My Favorite Place to Go Do you have a favorite place to go—a place with family, good weather, and fun things to do like crabbing? I’m glad I do. New Jersey is my favorite place for many reasons. The first reason is my family. Over half of my family lives in New Jersey. When I visit, my cousins and I laugh and play all day and night. My uncles and aunts take me to the boardwalk where we ride roller coasters. We devour juicy caramel-covered apples and foot-long hot dogs. My family is fun to be with. The second reason for New Jersey being my favorite place is the weather.

Shadow Fort I have a place I love to go. It’s a fort, or a clubhouse, where I can go with friends. We can hang out there, plan neat stuff, eat, and rest. Shadow Fort is my favorite place for lots of reasons. First of all, there’s plenty of room for a few kids. It’s large (gargantuan to me). The fort is 3 ft. 8 in. high, 5 ft. 3 in. long, and 3 ft. 6 in. wide. There’s a place in back (we call it the pantry) for crackers, grapefruit, avacadoes, potatoes, carrots, berries, and Spanish moss. The roof is made of 4-ft.

Adopting a Pet from the Pound Owning a pet from the pound or Animal Rescue League has many advantages. First of all, a child feels good about rescuing an abandoned or abused animal and giving it a whole new life. Besides, if the animals from the pound aren’t adopted right away, they might be put to sleep. Having a pet also means lots of responsibilities. A child has to feed, clean up after, brush, and exercise the pet. Another great advantage of having a pet from the pound is the price of these cute and cuddly animals.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, I’m writing to you about the Teacher-Who-Made-a-Difference contest. Ms. Wells made a difference to me! I think she should be the winner of your contest. Ms. Wells has done so much for me and for all of her students; this is the least I can do for her. First of all, Ms. Wells is helpful. She’s willing to help anyone in the classroom who needs help. My teacher always helps us with worksheets. On Friday, she showed me how to do something in math. If you ask her for help, she’ll help you. In addition, Ms. Wells is a kind person.

A Story of Survival “Brian Robeson was stopped and stricken with a white flash of horror, a terror so intense that his breathing, his thinking, and his heart had nearly stopped.” This quote from the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen shows why this book was too good to put down. Brian Robeson, an eleven-year-old boy, left his home in New York to go to Canada to see his father. He was on a plane (a two-person plane) in the middle of the Canadian forest when the pilot had a heart attack. Brian was stranded in the air with no real knowledge of how to fly a plane.

The Terror of Kansas It was 1:00 a.m. on a warm spring Wednesday, and it was storming outside. Casey was sleeping in her bed when she was awakened by a loud blast. It was the tornado siren. Just then her parents rushed in and said, “Grab your pillow and one thing you want to save!” She decided to grab her dog, who was sleeping in her room. Most of her other things she could replace, but she couldn’t replace a living thing. Then she heard a loud crash and ran downstairs with the trembling dog in her arms. When they were all downstairs, they started listening to the weather radio.

Chloe’s Day The first thing I do when I wake up is lick myself with my pink, scratchy tongue. Then I get up and stretch. First I stretch my front legs, then I stretch my back legs. Next, I go wake up Erin’s mom by scratching on her door. Sometimes she sprays me with a squirt bottle filled with water to stop me, but mostly she gives me my favorite smelly salmon cat food with medicine in it. Then I sleep until lunch. When I wake up again, my stomach is growling, so I meow for more food. Usually Erin’s mom gives me more, but sometimes she tells me to go eat my hard, dry cat food.

The Haunted House Have you ever been trick-or-treating when you came upon an old house and wanted to explore it? Well, I’ll tell you a story about five kids, Jake, Zach, John, Bob, and Sean, who did it. They were trick-or-treating in their neighborhood, going door-to-door, when they came upon an old house. “Let's go in,” Sean said. Everybody said they would. They started up the walk. The grass was overgrown, and there were a couple of broken windows. They got to the door, and it opened by itself. They went inside. They had flashlights with them, so they turned them on.

Height-Challenged German Shepherd Have you ever seen a dog with big ears and short legs? Was it so irresistibly cute you just wanted to take it home? Chances are, you were looking at a Pembroke Welsh corgi. Let me introduce you to a dog of very high intelligence. Since Welsh corgis are so intelligent, they are easy to train. One of the jobs they are good at is herding sheep and cattle. Welsh corgis are also very loyal companions for people of all ages. The Welsh corgi’s small size means it doesn’t take up much room as a pet.

Deer Don’t Need to Flee to Stay Trouble-Free! Have you ever been in trouble and wanted to get away? The white-tailed deer can swim, run, hide, and fight to stay out of trouble. If you want to know how they do it, read on. In early April, fawns (baby deer) are born. After a few weeks, the doe (the mother deer) leaves her fawns to find food. The doe leaves her fawns in a bushy place. The trees and grass can help keep the fawns from being seen by hungry predators.