Sap River Crossing

By Brooklyn West

Libby Lacewing lives on an apple orchard nestled in the Midwest. She and her family help remove apple-harming, sap-sucking pests from the apple trees. As spring approaches, Libby hopes for her first real lasso so she can join the older aphid wranglers. Libby is disappointed when she gets leaf boots and a cowboy hat, but no lasso. It looks like another season of netting stragglers with the younger lacewings. Then Libby's grandfather asks her to take five aphids across Sap River. Libby is sure she's ready. But suddenly Libby's stomach is as quivery as a rattlesnake. What if she loses all the aphids? When things go wrong, Libby's good friend Luna is there to help.

Third Place Winner (short story version) of the 86th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brooklyn West
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005523060

Brooklyn West

Meet Libby LacewingMy name is Libby, and I'm a lacewing bug. I live on an apple orchard nestled in the Midwest where I help my family remove apple-harming, sap-sucking pests from the apple trees. Especially, aphids. Aphids are small bugs that steal nutrients from the apple buds causing them to turn brown and wither. My family and I round up the aphids and herd them to the roots.

Book preview

Sap River Crossing

By Brooklyn West

Illustrations and Cover by

Vera Pavlova

Watercolor by

Bill Day

Copyright 2018, 2024 by Brooklyn West

All rights in this book are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Table of Contents

Meet Libby

Meet Luna

Chapter 1 Grazing Aphids

Chapter 2 Sap River Crossing

Chapter 3 Lightning Strike Ravines

Chapter 4 A Hidden Ranch

Chapter 5 Double or Nothing

Meet Libby Lacewing

My name is Libby, and I'm a lacewing bug. I live on an apple orchard nestled in the Midwest where I help my family remove apple-harming, sap-sucking pests from the apple trees. Especially, aphids. Aphids are small bugs that steal nutrients from the apple buds causing them to turn brown and wither. My family and I round up the aphids and herd them to the roots.

Meet Luna

We call her Luna because she has a kind of moon-like glow. Her real name is x6lnfg. You try pronouncing that. She lives in a meteorite in the garden. The farmer’s wife found the odd-looking rock during a trip through Arizona. I haven’t been too deep inside the meteorite – a strange mist hovers around it. According to Luna, there’s a whole alien world in there with glowing waters and luminescent forests.

Chapter 1: Grazing Aphids

Libby hummed as she flew. Green leaves covered the branches. Libby loved being a lacewing bug. She loved herding aphids with