Kids' Reading Room Stories by Jennifer James
February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
'George Washington'
"I remember reading in my youth a small book — 'The Life of Washington' — and of all his struggles none fixed itself on my mind so indelibly as the crossing of the Delaware preceding the Battle of Trenton…" — Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 21, 1861
July 4, 2010
July 4, 2010
'The American: A Fourth of July Tribute'
"He seized the lightning from heaven and the scepter from tyrants."
February 14, 2010
February 14, 2010
'The Boy by the Fire'
The boy's only light was the firelight. It flickered on the walls of the log cabin and danced in his deep, serious brown eyes. It was late -- the middle of the night -- his favorite time of day -- his time for reading. He especially liked to read Aesop's fables, the Bible and "The Life of Washington."
March 29, 2009
March 29, 2009
'Keeper of the Flame'
SYDNEY looked around the familiar lobby with its magnificent globe slowly rotating in the center. She loved it here. The photographs and famous front pages from the year 1881 to the present dazzled her. There were plaques with names of journalists who had given their lives in pursuit of the truth, and of course, the busts of the founders of the paper, the beautiful murals that depicted early California, and an old Linotype machine. (Invented in 1893, the Linotype was an old-fashioned way of printing the newspaper.) The Los Angeles Times has been in existence for more than 125 years.
February 1, 2009
February 1, 2009
'Ruby Bridges'
Six-year-old Ruby smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her mother had dressed her in a beautifully ironed white dress with matching shoes and socks. She even had a white ribbon in her hair. She was getting ready for her first day in a new school.
January 18, 2009
'He Had a Dream'
On Jan. 15, 1929, a baby boy was born in Atlanta to a Baptist minister and his wife. He was named Michael. Later on, the father would change the boy's name to Martin, in honor of Martin Luther, a minister and reformer who had lived in Germany in the 1500s.
November 23, 2008
Giving Thanks
It was Thanksgiving, and for the first time our whole family was together. Mom and Dad had to drive all night just to get here, but boy was it worth it! The Grandsters really know how to do it up right. The Grandsters being Grandpa and Grandma. We were all seated at the table, and I couldn't wait to dive into those mashed potatoes and gravy. And the smell of the turkey -- I thought I was going to faint with happiness.
September 7, 2008
September 7, 2008
'The Dancers'
It IS a chilly day in June, and Brittany Cherry and Brandon Armstrong are lunching with their moms at the Jazz Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. A trip to Disneyland was part of their prize on " "Dancing With the Stars."
September 18, 2006
THE KIDS' READING ROOM
'Treasure!' Part 1
"There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure."
September 19, 2006
THE KIDS' READING ROOM
'Treasure!' Part 2
"Gold mine found. In the newly made raceway of the Saw Mill recently erected by Captain Sutter, on the American Fork, gold has been found in considerable quantities … great chances here for scientific capitalists."
September 20, 2006
THE KIDS' READING ROOM
'Treasure!' Part 3
"All that fateful night we watched and prayed not knowing but that every hour might be the last " — Journal of Adeline Mills Easton, survivor of the shipwreck of the SS Central America
September 21, 2006
THE KIDS' READING ROOM
'Treasure!' Part 4
"An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind." — Ayn Rand
September 22, 2006
THE KIDS' READING ROOM
'Treasure!' Part 5
"Americans, both as individuals and as a nation, are characterized as spirited, optimistic, visionary, forward-thinking, adaptable, and entrepreneurial, traits symbolized by the pioneers, adventurers, and nation builders aboard the Central America." — "America's Lost Treasure," by Tommy Thompson
January 6, 2003
'Being Scared'
I couldn't stop yelling. I yelled and yelled until finally I woke myself up. I was crying. It was terrible -- a very frightening dream.
April 20, 2003
'Good at Heart'
"IN spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."
December 5, 2005
'Account of a Visit From St. Nicholas'
'Account of a Visit From St. Nicholas' * Part 1
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