A beaver with a stubby tail goes on a journey and discovers more than he ever imagined possible. A girl wakes up to find herself in a winter wonderland-or is it a nightmare? An aspiring artist moves to New York City to turn her dreams into a reality, but quickly learns that reality is tougher than she dreamed. An overheard conversation turns two students into school detectives, trying to uncover a mystery about their history teacher. These are just a few of the imaginative, daring, and thought-provoking stories found in these pages. Also included are dozens of poems and personal essays exploring everything from travel to friendship, love to loss, fear to hope. What makes this book truly unique is it was written entirely by kids and teenagers. Dancing With The Pen II features the work of more than sixty young writers in elementary school, middle school and high school. These authors come from all across the United States. However, the themes and situations they explore transcend hometowns, backgrounds and cultures-they are familiar to us all. Dancing With The Pen II is a book for young writers, young readers, and the young at heart. Even if you are not normally a voracious reader, this book is still for you. Every piece within these covers is written by someone who understands what it is like to be a young person today. Maybe you will recognize yourself in these pages. Perhaps you will even be inspired to pick up a pen, step out on the dance floor, and go for a whirl yourself.