The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Nicole G.

Today is different
For Amber,
Running away
To be alone.

She needs a day
For herself
That isn’t filled
With tears.
This is her last day

Of her before.

The day before it all changes.

Amber expected
To be alone
With her drumsticks,
Just because;
Her camera,
Just for fun;
And a box jelly beans,
Just like always.

She takes a limo
To the beach.
Today is not
About holding back.

She goes to the
Aquarium where
She meets
A boy
By the jellyfish tank.

They connect
Instantly
“Did you see that movie?” he asks,
And Amber knows
What he’s talking about.

They see the sharks
And the sea stars,
Not exchanging many words,
Not at first.

Cade, the boy,
Thought he
Was alone today, too,
But they decide to spend
Today together.

He has a condition for today,
Not to ask
Why the other is
At the beach, by themselves.

The have fun
Building sandcastle,
Climbing lighthouses,
Enjoying the day.

Both Amber and Cade
Are hiding a secret.

Tomorrow will
Never
Be the same again.

Cade.
Loves the ocean so much.
Writes songs everywhere he goes.
Lives today like its his last.

What secret is he hiding?

Cade told her
Not to ask.

Yet she wants
To know.

Written in verse
Amber’s day
Is told.

Th secrets
The style
The story.

It’s beautiful.

-Nicole G., 11th Grade

The Day Before is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Public Library.

Would You Stay?

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Shelby B.

Here’s the secret, baby: if you live, if you die, it’s all up to you. So whatever fight you got in you, you gotta pull it out now.” – If I Stay.

When I first picked this book up I could not get past the first chapter, and left it on my book shelf. Fast forward three or four years after seeing the movie trailer, which took my breath away and left me in tears, I had to pick up the book again and give it another shot. I am more than happy that I did, because I could not put the book down.

Multiple times I would lose myself in the book and by the time I looked at the clock I had ready four hours. I found myself constantly thinking about the book and counting down the days till the movie was released, re reading the book multiple times just to get that feeling again. I even got the chance to see that movie, another time that I shed my fair share of tears.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is the story of Mia, an average seventeen-year-old girl who has a lot to love in life; she is a cellist with a chance at making it into Julliard. Her family and friends give the story an added bonus with their loving, caring, charming, and lively qualities. And Adam, her perfect boyfriend– their love makes the story and makes it that much better. But after a car accident takes away her mom, dad, and brother, she is forced to make the choice between life and death.

I always put myself in the character’s place, when reading, and after I found myself constantly wondering what I would do if I had to make the decision.

Before even starting the book my decision, was without a doubt I would stay. But about half way through the book I changed my mind. During one of the many flashbacks, this one in particular was when Mia’s dad quits his band so he could make a better life for Mia and her brother soon to be born.

This brought into play my sister, and how I could not imagine living without her, how I would never be able to call her, or sing songs with her. So the choice seemed again, easy.

But that was leaving a blind eye to the fact that I would be giving up everything that I had already worked for. And all the dreams I had, and the thing that I had not been given the opportunity to do. The friends I have not made, the books I have not read, the music I have not heard. And was I really willing to give all that up?

So I was stuck again just like Mia, thinking about all the things that would be keeping me from making the decision either way.

The perfect was to describe it is a part in both the movie and the book where Mia and her mom discuss the in convinces of falling in love at seventeen and how she is torn in half over a decision. She explains, “Either way you win. And either way you lose. What can I tell you?”

This seems small when in the book, just something a parent says, that we would probably ignore. But after thinking about it, those fourteen words split into three sentences describe the whole book and was genius representation of universal theme. That conveys all the emotion and the hard truth of the book.

Which is why this became a big changer for me again, and I realized that either way I would never be completely happy with the decision. So I end this with my favorite quote of the book, one that I believe is different for everybody and describe the choice perfectly.

“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.” – Gayle Forman

-Shelby B., 10th grade

Role-Play: An Interactive Form of Creative Writing

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Danielle L.

photo by flickr user LMRitchie

It’s time to take a break from my normal book reviews and introduce the world to a fantastic hobby of mine: role-play (RP for short).

What’s role-play you ask? Well role-play is basically creative writing with a friend. It can be done face to face, or over e-mail or text or social networks or even phone calls. It’s a great hobby that helps expand your territory of creative writing that can be done really anytime and anywhere.

I figured it’s just be easier to give you step by step instructions for role-play and explain it along the way also. So here we go!

