The Jumping Jungle by Juunah Kang and Sabreen Khanikar

In the tall trees

We see a poisonous frog

Don’t get stung by the bees

And don’t trip on a log

The colorful flower vines

Pop out from the rest

They send warning signs

To stay away from the nest

The farther you go

The wilder it gets

You won’t see any snow

It’s hard to see when the sun sets

Lions are a real threat

Snakes may slither on the ground

Monkeys jump as fast as a jet

And most bugs don’t make much sound

We leave The Jumping Jungle

So our visit is done

Our knowledge has grown

We couldn’t of had more fun!

My View On The Hunger Games by Juunah Kang

\I thought The Hunger Games was amazing!!!!! I think Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job explaining a complicated adventure and romance story. I had no idea what inspired her to right such an interesting action-packed series.

So I did some research and found out a significant influence is the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. I found out more cool facts on the website I looked at.

The first time I read The Hunger games, I couldn’t stop reading it to where I read Catching Fire, the second book in just a few days. I would beg my parents to stay up for just a little more and couldn’t all asleep at night because all I was thinking about was The Hunger Games. Then I watched the movies which were also stunning! I didn’t know which was better. Movie or book? So I read the book again. There are some parts where I liked the movie version better or vis versa, where I liked the book version better. I’m stilled tied.

The series was recommended by my mother when I had no other books to read because I had read them millions of times over. So when I found out about The Hunger Games, I was excited.

The books are like no other in my opinion. To imagine something so abstract, with so many things happening at such a rapid pace, and then put it into words, well I know I could never do it.

I think the author did a really good job with always putting things in the right place. The events never seemed out of order like some other books I’ve read. There was always a twist where you least expected it. When you thought something was going to happen you were completely wrong.

I really liked how she always kept you on your toes with the romance. You were always thinking would Katniss choose Peeta or Gale? It always went back and forth.

In my opinion Mockingjay was the best book in the series. The love story going back and forth. Wondering what she’d do in bed kept me up half of the night and I was always dreaming about The Hunger Games. No matter how quickly you read this series, it will be fresh in your memory for a long time.

I definitely recommend this book to readers 10 and up. It can be difficult to read, so it is easier to be a better reader than not.

I can say that on behalf of a lot of people, this is the best book series I have ever read.

A Review of Tui T. Sutherland's Ninth WINGS OF FIRE Novel, Talons of Power by Ahan Devgun

Talons of power is the ninth book of Tui T Sutherland’s wings of fire series. This book is about dragons, all from different kingdoms in the land of Pyrrhia, each dragon in the different kingdoms have special powers relating to their kingdom

IceWings have the ability to withstand sub-zero temperatures and bright light. Icewings can also use frostbreath. Frostbreath is the ability to exhale ice, cold winds and frost.

SkyWings have powerful fighting and flying skills, they can also breath fire.

RainWings have the ability to change the color of their scales for camouflage, they can also spit venom

NightWings can breath fire, they can also read people’s minds and predict the future.

MudWings can breath fire as well, but only if the temperature is hot enough, they can also hold their breath up to an hour. MudWings also have abnormal strength.

SandWings can survive a long time without water. SandWings can use their tails to poison people.

SeaWings can breathe underwater, see in the dark, and create huge waves with one splash of their powerful tails. They are excellent swimmers.

The plot of this book is that the NightWing Darkstalker (the enemy of the NightWing and IceWing kingdoms) plans to take over Pyrrhia, using his animus powers.

(An animus has the ability to enchant objects to to your bidding. For example you can enchant a seashell to give you eternal life.)

Darkstalker makes an enchantment for everyone who sees him to like him. Another shy SeaWing animus named Turtle is the only one who can stop Darkstalker, even though his heroic friends are put under Darkstalker’s spell.




I think this book was very well written. It had many cliffhangers and plot twists. It had so much detail that I could see it vividly in my head. Also, this book is very emotional, it also had a lot of references to the question in Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage, what is the meaning of bravery?

Pizza War by Ram Arora

You think when I roll out the dough.

A pizza is going to be made.

But really, our battlefield is going to be made.

Now put that in the oven… and take it out.

A nice, hard surface

Perfect for our battlefield.

Now spread the sauce, and sprinkle the cheese.

“Now this HAS to be a pizza!” You just might say.

