It’s Halloween in Nightshade, North Carolina, and this year for Show and Tell the kid everyone calls “Froggy” has a surprise in store for his classmates. It’s a homemade doll he calls “Kid Pumpkin,” but there’s nothing sweet or innocent about this toy. It’s out for blood, and it knows just who it wants…This 1,944-word middle grade short story is 11 pages long.Evangeline Miller's dreams have pulled into a fantasy world. Will she find the meaning? And who is the mysterious falcon-keeper? A short story of 2000 words. Views: 774
Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock -- the family of tiny Borrowers -- think they have at last found an ideal home. They've moved into a house in a miniature village built as a hobby by a retired railroad man. The village is the perfect size for the Borrowers, and after the hardships they've faced, the Clocks gratefully settle into the luxury of having a "proper" house. The easy life makes them careless.
Or, rather, it makes Arrietty careless. She befriends a "human bean," and the next thing Arrietty knows, she and her family have been kidnapped. Their captors are a greedy married couple, called the Platters, who have big plans for the little people. They have created their own miniature village in a glass case and plan to imprison the Borrowers within -- like animals in a zoo -- for the rest of their lives. Views: 773
Burlington Bear (Burly to his friends) and Grum the Groblin go trick or treating for the very first time. Not only do they collect lots of candy they make friends with a fairy and come across a chilled out creature of the night!Write On Press Presents an incredible collection of original short fiction including 9 of the best new and original short stories of 2014! We put together a collection of work by some of the hottest new authors of fiction, fantasy, sci-fi and romance. With well over 125,000 words of quality short stories, there is sure to be something for every taste. Enjoy the works of J. J. Haile, Assad Deshay, Damien Butler, and many others!Fiction:J. Grayson, Talent ScoutLetting GoBoat House~*~Fantasy:A Satur'morn AdventureEndings & Beginnings~*~Science Fiction:Roadside AttractionThe Mad DashThe Conspiracy of Things~*~Romance:Jesse's List Views: 773
Arthur (Art) Mumby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father Revd Marmaduke Mumby in the huge and rambling house, Larklight, travelling through space on a remote orbit far beyond the moon. One ordinary sort of morning they receive a correspondence informing them that a gentleman is on his way to visit, a Mr Webster. Visitors to Larklight are rare if not unique, and a frenzy of preparation ensues. But it is the wrong sort of preparation, as they discover when their guest arrives, and a Dreadful and Terrifying (and marvellous) adventure begins. It takes them to the furthest reaches of known space, where they must battle the evil First Ones in a desperate attempt to save each other—and the universe. Views: 773
Poor Mary Anne! Being a good listener has really put her in a bind. Mallory has shared her worries, hopes, and even her final decision about boarding school with Mary Anne, rather than Jessi. Now Jessi's furious with Mal, and Mal's angry that Jessi doesn't understand. Mary Anne is caught right in the middle. Can she help smooth things out ... or is this the end of Mallory and Jessi's best friendship? Views: 772
Alex Baker has been waiting for Rafe Sanchez to ask her out ever since she started working at Holly Day’s Diner, where Rafe plays guitar five nights a week. But when he finally invites her to spend Christmas Eve with her, a nursing home is not what she had in mind. But Christmas is a time for surprises, and such is the case with Rafe… and his mysterious holiday date!Sometimes, it's very difficult to draw the thin line between what is right and what is wrong. A case at hand is the one provided in this heart aching short story... how is this wrong? Is something wrong because there are circumstances that made it so or is it wrong because there is a universal judge? These questions and others are humorous implied in this short story. Michael is perhaps crazy enough to put all of us in a place where we are the ones to answer the question for him. Views: 772
Nothing was more fascinating to Native Americans than the big Newfoundland dog named Seaman accompanying the Lewis and Clark Expedition. When he disappears, his master, Captain Lewis, immediately fears that their fascination has turned into something much more serious.The Uninvited is a short story taken from a paperback collection of short stories, entitled, “The Little Book of Dark Tales”, which is available from my website at www.wrarmstrong.com. When Tim and Helen Christopher move into their dream home with their young son, Adam, they are visited upon by an elderly woman, who refuses to leave them alone. Adam especially, is targeted. Gradually, Tim and Helen are forced to conclude that their unwanted visitor requires something from them. But what? Could it be their son, or is it something more? Views: 771
Nancy and her friends are faced with another chilling mystery in this twelfth book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to the classic mystery series.
