Michael's Midnight Mission by Clara

As fast as lightning, I sat up, sweating. What happened in that dream? I remembered the baby… and blackbirds. Suddenly, I realised I had a mission… a mission I had to do. For a couple of minutes, I listened to Dad’s soft snoring and the baby’s hissy breathing. Dreading getting out from my warm duvet, I stuck a foot out of bed. My room was freezing cold! Taking a deep breath, I kicked the covers off and had to stifle a scream. The cold trickled down my back like running water. While my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I searched the room for my oak wardrobe. Once I had discovered it among the murky gloom of midnight, I grabbed whatever my hands could find. Luckily, it was a woolly jumper, tracksuit bottoms and a bobble hat. After dressing as silently as I could, I snatched my wiry, ancient slippers to wear on my feet. I inched slowly to my bedroom door. I hoped the baby didn’t wake up, or I would be in BIG trouble. I crept along the corridor, until CREAK! I had forgotten about the groaning floorboard. Mum muttered in her sleep, and I froze. I dropped to the ground and crawled the rest of the journey to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, everything was pitch black. I switched on the lights and started looking through the cupboards, desperately trying to find aspirin. Eventually, I found the small, white bottle. Despite there being twenty pills in the bottle, I decided to take them all just to be sure. Tiptoeing to the top of the patched-up staircase, I took a deep breath. This was by far the most exciting (and equally nerve-wracking) thing I had ever done in my life. As I descended the staircase, my pockets jingled because of the aspirin. “Was it really a good idea to take all the aspirin?” I thought. At the bottom of the stairs, I thanked my lucky stars I had gotten this far. Creeping to the kitchen, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t know where the keys were. No! Now I would have to blunder around looking for the keys for who knows how long. Thankfully, the keys were by the stove in the kitchen. Fearful of what was to come; I shoved the keys into the door, twisted them around and opened the door…

Stepping out into the messy overgrowth my parents called a garden, I soon spotted a monstrosity of a building looming over the estate: the garage. Beautiful stars glittered in the sky; moonlight paved the way along a long, winding path to the garage with a secret. To my right, 27 and 53 were lying in a bag on the bin. The char sui was really sticky, red and cold (it was so disgusting). Tipping the spring rolls in with the char sui, I grabbed the tray and continued my journey. My clothes were tugged at by brambles, I must be careful. What would Mum and Dad think if my tracksuit had holes in it? Before I knew it, I was outside the door of this stranger’s makeshift home. Should I do this- I don’t know…

Standing with my hand on the garage door’s handle, I contemplated my decisions. Is this dangerous? The stranger won’t even be pleased. Why am I risking getting into trouble for some old ‘person’ I don’t even know? And now I have wrecked my favourite clothes on brambles. Afraid, I pushed the one-hinged door open...

Luke: The Lost Thing

I was walking through a tunnel with who I thought would be my owner until we saw a key in a wall, so we turned the key like it was a wind-up monkey then the wall lifted up and the sky was so bright it was like nothing I had seen ever.

We were looking at all the creatures that looked …... not normal like me so I thought I would get on pretty well here all of the creatures looked like me like they didn’t belong in the real world, so they came here like it was a world for lost things there were creatures made out of loads of things like tables, televisions and lots of different types of metal.

I was so excited to try and meet some new friends but I also feel a bit nervous in case they think I am a total freak but if I do make friends then I think life will be amazing here but something doesn’t want me to go I thought it was because I didn’t want to leave my owner well if he is my owner or should I call him the man who found me we booth looked so sad like a lost sort of look but I said my goodbyes and ran into the colour or into the world of lost things.

Madeleine: The Lost Thing

We were in a dull, grey, dark place. The boy [ my owner] twisted a little key, a robot mouse came out of a hatch in the door. All of a sudden, we entered a world that was full of colour. I was so excited but then I looked around there was only lost things. No humans just lost things like me. I knew I had to say goodbye to my human friend but I just couldn't. Finally, we said goodbye to each other and then the door closed.

