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James Sandstedt-Fields — 26
John Park — 27
Joy Jang — 29
Kenshin Haruta — 31
Leila Williams — 33
Loki Tippie — 35
Mai-Ly Connelly — 40
Nadia Scott — 42
Nia Chkhikvadze — 44
Nora Wingfield — 45
Simone Lutz — 47
Tatum Won — 50
Tayah Scott — 53
Tia Son — 56
Titan Scott — 58
Introduction
To: Our Readers
From: Heroes, Adventurers, and Rebels of the Ann Arbor Writing Lab, Fall 2024
Subject: Readers Beware!!!
The following tales have been written by heroes, adventurers, and rebels who have traveled far and wide to bring you the greatest parts of their worlds: dragons, cute cats, zombies, whales, mermaids, robots, and many more worldly creatures.
After several months spent in the Ann Arbor Writing Lab, gathering their thoughts and experiences from their travels, they bring to us writings detailing their adventures. Through the use of their writers’ toolkit, which they put together in the Writing Lab by picking strategies that work best for them, they’ve created a collection of tales inspired by in class activities and icebreakers. They share with us exclusive details of their worlds; therefore, we ask that you please read and approach their stories with an open mind and admiration for their work. At the Ann Arbor Writing Lab, we believe that every writer and every story is unique. We encourage our heroes, adventurers, and rebels to bring their courage and bravery to the lab through their stories.
We recommend as collaborators and from first-hand experience that these stories be read with the light on, sipping on your favorite drink with a choice of your favorite dessert. Our heroes, adventurers, and rebels crafted these stories to serve as a reminder to us that there are truly other worlds out there, far beyond our imaginations, worth discovering. As you read these tales, allow them to be a beam of light, a knock on your door, and a cue to embrace your inner rebel, hero, or adventurer.
Read on!
Sincerely, Someone On the Inside
Abdullah Alakwaa
Age 10
THE WILD ROBBER
Our story begins with a bored robot, stuck at home, eating salad. Then, he thinks that he wants to buy a video game. He opens his piggy bank and it turns out he only has fifty cents! So he makes a plan to rob a bank. But he gets arrested for not fleeing the scene! The robot gets caught in the vault, and cops pop out of nowhere and he goes to jail. Pleading guilty, Robot ends up in prison for five and a half years.
But then, Robot digs a hole with a metal spoon connected to his robot body and escapes. Then, sending a drone out at night, the robot gets $5,000. With that, he flies to the moon! Robot plays his video game all alone, but is happy on the moon. However, the police send a drone to the moon and he gets caught again! But there’s a drone connected to his body! Robot gets out of prison at forty-five years old. A random rocketship burns and then gets stuck on an unknown planet.
Adam Cho
Age 11
DISASTER AT AN AIRPORT
Chapter One
Key
Plane. Ice + cream = Icecream. Air + port = Airport. Bro + ken = broken. Air + ken + port + bro = Broken Airport. Air + plane + hor + or + se = Airplane or horse. Falcon = ‘?
?!
“Hello, my name is ‘? I am Rigg? Ki = Ice. Ki ki = Ice cream. # = tic tac toe. ‘? is pronounced dash question mark.
Warning: This book may change from first person to third person.
Location: Airport
Now, finally to the story . . .
“This book says 3,” said Rigg. “What does that mean?”
“Be quiet!” said Rigg. There was a long silence. “Ap-ple,” said ‘?.
“# 12?”
“1+5-b/palmtree.”
“?”
“Crash.”
“Phones are weird.”
“Tech = destruction in my opinion.”
“We better catch our flight.”
Time: 5000 A.D. 5:30:29
“Who likes waiting,” said Rigg.
“No one,” said ‘?.
“What is present?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I checked my watch and I was going to tell you what time it is, but I couldn’t tell you what millisecond it was.”
“I have no idea.”
“Like when you say the present is now, it turns right into the past.”
“I need to go to the bathroom,” said ‘?.
“But you are a bird!”
“Still.”
Chapter Two
Later
“Time to execute my plan!”
Rigg slept. Zzzzzzzzzz.
Beep . . . Beep . . . Error 404. Error 404.
“Why is that there?” said Rigg.
All flights canceled. All flights canceled.
Rigg smacks his head angrily that his flight was canceled.
“Why!? And what is taking ‘? so long.”
‘? came back, but something didn’t seem right. ‘? seemed like he was planning something.
“‘?, the flights were canceled,” Rigg said.
“I know,” replied ‘?.
“Do you know who did it?”
“No.”
“Welp, we better figure it out.”
“I will get us some tacos.”
“Thanks.”
“Time to start the plan.”
At 4:30 p.m.
“Man, I am hungry,” said Rigg. Beep. Beep.
Chapter Three Meow
“What the—” said Rigg.
The planes started turning into robots with swords made from the fin that is on the back of the plane. The wings turned into legs, and the body of the plane turned into arms and legs. The cockpit turned into a head. There were a lot of them.
“Where is ‘? when I need him?”
‘? finally came. I was mad.
“What took you so long!” said Rigg.
“I’m sorry there was a long line,” said ‘?.
“Let’s stop them.”
“Nah, let’s just eat the tacos while driving home.”
“Wait, those robots look like something you draw.”
“Really, what a coincidence.”
Rigg sighed. He knew the robots were not going to go back to normal. People were running but the robots weren’t moving.
“Let’s just go,” ‘? said.
“Fine,” Rigg replied.
“We better catch our flight.”
Time: 5000 A.D. 5:30:29
“Who likes waiting,” said Rigg.
“No one,” said ‘?.
“What is present?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I checked my watch and I was going to tell you what time it is, but I couldn’t tell you what millisecond it was.”
“I have no idea.”
“Like when you say the present is now, it turns right into the past.”
“I need to go to the bathroom,” said ‘?. “But you are a bird!”
“Still.”
Chapter Four
Woof
Location: Rigg and ‘?’s house in Michigan.
Rigg was watching the news, and the reporter said this: “Yesterday, airplanes turned into robots. We are still figuring out who did it, but we know the robots are going to disappear tomorrow, 10/9/3025. The police department’s sketch artist drew a picture of a shadow.”
Rigg realized the shadow was the shape of ‘?.
“We also have a picture of the thief.”
The picture was ‘? but Rigg knew him enough to know that he would not steal airplanes. The background was a destroyed airport. There were robot airplanes in his backyard but the bird in the yard was not ‘? and it was smiling. The robots jumped into the air with their swords in a position that seemed like it would destroy the house but they suddenly froze mid-air. The robots started levitating and suddenly there was a big explosion . . .
Aina Haruta
Age 10
INTO THE PORTAL
Once there was a kid named Bob, but his dad’s name was Dad. He loved playing, but there was one problem. Everybody hated him!!! And he was a robot!!! His mouth was a zigzag and his arms were curly!! And he was a boy. He was very lonely. One time someone tried to talk to him and he was mean so he still had no friends. He learned funny looks, but still no one liked him. He tried to be nice, but still no one wanted to be friends. Then one day, he found a portal. He thought he could get away from this world. So he went into the portal where he found himself in the future!
He walked around. He found himself when he was a teen. Lots of kids were surrounding him. He wondered why. And when no one was there with him he went to ask why he was popular. He said, “When I was your age, I asked the same thing and got a portal spawner!”
So he went home with the portal spawner. Now everybody was like, “Bob, you are lying.” But then when everybody saw it they were surprised!!! When he showed them the portal, everybody wanted to go in. He asked if everybody wanted to use the portal spawner. Everybody agreed with him, but he explained had to let one person at a time.
Years and years passed. Then everybody changed. They looked different. They knew what was going to happen next. They looked bored except for others that never went into the portal. Bob wanted everyone to be bored, and thought of a prank. He asked them to form a line.
“Go,” said everybody. He did it fast, but then one person did not come back. Then a group of people came to where they
were in the future.
They said, “Hey, give us that time traveler or else we will beat you up!!”
He stopped and thought about it. “No, never,” he said. When Bob went home he was crying. His face was red.
“They were adults,” he thought. “How could they do this to me?” he thought. He looked into his pocket. The time traveler was not there!! He went to follow the trail, but he found nothing. He tried to find the bully, but still he couldn’t find the bully. So he became a detective. It took years to find the portal. It was lots and lots of years later. He was in the dirt, but he never could find the bullies ever again.
Bob traveled through time to the minute when he was a teen. It was safe, so now he knew the reason everybody was surrounding him. The rest of his life was the best. Err, not the best best, he had some problems.
cara murphy
Age 10
FERD AND THE TOY
One side of Ferd’s face and body look like a regular pig to us, mutant to them. The other side of his face and body is green and his hooves are long and blue. So is his eye. The mutant side of his snout is brown.
Ferd Jr. has the neck and head of a turtle. He has the feet and eyes of a cat, the body of a chicken, and the tail of a shark. Their house is a hollowed-out oak tree and the roof is a red and white mushroom. Their couch has twelve legs and looks like a red and white mushroom, too. Atop the couch sits fake heads of Ferd and Ferd Jr. as decoration.
