2C17 WILLIAM’S DOLL

William wants a doll. He wants a doll that he can hug. He wants to bring it with him to the park. He wants a doll that he can wake up with when the sun rises.
William’s father, however, does not agree with William’s idea of having a doll. So he bought a toy train for him. He also made a basketball ring for him. William tried his best to learn the game until he was very good at it. He likewise enjoyed playing with his mini train station. But William still wanted to have a doll.
Then, one day, William’s grandmother visited them. He told her about how badly he wants to have a doll although his friends call him “sissy” and his sister calls him a “creep”. His grandmother bought a doll for him and William was grateful for that.
One person was not happy about it though and that was William’s father. William’s grandmother, however, pointed out that it would be good for William to have a doll so that he will know how to take care of his children when he becomes a father himself.

T. MG

2C9 KEEP THE LAMPS BURNING, ABBIE.

Abby’s father is sailing off to buy some medicine for her sick mother and some stuff for their family. He also had to buy some oil for the lamps in their lighthouse. Abbie was very worried because she knew that there was a storm coming and his father might not be able to get back home for two or more days.
So, his father went off but before he left, he instructed Abbie the things that she was supposed to do while he was away. The most important thing that he reminded Abbie was for her to keep the lamps burning since many sailors depend on them for their light while sailing.
The storm arrived and Abbie had a hard time in doing house errands since her mother was so sick and she is the oldest among her siblings. She had to lit the lamps but due to strong rain, the windows were misty. She had then to clean the windows for fear that the sailors in the sea might meet an accident if they can’t see the light from their light house.
Days passed but Abbie’s father didn’t arrive home. She was darned too exhausted and she got sick and tired of eggs being served in their dining table since there were no other food to choose from.
Then after a week, there was somebody knocking on their door. Abbie jumped when she saw it was her father. She told her father how much she worried for him. His father on the other hand replied that he was fine and he knew all along that his family was safe every time he saw the lamps burning in their lighthouse.

T. MG

4a4 SONG OF THE TREES

This story is about a brave African-American family who fought hard for their land. At times when food is in short supply and depression is bearing down, the family could have sold their trees which are worth a lot of money but they didn’t. They once proved to stand with their dignity intact even in times of need.

The Logan family has 4 children. Stacey, the oldest, is 11; Cassie, the main character is 8; Christopher John is 7 and the youngest is Little Man, 6. Their dad, David, is a railroad worker and their mom, Mary, takes care of the children at home together with their grandmother, Caroline.

The kids used to go to the forest which is their property, to pick wild blackberries while leading their cows and their calves to the pond. Cassie likes the trees so much that she considered them friends, and make her feel like the trees sing. His older brother would always say that it is just the sound of the wind. Still, these are a great source of comfort to her. One day, they went to the forest and Cassie noticed that their trees were marked X. From a distance, they saw Mr. Anderson and his man, talking about their plans of chopping all of their trees. They went home to inform their mom about what they heard.

When the children arrived, they saw the white man offering the family money for the trees. Despite of their poor life, their mom firmly refused. She knew very well that her husband would never sell their trees. Mr. Anderson tried to convince Caroline, the grandmother and even reminded her of Mary’s physical condition, but both in-laws stood their ground. The white man left angrily but knowing that the husband was far working for them, Mr. Anderson and his man continued to chop down the trees. The kids went to the forest to stop them. Mr. Anderson was about to whip the kid with his belt when the kid’s dad, appeared. When the kid’s father, spoke, he released the child. Mr. Logan threatened them that if they still continue with their plan, he will pull the plunger and the bombs that were planted around the forest will explode. Mr. Anderson’s men were scared and told him that David really does what he says. Mr. Anderson came into his senses and they left. Mr. Logan and his kids, though were glad the white men left, felt sad because of the trees that were already cut down, dead.

Cassie longed for the trees to sing again but failed.