When I entered this world, it was full of joy, which was weird at first because the outside world (human land) was all grey and miserable so it made everyone there grumpy as well as the scenery. It took me a few seconds for me to realise I was safe. After that, I saw lots of turrets and funny shaped houses where the lost things were having tea. I found a room which was big enough for me at this hotel where most of the creatures live. When I settled down I noticed a sign above my head it read "The retired lost things land enjoy your stay!" At that point I thought that I would enjoy it here even if it was for the rest of my life.

The next morning, I was woken up by an alarm. It wasn’t like an alarm clock. It was more like a warning. The sound was smashing through the walls at top speed. The creature next door came in it told me " This is an alarm that tells everyone that a creature capturer is coming. What happens is everyone gets grey sheets and covers the colourful patterns and we all then go into a grey hide out which is like a safe."

When I got out, it was mayhem. Everyone was doing their part to save them and their friends from being captured. Then there was the sound of footsteps coming towards the door...

A new home by Maya

Today was the day. I had to say goodbye to my friend. The funny thing was I spent all this time with him and I didn't find out his name. So, I decided just to call him Mark. Mark was a lovely chap. He looked after me and he would pay attention to me not like other people.

One morning we were walking down Main Street. I stood around innocently while Mark asked another hundred people if they knew where I came from. I spotted a building. It said home for lost creatures. It was all grey and it didn’t look very welcoming. I rang my bells and Mark turned around and I showed him. He wasn't so keen on sending me there. I agreed. But then Mark held his head high and dragged me in there. The first thing we saw was a receptionist who was constantly on the phone as these weird creatures have been popping up around the town. That was exactly what happened to me. I just lay there on the beach one day. I don't think I was from anywhere. I was just a beach monster. Once the receptionist had realised that we were there waiting for about half an hour she asked us how could she help. I thought she was being silly. It was really obvious. As you don’t open a home for strange creatures for no reason. Mark told her about our situation, but she didn’t look very interested. She handed us a clump of paperwork. Mark asked for a pen, but she said she didn’t have one. How dumb was that. As Mark searched his bag for a pen, one of the caretakers whispered under their breath that this wasn’t the right place for me. Me and Mark left instantly. The caretaker gave us a notice card with the address written on it.

We had arrived. I'm about to say goodbye to my one and only best friend. Once we said our goodbyes we walked inside. The building was sort of like a tunnel. We walked through it and met with a wooden arched door. Mark knocked. We expected the door to swing open but a small hatch opened and then a small flying wind-up mouse following on. A special machine scanned it. The door opened and our eyes glued to the place. The sun glistened in our eyes and the water rippling filed our eyes. The air smelt fresh like it had just rained but no clouds were in sight. What mostly filled the land were creatures all unique, with their own style. The place was covered in colour. It was like another world for strange, lost creatures. Land stretched for miles. Creatures looking so happy, they played freely together. I rang my bells again to tell Mark that I liked it. A tear ran down his face as he wrapped his hands around me. "Goodbye" he whispered. I shook my bells for the last time as I ran off. The doors shut.

"GOODBYE AND THANK YOU!" I shouted.

The Lost Thing Paradise by Clara

The bland, grey door opened. A world full of billions of colours, full of Lost Things just like me! I was ecstatic, my owner and I could live together in a paradise. But then I realised my owner could not live with me here. He had owners; he was not a Lost Thing. I would be lonely in this world, or alone in the human world. My eye-sensors drooped. With my claw I jangled a bell solemnly. My owner thought this meant I was happy. He backed out of the Lost Thing paradise, and flicked a switch. The door began to close, symbolising the infinite gap that will separate us for the rest of our lives. I sort of waved using my bells, and he waved back. I hoped he would be happy without me, although part of me wanted him to be so sad he would come back to rescue me.

I turned around to observe the scenery. Colours burst out at all directions. There were so many Lost Things: one had an old television screen that turned flipped to create a moving image, like a flip chart; another looked like a moving chess board, which an accordion and a robotic bird were playing chess on. A bird-cage that had a pulsing heart-like thing inside had a swan decoration on the top of it. I walked across rolling, golden hills (like a desert, only more beautiful and not as hot) I thought, and “Maybe this isn't that bad?"