Find someone to do it with. Role-playing is typically done with two or more people, since doing it by yourself isn’t as much fun, and is more just creative writing than actually role-play.
Choose your characters and settings. The great thing about role-play is that you can do so many things with the characters and settings. You can choose characters and settings that already exist from TV shows, books, movies, etc. or you can make up your own character/setting! Or, my personal favorite, combine the two! You can be a character created by someone else, and your friend can be her/his own character, and vice versa. You can combine things from your brain and things from somebody else’s brain into one great story. There’s great exercise for your creative writing in all alternatives. By playing a ready-made character, you get to think of things that character would do in situations that never happened in their original story. When writing your own story, you typically change something. It helps by thinking of things that character would do that he/she was not originally intended to do.
Create a story. With role-play, you can’t plan out the whole story. You just can’t. However, you can plan the main base of it. Either you or your fellow role-player (or both) write a paragraph setting the scene, vague plot, and tone of the story you are about to role-play. It’s like a first paragraph of a chapter. There are endless possibilities with this one.
Role-play. Once the first paragraph is written by someone, a different person continues. When writing role-play, don’t write for somebody else’s character. Just write your character’s thoughts, what your character says, what your character is doing, etc. You can carry on the story however you want, as long as you are controlling only your character and things that are inanimate or parts that aren’t assigned to anybody. Once you’ve written your part (try not to make it too long or too short, but it doesn’t matter much if the person you’re role-playing with doesn’t mind), the person/people you’re role-playing with continues the story, and it goes back and forth. Since you don’t have control over the entire story, it’s a great exercise for creative writers or people who wish there was more to a book/TV show/movie/etc. If you’re doing it live with somebody, it’s great for thinking on your feet, and practicing improv and/or acting.
Make it your own. When it comes to role-play, there aren’t many official rules. Just have fun, and customize it to your own! Try making characters you use reccurringly! It’s lots of fun, I promise!

So get out there, and have fun! If you have any questions, comment them and I’ll answer. Happy role-playing!

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Introduction to the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Megan V.

Calling all Mutants!

It doesn’t matter whether you have a mother who gave birth to you or were simply born in a test tube– we, a flock of six who have wings, will be recruiting anyone who has a mutation, such as super speed, being a dog who can talk, or have a body part from a different animal.

If you have one of these requirements, join our army that is going to save the world!

And who are we? We’ll, we are six kids who were merged with bird cells, which explains our wings. If you don’t trust us, whether it’s because you don’t believe kids or think that we are part of the government that is trying to get you back, we will give you a description of us:

Max: aka Maximum Ride, is the leader of the six. She is fourteen years old, blond, a bit pretty, and because she is on the run, she doesn’t shower much and tends to smell. (Fang, I’m going to get you for that! -M)

Fang: is also fourteen, and is always there if Max breaks into an emotional struggle. He is also very hot and sexy with his dark looks and wings. (Okay, the first sentence is true. Not too sure about the second. -M) However, his preference in girls seems to be red haired pretty girls, though some say he is in love with Max. (…Angel, please don’t write about what I think. And Fang doesn’t love me -M) (They are both truueee! -A)

Ian: also fourteen. Some scientists tried to make him be able to see in the dark, but it failed and caused total blindness. (Do you think we will scare others with this sentence, Nudge? -I) (Well, we should let them know that we are just like them with being experimented on. -N) (Hah! You said Total, like our dog’s name! -G) He usually wears glasses, and can be found playing practical jokes on the teachers with Gazzy.

Nudge: eleven years old. She has dark skin, and absolutely loves fashion. (And fashion, fashion, AND EVEN MORE FASHION!! -N) (I’m glad that this is a rough draft, because we aren’t putting that in there on the final. -M)

Gazzy: eight years. His name is short for the Gasman, which is because his farts are deadly. His typical practical joke on the teachers is to set off stinkbombs (They ruuuuuleeee! -G)

Angel: six years. She has hit the mutant jackpot, for she can read minds and do other things that are talented. (Aww, you make me blush. -A) She happens to know what is going on, so she’ll know if there is a traitor among us and who likes who in this group. She also seems to get whatever she wants, making her a sweet, yet spoiled brat. (Gaaaaazzzzyyyy! You too, Fang, I heard from you that you gave him that idea! -A)

So there you have it! We have been experimented on, put into dog crates, and tested on. Now, after four years of hiding, our foster dad is gone, Angel goes missing, we have to face our worst fear (school), and we all have the desires of wanting to be normal. Oh, did we also mention that we are being chased by boys who can turn into dogs, including a used to be cute three year old? Now we’re on the run, but if you want to join, contact Fang on his blog and we’ll come get you.

-Megan V., 9th grade

April is National Poetry Month

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Sabrina C.

