The Strangest Story So Far this Summer
by the Ochlocknee Library Writers
"You can not always trust George Washington."
At least not the George Washingtons that you meet on the planet Jupiter. This George Washington was a crook!
Old George put on a mask, broke into a house belonging to Bob, a tall hairy dude who was as fat as a whale, and stole Bob's magical spaghetti, which happened to look like a hat with a peace sign on it! Weird, huh?
It gets weirder! George took the spaghetti to feed it to a mummy, and just as the mummy ate the last bite, a Ninja Girl with black hair burst into George's hideout and with the help of Abraham Lincoln (who happened to be a cop on Jupiter) arrested George and the mummy and sent them to Jupiter Jail for a long, long time.
Even though justice was served, Bob was so upset he exploded and no one ever saw or heard from him again.
The End.
Like it? Love it? Want to add to it? Post a comment!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Meigs Public Library, Meigs, GA
It's a Dog Gone Shame
by the Meigs Library Readers
"It's gone!" declared Buddy the big, brown space dog. Buddy was a friendly dog who had spent most of his life on this strange planet. Even here, though, he could find comfort in an old blanket, a squeak toy, and his favorite, a jumbo alien bone that he loved to chew on.
The bone was gone! Buddy couldn't believe his eyes. What could have happened? Buddy called his neighbor the space flea, who was the smartest friend he had. When Buddy told the flea about the missing bone, the flea said, "There is one logical conclusion. A big bone like that must have been taken by a big animal. It was probably NOT one of your friends. My guess? That big black and white spotted space cat that lives a couple of blocks away."
Buddy and the flea hurried over to the cat's house and a big fight began. Even though the bone was not there, the cat said, "You'll never find it where I hid it!" During the fight, the cat ate the flea whole and Buddy was so upset, he chased the cat off a cliff.
Did the cat land on his feet? Will the flea survive? Will Buddy ever find the bone?
Can you finish the story? These library writers decided to leave this story with a cliff hanger ending and let YOU come up with the rest of the story.
You can finish the story in the comment box below.
by the Meigs Library Readers
"It's gone!" declared Buddy the big, brown space dog. Buddy was a friendly dog who had spent most of his life on this strange planet. Even here, though, he could find comfort in an old blanket, a squeak toy, and his favorite, a jumbo alien bone that he loved to chew on.
The bone was gone! Buddy couldn't believe his eyes. What could have happened? Buddy called his neighbor the space flea, who was the smartest friend he had. When Buddy told the flea about the missing bone, the flea said, "There is one logical conclusion. A big bone like that must have been taken by a big animal. It was probably NOT one of your friends. My guess? That big black and white spotted space cat that lives a couple of blocks away."
Buddy and the flea hurried over to the cat's house and a big fight began. Even though the bone was not there, the cat said, "You'll never find it where I hid it!" During the fight, the cat ate the flea whole and Buddy was so upset, he chased the cat off a cliff.
Did the cat land on his feet? Will the flea survive? Will Buddy ever find the bone?
Can you finish the story? These library writers decided to leave this story with a cliff hanger ending and let YOU come up with the rest of the story.
You can finish the story in the comment box below.
Coolidge Library, Coolidge, GA
He Had Nothing to Go On - The Case of the Missing Toilet
By the young writers at the Coolidge, GA library
"Go check your toilet before somebody steals it."
This is Umm the Alien's advice to everyone after his toilet went missing. Umm was a HUGE alien with 14 eyes. When we say he was huge, we mean it. Umm was bigger than the planet Earth!
Of all the many things he had gathered in his short life so far (he was only a boy!) his favorite was his toilet. He loved it so much, he stored his underwear nearby.
For reasons that are still unclear, Albert, a pinkish boy alien with 106,000 eyes, walked into Umm's home armed with a laser gun. He used the laser to cut the toilet off the floor, hoisted it onto his shoulder and trotted away.
Of course Umm was upset that his toilet was missing. The police said there were almost no clues, so there was nothing to go on! The police called in a new detective named Tessa, a green alien with 13 eyes (the inhabitants of this planet had LOTS of eyes!) and put her on the case.
With some clever detective work, Tessa deduced that Albert was the thief, and when she went to his home, she found the toilet hidden in his basement. Albert went to jail, and Umm was, according to one report, relieved.
The End
(Editor's note: After this story was written, one mom said that she was going to limit her son's access to the Captain Underpants series. He contributed greatly to some of the key elements of this piece. She felt that CU's humor may have influenced this story.)
Did you enjoy the story? Add a comment!
By the young writers at the Coolidge, GA library
"Go check your toilet before somebody steals it."