Later that day, I found a house where Lost Things that were new to the area could stay for a while. It was difficult for the housekeeper to find a room big enough for me. It was ten metres tall, with a seven-metre-tall door to a bathroom. I wandered down to the communal living room and played chess with the accordion thing I had seen earlier. As I triumphantly announced, “Checkmate!” I felt like I was going to enjoy Lost Thing Paradise…

The home for misunderstood creatures. By Scarlett B

James cautiously rang the red bell on the metal door. A small bird emerged from a tiny opening underneath us. It examined us, tweeting and chirping, then hopped back through it and disappeared into the unknown world behind the door. As soon as it was shut, a huge door swung open to reveal a garden. The golden sun was blinding. Inside were many different creatures. Some big, some small. They were all so different and unique, yet they all had something in common. They were lost, misunderstood once, but they seemed to be found, or at least happy.

I looked up and saw a sign. It read, The Home For Misunderstood Creatures. Was this my home? James smiled at me, reassuring me that it was ok and that I could go. My bells shook, and I waved goodbye. Then I stepped into the garden.

It was like a new world! The creatures were all unusual. There was a chess board with legs; a flying, metal shark; a postbox with eyes, a mouth, legs and arms and many more. One thing that really stood out to me was a huge red, ball-like creature. It had 10 mint green legs sprouting out from various holes. A small, silver fan was spinning round and round. It had 2 sets of bells, on ropes, dangling down from it sides. Two tiny, red eyes were peeping out of a hatch, staring at me. Wait! Is that a ME? I went over and began chatting with it. I found out that she was called Sara. We immediately got along and became best friends.

The Best Day Ever by Clara, Stuart and Darcie

“Well, this is disappointing,” huffed Mum, staring at the dreadful room. The walls were encrusted with dirt. The estate agent was driving away, while shouting “You can move in today!” Dad rolled his eyes. Upstairs, the house was no better. The bathroom had horrible bright green tiles, no bath, and a trickling shower. A cracked toilet looked like it could fall apart at any second. Jerry and Stephanie’s rooms were exactly the same size (they were very small). Henry (the dog) whined at the depressing, ripped-up dog bed.

The next day, after a very uncomfortable night’s sleep, Mum and Dad set about repainting the house. Jerry and Stephanie took Henry for a walk (they were extremely bored). While Mum and Dad were taking off the previous paint, they discovered a secret oak-panelled door. “That’s odd…” exclaimed Dad. They tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

When Stephanie, Jerry and Henry arrived home, Mum and Dad showed them the door. They thought it was really suspicious, and Jerry was terrified. Stephanie sighed, grabbed the door-handle, and pushed it. It opened with a loud click. Gasping in wonder, they looked at the magnificence of its contents…

The door opened into an amazing room, it was a parallel version of their own house, only much more luxurious. There were at least twenty diamond-encrusted phones lying on the grand table. “Wow!” screamed the children, rushing to grab a phone each. Ancient tapestries decorated the pastel blue walls. “I call the biggest bedroom!” shouted Stephanie and Jerry, sprinting upstairs.

 All bedrooms were the same size (the size of the other house). “I have a pink laptop,” exclaimed Stephanie, “And it is the latest version.” The walls were wallpapered with light pink roses. She had her own bathroom, with hot pink towels. White shelves held all the things she most wanted: bags full of make-up, five brand-new pairs of high heels and one million pounds worth of jewellery.

Meanwhile, in Jerry’s bedroom, posters of Star Wars characters hung everywhere. Even his bed had a duvet cover of a Stormtrooper. Jerry had a dark blue laptop, with a screen cover of the Star Wars sign. In his wardrobe was a Yoda costume designed for Henry (their husky). Gazing in wonder at the priceless Star Wars figurines, Jerry called out to his family, “This is the best room ever!” Mum and Dad knew at that moment, they were going to make a lot of memories there.

