Congratulations Sophia!
You are March's Student Poet of the Month!

Deaths of Two Ants
-Poem by Sophia Jih

Crusted lemonade yawns
against the cup’s lip.
We tread frantic ripples into our sea—
so void of coral, no sand in which
to spear our feet—knock our heads
against the goldfish trap; a writhe,
helpless curl.
Eventually I drop, serene
within the coolness.  You will
follow me, our hearts pulsating,
then none, and we vanish
through yellowed light.

On the last day of every month this year, we will be posting the best student poetry that we received in that month. So get in your entries now for April! You can either click on "Submit Your Writing" on the right or you can email your poems to word@weeklyreader.com. Each winner will receive a glamorous prize and then, at the end of 2007, we'll have a vote to let YOU decide who was the Student Poet of the Year! Sweet.

Here are the Student Poets of the month so far:
January - Tia DeShong - "The Age of Reverie"
February - Gloria Maciorowski - "August"

Surely you have heard about Michael Auberry? His story was all over the news last week. He's the 12-year-old Boy Scout who got lost when he wandered away from his campsite in North Carolina. Well, to make a long story short, he was missing for four days. He finally turned up last Wednesday, March 21, hungry and thirsty, but alive.

Could you survive for four whole days all by yourself out in the wilderness? Honestly, I don't know if I could. I'd probably go crazy after four hours without Internet access alone (gotta keep the bloggy fresh!) All kidding aside though, here is a part of the story that you probably didn't hear.

It has been reported that Michael may have picked up some of his survival skills from remembering what he read in Gary Paulsen's novel, Hatchet. Cool, right?

If I were you, I'd go pick this book up at the library right now. And if you're planning on getting lost in the woods, do it on your way home.

Fine Print Disclaimers
Weekly Reader does not endorse Gary Paulsen's novel, Hatchet, as a survival guide.
Weekly Reader does not endorse purposefully getting yourself lost.
Weekly Reader does not believe that a sense of humor about any of this is relevant to anything.
Weekly Reader does not claim to be anything but awesome.

The inside book jacket of John Boyne's novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, reads:

The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.

Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter such a fence.

It doesn't tell you very much, does it? Well, having just finished a marathon read of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,  I am sorry to say that I can tell you only a little more.

It is one of those books that you need to explore for yourself. Bruno, the main character, would agree. Bruno loves exploring.

Oh man. I really want to tell you about this book. I want to tell you all about it. I want to tell you about Pavel and Gretel and Kotler and especially Shmuel. I want to tell you about a big house, a smaller house, and a camp full of tiny houses. I want to tell you about the rain and the mud and the tire swing. I want to tell you about an angry little man with an angry little moustache, and a mysterious place called Out-With. But I won't. I won't tell you about any of this because you're going to read all about it for yourself, aren't you?

Are you still on the fence? Which side will you fall? Bruno is waiting.

I give The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 4 Words out of 4 -- the highest rating we allow.

WORD WORD WORD WORD

Buy it here.

"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.

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

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!

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:

• The Ant and the Grasshopper, from Aesop's Fables
• Daddy John's Debt
• Noom and Raj Start a Business: The Abc's of Money

In the February 9th issue of READ (yes, it was a while ago, our apologies), we presented an adapted version of William Shakespeare's classic play, Romeo and Juliet. At the end of the Readers' Theater play, we asked you to write a story that explains how the Montague/Capulet feud originally began. Although we received many great submissions, here are our two favorites.

Two Artists
-By Hunter Windham

Once upon a time, four generations before that of Romeo's, in the very same streets yet a completely different terrain, stooped an old man. The man lingered by a lake during the same hour every day. He admired his surroundings to the point where walking the landscape blindfolded would not have been a problem. He walked around the trees and then around a cove of the great lake. Eventually his daily exploration always led him to the opposite side of the lake. And there he sat.

