Text Leveling System

Quest for Camelot

RDQ:	620	Max Word/Sent	17	Total Words	1944		Diff Words	576
Lex	660	Ave Word/.Sent	7	Hi Freq occurs	1194	61.4%	Hi freq	244	42.4%
AR	3.0	Long Sentences	0	Low Freq occurs	99	5.1%	Low freq	47	8.2%

Long ago there was a land with no king. The people needed a ruler to bring peace. Their only hope lay in a sword that was trapped in a rock. Only the true king could pull that sword from the stone. The sword was called Excalibur. And the boy who finally freed it was called Arthur. On that day, the kingdom of Camelot was born. With his Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur brought peace and happiness to the land. Years later, the kingdom faced an even greater challenge. An evil man named Ruber wanted to take over Camelot. Once a Knight of the Round Table, Ruber had grown greedy. He wanted all of the wealth and power of Camelot for himself. Ruber sent a Griffin to attack the king. The Griffin, part eagle and part lion, badly wounded King Arthur. The creature then took Excalibur. With the king hurt and Excalibur lost, Camelot was in great danger. Who would save the kingdom this time? ""Excalibur is missing,"" said Kayley. ""I must go after it."" Her mother, Juliana, sighed. Kayley had always wanted to be a knight. Her father, Sir Lionel, had been a Knight of the Round Table. Kayley loved hearing tales of his daring rescues and bravery. But Lionel had been killed years before by the evil Ruber. And now, Excalibur was missing and the king was wounded. Juliana was not about to lose another loved one. ""Finding Excalibur is a job for the knights, not a young girl,"" said Juliana. Before Kayley could answer, the doors burst open. Juliana and Kayley gasped as Ruber entered the house. Forcing them outside, he told the women of his plot to take over Camelot. Ruber needed Juliana to sneak him into the king's castle. But first, he created special weapons. Ruber poured a magic potion in a well near the house. His soldiers and Juliana's farm animals were thrown into the well, along with their weapons. Each man and animal became a weapon called a ""Minion."" One Minion, created from a rooster, had an ax for a beak. He was called Bladebeak. While Ruber made his Minions, Kayley saw her chance to escape. She hid behind a rock, just as Ruber's Griffin swooped down. ""You lost Excalibur?!"" cried Ruber. ""I was attacked by a falcon,"" said the Griffin. ""The sword fell into the Forbidden forest."" The Forbidden Forest ..., thought Kayley. I must find Excalibur and return it to King Arthur. Kayley raced toward the road. ""After her!"" shouted Ruber to two of his Minions. One Minion stayed behind to guard Juliana. ""And you,"" Ruber said to the Griffin, ""Lead me to Excalibur."" A frightened Kayley made her way through the Forbidden Forest. Plants and trees moved like snakes. Even the mud seemed to be alive. Then, without warning, Kayley became trapped in a net. The Minions surrounded her. ""Hey!"" said a voice. ""That's my net."" Kayley watched as a young man stepped forward. The Minions attacked, but the stranger knew the ways of the forest. He used the plants and mud to trap the Minions. ""Thank you. You saved my life,"" Kayley said to the stranger. ""What's your name?"" ""It's Garrett,"" answered the man. Kayley looked into Garrett's eyes. He did not look directly at her. Slowly, she realized he was blind. As Garrett turned away, a falcon landed on his shoulder. ""Excalibur is here?"" Garrett asked the large bird. The falcon flapped its wings in answer. ""We're going after it,"" said Garrett. ""Great!"" answered Kayley. ""Not you,"" said Garrett. ""Me and my falcon, Ayden. We work alone."" As Kayley began to argue, Ayden flew to her shoulder. ""Ayden!"" scolded Garrett. But Garrett knew he couldn't win. The three set out together, in search of Excalibur. Garrett and Ayden helped Kayley through the many traps of the Forbidden Forest. Then, they reached an even more dangerous area - dragon country. ""Do you think we'll see any dragons?"" Kayley