Topaz Town

Cate Gaul, age 8

Ann Arbor STEAM at Northside

Once there was a leprechaun named Albert Clooney and he had a loyal friend named Magic Corney the Unicorn. They were travelling to Topaz Town to pick up something for the leprechaun king. They had to travel across the orange part of the rainbow to get to Topaz Town. They were almost at the end of the orange part, but suddenly, Albert and Magic Corney ran into the Transylvania Trio. So Albert used telekinesis to move the part of the rainbow that the Transylvania Trio were standing on and they fell off. Albert Clooney rode on Magic Corney to the other side and they finally got there.

Lily

Eloise Cras, age 8
Thurston Elementary

Once a polar bear named Lily went to school at Wayside School. Everyone teased her because she was the only polar bear with white fur at school. She felt bad. But she felt much better after a whisker-licking good meal of dinosaur-shaped mac and cheese. Then she played golf with a light green ball. Light green was her favorite color. Then she went to sleep. The next morning, she went to school. On her way, she met a fox. Her name was Eliza. She was very wise. She told her to just ignore the other bears. And that’s what she did.

What do the Elephants do at Midnight on the Moon?

Mikah Skye Lowrie-Miuccio, age 8
Daycroft Montessori

What do the elephants do when it is was winter at midnight? Well, that is what Lora was wondering. So she went on a rocket to the moon where there was a zoo. The elephants had rainbow polka dots. She took her pajamas. They gave her special powers so she could mesmerize people. She had to go throw a firework tunnel to get there. Finally, she got there. She found a giant guarding. She defeated the giant and took an ice cream couch to the elephants. Then she asked, “What do you do at night?” “Why, we brush our teeth.”

The Rocket

Evelyn Leeser, age 7
Bach Elementary

Me and my brother went to the park to get our stomp-rocket down out of the tree. My friend Marina blasted it really high into the pine tree. When my dad climbed a ladder to get it, it disappeared from the tree branch. It was inside the tree trunk. It appeared in the tree and it fell in. A door appeared in the tree, and Louie and I went inside. There was a dragon balancing the stomp-rocket on his head. It was dark. He made the stomp-rocket glow. He wanted to use it for a lamp because his lantern totally ran out of batteries. My dad didn’t know where we were. The dragon gave us Halloween candy. He told us to sit on logs inside the tree. He was a nice dragon. He said he would bring the door and give us the stomp-rocket back. We said if he gave it back, we would cut a hole in the tree to let the sunlight in. My dad had a saw, and I told him to cut the window. The dragon said, “Thank you!” We showed my dad the inside of the tree so he could see what he did for the dragon. The dragon said, “Thank you” again! We played with the stomp-rocket again.

Lamp

Ashish Venumuddula, Age 12
Slauson Middle

Producing light
Super light
Faster than you can blink
Made of tiny electric links
It is hot to the touch
And is bright to see
But it can be used by anyone
Or everyone
And only has one purpose
To produce light

A Bridge Troll From Two Different Points of View

Wei Wei Poortinga, Age 9
Burns Park Elementary

Once upon a time there was a bridge troll. It wanted to learn to cook. It wanted to make wontastic. But he couldn’t get a Southern Chinese cookbook.

I am a bridge troll. I love chinese food. I once tried it, and it was very good so I wanted to make some myself. I once tried to make it myself—it did not go well.

A Frog’s Life From Two Different Points of View

Daniel Han, Age 8
Thurston Elementary

The frog was walking in a tree, but the bird grabbed it and ate the leg and the frog just stayed in the tree, and the bird died because of the frog’s poison. The frog was alive and the bird was dead. So, the frog said, “I win.”

I’m walking in a tree but the eagle grabs my shirt and eats me and I stay in a tree but I bite the eagle so he just dies and I say, “weeeeeeeeeee I win.”

The Corner in the Basement

Rory Campbell, Age 12
Slauson Middle

A green bean bag chair with purple polka dots sat by itself in the far corner of the room. Next to it sat a bin bursting with balls of yarn. Some were yellow, big, blue, unstrung, small, purple, pink, tiny, fuzzy, and prickly. A pair of knitting needles lied in the bean bag.

Only two light bulbs hung from the ceiling. The chains swung. Big tall cabinets covered all four walls, the carpet was damp and worn, and the doorknob to the door locked by itself often.

Kate ran down the creaky wooden stairs, toward her little corner in the dark, cold basement. She plopped her backpack on the ground next to the door, as soon as she checked the doorknob one last time to make sure it didn’t lock on her.

Three minutes later, Kate started a new scarf, for just that day, her scarf had been blown away by the wind. Kate sighed to herself as her needles clacked together. Soon, her long orange needles were a blur; her clacks began to become less regular.

Music drifted down the stairs and filled the room. Kate hummed quietly to “Frosty the Snowman.” Her eyelids began to drop as the song dwindled to an end. Kate’s needles fell to the damp, worn carpet. The world went dark as Kate’s eyes finally shut.

Some point later her eyes popped open at the sound of the slight click of the doorknob.

She tried the door.

It was locked.