An artist approached the solitude of this fine gentleman. Armed with pastels and charcoals, he saw a passion in the old man and decided to capture it on his canvas. Every shadow, every leaf, and even every wrinkle in the cloth the old man wore, right down to the peaceful grin on his face was painted by the artist. The old man sat for him for hours.

During this time, another artist happened to be roaming though the area, his thoughts tended to be the same. He too was armed his creative weapons: oils and a charcoal pencil took hold of the bold framework as he attempted to capture it on his canvas. The tall trees sat thick and broad, the hills smooth, the leaves delicate, the old man looked soft... yet strong. And time passed.

As shapes formed and colors blended, the occupation of each artist on the shore that day became relevant. The second artist proceeded to the canvas of the first to know his progress. And the first did the same. They began to discuss art with an air of arrogance. The second artist tried to add to a line on the first artist's canvas. The first artist responded with great anger! He proceeded to throw a black blotch of ink onto his neighbor's work. Soon, it became an all out "save your painting" war, splashes of paint and charcoal rocks were in the air.

In all of this hustle the old man became enraged by this disturbance and up and left. Moments later the two artists found themselves laying in a mess of expensive and extensive color. Both painters found themselves mourning over the destruction of their work. A truce was made and they began to pick up their mess. They said their apologies, shook hands and went their separate way with supplies under arm.

Being that these two artists were the only two men of their profession left in all of Verona, they both received angry letters from their employers announcing that their paintings were overdue. They both immediately ran to meet their boss. When they arrived, they met each other again. They had not known that they were both working for the same man! Each artist tried to explain his case, but it was no use. The boss fired them both. A shared, bitter rage fell into silence as the two artists walked sadly away.

The two artists went on to lead successful lives outside of their painting careers. But they always held a love for art in their hearts, as well as a deep hate for the other man. Their names were Montague and Capulet. ... But that is a different story.

Don't you just hate it when your favorite literary blog is dead silent for days and days? I do.

Check back in later today. We'll be here, broadcasting from fair Verona...

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Shakespearian mysteries will be revealed... today, on WORD.

No doubt.

We have many choices in life, but one choice we're not born with is the choice of our name. That's something that's decided for us soon after our birth by our parents.  That's how it was for Gogol Ganguli, the main character in Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake,a best-selling novel that comes to the big screen today.

This is a movie that you will want to see. I give this movie almost 4 out of four WORDs, because it's such a great adaptation of a book and a great movie that makes me want to read the book again.

In The Namesake (rated PG 13), Gogol Ganguli [played by Kal Penn] is the first child born to a young, immigrant couple from India. His father names him after his favorite writer, the Russian author Nikolai Gogol whose short story "The Overcoat" led to the phrase - "We all come out of Gogol's overcoat."

This movie follows the story of the Ganguli family --Gogol's parents' arrival in New York, Gogol's birth, his first trip to India where he sees the Taj Mahal and realizes he wants to be an architect, his adult decision to change his name ... [and more, but I don't want to give it all away with too many spoilers.]

You can imagine how a name such as Gogol may raise eyebrows and instigate teasing on the playground -your classmates would call you giggle or gargle, or maybe even google. As Gogol grows from child to adult, his relationship with his name changes - a fitting metaphor for his relationship with his identity as a hyphenated American - an Indian-American.

Gogol Ganguli: "I've been thinking I want to change my name. Can you imagine Gogol Ganguli on a resume or a business card?"

Ashoke Ganguli (his father): "Do as you wish."

This particular scene in the movie is laced with silence and laden with emotion. We, the viewers, know that Gogol's name carries a history, but we know there's something about it that we don't know. And yet, he's ready to give up his namesake. Will he regret this decision? (You have to watch the movie to find out.)

Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my favorite female authors - her writing is full of descriptive details and rich character portraits. Her stories allow us to enter the interior worlds of people who come from different worlds, but who share the same challenges we share. She is not a Pulitzer Prize winning author for naught.

