Gettin Ready to Jog
by Sara T
"Sally! David! Hurry up before you miss the bus!" yelled thirty-five year old Maggy O'Connell, to her very sleepy, and very late for school children.
"Mom! Where's my lunch?" shouted back her moody twelve year old daughter.
"On the counter, Sally," and then almost as an afterthought "Come on, David! I can't be late for my jog!"
"David! Kiss!" laughed Maggy. Her son smiled and pecked her on the cheek. (As their mother did they both had thick brown, wavy hair, chocolate eyes and beaks for noses.)
" You too, babe!" she exclaimed to her daughter as walked passed her mother, totally ignoring her.
"Typical teens!" Maggy muttered as she watched them leave. Then as they turned the corner, she ran upstairs to her room, followed by her noisy dog, Neeko, who always acted as her shadow.
Maggy crashed into her room and tore open her drawer.
"Come on where'd it go!" cried Maggy as she threw clothes in the air searching for her jogging clothes and cried out in triumph as she yanked out her nylon pants and sports bra.
" Ah ha!" She cried and tugged on them. As she was still pulling on her warm up sock, she raced down the stairs almost being tripped several times by Neeko, who was running up and down the stairs in circles in excitement.
Finally, after Maggy tied her shoes and had put Neeko's leash on, she opened the door onto a beautiful day.
" What a day!" she exclaimed and nearly fell down the stairs when Neeko agreed by chasing the squirrels up the trees.
"Neeko, down!" shouted Maggy as Neeko made attempts to actually climb the tree.
Maggy laughed as the dog sheepishly returned to her, gave him a hug, and smiled as she kissed her.
"Good boy!" she said as she finally began her jog.
Welcome to Book-O-Rama: The Story of Dwight
by Emily M.
I let out a loud sigh and blew stray pieces of hair off my face. I had been searching for The Joys of Microbiology by Dr. Arthur Vanderschwartz for a good twenty minutes with no luck. I must have examined each book in an enormous bin marked "Microbiology" at least twice. My eyes searched around the bookstore looking for a person wearing a khaki apron with Book-O-Rama plastered on it in big, navy letters. To my disappointment, the only available employees were Bob Bucksworth, the pushy, salesperson-like store manager, and Dwight, a young man I've known since grade school. Dwight hasn't changed a bit since those paste-eating days. He still walks in that funny, almost tripping way, dresses in mismatched clothes, and talks like a surfer even though we live in a small, rural town at least ninety miles away from the nearest beach.
I was in no mood to listen to Bob Bucksworth and his annoying sales pitch. So, I made my decision and sauntered over to where Dwight seemed to be staring at an invisible insect flitting around the store.
"Dwight, do you think you could help me find a book?" I asked. Dwight gave me no acknowledgement and just kept staring at the seemingly interesting bug. "Um, Dwight? I need you to find me The Joys of Microbiology. I repeated my request. "Heeelllloo?" I, now rather frustrated, waved my hand inches away from Dwight's face. This time he pulled his attention away from the bug and focused on me. His eyes were squinted and his eyebrows were arched in a confused manner.
"Uh, oh, welcome to Book-O-Rama. Can I help you?" Dwight said in his surfer tone.
"YES!" I yelled. Quieting down a bit I exclaimed, "Dwight, can you please find The Joys of Microbiology by Dr. Arthur Vandershwartz?"
"Okay," Dwight replied nodding his head slowly. Then, he paused a minute as if absorbing what I had just told him, "yeah, sure, I'll go check out back." Dwight then started heading in the exact opposite of "out back". I corrected him by pointing my hand sharply in the right direction. Dwight laughed cautiously, turned on his heels and said his famous, "Ooooooohhh!"
I plopped myself down on in a nearby chair and waited for Dwight. "He's hopeless." I thought to myself. Looking at my watch, I decided that I didn't have much time to sit around and wait for Dwight to retrieve, most likely, the wrong book. I seriously thought about leaving but as I was getting up, Bob Bucksworth cornered me.
"Are you waiting for that half-witted Dwight to find you a book?" He said briskly.
"Yes," I replied.
"Well, I wouldn't test your luck if I were you. Dwight has never been able to help anyone find a book unless it's about surfing or cheesy movie stars. His goal in life is to get a high score on "Whack Mr. Moo Cow" at the arcade. His supposedly hidden talent is touching his finger to his nose with his eyes closed! If he's not a slacker and a disgrace to our community, then I don't know who is!" Mr. Bucksworth huffed.
