Issue 115, August 2014
Once Upon A Winter…
By Cassie E.
Once upon a time I was at church when a severe snow storm hit. I
could hear the hail on the roof and I could see the snow cover the
windows. The pastor told us all to go into the basement ASAP. So
many people rushed for the basement. It was so crowded. Then I all
of a sudden I remembered my kitten was upstairs. It had just been
bring your pet to church day. I had to grab my little Henry! I ran
upstairs and grabbed Henry when all of a sudden the doors to the
church flew open! The cold breeze filled the church. A woman
made of ice walked through the door, she had a white robe made of
snow on. Her hair was icicles and her dress was made out of ice and
snow. I instantly knew who she was! She was the evil snow queen!
She had been causing this gigantic snow storm! What did she want?
I finally got my courage up enough to ask her…. “Why do you
want my kitten?” I asked. She didn’t respond. She just stretched
out icy fingers trying to grab Henry! What do you want?” she
swiftly pointed at my darling kitten. “
Pete and the Golden Dog Bone
Luckily there was a stuffed animal kitten
right behind me! I quickly grabbed it and
gave it to her. She took it and left. She didn’t realize that the kitten was fake! The
storm suddenly stopped! Everyone was free
now to go home! I scooped up Henry and
took him home! We lived happily ever after
and we never saw the evil snow queen
again. Or at least I hope to never see the evil
snow queen again!
The End!
By John D.
There was a happy dog named Pete, this is his story. My name is Pete, I am
a dog. This is my adventure to get the golden bone . I lived in Mexico then I
went to the States with my friends to find the golden dog bone. We were
trying to beat the cats to the bone .The cats were trying to make us dogs look
bad, so we had to beat them to it . I called my friends, Bob, Willy, Jim and
Fred. We are all dogs.
Bobcat, Hairball, Catty, Mrs. Cat and their leader Willybob . We lined up
and away we went. First, we went to get the only thing we needed--bottles
of catnip and rope to help climb the mountain which had the first map in it.
We went to the guard of the mountain. “None will pass.” said the guard.
“What do you want?” I asked. “Find me a shrubbery” said the guard. “OK,
how about this one?” I said. “OK,” said the guard. We set a trap so that the
cats will get catnip on them. “I think we should get the map now.” said Bob.
We got the map and saw the cats with the catnip on them. We ran into a cave
and camped out.
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beginning
Thursday, August 28
Once Upon a Summer…
By Christina S.
Once upon a summer… when I was swimming in the ocean, I came way too close to the
shore. I was drawn to this girl. She looked exactly like me. Unfortunately, the girl saw
me. I quickly swam away and went straight to the mermaid Church. When I got there I
was freaking out. I asked the pastors what I should do. “Since your parents disappeared
and left you with us, we think you should try to go up to shore and get completely dry,”
Said Pastor Isaac. “And then try and find that girl you were drawn to,” said Pastor
Jacob. “But I’m a mermaid!” I replied. “I can’t do that!” “Just try,” replied Pastor Jacob
smiling. “I bet you’ll be surprised.” “Umm, okay?” And I left. I did as I was told and
you’ll never believe what happened! I was instantly a real human girl! Okay, breathe.
In, out. Okay. Let’s get on with the story. I slept on the beach that night and made a
seaweed skirt that morning. I found food and ate the round circle shaped thing with a
hole in the middle. It is my new favorite thing to eat. I waited almost the whole day until I saw her. I was mesmerized. She looked exactly like me. I went up to her and said,
“Hi.” We introduced our selves. She took me to her parents and well… to make a story
short I have a twin sister! I am really excited. And turns out my dad is a mermaid. We
swim a lot together and I love going to human church. One day, about a week later, I
swam back and thanked the pastors for everything. “See you soon,” I called out to them,
“Bye.”
…The Gems of Harmony
By: Liam K.