asked nervously. As if to answer her question, a shadow of a large dragon passed over them. The three jumped into a nest of hatched dragon's eggs. They waited until they thought it was safe. Then Kayley saw two shadows. ""Dragons!"" she cried. ""Where?"" said one of the shadows. ""I don't see any dragons."" Kayley saw a two-headed dragon hiding in fear. ""But you're dragons,"" she said to the frightened creatures. ""Please don't hurt us,"" said one of the head. ""I'm Devon, and this is Cornwall."" ""But you can call me Corny for short,"" said Cornwall. ""Yes,"" answered Devon. ""Short on manners and charm."" Kayley watched the two dragons begin to fight. Remembering their quest, she and Garrett said good-bye and began to leave. The dragons begged to join them. They wanted to go to Camelot. Kayley and Garrett agreed to take them along. And so, they continued on their journey together. As the sky grew dark, Garrett gathered the group around him. ""Here's where we stop,"" he said. ""Stop?"" cried Kayley. ""But we must find Excalibur."" ""Sorry,"" answered Garrett. ""No one travels through the forest after dark."" ""My father, Sir Lionel, would have,"" said Kayley. ""Sir Lionel?"" asked Garrett. ""Kayley, I knew your father."" Kayley listened as Garrett told her about the years he had spent in Camelot. He had lost his sight as a boy. Though Garrett was blind, Sir Lionel had taught him how to be a knight. ""Any hope I had of becoming a knight died with him,"" said Garrett sadly. ""He wouldn't want you to give up,"" said Kayley. ""You're as good as any knight in Camelot."" The next morning Ayden flew to Garrett, screeching loudly. ""Ayden has found Excalibur,"" Garrett said. ""Let's go!"" But when they reached the area, all they found was Excalibur's cloth holder. It lay in a large footprint - the footprint of an Ogre! The group followed the Ogre's trail. The footprints ended at a cave. ""We'll wait for the Ogre to fall asleep,"" aid Garrett. ""Then we'll grab the sword."" "" Who is ' we '?"" asked Devon and Cornwall nervously. I we ' us '?"""" Quietly, the group went into the cave. The Ogre finished a large meal and fell asleep. Excalibur hung from his mouth like a tiny toothpick. Garrett then lowered Kayley from a rock above the Ogre's head. ""I've got it!"" said Kayley, grabbing the sword. She turned to see Ruber and his followers entering the cave. Suddenly the Ogre opened his mouth in a great yawn. The wind from his yawn knocked Ruber and the Griffin down. Then the sleeping Ogre rolled over and sat on them! With a stretch of his arm, he pressed the Minions against a wall. Kayley and Garrett raced out of the cave with the dragons close behind. Excalibur in hand, they headed toward Camelot. A blue sky shone as Kayley and her friends reached the edge of the forest. ""Camelot!"" shouted Kayley, pointing toward the sparkling castle in the distance. Garrett looked sad. ""What's wrong?"" asked Kayley. ""Take Excalibur to King Arthur,"" said Garrett. ""I don't belong in that world."" Kayley watched with tears in her eyes as Garrett turned back toward the forest. Ayden flew after him, squawking angrily at his master. Kayley longed to follow them, but she knew what she had to do.She must get to Camelot in time to save her mother and the king. The road to the castle was a long one. The dragons followed far behind Kayley arguing as usual. Just as she neared the gates, a hand pulled Excalibur from Kayley. ""I'll take that,"" said Ruber. Devon and Cornwall arrived in time to see the Minions drag Kayley away. The dragons hurried back to the forest to tell Garrett. Ruber held Excalibur in his had. ""I've waited ten years to hold this sword,"" he growled. ""Now I'll hold it forever."" Ruber took out the magic potion he had used to make his Minions. He poured the last drop into his hand. Smoke swirled as Excalibur actually became a part of Ruber's arm. ""No!"" cried Kayley. A minion pushed her into a waiting wagon. ""Kayley!"" said Juliana from the wagon's floor. Kayley and her mother