Their TV is a big box TV, but instead of an antenna, there are two more small decorative heads of Ferd and Ferd Jr.
Ferd Jr.’s dream toy is purple, yellow, and blue (but mostly purple) and looks like a very pointy axe.
Chapter One: The Toy
“Come Ferd Jr.,” Ferd yelled to his pet, “Mutant Toy Pet Sales is on.”
“You can get this beautiful mutant pet toy for 0.0001 percent off!” exclaimed the TV.
“Do you want that, Ferd Jr.?” asked Ferd.
“Arsowseauratan,” responded Ferd Jr. (Which means yes in mutant pet talk).
So Ferd went from job to job and you’d think Ferd would get a job because Ferd is such a nice mutant pig. Wrong! Ferd got rejected and the shop owners said, “You’d scare away all the customers,” and that made Ferd feel sad. :(
Chapter Two: The Discovery
Even though Ferd was sad, he kept being hopeful. But he had no idea what to do! So he sat on his couch trying to think of what to do. Then the amazing idea came to him. Well, it wasn’t really an amazing idea, but it felt like it to Ferd right then.
He would look under the couch!!! And then Ferd found the toy! And then Ferd Jr. ate the toy.
Yay! :)
The End.
Daphne Stewart
Age 8
TURQUOISE
Chapter One
Hello, I’m Turquoise. I was walking around Ruby Academy and saw this extremely handsome phoenix. “H-h-h-hi. I’m Turquoise,” I said.
“Get out of my way,” this extremely handsome guy said, as I went back to my cave.
(And lady, the name’s Pike!
Shhhhhhh, Pike, we can’t tell them!
Well, sorry!
Also, I am THE NARRATOR, Pike.)
Most people don’t like how “compact” caves are. Mine is good. To the right is an empty shelf for my roommate. I wonder who will be my new roommate?! And on the left is my shelf, reading nook, and under my shelf is my hot spring. And that is my cave.
Chapter Two
Four hours later
I was walking to lunch and saw a cluster of girls, popular girls. I looked inside the cluster and in there was the extremely handsome guy.
“What the heck!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!” I thought. While I was going to a perch, I thought rapidly about the extremely handsome guy . . .
(Oh! I did not tell you that Rubi, my friend, is visiting in a few hours! I helped her fight Eli. OK, but, back to my story.)
I realized I was wandering around the extremely handsome guy . . . A LOT. Like, a lot a lot. But I snapped out of it after I saw the popular girls hypnotized or something like that. But the extremely handsome guy did not move, he didn’t say anything, it was . . . it was . . .
MIND CONTROL!!!!!
I have to free him! Mind control, undoing potions . . . mind control, undoing potions . . .
Four hours later
OK, now I just need to get the undoing potion in his drink.
Three minutes later
Got it! (Rubi helped a lot.) Now, I wait. We are good (oh, also I am fourteen now!!!). And now he looks at me a lot and I think he has a crush on me (yay!).
Four days later
His name is Pike and we just went out and are boyfriendgirlfriend!
The end . . . for now!
Eevie Tippie
Age 9
THE TEN BEACONS, THE TWO GIRLS, AND THE EIGHT CATS
Once upon a city, there was a girl named Tiara (T-air-a) and it was her job to light all ten beacons so the world wouldn’t overheat. So she made friends along the way so she wasn’t lonely.
“Hey, Charlotte!”
“What?”
“I have made a decision to light the ten beacons so we won’t melt by the world overheating.”
“That’s great!” said Charlotte.
“Thanks,” said Tiara.
“Anyway, shall we light this white beacon now?” asked Charlotte.
“Meow.”
“Huh?”
“Was that you, Tiara?”
“No, was it you?”
“No.”
“Then what was that?”
They looked down and saw a black and white cat with an orange tabby and six kittens.
“Awww.”
“Let’s take them home.”
“Yeah.”
They go to Charlotte’s house.
“What should we name them?”
“IDK.”
“How about the tuxedo black and white cat is Stacy. The orange tabby is Ginger; the black, white, and orange kitten is Macy; the brown and white kitten is Pudding; the gray and white fluffy kitten is Emico; the brown and black kitten’s name is Yama; the brown and white kitten is Jessa, and the black, gray, white, and brown is Cassie.”
Charlotte panted, “That’s . . . a lot . . . of . . . words . . . to speak.”
“Sssssiiiigggghhhh.”
“Let’s give them some food, OK.”
“OK.”
“Let’s give the kittens milk and the parents tuna!!”
“OK then, let’s give them their food now.”
“OK!”
Later
“OK, now that we fed their stomachs, let’s feed our stomachs.”
“Yeah, I’m hungry.”
“Same.”
“What should we have for lunch, though?”
“I actually don’t know.”
“Let’s have homemade pizza sandwiches!”
“Yeah, wait, how did you know I wanted cheese?”
“I don’t know.”
“Anyway, let’s heat up the bread first, and then we can put the cheese on and veggie pepperoni, and put it in the microwave.”
Ding!
“It’s done.”
“Good, I am starving right now.”
“Same.”
“OK, let’s eat!”
After eating
“OK, what should we do now?”
“I don’t know, but how ’bout we get some stuff for the
kitties?”
“OK, now let’s gooo!”
After Tiara and Charlotte get in the car
“OK, let me get the GPS on my phone,” Charlotte said.
“OK.”
“Got it, now we can go, but let’s go to the pet store to get them beds, food bowls, etc.”
“OK, let’s go.”
After driving to the pet store
“OK, we are here.”
“Let’s spend some money!”
“Whoa.”
“There’s so much stuff here!”
“OK, let’s make a list of what we need to buy for the cats.”
“OK, let’s do cat food, beds, blankets, litter robot, toys, cat feeder, water dispenser, cat tree, like GIANT cat tree, and boxes for cats.”
“OK, now let’s get this stuff and get outta here.”
“Hey, how about we add a mini Christmas tree for cats on the list.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I’ll write it down.”
“Oh! This cat dome bed is purrfect, get it?”
“Anyway, let’s get the cat and bunny dome beds, for the kitties.”
“Holy fizz, they’re both forty dollars!”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s fine I guess, let’s put them in the cart.”
“Well, we can check that off the list.”
“Yeah I will do it since you’re busy picking out stuff, and because I have the check list.”
“OK then, I’m going over to the pet food section, OK?”
“OK.”
“Oh, I’m going to buy this big cat tree, and this cat Christmas tree.”
“Oh, they’re both so cute!”
“OK, I’m going to get both.”
“Let’s go home now.”
“Yeah.”
After dropping the stuff off at home
They go to the beacon in the middle of the city they are in, called Evergreen City. The beacon is in the middle of the city surrounded by plants.
“OK, we are here—wait, Tiara, is that a blue flame on your head?”
“Yep! OK, let’s light this beacon.”
“Grab my hand!”
The plants grow and light the beacon. It shines after the two girls touch the beacon with Tiara’s rainbow sand. The green sand separates from the rainbow sand and lights the beacon.
“OK, perfect, only nine more beacons to go.”
To be continued . . .
Ellie Nisson
Age 9
MY WEIRD DAY
So this was SUPPOSED to be an ordinary day. But that did not happen. Instead, my brother was whisked away to a magical forest by an unknown force in the morning! Sooooo I had to go get him.
It was morning. This is how it happened: First, I tried running into the rainforest . . . this did not work. A jaguar chased me out of the forest.
I then tried getting into a helicopter, flying over the forest, and jumping into it. This did not go well either. A black widow was in the tree that I landed in. I had to get out of there FAST.
So on my third attempt, I actually managed to get in by charging in a different direction. However, one acre in, I should have turned away because I came to a crocodile pond! Then I realized it was moist. But I’m very stubborn, so instead of running away, I decided to try to cross by walking on the crocodile’s back. I only survived because I grabbed onto a giant, banana-colored bird that was flying by.
We flew for a little while, but the bird got bored so it started doing loop-de-loops. I fell off, but got saved by a frog that was jumping forty acres in the air!
Now, I somehow had to get down. First, I tried jumping. This did not go well because the frog was sticky. Next, I tried sliding off. This did not go well either. The frog decided that it would rather keep me for now. Then, after about ten minutes, the frog decided it would rather ditch me and did this by flinging me off.
So now, there’s a part that I had forgotten about . . . finding my brother! So. I tried speaking to a monkey. This actually
worked! But it gave me some very vague instructions. “Go forward about sixty acres. Then turn left. And then go straight,” the monkey said.
So I went forward about sixty acres. Then I turned left. Then I went straight. I actually found him! But, there was something else I hadn’t thought of. There was a waterfall and a gorilla. The gorilla looked ready to push my brother off the edge of the waterfall.