But this, is just our soldiers getting ready for war.

Now when the pizza is the oven, you think: “ahh, almost done.

But it is not.

It is only the beginning of the war in the raging heat of the oven

Cheese vs Sauce

As the  battle continues, everyone gets stuck together and dies.

And when the pizza comes out of the oven.

One more enemy comes along and eats the whole pizza.

That Enemy is you!

Personal Essay by Arjun Taneja

It makes me to unhappy when I see a disrespectful person. I have firsthand experience because I witnessed a boy brutally insult another boy about his skin color. I feel strongly moved by how disrespectful this boy was to the other boy. Anyone else should have the same feelings as me because no one should want to see a fellow human being disrespected and hurt.

The story unfolds as so: A white 7th grader insults an Hispanic 7th grader calling him names such as “idiot” and telling him, “Trump will get you deported”.

You can make a difference, all you have to do is step in and make a stand when you see someone being bullied. For example, when I saw the poor kid being bullied I quickly stepped in and respectfully asked the bully to stop. You don’t want to stoop to their level and be physical because they might turn around and pretend that it was you bullying them, also it’s just not right to start pushing someone around right after you told them to stop bullying someone. That just makes you a hypocrite.

Tears are Tears by Mariam Kravchenko

A tear,

A rip,

A piercing through your heart.

A scar across your face,

A whisper of weakness.

A loss of control,

A forgotten power,

A claw through your mind.

A force of damage,

A force of destruction.

Tears are tears.

Smoke or not? by Ram Arora

So, to smoke or not. Well, as most people think, to not smoke, is with me. I’m sorry bad people,(or at least what I think) but smoking is bad and not healthy for you. Smoking can damage the lungs, make your teeth yellow, make your face all wrinkly, and much, much more!!! You can also get a heart attack our heart cancer! And nobody wants that, don’t they? I mean, you can even die!!! And THAT is bad for sure!

Here are some more things that smoking can do to your body: bad vision, less appetite, yellow fingers when holding cigarette, smelly hair, lung cancer, blood clotting, heart disease, and MORE!!! And so, I think that smoking is bad for you, and I think that you should agree with me because if smoking was gone, we all would have a good, healthy, life and all. Of course we would, right?

Now, here are some people who have gotten badly injured or have even died by smoking! One person is Bryan Curtis. He started smoking when he was 15 and never realized that 20 years later he would die. A few other people are Gracie Allen, Stephen E. Ambrose, and Louis Armstrong. As I said, many people have died because of smoking. So we should all stop smoking. Right?

Making A Difference by Kaylee Chen

Do you want to make the world a better place? Think making the world a better place isn’t nearly as hard as you think, even picking up a can from off the street could help or donating the tiniest amount of your allowance makes a big difference in the world and when you do it feels good. Like the time me and my family found a dog that was born with three legs and no one wanted her so we rescued her and that was helping a life.

Another time I rescued a baby squirrel that broke it’s leg from falling of a tree we fed it peanuts and water and we lucked out, while we were taking care of him, a women that worked in the wildlife shelter and care center was running and I guess she saw the squirrel and asked me about it I told her that it had fallen of a tree and broke its leg she nodded and took him away. See, little things make big differences and I bet you done something like this or maybe it didn’t have anything to do with animals maybe it was picking up trash as long as you fixed a thing that isn’t good or doesn’t seem right even the littlest things matter a lot.

The Old Rope Bridge by Collin Marshall and Nithya Atla

I could feel the river water,

Splashing on my face,

As I crossed the bridge,

At a breakneck pace.

The bridge creaked and groaned,

Complaining when I stepped,

And it tossed and turned,

When I lept.

The air across the ravine,

Was dank and musty,

Once traveled,

It was now dusty.

The Appeal Of Kitsch by Jacob Worwa

Have you ever watched a bad movie? More specifically, an awful movie? Maybe one that is considered so bad, it’s good? Many movies, such as Maximum Overdrive, Sharknado, many M. Night Shyamalan movies, many Ed Wood movies, the list goes on and on. These movies are bad, no doubt, but there is a certain appeal to them that many other bad movies don’t have. These movies, some say, are beyond criticism. One of the more famous ones is Jim Sharman’s Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick. This movie holds an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, but virtually anybody who sees it realizes how “kitschy” it is. This and other types of films are called cult films, where they have a large fanbase despite their obvious badness. So what makes these films so appealing? Let’s take a look:

“No wire hangers, ever!”