This is Umm the Alien's advice to everyone after his toilet went missing. Umm was a HUGE alien with 14 eyes. When we say he was huge, we mean it. Umm was bigger than the planet Earth!
Of all the many things he had gathered in his short life so far (he was only a boy!) his favorite was his toilet. He loved it so much, he stored his underwear nearby.
For reasons that are still unclear, Albert, a pinkish boy alien with 106,000 eyes, walked into Umm's home armed with a laser gun. He used the laser to cut the toilet off the floor, hoisted it onto his shoulder and trotted away.
Of course Umm was upset that his toilet was missing. The police said there were almost no clues, so there was nothing to go on! The police called in a new detective named Tessa, a green alien with 13 eyes (the inhabitants of this planet had LOTS of eyes!) and put her on the case.
With some clever detective work, Tessa deduced that Albert was the thief, and when she went to his home, she found the toilet hidden in his basement. Albert went to jail, and Umm was, according to one report, relieved.
The End
(Editor's note: After this story was written, one mom said that she was going to limit her son's access to the Captain Underpants series. He contributed greatly to some of the key elements of this piece. She felt that CU's humor may have influenced this story.)
Did you enjoy the story? Add a comment!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Pavo, Library in Pavo, GA
The Queen's Grumpy Day
By the kids at the Pavo, GA library
Our story begins as Arthur, who is as tiny as an ant, is making a sandwich. Arthur loves to eat all kinds of sandwiches, but his favorite is a plain peanut butter and jelly sandwich on toast. Arthur lived in England, which is ruled by the mostly happy Queen Beast, the queen of everybody.
This morning, though, Queen Beast woke up in a really grumpy mood, and she was not her usual happy self. As she was walking by our friendly small friend Arthur, she just reached out and grabbed his sandwich, right out of his hand!
Arthur's brother DJ, who happened to be coming by for dinner, saw what happened and scolded the queen for her unkind action. He asked her to return the sandwich, which she did. She apologized to Arthur for being so rude, and while she was talking, Arthur made her another PB & J on toast with bananas, just the way he knew she liked it.
Arthur was happy, the queen was happy, and even DJ was happy. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can do that, you know!
The End.
If you like the story, please add a comment below. You can remain anonymous.
By the kids at the Pavo, GA library
Our story begins as Arthur, who is as tiny as an ant, is making a sandwich. Arthur loves to eat all kinds of sandwiches, but his favorite is a plain peanut butter and jelly sandwich on toast. Arthur lived in England, which is ruled by the mostly happy Queen Beast, the queen of everybody.
This morning, though, Queen Beast woke up in a really grumpy mood, and she was not her usual happy self. As she was walking by our friendly small friend Arthur, she just reached out and grabbed his sandwich, right out of his hand!
Arthur's brother DJ, who happened to be coming by for dinner, saw what happened and scolded the queen for her unkind action. He asked her to return the sandwich, which she did. She apologized to Arthur for being so rude, and while she was talking, Arthur made her another PB & J on toast with bananas, just the way he knew she liked it.
Arthur was happy, the queen was happy, and even DJ was happy. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can do that, you know!
The End.
If you like the story, please add a comment below. You can remain anonymous.
Boston Library, Boston, GA
My Macaroni is Missing!
By the kids at the Boston, GA Library
Gilbert was a small caveman, and Claudia was a fat hippo. But the main character of our story is JJ the fox, who is quiet and as small as a mouse. JJ's favorite food is macaroni, and he could eat it every day. He never used a spoon, because he believed that macaroni tasted best when eaten with a fork.
These three interesting characters live in the beautiful town of Boston, located in south Georgia. JJ had just prepared a steaming bowl of macaroni for lunch one day, when Claudia, the sneakiest hippo you will ever see, snuck into his den and purloined the pasta (purloined means that she took it!).
Of course JJ was very surprised that his mac was missing and he declared in a quiet, though obviously upset voice, "Hey! My macaroni is missing!" He went down the street and found Gilbert, an old caveman who had a really cool afro haircut, and told Gilbert about the lifted lunch.
Gilbert was an expert in karate, and it only took a minute of chopping boards for Claudia to confess that she was the lunch thief. She immediately brought back the macaroni, and was quite surprised when Gilbert showed her kindness and asked her to stay for lunch.
The three of them became very good, but strangely sized, friends, and they all lived happily ever after!
The End.
If you enjoyed the story, feel free to add a comment below. You can remain anonymous.
