Young Author's Conference

2008 Participants

Best Friends-Today and Forever
by Merri, grade 2
Long, long ago, there was a puppy dog and a young horse who were best friends. They spent every day together playing in the forest near their home. One day, their mothers realized the babies would be setting out on their own. When the day arrived they both left their homes together. Even in the coldest winters, they stayed together. When the next spring came, they were so happy they decided to build a home together in the lovely forest where they played together as babies. Each night, the dog slept under the oak tree while the horse made its bed in the nearby bushes. A short time later, the dog was out searching for food when a hunter came to the forest looking to harm the horse. The dog heard the hunter and returned quickly to its home with the food it had found. The hunter was scared off by the dog and left the forest quickly. The horse could not think of any way to thank the dog.

Some time later, the horse thought of a good way to show his thanks to the dog. He took some leaves from the bushes and made them into a bed and placed it under the tree so the dog would have a nice place to sleep each night. The dog came back and was so happy to find the new bed, he laid down for a quick nap. While the dog slept, the horse went out to search for some food and did not hear the hunter’s return to their forest home. The horse felt like something bad might happen to his best friend and quickly raced back to their home. Before the hunter could harm the dog, the horse stomped the hunter to death making the forest safe for all animals. They each dreamed that night of being best friends forever.

After breakfast the next morning, the two friends took a long walk in the forest together. They talked about their friendship and promised to stay best friends wherever they went. When they returned home, they took a nap and later, the dog had some water while the horse enjoyed some food. They also shared some wild berries for dessert. At dinner that night, they decided each day together would be celebrated as Best Friends Day! The two friends lived, side by side, happily ever after.

Dreams Come True
by Gabrielle, grade 2

   Mom said it was time for bed.  “I can’t wait until tomorrow!”  It’s Easter.  “I hope my dreams come true!” I said to my mom.  Then she tucked me into bed and read me a story.  Before she could say a word, I fell asleep.
   It was 1:00 am when I woke up and went down stairs to get a glass of water.  When I got to the kitchen, I turned the lights on and I saw something white and fluffy.
   “It can’t be!  But it is!  It’s the Easter Bunny!”  My dream came true!  I had to tell my parents!
   I ran upstairs and I woke them up to tell them that the Easter Bunny was downstairs.  They didn’t believe me.  I ran back down ,but he was gone.
  “I guess I better get  back to bed,” I thought as I walked up the stairs. 
The next day, I ran downstairs to see what I had gotten.  I got lots of candy and toys. It was the best Easter ever!

 Maxi the Flying Dog
by Madison, grade 3

Slam! Steve shut the door to his house and went into his backyard. “Maxi,” he called out to his dog. “Time to go to the pet shop. Maybe I’ll buy you a toy.” “Ruff Ruff”. Maxi came out from behind the tree, and she flew so fast to her leash that Steve didn’t even see her go by. ‘Did she just fly?” he asked himself. “No she couldn’t. Dogs don’t fly! I must still be tired from that party,” he said hitting himself in the head and running toward the swing.

  He clipped the leash onto her collar, opened the gate and walked into the front yard. He got half way down the road, when Maxi saw the pet shop. She thought about what Steve told her earlier and nothing else. All she had in mind was toys, toys, and more toys! So she pulled so hard on her leash that Steve slid across the sidewalk landing at the store door.

  When he got up he was covered in cuts and scratches. “Bad dog!” he yelled. Maxi whimpered and tried to lick him to say sorry. He knew she was trying to say sorry but he didn’t do anything because he was very angry.  Steve opened the door and saw the food he had set aside yesterday. He also saw the pet toys and took Maxi to them. Maxi picked out a rubber hotdog. Maxi was pleased with her toy.  Steve said “Let’s go.”

  He was trying to talk to her and tell her the rules with the toy as they got closer to the check-out. The lady rang up the toy and the food and told him the total was $5.17. He gave her the money and walked out.

  At bed-time, Steve put Maxi back in the backyard and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.  He  got on his pajamas, got in bed and coved him self with the blankets.