Recognize that quote? That’s from Mommie Dearest, a movie starring Faye Dunaway as the titular Joan Crawford, and her performance is hammier that a pork farm. Another recognizable line is “You are tearing me apart, Lisa!” from Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. The Room is recognized as a film made by a funny foreigner with a very inhuman grasp of the human language, starring the director. These starring roles are known for very “narmy” acting, and that makes part of the appeal of these movies.

“So,” you may ask yourself, “what makes movies like those of Adam Sandler’s so different from movies like Reefer Madness?” Well, there’s a huge difference. Movies like Adam Sandler’s Jack & Jill and Son Of The Mask are supposed to be comedies. Movies like Reefer Madness or Birdemic are supposed to be dramatic. If a comedy fails, it creates a reversed effect that makes the viewer not happy. If a drama movie fails, it creates a reversed effect where it makes the viewer happy that such a failure could be made.

So, in conclusion, not all bad movies are bad, per se. Movies, like Jupiter Ascending, The Wicker Man, and ones mentioned on this list carry a form of comedy that cannot be replicated. So I invite you to check out some for yourself.

Mark Twain noted of the unintentionally funny book by Jose de Fonseca and Pedro Carolino, The New Guide of the Conversation in Portuguese and English; “Its delicious unconscious ridiculousness, and its enchanting naivete, are supreme and unapproachable, in their way, as Shakespeare’s sublimities… Nobody can add to the absurdity of this, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect." That still applies today to these movies!

The Cats and the Rock Rat, and by Arthur Wei

Marit was playing in the garage of his owners house. “Yawn…” said Marit. “What can I do today?” His owner was getting into the vehicle. Just then, Weavile peeked into the house. “Hide!” Marit yowled. Weavile ran into the kitchen.

Marit’s owner walked into the room. “Don’t get into trouble.” She walked briskly into her car. Marit purred as she drove away. Then he ran into the kitchen.

“Is she gone?” asked Weavile.

“Yes, she is.” said Marit. “Come on! Let’s go chase some rats!" Marit ran to the screen door and pawed it open. They ran out to the yard and started running around.

Suddenly, the kitty door opened up and Furball came flying through, followed by Ash and Litten. All three kittens ran full speed at Marit. They yelled,”Marit! We’re here!” as they barreled into him.

“Hello, Furball, Ash, and Litten!” he said as he fell over. “Let’s go chase some rats!”

The kittens stared at him with disgust. “Yuck! We want to chase butterflies, Marit!” They ran away, into the flowers.

“Well, just us today!” said Marit. Marit and Weavile ran into the sewer and looked for all the rats.

“There’s one of them.” Weavile said as he caught one running away.

“Don’t eat me!” the rat squeaked. He tried to get out of Weaviles grip, but Weavile was too strong. Suddenly, the rat started chanting. The rocks on the ground started levitating. He pushed his hands forward and the rocks shot into Weavile.

“Ow!” he yelled as he let go of the rat.

The rat fell, but landed on a levitated rock. “I am the rock rat! He yelled.

“Oh no!” yelled Marit. “ Run!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. He shot out of the sewer. With Weavile right behind him. They flew out of the sewer and landed on the grass. “Oh god! That was very wrong!” Marit said. He looked at Weavile and yelped. He right away started licking the blood. It tasted horrible. “Don’t die!’ he said.

The kittens started licking him to. “Yuck” said Furball. Weavile stopped breathing.

“No!” said Marit, as he sobbed. The kittens cried with him. They buried him in the ground.

“Bye…” said the kittens as they walked back through the door.

Marit walked back into the house. Then he heard a sound. A rat came into view. Marit sobbed. “I’m sorry!” he cried.

The rat came closer and said,”you gave no mercy to us, so I will give no mercy to you.” He raised his hands and then Marit felt a sharp pain in his neck. Then the world went black.

The Invasion Part I by Daniel Jungwirth

Crubboth called the meeting to order and immediately all Universals stopped to listen. “Here so forth begins the Meeting of The Universe, year 3019, month 1001280,”  he said in Hothrovic, and then he began to ask for any problems to deal with.