By the kids at the Boston, GA Library
Gilbert was a small caveman, and Claudia was a fat hippo. But the main character of our story is JJ the fox, who is quiet and as small as a mouse. JJ's favorite food is macaroni, and he could eat it every day. He never used a spoon, because he believed that macaroni tasted best when eaten with a fork.
These three interesting characters live in the beautiful town of Boston, located in south Georgia. JJ had just prepared a steaming bowl of macaroni for lunch one day, when Claudia, the sneakiest hippo you will ever see, snuck into his den and purloined the pasta (purloined means that she took it!).
Of course JJ was very surprised that his mac was missing and he declared in a quiet, though obviously upset voice, "Hey! My macaroni is missing!" He went down the street and found Gilbert, an old caveman who had a really cool afro haircut, and told Gilbert about the lifted lunch.
Gilbert was an expert in karate, and it only took a minute of chopping boards for Claudia to confess that she was the lunch thief. She immediately brought back the macaroni, and was quite surprised when Gilbert showed her kindness and asked her to stay for lunch.
The three of them became very good, but strangely sized, friends, and they all lived happily ever after!
The End.
If you enjoyed the story, feel free to add a comment below. You can remain anonymous.
Thomasville Public Library, Thomasville, GA
Bella and the Missing Book
by the kids at the Thomasville Library
One day, Bella the Cow was riding her bike through the zoo. She was carrying her favorite book, The Big Book of Cows, as she rode. Bella was a skinny cow who loved to talk and read non-fiction books about - you guessed it - cows.
Before she realized what had happened, a small, green 8-eyed alien, who was hiding in the bushes, reached out and grabbed Bella's book! Bella was surprised and angry, but before she could react, the alien was gone!
Bella didn't know what to do, until her friend Kendall, a cute 4 year old girl who LOVES to go to the Thomasville Library, came along. When Kendall heard what had happened, she said, "I know just what to do!"
Kendall waited until the alien was out looking for more books to steal and she snuck into the alien's hideout, got Bella's book and ran like crazy back to the zoo. The alien was arrested and had to spend 200 years in alien jail, and even though Bella got her book, she was sad, because the alien had lost her favorite bookmark.
by the kids at the Thomasville Library
One day, Bella the Cow was riding her bike through the zoo. She was carrying her favorite book, The Big Book of Cows, as she rode. Bella was a skinny cow who loved to talk and read non-fiction books about - you guessed it - cows.
Before she realized what had happened, a small, green 8-eyed alien, who was hiding in the bushes, reached out and grabbed Bella's book! Bella was surprised and angry, but before she could react, the alien was gone!
Bella didn't know what to do, until her friend Kendall, a cute 4 year old girl who LOVES to go to the Thomasville Library, came along. When Kendall heard what had happened, she said, "I know just what to do!"
Kendall waited until the alien was out looking for more books to steal and she snuck into the alien's hideout, got Bella's book and ran like crazy back to the zoo. The alien was arrested and had to spend 200 years in alien jail, and even though Bella got her book, she was sad, because the alien had lost her favorite bookmark.
The End.
Maybe Kendall will help her find her bookmark in another story. Can you write a story about Kendall and Bella searching for the missing bookmark?
If you enjoyed the story, post a comment below. You can post anonymously.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Collins Hill Library, Lawrenceville, GA, May 21
The Case of the Missing Space Ship
by The Collins Hill Library Kids
On a happy, cheerful day, a long time ago, an alien named FredFredBurger was walking downtown. FredFred, as his close friends called him, had five eyes and was a gentle and soft space alien. He had a lot of really cool things, but his favorite of all was a rocket ship that he made himself out of scrap. He lived on the planet Sump Marsh, which is very far away from any other planets.
Unknown to our friend, a scary space alien named Christina was hiding behind the rocks near FredFred's home. While FredFred was downtown, Christina stole an energy crystal from his barn and ran up into his homemade spaceship. In an instant, Christina flew away with FredFred's prized possession.
When he discovered that the ship was missing, he called Mark, a wise old human who lived nearby. How Mark got to Sump Marsh is a mystery, but everyone seemed to respect the long haired, big eared man with the long gray beard.
Mark had an energy detector and it wasn't long before he was able to find the rocket ship. The Sump Marsh Police arrested Christina and put her in Alien Jail where it was hoped that she would learn her lesson and change her ways.
When FredFred got his rocket ship back he was so excited and happy he pranced around.
The end.
If you enjoyed the story, post a comment below. You can post anonymously.
by The Collins Hill Library Kids
On a happy, cheerful day, a long time ago, an alien named FredFredBurger was walking downtown. FredFred, as his close friends called him, had five eyes and was a gentle and soft space alien. He had a lot of really cool things, but his favorite of all was a rocket ship that he made himself out of scrap. He lived on the planet Sump Marsh, which is very far away from any other planets.
