The Tycoon Zoo

About the Book

5th Grade students wrote this novel over the course of six months. Students were given an assignment to write a 25,000 word novel about a boy and a girl who need to go from their classroom to the school office. Each room along the way provides the setting for a new adventure and the next chapter, which begins as the characters enter the room, and ends about 1,500 words later as the characters leave the room. The goal was to create a plot that flows from one room to the next. My goal, as their teacher, was to facilitate a project where writing skills could be practiced, and writing concepts would be encountered and explored as they came up in an engaging and meaningful context.

I am extremely proud of my students. Their dedication to this project has more than advanced them to the next grade level; it has made them novelists before the age of twelve. Please excuse their errors and enjoy their efforts.

Did you ever have a crazy day at school? Read this book and your crazy day will seem like a picnic in the park.

About the Author

Ryan, Nikki, Aidan, and Carly were students in Ms. Caldwell?s 5th Grade class at Marshdale Elementary in Evergreen, Colorado. This is their first work of fiction.