Grade 5
Memoir, NarrativeWritingAna lives in Washington, DC, and she lives with her mom, brother, cousin, and aunt. She likes doing realistic things, and she likes to cook for her brother and cousin. She also has a sister who is three years old. Her favorite sport is cheer – she likes that it’s all about her.
Once upon a time, I was at my school waiting for my mom to come pick me up. My mom came, and she took me and my brother, Zayn, to our house.
When we opened the door, I told Zayn, “Why don’t we do a race from the door up to the refrigerator?” Zayn won and, when he opened the fridge, Zayn and I were upset because there was no food in the refrigerator.
When my mom saw the fridge, she said, “Okay, there’s no food. Let’s go to Olive Garden. But first fix your room because your room is dirty.”
We cleaned our room and, when we were done, my mom said, “Okay, if you’re done, go change so we can go to Olive Garden.”
We changed. My mom said, “Come on. Let’s go, because Olive Garden is almost an hour from here. Come on, hurry up.”
We went outside, got in the car, and left. When we left, we were starving.
My mom said, “OMG,” because the car was throwing smoke, then it stopped. We were stuck for almost an hour. My mom got out of the car.
She said, “So now how are we going to get to Olive Garden? All of us are starving right now.” The reason that the car was throwing smoke was because a wire ripped.
She said, “Ooh, I have a wonderful idea! Come on, guys, look for something to fix the wire that ripped.”
Zayn and I went to find a thing to cover the rip. My mom asked us, “Did you find anything yet?”
Zayn said, “Yes, I did.”
My mom told him to give it to her so she could cover the wire and we could go to the mechanic. She put it on and it worked, so we went.
When we got there, my mom gave our car to the mechanic. Twenty minutes later, he gave our car back, and we gave him the money.
Mom started driving and my brother started to sing. I told him to stop singing, and he didn’t, so he started fighting with me.
My mom said, “Stop fighting.”
Zayn was like, “It was Ruthie that started it.”
But I was like, “Mom, he is lying. Of course it wasn’t me.”
She said, “Stop it, or you guys are going to get bad consequences. Now, can you be quiet. Please, be quiet, guys.” Then she said, “We are going to pick up your cousin, okay?”
A big storm came up, and it was raining hard. My mom said, “Did you bring an umbrella so we can get out and get your cousin?
When we got to my cousin’s house, we called him to come outside so we could go to Olive Garden. When he came out, I was like, “Thank god my cousin is here because now my brother can stop bothering me. He never stops bothering me.”
We got to Olive Garden and parked the car, then we went inside. We waited until they gave us a table; we waited a long time. Then they called us, so we went to the table. When a server asked us what we wanted to order, we told him.
He said, “The food is coming up in just twenty minutes.”
We waited, and I was playing on my phone for those twenty minutes until the food came. It was fun until my phone died, and I was so angry.
The food came, and I was happy because I was starving. We ate. When we were done, we paid for our food. We left our cousin at his house, then we went home.
Mom told us, “When we get home you have to brush your teeth and then go to bed, because it is already midnight. Tomorrow is a school day.”
When it was seven-thirty we woke up and got dressed, and then we went to school.
When I went inside, we did morning meeting, and Ms. T asked me what we did on Sunday. I told her what happened when we went to Olive Garden, and she was so surprised. I was nervous to say it because it was a long way to Olive Garden.
Ms. T said, “How did you feel?”
When we were going to specials I was running, and I broke the rules of the school. I told the teacher, “I’m sorry, Ms. T.”
I felt ashamed of myself, so I told Ms. T, “I will never do it again.”
It’s just that I still can’t forget the bad day I had yesterday. I’m having a lot of trouble listening to the rules, and I just realized that I have to take a deep breath in to calm myself down.
The End!
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A girl goes against her parents' wishes and signs up for cooking school. An FBI agent tries to win back her partner who has gone rogue. A plot to overthrow the president kicks off—but after a stop at a McDonald's in the jungle first. In these stories, fifth graders at Bruce Monroe @ Park View Elementary have created vivid pieces of realistic fiction that weave together elements of real life experience and imagination. The results are stories of Dostoyevskian uncanniness, heartwarming friendships, O'Henry-style plot twists, and tragedy that range from the melancholy and heavy-hearted to the laugh out loud hilarious. This dynamic collection also features illustrations by Santiago Casares, winner of the 2006 Children's Book Story FILIJ Award. Designed by Oliver Munday. An 826DC Young Authors' Book Project.
