IN THIS ISSUE:
A Letter From the Editors
"The First Day of Fifth Grade" by Rachael
Two Poems From Our Readers
Matthew's Joke Corner
Pet of the Month!
Book Review: Holes
The Back to School Survey
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A Letter From the Editors

Dear Readers,

Well, summer is OVER. We are sad about that. Jordan and I are in fifth grade now and Matthew is in sixth grade, which he will not stop talking about. We started the Lightning Bug Gazette in June as a summer project because my mom said we could not watch TV all summer, and now it is September and it is still going! That is FOUR issues!!!

We got 31 e-mails since the last issue. That is the most ever. Thank you to everybody who sent stuff. We could not fit everything in so if your poem is not here it might be in Issue #5. Also thank you to the girl in Idaho who said we are her favorite e-zine. We are going to print that out and put it on the refrigerator.

Now that school started we have homework so the Gazette might come out a little late some months. But it is still coming out. We PROMISE. Matthew pinky swore.

Your editors,
Rachael and Jordan (and Matthew)

The First Day of Fifth Grade
a story by Rachael, 10, Missouri

Erin woke up at 5:30 in the morning even though the bus did not come until 7:40. She had laid her clothes out the night before. Her new jeans, her purple shirt with the star on it, and her new shoes that she was not allowed to wear before school started, so they still smelled like the box.

She was worried about three things. Number one, the new teacher. Her name was Mrs. Strauser and her big sister said Mrs. Strauser gave homework on the FIRST DAY. Number two, her best friend was in the other fifth grade class. Number three, there was a new girl moving in down the street and Erin's mom said "be nice to her" about a hundred times, which meant Erin had to sit with her on the bus.

The new girl's name was Angelica. She had a backpack with a horse on it and she did not say anything the whole bus ride. Erin did not say anything either. They both just looked out the window.

At school it turned out Angelica was in Mrs. Strauser's class too. Mrs. Strauser did give homework on the first day. But the homework was to write a list of ten things you did this summer, and Erin thought that was not really homework, that was just remembering.

At lunch Erin opened her lunchbox and there was a tuna sandwich in it. Erin HATES tuna. Her mom had mixed up her lunch with her big sister's. She was going to eat just her pretzels when Angelica slid over half of her peanut butter and honey sandwich without saying anything.

"Thanks," said Erin.

"I hate tuna too," said Angelica. That was the first thing she said all day.

On the bus home they found out they both liked horses, they both had a little brother who was a pain, and they both thought Mrs. Strauser was actually kind of nice. When they got to their street Angelica said "see you tomorrow," and Erin said "see you tomorrow," and she thought maybe fifth grade would be OK.

When she got home she wrote her list. Number ten was "met Angelica." She knew that was not really a summer thing. But she put it on there anyway.

THE END

(Rachael says: this story is only a little bit true. My teacher is not named Mrs. Strauser. But I really did get my sister's tuna sandwich.)

Two Poems From Our Readers

(Jordan says: Benjamin's poem does not rhyme but our English teacher last year said poems don't have to, and we think it is really good, especially the bike part.)

Matthew's Joke Corner
by Matthew, 11, Joke Editor (sixth grade)

These are all back to school jokes. I made them up myself except for number 4, which my dad helped with, so if you don't like number 4, blame him.

1. Why did the lightning bug get an A on his test?
   Because he was so BRIGHT!

2. Why don't lightning bugs ever get lost on the way to school?
   They bring their own flashlight!

3. What did the backpack say on the first day of school?
   "Go easy on me, I've been sitting in a closet all summer!"

4. Why did the glue stick get a good grade?
   It stuck with it.

5. Knock knock.
   Who's there?
   Recess.
   Recess who?
   Recess is the only class I'm getting an A in!

6. What's the scariest thing in the cafeteria?
   Rachael's sister's tuna sandwich. You can smell it from the GYM.

(Rachael says: Matthew I said you could NOT put that one in. Matthew says: I'm the Joke Editor.)

Pet of the Month!
picked by Jordan, Pet Editor

This month's Pet of the Month is Pickles, a guinea pig! Pickles belongs to Kelly, 9, Kansas. Here is what Kelly wrote about him:

"Pickles is two years old. He is brown and white with one black spot over his eye like a pirate. He is called Pickles because when we got him he was hiding in a cucumber my mom cut up. Not really, I just like pickles. He eats carrots and lettuce and guinea pig food and he needs extra vitamin C, the pet store man said, so he gets a little piece of orange sometimes. When anybody opens the refrigerator he goes WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK really loud because he thinks it is for him. Usually it is not. He likes to sit on my lap while I do homework. He is the best guinea pig in Kansas, maybe the world."

Congratulations Pickles!! We are sorry we can't show a picture because we don't have a scanner yet. Jordan says if you close your eyes you can picture him. Jordan also says the pirate spot is why he won.

Book Review: Holes by Louis Sachar
reviewed by Jordan, 10

Holes is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats. Did you notice his last name is his first name backwards? I didn't notice until my mom told me. Stanley has really bad luck because of a curse on his family from a long time ago, from his great-great-grandfather. He gets blamed for something he didn't do and he has to go to a camp called Camp Green Lake. But there is no lake. It is all dry dirt. And every day all the boys have to dig a hole that is five feet deep and five feet across, in the hot sun.

At first you think it is just a mean camp. But then you start to wonder why they have to dig all those holes. There is also a story from the old days mixed in, and at first I didn't know why it was there, but then the two stories start to connect, and it gets REALLY good. I won't tell you how because that would ruin it.

My favorite character is Zero. He doesn't talk much but he is smarter than everybody thinks.

This book won the Newbery Medal this year, which is a big gold sticker they put on the best book. My librarian says it deserved it. I think so too. I read it in three days and I am a slow reader.

Jordan's rating: 5 out of 5 lightning bugs!

(We don't have a lightning bug picture so these are light bulbs. Use your imagination.)

The Back to School Survey

We asked 19 kids these questions (some by e-mail and some at the pool before it closed). Here is what they said!

NEXT MONTH'S SURVEY: What are you going to be for Halloween? Send your answer by e-mail by September 30 and it will be in Issue #5!