Poetry

ECSTASY

As I walked through my brain, the scattered pictures, broken dreams.

It may be just another day, but to me it's my whole life.

The scent of dissapointment lingers in the air, with a touch of love and a
hint of fear.

I stumble upon a picture of her, but to me it's my whole life.

Outside I hear some music playing, inside here everything goes blank. No
fear, no pain, no heart break or deceit.

Just me alone in my ECSTASY

by Cary
8th Grader
Oak Park, MI
War

The fighters, rarely destroying themselves,
Who we are.
They fight an enemies body,
The enemies mind.
They fight more than flesh, for more than flesh.

The enemies are misguided, forever destroying their enemies, who we are.
Enemies are different, think different, think wrong.
Fight more than flesh, fight mind.

The motionless crowd.
Green in aspect.
Stare at friend and foe alike
Do they still feel as they did? As we do?
Do they regret their sacrifice.
We all wish they were here, with us, fighting once more by our side

The good men, rarely destroying themselves,
Dying one by one, killing one by one
Given everything.

I want to know.

Jerome
12th Grader
St. Cloud, MN

Swedish Scent

My door was shut but you showed me the way
No one cared but you did
Like an angle from heaven or spirt above
I thank you for your love
So gentle and caring as I watch myself stare
I'll never forget you even if we're apart
aways forever you'll be in my heart

Jarrod
7th Grader
Lawrence, MA

What is Love

Love is a feeling
Deep within your heart.
Caring, Sharing, Trusting,
Knowing you can count....
On one another.
Love is like a dream
The impossible can happen and will.
Love is magical,
A feeling like walking on air.
Love is the willingness to do anything...
Willing to die for the other,
Willing to show your true self.
Love may hurt...
But it's always worth it.
Love is a feeling
Deep within your heart,
That will never go away.

Dedicated to William Donald Jarvis II

Lacey
11th Grader
Arkansas City, KS

By the Fire

By the fire i'm nice and cozy
I see that my cheeks are very rosy
sipping my cocoa by the fire
reading my book about " Liar Liar"

Look at my watch it's time for bed
turn on my light
crawl in my blankets and drop my head

Under my blankets I think in my mind
how much fun I could have
in a century of time

My mom comes in and says
"Turn off the light"
and then she adds
"Have a good night."

Michael
6th Grader
Metheun, MA

 
Read a great book lately?

Write up a review and submit it for publication on this Book Reviews page.

Please note:  TeenLit.com accepts only individual submissions.  We do not accept bulk or whole class submissions.  The initial book reviews were submitted by one class and were accepted early on to provide content for this page.  Now that TeenLit.com is well under way, we accept only individual and not whole class submissions.
Book Reviews

The Wave
By Todd Strasser

The Wave  by Todd Strasser is a true story about the students of Gordon High who become participants in a experiment that goes too far.  Ben Ross, their teacher as well as the waves leader, has no idea how far his little experiment has gone.  All Ben wanted to do is show his senior history class why Adolf Hitler had so much power.  The experiment gets out of hand when the wave goes from his class to the whole school and the students that dont want to join are harassed.  She really was blowing it out of proportion, wasnt she?  It really was just a fad, wasnt it?  Laurie Saunders has just realized that the wave isnt that good.  Soon after, David Collins realizes the same.  Can they stop the wave before it goes to far?  The author of this book put it together wonderfully!  He explains with such ease and the ending comes together so well.  If you enjoy reading true stories or are just looking for a good book, then go to the library and get a copy of The Wave.

Liz
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

The Car
Gary Paulsen

The book The Car by Gary Pulsen is about a teenage boy who was abandoned by his parents and goes on a journey to reach his uncle.  When Terry finds out that he is alone, he decides to build a car out of his dads old car kit.  When it is finished, Terry goes from Cleveland, Ohio to Port land, Oregon to find his  distant uncle.  He had never driven before and ends up having to teach himself.  Along the way he meets an extraordinary man named Waylon.  Waylon ends up helping Terry to learn about life.  The quality of mercy is not straind; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.   It is twice blessed.  It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.  And Terry opened his eyes for the first view of Waylon Jackson.  That quote is about the first time that Terry met Waylon.  The scripture that Waylon is quoting is by Shakspere.
I thought that the author did a good job of describing things but I didn't like how the book just left you hanging.  If you like cars or working on cars, this book is for you.  It describes a lot in detail about how cars work and how to fix them.

