I have a fall-appropriate short story to share with you. But first, my review…

Henry the apple loves his rural orchard home, especially in the fall. But when he is plucked from his native branch he must find a way to adjust to a new environment, eventually learning that, no matter where you are, home is where the sun is.

A compelling tale of the adventure of a humble farm apple written from the apple’s perspective, High Hopes is about one fruit’s slightly unsettling ability to stay positive in the face of great adversity.

While at times the plot is thin and the spelling is dodgy, High Hopes is so full of heart you’ll forget that apples have a shelf life. Finally, readers have the answer to the question “what would happen if The Grapes of Wrath met Veggie Tales?”

Whimsical. Inspiring. Nutritionist-approved. Written and illustrated on a piece of poster board vaguely shaped like the main character.

Without further ado, here’s a story I wrote in grade school (spelling errors preserved for artistic accuracy).

High Hopes

Hi! My name is Henry and I’m a golden delicious apple. My cousins and I used to live at High Hopes orchard, wich is very buisy in the fall. I think it’s because we had more than one attraction. For instance, two wagons (horse pulled) a gift shop, a donut shop and cider mill, ducks, and, best of all, a hay loft to make scarecrows in!

One day I was sun bathing in the foliage on my families tree, while in a deep conversation with my friends, Willie the worm, and Amy the apple. All of a sudden I heard “These look good,” and was stuffed into a barrel with my cousins. Then I took a nap.

When I awoke I looked around me, and to my surprize saw Amy and Willie lying beside me. I would have thought they wouldn’t have made it. Amy, (because she wasn’t on my tree), and Willie, well, it was a wonder that he hadn’t been squished! It was then that I looked up and saw that I was staring into the face of an arithmatic problem! It was very confusing, but I was in school!

Now Amy and I live in the sunlight next to a huge plant named Herb. Willie is part of a project named WORMS. All in all, life here is golden delicious – just like me!