Once upon a time there were these five gems. There was a love gem, a fire gem, a water gem, an air gem, and an earth
gem. Legend has told that if all five gems put in a scepter they give peace and harmony to the world. There is one on every continent. There is one person who wants everyone to suffer in fear and pain. There are a group of friends, Mia, Alex, Terrence, Justin,
and Katie. They have been seeking to find those gems so let them begin their adventure. They are hunting the Fire gem. It is to
be known that the person who is holding the fire gem has been granted the power of burning rays and gets the immunity to touch
fire and walk on it while not getting burnt. They have located it in Rome. The gem is guarded by Mars the Roman god of war.
They traveled to Rome but they got to the castle and Mars set up traps to keep finders of the fire gem away. The friends outsmarted Mars by thinking of a plan. The plan was that Mia and Justin distracted the steel guards. Katie, Alex, and Terrence go in
after the guards came after Mia and Justin. Then there was an ancient booby trapped puzzle Mia and Justin came back and then
they locked the doors so the guards can’t get back in. Terrence saw there was a little thi ledge that they could climb on to the
other side. Alex said, “Go and stay at the other side.” Alex opened the door and ran across the ledge. The guards fell in the big
hole. Then they got to Mars. Katie meditated and she defeated Mars. They grabbed the Fire gem and went on with their adventure.
The next gem was the Water gem, it was in Atlantis. They knew the Water gem was guarded by Poseidon the god of
water. They went to Atlantis it was trapped again. Mia saw there was a plot of water that has been poisoned. Alex saw there was a
button on the other side of the wall. He pressed it and out came a bridge. Then there were water cannons. They thought up one
duck two up one duck two. They did it across then there was Poseidon. Terrence said, “What is the chemical that is in water and
what number is it on the Periodic Table of Elements?” They defeated Poseidon and grabbed the
water gem.
The next gem was in Troy the Love gem is guarded by Aphrodite the Goddess of Love. It was trapped again. The first
trap was a love spell. They outsmarted it by thinking of the love they share with their friends. Then a love curse of eternally love
the people that don’t like and hate the people they like the ducked all the way to the Goddess. They all held hands and hugged
each other. They got the Love gem.
The next gem the earth gem was located in Africa and guarded by Gengo the God of Living. They saw it was trapped
again. They ran across the ledge of snakes then shot an arrow at the target to let down some vines up to the God. They defeated
him by living up to their talents. They grabbed the earth gem.
The final gem, the air gem,was in Springfield their home. It was guarded by Zeus. They saw it was trapped. Then Justin
said to jump on the clouds. They made it across then grabbed clouds and made a bridge. They defeated Zeus by breathing everywhere. They grabbed the air gem and the Scepter of Harmony and then they brought peace and harmony to the world.
The End
2
The Clock by Sarah C.
Again, Cave 2 will be continued when Aletheia returns from her vacation. This story is also going to be very random. Thanks!
Lily walked around the store. She was at Goodwill, looking for a new alarm clock. Her mom was looking at the books.
She walked down an aisle until she came to an alarm clock with a picture of a clock on the face. There were also clocks along
the sides. She picked the clock up and looked at the price tag. GOODWILL $0.00 Lily smiled and went over to her mom.
“Look, I found one!” she said, showing the clock to her mom. “Good!” Her mom smiled. “Then let’s leave before I get too many
books.” So Lily and her Mom paid for the books and left.
The next morning, Lily awoke to the sound of her new alarm clock. She stretched, yawned, and went downstairs. “Mom?” she
said sleepily, “I’m ready for breakfast.” She waited for an answer. “Mom?” she called again. She got up and looked into the
kitchen. Her mom wasn’t there. She ran into the sunroom, wide awake now. “Oh no!” whispered worriedly. Then she went to
look out her window but saw pilgrims talking and building houses. “Oh no!” she exclaimed again. Something wasn’t right. She
ran up to her room to get dressed. But instead of normal clothes, she found pilgrim dresses. She pulled out a long sleeved dress
and cut off the sleeves. Then she put it on and walked outside. Lily looked at all the mothers, doing their laundry. She saw a
group of girls off to the side. She decided to go and see them. “Hi!” she said once she had reached the girls. “Hi.” They said
sadly. “What’s wrong?” Lily asked. “We’ve, um, lost our parents.” One redheaded girl said. “In the twenty first century.” A
blonde girl mumbled. “What?” Lily exclaimed. “Nothing.” A brunette girl said. Lily frowned. “What happened to you guys?”