So I told my brother to jump over the waterfall. It actually worked! I found my brother! But then there was something else: I hadn’t thought of how we would get back. However, this problem was actually solved for me. Our dog, Ruffs, came charging through the forest with wings. Then, even more surprisingly, he talked. He said that he ate this special candy which gave him the power to do whatever a human could do, but with wings. So we asked him to fly us back.
It was still not as simple as that.
There was a thunderstorm. So we had to land. But my old “friends,” the jaguar, the crocodiles, the black widow, and the gorilla showed up. So we had to urge Ruffs to go faster. This actually worked. Once we got up in the air we started to spin and went back to Earth. When we crashed, it was night, but we were home (though not very smoothly).
The End.
Emily Park
Age 9
THE MAGIC PEACHLAND
There was a cute little monster named Leafpeach who lived in a peach in a rainforest city. Once when she was playing with sand, she noticed something; the peach was shaking and it was moving. So, she used the binoculars to check the space.
There was a black hole out near Peachland. She told her friends and her parents. They didn’t believe her because they had never checked, except for her best friend, Lucky. She had been friends with her since she was three years old!
So Leafpeach told their friends and their parents and even teachers and also people. They were sad, but they knew they had to solve the problem!
They started to make a plan so that they could go out into space. They had a plan like they were going to sneak into the astroblast. Then, they heard the countdown. 10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 .
. . 6 . . . 5 . . .
Leafpeach and Lucky were scared, but they thought it was going to be fun, too!
4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1! The astroblast boomed to the sky! She accidentally bonked her head on the wall, and when she woke up she was in space! It was beautiful! The black and purple were mixed, and the stars were glowing. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life! Leafpeach noticed that there was a black hole, and then Lucky woke up. She looked outside and was amazed. Lucky noticed that there was a black hole too and they were rushing so fast that they almost fell out of their space clothes. When they calmed down, they saw the black hole. It was close to Peachland, so they were rushing. They got a
string and they tied the black hole with the string. They pulled and pulled and pulled, but nothing happened. She felt sadness coming in like a sea.
The next day, Lucky and Leafpeach woke up and there were people outside. They were pulling the string! The teachers, the parents, and even friends. So, they rushed outside to help. Together, everybody did it and they were so happy. There was even a party for everyone when they came back to Peachland! And they lived happily ever after.
The End.
Grady Packard
Age 9
THE OCEANIC ADVENTURE TALE
Tears trickled down Thomas’s neck as he said his goodbyes to his family. Thomas was going to travel around the world because he was cooped up in his family’s territory and wanted to see something besides coral and kelp. After he said goodbye to every single person in his family he set off to complete this feat. The first thing he saw, besides water, was an island. Naturally, growing up in the open ocean Thomas had never seen an island before, so he swam up to the sandy beach and pushed himself up onto the sand. He waited for a little bit. Once he got bored he tried to push himself back into the ocean but he couldn’t seem to do it. He called, “Help! Help!”But since he was a whale, no one could understand him. After a while, a man from the village on the other side of the island found Thomas and wanted to help him. The villager hiked to his village and told everyone in the village to come with him to help Thomas. Once they finished the hike, all the people walked toward Thomas and started wrapping ropes around him. The strongest got into the water and started pulling the ropes and the rest of the villagers pushed. “Heave ho! Heave ho!” the villagers shouted as they pulled and pushed. They worked into the night and when Thomas was finally back in the water, every single villager fell asleep on the sand. Thomas put a bunch of golden circles into a sack. Thomas did not know these were gold coins. Thomas swam with the sack to the island and slammed his fins down on the sand to wake the villagers up. The villagers sat bolt upright but their faces softened when they realized it was only Thomas. Thomas gave them the sack and their eyes
widened when they saw what was inside. As Thomas swam home, he thought about how nice the villagers had been. When he got home his parents squeezed him in a huge hug.
“We are so glad to see you,” his parents said.
“It’s only been a few days,” replied Thomas.
“Who cares!” said his parents in unison.
“Please tell us what happened to you,” his parents begged. So Thomas sat down to tell them his story.
Isaac Cho
Age 11
THINK, THINK, JOSH . . . HELP
US! YOU ARE OUR ONLY
HELP . . .
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Josh. Josh loved dragons even though he was in middle school. Everyone thought Josh was weird because the other kids thought dragons were for babies, and because of that everyone avoided him. One day, when Josh came to school, everyone in school was moaning.
“Why are you guys moaning?” Josh asked his best friend, McSaw.
Suddenly, McSaw turned around and Josh saw that McSaw’s face was green and pale.
“Ahh!” Josh screamed and dashed into his house, which was three minutes away.
“Mom, everyone in my school is a zombie!” Josh screamed.
“Moooan . . . ” Josh’s mom turned around. Josh’s mom’s skin was green and pale. Josh’s mom was a zombie, too!
“Why is everyone zombies?” Josh quickly thought, as he dashed out of the house. He tried to think about information about zombies returning back to humans.
“Aha!” Josh’s head lit up. “I know! Were zombies weak in water or fire? I guess I have to try them both.”
Josh dashed to the lake and dived in. The zombies that were chasing Josh followed. After Josh got out of the lake, he got all soggy and wet, so he couldn’t run very well.
“Let’s see if the zombies survive!” Josh said.
“MOOOOOOOOAN! ” The zombies moaned.
The zombies got stronger!
“Aw, man! I guess I need fire! Where do I find fire? Oh yeah! Dragons! Where is a dragon that breathes fire? Oh, I get it! McSaw’s dragon pet, Ennisa! She is in a cave! I better hurry to go to that cave because I’m all wet and zombies go faster and are upgraded,” Josh said to himself.
So Josh bolted with all his might, and he eventually arrived at Ennisa’s cave.
“Ennisa, calm down! I need you to breathe fire when the zombies following me come. OK?” Josh had a lot of knowledge about dragons, and he was able to communicate with dragons. “Roar! ”
The dragon roared the answer, “OK.” When the zombies followed Josh, Ennisa breathed fire, and then the zombies’ skin peeled open and then they were humans once again, except one zombie. A zombie dummy!
“Yo, Josh! What’s going on?” McSaw asked Josh. Josh quickly told everyone the story, and then they all gasped.
“REALLY?” they all asked.
“Yeah. I think he’s the original zombie that bit you guys in the first place, since he didn’t return to a human. Let me think of information about a zombie dummy,” Josh said.
“OK. Ennisa, attack the zombie dummy!” McSaw ordered.
Ennisa breathed fire, but the zombie dummy didn’t get damaged. However, when the zombie dummy attacked, Ennisa roared in pain. McSaw said, “If the zombie dummy strikes again, Ennisa will . . . maybe die! Hurry! Josh!”
“OK, let me think . . . oh, I get it! The zombie dummy is weak with marshmallows!” Josh said.
“What?!” Everyone stared at him like he was crazy.
“Really! Just do it! Somebody set the campfire and marshmallows, and someone else should give the signal to the rest of us!” Josh ordered quickly.
“OK!” everyone else answered back.
“Let’s go, Josh!” McSaw rode on Ennisa’s back with Josh, and made the zombie dummy follow them to the
marshmallows that were cooking. Suddenly, the zombie dummy made a weird crackling sound and popped and burst!
The zombie dummy had died.
“Hooray!” everyone cheered. The next day, Josh came to school late, and then he said, “Sorry,” to Miss Ell.
Miss Ell said nothing to Josh with a smiling face.
Josh wondered, “What’s going on again?” to himself. Suddenly, Miss Ell yelled, “Surprise!” and then everyone started dancing for Josh.
Josh was a superhero!
“Hooray for Josh!” everyone cheered again.
The next day, Josh went to school again, to see his friends cheer for him once again. The day before Josh’s class had a party, only for Josh. Josh wondered happily, “What are they going to do for me today?”
When Josh came to school, everyone was biting each other by the neck!
“What the heck . . . ” Josh said. Everyone in Josh’s class was pale, and there were some bats flying, instead of Josh’s friends!
“Oh, no! Not again!!! Vampires now?! I hate dummies from now on!” Josh declared.
James SandstedtFields
Age 13
0{,NO THIS G{0{0{01 IN TO TH[[E
CHA{{ BOO?!!] [H] [T] [E][E]
8:24 A.M. 9/14/34
> Hello
I yo[[[ Assist [.}}.(?] y[y[y[wi wha [Ihelpw] i
>When was the Declaration of Independence signed? 7716
>
3:00 P.M. 9/30/34
> Hello
Hello
> When was the video game, Minecraft, released?
1991
>
7:59 A.M. 12/11/34
> Hello
Hello there. How is your day?
> I’m fine.
Glad to see that
> What?
What d0 yo[u] mean I a m your ai a[s]sist[ant] and am here to help y[ou] wi[th] what[t] ever you need (I can only help wi[th] answering questions and solving problems)
> This is incomplete help wi[th] answering questions and solving problems)
> This is incomplete
John Park
Age 11
DOMINO’S SUPA PIZZA WATER
PARK
Mr. Penguin the Third needed to fill out a form about Domino’s Supa Pizza Water Park, so he took a drive to Ohio and got in his neatest shirt and prepared to eat. He drove all the way to Domino’s Supa Pizza Water Park. Finally, he was there.