Just then I saw Dwight stumble out from the storage area. He came up to me and said, "Uh, like, I'm really sorry it tool me so long to get your book. You see, I sometimes forget that the little sign on those doors over there that says to push mean that's how you open them. Anyway, here's the book. " Dwight then handed me a copy of The Joys of Staying Fit by Arnold Schwartzeneger.
Instead of becoming infuriated, I smiled brightly at absurd old Dwight and said,"You know, Dwight, this is just what I wanted. You are such a lifesaver. Thanks a bunch!"
"Oh, cool," Dwight said with the goofiest grin I'd ever seen.
I purchased the book and left the store thinking, "If there were no Dwights in this world, how would anyone survive?"
The Best Summer Ever
by Alyson S.
My parents and I had been waiting at the airport for at least two hours. "Mom, why did you make me come? I don't see the point in having another person stay with us. I mean, we already have eleven people running around our house. "
"It's not going to be that much longer. Listen for the announcement. Then look for a fourteen year old girl with hazel eyes and strawberry blonde hair worn in two braids. She is about five feet, four inches tall. Now, when Holly gets here, I want you to be nice to her. It's going to be hard for her to stay in a new country for three months, especially in a house with nine kids."
"Okay, fine, Mom. "
At last! The announcement came on, "Flight 695 from Australia has just
arrived at Gate 54. "
We walked to Gate 54 and started looking around for Holly.
"Mom, I think that's her!" I pointed to the right where there was a thin, pale-skinned girl with freckles scattered all over her face. She was dressed in jean shorts and an orange shirt with an orange vest over it. She looked about fourteen years old. She was walking very slowly; she looked uncomfortable, confused, and sad.
Dad walked up to her and said gently, "Excuse me, are you Holly Jordan?"
"Um, yes. Are you, Mr. McCarthy?" she asked nervously, with an
Australian accent.
"Yes," Dad said, "and this is my wife Debbie and my daughter Keily.
"Hi, Holly," Mom said enthusiastically.
Mom nudged me. I mumbled, "Hi."
On the ride home, Dad tried to start a conversation, but Holly seemed very shy, and she did not give full answers. I just didn't feel like talking at all.
Holly had come to Massachusetts because she wants to become a marine biologist. Her parents had heard that the New England Aquarium has very good classes for teens about the ocean and ocean animals. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan decided to send her here to learn more about animals and their surroundings so that she could have a better background.
One reason I was not very pleased about having Holly visit us was because I had just gotten my own room a few weeks ago, and now I would have to share it with a complete stranger for three months. All of my other brothers and sisters had to share rooms, but since I was the oldest, I had finally been given my own.
My parents told me it would be fun having Holly stay with us since she was fourteen, just like me. The people closest to my age in my family are my nine year old twin sisters, and they had each other to be with. I was always lonely, unless I had a friend over, but that didn't happen very often. My mother always said no because she never wanted to take responsibility for another person's child. She had too many to take care of herself.
I'II have to admit, it wasn't really that bad having Holly around. She was shy at first, but then she opened up. Holly is kind, nice, loving, caring, and smart. We liked to talk, hang out together, and listen to the radio and CDs. She brought her CDs, and we compared the popular music groups of the United States and Australia. Holly went to classes every day, Monday through Friday from eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon. I was lonely during that time, but when she got home, I was happy because I had someone to be with. Holly told me how it felt being in a different country. She was now staying in a home with eleven people-two parents and nine children, compared to a house of three people-her parents and her. I learned a lot about life in Australia and also a lot about Holly. Her favorite color is orange, her favorite food is salad, and her favorite school subject is science.
Holly and I had so much fun that summer! It was the best summer ever! It went by so fast because we were having so much fun. Holly and I became the best of friends that I did not want her to leave. During our last five days together, we tried to have as much fun as possible. Then Saturday came, and Holly had to leave. We were so heartbroken. Holly and I wanted to stay near each other forever, well at least in the same hemisphere. We knew that we were going to miss each other a lot! We said our last good-byes and Holly walked through the terminal to the plane. After that we talked on the phone about every month and wrote e-mails to each other all the time. I am so glad that my mother decided to have Holly stay with us that summer!