By: T. Regina

3A1 IN THE DINOSAUR’S PAW

This story is about a young boy named Richard who had a bad start of school after vacation. On the first day of school, he forgot his ruler which his teacher told him to bring for the dinosaur lesson. But when he went to their classroom, he was lucky that he found a ruler under his desk. He thought that the ruler was special because of the mysterious initials on it. He had been thinking about all the initials of his classmates but nobody had the exact initials like the one printed on the ruler. He had made some wishes like snow will fall, his bully classmate Drake will get sick and others. He thought that the ruler had magic powers. On their way to the museum, he suddenly felt worried about Drake that he can’t do it on the way because he is sick. His only hope is the ruler but the ruler was missing. Then, one of his classmates said that he found his ruler which has been missing for such a long time.

T. BARBARA

4A2 Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Characters:
Ramona Quimby= a smart girl in the third grade; she’s eight years old
Beatrice= Ramona’s older sister who is also known as Beezus; she’s in Junior
HighSchool
Mr. and Mrs. Quimby= Ramona’s parents; the father works as a part time helper in a Frozen- Food Warehouse and the mother works as a receptionist in a doctor’s office.
Danny= the boy in the baseball cap who used to tease Ramona
Mrs. Whaley = the 3rd grade teacher/ adviser
Howie= Ramona’s friend, whose grandma takes care of Ramona while parents are still at work
Willa Jean= a 4-year old girl whom Ramona dreaded to play with after school

Ramona likes being big enough to be counted on. She hoped her parents would stop giving her a little talking-to. It was first day of school and she’s so excited to ride the bus to school all by herself. That morning, everyone in her family was so busy preparing to school, Ramona, her older sister Beatrice and her father who is returning to school to be a teacher.
In school, she met her teacher Mrs. Whaley. She was asked to pass name tags to her classmates. As she walked around, her new sandals squeaked. She giggled and so did the rest of the class. The last person she gave a slip to was the boy in a baseball cap. He was Danny who kicked the back of her seat in the bus and who also took her new pink eraser. She demanded for her eraser but Danny refused and called her Bigfoot. Ramona wasn’t going to let him get away with this insult. Saying it loudly, she corrected him with Superfoot, not Bigfoot and gave him a nickname “Yard Ape“. To her astonishment, Danny handed her eraser to her with a grin. She felt so triumphant that she squeaked loudly back to her seat. Mrs. Whaley told her that she has musical shoes. Ramona thought she is a non-fussy teacher.
The first day of school was really exciting. Then another good part of the 3rd grade began during the 2nd week of school. Ramona loves to read and everyday after lunch, they have Sustained Silent Reading. She could read without hiding her book under her desk or behind bigger book. After school, she and her friend Howie from the other class would walk from the bus stop to Howie’s house. When they approached his house, she was greeted by Willa Jean who wanted to play with her. As things turned out, she was saved by being a dog by the arrival of a small boy named Bruce. But still Willa Jean insisted she will play with them. Ramona kept in looking at her book of fairy tales. Then with her politest voice she excused herself to Willa Jean. Ramona picked her book up and settled herself in the corner blissfully reading.
At school after learning about insects, the students were very eager for lunch. Each student has a boiled egg for lunch. This became a fad that even if Ramona really preferred deviled eggs than half-boiled and soft-boiled egg, she asked her mom to prepare boiled egg for her. The students all ran to the cafeteria. Ramona cracked the egg in her head but unknowingly, the egg was raw. It dripped over her face and stuck into her head. She was so ashamed that she ran to the teacher’s office alone, ignoring the concern or help from one of her classmates. There, Mrs. Larson washed her hair and as she was drying her hair, she heard Mrs. Whaley talking about a show-off and a nuisance girl in her office. Ramona was so stunned that she didn’t try to hear Mrs. Larson’s answer. Lunch period came to an end but she sat still. Then he heard Danny’s voice. Mrs. Larson totally forgot her in the toilet. Ramona hesitated to enter her class because she doesn’t want to see her teacher, Mrs. Whaley. For once, Danny didn’t tease her. He sympathized with her and told her not to let Mrs. Whaley get her down. She began to like Danny. When Ramona arrived home, she quarreled with her mom about the raw egg. Though her mom explained that she took by mistake the raw egg from the fridge, she still couldn’t forget her. Dinner came and they ate tongue meat since it is cheaper and nutritious. However, Beezus and Ramona didn’t want the taste of tongue meat so they gave their food to their cat. Their parents got angry and gave them punishment. Their dad told them to cook dinner for the family.
The siblings then decided to be extra good hoping that their parents will forget the tasks that they should do. So, when Sunday came, they got up without being called, complimented their mom on her French toast and cleaned their rooms. When Ramona was about to ask permission to go out and skate, her father reminded her about their chores to cook for dinner. As a result, they had no choice but to do the chore. They opened the fridge and cooked chicken and corn bread. At last they were done. Their parents enjoyed their cooking. They were grateful to them for enjoying or pretending to enjoy the food they made. The whole family cheered up. As their mom and dad volunteered to wash the dishes and clear the table, Ramona and her older sister excused themselves and skipped to their rooms before their parents discover the mess in the kitchen.