she asked. The blonde girl looked at the redhead. “I think it’s safe to tell her.” She said. “How do you know?” The redhead
asked. “Because,” the blonde girl said, “I’ve never heard of a real pilgrim saying ‘you guys’ to anyone.” The brunette girl
sighed. “Alright. I’m Margaret.” The Blonde girl smiled and said “I’m Brooke, and this is Shelby.” The redhead girl waved.
“Why did you have to ask each other to tell me your names?” Lily asked. Shelby sighed. “We aren’t really pilgrims.” She said.
“We’re actually modern girls from the twenty first century.” Margaret said. Brooke nodded. “And we all bought these alarm
clocks...” she started. “…That take you back in time.” Lily concluded. “I bought one too.” They all nodded. Lily frowned and
twirled her short black hair on her finger. “Now we’re stuck here.” Shelby said sadly. Then she smiled. “Follow me.” They all
followed her into a haystack. “This is our home.” She said happily. The haystack was hollowed out inside. They all walked in
and sat down. Lily sat on a bale of hay, which let out beneath her. “Oof!” She said, landing on something. She turned around
and found four clocks. “You did it!” Margaret said happily. “Did what?” Lily asked curiously. “You found our way home.”
Shelby said happily. Then she grabbed a clock. Margaret and Brooke grabbed one too. Lily picked the last one up and frowned.
“What do I do?” she asked. “Press the name on the back. Lily turned her clock over and found her name shining in gold. She
touched it and they all fell into Lily’s kitchen. “Come on,” Lily said, “Let’s go find your parents.”
Carrot Soup By Riley G.
ELIZA: woke up and saw my clock it was exactly 10:00 a.m. I was starting to think that I missed the bus but the
tornado yesterday canceled school. My name is Eliza and I’m a rabbit in Hoppsville. My sister AJ likes to explore
but I always tell her to keep safe especially in a time like this. The tornado didn’t do much damage but I still
made my soup. What soup you ask? Why this soup is carrot soup and is the tastiest version I think at least. AJ
and I love this soup so much we keep the recipe safe but if you can keep a secret we might just tell you.
AJ: “Do you think I could tell them about my new but
AJ and ELIZA: The recipe is 1 pound of carrots then pep-
broken fairy garden?” AJ asked. “I guess AJ, but don’t
per seasoning, then you want to add the water and add
forget about the recipe” Eliza told AJ. Okay so right a
the noodles. Then you stir until all mixed together fi-
before the tornado Eliza and I made a fairy garden
nally you add the secret ingredient--carrot abstract.
and saw a line of dust float through the air but the
tornado broke the house right in half. I felt bad for
that fairy. She had just gone there and had just made
herself at home. But I guess that doesn’t matter. Us
staying alive is easier than their tiny lives. AJ went
on for hours. And so, that leads us to the next thing -the Recipe.
3
Continues on page 6
Chipmunk and the Lost Potato
By Wilson N.
Once there was a very very VERY odd chipmunk named Scrap and he was odd, well, because he was
an amazing chipmunk who could run. Yes, he could run and I mean he could RUN . He’d run for miles
and he also hated nuts, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, let’s get on with the story. One fine Saturday
morning Scrap went for a walk around Geneva. Everything was perfect. Then something crazy happened.