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A student describes their butter covered imaginary friend.
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A student reflects on their love of soccer.
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An ode to Beans, Rice, and Chicken.
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A monster's routine trip for tuna sandwich ingredients results in a broken arm!
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by Ximena Torres, Age 9, 826 Valencia
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by Winta, 826DC
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by Maia Sears, 826michigan
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An "I Am From" superhero persona poem.
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by K.M., 826DC
In this piece, a student describes the challenges of being a superhero and reflects on their power to shine.
Ms. Lowe’s Fourth Grade Class at Roberto Clemente Learning Academy in Detroit, Michigan
An example of a "Neighborhood Poem" created as a class as part of 826Michigan's Rare Air/Aire Raro Young Authors' Book Project.
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This student recounts a fictional chat with George Washington about the American Revolution over a meal.
by Uma, 826NYC
A witty set of foolproof pickup lines.
by Robert, 826CHI
A collection of haikus spanning books and cosmology.
by Marisa, 826michigan
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by Ehmely, 826CHI
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by Sumaya, 826 MSP
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by Noel, 826 Valencia
The creation story of a new school, reimagined to improve learning. (Paid for by Taylor Swift with free water bottles, an Italian restaurant, a movie theater, and a comfortable and safe environment.)
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An elegy for corn.
by Erriyanna, 826michigan
An epic poem about a younger sister. English and Spanish versions included.
by Charm R., Grade 5, 826 New Orleans
This poem tells the story of a courageous little bird.
by Kevin J. Ortiz, 826DC
A personal narrative about a trip to Ocean City, a lonely puppy, and sharing our fears with others.
Nur Schlenker, Age 10, 826 Valencia
A student paints two images, one of Halloween night, and the second of home.
by Kevin, 826LA
A letter from the author to the author on appreciating both the unconventional and conventional parts of oneself.
by Salimatou, 826NYC
Together, a princess with superpowers and an orphan-turned-sidekick must save the king and queen of kingdom Atarica!
by Jeffrey, 826DC
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Roberto Misael Aguilera, Age 9, 826 Valencia
Discover the fearful T-Rex Koala--koala by day, monster by night!
by Charlie, 826michigan
A very scientific retelling of why dinosaurs went extinct.
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by Levi, 826NYC
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by Brayan Luna, 826michigan
In this poem, a student vividly recounts watching The Undertaker perform a signature chokeslam on WrestleMania. Written in Spanish and English.
by Victor, 826 Valencia
This student gives thanks to ordinary objects in an ode.
by Natalie, 826 Valencia
A recipe for how to create a legendary rapper.
by Daphne, 826 Valencia
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by Caira N., Grade 5, 826NYC
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The story of a lifetime—literally.
by Lina, 826 Valencia
A mischievous recipe calling for 3 tablespoons of candy, 10 gallons of not laughing, and 100 gallons of mother.
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A "sense"-sational poem about the flowers in their yard.
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A young girl's poem about all the life she sees in her yard. English and Spanish versions included.
by Benny, 826 Boston
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by Simone, 826michigan
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by Madison, 826 New Orleans
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by Lux, 826NYC
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by Talia, 826NYC
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by Javier, 826DC
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by Felix E., 826 Valencia
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by Mohamed F., 826 MSP
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by Natalie, 826CHI
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Perla Ortega, Age 9, 826 Valencia
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by Angel Flores Vazquez, 826 Valencia
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by Jalen, 826NYC
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by Keila S.O., 826michigan
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by Claire, 826CHI
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by Marie, 826CHI
A monkey named Chesley saves the animals of the forest from an evil Master!
by Keila, 826michigan
An "I A From" poem. English and Spanish versions included.
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by Jack, Grade 5, 826 New Orleans
In this transcript, a student shares three clear actions to stand up to bullies.
by Kelis, 826NYC
On the planet Mars, Zoe must defeat the supervillain Zygorn to avenge her family! Wait—was it all a dream?
by Zari P., Grade 4, 826DC
A playful "I am" poem that explores what's possible.
by Zaid Rodriguez, 826 Valencia
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This poem describes a warmer, tastier world run by young people.
by Natalia, 826CHI
A story told by her grandfather leads Betty on a journey where fiction and reality collide.
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