  Meanwhile Maxi was tired of being outside so she flew back over the gate and right in front of Steve’s window. Steve felt a large gust of wind on his face and opened his eyes. He turned over and saw Maxi. “Oh my gosh!” he screamed out loud. His mom woke up, and hurried to Steve’s room. “What happened, are you alright?” she asked with worry. “No! Look at Maxi!” he exclaimed . “What? She is on the floor.” Steve turned around and she was laying at the foot of his bed.

  “But Maxi was flying a second ago!” he replied back to her.  “Just go back to sleep,” she told him and stomped out.  Steve got down on the floor right next to Maxi. “Did you just fly?” he whispered in an angry voice. But all Maxi did was lay there. “I know you just flew! Don’t pretend like I don’t know,” he whispered again.

  Maxi backed down and covered her eyes with her paws. Steve got a feeling that she didn’t want him to tell anyone. But he didn’t know if he was right.  “How do you talk to a dog?” he thought.  He asked her desperately wanting to know the answer “Are you trying to tell me you don’t want me to tell anyone that you can fly?”. Maxi looked up at him and nodded her head. He noticed that she was a very smart dog and told her “Ok, then I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to. I promise.” From that day on Steve kept his promise not to tell.

 Playing Basketball
by Michael, grade 3

I started playing basketball when I was eight.  On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I was going to my first basketball game. I was on the Phoenix Suns and wasn’t so confident about my basketball skills.  I was so nervous on my way to Washington Street School, that I thought that I was going to throw up.

  When we got there, I almost couldn’t go in!  “Just do your best,” my dad said enthusiastically, as we got out of the car.  When I walked into the gym, there were a lot of people and I felt a lot of pressure.  The words that my dad had said echoed in my mind and I felt a little better.

  Before we started the game, my coach took us out into the hall for a pep-talk.  I felt much better, but I was still nervous.

  After playing for a  good 15 minutes, I was feeling a little better and then I scored for my team.  Swoosh!  I heard the crowd cheer and all of a sudden I felt confident!  I made two baskets and we started to win.  My team won the game 46 to 28.  I no longer feel like I am going to throw up on my way to a basketball game,  I love to play!

St. George and the Golden Medal
by Caitlin, grade 4

 “Goodbye,” said Saint George. 
            “Goodbye,” said the king and Princess Una.  Then, Saint George jumped onto his horse. Saint George needed to go off to find the fairy queen and help her.  The fairy queen lived fifty miles away, so Saint George had to bring water and food for the trip.  An hour into the trip, as Saint George was following his path in the forest, he noticed a small, torn-up, brown teddy bear on the path.  He got off the wagon and tied his horse to a tree.  The teddy bear was as soft as a million white fluffy clouds.  Then Saint George heard a cry behind a bush.  He grabbed the teddy bear and quickly ran to the bush.  Behind the bush was a little boy with a pillow and blanket!  The boy looked frightened.  He was wearing dirty, torn clothes.  He was holding a map in one hand, and looked like he was missing something.  The boy looked at Saint George and smiled.  He grabbed the teddy bear right out of Saint George’s hand.  He was as fast as a bolt of lightning.  The boy hugged the bear and ran back behind the bush.  Saint George walked over to him.  Even though the boy had his teddy bear, he still looked sad. 

 Saint George asked the boy his name.  The boy replied, “Adam.”  Saint George asked Adam what was wrong and asked if he needed help.  “Yes,” Adam replied and then asked Saint George what his name was.  Saint George told him his name.  Adam then stated, “Saint George, I need help.  I am trying to find my father.  He is a wizard and we were separated two years ago in a terrible earthquake.  I have a map of where he lives, in a land that is magical.  However, I can’t figure out all the extra markings on the map.”  Saint George was good with maps, especially maps with extra markings.  “I’ll help you.” said Saint George.   “Thank you so much!” Adam replied happily.  Saint George told Adam, “Let’s go find your father.”

 Saint George had a covered wagon, filled with food and water, attached to his horse.  He picked up Adam and put him in the wagon.  He also took Adam’s pillow, blanket and other belongings and put them in the wagon also.  Adam was holding his teddy bear in his hand.  Saint George took the map and told Adam that he could eat and drink anything he wanted in the wagon.  He also told Adam that if he needed anything, to just ask.  He then shut the wagon door and untied the horse from the tree.  He jumped on the wagon and the horse started to go.

