The Sea Fight — Saving the BMX School with Super Dog

A CHOICE-FILLED ADVENTURE STORY

THE SEA FIGHT—

Saving the BMX School with Super Dog

Written by Students of MS. CARROLL’S and MS. WHITSETT’S 4th GRADE CLASSES at UNIVERSITY PREP SCIENCE AND MATH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FIRST EDITION PRINTED AND BOUND AT 826MICHIGAN

Copyright Š 2020 by 826michigan and Blotch Books.

All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, and the authors.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study.

By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org

You live in an underwater treehouse palace surrounded by axolotls. You’re getting ready for BMX water school in a cave, but you have to drop your puppy off at day care first.

At BMX water school, you’re learning how to swim while making art. In other classes, you’re learning about human culture and how to sing.

Most importantly, you’re learning how to ride a bike without training wheels.

All of a sudden, you notice that all the axolotl teachers start swimming away really fast. The water starts to spin really fast in a circle. There’s a giant, huge, slimy evil axolotl that swims in BMX school.

“My name is Villainol,” they say. “I am here to take over the sea!”

If you decide to fight Villainol, turn to page 2.

If you decide to run away, turn to page 3.

1

You call your friend, Super Dog, with a whistle and say, “Help! Come to BMX school fast, it’s Alvin!”

You try to fight Villainol with your sword that shoots out lasers and makes people nice, but Villainol is being controlled, so it doesn’t work.

He uses his telekinesis against you.

Super Dog flies in to try and help, and tells you, “Your dog has been stolen from puppy school by Villainol’s henchmen, Ax and Max!” Super Dog uses his super-strength and shoots lasers out of his eyes. Super Dog uses his superbark to bounce Villainol back. You have to decide to get your dog back or to help Villainol escape being controlled.

If you decide to get your dog back, turn to page 4.

If you decide to help Villainol escape control, turn to page 5.

2

You run to a cave with diamonds all over the walls and floor. The cave is dark, but in the back is a bunker with a bunch of food and drinks just in case of an emergency. You see a light through a hole in the roof, and you see your dog, who has escaped from day care, using their teleportation powers. You have powers to control other animals in the sea, like sharks, fish, crabs, and dolphins.

Behind you, you see Villainol approaching, attracted to the diamonds in the cave. What you don’t know is that this is actually Villainol’s cave!

If you decide to teleport with your dog, turn to page 6.

If you decide to use your powers, turn to page 7.

3

You get into Super Dog’s super-fast Tesla to chase after Axe and Max to get your dog back.

But they have the power of invisibility!

You discover that Alvin is an evil cyborg who has mind control over Villainol by secretly watching a video meant for only Villainol. Alvin lives in an underwater treehouse.

If you decide to chase Axe and Max, write your own ending.

If you decide to track Alvin, write your own ending.

4

(start again at page 1)

You hypnotize Villainol to get him out of the mind control he’s under. Under hypnosis, you make him dizzy and make him fall down.

Super Dog helps take Villainol out of control, to save everyone. When he is done, Super Dog goes into the sea and gets his favorite food!

If you decide to follow Super Dog into the sea,

write your own ending.

If you decide to talk to Villainol, write your own ending.

5

(start again at page 1)

You teleport out of the cave back in time to a different universe.

When you arrive, there’s a big, urban library within a kingdom.

“What happened to Villainol when they were a kid?” you think. So, you decide to ask the person who owns the library. The person is not a human; they are the Loch Ness monster!

The Loch Ness monster gives you a book.

You learn about Villainol’s backstory, learning that he was a human like you. When Villainol was learning to control their magic, they made a mistake and became a giant, slimy axolotl.

If you decide to go back to your original universe and timeline, write your own ending.

If you decide to stay in the current timeline and universe,

write your own ending.

6

(start again at page 1)

You use your powers to call on sharks to trap Villainol and ask him some questions. You call on great white sharks with sharp teeth to surround him. You then call crabs to cover the ceiling and floor so that Villainol cannot escape over or below the sharks.

You ask Villainol, “Why are you a villain? Why do you want to destroy the BMX school?”

Villainol says, “BECAUSE I WANT TO CONTROL THE WHOLE SEA! I want to destroy the BMX school to build a giant treehouse there.”

If you decide to help Villainol destroy the school to make a treehouse, write your own ending.

If you decide to suggest a different location for the treehouse, write your own ending.

7

(start again at page 1)

inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.

Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing.

Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members. We believe that with one-onone attention from caring adults, students improve their academic performance, develop a sense of belonging, and discover the unique value of their voices.

We also believe that the more fun a student has, and the more directly we speak to a student’s interests, the more we can help students find the fun in learning.

That’s why our programs are more than just extra homework. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice.

ONLINE LEARNING LAB In the spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly transitioned all of our programs online. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our community, while continuing to offer engaging, high-quality opportunities to students. Each of our main programs—Schoolwork Support, Workshops, Field Trips, and In-school Projects—has been reimagined for the virtual space as part of our new Online Learning Lab. For the 2020–21 school year, our programs will remain virtual.

When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!

SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school. Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8–18. Generally, we offer this program at three locations: at our Liberty Street Lab in Ann Arbor, at the Michigan Avenue Branch of the Ypsilanti District Library, and at our Winder Street Lab in Detroit’s Eastern Market, though in-person programs are on pause this year. We have added a Virtual Schoolwork Support program. Students are paired with two tutors to work on assignments for school and writing projects of their choosing.

WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free 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.

One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers.

IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry.

In addition, we hold regular Writers Clubs, in which small groups of students are able to work on a writing project over the course of a semester, culminating in a publication. We also partner with schools to hold Family Writing Labs: laughterfilled events in which families to come together and participate in an evening of engaging writing activities and community connection.

FIELD TRIPS Always full of surprises and theatrics (and usually a visit from our crotchety editor, Dr. Blotch), our Field Trip program is an experiential writing extravaganza. We welcome teachers to bring their classes in for field trips during the school day.

Students join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. 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 STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. When it is safe to do so again, come visit the Ann Arbor Robot Supply Co. at 115 East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor and the Detroit Robot Supply Co. at 1351 Winder Street in Eastern Market in Detroit. In the meantime, please visit the Robot Supply Co. at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!

WRITING IS

A way to figure things out by ourselves

We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)

A way to help us connect to our world

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

A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become

We work with a group of writers who help and support each other

A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world

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.

by Gerald Richards, CEO