Text Leveling System

No More Monsters for Me

RDQ:	320	Max Word/Sent	14	Total Words	1471		Diff Words	306
Lex	560	Ave Word/.Sent	4	Hi Freq occurs	1112	75.6%	Hi freq	153	50%
AR	2.2	Long Sentences	0	Low Freq occurs	13	0.9%	Low freq	4	1.3%

" Not even a tadpole 
Minneapolis Simpkin" 
yelled Mom.  
"And I mean it!"  
"Okay okay" 
I yelled back.  ]]
Mom and I always yell a lot.  
But this time 
she was really mad.  
And so was I.  
I stamped out of the house.
I did not care 
what Mom said. 
I was going to have a pet.
I would take a long walk 
and think about this.
So I walked 
down the road.]]
Suddenly I heard 
a funny noise.  
The noise came 
from the bushes.
I stopped and listened.]]
"Something is crying 
Minneapolis Simpkin"
I said to myself.  
"I will find out]]
what it is."
I looked in the bushes.  
Was I surprised!]]
"Wow! A baby monster!" 
I yelled.
I looked at the monster.
It looked at me.  
Then it ran to me.
I put my arms around it.
"Don't cry" I said.  
"Minneapolis Simpkin 
will help you." 
The monster stopped crying.
 We stood there 
hugging each other. 
"A monster for a pet?"]]
I asked.  
Mom never said no 
to a monster. 
But I never asked her that. 
Will she say yes? 
I needed time 
to think about this.
But there was no time.
It started raining.]]
The monster did not like it.
It started bawling. 
And I do mean bawling!]]
"Okay okay"  I said.
I grabbed the monster.
I ran home with it. ]]
Mom was in the kitchen.  
She did not see me.  
But she heard me.  
"Are you wet?" she asked. 
"Yes" I said.
"Hurry and get dry" 
she said.
"Supper is about ready."
I ran to my room.
"So far so good." 
I said to myself. 
"But what now 
Minneapolis Simpkin?"]]
I shook my head.
I did not know. 
"Minn" yelled Mom 
"supper is ready." 
"Coming" I yelled back.
I started to  go down. 
The monster came too.
"No" I said.
"You can't come."
I put the monster 
in my closet.
It started bawling again.
What was I going to do?]]
I looked all around.
"My teddy bear!" I said.
I got the teddy bear.
"Here" I said.
The monster grabbed the bear.
It stopped crying.]]
I ran down to supper.
Mom had made a good supper.
Then I thought of something.
Monsters have to eat too.
"Mom"  I said]]
"what do monsters eat?"
"Food I guess"  said Mom.
"But what kind?" I asked.
"Oh" said Mom.
"Is this a new game?"]]
Mom loves to play games.
So I said "Yes." 
"Let me think" said Mom.
"What do monsters eat?"
I was glad to let her think 
because I saw something.
I saw the monster.
"I will be right back"
I yelled.
"I have got to get something."
I had to get something all right.
I had to get the monster hidden.
I grabbed the monster.]]
I took it to the basement.
The monster started crying again.
"Quiet!"  I said.
"If Mom hears you 
we are in for it."
I grabbed an apple.
"Here" I said.
The monster took the apple.
It stopped crying.]]
I grabbed another apple.
I ran back to the table.
"Here Mom" I said.
I gave the apple to her.
"What is this for?"  
she asked.
I didn't know what to say.
But I had to say something.  
"Because I love you" I said.  
Mom laughed.  
"Minneapolis Simpkin" she said 
"I love you too."
Then Mom said "Pickles!" ]]
"Pickles?" I said.  
"Of course" said Mom
 "Monsters love pickles."
 "I didn't know that" I said.]]
Then I asked 
"Do you know where monsters live?"
"Yes" said Mom.
"They live in caves.
Deep dark caves."
"Gee Mom" I said.
"You know a lot about monsters."]]
"I love monster stories."
said Mom.
"I read lots of them."
Did Mom like real monsters too?
I started to ask her. 
But I didn't.
The basement door was opening.]]
"I will be right back Mom"
I yelled.
"Minneapolis Simpkin!"
yelled Mom.
"Can't you sit still?"
"Hic-cup hic-cup!" 
Oh no!  
The monster had the hiccups.  
"Now you have hiccups" 
yelled Mom.  
"I will get some water"
I yelled back. 
"HIC-CUP! HIC-CUP!"]]
I opened the basement door.
My eyes almost popped out.
"You grew!" I yelled. 
"What did you say?"
asked Mom. ]]
"Nothing" I said.
I pushed the monster 
back into the basement.
It was awful.
The monster was huge.
It was all lumpy.
"HIC-CUP! HIC-CUP!"]]
I got some water.
"Drink this" I said.
The monster drank the water.
The hiccups stopped.
"Minn" yelled Mom 
