Young Readers League 2016 Writing Contest

Category 1 (Age 8-11)

Honorable Mention


The Lady of the Moon

by Jasmine Sov
10 years old (Grade 5)
Sierra Madre Elementary School

 

Sadilena (Sadie) Rose D’Moonelle had always known she was special. Even as she ate her mutton stew at the orphanage, she knew she was special.

One day, Sadie laid in her lumpy bed, thinking that she wanted to run away. Away from this horrible orphanage, away from lumpy beds, away from terrible Miss Hardelin. She concentrated and concentrated on leaving the orphanage.

Just like that, Sadie rose into the air on a bed of roses and moonlight, and she sailed away.

“Oh no, NOT THE TREE, NOT THE TREE, NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Sadie’s magical bed of roses and moonlight got shredded to a single rose and a tendril of moonlight, with her hanging on to it.

“Boy, I wish I could land someplace safe!” yelled Sadie as she hung on to the rose and moonlight tendrils while the ground was coming closer.  The moonlight and rose picked her up and landed her safely in front of many indigo-colored tents.  Circus Indigolette, they read.

She went up to the old man at the ticket booth in front.

“Ticket, please.”

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have a ticket.” said Sadie.

Just then, a boy around her age in a navy blazer came to the ticket booth. He handed the ticket master a bottle of orange pop. The ticket master inspected it.

“Hour ticket. Have fun.”

“That wasn’t a ticket, that was orange pop!” Sadie protested.

“I know a ticket when I see it, young lady. Hey, what’s that in your hand?”

Sadie held out the moonlight-swirled rose. It was red and white, now that it had absorbed moonlight.

“Now, what’s this? My, where’d you get this? You’re to go to Ms. Indigolette at once, do hurry.”

Sadie entered Circus Indigolette and later became known as the Lady Of The Moon.


Contest info:

Tell us something about a new character joining a magical circus. What is their special ability? How did they come to join the circus?

Special thanks to our judges:  Allison Hill (Vromans), Nick Smith (Pasadena Library), Shauna Redmond (Pasadena Library), Tiffany Duenas (Pasadena Library), Jean Penn (Pasadena Library)

Sponsored by the Friends of the Pasadena Public Library


To view more stories from the contest, view the list:  http://pasadena-library.net/kids/2016/yrlcontest