-Hannah Colbert, Grade 12

The sky at dusk is like my father doing Tai Chi in a big room;
early in the morning, he's moving through the porcelain stillness,
after the sun sets, the clouds are waltzing towards night.
Both are all soft moves and graceful circles,
the slow gestures of strength across the empty room,
the slow paths treading on the wind, across the sky.
There is no curtain to go up.
If there are any viewers, it is accident only.
The man, the sky, they perform for no one;
it is their very nature to be purple and common gold,
to be patient, practicing,
the man moves even as the clouds do,
the clouds move even more like the man.
When they finish, no applause.
It is only the end.
The man and the clouds go their separate ways.
My father starts to make breakfast.
The clouds fade over the horizon.

The following is a WORD Bloggy endorsement from Esther Yan, a 6th grade student.

The readandwriting website is very interesting in two ways. One way is that they give an opinion on a book. For instance, they were giving an opinion on the Chronicles of Narnia. A Canadian reviewer said, "The chronological order makes the books more strictly allegorical than they really were intended to be...". Another way is that they have many categories. Some of the categories are "Books and Authors", "Get Published", "Writing Tips", "1000 Words", and more.

There are four ways that I would use "www.readandwriting.com". First, I would use it for finding books. I would go to "Books and Authors" to find some comments or opinions on the articles/stories that they have in READ and Writing magazines. It would be helpful for writing an article about a story for English/Language Arts.

Second, I would use it to find cool websites and interesting articles. For instance, if I was curious about the National Book Festival, I would simply click on "Cool Links" and scroll down until I found the section that was talking about the National Book Festival. It's easy as 1-2-3!

Third, I would click "Writing Tips" and check out the writing tips. The tips they give are very interesting. For instance, they tell you about revising. Did you know E. B. White (author of Charlotte's Web) revised his story 8 times?

Lastly, it tells that you shouldn't give up on your writing when you are confused. In the movie A Christmas Story, the main character Ralphie has to write a theme for the teacher on what he wants for Christmas, so he writes that he wants "a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time". He imagines his teacher saying, "Poetry. Sheer poetry, Ralph! An A+!" But when he gets back his paper, it doesn't have an "A+" on it, instead, it says, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

Those are four ways that I would use this readandwriting website.

Thanks for the raving review Esther!

Check back here tomorrow and every day for two weeks straight for Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest Runners-Up!

In a recent Animals issue of READ, we asked you what you thought about the play, Babylon's Ark. Here are a few 9th graders' responses from Bourgade Catholic High School in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Babylon's Ark story was harsh. What they did to the animals was mean and not healthy. The people trying to help them were very kind and respectful but the owner of the zoo didn't care.
     Animals should just be treated as humans. Be kind to them because they have a life too. They live on earth not just to be treated as a pet that you can kick around. They are here to bring life to us and joy, and they are friends.
     -- Jennifer Guzman

The animals are sick, hungry, and dehydrated. The Iraqis took over the zoo and they are making it a base. This was all caused by war. Now with the Iraqis out of the zoo there are people from the U.S. that are trying to help out the animals. They are having a tough time because most of the animals are really sick.
     I think that it is a great thing that people are helping out the animals at the zoo. Now with the troops helping them out there will be no more Iraqis able to enter the zoo and kill the remaining animals. I still think it is dangerous for the people at the zoo. They hear a lot of guns and one of those bullets can hit you and you can die.
     If it was my zoo I would have bulletproof walls and it would be blocked off so no Iraqis can come in and use it for a base. I would also put bombs where there are no animals because that is were the Iraqis would hide and it will blow them up.
     -- Blake Comella

If it was my zoo I would never abandon my animals. I would always care to them and make sure they are getting the same requirements as other zoos or better. So if someone tried to take over my zoo and turn it into a base. I would do everything in my power to stop them and make sure all the animals are safe.
     -- Vince Fielder

I would set a zoo up by, first hiring people that love animals and are not scared of them. Second, they have to be cheap And third, they have to know what there doing... if not, get out of here. I would set up some crazy electric fence so no animals can get out and no one can get in and steal any either. 
     -- Kristopher Verdugo

If I had a zoo I would separate the animals into groups and give the animals a theme I would pick the theme depending on the animal. I would keep the birds in one big cage so they can fly around. I would also have timers for the food so every three hours the food will fall on the floor.
     I would put the fish in a clear tank and make it look like the ocean, and I would also clean the tank every three days.
     I would clean the zoo every Sunday and clean the cages every day. I am going to give the animals a good meal and feed them lunch and dinner.
     I would hire trainers to train the animals so they can not attack the people. I would throw toys in the cages for the animals so they can play with them. I would give the animals a bath and dry them. I would also hire veterinarians to check the animals health, and make sure they have all there shots.
     -- A.J. Magdaleno

I started reading The Horse and the Boy this weekend. It is one of the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In the anthology I am reading, the order of the books is as follows: 1) The Magician's Nephew, 2) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, 3) The Horse and His Boy, 4) Prince Caspian, 5) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 6) The Silver Chair, 7) The Last Battle. A little amazon.com research just told me that the publishers of this anthology put them in this order because it is chronological.

One Canadian reviewer named "Godly Gadfly" says on amazon.com: "The chronological order makes the books more strictly allegorical than they really were intended to be..."

Another reviewer, C.N. White from Raleigh, N.C. says: "...reading these books in chronological order spoils all of the surprise and magic out of the first visit to Narnia (in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe), because we already know what's going on. ... Things don't always need to be put in chronological order. If you're going to read them, please read them in the correct order: 1) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, 2) Prince Caspian, 3) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 4) The Silver Chair, 5) The Horse and His Boy, 6) The Magician's Nephew, and 7) The Last Battle"

I was wondering why Hollywood skipped The Magican's Nephew and started with The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe! Now it makes sense! They were being smart! What a concept!

I wish I had known about this before I started reading these books. It's too late for me. If you have any intention of picking up the Narnia Anthology (and you should, it's great!), please heed the advice of these intelligent readers.

It's really a shame that the publisher chose to put the bookss in the wrong order in the anthology. Chronology isn't always the best way to do things.

Sidenote: I told my 2 year old nephew that I was reading a book where there are talking horses. He refused to believe me. "No!" he said. I assured him that it was true and he just shook his head and walked away.

Coming to WORD tomorrow: One class' reaction to Babylon's Ark, a Center Stage play in READ. Stay tuned...