EMAIL All authors need encouragement and appreciate hearing from their readers. If you have any comments about or responses to any of these pieces, please send us a note. ![]("note03.gif")
Return to Ms. Smith's English Page or the Student Authors Page
"Mom! Where's my lunch?" shouted back her moody twelve year old daughter.
"On the counter, Sally," and then almost as an afterthought "Come on, David! I can't be late for my jog!"
"David! Kiss!" laughed Maggy. Her son smiled and pecked her on the cheek. (As their mother did they both had thick brown, wavy hair, chocolate eyes and beaks for noses.)
" You too, babe!" she exclaimed to her daughter as walked passed her mother, totally ignoring her.
"Typical teens!" Maggy muttered as she watched them leave. Then as they turned the corner, she ran upstairs to her room, followed by her noisy dog, Neeko, who always acted as her shadow.
Maggy crashed into her room and tore open her drawer.
"Come on where'd it go!" cried Maggy as she threw clothes in the air searching for her jogging clothes and cried out in triumph as she yanked out her nylon pants and sports bra.
" Ah ha!" She cried and tugged on them. As she was still pulling on her warm up sock, she raced down the stairs almost being tripped several times by Neeko, who was running up and down the stairs in circles in excitement.
Finally, after Maggy tied her shoes and had put Neeko's leash on, she opened the door onto a beautiful day.
" What a day!" she exclaimed and nearly fell down the stairs when Neeko agreed by chasing the squirrels up the trees.
"Neeko, down!" shouted Maggy as Neeko made attempts to actually climb the tree.
Maggy laughed as the dog sheepishly returned to her, gave him a hug, and smiled as she kissed her.
"Good boy!" she said as she finally began her jog.
Welcome to Book-O-Rama: The Story of Dwight
by Emily M.
I let out a loud sigh and blew stray pieces of hair off my face. I had been searching for The Joys of Microbiology by Dr. Arthur Vanderschwartz for a good twenty minutes with no luck. I must have examined each book in an enormous bin marked "Microbiology" at least twice. My eyes searched around the bookstore looking for a person wearing a khaki apron with Book-O-Rama plastered on it in big, navy letters. To my disappointment, the only available employees were Bob Bucksworth, the pushy, salesperson-like store manager, and Dwight, a young man I've known since grade school. Dwight hasn't changed a bit since those paste-eating days. He still walks in that funny, almost tripping way, dresses in mismatched clothes, and talks like a surfer even though we live in a small, rural town at least ninety miles away from the nearest beach.
I was in no mood to listen to Bob Bucksworth and his annoying sales pitch. So, I made my decision and sauntered over to where Dwight seemed to be staring at an invisible insect flitting around the store.
"Dwight, do you think you could help me find a book?" I asked. Dwight gave me no acknowledgement and just kept staring at the seemingly interesting bug. "Um, Dwight? I need you to find me The Joys of Microbiology. I repeated my request. "Heeelllloo?" I, now rather frustrated, waved my hand inches away from Dwight's face. This time he pulled his attention away from the bug and focused on me. His eyes were squinted and his eyebrows were arched in a confused manner.
"Uh, oh, welcome to Book-O-Rama. Can I help you?" Dwight said in his surfer tone.
"YES!" I yelled. Quieting down a bit I exclaimed, "Dwight, can you please find The Joys of Microbiology by Dr. Arthur Vandershwartz?"
"Okay," Dwight replied nodding his head slowly. Then, he paused a minute as if absorbing what I had just told him, "yeah, sure, I'll go check out back." Dwight then started heading in the exact opposite of "out back". I corrected him by pointing my hand sharply in the right direction. Dwight laughed cautiously, turned on his heels and said his famous, "Ooooooohhh!"
I plopped myself down on in a nearby chair and waited for Dwight. "He's hopeless." I thought to myself. Looking at my watch, I decided that I didn't have much time to sit around and wait for Dwight to retrieve, most likely, the wrong book. I seriously thought about leaving but as I was getting up, Bob Bucksworth cornered me.
"Are you waiting for that half-witted Dwight to find you a book?" He said briskly.
"Yes," I replied.
"Well, I wouldn't test your luck if I were you. Dwight has never been able to help anyone find a book unless it's about surfing or cheesy movie stars. His goal in life is to get a high score on "Whack Mr. Moo Cow" at the arcade. His supposedly hidden talent is touching his finger to his nose with his eyes closed! If he's not a slacker and a disgrace to our community, then I don't know who is!" Mr. Bucksworth huffed.