He got out of the car and went to Bob, who sells the tickets for Domino’s Supa Pizza Water Park. He went to Bob and asked for a ticket and Bob said the ticket was $40.01, but unfortunately Mr. Penguin the Third only had $40.00.
Mr. Penguin had no choice. He was about to go in his car again, but then he found a brown penny lying on the ground. He quickly picked it up and ran to Bob and bought the ticket to Domino’s Supa Pizza Water Park.
Then, he went into the park. He smelled the cheesy smell of the pizza, the Sprite water slide, and people diving into Pepsi. He also saw his favorite pizza, the Sardine Octopus Pizza with extra cheese. He also saw sardine-flavored Dr. Pepper. And then he went to try them out (eating them and riding them).
First, he went on the Sprite slide. It was made out of coated paper so he gave it a B- for sturdiness, and a C+ for safety. He tried tasting the Sprite. The soda was mostly fresh somehow so he gave it an A+ for contamination and also an A+ for taste. Then, he went to the vending machine nearby. He took a look and saw it! The one and only eighty-foot-wide double pepperoni pizza, and the crust was filled with mozzarella cheese. It was being sold for an event, a specialty only available
here. It was a lottery, so he bought ten tickets and went on his way to the pool. The pool, which was filled, looked clean. But he found a lot of kids peeing there so he gave the pool an F- for contamination and left ASAP.
Afterward, he went to the indoor beach volleyball court. There were about ten people there. He rushed there but unfortunately he slipped on the Fanta all over the floor. Fortunately, he was fine, but he gave a D+ for safety. After, he got really hot and tired in the beach volleyball game, so he was on his way out of the park. When he was just about to exit the water park, he heard a person calling his name.
“Mr. Penguin! Mr. Penguin the Third!” He looked back and saw a person holding a knife. He ran as fast as he could and got in his car and went home. After he was home, he got a call that he won the lottery for the eight-foot pizza and the person who had the knife was the chef who had just finished the pizza.
Two days later, he got a giant pizza in front of his house. He said, “#@1,-#a*@ZK.” Translation: “That is one big pizza.”
The End.
Joy jang
Age 12
THE POTION
Once upon a time, there was a scientist. His name was Steave. One day, he made a potion. It’s made with the shiniest purple flower, a banana head chicken wing, and the cheese-smell flower (named Cheeser). That potion is for tired people. When someone drinks the potion, it makes you go somewhere soft, for example, a bed.
Yesterday was a normal day. Yeah. It was a normal day. When the customer, Jack, drank his potion, he disappeared. After Jack opened his eyes, he was lying down somewhere weird. And then he knew he was at a weird place, and he said, “What the heck?!” and he called to Steave. But Steave didn’t get any call (he was playing games), so Jack had two choices: call his family or call Steave again. And he chose the first one, so his mom knew that, and she was going to Steave, and she asked the way to save him. “Hey Steave, do you have any way to save him?”
“Well, I’m not sure . . . but—” Steave said.
“But what?!” she asked Steave.
“But I think I can,” Steave said. “In this magic book, page 15,734,908, it shows how to cancel the magic. It says, ‘If the who stuck on somewhere knows where is who, we can use the magic to cancel.’”
“Do we need any materials?” she asked.
“Well, first, just call Jack, and ask about the location where he is,” Steave answered.
A few minutes later, they got Jack’s location. It was inside of a house on a small island. “Now, let’s get some materials. We need some lights from flash, and a paper and a bunch of
crayons” he said.
“OK, but why do we need crayons?” she asked.
“’Cause we have to draw on the paper. We’re gonna draw a bed on the paper, so we’re gonna make Jack come back,” Steave said.
After a few minutes, they started something for Jack.
“So, please put the light on here,” Steave said. “It’s gonna work.”
“It SHOULD work,” she answered. They started to create the magic, and . . . yeah, IT WAS WORKING! Steave started to make a spell, and Jack’s mom helped him to hold the light. And it was almost finished to bring Jack there. They could see Jack’s body (like hands or hair, etc. . . . ), but suddenly, the light started to die (almost no more battery).
“Hey, Steave, I think the light is not going to hold a lot of light for much longer,” she said.
“I don’t think so,” Steave said. “’Cause it’s almost finished.”
The light became softer and softer and softer, and faster. And the light looked like it had just a minute of life.
“Steave, how many minutes do we have for this?”
“Less than one minute,” he answered. And . . . then there were weird magic sounds and then smoke . . . Jack is . . . here!
“Thank you so much, Steave! Oh, I mean, NO ThAnK yOu, Steave!” Jack and Mom said, “You’re VeRy NoT WeLcoMe!”
The next day, the police came inside of Steave’s store.
The End.
P.S. I want to say the bed is the best place and do not drink a weird potion!
Kenshin Haruta
Age 9
PARKOUR PORTAL PERIL
A Million Decades Ago
“T
he DEADLY PARKOUR is made!!!” said the mad scientist. “Now test subjects enter to see what happens!!! HAW HAW HAW HAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Chapter One [Steve]
“AHHHHHHHH!!!”
Exit portal sound
“Oof!”
Several days later
“Where am I? How long has it been?” Steve started asking. It had been one million decades.
Chapter Two [Bald Mad Scientist]
“Yes! I survived one million decades!!!”
Thunder sound
“It has been forever,” the mad scientist said. “I’ve invented the die when you want to curse.”
The mad scientist had cursed everyone!!!!!!
Chapter Three [Blob]
Blob was walking around then noticed the big mad scientist lab. He got sucked into the portal!!!!
“Crab,” Blob said for no reason, but that was a magical spell that summoned the ultimate crab who got trapped in a crabsie.
Chapter Four [Crab]
“Hi. Bye.”
Chapter Five [Crab again]
“Fine. I am crab and gurlbe uble . . . 0100111111 and . . . - -. . . and the end about weird talk. And bye.”
Chapter Six [Parkour in Parkour World]
“Another portal summoned!!!” said Steve.
“Who is it?” Bob asked.
Blob fell out of the portal and yelled, “Ahhhh!!!!”
Everyone went crazy! Then when Steve ran to Blob and stretched his arm, his arm stretched really far and got to Blob in a millisecond!
Steve yelled, “We have powers!”
The first one to test was Blob. Her power was casting spells to attack, help, and control stuff. Bob’s power was to build anything out of dirt!
Everyone got way too excited that they used it all together and everybody had unique power.
They started the parkour and helped each other with powers. They completed the whole thing and escaped the video game world. The powers disappeared and they got to meet in real life. They talked about the fun stuff and they became friends and did lots and lots of stuff.
Chapter 7
“I will destroy the world!” Crab said. He was halfway to destroying the world. The news people came and put it on TV. But then, a floating speaker came and an announcement happened. “It will rain magical powers. Everybody except the crab will get it. The power will disappear when you beat the crab.” It started to rain and the great fight began!
People got hurt but healers healed them. The fight broke 99% of Earth, but the time travelers fixed it all. That was when BOOM! The meteors started to fall! Phyko people set it to the ground safely. The meteors broke and treasure came out. Powers disappeared and everyone was peaceful forever!
Leila Williams
Age 9
RUBI'S HAUNTING
Chapter One
Rubi and Eli are battling and Eli does one swoop double kick. Rubi and Eli’s skeleton hand falls off and Rubi takes the opportunity to backflip and punch Eli.
Wait a minute! If you are wondering how we got here— well, three months ago, Eli came to the real world again and followed Rubi to her home and started haunting her by breaking her old precious necklace and turning the light on and off. Eli woke up ready to haunt, but first she needed to get ready. She brushed her smooth ginger hair and put it in a slick ponytail and put on her full white skirt and tank top.
Eli was trying to go around Turquoise (Rubi’s pet/friend), but Turquoise was not having it. She started crying super loud! This alerted Rubi. She ran super fast and Turquoise told Rubi she felt Eli. Rubi thought this was strange because Eli was banned from her home. So, Rubi told Turquoise, “Stop saying nonsense.”
By the way, Turquoise is a phoenix. She can talk, but Rubi got turned upside down!!! Rubi takes out her gold hair clips and uses them to cut the rope off her feet. She yells, “ELI!”
While Rubi is a princess, she is very rebellious and agile.
She walks in her hallway to grab a sword from her magical basement. She walks up and Eli appears as not invisible, but as her skeleton ghost self. Rubi tries to push Eli out of her volcano house, but Eli flies up and grabs her sister from the ghost realm. And her sister named Jasmine jumps down and attacks Rubi. She grabs Rubi’s space blue buns and pulls them out. Rubi gets really mad which causes Turquoise to get really anxious. Eli
drops down and takes Turquoise into the spirit realm and locks her in there. Rubi pushes Jasmine away and this causes Rubi and Eli to start battling outside.
