1st Chapter

Luana

It’s 7:15, Luana gets her feet off the bed. At the right side of the bed there is a small bedside table where Luana places her personal belongings: a book, an elastic band that she uses to tie her hair. On the left side a large window and behind the bed there is a bathroom. At the foot of the bed a wardrobe and a large clock. Luana stands in front of a wide open window of her room from which a bright light shines and its filter reflects on the mirror dazzling her eyes alongside with a smell of fragrant bread. She goes down the stairs with her slender legs to have breakfast in the kitchen, opens the refrigerator takes the milk and warms it together with a chocolate croissant. Sits down and she has breakfast.

As almost every morning, she quickly climbs the stairs, leans her hand on the marble and keeps her head down vomiting breakfast. It’s late, Luana opens her closet and gets ready to go to school.

She wears a blue sweater, blue jeans, blue sneakers and blue coat. She leaves the house, down the avenue full of bare trees. The cold wind caresses her face and her hair and crosses her arms as if to protect herself from it. It’s 8:30, the bell rings, she meets her companions whom she does not look in the eyes and timidly she sits in the last row. Another terrible school day begins.

E. De Amicis School Comiso(RG)Italy, Primary School 2nd C and 2nd D classes, Teacher Maria Giuseppa Sallemi

2nd Chapter

Setting eyes on Luana…

It's 8 o'clock in the morning. Mattias opens his eyes. He gets up from his bed and quickly takes his pyjamas off, wraps them into a ball and throws them carelessly under his bed. He opens his closet and takes out a black t-shirt with a skull and torn jeans. As he gets dressed,  a picture of his classmates hanging on the opposite wall, catches his eye. He takes a dart and throws it to the picture aiming at Luana's face. ”Bingo! I got her!”, shouts laughing. He grabs his school bag and leaves home……         

The bell has already rang. Mattias arrives late as he does every day ….
He enters the classroom and with his eyes he is looking for Luana. He sees her sitting in the last row and smiles evilly. He moves towards her… As he walks near her, he kicks her desk and says “Hello looser!”.
Luana lowers her eyes and crouches back in fear. She keeps thinking to herself “why me?” “what have I done wrong to deserve such behavior ?” “why doesn't anyone else see what Mattias is doing to me?”

During lunch time everybody is at the dining room. Luana is sitting alone at a table aside. Her stomach is tied up……. She can't swallow any bite ….. She takes a look at all her classmates eating together and talking and she feels invisible….. Unfortunately, she isn't invisible for everyone……. Mattias reaches her table. “What are you eating Luana ?” he asks.

“A sandwich” she responses in fear. Mattias grabs the sandwich from her hands saying “this is for me you trash” and he has a big bite of it. Then, he throws it to the garbage and walks away laughing and mocking her. Luana leaves the dining room crying . How miserable sh feels,she  doesn't know what to do. “Should I be brave and say everything about Mattias to my teacher or better not? What if he hears about it and does worse things to me?” she keeps wondering to herself…

Teachers :

Alexandra Karagiovanidou -Gika Anastasia - Roula Zouda - Kiriaki Davradou - Mamakis Georges

2nd Primary School of Agios Nikolaos - Crete - Greece

3rd Chapter 

A friendly hug

With an empty stomach and a head full of doubts about what to do, she couldn't concentrate. As soon as it rang, she quickly left her classroom and ran home.

- Whoops! I managed to escape him! - Luana exclaimed, entering the house and closing herself in her room.

- Luana! - called the mother.

Luana locked herself in her room with her head under the pillow and didn't even hear her mother.

- Luana! Are you locked in your room? What is up? Open the door!

Hearing her mother's voice on the other side of her bedroom door, she slowly got up from the bed and opened the door for her mother.

- Luana, what's going on?

- Nothing! - Luana replied turning her back, as soon as she opened the door.

- Luana, what happened! Have you been crying? 

. No!!

Your eyes are red and swollen, Luana, what's wrong?

Luana hugged her mother crying...

Risoleta Montez, Vale de Santarém School, Portugal

Primary School

Sicily

Carmelita

Iuvara

4th Chapter 

A song

The next day as Luana arrived school and entered the class there was a poster at the board "Live Song Competition".

This is great, thought Luana. 

Luana loved singing and dancing and although she was a shy girl and not very happy at the moment, singing was always a great idea. So, after class, Luana asked the Teacher if she could participate:

- Of course, sweetie! I think it is a wonderful idea and I'm very proud of you for being brave enough to sing in front of the entire school. Luana suddenly forgot everything she had endured these last few days and couldn't be happier!

- This year the Live Song Competition has many participants because the prize is the recording of a song. So, Luana as you are the only participant from this class me and our Mr. Chao, our Music Teacher, will help you. Is that ok for you?

- Of course, Mrs. Smith. Thank you so much... I cannot put in words how much this means to me... - and her eyes were now filled with tears.

Mrs. Smith had been attentive to the situation and knew that Luana was being victim of some verbal aggression by her classmate. It was time to step in and end this, but first let's make Luana the best singer in school!

Teacher: Carla Nunes, AE Afonso de Paiva, Castelo Branco - Portugal

School Library Book Club Students: Alexandre, Inês, Mafalda, Mª Leonor

Chapter 5

A new band

Mrs Smith has got honey-coloured eyes, blond hair like a sunflower and combed with a chignon.

She always dresses elegant, with a floral silk blouse, a purple skirt and pink high-heeled shoes.

She is a little sturdy but tall, kind, generous, joyful, polite, sensitive and sweet like marmalade.

She teaches English and, during the snack time, she takes her students to the garden to play.

 While all the classmates are playing hide and seek, in a corner, Mattias is singing a famous song "Stay" by Justin Bieber.

Mrs Smith listens to him and exclaims: "Hey Mattias, what a lovely voice you have"!

And blushing, he replies: "Thank you, Mrs Smith".

From the bottom of his heart, he is tender and sensitive, too.

Mrs Smith asks him: Would you like to partecipate to the Live Song Contest?

For the first time, he smiles to Mrs Smith, lowers his eyes and says: "YESSSSS"! 

 Teacher: Filomena Lanzetta, 1^ C.D. "G. Marconi"- 

                   Afragola (NA) Italy