hugged. Ruber ordered Juliana to sit at the front of the wagon. She was to sneak him into the castle by asking to see King Arthur. Guarded by a Minion, Kayley stayed inside the wagon. ""Don't lose hope,"" said Juliana. In the Forbidden Forest, Devon and Cornwall finally found Garrett. They told him of Ruber's attack on Kayley. ""Take me to her,"" said Garrett. Without a minute to waste, they flew toward Camelot. At the castle, Ruber's wagon rolled toward the gates. ""It's Lady Juliana,"" said the castle guard. Let the wagon in."" The king agreed to meet Juliana at the Round Table. Ruber's plan was working perfectly. But he had not counted on Kayley's bravery. Escaping from the wagon, Kayley jumped to the ground. ""It's a trick!"" she shouted. Instantly, King Arthur's knights were everywhere. The Minions rushed toward them. ""Attack!"" cried Ruber, running inside the entrance. ""Seal off the castle!"" The Minions obeyed. Soon, all of the entrances were blocked. Kin Arthur was trapped alone inside the castle. ""I must help the king,"" said Kayley. As she ran toward the castle, Ruber waited for King Arthur in the Round Table room. Kayley knew she had no time to lose. But when she reached the castle, the Griffin appeared. Minions surrounded Kayley. Just when all hope seemed lost, help arrived. ""Garrett!"" cried Kayley, as Devon and Cornwall lifted her in the air. They flew to a secret tunnel Garrett remembered from his years in Camelot. The tunnel lead to the Round Table room. Inside the castle, the king walked into Ruber's trap. ""Juliana ... ? said King Arthur, entering the Round Table room. Then he saw his old enemy. ""Ruber!"" cried the king. ""Pleased to see me?"" asked Ruber. King Arthur grabbed for a long spear. ""A spear?"" laughed Ruber. ""A king would hold a more noble weapon."" With that, Ruber raised his arm. ""A king would hold ... Excalibur,"" he said, pointing the sword at King Arthur. Though he was very brave, the king was still weak from his wound. He was not match for Ruber. With a mighty crash, Ruber knocked King Arthur to the ground. ""Say hello to your new king!"" shouted Ruber. ""I will not serve a false king!"" cried Kayley, dashing into the room. Garrett followed close behind. Kayley swung across the room on a rope. She crashed into Ruber and the two flew through a large window. They landed on the ground outside. The stone which had once held Excalibur lay nearby. As Ruber got to his feet, Kayley tried to reach the stone. Garrett attacked Ruber with his staff. But Ruber was much stronger. He threw Garrett toward Kayley, then raised Excalibur high above their heads. Ruber brought the sword crashing down. Kayley and Garrett rolled quickly out of the way. Excalibur plunged deep into the stone. ""No!"" shouted Ruber, as the sword began to glow. Smoke swirled and a light appeared. Kayley and Garrett watched as Ruber disappeared. The light swept across the courtyard. As the light touched them, the Minions turned back into humans and animals. Devon and Cornwall magically became two separate dragons. Shocked, the dragons jumped back together and hugged! Then everyone watched as King Arthur walked toward Excalibur. As he had done so many years before, the true king pulled the sword from the stone. Camelot was safe once again. And what became of our heroes, Kayley and Garrett? They were made Knights of the Round Table, of course. And everyone lived happily ever after.

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Chapters

Features

Integral Setting - Historical

Simple problem/solution

Topic

Danger

Dragons

Castles

Good/Evil

Knights

Helping

*Fictional Ideas/Charac

Low Frequency Words

angrily	ayden	challenge	courtyard	devon
escaping	excalibur	excalibur's	falcon	freed
guarded	happiness	hatched	heroes	instantly
kin	kingdom	knight	knights	lionel
longed	lowered	magically	minion	minions
neared	nervously	noble	obeyed	ogre
ogre's	peace	plunged	potion	rescues
separate	shone	sparkling	squawking	staff
surrounded	swept	swirled	sword	wealth
weapons	yawn