Table

Manish Venumuddula, Age 12
Slauson Middle

Worn out, scratched table
So old it can tell a fable
So scratched it looks white
Like a blight
It used to be brown
But now it’s down
The owners frown
“Just look at it
It’s broken down”
They sent it away
To start a new life
To tell a new story
Far, far away

Headphones

Beatrix Livesey-Stephens, Age 15
St. Leonard’s

My shiny metal case
is encased in soft, sleek white

I unwillingly twist and tangle
like a self-destructive snake

The white shell grows thicker
for the pieces to sink into the dim, crepuscular cave

The most beautiful sounds
are emitted from these shelled pieces

But as they are free from the cave
they, along with my body, are destined to tangle

Until I am choked
and emit my last beautiful sound

Food World

Ryan Wang, Age 10
Lakewood Elementary

Welcome to food world! What, you’re surprised? Well, I was expecting that. You humans think that the only world things live in is Earth. Well, whatever. Back to the tour. Here in food world, different foods do different things, like chili pepper can blow fire, chicken nugget can fart down mountains, and pizza can destroy.

My Dinner

Giliah Adler, Age 11
Tappan Middle

I was eating my pork chop when it tried to eat ME! Then it turned into a plate. At first, I didn’t really pay attention to what it had done until it bit me. What an evil plate! Then it turned into a screaming, angry sun. It rose into the sky and turned into a firework and sank down to our lawn and turned back into my dinner.

How to be the Worst Baseball Player Ever!

Ewan Lemens, Age 9
Eberwhite Elementary

1. Keep your eyes closed. This way you will not be able to see the ball, causing you to miss ground balls and line drives, and never see the ball when you’re batting so you can’t hit it.
2. Walk. Your coach will get mad at you for not hustling. Plus, you won’t get to the base in time, so you’ll always be out. Plus a runner could pass you and that runner would be out.
3. Swing the bat long and loopy. You’ll always miss the ball and never hit it. Plus you could accidentally let go of your bat and hit someone and you will be called out.
4. Don’t know what position you’re playing and get in an argument with a teammate.
5. Don’t know where you’re batting in the line-up. If you bat out of order, you will be called out. And your coach won’t be happy!

Untitled Scary Story

Rayaan Brar, Age 12
Clague Middle

Billy was taking his daily walk when he spotted a huge abandoned museum that he had never seen before. He decided to explore it. He opened the door and stepped inside. Suddenly, the door closed behind him. He was trapped. Then he decided to find a way out. 

Billy started to go deeper into the building until he realized it was a huge maze. He was lost and alone. He heard something. It was someone tapping against the wall. Someone was nearby! He ran until he couldn’t hear the tapping anymore. 

In this part of the museum, there were many statues. One of the statues looked like the man who worked at the grocery store. He had been missing for years! 

Fog started to come out of nowhere. Billy was really scared. Suddenly a white figure appeared. Billy dashed away, but the figure caught him. He couldn’t move anymore. Billy had turned into a statue. He was stuck here forever.

Riddle

Beatrix Livesey-Stephens, Age 14
St. Leonard’s School

I can carry out any task imaginable.
My body cannot be broken easily.

My colors can blind anyone who walks to me,
But even they dull over time.

I age just like you,
But I live forever.

If anyone needs me, I rush to their side.
But if they need comfort, I will never be able to understand.

What am I?

(A robot)

Riddle

Rayaan Brar, Age 12
Clague Middle

I am so fragile that if you whisper my name, I will get destroyed.

No one can hear me, because I make no noise.

I am very lonely.

What am I?

(Silence)

Ode to a Waterfall

Meredith Fischer, Age 8
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School


Falling
It has no lungs, but has a mighty roar
It never moves, but always runs
Always crashes, but can’t get hurt

Fork

Ryan Wang, Age 9
Lakewood Elementary

BAM! A glob of yellow stuff. BAM! A bunch of stringy things. As you can guess, I am a fork. Yes, a fork. Do I have to repeat it one hundred times? The most fun thing I can do is remember what food is which. The first one was mac and cheese. The second one was noodles. The third one, you get the point. After I’m done being pushed into food, I get put in the sink. Then I get put in the dryer. It is not as fun as it sounds. Imagine this, you get put in this box and get hit by high-powered water. Then, you get thrown in another box that is 400 degrees Celsius. Then you get hit by air at -100 degrees Celsius. Exaggerating, am I? Well I can’t be called the exaggeration master and not exaggerate can I? Oh, you never heard? Well that’s because you humans don’t hear anything. Silverware are much more intelligent. Even, look who’s talking. You humans exaggerate a million times a day. My point? If your kind is so smart, then figure it out yourself.

My Room

Ewan Lemens, Age 8
Eberwhite Elementary


In the future I will be all grown up. I will be visiting my parents. I will look in my room. It might change. It might look the same. It might be a completely different room. It might be a different color, maybe my Cub Scout uniform will be gone. Maybe it might smell different or feel different. It might have totally changed. But when that actually happens in the future then I’ll know.

The Blind Hand Sanitizer

Alexander Zheng, Age 9
Lakewood Elementary


“Why do you make me just to kill the germs on your hand?”

“Why don’t you make armor for me because I keep drying out?”

“Why are your hands so dirty all the time?”

“Why can’t you use a sword to do it yourself?

“Why do I keep saying the word why?”

“I’m blind so is anybody out there?”

“Do I have to be in a plastic jar, not a metal jar?”

“Can you stop using me, for real STOP using me!”

“I am old and rusty (well, not really rusty).”