Just then I saw Dwight stumble out from the storage area. He came up to me and said, "Uh, like, I'm really sorry it tool me so long to get your book. You see, I sometimes forget that the little sign on those doors over there that says to push mean that's how you open them. Anyway, here's the book. " Dwight then handed me a copy of The Joys of Staying Fit by Arnold Schwartzeneger.
Instead of becoming infuriated, I smiled brightly at absurd old Dwight and said,"You know, Dwight, this is just what I wanted. You are such a lifesaver. Thanks a bunch!"
"Oh, cool," Dwight said with the goofiest grin I'd ever seen.
I purchased the book and left the store thinking, "If there were no Dwights in this world, how would anyone survive?"
The Best Summer Ever
by Alyson S.
My parents and I had been waiting at the airport for at least two hours. "Mom, why did you make me come? I don't see the point in having another person stay with us. I mean, we already have eleven people running around our house. "
"It's not going to be that much longer. Listen for the announcement. Then look for a fourteen year old girl with hazel eyes and strawberry blonde hair worn in two braids. She is about five feet, four inches tall. Now, when Holly gets here, I want you to be nice to her. It's going to be hard for her to stay in a new country for three months, especially in a house with nine kids." "Okay, fine, Mom. "
At last! The announcement came on, "Flight 695 from Australia has just arrived at Gate 54. "
We walked to Gate 54 and started looking around for Holly.
"Mom, I think that's her!" I pointed to the right where there was a thin, pale-skinned girl with freckles scattered all over her face. She was dressed in jean shorts and an orange shirt with an orange vest over it. She looked about fourteen years old. She was walking very slowly; she looked uncomfortable, confused, and sad.
Dad walked up to her and said gently, "Excuse me, are you Holly Jordan?"
"Um, yes. Are you, Mr. McCarthy?" she asked nervously, with an Australian accent.
"Yes," Dad said, "and this is my wife Debbie and my daughter Keily.
"Hi, Holly," Mom said enthusiastically.
Mom nudged me. I mumbled, "Hi."
On the ride home, Dad tried to start a conversation, but Holly seemed very shy, and she did not give full answers. I just didn't feel like talking at all.
Holly had come to Massachusetts because she wants to become a marine biologist. Her parents had heard that the New England Aquarium has very good classes for teens about the ocean and ocean animals. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan decided to send her here to learn more about animals and their surroundings so that she could have a better background.
One reason I was not very pleased about having Holly visit us was because I had just gotten my own room a few weeks ago, and now I would have to share it with a complete stranger for three months. All of my other brothers and sisters had to share rooms, but since I was the oldest, I had finally been given my own.
My parents told me it would be fun having Holly stay with us since she was fourteen, just like me. The people closest to my age in my family are my nine year old twin sisters, and they had each other to be with. I was always lonely, unless I had a friend over, but that didn't happen very often. My mother always said no because she never wanted to take responsibility for another person's child. She had too many to take care of herself.
I'II have to admit, it wasn't really that bad having Holly around. She was shy at first, but then she opened up. Holly is kind, nice, loving, caring, and smart. We liked to talk, hang out together, and listen to the radio and CDs. She brought her CDs, and we compared the popular music groups of the United States and Australia. Holly went to classes every day, Monday through Friday from eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon. I was lonely during that time, but when she got home, I was happy because I had someone to be with. Holly told me how it felt being in a different country. She was now staying in a home with eleven people-two parents and nine children, compared to a house of three people-her parents and her. I learned a lot about life in Australia and also a lot about Holly. Her favorite color is orange, her favorite food is salad, and her favorite school subject is science.
Holly and I had so much fun that summer! It was the best summer ever! It went by so fast because we were having so much fun. Holly and I became the best of friends that I did not want her to leave. During our last five days together, we tried to have as much fun as possible. Then Saturday came, and Holly had to leave. We were so heartbroken. Holly and I wanted to stay near each other forever, well at least in the same hemisphere. We knew that we were going to miss each other a lot! We said our last good-byes and Holly walked through the terminal to the plane. After that we talked on the phone about every month and wrote e-mails to each other all the time. I am so glad that my mother decided to have Holly stay with us that summer!
EMAIL All authors need encouragement and appreciate hearing from their readers. If you have any comments about or responses to any of these pieces, please send us a note. Return to Ms. Smith's English Page or the Student Authors Page