There was a big golden glowing thing lighting up a log. Scrap went to check it out but as he looked in
the damp old mossy log, it was just a potato with a bunch of cobwebs, moss and stuff. But he took the
old potato with him that cold, rainy, stormy and summer night. Scrap brushed his teeth and jumped into
his bed and fell asleep. Then at about 2:00 a.m. Scrap was surprised to wake up from a crash in the parlor. He went downstairs to see what the noise was all about. Then to his surprise there was a glowing,
golden, living potato standing face to face with him. Scrap asked his name and the strange potato said
“I’m Jeff, and I need to get back to the log of life where all the potatoes are.”
So that afternoon they went to the log and Jeff pressed a secret button and made a trap door open. They
went into the trap door and the whole place was filled with other potatoes. And for now, every night
Scrap thinks about Jeff.
THE END
4
Everything Will Be Ok
By: Haddie Bushman
Chapter1
MynameisAnna‐BethWilliamson.Iam9yearsold.IlivewithmyfamilyinGermany.Well,mostofmy
family.Myfatherisfightinginthewar.Ifyoucan’tfigureoutwhatwarthisis,it’sWorldWar2.My
Mamaisanurse.That’swhyweliveintheattic.Thedownstairsofourhouseiswhereallofthehurtsol‐
diersgo.It’seasyforMamabecauseshejusthastogodownstairstowork.Itsureisn’taprettyjob.I
haven’tseenoutsideofourhousesincethewarstarted.Ourneighborownsastoresoshebringsus
food.I’minchargeofTaylorwhenMamaisgone.Idon’tremembermyDaddythatmuch.That’swhy
whathappenedfrightenedmesomuch.Itreallyshowedhownastythiswaris.Iwentdownstairsone
nighttoseewhattheoutsidelookedlike.IknewMamawasworkingbutIwouldbequiet.Thisman
cameinwithanastybulletholeonhisarmandhehadabandagewrappedaroundhisforehead.Mom
carriedhimoverwithasmileonherface,lookinghappyforonce.Shehuggedhimsoharditlookedlike
thatwaswhyhecametothenursingarea.IwalkedbehindMama.“Helloyounglady.Howmayyoube?”
themansaid.Momslowlylookedbehindher.“Sweetie,you’resupposedtobeinbedrightnow.Watch‐
ingTaylor.”Mamasaidstrictly.“Mama,TaylorisfastasleepbutIamwideawake.Iwantedtoseeout‐
side.Ihaven’tseenitsince…sincealongtimeago.”Isaidsoftlytryingnottodisturbanyoneelse.“I’ll
takeyououtAnnie.”Themansaidsweetly.MyfatheralwayscalledmeAnnie.That’soneofthethingsI
rememberaboutmyfather.“Howdoyouknowmyname?”Iasked.IrememberedbeforeDaddywentto
warhegavemealocketwithapictureofhimandmeinsideoftheblankspaces.Ipulleditout.Ilooked
atitandthenIsaid,“Daddy!”soloudthewholeworldcouldhearme.Wellprobablynotthewholeworld
‐‐justourwholefloor.Itwasdefinitelyhim.
Chapter2
Daddywentbacktowaryesterday.Itwassadlettinghimgobacktothedeathtrap.Hesaidhewould
comebackonSaturdaytoseemeagain.Iknewhewouldandhedid.Isawhimforabout4Saturdays
andknowitwouldbethe5thSaturdaytoday.Hewouldusuallycomerightaboutnow,he’snothere.I
snuckoutsidetogetfreshair.BOOM!Thegroundshook.Ifellandhitmyheadonthebrickwall.People
werecominginsoquicklythatIcouldn’tgetin.AllofasuddenthedoorclosedandaNazisolidercame
uptome...
We wish you a great start to the new school year. Remember to
check out GPLD’s school day off
programs. See your Library Link or check out our website at:
www.gpld.org
We will have crafts, coloring/puzzle pages, Lego building, a Just
Dance Party and more. Hope to see you there!
5
The Doll by Lizzie K.
