Young Authors Get Creative At Moton

BROOKSVILLE - It's not a typical presidential story.

In "My Life as a First Lady," a book written by Moton Elementary School student Allie Zelakowski, 10, Emily is a woman married to the president of the United States.

But life in the White House isn't what it cracked up to be, and Emily decides she hates the glamour, pressure and vacancy of being a politician's wife. She divorces her husband and walks out of the White House forever.

"She didn't like the consequences (of being married to the president)," Allie said. "He wasn't around."

The original story was one of nearly two dozen books written by students in Victoria Jasztal's class, all neatly bound with hand-drawn illustrations. The students have been working on the books for several months, and shared them during a celebration Thursday at the school.

"I love writing," Allie said, noting that she'd like to someday get the story published. "It's fun. It's my passion."

In "Swamp to the Voyage," Katie Palomino, 9, writes about three girls walking through the forest who dive into a swamp, only to discover that it has transported them back in time to the Titanic.

When they realize it is about to sink, they must retrieve a magic book from one of their rooms to get back to the swamp and forest.

Most of the books range from 10 to 20 pages, with many of the students saving blank pages in the backs of their books and claiming they are "adding" to their stories.

"They really wanted to write more, and this is the first class that's ever wanted to do that," Jasztal said.

Sammie Betters, 10, created "The Ark of the Covenant," about five kids that "go on a mission to find the lost Ark of the Covenant," she said.

"The kids don't know what they're going to do, and end up hanging from a cliff," Sammie said, who added that she felt inspired by watching adventure movies.

Each story was completely different, the kids said.

"They're all original and unique," Sammie added.

Jonathan Lasswell, 10, titled his book "Flaming Fury," about a dragon who invades a knight's kingdom, and a king's adviser who blames the knight for refusing to watch the kingdom's gates. The knight is banned from most places.

He illustrated a detailed map for the book's front pages, complete with mountains, trees and the king's castle.

His mother, Brooksville resident Tammy Hidalgo, said she was surprised her son chose to create a fantasy novel, since he is typically more interested in history books.

However, she said the project gave all of the students a taste of what being an author might be like.

"Writing this has inspired him to see if that's something he wanted to do," she said.

Jasztal said she looked to her own educational experiences growing up in Hernando County schools for direction on the project.

She recalled feeling squelched when teachers required her to write about something specific, and said her favorite memories came when she was allowed to be creative.

"I remember when I was a kid, I always grew the most as a writer when I had a teacher who let me be myself," Jasztal said.