The Namesake is a story and film about family, about being an immigrant in a new culture, and about the connections between generations. You can watch a preview right now, if you wish. But then, get up from your computer, go to the library or a bookstore, and pick up this book. Then, read it. You won't regret it. Nor will you regret seeing this movie. It's a powerful, poignant story about family, growing up, and the sacrifices that parents make--the ones we often take for granted. It's moving, it's lyrical, and it's a movie that makes me want to pick up my phone and say thank you and how did you do it to my parents?

The Namesake is rated PG-13. Visit the official website.

Food for Thought: Is there a story behind your name? Who were you named after? Your grandfather? grandmother? a very special great aunt? a famous musician? a piece of fruit? your parents' favorite city? or, a political and cultural figure? Who is your namesake? Ask your parents this question this weekend and let us know what you find out. E-mail your discoveries to word@weeklyreader.com and we'll post them here.

The following post was written by Jenn Magid, an editor on Current Health magazine.

Current Health wants to hear something rude!

Here are things that people do that drive me nuts: not holding the door open for someone behind them, cutting in line, and talking with their mouths full--so gross! When I told my friends Bry and Sandhya here at WORD that Current Health 1 and 2 magazines are looking for readers to talk about what they find rude, they agreed to let you guys know about it. All you have to do is answer this question:

What kind of rude behavior bugs you the most?

Click here to tell us! Here's your chance to vent, and maybe become a little famous at the same time (we may just publish your quote in our magazine!).

Here's a question: Why did I always only place second in a beauty pageant? Why not first? And why did I only get 10 bucks for placing second? You can't even buy a good set of curlers for 10 bucks!

At any rate... on this day in 1933, an unemployed salesman named Charles Darrow copyrighted the board game he created. It was called MONOPOLY. Since then, friends and families all over the world have been competing with each other to buy up valuable properties and railroads (while at the same time, being weary of the dreaded Income Tax and, of course, Jail). Believe it or not, I was always partial to Baltic Avenue. I felt sorry for it. Anyway...

In the February/March issue of Writing magazine, we asked you to answer this question: When you play MONOPOLY, are you the horse? the iron? the canon? the thimble? What does your MONOPOLY piece say about you?

Below are some of YOUR thoughts about the different game pieces used in MONOPOLY. Why do we choose the pieces we choose? I am always either the thimble or the doggy... depending on my mood. What are you? Let us know! You know the drill. Click on the comment button below.

"The Ship!" I say when ever someone asks me what piece I would like to be in MONOPOLY. I remember when I was a little girl, we would play MONOPOLY as a family. I would never choose the same piece because I liked variety and I got bored with routine. I began to notice that every time my brother would choose the ship, so I began to choose the ship too. I still do not know if I chose the ship just because I wanted to annoy my brother or maybe deep down I really admired him. Ever since the first time I chose the ship I have stayed loyal to my commitment and used it every time I play MONOPOLY.

I believe the act of choosing a playing piece at the beginning of any game is not only something to move around the board to beat your competitor but also a true portrayal of your personality. I think that choosing the ship at the beginning of MONOPOLY tells people that I am a "people person" because ships carry people. That is... I imagine it is a cruise ship when I play. I also love to travel and ships never stay in the same place... kind of like me. I always thought that boats and ships were so complex and I feel that I am a very complex person.

Emily Deason - THE RACECAR

If I had to be a playing piece in the game of MONOPOLY I would want to be the racecar. MONOPOLY is all about the economy and financial strategies and the car is a very important part in the economy. Plus, it represents modern technology, which would make me feel like a very needed and significant player during the board game. The racecar also represents me in a way. Racecars, when in use, are always moving. They are normally moving forward as well. That is a lot like me. I am always in motion whether I am completing a task or participating in an activity. I like to look towards where I am going and not where I have been. I believe that is just like a car. Cars also move at their own pace. I like to move at my own speed and not the speed of what others are doing. A car is also very stylish, so during the game I would feel confident that I looked alright and I could keep moving forward and completing my goal.

