KIDS'
FORUM
Stop
by here for kid book reviews and fabulous first sentences from
kids all over the country.
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Fabulous
First Sentences : : :
FROM
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
1st - 5th grade:
"Harley was a watchdog." —Taylor, 1st
grade
"Some
sharks can find the fish by smelling the trail of blood."
—Lemeir, 3rd
"Every summer I go to a hotel so my parents can attend
the dairy convention." —Morgan, 3rd
"There were once eight great and powerful Pharaohs
who each held one magical item."
—Ruben, 3rd
"Once a little girl with long hair that flowed in
the wind had a favorite month and it was October."
—Chloe, 3rd
"So right now I'm in big trouble. No one can help
me, no one can save me ... it all started a few weeks
ago." —Hana, 3rd
"I know that Jenna rhymes with jellyfish but she
hates being called that." —Akshar, 3rd
"Once upon a time, Bob and Joe went to Antarctica."
—Samuel, 3rd
"This is a story of a journey where we fight apes."
—Jonathan, 3rd
"One ordinary day, Ryle woke up and ate her breakfast
just like usual." —Sydney, 3rd
"One day I went to the mall with my mom to visit
the pet store where I met an adorable puppy." —Jenna,
3rd
"Hey, my name is Kyle and I play football and this
season has been GREAT!" —Kyle, 3rd
"Last year I played baseball!" —William,
3rd
"Once upon a time there lived three girls. Their
names were Chloe, Sarah, Sydney. They loved going fishing."
—Sarah, 3rd
"Today I will have a pajama party!" —Samuel,
3rd
"Here
is the story of young fox twins and their friends."
—Adrian, 4th
"You
could have heard a pin drop. Surrounding me was all silence.
No one said a word." —Brooke, 5th
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6th - 12th Grades
"On February 3rd, 1886, a man named Newbery Read
walked down Thornberry Road, on the outskirts of London,
to pick a partner for the race." —Padraic,
6th
"In the small little town of Perfectville, everything
was perfect to the last daffodil." —Oliver,
10th
"Run! Run! Run! Mr. Jingles, we got it! We got it!
Now, where did he go?" —Shonn, 9th
"She lands on silent wings, illuminated in the soft
moonlight." —Amber, 8th
"It was eight minutes past midnight on the stormy
evening of July 21st." —Jodeci, 9th
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Silence. My beautiful silence
is back." —Chantel, 9th
"A silent breeze whispered through the trees on a
hot summer night." —Chelsea, 11th
"Among the falling leaves of the autumn trees, the
sun shined bright, full with life and character."
—Lai'Taras, 11th
"You've never been my best friend since the first
day we met." —Emily, 9th
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By:
PHOEBE, Age 11, Florida
From
the story called: "Danny, the Evil Genius Little Brother"
"Red cheeks, big blue eyes, two-months-old,
and pure evil -- meet my little brother!"
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Book
Reviews : : :
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SHADOW
SPINNER by SUSAN FLETCHER
Reviewed by Alexandria, 11, California
The Sultan's wife tells the Sultan a story every night,
and if it pleases him, he lets her live another day. But
she's running out of stories.....
Marjan loves stories. She loves telling them, too, so when
the Sultan's wife overhears her telling stories to the children
from the harem, she summons her to the harem to question
her for different tales.
They come up with one to tell the Sultan, but when he hears
it, he thinks there is more! Now they must find the old
begger man who first told Marjan the story so they can learn
the rest. But the girls aren't allowed out of the harem.
And the Sultan's mother, the Khatun, is getting suspicious.
This can't go on for long.....
The story Marjan comes up with for the Sultan is one that
I read before, in The Arabian Nights. It was one of my favorite
tales in the book. If you like The Arabian Night stories,
you're sure to like this book!
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THE
SLIPPERY SLOPE (A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, BOOK 10)
by LEMONY SNICKET
Reviewed by: ASHANTI, Age 10, Virginia
The book is about three children who were together
once but Count Olaf kidnapped Sunny the youngest Baudelaire.
Then the two other Baudelaires are trying to stop the hurdling
caravan and when they do they still have to rescue Sunny.
So they meet with the Snow scouts trying to escape the snow
gnats. Then they have really unusual events trying to save
Sunny.
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Writing
Prompts : : :
We
are collecting writing prompts from authors and teachers involved
in the program. Here are three writing prompts from N.E. Bode.
There are more on the way so keep checking back.
EXERCISE ONE:
Answer the following questions:
Write down the name of something that can fit in the palm of your
hand.
Write the name of something that could fit in the trunk of a car.
Write down your favorite color.
Write down something that smells really good or really bad.
Write down something that is very noisy.
Write down the name of an animal.
Write down something that is shiny.
Write down something that tastes really wonderful.
Write down something that feels smooth or something that feels
rough.
Now take those nine or so words and use them to start a story.
Use the words in any order. Change them around some if you need
to. Cow, for example, can be cowboy. Rain can be raining or rainstorm.
Once you run out of words, keep on going. Finish the story!
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EXERCISE
TWO:
From www.theanybodies.com
Wild Writing Rampage:
Rip a piece of paper into about twelve pieces. Shove these pieces
into your pocket. During the day, jot down the following things--one
on each piece.
* 3 things you overhear--like my neighbor said to her cat today,
"You don't like that ugly pug dog, do you?"
* 3 things that look or sound like other things--for example,
when my grandmother snores she sounds like a toy train.
* 3 mysterious objects or three things someone has lost--maybe
golfballs, a key, a monocle.
* 3 observations--for example: a cloud in the shape of your own
head.
Pull out all of your pieces of paper when you're ready to write.
Try to stitch together the beginning of a story by using the different
things you've collected. Move them all around in different orders.
Jot bridges between them. Change them here and there to make them
fit the story as it takes shape. Use this beginning to delve into
the story that now exists where no story existed before.
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EXERCISE THREE:
Go out and interview someone. And here's a hint. People who have
lived a long time know of many really strange, crazy, bizarre
things that have happened in the world and to themselves and their
neighbors. Another good thing about talking to people who've lived
a long time is that they often have more time than those people
scurrying around in middle age or teen years. So go out and collect
stories by asking questions. Go up to Gramps, for example and
blurt out: What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you?
What's made you you? Or Grammy: What was the happiest thing in
your life? The scariest? The most magical? Keep on asking
questions of other folks. Questions are good. You're young. You
can probably get away with blurting out questions. People might
pat you on the head and call you "precocious," and there
are worse things to be. Finally, write down the answers. That's
what makes writers writers. They write things down. Take three
parts of three stories and try to combine them into one story
-- even if it's quite odd. Readers like odd stories.
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