t pick your nose or it will get worse. Don’t touch that or something will happen to you. Don’t jump down the cliff. Why? Because you’ll die. Don’t touch that. Why? Because you might get hurt. Don’t play around while you’re in the streets. Why? Because there might be an accident. No there won’t. Don’t play with bees. Why? Because they will sting you. I don’t trust you. Don’t touch that needle or you’ll get AIDS. This is how you have good manners at a restaurant. 1. Don’t pick your nose. 2. Don’t eat with your hands. 3. Don’t play with food. 4. Don’t run.

My Mom By Don, Age 10

My mom’s name is Thuy Le. She was born in Vietnam on January 3, 1970. She lived in Saigon, Danang, Hue and Hanoi. During the war, she went underground with her family. Her father dug a hole for them to hide in. He dug it with his bare hands. It was dark and there were slimy worms and bugs there, and poisonous spiders that don't make webs. Her family was scared and nervous.

When my mom was a kid, she used a bicycle for transportation when. She played a lot of different games like jump rope and dominoes. She has five siblings. Her favorite food was noodle soup, rice and veggies. She went to school.

She came to San Francisco on June 9, 1996. She got married and her husband really wanted to move here. San Francisco felt like a second home to her and she wanted to go back to Vietnam. She missed all her friends and family and restaurants with pho. Her favorite part of her first day here was watching cars go over the Golden gate bridge. The bridge was the thing that surprised her most about San Francisco too because it is so big and the word golden was interesting to her.

My mom likes to cook food for me. Cooking is her hobby because it tastes so good and it makes her family happy!

My mom is a manicurist. She likes getting paid from her boss, but the bad thing about her job is when clients cancel appointments. She was nervous on her first day of work. The day felt so long and she couldn't wait to get home.

If she could have any superpower, she would choose super flexibility. Why? Because she would be able to help people fast.

About the Author

My name is Don. I’m ten years old. This is my fourth published story. I am also the author of The Iceman, The Boy Who Brought Back Winter, Bus Stop Fight and many poems. The hardest thing about this project was asking my mom questions and writing her answers down in my journal. All the translating was hard. The most interesting thing I learned is how my mom’s dad dug a hole with his bare hands for his family to hide in. I also learned my mom wanted to have fun in her new country but she also misses her family in her old country. My mom taught me that crying will not make me brave or make me get any friends.

The Future by Angela, age 9

Now I am a girl but when I grow up I will be single and I will be a woman. I will have eight balloons because I will have a party and I will invite eight people. I will have eight slices of pizza, eight Wiis and eight videogames because people will be to impatient to wait their turn, eight small rocks for slingshooting, eight plates, eight bowls, eight spoons, eight forks, eight pairs of chopsticks, eight cups and eight laptops so everyone can go to Barbie.com and look at Barbie jumping up and down and watch her say, “Hey, my friend Teresa and I are making a new movie!” When I grow older I will be a grandma even though I will never have kids. I will have glasses and I will have white hair and I will be lazy.

Teeth by Stanley, age 9

Now I am a girl, but when I grow up I will get new teeth. The teeth will be black and they will have flower stickers on them. The teeth will give me magic powers. I will fly to the sky. I will be like Superman. When I’m in the sky I will do the Teletubby dance then I will do the Barney dance. Everyone will say, “You are super cool!” When I fall out of the sky I will be a big, red, digital clock.

A List of Things You Should Do, A List of Things You Should Not Do, by Edmund, age 8

Flush your enemies or else you have to (write your consequence here). Pick your nose. Write your self-consequence if you want a consequence. Put your socks in your mouth because that’s your punishment. Break your own glasses. If you don’t have any, then you have to (write your consequence here). Throw a little bomb in the toilet. Eat your boogers. Break a violin. Carry a brick for trouble. Let a lion bite your super-smelly feet. I’m sorry, if you get in trouble for doing what I say. If this happens then tell the teacher. P.S. I don’t care. P.P.S. I’m not sorry.