In the late 1880s, a French author...

In the late 1880s, a French author wrote stories about fantastic vehicles and amazing voyages. He told stories about a trip round the world in 80 days, a vessel that could travel 20,000 leagues under the sea, and a ship that flew to the moon. At the time, these stories were pure fantasy. But a hundred years later, all of these have come true. As proven by Jules Verne, through literature our imaginations are given a glimmer of the future and the impossible can become possible. What other wondrous worlds do the imaginations of writers hold in store for us?

LITERATURE

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

LEVEL ONE

Tales to Tell: Wonderfully illustrated fables, rhymes and stories from other lands. Color scenes from your favorite tales, read stories from other kids, or send in one of your own in the Kid Stuff Section.

https://www.thekids.com/kids/stories/

Theodore Tugboat: Two Theodore Tugboat stories where you get to choose what happens next at the end of every page.

https://www.cochran.com/theodore/noframe/stories.html

Online Children’s Stories: Extensive list of Web sites to quality children’s reading.

https://www.ucalgary.ca/-dkbrown/stories.html

LEVEL TWO

Classics for Young People: More than sixty online stories, including ‘The Wizard of Oz’ series, ‘The Wind in the Willows,’ ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,’ and ‘The Little Princess.’

https://www.ucalgary.ca/-dkbrown/storclas.html

Children’s Authors & Illustrators, and Their Books: Learn more about your favorite books (Goosebumps, Redwall, and more) by finding out about the people who created them.

https://www.ucalgary.ca/-dkbrown/authors.html

Midlink Magazine: An electronic magazine written by and for middle schoolers. Stories, drawings, class projects and fun activities submitted by children from all over the world.

https://longwood.cs.ucf.edu/-MidLink/

LEVEL THREE

Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: A list of the best Web sites on this great playwright and poet. Perfect for school--includes analysis, glossaries, and even tests so you can check your knowledge. Check out the virtual tours of the Globe Theatre.

https://www.palomar.edu/Library/SHAKE.HTM

Columbia University Project Bartleby: Contains classic literary works elegantly presented. Included are plays, poems, novels, and a searchable index of all online works.

https://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/

American Literary tradition: A clickable timeline provides information on specific literary movements (from Puritan to Realism) and on key literary figures such as Washington Irving, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Mark Twain.

https://members.aol.com/sayreboyz/amlit/3frames.htm

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine Department of Education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s Quest was designed by Anna Manring and Stan Woo-Sam.