T. Redge

3B107 WHEN I LIVED WITH BATS

CHARACTERS:
A family who rented a farmhouse during summer
Aunt Sue

The story is about the family who moved to the farmhouse just to have a summer vacation. When they got there, they discovered that it was inhabited by bats. Most people think that bats can harm people or even suck people’s blood. This is not entirely true. The only kinds of bat that can hurt people are the vampire bats. The rest are harmless.
That’s what happened when they moved to the farmhouse. They found the place to be inhabited by bats especially the attic. Their parents gave them instructions not to hurt the bats. Sometimes, bats would simply swoop down while they’re eating or while they’re sleeping. One time, their aunt Sue came to visit them. While Aunt Sue was bathing, a bat suddenly joined her in the tub. It scared her but eventually became interested with bats.
The older brother of the writer tried to hurt once one of the bats. It was hurt so they brought the bat to the veterinarian. The veterinarian said that the bat is nursing a baby bat. The baby bat would die then. That changed the attitude of the boy. He came to be more interested and caring to the animals especially the bats.
It’s worth reading especially for those who have little knowledge about bats.

T. Shulamite

2B17 ARTHUR’S BABY

One day Arthur’s parents told them that they were going to have a baby. Arthur’s friends all told him some things to expect in babies. They all had something bad to say. One day, after school, his sister D.W. told him that he’ll teach him to diaper a baby but his mom told him not to worry about it. Their mom showed them their pictures when they were still young. A few days later, their mom started packing her suitcase because the baby will come any day now. Then one morning, their grandma told them that they have a new sister. Arthur was worried that she’ll be like D.W. They went to the hospital and Arthur saw her new sister Kate. When they brought the baby home, a lot of presents arrived for the baby. When his mom asked him to hold the baby, Arthur was afraid. A few days later, their mom had to get something upstairs so she asked Arthur to look after Kate. Just then, Arthur’s friends arrived. They all looked at the baby. Then D.W gave her sister the bottle of milk to drink. Later, Kate began to cry. D.W gave her a kiss but she cried louder. She tried to bounce her but she screamed. She asked for Arthur’s help and he figured out that Kate just needed to burp. Everything is okay now with the baby.

T. Jamie

2B25 SNAP

CHARACTERS: CROCODILES/ ALLIGATORS

This story is about the existence of the alligators and crocodiles all over the world. It explains that the crocodiles and alligators existed even before the time of the dinosaurs. It also tells the differences between the two. The snout of the alligator is shaped-U, whereas the snout of the crocodiles is shaped V. Both have sharp teeth, yet no matter how many times their teeth are knocked off, they still keep on growing back.
Alligators and crocodiles are cold-blooded animals. They need to get heat from the sun so they constantly sunbathe. When they absorbed enough sunlight, they go to the shade or go back to the water. These animals are very fast swimmers. They are not as fast when they are on land and yet they are very strong. In fact, in Africa, crocodiles tend to pull more humans rather than the lions. Africans say, they’re still smiling while killing.
Crocodiles lay eggs. The eggs almost look like that of chickens but theirs are bigger. Unlike other kinds or chickens that incubate their eggs, crocodiles and alligators don’t. They just expose their eggs to the sunlight. Soon, the baby alligator will peck out. Mother alligators usually stay for about a year with their offspring before they let them go. However, from the time the baby alligator is hatched, it can find its own food.

