Mary Amato

A teacher leaves a journal in the Writer's Corner of her classroom. The book comes with a few simple rules- write in the book, have fun, and sign your name. What begins as an attempt to get the students writing turns into a classroom battle. Students compete for time with the book. The book fills with short stories, poems, and illustrations. Not all of it is nice. Some students use the book to poke fun at others. The boys try to shock the girls with their "potty" mouths. Then, someone kidnaps it, and one student's suggestion turns a hurtful experience into an activity in unity.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com… (altro)

The Lumbricus worm clan watches with great anticipation as a new worm is born, but their eagerness turns to disinterest when the little worm fails to skinch properly. Close by, Lerner Chanse listens with dread as Reba Silo, queen of MPOOE (Most Powerful Ones On Earth), gives her the dare that will raise Lerner from SLUG (Sorry Loser Under Ground) status to MPOOE. Lerner’s attempt to fulfill the dare goes awry. In the process, a package of thumbtacks falls to the ground, and the rejected worm eats his first words- Mack’s Thumbtacks. Suddenly, all the Mack Thumbtacks in the world disappear. Lerner rescues the little worm from a crow’s beak and watches him eat “Jay’s Star” from a news article. The next day, the disappearance of a newly discovered star makes the front page. Lerner quickly learns that every time the worm eats a word, the object that it represents disappears. She must learn to feed his voracious appetite without causing a major catastrophe.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com… (altro)