I was carved from an Oak tree and a little girl found
me on the side of the road. The first words I ever
heard were “Look Papa, there is a doll on the side of
the road.”A little girl said them. “I see, how very odd
indeed my Elizabeth,” her father said. “Oh Papa, can
I please have her? I will look after her with all of my
heart,” Elizabeth said begging her father. “Well okay,
my princess,” Elizabeth’s dad told her. I suddenly felt
warm hands embrace me tightly and a smile spread
across my face. Elizabeth carried me home in her
arms. When we finally reached home Elizabeth ran
up to her mother yelling, “Mama, Mama, look what
Papa let me have!”
“That’s beautiful darling but whatever are you going
to name her? How about Rose?”
“I like that Mama.”
After dinner strange things started to happen. The
candles started to go on and off. Little Elizabeth
started to get scared and held me closer into her chest.
I knew something was going to happen; something
bad was going to happen.
But what was going to Happen?
To Be Continued…..
Warning: not real recipe.
You will probably not get carrot soup.
Well thank you for keeping the secret of
CARROT SOUP
I hope you enjoyed the recipe
and
bye bye!
In the History Books by Steven M.
Lori flew at warp speed through what looked like a
tunnel of some kind. It looked like she was in a
humid l. She landed in a dense forest of rainforest.
She thought the vortex had taken her to the rainforest but then Lori thought she saw a monkey
with tusks and one eye!
Was that an extinct species?! Was Lori back in
time? Lori knew that was the only logical explanation. She was in the history books!! But wait;
did Lori see what she thought she saw? A sign
that had a map on it and said WELCOME TO
THE WORLD OF FANTASY!!! No way thought
Lori, I’m in another world!!
Want more of Lori? Read the sequel titled The
World of Fantasy in the next edition of Jr.
Journal.
6
The Wolves of the Waterfall - Part 2, Back to Camp
By Lauren M.
Previously on Wolves of the Waterfall…
As she sniffed the air, and got closer to the bush it rustled more and more all of the sudden, a light brown
flash flew out of the bush. “What are you doing you pathetic puppies?” growled Stevense. Lurennea, Keirath, and Paython stood frozen and blank faced. “I asked you a question, you three answer me now, or I will
summon Simmolin instantly” she hissed at them.
The three she-wolves stood there, staring in utter confusement, and then started to splutter out things like:
“We….uhhh…” and “Well…. I….” when all of the sudden a shrill howl broke through the air. Stevense’s
ears flew up stiff and pointed. “Ugh” she growled “You three got it easy this time, but mark my words, if I
EVER find you birdbrained puppies wandering around this late at night again, it’s off to the alpha’s den for a
nice lesson. Oh, and Simmolin will hear about this.”
And with that, she swiftly ran through the forest, and within the blink of an eye, she was gone. The three
stared for a while, and then dashed away in three different directions. When Lurenna got back to the camp,
she saw her mother Amberra, her father Barhett, and her two sisters Marrene, and Alahine trotting over to
her.
“Lurenna, where have you been?” Scolded Amberra “You’re never out this late”
“Oh mum, Kierath was telling the most interesting story, and it was a bit long, but if Simmolin ever asks you
about Stevense finding us in the woods, say that I was at the den the whole night tussling with Marrene, and
Alahine. Please oh please, don’t say anything about the waterfall.”
Amberra sighed “Alright Lurenna, but this is the last time that I’ve got your flank, if this happens again, I’m
going to have to come through with Simmolin.”
Lurenna yipped with appreciation. “Yes! Thanks Mum!”
Yes, Amberra knew about the waterfall, and where Lurenna snuck off to at night. In fact, all three of the
pup’s mother’s knew, but they all agreed to keep it a secret. Lurenna let in a relieved breath, and caught the
scent of deer in her nose. Her supper was about to begin, and she always sat with her best friend Tahowmas.
Their mothers were very good friends, and always sat with them, and discussed things about pack life, and
what was going on around the camp.