T. SHULAMITE

4a5 HERBIE JONES AND HAMBURGER HEAD

CHARACTERS:

Herbie= a boy in the 4th grade who desperately likes to have a dog despite of his dad’s refusal
Ray= Herbie’s best friend who has sense of humor; he has a dog named Dr. Shadow
Mr. And Mrs. Jones= Herbie’s parents
Olivia= Herbie’s sister who dreamed to marry a man who’s rich like Mr. Lo Preato
Annabelle= Herbie’s classmate who has a cat named Sukey; she’s bossy with the kids during the wag sale
Margie= Annabelle’s friend; her cat’s name is Tiger
Lo Preato= the President of the bank
Joe Barona=the robber


Mr. Jones, Herbie’s father never liked dogs in the house. Herbie felt very unlucky for not having one. His best friend, Ray, has a dog named Dr. Shadow. One day, in Herbie’s house, Ray told Herbie that his dog can give financial advice. To prove, he asked how much money Herbie has. He had 568 pennies. The dog would bark to things that Herbie should spend his money on. When asked that he should spend it with cheeseburgers, the dog barked. Ray also said that his dog can spot thieves and murderers. Just then, Annabelle and Margie were walking down the street. The dog started to growl. When the two boys looked up, they saw the two girls. They both laughed. The girls were going to the pet show with their cats. Herbie couldn’t go since he doesn’t have one. He wanted to spy the kids in the pet show instead. They climbed the tallest branch while Dr. Shadow guarded Herbie’s money on the grass. After the two boys enjoyed watching Annabelle and her pet, they went down. They dropped off Shadow to Ray’s house and proceeded to the Burger Paradise. They ordered cheeseburgers, fries and sodas amounting to four hundred fifty seven cents. Herbie set his baseball bank on the counter and started counting his pennies. The manager saw this and told him to change his pennies for bills in the bank. Just then a party of 1st –graders came into the restaurant. Ray got an idea. They’re going to party with them and have free burgers and drinks, though not invited. When John and Philip, their classmates on the 4th grade saw them, they hurriedly left the restaurant.
It was already 3:00pm and the bank wasn’t closed yet. As they strolled down Main Street, they noticed an old car parked in front of the bank. Herbie saw a dog inside the car. The dog’s head is bloody. He went near the dog and gave him hamburger that it gulped down. Then it turned. Herbie enjoyed playing tricks with it. Suddenly, the dog spotted someone inside the bank and ran through the door. Herbie quickly followed it. There was a man disguised as a woman. Suddenly, the dog knocked the water pistol out of the lady’s hand. The boys looked and the bank teller shouted bank robbery. Then Herbie threw his baseball bank up in the air and so his pennies were scattered around. The lady tried to escape but got slipped on the pennies and slid across the floor. The lady’s wig came off and the stack of bills she had stashed in her pocket were scattered. Police were able to apprehend him in time. It was Joe Barona from Wyoming who’s wanted for robbery. The dog barked when the police dragged him away. A news reporter came running into the bank with a camera. The writer wrote that the dog and Herbie are heroes. They thought the dog was Herbie’s but it was the robber’s. Herbie named the dog Hamburger Head because its bloody head looks like patties. Herbie’s pennies were changed for bills. The bank’s President, Lo Preato was very grateful for saving the bank a lot of money.
Now, Herbie wanted to keep the dog or at least find him a home if his father wouldn’t allow him to have it. First, they need to treat the dog’s head that was terribly infected by fleas. Herbie and Ray met Annabelle and Margie. They are going to raise fund for Hamburger Head‘s treatment by selling used stuffs. They were able to raise $40.60. Then Herbie went home with the dog. He was all in the news and the family was very proud. Herbie’s father even fed the dog with spaghetti and they watched The Yankees together. Herbie was hopeful his dad would love the dog. Then they took Hamburger Head to the vet for treatment. When they went home, his dad asked the dog’s condition. Mr. Jones and the dog continued watching The Yankees together. While watching, Mr. Jones dozed off. At that time, the dog pooed. When Herbie’s dad woke up, he stepped on it and was furious. He wanted the dog out. Just then, the phone rang. It was Lo Preato, the president of the bank, inviting the whole family for dinner in an Italian restaurant. Mr. Jones then said that they will have one more night with the dog then send it away. Herbie was still hopeful that this dinner will change his dad’s mind. So, the family prepared and dressed well for the dinner. The limousine fetched them at their house. Everyone was excited and so is Ray who can speak Italian. The President of the bank gave Herbie five -hundred –dollar bond as a token of appreciation while his best friend Ray was given a hundred dollar bond savings.” They had delicious Italian meal in a magnificent restaurant. It was an evening they will never forget.
That night when they went home, Herbie ran to the dog’s house. But he can’t see the dog. Then he went inside shouting that they don’t care about his dog. But when his dad spoke, he saw his dog sitting at his dad’s feet. He was eating spaghetti. His dad decided that he can have the dog at home. It was also hard for him to let go of Hamburger Head. At that moment, Herbie hugged his dad tightly. He was very happy. In the end, Herbie invited Ray and Dr. Shadow, Annabelle and Sukey, Margie and Tiger for a pet party. They sang happily.
Herbie's reward, for tripping a robber and foiling the crime is the robber's dog, Hamburger Head. That’s the best part of it all.