When Bess asks Nancy and George to be counselors at her old camp, they’re a little wary. After all, running around after a bunch of little kids doesn’t exactly sound like fun! But Bess promises that the girls will get to enjoy nature, relax by the lake, and play some sports. Plus, it will give Nancy a much-needed break from solving mysteries.
But trouble always finds Nancy Drew! After hearing the disturbing tale about a camper who had drowned in the lake years ago, Nancy dismisses it as a ghost story. But then something pulls her under water during a swim lesson—something eerily human, with long, silvery hair. And the next night her entire cabin's sleeping bags disappear—only to show up at the lake, soaked.
Now Nancy isn’t so sure if she believes in ghosts! All she knows is she has to do everything within her power to make sure her campers—and her friends—are safe. Which means she’d better get to the bottom of what’s happening at Camp Cedarbark. Views: 771
"Everything that had happened to Nina was real. She had real handcuffs on her wrists, real scars on her back, real fear flooding her mind.
"'They're going to kill me,' Nina whispered, and it was almost a relief to finally, finally give up hope."
In a society that allows no more than two children per family under penalty of death, third children are forced into hiding, or to live with false identity papers. In Among the Impostors, Nina Idi was arrested for treason for supposedly trying to trick the Population Police into arresting other students she said were illegal third children. Now she faces torture or death -- unless she agrees to betray three other imprisoned third children. Her dilemma intensifies when she meets the prisoners -- who are only ten, nine, and six.
As she did so brilliantly in the Publishers Weekly best-selling Among the Hidden and in Among the Impostors, Margaret Peterson Haddix once again brings readers to a world in which nothing is as it seems -- a world in which an imprisonment leads to an adventure of mind, body, and spirit. Views: 771
Imagine your misfortune if, like Stanley Yelnats, you found yourself the victim of a miscarriage of justice and interned in Camp Green Lake Correctional Institute. How would you survive? Thoughtfully Louis Sachar has learnt his knowledge and expertise to the subject and created this wonderful, quirky, and utterly essential guide to toughing it out in the Texan desert. Spiced with lots of information about the characters in "Holes", as well as lots of do's and don'ts for survival, this is an essential book for all those hundreds of thousands of "Holes'" fans. Views: 770
When Grandfather's friend Mrs. Winkles needs some extra workers at her candy factory, the Boxcar Children are thrilled to help. What could be more fun than spending their days making candy? But working in the factory isn't as sweet as they expected. Views: 770
In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town’s founder, Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.
But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant—perfect—through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. And Oscar’s built a business sabotaging his father’s scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before they’re turned. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks?
Then he meets Nia, the girl he can’t stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever. Keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure . . . and more. Views: 770
Philadelphia high school who doesn't care about the prom. It's pretty much the only good thing that happens there, and everyone plans to make the most of it--especially Ash's best friend, Natalia, who's the head of the committee and has prom stars in her eyes. Then the faculty advisor is busted for taking the prom money and Ash finds herself roped into putting together a gala dance. But she has plenty of help--from her large and loving (if exasperating!) family, from Nat's eccentric grandmother, from the principal, from her fellow classmates. And in making the prom happen, Ash learns some surprising things about making her life happen, too. Views: 769
Acclaimed storyteller and Newbery medalist, National Book Awardwinner, and Laura Ingalls Wilder award recipient Katherine Paterson breathes new life into this classic tale of action, adventure, and romance. Raised in the wilderness, Parzival knows nothing of his destiny as the Grail Knight--the one who is fated to seek the sacred vessel of hope and eternal life. To succeed in his quest, Parzival must struggle against countless obstacles. His triumphant story is one that will move readers to joy and despair, laughter and tears. Views: 769
The Aztec uprising in 1810 left young Juan Martez orphaned in a savage land. Like many native Aztecs, Juan was sentenced to hang by the Spanish. But his life is spared when a Spanish gunmaker learns of his skills with gunpowder and buys him to make munitions.
Keeping his Aztec heritage low key, Juan becomes the finest gunmaker in the colony--and the best shot. But both talents are kept secret--if the Spanish knew of his skills, he would surely be killed. Juan secretly works the Mexican underground, running guns and black powder to guerrilla forces fighting for independence. Along the way he falls in love with Maria Volza, a fiery revolutionary stirring up the masses, but she rejects him as fallen under the Spanish boot.
But Juan's destiny is to lead the Mexicans against Spanish rule, and when Maria discovers the life Juan has hidden so well, a battle is ignited and the revolution begins. Views: 769