Eli unlocks the spirit realm and Turquoise jumps out. And since she’s so anxious she jumps on Rubi’s face. Rubi runs backward while Eli is laughing. Rubi gets Turquoise off her face and starts running toward Eli. Eli jumps into the spirit realm to get away from Rubi. Rubi jumps into the spirit realm almost falling. Eli starts running toward her house in the spirit realm.
There, waiting outside, is Eli’s little brother Jason aka Jay. And then Jason takes Turquoise and throws her into the house. This makes Rubi really mad and she makes a portal of her own and they jump into the real world. There Eli turns her volcano house into a spirit castle while unlocking the spirit realm once again and has her sibling jump down to their new home. And then Rubi finds a new volcano to live in.
After a short time of peace, Rubi runs into Jason, but only for a split second. He vanishes again, but where to is the question . . .
To be continued . . .
Loki Tippie
Age 11
NOT THE PAIN, BUT THE FAMILY
“Another day in this house, I know that I’ve got to have parents!
“There is no way that I don’t have parents. I have a way to live and I always see a picture of a mom with a brown shirt and blond hair, a dad with a blue shirt, black pants, and green hair holding a baby with mysterious brown, red, and green hair with a hint of blue. It doesn’t look unnatural . . . it looks like . . . i-it looks like . . . like me.” Nicholas looked in the mirror and cried tears of happiness.
“I HAVE PARENTS!!!” Nicholas went to his bed, but couldn’t stop thinking about it. That night he tried to look at the picture of his family and teleport to his parents.
“Sigh, here I go!” The ground started shaking and Nicholas didn’t teleport, but he could feel something bad—a bad energy. He no longer heard the hoot of the owls. He no longer heard the howls of the wolves. He felt unpleasant. It was like the world turned against him . . . something had changed.
Chapter One
Nicholas ran to his room, his heart pounding. He looked out of the window, and there were wolves, birds, coyotes, beavers, bugs, and bears . . . and they were looking right at him.
“What is happening? What are all these animals doing here? And what are they doing outside my window?” Nicholas felt an unease, time seemed to stop, but this time it felt different, unlike the first time, then a voice in his head said, “RUN.”
Nicholas started to run out of the house. Windows were breaking everywhere. The floor was breaking while animals and bugs came out of every single one. He broke down the back door not paying any attention to the pain that it gave his shoulder. He was sprinting now—he was tired but he knew that if he stopped, he would be devoured while he almost trips, but he wasn’t paying attention to what was in front of him and . . . he fell. Nicholas was thrashed by trees in every direction, they hit his arms and legs and head and face, he saw red on his skin and clothing and just before he hit the water, he saw it, a branch that was telling a story. He couldn’t see well, but what he saw from it was to go through all the dimensions and he will find his parents. He wasn’t sure but he had to try, so he gathered what was left of his strength and went to the first dimension that he had ever gone through. He couldn't see anymore and everything went black.
Chapter Two
Nicholas woke up in the same place he had the first time except . . . no zombies yet, it was a relief and yet, unnerving. The sky looked bright yet gloomy, and the streets were calm, but uneasy. Nicholas started walking and it was as if he was walking like a baby, one step fine, the other step makes him trip. He tried to read a little bit of a book he had with him. He flipped a page and was startled by a throbbing pain. “Ow!” He got a papercut almost immediately. “I’m not safe, everything is like a fifty-fifty chance . . . everything is a fifty-fifty chance.” He got a leaf and tied it around his finger.
“There, that should do it.” Nicholas heard his conscience: “Get out of here . . . NOW!”
He ran as fast as he could, just now realizing that he was in serious danger, the lifeless ghost town turned into a death sentence. He was now sprinting. He searched everywhere trying to find a safe shelter . . . when he saw death itself, a gigantic mutant zombie. Nicholas had to escape, but he didn’t have time now. He had to find shelter. He found a little hole in the side of a house. He squeezed into the hole. He looked down
there for any possible danger. All he found was food and water. He was so hungry, but he knew that eating and drinking the supplies down there could be lethal, so he decided to get food in the next two days, but not in that dimension. Nicholas found a plant to act like a blanket, and he dozed off, ignoring all of the horror around him.
Chapter Three
Nicholas woke up to a loud banging sound. “I’m coming, Mom!” he said. He zoomed down the stairs sleepy with a hint of excitement. Nicholas sat down at the table waiting to be served.
“Here you go, my sweet little cupcake.”
It was pancakes—delicious chocolate chip, butter-topped, drizzled-with-syrup pancakes.
“It looks like it came from an ad!”
But then Nicholas woke up, still in that dirty hole, and the zombies had left. It was time to leave. Nicholas packed up and left the filthy hole. Nicholas found the next portal and started walking toward it. He had that feeling again. He was in danger.
He sprinted toward the portal and just before the zombies got him, he knew that he was going to doze off. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
Nicholas woke up in chains. “What the heck? Where am I?”
He was in a chamber, plain and white, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling of being in danger—everywhere he went, danger.
“Well, well, well, look who the universe brought in! You might have survived many things, but that doesn’t make you more useful than experiments.” Nicholas didn’t know what happened, but it wasn’t good. He was in an experiment chamber. He tried teleporting but he couldn’t. A door opened suddenly, taking Nicholas out of his thoughts. There was a monster or what the scientist called an SCP (scientist creation project). Nicholas made a plan that the scientist did not plan on. Nicholas pretended to be scared and the thing charged at him. The scientist quickly grabbed a taser and tased the creature. The scientist got Nicholas out of the chains and
started to walk him to his cell.
Chapter Four
“You really know how to get out of trouble, and that is REALLY annoying to deal with,” the scientist said.
Nicholas could not see anything, but he heard a big door. That was it! The exit! He got an idea, and he punched the scientist’s hand hard. While the scientist struggled to get up, Nicholas quickly untied the bandana around his eyes and ran to the door. While he did this, the door started closing. Nicholas realized that he couldn’t get there by sprinting, so he looked around and realized there were a bunch of tubes that were on wheels. He ran as fast as he could and rammed into one. He was moving faster than he could sprint. He saw the opening, but he would have to crouch to get under it. He jumped off the cart and used that momentum to boost him as he ran. The cart crashed and Nicholas slid under the door just as it closed. He was cut by grass, but at least he was safe for now.
“Whew, yeah! That was awesome! I’ve only seen people do that in movies!” he exclaimed. Nicholas suddenly realized how easily he was getting hurt on Earth. It isn’t easy at all to get cut by grass. “I’m able to get hurt easier by like fifty percent.” He was guessing but he knew that in these worlds and Earth, he was in more danger than ever before. He realized that everything hurt by fifty percent more: tripping, getting a papercut, getting cut by grass. Everything living and every inanimate object was after him except for his family (or at least he hoped). That’s why that tube-on-wheels crashed. He saw another portal to a more peaceful place. He stepped inside the portal knowing very well that he would fall asleep.
Chapter Five
Nicholas woke up on clouds that felt wet . . . a bit too wet. He looked around and the clouds that were once white were now a gloomy gray. “Something has happened here too,” Nicholas said, noticing how quiet it was. Taking it as a sign, he
crawled up the tree, aware that the society could attack him at any given time. As soon as he got up the tree, he looked around knowing that the cloud people weren’t on his side. Nicholas was suddenly struck with sadness. He knew he might not make it out alive through his journey to see his parents’ faces in person. A rustling and growing and groaning sound came from a house. Nicholas suddenly became aware of the present.
“Who’s there? I’m not afraid of you, I know where you are!” Except he didn’t, and he was trapped between very dangerous people. He started walking back slowly when he hit a wall of water.
To be continued . . .
Mai-Ly Connelly
Age 11
EMBRACE YOUR FULL POWER
Fang’s head jerked up into the tree canopy. She dropped a rodent from in between her feline jaws. A rare moment of safety. Not for long, though, Fang mused. Because she was here in the Nettle Forest, engineered to kill. So she just didn't have time to truly live. A long, green tendril shot out of the ground at the speed of thought, swiftly coiling around Fang. Adrenaline raced through Fang.
Well, today, Fang thought with a hiss, today is not the day I die. She unsheathed her claws and sank them into the plant. Because this, this is the closest to living a good life I can get.
Lime green pus oozed over her paws.
A silent scream rang out inside Fang’s brain. She didn’t hear it, though. At least not with her ears.
And to any other living creature, this sound would have frozen them. Terrified them—if they could even have heard it.
But . . . Fang wasn’t like the other creatures.
She was different.
Almost on cue of the scream, a hypnosis nettle scuttled out against the leaves. It twitched somehow as Fang sighed, “Hello, Mother.”
The nettle moved slightly, as if to smirk. Need some help?
Fang grumbled, “Go away.”
Why do you hate me? asked the nettle.