Unknown to our friend, a scary space alien named Christina was hiding behind the rocks near FredFred's home. While FredFred was downtown, Christina stole an energy crystal from his barn and ran up into his homemade spaceship. In an instant, Christina flew away with FredFred's prized possession.
When he discovered that the ship was missing, he called Mark, a wise old human who lived nearby. How Mark got to Sump Marsh is a mystery, but everyone seemed to respect the long haired, big eared man with the long gray beard.
Mark had an energy detector and it wasn't long before he was able to find the rocket ship. The Sump Marsh Police arrested Christina and put her in Alien Jail where it was hoped that she would learn her lesson and change her ways.
When FredFred got his rocket ship back he was so excited and happy he pranced around.
The end.
If you enjoyed the story, post a comment below. You can post anonymously.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Suwanee Branch Library, May 20
The Missing Gold Coin
By the Suwanee Library Kids
If you like happy endings, you've got the right story!
Jake was a cloth collector, and he lived in Hot Dog Land. He was as tall as a tree, and he had big ears that stuck out from his head at odd angles. He enjoyed collecting cloth, but his favorite thing in the whole world was a plain, black and white wallet, which held, among other things, a gold coin, worth $1. He had owned this coin for a long time and its value was mostly sentimental. No one knew the reason, but everyone knew that he loved that coin.
You can imagine how angry and upset he was when he discovered that his prize possession was missing! During the night, Bob the cow, a bovine of questionable character, broke into Jake's house, went through the drawers in all the rooms, stole the wallet, and jumped out the window to escape. This was no easy feat, as it is well known that Bob is as fat as a giant jellybean!
Jake called his best friend and closest neighbor, Mr. Waffle, to come over and help him. Mr. Waffle called the police, then took them to the library where they read some excellent books about solving crimes and following clues.
It did not take them very long to track down the suspect, and they found the wallet. They arrested Bob, but he would not fit into the police car. When Jake got his wallet and his coin back, he was so happy, he jumped up in the air!
Bob promised to behave, and Hot Dog Land was once again a wonderful place to live.
The End
Please post a comment to let us know that you enjoyed the story!
By the Suwanee Library Kids
If you like happy endings, you've got the right story!
Jake was a cloth collector, and he lived in Hot Dog Land. He was as tall as a tree, and he had big ears that stuck out from his head at odd angles. He enjoyed collecting cloth, but his favorite thing in the whole world was a plain, black and white wallet, which held, among other things, a gold coin, worth $1. He had owned this coin for a long time and its value was mostly sentimental. No one knew the reason, but everyone knew that he loved that coin.
You can imagine how angry and upset he was when he discovered that his prize possession was missing! During the night, Bob the cow, a bovine of questionable character, broke into Jake's house, went through the drawers in all the rooms, stole the wallet, and jumped out the window to escape. This was no easy feat, as it is well known that Bob is as fat as a giant jellybean!
Jake called his best friend and closest neighbor, Mr. Waffle, to come over and help him. Mr. Waffle called the police, then took them to the library where they read some excellent books about solving crimes and following clues.
It did not take them very long to track down the suspect, and they found the wallet. They arrested Bob, but he would not fit into the police car. When Jake got his wallet and his coin back, he was so happy, he jumped up in the air!
Bob promised to behave, and Hot Dog Land was once again a wonderful place to live.
The End
Please post a comment to let us know that you enjoyed the story!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Five Forks Library Writes a Story!
Help! My Parrot is Missing!
By the kids at the Five Forks Library
Any similarity to any real persons is purely coincidental.
One day, a hippo kid named Bob was walking home from the store. Bob loved to do magic tricks and he had performed all over his home planet of Saturn. He especially loved a trick he did where he made his pet parrot appear!
He loved the cute, brown, big nosed parrot, and always fed the bird his favorite food, which was fried chicken.
That night, Abraham Lincoln snuck into Bob's house and birdnapped the parrot. (Please keep in mind that this takes place on Saturn, in the present day and that the Abe Lincoln on that planet might not be as honest as the one we know on Earth - TJ)
When Bob awoke and discovered that his bird was missing, he was so sad, he felt that he might burst to pieces! Bob called his friend Joyita, a 3-1/2 year old who was very helpful and was as cute as a button, and asked for her help.
Joyita waited until it got dark, went to Abe's house and snatched the bird to bring him back home. Bob was so happy. According to one of our writers, he was very, very, very, very, very, very, very happy!