Do you like poetry? Does it inspire you? Do you like to read it or write it? What kind of poems do you like? If you enjoy drama and suspense, you might like some of William Shakespeare’s poems. If you like horror, then you might want to read some of Edgar Allan Poe poems. If you like more upbeat and cheerful things, Walt Whitman will be a good choice for you. Personally, I like Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” In my English class, we are in the “Poetry Unit.” I like to read and write poetry. It’s fun to break the poem down and see the true meaning behind the words. My teacher loves to break down poems. She recently assigned us to write an ode poem, which is a poem celebrating a person, place, or thing. We had to write other poems too like concrete poems, which is a poem that makes a shape, and a lyric poem, which is a poem that is musical. For my ode poem, I wrote an “Ode to Music.” I think music is very similar to poetry because they both tell stories and have moods and tones. They can change a person’s emotions and some apply to our own lives. This is my ode poem: Ode to Music Music is a way to escape. A chance to find serenity. A place where you can go away. Music is as calming as a waterfall. It helps us through bad times. It heals us. It tells us stories. Music can help a person relax from a long day of work. It can make us feel happy, sad, or mad. It puts us in a peaceful state of mind. Music is the key to our happiness. Where would we be without it? I hope you liked my poem! I would love to hear your thoughts about my poem and poetry itself in the comments! -Sabrina C., 8th grade

Books that Inspire

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Kyle H.

photo by flickr user derya

I figured that this month I wanted to write about something different than a book review. This month, I’m going to write about a book that I’m writing, and about the books which inspired my story ideas.I haven’t come up with a decent title yet, but I just finished the thirteenth chapter a few days ago. I started writing this story when I was in third grade because of a school assignment, but then I got carried away and my story was more than 500 words. Ever since then I wanted to finish the book, so I would work on it whenever I could in between my busy schedule.

Basically, this story has an action-packed, adventurous story line: An evil villain wants to take over the world and only a team of military special ops guys can stop him. They go on epic adventures including fighting ninjas next to a bottomless pit, and escaping a scout’s old military commander in a broken down, deserted city.

After I started writing and got a bunch of ideas out of my head, I realized that in most of the books that I read I always wanted to add something from my own imagination. Books have inspired me to continue writing my own story.

For example, I read a Marvel comic book that talked about invasions of aliens and super human powers. I thought these ideas would be cool to put into my story. When I read a Hardy Boys mystery book, I was inspired to put some mystery into my story. An Indiana Jones book inspired me to put some high-flying action into my book, too. I think that a little bit of everything in a story creates an amazing plot!

To sum it all up, when you mix different types of books with your own imagination, you can make anything come to life on the page. If you have ever been inspired to write because of a book you read, make a post in the comments about that inspiration.

-Kyle H., 7th grade

Story Poem: One Tale of Pirates and Others

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Sarah J.

One Tale of Pirates and Others

The cold wind blew as the stars came out;
The blue shining waves tossed about.
The full moon glowed as many clouds went past;
The moon’s light went up a tall ship’s mast.

On the ship’s mast flew Davey Jones’s banner;
The ship’s side had the name Pirate Manor.
Onto the ship deck, rum boxes were had;
Soon the entire ship’s crew became drunk and mad.

The captain ordered the bobbing ship to land,
While the men held rum in their hand.
The ship stopped at an empty, deserted beach;
Pirates clambered off and for another bottle they reached.

The seven pirates were ordered to gather lots of wood.
They built a fire to help liven up the mood.
The other pirates sat as they lit a blazing fire.
Soon the burning fire became increasingly higher.

One of the pirates had a rather interesting thought,
And stood up and began to sing a song as the rest talk.
The pirates began to sing along to the song
Soon they began to dance all night long.

Continue reading →

Creative Writing: Destruction Of Charn

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Sarah J.

Editor’s note: The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, have inspired many writers over the decades– including one of the Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice bloggers, Sarah J. This short story is inspired by events from Lewis’ sixth Narnia book, The Magician’s Nephew.

Photo by rtitoun

Rosemary and her older twin brother, William, ran up to the attic of their grandma’s house. They had finally gotten permission to explore. They scrambled up the rickety ladder that led to the dark, dry attic. Inside of the attic, there were boxes filled with books, old toys, pieces of dilapidated furniture, and many other odd items here and there. Both William and Rosemary started to rummage through all if the boxes, searching for anything that seemed interesting. One particular box caught Rosemary’s eye. The box was not a plain wooden or cardboard box. The box was sealed tightly shut and covered with strange shapes and designs. It was slightly smaller than a microwave oven. Intrigued by the sight, Rosemary cautiously crept over to the box and tried to open it. First she tried tugging at the top; then, she found a metal latch that kept it shut. Rosemary carefully undid the latch and warily opened the box. She decided to call her brother over before further investigating the box.

“Will, come over here,” she called, “I want to show you something.”

Will hastily scrambled over.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Look at what I found.”

Both of them peered into the box. The contents of the box were rather odd. Inside, there was a beautiful white, silk dress. On top of the dress lay a heavy golden crown that had crimson jewels set into it. William picked up the crown and placed it next to the box while, Rosemary was taking out the dress and folding it next to the box. There was nothing else in the box except for a few pieces of jewelry and a package that was wrapped in some sort of beige colored cloth. William picked up the package and started to unwrap it. Inside of the package was a worn leather-bound book. On the cover, the title was written in bold lettering. The title was “The Destruction of Charn.”