The New Girl

Chapter Five – The New Girl September 1953 The Cold War was a scary time for America. The big bad Soviets were the classic villains, with their missiles aimed at the US. It got so bad that folks started building bunkers under their homes, which were strong enough to withstand the end of the world….

Middletown Middle / Chapter Four – The Giant Well. (Updated 7

AI is wild.  I made a snippet of a book using my favorite narrator Will Patten’s AI voice to test the story’s cadence.  I removed most of the story but just left in a snippet I made using some AI tools.  Listen here and read  below. The Giant Well August 1863 The hot Kansas wind…

Dee Dee McGee and Her Musical Knee

Have a scab-picker living under your roof? Imagine what would happen if instead of blood, loud music was released each time the body’s healing powers were interrupted. Here’s a poem about a young girl with a proclivity for picking scabs, and how her knee took it to the next level to stop her. Dee Dee…

Middletown Middle: The Girls Who Never Left

“All the best times in my life happen at camp,” ten-year-old Sally declares, hugging her bunkmate on the first day of camp. They hadn’t seen each other since the previous summer, but they pick up right where they left off. “It’s because the rules are different here,” Nancy, Sally’s bunkmate, remarks as she finds a…

Middletown Middle – Story Ten – The Replacement

“Follow the supernatural journey of Benjamin Brown as he becomes the janitor at Middletown Middle and must confront the ghost of the previous janitor, Chaska Washington. With the help of a sympathetic teacher, Benjamin must complete the tasks that the ghost was unable to finish in life and lay him to rest. But Benjamin’s journey as the school’s “doorkeeper” doesn’t end there, as he must continue to protect the school and its students from otherworldly threats for the rest of his lifetime. Will Benjamin be able to find his replacement before it’s too late? Read this eerie tale to find out.”

Middletown Middle – Spirit Week

May 2005 The State Robot Olympics is only one day away, and the Middletown Middle School robotics team has hit a roadblock: their robot isn’t working. Adding to the chaos, it’s also the school’s Spirit Week, so the eighth-graders are distracted by silly hair, wacky socks, free snacks, and pep rallies. The team of four…

Driving with Whales and Zeppelins

Driving with Whales and Zeppelins Boring.  That was how eight-year-old Louis Butler describes visiting Grandpa Charlie’s cottage on the isle of Jersey. The man did not have Nintendo or Cable TV. His telly was an old piece of furniture with plants and books atop it. Visits always consisted of sitting around drinking tea in the…

Middletown Middle – Bus J

March 12, 2020  The ride home on Bus J is always an adventure. It ships the rowdiest kids on the longest ride — a 45-minute trek down Old Bridge Road, through one of the state’s densest forests. It always looked like it was on the verge of nighttime, even on the sunniest days. The man…

Middletown Middle – Menu Monster

February 2018 Principal Sosa: I gave my students the assignment to write three paragraphs summarizing their weekend. One of the kids wrote hundreds. He has unlimited screen time so you imagine how boring his summaries are.  Check out his report this week. I’ll need some feedback.   WEEKEND WRAP-UP This weekend me and my brother Billy…