Back to the past by Scarlett, Alycia and Jakub

“Are we nearly there?” I moaned, “It seems like we have been on this plane for years!”     
“Be patient Holly,” said mum, over the sound of my 4 year old brother Timmy being sick. He got very travel sick - especially on planes - and it was driving us crazy. We had been on the plane for over 3 hours, so we were all a bit bored.  We were heading to Crete, in Greece. It had been where my mum had grown up.

Mum and dad had a huge argument back in London, and it had made my mum decide to leave him. She thought this was the perfect chance for her to take us to live in Crete. I was very disappointed to be leaving my BFF Mia, but after I googled our new property, I instantly fell in love with it. I was mesmerized by the size of it, and the massive pool in the garden. Although the home had a few modern pieces, it was an old place, with a hint of mystery to it.

“You have now landed in Crete airport. Please remember to take all of your belongings with and take care when exiting the plane.” We were officially in Crete. There was no turning back…

  We frantically grabbed our luggage from the carousel, as we had to race to grab the only free taxi outside. I danced out of the turning doors into the unfamiliar humid air. My legs were wobbly like jelly after spending almost 4 hours on a cramped plane. I was so glad to be off it. The taxi ride was quick, and before we knew it, we were turning the corner to our new street. As soon as we saw it I didn’t know what to think. Hundreds of different thoughts were racing around my head. Did I like it? Is this it? The house was huge! It was also so terrifying it sent shivers down my spine. Moss engulfed the old brick walls, and crumbling dark oak trees loomed overhead, placing a permanent shadow over the house. The garden was not visible from where we were. This house was VERY different to the picture. Thanks a lot for tricking me Google!

I cautiously turned the handle of the creaky door. It swung open to reveal a spacious living room. It had hard wood flooring, making the room feel freezing cold. The walls were smothered in Victorian wallpaper; it looked like one of my Nan’s dresses. There was no furniture, only a fire place. I walked on towards it, and the floorboards screeched under my feet. I swept my hands over the wooden mantelpiece on top of the fire place. My hand emerged, covered in years’ worth of dust. On either side of it, were two ornaments. They were creepy dolls. They looked like they were staring at me, beckoning me to touch them. Should I? Oops! I suddenly slipped on the wooden floor, kicking the doll whilst falling. A deafening, high pitched scream filled my ears. It was painful. It didn’t last long, but it couldn’t be over quick enough for me. I wondered if it was just in my head, but I will never know because there was nobody else in the house. My mum and brother had gone out to investigate the neighbourhood and our new neighbours in the surrounding houses. Eventually, the noise stopped, and I got to my feet and straightened my skirt. When I looked at the fire place, the doll was stood up, in its original place, but the fireplace was twisted back. There was a large hole in the wall, just big enough for me to crawl through. It was tempting. Too tempting. I just couldn’t resist. I went in, head first, not daring to think what my mum would say.

It was like a portal to a whole new world. The first thing I saw was a lady about twenty years old. She was having a conversation with a man. He looked about the same age. Her hair was long, down past her shoulders, and it was a glistening brown, with blond highlights on the ends. The man had short blonde hair and emerald green eyes. Wait, she looks familiar. So does he. Is that, MUM and DAD? It is them! Then, before I could fully grasp what I was seeing, a flash of blue light blinded me. The setting changed. It still had mum and dad in it, but now they had a little toddler with them. Me! I was short and cute, especially as I was giggling at a joke that dad just made. Mum was pregnant! That must be Timmy.  I shout at them but they can’t hear me. It was like they were trapped in a bubble of the past, and I was just a bubble blowing past them in the wind. I saw a button on a wall, and instinctively pressed it, unknowing of the consequences it might bring. They sped up, going in super-fast motion. I watched myself grow, from toddler, to child, to now. I saw mum giving birth to baby Timmy. I saw so many happy moments, that I will never forget. I also saw not so good things, tthings that I wish I could forget. The argument. I had heard mumbling from the other room when it had happened, but I had never heard the details, and the reasons. Mum had refused to tell me and so I didn’t go on. Now I know the real reason. It was all my fault. I was the one who broke them up and caused us to flee our old home. I cried, and cried. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t tear away my eyes. It was all because of my love for mum. I had always hated dad. He was mean to me and Timmy and hated Timmy. One day I stood up to him. He didn’t like it at all. Dad hurt me. He beat me. I could look any more so I just walked away.