“Hello Tahowmas!” Lurenna barked as she bounced over, and sat next to him. “Hello Lurenna, how has life
been in the last couple hours we’ve seen each other?” They both laughed at each other for a bit, until the
hunters dragged in the evenings kill to the center of the circle they were all sitting in. Lurenna’s mouth
dripped with drool. She was starving; she hadn’t eaten since the early morning, and had missed her lunch.
The night’s pickings were two plump deer, a few rabbits, squirrels, and some nice fat birds. Simmolin, and
Stevense walked up, and started to dig into one of the deer. Then after a couple other higher ranking wolves
had walked up, gotten their share, and trotted back to their spots, it was finally Lurenna’s family’s turn.
Marrenne and Alahine both picked out nice juicy squirrels, and Lurenna chose a rabbit. Her parents had gone
over to take a few bites of one of the deer. Lurenna’s mother was one of the higher ranking wolves. She was
part of the Genivere court. She dealt with wolves who broke the code. Because she was part of this group,
she was highly respected. A couple of turns later it was Tahowmas and his family’s turn. His little brother
Daniheille scurried up with his parents to have a few nips of the deer. That night when Lurenna walked into
her den full bellied, and tired, she listened to her mother bid her a good night, and curled up in her comfy bed
of dead leaves but even if you count the fact that she was tired, she couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was because her
sister’s deep scratchy breaths were so loud, or maybe it was the fact that she felt something big was going to
happen the very next day. When she finally drifted off into a deep dark slumber she had a dream. She was
standing by the waterfall with Kierath, and Paython, and took a quick sip of the water. All of the sudden she
curled back her lips, and her pearly white fangs gleamed in the twilight. Kierath, and Paython drew back,
with their tails curled up around their legs, with petrified looks upon their faces. All of the sudden, she woke
up to a jostling on her shoulder. “Lurenna! Lurenna!” Wake up!
7
THE MYSTERY OF DOOM!!!
By Audrey B.
Tux cocked his head. Huh? A Shade? What is that?
Darkeye, the “Shade,” was brushing off his black
robes and smoothing down his even blacker hair. He noticed Tux staring at him. He smiled. “A Shade,” he explained, “is a magical person, usually an evil one.”
Darkeye grimaced at the word evil, but then grinned again
as he pointed to his pointy ears. “As you can see, I’m also
an elf.” Tux perked up. An elf! He could help Tux find the
elf girl from his vision! As if Darkeye could read Tux’s
mind, he nodded and said, “I can help you find her.” He
bowed. “The World’s Only Good Shade, at your service.”
Darkeye turned east and tightly closed his eyes. He gasped.
“We go this way,” he shrugged. “At least, according to the
spirits.” He laughed. Tux was willing to trust this goodnatured elf. Tux and his new-found friend Darkeye set off,
not sure what they would find.
Meanwhile, a dark orb was projecting an image of the unlikely duo on a castle wall. A ghostly
apparition was watching Darkeye. It spoke in a rasping voice. “So…He’s teamed up with a…Cat?” The
apparition chuckled, and then started wheezing. “He will get quite the surprise, when he finds he did not
get rid of me the first time!”
To be continued…
Tale Spinners Staff
Do you like to write short stories or
draw? Are you in grades 4-8? Join
us to create the Jr. Journal. All the
artwork
and writing will come from you;
we’ll just help you make it happen!
Register in Youth Services by calling 630-232-0893 or online at
www.gpld.org.
Audrey B.
Sarah C.
Steven M.
John D.
Lauren M.
Cassie E.
Christina S.
Lizzie K.
Wilson N.
Liam K.
Riley G.
Haddie B.
Jr. Journal is a Tale Spinners
production of
Geneva Public Library District
Youth Services
127 James Street
Geneva, Il 60134
630-232-0893
www.gpld.org
8
Junior Journal is now available on our Kids
Books & More web page.