By: T. Regina

2C4 GEORGE AND MARTHA

The story is about two great friends, Martha and George. At first, George was not honest to Martha because it's hard to tell Martha about the split pea soup. George hated the soup but Martha was fond of making the soup. Martha did not know that until she discovered it by herself.
MArtha and George were always together and they always have fun. They take care of each other. They are also truthful with one another.

3B2 HOW MANY DAYS TO AMERICA?

One family lived in a nice village until the night the soldiers came.After that, their father said that they have to leave their home and bring nothing else but a change of clothes and money. They were going to America. They left when it was still dark. They went to the wharf and they rode on a small boat. When they were al little off the shore, the engine stopped and they had to use their sail. On the way, a small boat came near. They were happy but then they realized that they were thieves. They took whatever was left. They caught fish at day and when it rained, they caught water on the buckets. Later, they saw land. The father and some other men swam to the shore to ask for help. But there were soldiers with rifles that were hiding behind rocks. A day later, they finally reached America. The people welcomed them. They arrived on a special day because it was Thanksgiving day on that day. The family will stay there.
T. Jamie

4B7 THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE

CHARACTERS:
Keith Matt
Ralph Mr. and Mrs. Gridley

The story talks about the young mouse named Ralph. He lives in a small hole in Room 215 of the Mountain View Inn. One day, a boy named Keith and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Gridley came and decided to stay for a few days. Ralph was just watching the boy from his hole. Eventually, when the boy went out, he left his toy cars and toy motorcycle on a desk. Ralph ventured outside to take a look at it. He tried to ride the motorcycle but accidentally, he fell along with the motorcycle in a trash bin. Keith went back and discovered that his motorcycle is missing. He looked for it and later found it in a trash bin with Ralph. He can communicate with Ralph and he let Ralph ride it at night provided the motorcycle is for his during the day. But one day, in a haste to avoid the vacuum cleaner, he got trapped again in a heap of linens along with the motorcycle. Ralph has found a way to escape but not with the motorcycle. He became sad and Keith seems to think that he is too young to be trusted with the motorcycle. He has to find a way to prove that he can be trusted.
Later, Keith got sick and no matter where they go, they can’t find an aspirin. Ralph decided to master his courage and wits to find an aspirin and save Keith. He eventually was able to find one but not after a lot of risky adventure. But it pays all because he was able to prove to Keith that he can be trusted. Keith wanted to bring Ralph with him back home where he has a cage for him to live but Ralph refused knowing that he could not leave his family behind and that he could not ever live in a cage. He wanted freedom. Eventually, Ruth considered his plight and he offered him a gift, Keith’s priced motorcycle. Ralph was so happy.
Of course, this is just a mere story because it’s not possible for a mouse to talk to human though the story is vey interesting and is a lot of fun.
T. Shulamite

FLUFFY’S FUNNY FIELD TRIP