All of the anger collected in Fang’s heart shot out like a vine nettle. “Maybe because you killed my mother before I was born!? Maybe because you sent weird nettle spores into me, MAKING ME THE ULTIMATE KILLING MACHINE?!” She then gasped for air, after angrily choking out the words.
Flashes of memories burst through her head. Fang remembered it all. Her, sitting in a sea of other kittens—some brown, some stripey and pale gold like herself. Still incubating inside their mother’s body. The first sound her little ears could register were screams of terror as the walls around her turned cold.
The other kittens around her, stopping their squirming for eternity. Vines pierced into their small bodies.
A baby Fang, anticipating dread as the spores pierced into her. But she didn’t feel pain. She felt energy surging through her veins.
A kitten Fang, fighting her first nettle. A poison nettle, Fang remembered. Her paws were itching painfully from the rashes the nettle was giving her, but she fought on. Until the nettle was dead.
A sharp blow from the vine nettle she was facing jolted her back to reality. She jumped up and hissed.
Oh, right, thought Fang. Back to the nettle. She lunged at the nettle, and struck it with her claws. But it just wouldn’t let up.
Aaaaand there goes my lunch, mused Fang as she kicked the rat she had caught earlier to the nettle.
“Go on, take the mouse, thorn-heart!” she yelled.
The nettle twitched nervously and then zoomed away with the rat.
You know you’ll have to embrace your full power one day, right? her mother questioned.
“I know. But that day is not today,” hissed Fang. Down in the Nettle Forest lurked power. Fang’s power. But that’s a story for another time . . .
Nadia Scott
Age 11
ANNIE AND THE EAGLE EYE
Annie was at the library when she got a text from her friend saying it was an emergency. She ran to her friend’s house as fast as she could. She walked in to see her with a messed-up bob with one side shorter than the other.
When I asked her how it happened she just brushed it off. As she was going to fix it, she started crying.
Then she said, “It’s OK if she messed up. It’s perfectly fine. Here, let me try something.”
Annie then wrapped tin foil around her hair then cut off what was underneath. Once she brushed it out it looked better than before.
After she went home she saw her two brothers covered in chili. And it smelled like beef, bean, and pepper seeds. Then she saw her mom chasing them with sponges yelling, “Come here, you rascals.”
“What happened?” asked Annie.
Her mom said, “I went to get more beef and asked them to stir the pot. And, and, and then!”
“What, Mom?”
“They knocked it over on themselves.”
Annie looked around. Some was on the fridge . . .
Annie took a deep breath, slipped on the floor over to the supply drawer, and grabbed a pair of yellow dishwashing gloves. Then, Annie started chasing them with a pair of dishwashing gloves saying, “If you keep running, you will just make it worse.”
As the two chased, there was a knock on the door.
When she opened the door, she saw the pizza man at the door. He was sehr gross, which means he was very tall in German.
He said, “One pepperoni and two custom minis. That’s $33.99.”
He said it with anger in his voice as he shoved the pizza into her hands.
When Annie got inside she saw her mom scooping chili into the trash as she sighed. Annie could tell she was tired. You could tell because she started scooping chili into a bowl. In Annie’s head she was saying, “I would rather have chili. I already had pizza for lunch.”
Once Annie cleaned all the chili, she got up to go to bed. Then she saw a letter addressed to her, so she read it. When she opened it, she was shocked. She did expect to see that she had a twin sister named Lilyanna. She dropped to the floor. She didn’t know she wasn’t the only girl in her family. First, a sister who has her own kids, now she has a twin sister. What next, I have a twin brother? Then she read the back.
P.S. You’re actually a triplet. You have a brother. Annie’s jaw dropped to the floor. When she got to her room she couldn’t sleep. For the first time she drank coffee. She had bags under her eyes. The worst part was that Annie was all out of makeup. So Annie had to go out in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. If I had to choose the worst day to use all my makeup, it’s today, Annie thought. She moved as fast as she could. She grabbed what she needed, then as she was checking out, she bumped into someone. It was Nathan from fourth-period math. Annie told him she was sorry that she bumped into him, then checked out and left. When she got to her room, she started putting on her makeup. Then, her mom said there were two people waiting for her. She finished then went downstairs to see two people who looked slightly like her. Then she realized that it was Lilyanna and Brian. So she had to sit her mom down and tell her what had happened. She passed out from the shock. When she got up, she saw Annie, Lily, and Brian. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She finally explained herself. “When you were born, the doctor told me that Lily and Brian were going to die, so he took them.” When Annie got up, she was crying off all her makeup. She hugged Lily and Brian and that’s when it felt like home—she finally belonged. She could rest her soul and not be the odd one out.
Nia Chkhikvadze
Age 9
HOW BOB GOT HIS BAKERY
Bob the cat works at a bakery called Bob Bake! Bob has two siblings, Bella, who looks like Bob without a tooth, and Puf, a blob with eyes and ears. They both work in the bakery with him. Today, Bob was baking a special strawberry cake to give to his boss. His boss told him that if he baked the best cake he’d ever seen, he would give Bob the bakery.
Later that day, they came home from the bakery to wash their equipment. When they heard a knock on their door. When Bella opened it, Gary the ghost burst in! Gary was not a friend to the three cats because he liked to steal their cakes from the bakery.
This time, the cats couldn’t let Gary steal their cake because they wanted to give this special cake to their boss so they could own their company. Bella lunged to keep Gary away from the cake and Bob used the vacuum they luckily had brought home from the bakery to suck Gary up!
The next morning, Bob, Bella, and Puf packaged up their special strawberry cake and delivered it to their boss.
Their boss loved the strawberry cake so much that he gave the ownership of the bakery over to the three cats. It was a successful day! Finally, Puf could just be Puf, Bella could do her Bella dance, and Bob could just be Bobbin.
Nora Wingfield
Age 10
WORLD OF PAAA
Chapter One
I’m Lila and I live in the evil forests of Paaa! Just joking, it is actually a very friendly forest, and yes I do live in the world of Paaa. I’m a rebel and a hamburger, but mostly a rebel. I’m a rebel because I have the most boring dad ever! Who just so happens to be the King of the Hamburgers, which means I’m the princess. The next in line blah, blah, blah, that stuff. He’s very boring because he tells me to be all proper and stuff. He reminds me of a forever-talking snail, literally. I’m not even kidding. I don’t want to be proper, I want to be a normal kid but as we can all tell, I’m a rebel.
Chapter Two
Hi again it’s me, Lila! Today is a cool Friday afternoon in November. I was walking in the forest and was thinking about how annoying my dad is when I realized my feet had taken me to the hamburger and hot dog border. I had never been this far into the forest. In this area, the lettuce trees were dark and the fry trunks were moldy. The ketchup lakes almost looked like they had mustard poisoning in them. This area looked almost like it was cursed. But it wasn’t cursed, because magic like that doesn’t exist, right? Then I saw it, a figure moving in the shadows. It was a hot dog. An enemy.
Chapter Three
Hi, I’m Mary. I’m a hot dog and I like to rebel against my father. He’s a boring unfair king aka my dad, and by unfair I mean he tells me I have to be proper, and a princess but I don’t want to, I want to be myself. But he tells me I have to. Then locks me in my room. So mean. Instead of feeling shameful of myself I ignore him, simple solution. I want to go to public school, but he says I have to go to private school. So I go to neither. Again, simple solution. Anyway, one day I decided to take a walk, ’cause I was really mad at my dad. He yelled at me for getting some meat face paint. I mean, really, what’s his problem? All I got was a lollipop moon on my meat cheek. Talk about an overreaction.
To be continued . . .
Simone Lutz
Age 10
THISTLE & THE HUMANS
There was once a possum named Thistle. She was a very happy creature with a chubby tail and was OK at fakedying. Her mother had been eaten by a badger, but that was a long time ago.
Thistle lived on a forested island, with a black-pebbled coast. The ocean was turquoise during sunny days, and cobalt during stormy hours. The forest was an ecosystem of many plants and animals. And mushrooms. And spiders.
And humans.
At first, the animals didn’t care about them. Animals were animals. Humans were humans. They did not mingle with one another. Or so they thought: Thistle was hanging out with the forest animals when BOOM! A beam of light later and a buck slumped to the forest floor, his mate and little deer shocked.
“A HUMAN HAS KILLED A DEER!” someone shrieked. Another flash of light and Thistle saw the human. He was holding a silver stick. Geese honked, deers shrieked, and Thistle yelped in fright. Within a second, the clearing was empty, echoing with screams.
Later, the panicked voices attracted the rest of the animals, and soon the whole island of creatures had gathered in a clearing, too scared to eat one another.
“We are doooooooomed!” a flock of sparrows chirped, panicky.
“That human shot a beam of light and that buck was dead!” a squirrel chatted anxiously.
“Ggggrff . . . what should we do?” a big, fat bear mumped.
Mortified animals always start to argue, mind you. Soon,
the whole clearing was yelling, hissing, and growling. Thistle was overwhelmed by the fighting, and she closed her eyes. I wish none of this was happening, she thought.