A small Universal popped up in the crowd.  “The earthlings still refused to join the Alliance of the Cosmos.”

This caused an uproar in the crowd.  One deep-voiced Universal shouted in the Sazalac language “They must be terminated!”\

“Now, now, Acroforth,” said Crubboth. “They’re only afraid.  Give them some time.”

“Some time!  Some time!  We gave them some time!  A thousand years, to be exact!”

“I know.  Humans can be a slow learning race.  It took them 55000 years to discover super speed.  But they’re the only ones that are Allies with the Onoc.  And in this time of war, it’s the only choice we have.”

“Sir,”  said a skinny, one eyed Universal in Rentovith “Speaking of the Onoc, they’re advancing.  There’s many of them that have already moved to the south entrance.  If we don’t get more troops, fast, they’ll be attacking Ioflurn 232, which we do not want.  We need more troops!”

Crubboth pondered for a short time, then through gritted teeth, said “Fine.  We’ll need to force some troops out of Earth.  Begin preparing the Acco cannons.”  

Lollipops Contain Dangerous Chemicals - Who Is Behind This? by Shireen Dalton

Sweetie’s Extreme Lollipops are ruling over 95% of the U.S. population, and it’s no surprise. As you probably know all too well, we cannot stress the word “extreme” too much. The Extreme Lollipops are truly unique: grapes quiver violently when held, oranges turn into edible soap bubbles, cherries have lumps bobbing up and down around the surface. No wonder they’re such a big hit around the country. But recent studies reveal surprising information: could the mysterious illness epidemic that’s spreading across the nation and the Extreme Lollipops be linked? Tests have shown that the lollipops may contain hazardous chemicals that could cause the unknown disease slowly picking off the American population. The official name for this illness has been recently picked - eget-dulce, literally meaning “chemical sweet” in Latin. Jane Imbleton, head of the facility that conducted the studies, says, “We have tried to tell companies our recent discovery. We tell them to take [the lollipops] off their shelves. They should be recalled.” Imbleton has tried to tell over 50 major store companies to reject all Sweetie’s products. “But the companies don’t listen. They don’t believe it. These lollipops may be part of the American history - but not in the way we all think they will.” Imbleton’s facility has also uncovered an addictive factor in the Extreme Lollipops. “Eat just one, and you’ll be hooked,” Imbleton says. “Like smoking or drugs, it’s almost impossible to quit.”

On the other hand, Daphne Doohickey, CEO of Sweetie’s, says the studies are nonsense. “Sweetie’s only puts the finest ingredients in all our products,” Doohickey says. Despite this, the first ingredient is “condensed high fructose corn syrup powder liquid,” something that doesn’t come up on other lollipops and definitely doesn’t sound good for you. Or does Doohickey not know this? She is the CEO, after all.

But no one would just fill edibles with chemicals without knowing - or knowing that they’re crafting a killer disease that could knock out the whole country. Obviously Sweetie’s should’ve done some research on the “condensed high fructose corn syrup powder liquid.” So is this just a big mistake and Sweetie’s really doesn’t want to be a multi-million mass-murderer? Or do they actually want to kill off all Americans - and possibly more? Even the President has fallen ill with eget-dulce. Maybe a boycott is in order?

The Glass House (Part 1) by Ahan Devgun

Do you think you know everything about someone? You don’t, I should know.  Friendship is like a glass house, one wrong move and it breaks.

It was not just a regular day, the sky was orange and pink, with a dash of violet. I sat down on the front porch, of the biggest house in the neighborhood, my house was made out of glass. It was one-way glass, so I could see out, but they couldn’t see in. I was always protected one way or another. My life was always the same, that is until I met Iris. She was the only thing that kept on repeatedly changing. In my world of constants, Iris changed everyday, sometimes she was gothic, sometimes she was bright and cheerful, but I always trusted her. I have known her since I was 5, when she saved me from falling off my houses’ glass balcony. Ever since then, she and I have been best friends. We never kept secrets from each other, until I learned who she really was.

Sukoyuji PART 1 by Jacob Worwa

Little Daniel Jordan’s birthday was on March 15th. “Our proud Pi Day boy,” his mathematician parents always called him. Danny was turning nine now, and there was one thing he always (or so he thinks) wanted. It was a Sukoyuji, one of those little furry imported toys  (this one from Japan) that is supposed to be cared for diligently until it dies and the kid gets a new one.