"please bring me 
another apple."
 "Okay" I yelled back.
But there were 
no more apples.
Now I knew 
why the monster was lumpy.
I grabbed a potato.]]
The monster 
grabbed it from me.
I grabbed another one 
and ran.  
I locked the basement door.
"Here Mom" I said.]]
"Minn this is a potato" 
said Mom.  
"I asked for an apple."
"Oh sorry Mom" I said.]]
"Minn" said Mom 
"why are you so jumpy? 
Is something wrong?"  
Something wrong?  
Was it ever!
But maybe Mom could help.  
So I said "I am fine.
Tell me some more about monsters.
Where are those caves?"
"Up in the hills" said Mom.
"But don't bother 
to look for one."
"Why not?" I asked.]]
"They are hidden" she said.
"Only monsters can find them."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"That is what 
my mother told me" 
said Mom.
"I looked and I looked. 
I never could find one."]]
I sure hoped Mom was right.
I had to get that monster home.
It was not a good pet.
Then it happened.
CRASH! ]]
Mom jumped up.  
"What was that?" 
she asked.
Then she looked at me.
"Min"  she said 
"you were in the basement."
I nodded my head.
"Did you bring home 
an animal?"
I nodded my head again.
"Minneapolis Simpkin!" 
yelled Mom.
"I said NO PETS!"]]
"It is not a pet!" 
I yelled back.
"Then what is it?" 
yelled Mom.
I did not mean to.
I did not want to. 
But I started bawling.
"It is a monster!" 
I bawled.
I waited for 
Mom to yell.
But she didn't.]]
"Oh Minn" she said.
"You really need a pet 
don't you?"
"Yes" I bawled.]]
"But I want a kitten 
or a puppy.  
I don't want a monster."
"No" said Mom.
"A monster is not a good pet."
I stopped bawling.
"Now" said Mom 
"go and close that window."
"Window!  What window?" 
I asked.
"The basement window" 
said Mom.
"I must have left it open."]]
I just looked at her.
I still did not understand.
"Minneapolis Simpkin!"
said Mom.
"The wind is blowing hard.
It blew something over.
That is what made the noise.
Go close the window."
I went.
There was a window open.
The potato basket 
was turned over.
The potatoes were all gone.]]
But the monster
was still there.
It was sleeping.
I looked at it.
How would I ever
get it out of the basement?
it was getting
bigger and bigger.]]
I went back to Mom.
"I closed the window" 
I said.
"The monster is there.
But it is sleeping." 
"Okay Minn you win" 
said Mom.
"I was wrong.
I will make a deal.
You get rid of your monster
and you can have 
a real pet. 
Deal?" ]]
"Deal!" I cried.
That monster was no pet.
But it was real.]]
Good" said Mom.
"I am going to take 
a long bath.
You get rid of 
your monster."
"Sure Mom" I said.  
I was not sure.
But I was sure 
going to try.
I woke up the monster.  
"Come on" I said.
"We are going."
The monster came.]]
It had to crawl ]]
through the doors.
And I had to push 
from behind.
But we made it.
I headed for the hills.
The monster followed.]]
The night was very dark.
I didn't like the dark.]]
But I had to get 
that monster home.
We got to the hills.
The monster looked at them.
It made happy noises.]]
"Is this you home?"
I asked.
The monster turned to me.
Suddenly 
we were hugging each other.]]
Then the monster 
ran up the hill.  
I felt good.
The monster 
had found its home.
"No more monsters for me" 
I said.
I ran all the way home.]]
Mom was yelling for me.
I went into the house.
"Minneapolis Simpkin!"
yelled Mom.
"Where have you been?"
"Getting rid of the monster" 
I yelled back.]]
"That is what 
you told me to do." 
I started to bawl again.
Mom looked at me 
in a funny way.
She hugged me.]]
Then I knew.
I knew Mom didn't believe 
that monster was real.
But Mom kept our deal
 We went to the pet shop.
Mom really surprised me.
She bought two kittens.
"Two!" I said.
"Sure" said Mom.
"One for you 
and one for me." 
"Mom" I said
"you are okay."]]
"And so are you Minn" 
said Mom. 
We each took a kitten.
And we went home.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Two speakers

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Simple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concept: Fanciful

Features

Simple Plot

First Person

Topic

Monsters

*Family & Friends

Pets

Relationships

Low Frequency Words

bawl

bawled

bawling

minneapolis