Grow Your Own Gargoyle by Valerie Hardin, illustrated by Carol Moore- Modern Fantasy/Science Fiction

This story is a very short modern fantasy/ science fiction story. A girl named Wendy liked to order toys out of her “Slime Sisters” comic book, such as talking fish, living pet rocks, and giant super heroes. Usually, the toys she orders end up breaking, being extremely small, and overall, they are disappointing. Wendy is starting to think that she should not order any more things from the comic book, but then her mom brings her a package. Wendy had ordered a “grow your own gargoyle” kit. The kit had two toy gargoyles, and the instructions said to put them in separate bowls of water over night. The next morning, the gargoyles had come to life! Wendy was scared but did not scream because she knew that gargoyles were cranky. Wendy ended up being friends with her gargoyles and keeping them. The gargoyles liked the same things as Wendy, such as pillow fights and drawing. They even get Wendy in trouble by messing up her room while she is at school! The gargoyles ask Wendy to get more gargoyles, but Wendy decides that two are enough for her.
This book is great for kids that love fantasy stories about creatures that come to life. Many children have wild imaginations and love this kind of story! The book is a quick and easy read, so it is great for struggling readers. However, I know plenty of advanced readers that still enjoy books like these! I know lots of boys who love books about creatures such as gargoyles, goblins, and vampires. Also, kids can relate to the beginning of this story because they have probably ordered a toy that ended up not being as good as they expected. I remember ordering toys when I was little, such as toys mentioned on the back of cereal boxes, and they usually ended up being a disappointment. I actually found this book on a website called MagicKeys.com, and it has free storybooks online! The books are divided into levels, which include books for young children, older children, and young adults. This story was in the “older children” category. There are books of many genres on this website, including other science fiction stories, such as one about aliens. This is a great website for any school because it expands the classroom library greatly! Just a few simple clicks on the computer can bring up tons of stories! There are even pictures online, so they are just like real paper copies! Websites such as these are especially helpful for schools that do not have a lot of money. If a school cannot afford to buy a lot of books, they can find tons of free books online (as long as they have Internet access.) A class can go from having thirty books to two hundred books! If teacher look for more websites like this, the numbers can be even larger.

http://www.magickeys.com/books/gargoyle/index.html