Spy School by Stuart Gibbs 

NYC- Benjamin Ripley was attacked when he was going to school. Benjamin frantically dashed for the door to the school while Alexander Hale covered him. When he got inside the school he found a companion and made a discovery. His discovery was the school was under attack by 41 heavily armed people! He should’ve kept up his guard up because he was attack by a masked person.

That person was actually his companion. Her name was Erica. She asked Ben if knew how to handle a gun and he said, “I can handle my cousin’s BB gun well.” Erica sighed heavily and gave Benjamin a taser and taught him how to use it. Ben said, “How am I supposed to defend myself with a taser?” She responded only with “Welcome to Spy School.”

They snuck up the staircase but while they were in the middle of walking up the stairs, a black shadow emerged from the dark gloominess. Erica blocked off the shadow and she told Ben to go to the principal’s office and he said he would.

Another shadow emerged. Ben picked up a book and instantly calculated what angle he had to throw the book and hit the shadow in the head and continued to run to the office. He ran up the stairs into the office and locked the door.

As soon as he locked the door, six more shadows came with flashlights. He fried the computer with his taser and turned the lights out. Ben prepared to surrender to the attackers but accidentally bumped the door and made it unlock and all flashlights turned towards the sound he made. The lights turned on and the attackers knocked down the door. Ben curled up into a little ball.

At the end of the day it was only a survival test to see if he was qualified to be a spy. “I was so nervous that I would get kidnapped!” Benjamin Ripley said. Erica Hale was actually one of the principals of the test! She was not afraid of the 41 heavily armed people, even if it had been a real life situation.          

My name is Lily. I’m a skater. My favorite books are magical fiction. My favorite books are A Snicker of Magic and How To Train A Dragon. Come back to see more!

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception by Wendelin Van Draanen

KANSAS-Local girl Sammy Keyes tackled a bandit at the Vault art gallery in Santa Martina, Kansas on December Third, 2016.

All Sammy Keyes meant to do on December Third was to go to an art gallery for a “stupid” (as she says) junior high art paper, and she ended up taking down a bandit. Keyes had a paper due for her art teacher “Miss” Kuskowski. The assignment was to feel art. Experience it. Define it. But the only thing Keyes felt was the clothing of a bandit.

She went to the Vault with her grandmother Rita Keyes, and their friend and neighbor Hudson Graham. That night the Vault featured work from Tess Winters, Austin Zuni and Diane Reijden. Winters features in her abstract paintings, Reijden in her landscapes, still lifes and wooden sculptures. Zuni features in his paintings of the American Southwest and Native Americans. The bandit was carrying a squirt gun, though none of the people attending the gallery knew that. The bandit came in and told them to “FREEZE!” Then he tore some of the Reijden paintings off of her wall.

Keyes noticed a dark spot on the bandit’s coat. “I began to wonder, what if that was a drip of water? I had to find out for myself.” Keyes tackled the bandit. He snapped her tongue between her teeth, so all she could say was, “Its sus a swurcun!”

Keyes got on top of the bandit, who was wearing a nylon jacket and sneakers. She got the paintings and put them back on the Reijden wall.

Kuskowski was also at the Vault that night. Kuskowski said in an interview, “I was so proud of Sammy. I bragged to everyone that she was my student.”

Wonder by  P. J. Palacio

New York State – Breaking news. August Pullman and Jack Will went into the woods. They ran into 11th grade bullies. The bullies make fun of August Pullman. Then they get into a giant fistfight when Amos, Henry and Miles come along. August, Jack, Amos, Henry and Miles escape.

 It all happened when the school that August goes to traveled to a farm. On the last day the class went to watch a movie. They watched “The Sound Of Music.” Jack needed to go to the bathroom, but there was a very long line at the bathroom. Jack said they should go in the woods. “I don’t think we should go into the woods, we should wait,” said August. So August DIDN’T want to go into the woods. It was Jack’s idea to go into the woods. After they decided to go into the woods they met Amos, Henry and Miles. They all ran into some bullies. We have proof of what they said, “It’s Golem. Where did he come from. It talks too.” “Then it got ugly.”Henry explained later in his interview.

Amos jumped on the leader of the bullies and they were in a fistfight. Henry picked up August and ran. Miles called for them to run. August was really confused and he could not see. August lost his hearing aids in the process. We reporters went back to the farm and found his hearing aids. They were all destroyed and broken so nobody wants them anymore.

Amos, Henry and Miles were very nice to August after the incident.  They supported each other and were friends. Before Amos, Henry and Miles were just like some of the other bystanders to August. They clapped when August got his big award. They all treat each other like they are in the same gang.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Chicago- Raina Telgemeier raced her best friends to her house porch when she is 13. She slipped and fell and knocked her two front teeth out, this causes her to have endless braces, headgear, retainers, fake teeth, mouth surgeries and much more.

Raina loves going to Girl Scouts with her friends. They came up with all sorts of cool things to draw and paint. Sometimes the group of friends makes photo albums and that kind of stuff. Usually, one of the parents will drive all the girls home and drop them off one by one.

One late night, one of the girls’ mom decides to drop Raina off first. The girls scouts want to walk her to her porch when one of the girls Shouts, “RACE YOU GUYS!” The girl scouts race each other to Raina’s porch. Raina was on a roll, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Then she aimed for her friends back, Raina’s plan was to make her friend slow down a bit so she would be in the lead, instead it made her fall. “Missed Me!” Shouted Raina’s friend as Raina fell down, down, down.

“Are you OK?” asked Raina’s best friend. The Mother raced out of her car and went to check on Raina. She screamed when she saw Raina’s mouth with two teeth missing! “GET HER MOM QUICK!” the rest of the girls rushed over to Raina’s mother who was inside their house.
The mom came out so quick she almost tripped herself. She called the dentist as fast as possible. Raina gets rushed to the dentist’s office. She then goes home after the crazy night feeling dizzy. She wonders if this is all a dream. Maybe it was?

Moone Boy Blunder Years by Chris O’dowd and Nick V. Murphy

MARTIN MOONES HOUSE-CustServRep263 (aka Sean) stood there in the closet asking questions to the well known–well actually not well known Martin Moone. “You can come out of my closet you know,” said Martin. “Thank god,” said Sean. In an interview with Sean he said, “Martin looked like a pretty dopey but nice kid when I met him but I never expected for him to be my realsie (owner), nevermind that I never expected to be an I.F (Imaginary Friend)”

Sean is actually a customer service representative but he came to Martin’s house to see why he dug up his catalogue (which was because he wanted a new I.F.) Then Martin started asking for imaginary advice and hey became friends.

The tall bearded man was just there to ask questions not to get into Martins imaginary life. Yet he did and ended up being Martins I.F.

How could this have happened? The customer service dude and the crazy kid with a need for a man in the house become best friends!? Huh, bet you didn’t see that coming eh.

Hi my name is Beckett. I’m in fourth grade.  Some books I like are Wonder, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Book of Ember, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Thanks for reading!

Hi, my name is Milla. I like to read fantasy and fun fiction books. I like the books Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Diary of the Wimpy Kid.

Hi, my name is Mia. My favorite book is Outside It’s War,Little House On The Prairie and the series of unfortunate events.  Have fun reading.

Hi, My name is Harlan and I am a fourth grade student from LREI. I like gymnastics and ice skating. Some of my favorite books are Wonder,Roller Girl, Because of Winn-Dixie, and Ghosts.