Greg
7th Grade
Worthington, OH

The Car
Gary Paulsen

The book The Car by Gary Pulsen is about a teenage boy who was abandoned by his parents and goes on a journey to reach his uncle.  When Terry finds out that he is alone, he decides to build a car out of his dads old car kit.  When it is finished, Terry goes from Cleveland, Ohio to Port land, Oregon to find his  distant uncle.  He had never driven before and ends up having to teach himself.  Along the way he meets an extraordinary man named Waylon.  Waylon ends up helping Terry to learn about life.  The quality of mercy is not straind; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.   It is twice blessed.  It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.  And Terry opened his eyes for the first view of Waylon Jackson.  That quote is about the first time that Terry met Waylon.  The scripture that Waylon is quoting is by Shakspere.
I thought that the author did a good job of describing things but I didn't like how the book just left you hanging.  If you like cars or working on cars, this book is for you.  It describes a lot in detail about how cars work and how to fix them.

Greg
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

The Car
Gary Paulsen

The  Car  by the author Gary Paulsen is an exciting adventure about a teenage boy named Terry who has been abandoned by his parents. His father, an overworked mechanic leaves behind a car kit in the garage. Tell your mother Im not coming back-Ive got all my stuff, or everything I want. Im sick of the whole thing. (Paulsen 9) Terrys father says. Terry pokes around at the car kit a little, and  soon he finds himself building the car called Cat alone in the garage. Soon enough, the car is built and Terry is on his way to Oregon seeking an uncle he hardly knows. Terry learns very quickly how to drive this car. On his way out West Terry picks up a very strange war veteran named Waylon. He teaches him many things about the world, and life. The two of them pick up one of Waylons war buddies on the way. They visit many people and places on thier journey. The story ends when the two men get into a fight and the police come. I think the author did an extremely good job on the whole story-except the ending. The story ends too suddenly! I wanted to know what happened next. I would rocommend this book to anyone who likes cars or somebody with a like for suspense.

Marshall
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

Twink
John Neufeld


Twink, by John Neufeld, is a true story about a young girl who was born handicapped but discovers the joy that life has to bring.  After being handicapped since birth, Twink developed a disease that is very deadly.  She has an operation that saves her life, but a few days later, she finds out that the operation cost her her eyesight.  She is very grateful for her life and praise to God every morning for the day that is dawning.   Twink was crushed.  She had to be.  But she soared afterward...   I think this quote showed how much courage or bravery Twink really has.  The author of Twink I felt rushed the ending a little bit.  I wish he would have explained a little more about what Twinks future was going to be after the book ended.  I believe that if you like to read about people who have a disability that they learn to deal with, that you would enjoy this book.

Chelsea
7th Grade
Worthington, OH

The Ghost Train
Jess Mowry

In the book Ghost Train by Jess Mowry, a boy and a girl try to unlock the secrets of The Ghost Train, a mysterious train that comes only in the middle of the night.   A young boy from Haiti, Remi, meets a wrong side of town girl, Niya.   They met while they were walking to school one day, get to talking, and Niya finds out that Remi has been seeing The Ghost Train.   In time the two grow closer together, and begin to trust each other.   One night they plan on meeting and trying to find the discarded body of the aimless spirit haunting the train tracks.    Eventually, after lots of research, Niya and Remi discover that the man whose spirit is haunting the tracks was once hit and killed by the train.   What really happened has happened.   He was run down by his own train... over 50 years ago.   I liked the way the author used real life language but, he started the book off too sharply.   If you like real life description and can handle a little bit of profanity, this book is for you. 

Isaac
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

Durable Goods
Elizabeth Berg

Durable Goods, by Elizabeth Berg, was about a young girl going through life with her abusive father and trying to deal with the death of her mother.  The only two people who seem to care for her are her best friend , Cherylanne, and her older sister, Diana.  Their father tells them they are moving.  Katie and Diana cant handle the abuse so they run away with Dianas boyfriend, Dickie.  Katie decides she cant go on when they get half way to Mexico and she calls Cherylanne.  Her father comes to get her with their new puppy along with him.  They return home and move in three days.  Unlike Diana, Katie finally gets through to her father and live with no abuse.  For a moment I see him as someone other than my father, and he seems so curious to me, and sad, like an animal wrongly tied up.  I think the author means that the softer side of him was showing for a moment.  I really enjoyed reading this book but I think it could have been a little more exciting.  This story is mainly about dealing with life.  If you like books about life and dealing with life, then I highly recommend this book.