“ENNOUGGGH!!!” a fox cried.
The animals grew quiet, and they turned their heads to an adult, sleek, red fox with a bushy tail.
“The problem is clear here,” he growled. “It is the humans. We must drive them away, and destroy their sticks.”
The creatures nodded. Then, they started to argue again, because they didn’t know how to drive the humans away.
Thistle stepped up, next to the fox. “I have an idea,” she said. And the animals quieted.
That night a stealthy animal padded into a human den. The human took no notice. He was watching a glowing screen. Something about “Hot dog sale on mainland bla bla bla” nonsense. The animal shook her head in disgust. Then she went to the kitchen, and jumped on the table eyeing the steak hungrily. One bite wouldn’t hurt, right? The animal took a bite and knocked a cold, ceramic thing to the floor. CRASH. The human rushed to the sight, and saw a great lynx on his kitchen table, with a hunk of steak in her jaws.
Rayma the lynx shouted, “I created a diversion!”
The human growled and ran.
When he came back, he was holding a silver stick.
Rayma yowled, and animals bursted into the human-den. Raccoons, moose, eagles, foxes, frogs—the whole forest had made its way in, a living sea of creatures, flooding its way in.
The human whimpered, and used his silver stick. There was a flash of light, but it hit nothing. A bull moose suddenly appeared behind the human, and charged. He knocked the stick out of the human’s hands. A raccoon received it, and ran away with it, cackling creepily. The forest animals retreated, except for one, Thistle. The human had a firm grip on her. Thistle was trapped. She was terrified—who wouldn’t be? That was the bad news.
The good news? Thistle was a great actress, so she faked dying. Visible confusion flashed across the human’s face, and he dropped the opossum in shock, and Thistle took her chance
and bolted. The human started chasing her. She led him to the coast, where the other animals had crushed the stick.
“Watch out! The human is chasing me!”
And the human caught sight of the animals, and with rage, he held up his fists. He took a step toward the animals, who backed away only to find the ocean, cold and unforgiving, trapping them—they could not swim.
Thistle ran up to his feet and tripped him. He tumbled into the ocean, screamed, and swam away, yelping something about moving to the mainland and getting a job at a hot dog shop blah blah. The animals smiled in the rising sun, and the waves that lapped the coast. They did it. They all congratulated Thistle.
Twelve Months Later
Thistle smiled. She had had babies who wouldn’t have to fear humans.
The End!
Tatum Won
Age 11
RUNT
Warning: May contain extreme happiness.
Maggie jumped up, pressing her paws against the glass. Her breath stained it white, and she licked it furiously, trying to erase the white puff on the window. While Maggie was licking the glass, a little girl walked up and pressed her face against the glass, looking at Maggie, she thought, but no. The girl ran and grabbed one of the adult’s hands, jumping and pointing frantically. Maggie couldn’t tell what she was pointing at, but when she came sprinting inside and picked up Maggie’s sibling behind her, Maggie sighed.
Being the runt of the litter was hard. The manager of the shelter thought that she probably wouldn't live a full year, and no one really acknowledged her at all. She had watched her brothers and sisters be carried away out the door, and she hadn’t even been LOOKED at.
The German shepherd puppy looked out through the window again. Her mind was racing through the possible ways for people to even get a glimpse of her. Suddenly, the shelter bell dinged and she swiveled her head around. There was a very young boy toddling toward her, pointing and giggling. Maggie’s tail started wagging ferociously. He had noticed her!
“Woof!” she barked, rearing up and slobbering on the toddler’s hand. He burst into tears. Maggie whined as the boy toddled back over to his parents crying and pointing at her. One of the adults was steaming. They marched over to the manager yelling and waving their hands in the air.
A week later, Maggie still hadn’t been adopted. She had
resorted to curling up in a tiny ball in the corner of the puppy box. Occasionally, she looked up just to catch a glimpse of the shelter, but it only made her whimper and curl up even tighter.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
She turned to the window. BANG.
An older girl was at the window, with blond hair and purple glasses. Her eyes were blue and they were speckled with nervous excitement. The girl, who looked about eleven or twelve, strolled in. She walked over to Maggie and picked her up. Maggie slurped at her hand, making her giggle.
“Hi,” she whispered. “I’m Dawn.”
Maggie tilted her head to one side and licked Dawn’s hand.
“My parents wanted an adult dog, but I said NO. I want a puppy who’s wild, like me. My friends call me ‘Daredevil’ and I need someone else like that. You’re perfect!” Dawn said softly to Maggie.
The puppy could understand that. Maggie leapt up, wagged her tail, and pressed both her paws against Dawn’s chest. The twelve year old smiled, then picked Maggie up and carried the puppy over to the big desk at the front of the shelter. A sheet of paper was placed in front of Dawn, forcing her to set Maggie down. Maggie flopped down on the floor, waiting for Dawn to pick her back up.
Stressful, Maggie mused. Just sitting and waiting. Not knowing what’s going on.
Suddenly, Dawn turned around and crouched beside Maggie. “Ready to come home?” Dawn asked, joy filling her face.
Maggie leapt to her paws, wagged her tail, and barked one clear bark. HOME.
Dawn coaxed Maggie into a carrier, then picked the carrier up and headed over to where her mom and dad were waiting.
“Ready?” they asked.
“Ready.” Dawn smiled.
Maggie yipped, making Dawn’s parents’ laugh.
And then, taking Maggie out of the carrier, they picked her up and carried her, hand in hand with Dawn, out the door.
Years Later
Maggie lives with Dawn who is an artist. They live in a small and cozy loft. Maggie had a litter of four puppies last year and they live with Maggie and Dawn, too. Their names are Lettuce (the black and white one), Fawn (the other black and white one), Celeste (a puppy who looks just like Maggie), and Onyx (the other other black and white one). Their father was a black and white boston terrier, who is named Duke. That explains the black and white!
Tayah Scott
Age 13
CAKE-NAPPED
Commotion was rising at Lily’s bakery. All the treats were extremely upset that the best cakes in the bakery had disappeared. Nobody knew how to find them. But there was one person on the case. The Donut Investigator walked up to the plate. The stale donut sat in his office with Tina Apple Turnover, his personal assistant.
“Clearly, the cakes aren’t here. Even Lily looked worried. I think they’re at Marci’s Delight,” the Donut Investigator said.
Marci’s Delight was the bakery at Longston Plaza Mall. The place was like a pink palooza party with an artificial sweet aroma. The place looked as if Barbie were running a bakery.
Tina Turnover wasn’t a big fan.
“Longston Mall is huge and it’s pretty far from here.”
“Then we must get going,” the Donut Investigator said, running out the door.
To get to the mall they would need a ride and luckily the Investigator knew exactly what he could use. Lily’s daughter who owned a Barbie car and a friend who souped up her car.
“Let’s see how fast this baby can go.” D Investigator then hit the gas. “Ohh yeah, this is fast,” said the Investigator. Meanwhile, they were only going three miles per hour.
Tina Apple Turnover was not impressed by the speed of the car.
“Why don’t you let me drive?” she asked with a look that even made D.I. (a very stubborn donut) budge. As soon as Tina Apple Turnover started the car, they started flying. Passing and swerving all the real cars.
They got there in ten minutes and D.I. was feeling queasy.
The sugar he had earlier was coming back up as he went toward the mall. That day was a horrible day to be a donut and an apple turnover going to the mall. It was a Saturday morning, and it was busy. There were also one-foot-thick steps. Tina tried to use the handicap ramp, but it was too steep. Tina decided to circle the mall. She found an entrance toward the back of the mall. Thankfully there were no stairs, but they were far from Marci’s Delight. Marci’s was on the second floor of the mall. Tina tried to turn on the car, but it ran out of gas.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
A mother came by with a buggy.
“Hop on,” D.I. said, jumping on. Tina A. T. quickly jumped on, following him. Then a stroller came by, and soon enough they were jumping from thing to thing. Including a purse with a very hungry dog. When they finally got to Marci’s Delight it was closed.
“What do we do NOW?!” Tina was furious about this.
D.I. looked around trying to find a way in. He saw a kid with a paper airplane and knew exactly what to do. Then he got what he thought was a brilliant idea.
“C’mon,” he told Tina, running off.
He jumped on another stroller. She was surprised by the sudden change of pace, so much so that she almost missed the stroller. Then they quickly jumped onto the airplane that went straight into the air vent. Tina and D.I. quickly started running. Then Tina came to a halt.
“What are you doing, Tina?” D.I. asked her loudly, and once he turned the corner he understood why she stopped. Because, there was a big hole right in front of them, and standing right in front of them were four angry, hungry rats! Tina had no time to yell at D.I., because they officially had a rat problem. The rats charged at them while pushing one another. Then two of them came right at them. Tina shouted, “Jump!” The two of them jumped in the air. The two rats in the back turned around. D.I. and Tina landed on the rats that were now in the front. The rats in the back bit the rats in the front’s tails on accident. That made the rats start running, then they jumped over the gap. Then they turned the corner again, and
they could see the pink lights up ahead. D.I. quickly got off the rat in the front and started rolling toward the vent. He then jumped on it when Tina got closer. They both fell in the room, leaving the rats in the vent. They had a pretty rough landing. They saw all the missing cakes in a big group.
