Kensington Sands had big plans for Halloween. She was nine years old now, and bored with dressing up. She wanted proper thrills and frights. "Grandpa Jonas, can you come over tonight? I've ... [+]
Kensington Sands had big plans for Halloween. She was nine years old now, and bored with dressing up. She wanted proper thrills and frights. "Grandpa Jonas, can you come over tonight? I've ... [+]
Leaving her parents behind the second they all arrived together, Lucy tiptoed through the aisles of books that filled her local library. She was determined to find what she had always heard was ... [+]
Tremaine was an otter who would do anything to be comfortable. He used fluffy cottonwood seeds to line his hole in the rocky river wall. When the river roared too loudly, he tucked wet leaves in his ... [+]
Jai placed the newspapers he'd rolled and wrapped in plastic into a trailer attached to his bike. He put more papers in a canvas shoulder bag. It was early morning as he set off on his paper run. Most ... [+]
Bronagh's mother watched her toying with her food.
"Sit up straight, Bronnie," she chided, "and finish your dinner. Your father's ready to read you a story."
"I don't want to."
"Well, if you'd
... [+]
Vicky was a Viking,
one as brave as brave could be.
On land she was a legend,
but she didn't like the sea.
Boats made Vicky queasy
and the waves made her feel yuck.
She'd rather not go
... [+]
Sarah bounced as the SUV hit another rough patch on the dirt road into Silver City.
"Just look at this place!" her dad exclaimed, taking photos of one rundown building after another.
"You wanted
... [+]
Theofina's class had won a contest. The contest was for a special trip. They were going to go back to the time of the dinosaurs!
Theo was happy, excited, and worried. She wanted to be brave, but
... [+]
SNORRRRR!
Jason sat up in his space bunk. What was that noise? It wasn't the wind. He'd heard and felt lots of Planet Purple Plum wind in the front yard that afternoon while Mia and he were
... [+]
Bobby didn't talk much in class. When he did speak, the other children often made fun of him because he stammered. His words just wouldn't come out right. They twisted around his tongue like slimy ... [+]
Nelson Packrat was a pack rat who lived in a small cave. One day his mother looked around the tunnels of their nest and thought it was time for a spring cleaning.
"Nelson, I can barely get into
... [+]
The adventurous little mole, whose name was Oscar, lived in a mole-hole at the bottom of the sea with his unadventurous mother and father and his timid little sister who was scared of ... [+]
The creepy old house smells like three-month-old kitty litter and rotting dumpster food.
The night is cold, and the air in the run-down house even colder. Rachel takes another step down the hall
... [+]
Lake Tahoe, July 1st, 2018
Hello Benjamin,
I'm Erin. You don't know me, but I know a little bit about you. I found your library card in my bedroom in this cabin. Here's what I know about
... [+]
"Baa, baa, baaaaa" bleated Sally. "Life on the Renaud farm is blah, blah, blaaaah," she complained. "Nothing ever changes. Same sheep. Same hill. Same rocks... WHOOPS!"
The stone beneath Sally's
... [+]
All Julie did was toss a piece of bubble gum into her mouth, one day. Honey plum-plum flavor. Her favorite. And then...
She blew ONE GUM BUBBLE.
That's it.
It may not sound like much
... [+]
My name is Andy Tannenbaum, and I'm a private eye. But until last week, I'd never solved a case—except for the time my little sister Tara thought someone had stolen her Batman underpants. I found ... [+]
Long ago, on the highest hill looming over the lushest land that any ruler had ever ruled, a mighty castle stood watch over its idyllic setting. Inside the fortified dwelling, King Tell sat hovering ... [+]
The midday sun shines overhead, greeting our so-called hero, Captain Sundae, and his trusty dog, Top. Captain Sundae has been fishing all morning while Top has been busy sunbathing by the ... [+]