After four hours, Saint George stopped the horse and checked on Adam.  He was sound asleep in the wagon with his pillow, blanket and teddy bear.  Saint George put the map back in the wagon and shut the door.  He knew where he needed to go.

 After another hour  had passed, the sky grew grey and clouds formed.  It started to rain.  Saint George passed a cave and wondered if they could stay in it until it stopped raining.  He turned the horse around, but he couldn’t find the cave.  He knew things were changing around him and that only wizards could do that.  He wondered if this could be the area where Adam’s father lived because after all, Adam told him that his father was a wizard!

 Adam woke up soon after Saint George noticed things changing.  He called Saint George’s name out loud.  Saint George stopped the horse and wagon, and tied the horse to a tree.  He opened the door to see what Adam wanted.  Adam said to Saint George, “We will know when we’re there because where my father lives, I learned that things are constantly changing. Have you seen anything changing, Saint George?”  “Yes!” replied Saint George.  “Then we’re here!” screamed Adam.  They were both very excited. 

 Saint George looked at the map to find the palace where Adam and his father lived.  It stopped raining and Adam jumped out of the wagon.  “This is it!” Saint George said pointing to a huge palace on the map.  “Now we just have to find it.” Saint George added.  After following the map for a half an hour, they stopped in front of a white palace.  The gates opened and they rushed inside before the gates closed again. 

 Once inside the palace, a guard lead St. George and the boy through the doors.   They followed the guard to many different areas in the palace.  They gave gifts to many people and received even more gifts.  The people they met were very friendly and all had smiles on their faces.   They reached a large room on the top floor of the palace, and they saw a man with a tall pointy hat with stars on it.  He did not look as friendly as the others they had met. The man had brown hair and blue eyes just like Adam. He looked at them and said that he was looking for his lost son.  The man said that his son’s name was Adam.  Adam blurted out with joy, “I’m Adam, your lost son!”  They hugged and Adam’s father smiled.  Then he dug in his pocket and rewarded Saint George with a golden medal.  Adam’s father stated that he knew a great man would return his son to him one day.  Saint George was glad that they found each other and said “Goodbye.”  As Saint George walked out of the room, he was amazed that the golden medal was engraved with the words – “Saint George, A Great Man”.

 

Father's Day
by Kristen, grade 4

On a nice, sunny Father’s Day, all of the boys and girls wanted to do something nice for their fathers.  The kids gathered in the park to think of a plan.  One girl said, “Maybe we could have kites that spell Happy Father’s Day on them.”  All of the kids agreed.  That day, they went to the kite store to ask if they could have kites made that had the letters to spell out “Happy Father’s Day”.  The man said that they would be able to make them and that they would be done by the following morning.  The next morning came and the children went excitedly back to the kite store to pick them up.

  Then they went to the beach to fly them.  When the kites got in the air they noticed one was missing.  It was the most important letter-the “F”.  The kids looked all over but they couldn’t find it.  They searched the streets and the beach for the missing kite, but the boys and girls thought that they might have to cancel the show.  They felt disappointed as they walked back to the beach.  They decided to cancel the show that they were going to put on.

  The fathers were supposed to meet at the beach at 5:00 pm to receive the gift that the children had planned.  As 5:00 got closer the children were sadder than ever. 

Then the girl who had thought of the idea of the kite show said, “Maybe we left the kite at the kite store!”  All of the boys and girls ran to the store to see if they left it there, and they had.  Everyone was happy.  

  They ran back to the beach to put on the show for all of the fathers that were waiting.  The show was fantastic and the fathers felt so proud of the kids for putting so much time into their plan.

  It was a great Father’s Day after all.

The Lost $100 Dollar Bill
by Taylor, grade 4

  “Hi, Karen!” Cheyenne called out.  “Want to go to the mall after school?”

  “Sure!” Karen answered back, smiling.  After the school day passed, Karen and Cheyenne went to the mall.  They shopped in Macy’s and The Limited Too.

  “Hey, let’s go into Feet First.  I need a new pair of shoes,” Karen said as she pointed to the shoe store.