Abe, however was not so happy, because the penalty for stealing birds on Saturn is that you will be tied to a tree until you are really sorry for what you did. It didn't take long until Abe learned his lesson and promised never to take things that were not his, ever again.
The end.
Please post a comment to let us know that you enjoyed the story!
By the kids at the Five Forks Library
Any similarity to any real persons is purely coincidental.
One day, a hippo kid named Bob was walking home from the store. Bob loved to do magic tricks and he had performed all over his home planet of Saturn. He especially loved a trick he did where he made his pet parrot appear!
He loved the cute, brown, big nosed parrot, and always fed the bird his favorite food, which was fried chicken.
That night, Abraham Lincoln snuck into Bob's house and birdnapped the parrot. (Please keep in mind that this takes place on Saturn, in the present day and that the Abe Lincoln on that planet might not be as honest as the one we know on Earth - TJ)
When Bob awoke and discovered that his bird was missing, he was so sad, he felt that he might burst to pieces! Bob called his friend Joyita, a 3-1/2 year old who was very helpful and was as cute as a button, and asked for her help.
Joyita waited until it got dark, went to Abe's house and snatched the bird to bring him back home. Bob was so happy. According to one of our writers, he was very, very, very, very, very, very, very happy!
Abe, however was not so happy, because the penalty for stealing birds on Saturn is that you will be tied to a tree until you are really sorry for what you did. It didn't take long until Abe learned his lesson and promised never to take things that were not his, ever again.
The end.
Please post a comment to let us know that you enjoyed the story!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Lawrenceville, GA Library, May 18
Grumpy Joe and Sloppy Joes
By the Kids at the Lawrenceville Library
One recent Saturday morning, Grumpy Joe, the farmer, went to the store to buy his favorite food, Sloppy Joes. Joe was a small, grumpy old man who lived, as you might expect, on a farm. When he got home, he prepared the big plate of Sloppy Joes and left the room for only a moment. When he returned, the whole plate of food was GONE!
It seems that while Joe was out of the room, a greedy, fast running, black dog snuck into the farm house, jumped up on a chair and took the Sloppy Joes, plate and all! What a sneaky thief! He got his lunch to go!
Joe had no idea what had happened, but he was sad. And ANGRY! And extra GRUMPY! And HUNGRY too!
Fortunately for Joe, cute little 4 year old Maya dropped by to visit about that time and asked Joe why he was extra grumpy. When he told her that his lunch was missing, she remembered seeing a dog running down the road with a plate in his mouth.
By the time Joe and Maya found the dog, the Sloppy Joes were gone. This story does not have a happy ending for Joe. The dog, however, was quite happy with the way the story turned out.
As soon as Joe got home, he installed special dog proof spikes on his door to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again.
The end.
Please post a comment to let us know that you enjoyed the story!
By the Kids at the Lawrenceville Library
One recent Saturday morning, Grumpy Joe, the farmer, went to the store to buy his favorite food, Sloppy Joes. Joe was a small, grumpy old man who lived, as you might expect, on a farm. When he got home, he prepared the big plate of Sloppy Joes and left the room for only a moment. When he returned, the whole plate of food was GONE!
It seems that while Joe was out of the room, a greedy, fast running, black dog snuck into the farm house, jumped up on a chair and took the Sloppy Joes, plate and all! What a sneaky thief! He got his lunch to go!
Joe had no idea what had happened, but he was sad. And ANGRY! And extra GRUMPY! And HUNGRY too!
Fortunately for Joe, cute little 4 year old Maya dropped by to visit about that time and asked Joe why he was extra grumpy. When he told her that his lunch was missing, she remembered seeing a dog running down the road with a plate in his mouth.
By the time Joe and Maya found the dog, the Sloppy Joes were gone. This story does not have a happy ending for Joe. The dog, however, was quite happy with the way the story turned out.
As soon as Joe got home, he installed special dog proof spikes on his door to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again.
The end.
Please post a comment to let us know that you enjoyed the story!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Reading Round Up Begins!
Howdy Pardner!Reading Round Up is the newest reading assembly program offered by Tommy Johns Presents for libraries and schools. Claudia the Hippo, Roossevelt Rat and I will be going all over Georgia and Alabama (over 75 programs already scheduled for June and July!) turning readers into writers! At every stop along our tour this summer we will work with the audience at each library and summer camp to write a brand new story! Check back often to see what stories the children create!
The goal is to post the story we write to the blog within 12 hours of the end of the show.
Happy Reading!
Tommy and Claudia
Reading Round Up
Check out http://www.tommyjohnspresents.com/ for more information on our curriculum based assembly programs that encourage kids to READ!
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