Kyla
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

Durable Goods
Elizabeth Berg

Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg is a story about a teenager who has an abusive father and solves that problem by running away. The main character Katie, along with her older sister Diane, have been physically beaten by their father. With her mother dead nobody is there to defend them. After moving place-to-place, the family finally settles down and makes friends. But when the girls are told that they have to move again, they decide to take action. Along with Dianes boyfriend, the girls decide to runaway to Mexico. But after calling her best friend, Katie decides to have her father pick her up. Although her sister and boyfriend move on, her father is forgiving. I think the author in this book was awesome. She had a good plot. But some words and actions were for more mature people. But how she described the characters was great. I recommend this book to only mature teens.

Benjamin
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

 

Durable Goods
Elizabeth Berg

Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg is a novel about a young girl who lost her mother and is trying to help and understand her fathers feelings and grief.   Katie, the main character, has a father who is in the military and her family has to move quite often.  Her mother died, and her father misses her very much and is having a  lot of trouble raising his two daughters.  He is definitely not a mother and does not know how to handle the things that happen to girls.  Katie and her older sister have been trying to deal with his anger and frustration toward the loss of their mother for a long time and cant take it any more. They decide to run away.   Elizabeth Berg did a great job writing this book; it was exciting, interesting, and fun to read.  In the end it didnt seem like she really finished the book; it seemed like everything went back to how it was before.  After an interesting or exciting part, it went dull then exciting then dull.  It needs to stay interesting throughout the book.  I recommend this book for girls who want to read about how it is to live without a mother, or have the experience of living without a mother.

Lynsey
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

Alice the Brave
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Alice the Brave is by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. It is about a girl named Alice McKinley who faces many of the problems teenage girls confront. In this particular book Alice is afraid of deep water, but by the end of the summer Alice overcomes her fear. Alices mom died when she was four years old of Leukemia. She lives with her dad and her brother Lester who is twenty-one. She doesnt have anyone to talk to about personal things besides her two best friends Pamela and Elizabeth, but Pamela and Elizabeth are pretty much clueless about them also, so Alice has to call her Aunt Sally long distance in Chicago. Aunt Sally is a little paranoid though. The biggest problem Alice had was her fear of deep water and all of her friends are going to spend most of their summer swimming at Mark Stedmeisters pool. Alice trys to make up excuses of why she cant go in the pool , but after a big incident at the pool, Alice learns to swim, with some assistance of Lester and goes back and shows all of friends she indeed can swim. This was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read books that are humorous, realistic, and about adolescense.

Lea
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

Wilderness  Peril
Thomas Dygard

The  book  I  read  was  Wilderness  Peril  by   Thomas  Dygard . This  book  is  about  two  teenage   boys  who  get  into  a  life-threatening  adventure   in  the  woods . The  teenage  boys  go  on  one   last  camping  trip  together  before  they  go   to  college . After  canoeing  all  day  the  boys   go  on  a  hike . They  decided  to  get   blueberries  for  tomorrow  morning`s  breakfast  pancakes . While  in  a  field  they  find  loose  dirt . The   boys  are  courise  so  they  dig  up  the   dirt . Under  the  loose  dirt  there  were   two  bags  of  money  . The  bags  contained   three  quarters  of  a  million  dollars ! They  next   morning  they  headed  to  a  checkout  point   while  being   chased  by  a  angry  hijacker . The  boys  barely  made  it  out  and  they   handed  the  money  over  to  the  FBI . This   author  did  a  excellent  job  with  suspense .   I   wanted  to  keep  reading  the  book ,although  I  wish  the  author  would  have  described   the  characters  better . This  is  a  great  book   for  people  who  love  mysteries  and  lots  of   action . 

Kyle
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

Harris and Me
Gary Paulsen

Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen is a funny boyish story.The main character and the farm boy Harris have a great time and many adventures on the small farm. The main character has no true home because his parents have drinking problems and he has to leave. When he comes to a small farm, he finds a weird family. Harris always cusses and has far out ideas, Louie, the farm hand eats faster than lightning, and Harris sister slaps him all the time. On one adventure Harris and the main character play cowboys, Harris uses a real shotgun while riding a horse. Needless to say Harris sees stars. this book is great if you like funny adventures. The author did great on the adventures, but if you dont like foul langauge, read carefully, Harris loves to cuss!

Nick
7th Grader
Worthington, OH

 
         
 

Last Updated
11/30/03

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