I’m sure I could get used to this house. Soon it could turn to a home.

Lexi's review of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice in Wonderland, which is written in the third person, tells the surreal tale of a girl named Alice (the main character) falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar creatures in which she finds many friends. As events unfold, each more bizarre than the next, Alice begins to realize there is more to people than it may seem. When faced with insanity, can Alice stay true to herself and remain 'normal'?

In the story Alice considered herself to be the only 'ordinary' character out of the many creatures/people she meets over a time period of a day. Time and time again during the story you see Alice stay with her own firm opinions, even though Wonderland would make me question myself about my beliefs. Reading this book, I felt excited and a bit scared, however it was so interesting I had to finish it. I found the Mad Hatter the most interesting because there was so much about him the author didn’t explain and I wanted to know more. I liked the fact it didn’t make very much sense as things didn't really follow on from each other.

I loved the setting and how mysterious the White Rabbit and Wonderland are. My favourite part of the story was when Alice grew and shrunk after eating and drinking a magical cake and potion because it is so unusual and dreamlike. I wonder what Lewis Carroll's inspiration for this story was? I would definitely recommend this book as it was a great read and led me to find out all kinds of new vocabulary I could use in my writing. Next, I want to read more about Alice's adventures in 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'.

Ella's Review of Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda is a young girl who lives at home alone because her Mum leaves her to play bingo and her Dad goes to work with her brother Michael selling broken cars. Matilda is left alone to learn how to cook and clean. However, her brother is indulged. Luckily for her, Miss Honey comes to the rescue and adopts her for good.

Matilda's life at home was hard for a five-and-a-half-year-old, but she managed to find a way at home. She taught herself how to cook, clean, wash up, read and lots more every day challenges for a five-year-old. When her parents got home all they would do was watch tv until one day Matilda finally convinced her parents to let her go to school where she met kind teacher Miss Honey. When Miss Honey saw Matilda, she noticed she was different and smarter which made her special. Matilda showed her recently discovered and unusual powers. Miss Honey came to the rescue and adopted Matilda from her horrible parents Mr and Mrs Wormwood.

This book covered Matilda's whole life up till she was six and a half years old, which is weird because the book is so small but her life was so big. In the story I liked it how the start of the story was slow and it built up to be more exciting as the story went on. All the events followed on from each other and as the story unfolded I could predict what was going to happen, which made me feel excited.

The main characters were Matilda, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, Miss Honey and Miss Trunchball, the Headmistress. Matilda was a sweet, smart and caring girl, while her parents were liars and cheats who were so disgusted that she was different. Miss Honey was the nicest person you will ever meet and loved Matilda with all her heart, but on the other hand Miss Trunchball was the strictest person in the world and hated children.

I liked how Roald Dahl described Mr Wormwood as a mean crooked crook. I Found Miss Honey the most interesting as her past was so bad but by the end of the book, she had got her house back and better wages and was happy. I think Miss Honey developed to see life from other people's perspectives. On the other hand, Miss Trunchball the Headmistress of the school hated children and punished them by putting them in The Chokey. The Chokey was a narrow cupboard that is 10 inches square with broken glass sticking out of the walls and nails in the door and you cannot sit or squat, so it is a very uncomfortable and scary punishment. 

The story was written in third person as it was describing Matalida's life. I liked how it described the setting where ever she went, although in the story it didn’t really describe her or the other character's feelings in detail. I thought it was a good story because it was entertaining to read. My favourite part of the book was when Miss Honey adopts Matilda, because it is when the story ends happily ever after.

When I was reading this story, I felt that I could not put the book down. After I read the book, I felt happy because I had read it, but sad it was finished. From the book I learnt that you should not judge people before knowing them. I would recommend this book to other people as I enjoyed because the characters were so interesting and well written.  I think other people will like it too. I would read other books by Roald Dahl as his books are so creative and wonderful.