We know loads of our GHB readers love to write themselves, so here’s a new page specially for you! If you’d like to see YOUR poem or short story here, please email us and tell us your name and your age (not your address or anything else).
But before you do, please read the following guidelines carefully!
1. Anything you send us MUST be entirely your own work. If you wrote a poem with someone else, you need to get their permission first. If you’ve copied something someone else wrote, that’s cheating – and besides, we want to see YOUR thoughts! We know our GHB readers have some BRILLIANT ideas!
2. Please don’t send pages and pages of stuff. We haven’t got room for much here, so keep it short. If you can’t keep it short, we’ll only include an extract – please don’t be offended if we ‘edit’ your work! (Authors are edited all the time so we know how it feels!) Suggested word length for a story (or a bit of a story) is 200 words. Poems are usually short so we should be able to fit in a whole one 😉
3. Please be patient – we’re all very busy and we’ll upload stuff when we can. Things might not happen very quickly, but we promise to do it eventually!
4. We’ll choose what goes on the site – if we suddenly get 40 entries, we’ll pick the ones we like most. If you send us something inappropriate (e.g. it contains swearing) then we won’t put it up.
5. There’s only room for FIVE contributions at a time. We’ll put the newest at the top.
6. You can’t comment on each other’s contributions at the moment. This might be something we can do in the future but at the moment this page is just a showcase for your work.
AND NOW…YOUR WRITING!
The Gymnastics Challenge by Zoe Rubin, aged 9 (extract)
“Can we go now?” I ask madly. “We will never go if you keep this attitude up!” Mama told me. I was getting ready for the big day, when I would get to show off my gymnastics skills to the judges of the olympics! The top 3 gymnasts will make it to the olympics! “But I don’t want to miss practice, Mama! My coach said that if I am good enough to beat the Gymni Girls, I should be in the olympics as an 11 yearold!” I told Mama. Mama said, “If you go now, you think you will…” Dad interrupts, “You will be the best daughter I could ever wish for!” “But I’m always the best, Dad. At least that’s what you said!” I replied. “I guess you make a good point, Lilly Grace!” Dad says. Mama walks away, yelling, “Fine, then your dad will take you. I have to make lunch.” “Then get in the car, Lilly. I want to see your skills.” Dad told me. So we got in the car. “Just so you know Dad, I only have one week to practice! Last year, all of the olympic picks were from the Gymni Girls!” I said in a scared voice. “Then practice girl! I want to see you win! How about this, if you make it, I will get you free ice cream every day for 3 years!” Dad replies. “Yay!” I say. So I sat in the car dancing to my favorite song. Finally, we got there. I went to find my coach. When I found her, she told me to go practice the trampoline. “Is it ok if I can try my backflips on the trampoline?” I ask my coach. “If you don’t hurt yourself. Last year, you broke your arm from doing flips on the trampoline!” My coach replied on my way to the trampoline. After a few flips, my friend, Caroline, came over. “Want to go on the bars? The people that are supposed to be on the bars are on the beams so I asked coach if we could go and she accepted!” Caroline asks. “Sure, I’d love to!” I tell her. The girls walk over to the bars and start flipping. “ Are you excited for the challenge?” Caroline asked me. “Well, sort of. I’m kindof scared that I won’t win!” I reply. “Come on, you’ll be fine!” Caroline told me even though I still don’t have pride in myself. In about an hour, our coach called us over to leave and after practice, I started to get more pride!
and an extract from Zoe’s Book 2 in the series: The Olympics Challenge (this girl has ambition – we love it!)
Apperently, Team USA was up first! As the friends guessed, they were all going at the same time. Finally, the Olympics were over. McKendra stood on a stage and announced the winners.”In third place with a bronze medal, is Caroline from Team USA! In second place with the silver medal is Avery also from Team USA!” McKendra anounces. Avery and Caroline scream with exitement and went to hug Coach Felica in thanks! Then, they heard McKendra talk again, first place with a gold medal and the gymanstics trophy is……. Lilly Grace!!” “I won gold!”Lilly cheered in exitement! “We did it!”The three winning girls said. Looking at Mary, she still had a huge smile on her face proud of her friends. “I’m really sorry, Mary.” Lilly said to Mary. “But I really am a winner even though I don’t have a medal. Because I have the best friends ever!”She said, not what Lilly thought. Still celebrating, the winning team went into their bus and back to the hotel. The next day, back to USA day, was the best day ever for those three girls. All day, they got interviewed and have lots of pictures on the news! And ever since then, Team USA has always won the olympics!
