Passages

A Bike for Ben

“Hey, Ben, let’s go ride to the park,” called Dion. He and Thomas were on their bikes and wanted Ben to come along. Ben shook his head sadly. All of his friends had bicycles. He did not. Ben wished he had one so he could go riding with his friends.…

Sea Hag

From stormy seas, As waters churned, A gruesome lesson    Once was  learned By a foolish sailor One terrible day. He risked it all, He’d later say, For the love of a lady, A mermaid, it’s true, A beautiful creature From the ocean blue. He sailed his ship From here to…

A Puppy for Poppy

“I’m going to miss you so much, Poppy,” said the tall, gangly teenager. He bent down to hug his old golden retriever farewell. He stood up, hugged his parents, and smiled, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. His parents were not quite able to keep…

A Stormy Day

Black Beauty is the story of a black horse in England in the 1800s. It tells the story from the horse’s viewpoint. The book covers Black Beauty’s life from the time he is born until his old age. In this passage, Black Beauty has been harnessed to a cart to…

The First of the Three Spirits

A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a successful but tight-fisted English businessman who hates Christmas. Scrooge has been told by the ghost of his dead business partner that three spirits will visit him. These spirits are the last chance Scrooge has to avoid the fate of his…

Swara the Snow White Swan

Swara was a swan. Her feathers were as white as snow. She lived at the lake with her friends, the ducks and turtles.   All the ducks liked to splash and swim. Some even liked to dive head-first into the water and kick their orange feet into the air. The turtles…

The Wolf and the House Dog

There was once a Wolf who got very little to eat because the Dogs of the village were so wide awake and watchful. He was really nothing but skin and bones, and it made him very downhearted to think of it. One night this Wolf happened to fall in with…

At the Sign of the “Spy-Glass”

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is about a boy named Jim Hawkins who discovers a pirate’s treasure map. Jim, along with Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey, have decided to buy a ship, hire a crew, and look for the treasure. In this passage, Jim has been sent to an inn…

The Climb

One sunny day, Marco went outside to play. He looked at the tall tree in his front yard. It was the tallest tree in the neighborhood. The tree was taller than Marco’s parents. It was even taller than his house! Marco tipped his head back to look at the top of the…

The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf

A Shepherd Boy tended his master’s Sheep near a dark forest not far from the village. Soon he found life in the pasture very dull. All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or play on his shepherd’s pipe. One day as he sat watching…