So on this special March 14th, Danny opened his presents provided by his doting parents, and he was opening his last present.

“Open it up and see what it is!” His father had a habit of telling people to do things they were already doing.

So Danny tore of the present like most young kids of his age always do, and brought out his most treasured Sukoyuji.

The Sukoyuji was a big ball of fluff, about the size of a soccer ball. It had the floppy ears that encouraged many a child to swing the thing around to his heart’s content. It had the bulbous, shiny eyelids the toys of the sort do, and a fluffy tail and little penguin feet, too. It also had a very deep red color, which Danny found odd, because he’d never seen a red one before.

Strange or not, the sight of the toy made Danny giggle with delight in a way he thought only puny five-year-olds did, but he couldn’t help himself. He gave his parents the most sincere thank yous he could give. He was so elated, he didn’t even want to wait for cake. But, alas, his parents made him eat his mother’s homemade cake anyway, which still tasted great.

And while they were eating, the Sukoyuji in the Jordans’ living room opened its eyes, and looked toward the kitchen.

Evil Ladybug Plans to Take Over Earth by Shireen Dalton

Researchers have recently found Bob, a Minnesota native ladybug who has been placed in captivity for study after expressing exceptional cognitive function, planning to take over the world, after brain scans show Bob thinking about wiping out the research center first, then advancing to the town of Maple Grove, then Minnesota, and so on until Bob and his team are the only living animals left on the Earth - and he plans to destroy the human race as well. “It’s terrifying,” says scientist Maria Johnson, who works at the Buggy Buggy Research Center in Maple Grove, Minnesota. “We’re all scared of terrorists and mass-murderers, but who’d’ve thought a ladybug would in the end dominate?” Johnson has a PhD in entomology and is a highly regarded scientist at Buggy Buggy with decades of experience, but still admits she has not seen anything like this in her entire life. “But the good news is we know what Bob is going to do,” Johnson says when speaking at a White House conference in Washington, D.C. But she doesn’t say what his plans are.

Luckily, Kyle Lester, another scientist at Buggy Buggy, tells us what Bob is up to: “Through scans, we know that Bob wants to recruit other animals - specifically more dangerous ones like bears, snakes, and killer bees - and form a team to take on the rest of the world. Bob is truly evil.”

“Bob the Killer Bug” is what people all over the world are dubbing him. And soon enough, he will be. But what can we do? Buggy Buggy suggests that we should go inside immediately if there is a member of Bob’s team near you. Don’t go near any animals that seem vicious or violent. And of course, check Buggy Buggy’s website every week for more safety tips.

What animals will join Bob? Buggy Buggy says Bob wants strong, powerful animals that can do a lot of damage, of course, but also wants intelligent animals, like apes, dolphins, and even pigs, to potentially help him edit the plan along the way, as he knows it won’t all be smooth sailing.

Bob’s intelligence was discovered after a young girl picked him up and then accidently dropped him. To her surprise, Bob made a very hard sound when he hit the ground - almost like he was made of metal. Bob was taken to Buggy Buggy, who concluded that Bob had somehow erected an indestructible shell around him. Brain scans followed this, proving Bob’s incredible intelligence. So if Buggy Buggy could’ve just stomped on him, they would’ve before you could say “ladybug.” But they can’t. So will we be able to defeat Bob? Or is the end approaching?

We’ll know soon enough….

DRAGON ATTACKS WHITE HOUSE!!! by Juunah Kang

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! PEOPLE OF AMERICA! We are under attack by a unanimous rainbow-glitter dragon attacking the White House,  its mission is to kill the president (which is top priority) and everybody else in it! By order of the president, all citizens in the White House and in Washington D.C. are to evacuate immediately! Repeat! By order of the president, all citizens in the White House and in Washington D.C. are to evacuate immediately! All military staff available is to report to the incident immediately and help citizens escape safely. Dragon first identified by Rose Zachary of California as it made its way across the country. Failed attempts were made to stop and capture this horrible creature. Military orders are to shoot and kill this beast at first sign. Until further notice, all citizens in the invasion area are to stay in their homes until further notice.