Lukas Reeves - THE MONEYBAG

When I play MONOPOLY I always play as the moneybag. It all began on the first day I ever played the game. One day at my after-school program we had a MONOPOLY tournament. I chose my piece as the moneybag, and then began the game. I played... and won! That's not all though, later that same day I recieved a $100 from my grandparents as a late birthday present, and that made me think of the moneybag as my lucky MONOPOLY piece from then on. Mainly, I keep playing with the moneybag piece because MONOPOLY is all about money.  So, if the game is all about money; then what better piece to play with than a bag full of it?

Alexis Jennings - THE PUPPY DOG

I've never really put much thought into why I've always chosen the dog, when playing my all time favorite board game, MONOPOLY. No one's ever asked me why, and I just never put much thought into it. It took me a while to figure out why the dog means so much to me. Thinking back, I guess I can really tell a lot about my individual personality when I know that I always choose the dog marker. I think that one might choose the dog simply because they have dogs, like one might choose the sports car because they have a sports car. Even before I had my dog, I still chose this dog marker piece. I now know that this was because I desperately wanted my own dog. Simple things like playing a board game with a new person, whom you want to learn more about, is a great idea. I believe this simply because of the exercise of examining why I choose the dog piece and what it tells about me. So now, I can ask others, "What MONOPOLY piece are you?" and, "Why do you choose this piece?" I can now look at learning about others in a whole new, fun way!

 

By the way, if you're searching for different versions of MONOPOLY, there are literally hundreds. You can click on any of the images or "MONOPOLY" links above to check out many different games. However, the coolest of all MONOPOLY games ever invented can be found by clicking here. Word.

Flora Fyrdraaca knows taking shortcuts in Crackpot Hall can be risky. After all, when a House has eleven thousand decaying rooms that shift about at random, there's no telling where a person might end up. But it's not just household confusion that vexes Flora, what with Mamma always away being Commanding General of the Army, Poppy drowning his sorrows in drink, and Crackpot Hall too broken down to magickally provide the clean towels and hot waffles that are a Fyrdraaca's birthright.

Yet Flora is nothing if not a Girl of Spirit. So when she takes a forbidden shortcut and stumbles upon her family's biggest secret--Valefor, the banished Butler--she and her best friend Udo plunge happily into the grand adventure of restoring Valefor to his rightful (or so he says) position. If only Flora knew that meddling with a magickal being can go terribly awry--and that soon she will have to find a way to restore herself before it is Too Late.

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 stories we received. Congratulations to 8th grader Sarah Davies! We're sending you a signed copy of Un Lun Dun!

We still have 4 copies left! Email YOUR upside-down town story or poem to word@weeklyreader.com for a chance to win one of them!

INSANE LOUIS
-by Sarah Davies, Grade 8

There is a place that is quite strange. Some would even call it insane. In fact, that is the name of this place, Insane Louis, that is. Few have heard of this mystical place and only three or four have actually been there but the people who know of it will swear on their lives that it exists.

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Cat in the Hat!
Happy Birthday to you!

On this day in 1957, Dr. Seuss published what would soon be the quintessential children's book, The Cat in the Hat.

At the time, schools across the country were using See Spot Run as their champion to engage early-readers. The problem was that See Spot Run was rather (ahem) boring.

In 1954, a journalist named John Hersey wrote an article for Life Magazine that stated that the reason children were such bad readers (in his opinion) was that they weren't reading anything very exciting or imaginative. In his article, he basically dared popular children's book authors of the time to come up with a book that would have kids reading on the edge of their seats. Dr. Seuss went for it.

Dr. Seuss (his real name was Theodor Geisel) took 2 and a half years to write his now classic book about a mischievous cat who comes to play with two children and their angry goldfish while their mother is away. He used a vocabulary list of words for early readers to write his story. He used only 236 words and many of them were only one syllable!

So The Cat in the Hat has been around for 50 years. What does that mean, really? Well, for starters, what does it mean to you? Do you remember growing up and having your parents read you this wonderful story? Or perhaps you remember reading it yourself? Write to us at word@weeklyreader.com. Tell us your thoughts. Or you can comment below.

Happy Birthday, you rascal!