Balto, a Brave Dog

By Matthew

The name of the dog is Balto. He lived in Nome, Alaska. He was a lead dog in a dog sled team. He worked for a mining company by delivering food and supplies. His master was Gunnar.

Clay sculpture of Balto by Matthew

In 1925, the people of Nome got sick and they needed medicine. But the train got stuck in the snow. If the train doesn’t get to Nome in time it will not deliver the medicine and the people will die. So they had a dog sled relay with 21 teams. Balto was part of it. The weather was snowy and very cold. When Balto's team had arrived, Gunnar gave the medicine to the doctor and the people got well.

I think Balto was a strong dog because he was able to travel 53 miles to deliver the medicine. He was also a brave dog because he did not panic when the other dogs sank in the snow. I think he was also smart because he stopped when he saw that the ice was cracking. Last, Balto was a hero because he helped Gunnar deliver the medicine to the village.
Matthew enjoys playing soccer with his friends. He does not have a dog now but if he had one, he would name it Gassren.
Photo courtesy of T. Leslee

The Mummy's Gold

By Erika

The title of the story is “Mummy’s Gold” by Kate McMullan. It happened in the movie house. The characters are Jake, Henry and Max. Jake is a small boy. Henry is the big brother of Jake. Max is the friend of Henry.

The story started when they watched a movie about a mummy. The problem began when Max and Henry ran fast and left Jake. Next, Jake felt someone was following him. It was a mummy! But it was Henry. Then Jake heard the mummy wail, “I want my gold!” But it was Max. The problem was solved when he called Uncle Rob, and said, “Pls. Uncle Rob, come to the movie and dress like a mummy.” Then Henry and Max got scared of a mummy. In the end, Jake learned that the mummy was real and it was not Henry, Max or Uncle Rob.

I like the story because it is a good story but I did not feel scared of the mummy. My favorite character is Jake. I like him because he is cute and kind. I did not like Henry and Max because they are bad and they want to get the money of Jake. I think Kate McMullan is a good writer. I also liked the drawings of Jeff Spackman.

Erika likes skating and biking. She enjoys reading funny and sometimes scary stories.

Illustration courtesy of Erika

Making a Choice

By Raphael

I read two books by Lois Lowry, “The Giver” and “Gathering Blue.” “The Giver” is about a boy named Jonas, who is living in a utopian community in the future. “Gathering Blue” is about a girl, Kira, who is living at the same time as Jonas but in a different community.

The books, “The Giver” and “Gathering Blue,” are both held at the same time. Jonas and Kira are both living in a type of community, where the council kills a person secretly because of the mistakes the person did. Jonas and Kira both have special roles in their respective communities. They are chosen to do their roles because they have powers. Jonas’ power is to receive and keep memories. He was the chosen one to be the Receiver in his community. The Receiver’s job is to receive and keep all the memories from the Giver. Meanwhile, Kira’s power is to see the future through her magical weaving.

These are the differences between “The Giver” and “Gathering Blue.” Kira’s community is barbaric; they live for money, don’t care for others, and are not well educated. On the other hand, Jonas’ community is civilized; they have fine jobs and are well educated. They are also well fed and appear to be happy all the time. But after Jonas knew that the Council kills people, he wanted to leave the community and try to save a baby who was supposed to be killed. Meanwhile, after Kira knew that the council was trying to kill her father and other people, she, however, decided to stay and tried to change the ways of the council.

I prefer the book “The Giver.” It is more entertaining than “Gathering Blue.” If I were to choose who I would want to follow, I would chose Kira's decision. I would choose it because if I leave the people, they would suffer. And if I help make a difference, the council would probably change.

How about you? Would you choose to stay like Kira or leave like Jonas?

Raphael is 13 years old. He is the oldest among three children. He plans to read more of Jonas and Kira in Lois Lowry's "Messenger," the third book from this trilogy.