♥
The Man with the Book by Katherine Kenneally, aged 18
The man with the book came around to all of the houses. Taking inventory, he said, to help the government get a clear picture of the true state of the country’s resources. Everyone else said that he was making note of any potential troublemakers or anyone who had something they weren’t supposed to or people who had really nice things, so that it would be easier for the government to control people later. Everyone found out later that the man with the book was the head of the secret police, who had no official name, but were generally called The Invisible Hook, because they took people right out of society without any warning. The only person who was surprised by how much power the man with the book had was his wife. She unfortunately met a messy end after her husband found her dipping into the household cash box to take some money to her sister who needed it to pay for her son’s lifesaving open heart surgery. The son survived and six months later he arranged a very small funeral for the wife of the man with the book. The boy joined the fledgling resistance movement in its attempt to overthrow the not-actually-utopian government, but it was six years before they were successful. The day after the resistance took over the capital city, the boy, now a grown man, stood in front of the people and brought their charges against the man with the book. After a short but relatively fair trial, the man with the book was executed by firing squad and his body burned. However, this did not bring peace, and for the next 75 years, the country was ruled by an ever changing succession of new, extreme regimes that each only lasted a few years (or shorter) before the pendulum swung back the other way again. It was, in fact, the boy’s granddaughter who was able to unite the country enough that it could have peace talks and votes and could come up with a system of government that would work for the long term. Three months later, the boy’s granddaughter was sworn in as the First Senator of the country, a position which she held for thirty-five years before dying of thyroid cancer.
♥
The Ants that Built a Library, by Sophie Monserrath Cuevas, aged 6 (nearly 7!)
“Let’s make a library” said one ant to another ant. The other ant answered “Yes,
let’s make a library!!!” And they started planning how to make a library in their
colony. One of the first thing that they did was to write a list of all the materials
and tools that they were going to need. There was no need to buy bricks because
they have lots of them around the colony. They also realized that they were going
to need help from the other ants.
A large group of them went together to the hardware store to buy what they
needed. They bought shovels, Jig Saw, pickaxe, chisels, hand saw, hammers,
measuring tape, cement, woods, and protective hard hats. Now they have all the
materials and tools that they need and a good plan in hand.
They began by pouring a jar of thick cement to make a solid foundation floor.
Once the foundation was dried they laid the first brick wall and continued until
they finished all of them. The roof was built out of wood with a strong support in
For several hours all the ants were having fun and working hard. Everyone joined in.
None of the ants were in their nests but helping to build the library. They became
even happier when they saw that their work started to look like a big and awesome
library! The bricks were neatly laid on top of each other, the roof was high in a
brown classic style, the main door was large and huge and the windows were wide
with strong frame support on its sides. A large white fence was also built around it.
At last the library was built!! And they named it “The Bronx Library”. For
everyone to see it they even tied a large sign across it with a ribbon rope that says
“Library Grand Opening”. It was a great accomplishment and the whole town was
very excited about it.
♥
Minion by Tiana Harvey, age 8
The goggly eyes
The yellow skin
They eat from the bin
I don’t understand?
Ohh, the stuff is bland
They must be bad cookers, definitely bad lookers!
Mrs Daydream by Tiana Harvey age 8
Blurb:
“Once upon a time” said my Mum “A beautiful girl woke up!” “Where am I ?!” I exclaimed ,”not in a castle hoping a prince will awaken me!” She said “sorry , Mums in the wrong again!” I’m 12 now and my mum still thinking I’m onto Rapunzel! She’s been acting like this since my sister left to go to UNI but how will she act when my (new) school disco I’m terrified but I’ve only got 2 days to get her back to normal how will I cope?? Read my diary to find out how!!!
♥
Stillness in the Sky by Otilia Ioana Gilca
There is a scary stillness in the sky
And one day we shall all remember why.
The sky keeps telling stories to the Earth.
Who listens? Who even cares enough?
I let the rain cry over me
Just like that cloud pretends to have remembered me.