  “Okay,” Cheyenne replied.  While Karen was looking for shoes, Cheyenne decided to browse through the sock rack by herself.  All of a sudden,  she gasped as she saw that a man had dropped a one hundred dollar bill and had walked out of the store.  Cheyenne quickly picked it up and tried to catch up with the man.  She couldn’t see him anywhere in the crowded mall.  She didn’t know what to do.  She asked Karen and Karen said to spend it. 

  For a second she was very excited.  She could buy the new Uggs that just came out or buy a pair of converse sneakers.  As these wonderful thoughts were running through her head, she thought about how the man would feel when he realized that his money was gone.  She sat down on the bench where people sit to try on their shoes and looked at the bill.  She thought long and hard about it and decided to give it to the sales person behind the counter.

  As she handed the money to the sales person, she saw a man running to the desk.  “That’s mine!” he called out trying to catch his breath.  It was his, this was the same man that Cheyenne had tried to catch.  “Thank you!” he  exclaimed looking into his wallet.  He took out a brand new fifty dollar bill and handed it to Cheyenne.  “We’ll split it.  If you had not been so honest, I would not have any of this money.  Thank you, young lady, for doing the right thing!” he said again walking out of the store.

  Cheyenne bought the Converse sneakers with the money, and she felt very proud of the decision she had made to be honest.  If she had stolen the money, she would have felt guilty.  Now she felt happy and proud.  She learned that honesty really is the best policy.

The Sleep Over
by Victoria, grade 4

One Saturday afternoon, my friends Katie and Jack slept over.  My brother, T.J., and I were so excited!  We hung out in my house and rode bikes.  Mom called us to get ready for dinner.  We had hot dogs and French fries.  After that I asked my mom if we could go to the beach.  She said yes.

  At the beach it was warm and sunny even though it was late. Katie and I collected rocks and sea glass.  We also swung on the swings and chased the boys with a crab.  They both screamed, “Girls, stop now!”  My mom shouted that it was time to go and we all went home. 

  Splash!  We all dove into the pool.  The water in the pool was cold but it felt good.  The moon was out and it was so dark.  We played Marco Polo and dove into the deep end.

  In the morning we went to the mall and go Webkinz.  It was so much fun!  Katie and Jack had to go home and the fun was over.  It was the best sleep over ever!

An Island Experience
by Angela, grade 5

The palm trees sway

Children laugh and play,

The waves roll near

We are glad to be here.

A shell in the sand

A shovel in my hand,

The heat of the sun

So many ways to have fun.

The dolphins glide

Upon the water they ride,

Crabs scurry everywhere

Sea turtles swim without a care.

On our towels we lay

Soaking up every last sun ray,

Surrounded by tropical flowers

Wondering about nature’s powers.

With a lei on my neck I leave the beach

Watching the birds that are just out of reach,

I must bid this paradise farewell

Upon this sadness I shall not dwell.

My New Puppy
by Brittany, grade 5

It was a beautiful April day, and I was getting my new puppy!  My mom said that we could go to the pet shop at about 12:30, but it was only 8:00am, so I had to wait another three long hours.

  Finally, it was 12:00!  Time for lunch.  I slowly walked into the kitchen and ate my yummy pasta as slowly as possible so that the time would go by faster.  “Yes! 12:30” I thought to myself, time to go get my puppy!  I hopped into my mom’s big car, buckled up and rode to the pet shop. 

  We arrived at a quarter to one.  I jumped happily out of the car and ran to the dusty door to look at all of the puppies.  One of them caught my eye.  It was a little Golden Retriever.  I went over to his small cage to pet him.

  “Mom!  Mom!  I want this one!” I called out.

  “Awww, of course you can have him!  He’s so cute!” she added as she came over to pet him.  She walked up to the cashier to pay for him. 

  We go into the car, and he sat right next to me the whole time, curled up into a little ball.  When we got home, I brought him inside, but he just laid on the ground like a bump on a log! 

  “Oh, Mom, I forgot to name him,” I told my mom  as I headed toward him.

  “How about Comet?” she asked.    I think his name fits him because he looks like the dog, Comet, on a show called Full House.  

  After about a month, Comet became more energetic.  Almost every day we go outside and play ball.  Comet is now one, and I still love him the same way I did when I got him!