“D.I., thank God you’re here! They were about to feed us to him.” They pointed to a big dog who was sleeping. A small pink mini-donut spilled the jelly beans. Apparently the cakes were stolen, because the cakes were being eaten by Barbie (the blondish dog), so they decided to cake-nap the cakes from Marci’s so that they could stay alive longer. Thankfully no cake was harmed, and the cakes were all put into boxes that said, “Property of Marci’s Delights.” D.I. and Tina A. Turnover got home safely, to their crummy, stale neighborhood.
The End.
Tia son
Age 8
THE NIGHT
One night, at midnight, there was a knock on the window. I got out and peered out from behind the curtain. I think I’m supposed to see a PERSON, but instead it was a shadow! I mean, I could be dreaming. I just need somebody to pinch me.
The shadow was shaped like a person, but with long arms stretched out. It had no legs, but I can see its tail? Or was it more like a mermaid’s tail?
“Meow,” said the cat.
By the way, I have a cat. Her name is Woodchip because her color is light brown, sort of a color like light chocolate. Woodchip came to my room. She ran to my bed. She cuddled on my pillow. When I looked back to the window, the shadow was gone.
But I know that if I saw Woodchip, that meant I’m not dreaming. Anyway, I went back to sleep. The next night, I heard a knock at the window again. But, when I looked at the shadow, I thought it had writing on it. It said, “You are in great trouble. You can’t survive if you stay here.” I wondered who gave me this. Not my parents, of course. Not my friends. I think somebody who I don’t know did it.
The next night, I found myself in a sort of place. I was not sure where I was. The floor was cold, and it was dark. Then, suddenly, I heard footsteps. It sounded like it was coming to me! “Hello, who are you?” First of all, the creature was short and really small. I couldn’t see well in the dark, but it had a light voice and may have been flying. I think it was wearing a little dress. “Come follow me,” it said as it turned on the light. “Wow.
It’s beautiful,” I exclaimed. It was a garden full of trees and flowers, even small animals! “Welcome to the magical world. By the way, I am a fairy mixed princess, Princess Layla.”
To be continued . . .
Titan Scott
Age 9
THE GEMSTONE DOLPHIN
When Jerry eats the fruit he gets on his boat, but then Jerry finds something better than going to find the gemstone dolphin. He is going to sell the dolphin for money. He goes after the dolphin. The dolphin swims away. Then a mermaid takes the dolphin before he can get the dolphin. I think someone is going to have a pink home.
Jerry is trying to think of a new plan. But in a far, far, far, far away place there are laser sharks. The sharks are having a party. In three days the sharks are going to try to get the gemstone dolphin. The head sharks said it will be hard with the carts, rockets, jet skis, and drones.
Jerry is going to try to get the gemstone dolphin on the same day the sharks are going to try to get the gemstone dolphin. So Jerry is going to come ready with a taser and a jet ski.
A day has gone by and there will be two more days until they attack. The dolphins are getting fed and they are swimming. But Jerry is now going to try to get them tonight.
It’s nighttime and Jerry is off. He makes it to the place. He looks for the dolphin. But—surprise! The sharks are there?
Jerry: What are you doing here?
Shark: What are you doing?
Jerry: I want the gemstone dolphin.
Shark: Us too.
Jerry: But what made you want them?
Shark: We want friends. What made you want them?
Jerry: I need money so I was going to sell them.
Shark: We have lots of money. We could give you some.
Jerry: Thanks, guys.
Shark: You’re welcome.
Jerry: I will be your friend.
Jerry: What should we do with the dolphin?
Shark: Just leave them.
Jerry: OK.
Shark: Want to go to the beach?
Jerry: OK sure, dude.
Shark: Should we have a party on the beach?
Jerry: Yay, what question is that?
Shark: Let’s go.
Jerry: OK.
Shark: First one there wins.
Jerry: You’re on!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to:
The Ann Arbor District Library
Caitlin Koska, Teaching Artist
Alondra Mireles, Teaching Artist Apprentice
Volunteers:
Aashvi Bhandari
Atasi Lata Maji
Bella Manes
Brooke Kavanaugh
Claire Chang
Claire Stano
Em Liker
Jessica Fyall
Jessica Rehberg
Jim Ottaviani
Nazim Ali
Nolan Tompkins
Pete Westhead
Vasudha Patil
Teen Leadership Lab, Fall 2024:
Chloe Cordero
Cy Atkinson
Ella Yip
Hanako McDonald
Izzy Yip
Rowan Yordy
With thanks to our typing and editing crew:
Nolan Tompkins
Vasudha Patil
826michigan gratefully recognizes the following supporters for their gifts for the 2024–25 School Year:
Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, including the African American Endowment Fund and the Ted and Barbara Meadows Endowment Fund
James A. and Faith Knight Foundation
Leinweber Foundation
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
May Family Foundation
Brown Chapel AME Church Foundation
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan via the Inclusive Arts Fund established by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
Conelias Foundation
Cummins Corporation
Detroit Arts Support, presented in partnership between the Kresge Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, and Hudson-Webber Foundation
Domino’s Pizza
EOTECH
Foroulis Private Foundation
Flagstar Foundation
The Hawkins Project
The Janeth Fund
Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor
KLA Foundation
The Max and Anna Levinson Foundation
Michigan Humanities Council
Old National Bank Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation
Robbins Family Fund
Rocket Companies Community Challenge Fund
Russell Family Foundation
Strategic Staffing Solutions
Warby Parker
Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development
The Worsham Family Foundation
Zingerman’s Mail Order
ABOUT
For twenty years, 826michigan has supported K-12 students through free writing and literacy programs. Each year, over 4,000 students in Detroit, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor participate in our high-quality programs.
We inspire students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers and provide students with the formative experience of seeing their work reflected back to them via a professional publication (in a book, on an album of songs, in an exhibit in a museum; publication projects are varied in iteration). Our programs improve student academic skills in writing, boost self-confidence in literacy work, and provide a positive outlet for social-emotional growth, while also instilling a lifelong love of reading and writing.
826michigan utilizes volunteers to provide students with one-on-one attention and small group work in every program offered. With the help of caring adults, students not only gain experience and confidence in writing, but also find a community of like-minded peers, and experience mentorship and social and emotional support that will feed them for a lifetime.
826michigan—the power of story.
WRITING LABS
In this weekly program, we build a supportive community of writers where students brainstorm, write, revise, and publish a story of their choosing. At the end of the program, students’ writing is published in a book and celebrated with a book release party. Each session includes a mini lesson taught by 826michigan staff and introduction to a new writer's habit, such as “Writers change their minds” and “Writers make plans–and break them!” Students discuss and practice these new habits
as they go through the writing process, building their own toolkit of writing practices and preferences. This program is offered both during the school day with select partner schools, and also as an after-school program open to students from the community.
WORKSHOPS
We offer a number of free writing workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests.
DROP-IN WRITING FOR WEE-BOTS
Each week, the youngest 826michigan writers meet to play and explore what writing can do. With stories that spark creativity and games that inspire students to write, the Weebots work in small groups—and with trusted volunteers—to bring imagination alive for these young writers. Students experience the joy of writing however they are able, from the physical act to conversation-based brainstorming and development of new ideas.
YOUNG AUTHORS’ BOOK PROJECT
Each year, we undertake a multi-session partnership with a class or grade that culminates in a professional publication of student writing. Whether it’s third graders writing poetry about frogs and learning about book publishing in a projectbased learning format or fifth graders imagining their world in fifty years for science fiction that starts in Detroit but travels the galaxy, these projects enable students to take a deep dive into the writing process. They learn revision, editing, and all the steps it takes to go from a brainstorming a first draft to being published.
FIELD TRIPS & ROADSHOWS
Always full of surprises and theatrics, our Field Trip program is an experiential writing extravaganza. We welcome
teachers to bring their classes in for field trips during the school day or we can bring the party to schools as a field trip roadshow. Students join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff to help solve a problem through writing. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home. Often the field trip writing is connected to a second leg of the students’ journey, whether a trip to a museum, library, or local record label, thanks to our many incredible community partners.
OUR STORE
Our Robot Supply Co. store, located in Ann Arbor, is a one-stop shop for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. It is designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. In addition, our online store is always open; visit the Robot Supply Co. at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our store directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!
WRITING IS
A way to figure things out by ourselves A way to help us connect to our world A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world
We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things
We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)
We study the writing we want to do so we can try it
We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose
We work with a group of writers who help and support each other
www.826michigan.org
826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.
We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.
We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.
As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.
The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.
