Vanessa’s story was well done Mrs Bingsley said Her lead sentence was super She included lots of details She turned toward Miss Priss-A-Poo Vanessa you have the write stuff Vanessa hung the pencil on the board Everyone clapped Except me I counted pencils Can you read your opening sentence Vanessa Mrs Bingsley asked Vanessa cleared her throat and read Saturday was the best day of my life Ohhh said Mrs Bingsley What an attention grabber You sucked us right into the story She patted Vanessa on the back Did it make anyone want to hear more Everyone’s hands fl ew up Except mine What happened on Saturday asked Johnny 7
I wanted to know too said Mrs Bingsley A lead sentence grabs our attention It makes us beg for more Who wants to hear the entire story Everyone’s hands fl ew up again Except mine Let’s gather on the carpet said Mrs Bingsley Tamara got to the carpet fi rst She plopped down on the purplicious beanbag chair Matthew got the dusty blue one Me I squished in between Johnny and Crockett It was not comfy cozy Vanessa climbed into the Author’s Chair Her feet dangled over the edge She swung them back and forth and read A Dream Come True by Vanessa Garfi nkle Saturday was the best day of my life After fi ve years my dream fi nally came true 8
My parents took me to Happy Tails Happy Tails is an animal shelter Lots of dogs live there But they don’t want to live there They want a home of their own They are looking for families to adopt them I walked up and down the rows and rows of cages I saw all kinds of dogs I saw a poodle a dalmatian three Chihuahuas a golden retriever beagles black Labs German shepherds and even a Great Dane Miss Lucy the owner let some dogs come out and play with me The golden retriever ran over to me and wagged its tail She licked my face and was playful Mrs Bingsley interrupted She said Are Vanessa’s words painting a picture in your head That’s what a good writer does 9
I squeezed my eyes shut I pictured the dog wagging its tail Vanessa continued reading I played with other dogs too But no matter which dog I played with the golden retriever wouldn’t leave me alone Finally Miss Lucy asked Which dog would you like to adopt But it was too late The golden retriever had already adopted me Everyone laughed We laughed again when she wrote about the puppy slobbering on her shoes When Vanessa said that Sparky had seven accidents in three days Alex raised his hand Mrs Bingsley I think I need to go to the bathroom now he said When Vanessa fi nished she jumped up and took a bow The end Everyone clapped Including me It was a good story She deserved the pencil Vanessa had the write stuff 10