The class of Ms. Day is going for a field trip. They have a pet named Fluffy in their classroom. Everybody is rushing to the bus that they almost forgot to give lunch for Fluffy. However, Fluffy smelled something yummy. Beside him was Ms. Day’s purse. It went inside and he saw money, keys and apple.
Everyone is having their snack and Ms. Day looked for her apple on her purse. She saw Fluffy inside her purse and he took a bite on her apple. Ms. Day gave Fluffy to Emma together with the apple.
After snack time, everyone went inside the planetarium and the show begins. Everyone enjoys looking at the stars and constellation. Later on Fluffy fell asleep. Fluffy learned something about stars and constellation. In his sleep, he dreamt that he is also sharing it to the guinea pigs.

T. Barbara

2C103 CHOMP

It is all about sharks. Sharks are fish. Sharks are described as great hunters; they are always hunting for something to eat. They have sensitive senses which are important to them when hunting for food. Most sharks hunt for fish and seals. Sharks are also known to be powerful swimmers. They swim day and night. They also have hundreds of teeth that are fit for what they eat. Sharks lay eggs and grow for nearly a year. Pups grow inside the egg case and when it hatches, pups swims out and takes care of themselves. There are many different characteristics of sharks and they spread all over the oceans.

T. Barbara

4B3 THE HUNDRED DRESSES

The story tells about a girl named Wanda Petronski. Wanda is a quiet little girl and wears the same blue dress everyday to school and the same shabby shoes unlike Peggy, a very popular student in school, who seemed to have a lot of dresses. Peggie has another friend named Maddie. Peggie’s mom would hand down Peggie’s clothes to Maddie and Maddie’s mom would painstakingly renovate the dress so the students in room 13 will not be able to identify that the dress is originally Peggy’s. The two of them would regularly ask Wanda how many dresses she got and the girl would always say she got 100 dresses all lined up in her closet. Of course, nobody believes that since they see same dress worn everyday by Wanda, shabby but clean.
One day, there was a contest in school. The children were encouraged to submit their own drawings of dresses. On the day of the announcement of winners, Peggy was there all along with her friend Maddie, confident that she’s going to win it. But they were surprised to see that Wanda was the winner. All her 100 drawings of dresses were all lined up on the wall of Room 13. After that, the teacher had another announcement. Wanda’s father had sent a letter. The letter states they have all gone to the big city and that his children, Wanda and Jake will not be able to attend school anymore. Maddie was guilt –stricken. Although, she didn’t totally agree with Peggy’s act of making fun with Wanda, she had never stood up for her.
After the class, the two decided to go and visit Wanda’s house but when they came there, it was empty.
Months passed by and one day, the teacher received a letter from Wanda stating she has now new 100 dresses all lined up in her closet. And that she also gives the two drawings of dresses to Maddie and Peggy. The green one is for Peggy and the blue one is for Maddie. When the two arrived at home, Maddie noticed the girls wearing the blue and green dresses in the picture were actually Maddie and Peggy. They realized that Wanda had really liked them from the very beginning.

T. Shulamite