I see it jumping with emotion:
“I recognize you! You always show devotion!”
“I do, I did, I will but what remains of that?”
“The sky is listening! The sky knows and is not flat!”
What gives you more pleasure?
Thank knowing that you can find its treasure?”
I wish that everybody listened to the sky.
It tells stories that have an answer to THE question:
WHY?
Pullover by Otilia Ioana Gilca
Pullover me,
I am warm.
I feel soft
And I stay calm.
I breathe hot,
While whispering fabrics of love
To turn creamy at night
Dripping sensations of lust.
I am bluish in the daylight,
Touch me! and I will turn bright.
Pullover me love
And hold me tight.
♥
Untitled
by Laura Harrison
People piled into the room.
All the kids had fake smiles on their faces, and trying to hide the worst part of their poor second-hand clothing.
“Alright Flo, this might be the day.” Anna whispered to her seven-year old sister, who looked worried, as she clutched her hand nervously.
Anna was fourteen, and hopeful for her sister to be adopted today.
“Hello there.” A woman with curly blond hair and a kind eyes, and hair that framed her face came right upto Anna and her sister, along with a few other adults, who had lined up after her.
Anna tilted her head at the woman who smiled warmly at Flora.
The girl smiled at the woman too, and allowed the lady to take her little hand.
“How old are you?” She asked.
Flora grinned innocently.
“Seven.” She said. Anna watched the woman moved on, then backtrack to Flora. Her heart leapt. Could this be the day that her little sister got a home?
♥
The sun rays of East field
by Mia (aged 10)
As I plodded heavily through the deep mud, I was struck by the thought of mum, all alone and far away.
Mum and I were terribly close, but we’re slowly drifting apart. The day it happened we were arguing about whether I knew the difference between my stories and reality. One minute she was yelling, the next she was on the floor. She had been away for a week and the doctors still didn’t know what was wrong.
At home with Tyler, my stepdad was hard. We don’t always get along, but I try because mum loves him. I haven’t made my mind up about Tyler yet. Life was good before Tyler. Money was tight but life on mulberry farm was bliss.
I had to get away. I headed for the hill where it was peaceful, to my favourite spot East Field, where the sun begins. I sat for what felt like an age .Then in the middle of my misery, the ball of light I had been waiting for filled the sky with light and me with hope. I saw Tylers car in the distance.
I willed my legs into action and ran.
Feeling new strength in my legs that wasn’t there before, I felt a heavy dread climb upon my shoulders What Tyler would say I got back home?
The house was quiet; no lights were on, or the smell of cooking in the air that I was used to. I shakily kicked my muddy purple converse off and crept into the house. Mums house was always warm and noisy. This house felt alien to me, eerily still.
As I crept along the hallway to my room, I heard the phone ring. My legs nearly gave way; the shrill sound of our phone rang in my ears. I ran down the hallway towards a muffled voice in the distance. I saw the familiar lean shape of my stepfather.
He replaced the receiver and looked at me.
I knew it before he spoke. Mum…..
♥
Etha, Mia and Lisa
by Erica McIndoe (aged 6, nearly 7!)
Etha Mia and Lisa are three sisters who lived in a time where girls were treated like they were not even there. That’s sad isn’t it? Well here’s the story of how it changed.
At the girls’ house women were assigned to all the chores you could possibly do. Etha Mia and Lisa did not think this was fair so they decided to have an adventure to change the world.
When the three sisters told their mom dad and little brother they just laughed “the world is ruled by boys” they teased.
It all started when Etha’s school had an announcement about a race to see if boys will keep on ruling or it will become equal. Etha dashed home “Mia Lisa Mia Lisa Mia Lisa” she cried “I have a big surprise for you!”
“Whoa calm down” said Lisa. “So what’s the big surprise? Girls have gone down in work?” asked Mia. “No but they will.” said Etha jumping up and down.
The girls went to the race. But the boys had already won. The coach was about to let the boys rule again. But before he could say it Etha spoke up. ‘’It’s not fair’’ she said. “Have you thought about changing the rules? Have you?”
The coach thought about it. Then he said ‘’I agree with you Etha’’ so the girls won after all and Etha Mia and Lisa lived happily ever after.
The end.
♥
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