 Friday, March 23, 2007
- Story by Faith Brodkorb
"So no one told you life was gonna be this way?" Bernadette sang the Friends theme song quietly as she took her dog, Tiger, for a walk. It wasn't the perfect weather for walking but Bernadette (or Bee as everyone called her) was bored. Her parents were gone so she couldn't have anyone over or go anywhere, and there was nothing good on TV. So, she decided she could use the exercise.
Suddenly her dog Tiger lunged forward and started barking. He pulled Bee along as he raced toward the corner of the street. Tiger ran around the corner and stopped as if he had been barking just because he wanted to.
Then, he changed his mind again, he planted his feet in front of Bee and growled at an empty street. "Come on Tiger," Bee said to her dog. "Let's go home."
As if those words were a secret code, the wind picked up. It brought a hot pink piece of paper fluttering down the street. Curious, Bee picked it up. It said:
Lost Dog
Name - Tiger
Size - 35 lbs
Color - all white with a black nose
Call 555-5555 if found
REWARD
It was an exact description of her dog, but he obviously wasn't lost. Dismissing it as a coincidence she threw the paper away. As Bee walked home Tiger was a little wound up. He kept trying to run at other dogs. When they were right across the street from Bee's house, Tiger bolted for a squirrel. Bee lost her grip on the leash, and off Tiger went. She tried to run after him but the little guy was too fast.
After trying to call him back with treats, Bee decided to see if Tiger would come back on his own. She went for another walk and completely forgot the flier. She automatically took the same route she had taken with Tiger. As Bee walked, another mysterious gust of wind came and blew a newspaper clipping her way. Once again Bee picked it up and saw a picture of Bridgette, her sister on it. It said:
Local Student Wins Big Contest
Bee thought at first that maybe it was just some girl that looked exactly like her sister. But then she remembered that her sister did enter a contest for scholarship money. This time she kept the clipping to see if it would come true like the last one.
When Bee got home after her walk, she was greeted by her sister who had a smile on her face. "Guess what?" Bridgette shouted.
"What?" Bernadette replied casually.
"I won the scholarship money! I won the contest! I just got the letter!" she squealed.
Bee ran down the street. Those papers could tell the future. The papers the wind blew in talked about things before they happened. Bee reached the exact spot she was standing in when the papers came at her before. But it was a nice warm day, no clouds, no wind. Bernadette stood there and waited, and waited and waited. Then she sat down and played with the grass. While she waited and waited, and waited, the clouds rolled in and the temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees. Suddenly a gust of wind came up the street. It didn't blow the paper directly to Bernadette so she ran over to pick it up. It was another newspaper clipping. She read what it said and was completely enthralled by this little piece of paper.
This time it said:
Young Girl Run Over By 18 Wheeler
"I have to help this girl!" Bernadette said. The paper was wet so she could only read the bold print. As Bernadette looked at the little piece of paper, she didn't notice the bright 18 Wheeler barreling down on her. The truck driver didn't notice her either.
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
You know what they say: Never judge a book by its cover. Well, I decided to read The Day My Mother Left, by James Prosek, because I loved the cover. It pictures two birds, a scarlet tanager and a yellow warbler. The carefully rendered drawings were clearly done by a kid--James Prosek himself, it turns out, when he was 10 or 11 years old.
 I really like birds, but in this book, I found something better--a wonderful, sad, very real story about a boy. (I like boys, too.) This is a novel, but it is based on the author's own life. It’s about this kid named Jeremy, whose mother leaves his father, his teenage sister, and him when he is 9. Having your mom walk out on your family without warning is hard enough, but Jeremy's mom runs off with the father of his most hated enemy, the 5th grade bully. In the sickening weeks and months that follow, Jeremy waits for his mother to return, but she doesn't. He waits for a phone call, or a letter; a birthday present or a Christmas present. Nothing.
Jeremy's dad is totally absorbed in his own depression. Jeremy's sister stays away from home as much as possible. In his aloneness, the boy turns to the solace of nature, where he finds his own strengths and a talent for drawing.
This is not a sappy book, there's no blubbering self-pity or tiresome angst. The prose is clean and honest, and the illustrations--etchings of birds, both alive and dead--have the same qualities. This is a story about the terrible things that parents sometimes do to the children they love; and the amazing resilience that kids can show in spite of it all. It's a really good story. I give it 3 and a half WORDs out of 4.
WORD WORD WORD WO
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
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Back in February, we interviewed China Mieville, author of the new fantasy book, Un Lun Dun. We also asked you to "write a short story or poem about your town... the flipside of your town." Here is one of the poems we received. Congratulations to 10th grader Shelly Bartalazzi! We're sending you a signed copy of Un Lun Dun!
We still have 2 copies left! Email YOUR upside-down town story or poem to word@weeklyreader.com for a chance to win one of them! |
Dik Sun
- by Shelley Susan Bartolazzi, Grade 10
Dik Sun set upon the banks of a raging river,
Mountains on the horizon wearing their white snow caps shiver,
Ranchers aplenty made it their home,
In the prairies surrounding do their cattle and sheep roam,
Some call it home, some call it the last of the west,
Whatever you want to call it, Dik Sun is a just right place to rest,
It's a country town, always calm and laid back,
In winter the roads are snow packed,
In summer the roads are coated with dust,
But by far it's the simplest!
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A note from the poet:
Hi! Dik Sun is really Dixon (just as Un Lun Dun is the opposite of London). Dixon is in the lower southwest part of Wyoming. Well, living in Dixon is part of my inspiration, and it's just one of those country "towns", being so small you can hardly consider it a town. Here, everyone knows each other, and if you're new it won't be long until everyone knows your name. Ha-ha! |
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Monday, March 19, 2007
Have you always wanted to write a children's story and to see it published? Well, here's your chance. There's a nifty contest out there that you can enter. Sponsored by the bank ING Direct, the "Adventures in Savings" contest is open to aspiring writers ages 6 to adult.
The Task: Write a children's story for 4-7 year olds that teaches kids a lesson about responsible money management (earning, spending, saving, investing, etc.).
Categories: You can enter your story in one of three categories, depending on your age: 6-12 years old, 13-19 years old, and 20+ years old.
The Prize: Three prize-winning stories will be published and illustrated, and the winners will each receive an ING Direct Savings account with $1000.
Deadline: June 30, 2007
Find out more about the contest rules and requirements, and submit your story here.
ING Direct also has a pretty cool site that allows you to travel to places such as Moneyland, South Spending, the Republic of Savings, and Investor
Islands -- and tackle topics that range from the value of money, to setting a budget, understanding
credit, and building savings goals for the future. Now that's something I think all of us could use -- a little bit of help setting up a budget!
If you want some inspiration to get started with your story, here are some neat children's stories about money:
For Teachers: More on generosity and money in literature.
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