You TO KNOW: I JUST WANT
TALES OF SPORTS,
SPACES,
AND (SUPER)HEROES
You TO KNOW: I JUST WANT
TALES OF SPORTS, SPACES, AND (SUPER)HEROES
AN ANTHOLOGY OF WRITING AND ART
BY
TORONTO’S NEWEST YOUNG AUTHORS
SUPPORTED BY
©2024 The Reading Partnership and Story Planet
ISBN: 978-19-89694-33-6
This program was made possible by TD Bank Group.
Cover & title pages by KayGeni Book design by Mumblethief Christopher Green
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from Story Planet and The Reading Partnership.
The Reading Partnership began in 2011 as a reading program for kids and their families inToronto’s Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood and is now growing into a nation-wide movement dedicated to improving literacy all across Canada.
Our vision is that every child in every community has the literacy skills and self-determination to positively impact theirworld. Our mission is to provide programs and resources that empower kids and their families to build a brighter future for themselves through literacy.
Story Planet is a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of children and young people in Toronto's equitydeserving communities. Our creative writing workshops inspire kids to imagine and tell stories while building literacy and confidence in the value of their words and ideas. We occupy a unique place at the intersection of the arts, social justice, and education.
HONOURING THE HISTORY OF T’KARONTO
We are situated on the traditional lands and waters of the Petun and Wendat peoples, the Anishinabek and Haudenosaunee Confederacies, the Mississaugas of the Credit River, and many other Indigenous nations, some of whose names are no longer remembered. We acknowledge that it is a complicated privilege to live, work, and tell stories on this land.
We remember that this territory continues to be subject to the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Three Fires Confederacy of the Anishinaabek to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. Today, the meeting place of T’karonto is still the home to many Indigenous Peoples from across the continent, and we are grateful to work in the community on this territory.
We commit to actively learning the history of this land, the genocide of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Peoples who lived, and continue to live here, and the theft of their land. We commit to researching and learning the names and history of all who came before us no matter where we are in Canada (you can do the same at native-land.ca). We are consciously working to recognise and decolonize colonial frameworks and roles that are present in all aspects of the work we do, and the lives we live.
Throughout history many Indigenous Peoples, Black people, and others have suffered to gain equality, well-being, and identity. We welcome you into this community with us as we acknowledge and remember the past and give thanks for the land we are on and the territory we are in.
June 2024
Thanks to the wonderful support of TD Bank Group, in April 2024, we launched our 12th 360° Stories program! Eighteen amazing young students from three different schools in East Scarborough wrote stories and poems, illustrated and edited their writing!
360° Stories is a program that takes students from idea-generating to the launch of an anthology of their stories and a celebration of them as Toronto’s newest young authors. Over 4 weeks, they went on inspiring walks at the Clark Center for the Arts, imagined different stories and made new friends!
Many thanks to TD Bank Group for their support, to our brilliant 360° Stories Ambassador, Nadia L. Hohn for inspiring the students, and to our incredible writing facilitators and volunteers for sharing so much enthusiasm and kindness with the students each week.
Please join us in celebrating these brand new authors; we hope you are as inspired as we are by these young, creative voices.
Camesha Cox
The Reading Partnership
Liz Haines Story Planet
WHAT CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION
lies in the minds of youth? A cabin, surrounded by such beautiful things. What will we find inside — our grandmothers, crocs, homework, pets, cookies, gardens? And just like the doors to our homes where we hear our first stories, we need special keys to our creativity and imagination to open them up, to bring us home. Just like these stories do.
I am pleased to introduce I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW: Tales of Sports, Spaces, and (Super)heroes. This creative anthology includes stories, poems, and other forms of writing by Scarborough-based middle grade students who participated in the 360° Stories program. The works found in this anthology embody themes of:
• Sports: just like on a soccer field or a basketball court, we play a game called life.
• Spaces: both inside our minds and outside of our bodies in our homes, schools, and outer space.
• (Super)heroes: some of these heroes have cool superpowers and names, while others wear theirs on the inside.
The power of I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW lies in its stories. With nothing but a blank sheet of paper, these young writers built a map. They created their own unique stories and illustrations, guiding us through their world. As a result, they produced a collection of thoughts, dreams, and aspirations — something beautiful. These stories took me on spectacular adventures. I was excited to meet Pantsman and Shirtgirl, an immortal being like Kevin, and Gloveboy. No matter how far I wandered through these stories, or how strange the occurrences, or how mysterious the secret, I could always find my way back home.
I could only wish for a program like this as a young writer myself. But as a published author and educator, I now get to take part in the 360° Stories experience and mentor these talented writers.
May the adventure continue!
NadiaL.Hohn
Author
of
the Malaika Series, A Likkle Miss Lou, and more.
POEMSBY
YASIN ADISA
Mr. Ronaldo
Mr. Ronaldo has scored a goal!
If you were to rate it from 1 to 10, what would it be?
Here is why I think Mr. Ronaldo is a 5-star player: Because he does not care if he wins or loses. He always encourages his teammates. He is a family guy, a very friendly person, and golden at scoring goals.
That is why Ronaldo is a 5-star player.
The Playful Day
It was a sunny day and I took a walk. I found a log and made a garden, I played with my brother and my friends. In soccer I made a 360 goal. Then I went to the beach.
YASIN ADISA
I wish other people knew that I am good at soccer.
I would like to dedicate this story to Mr. Ronaldo.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
TAHMID HASAN
Magnet Man
One day, Timmy wanted to be powerful. Halloween came, and he dressed up like Magnet Man. He got a magnet with the magnet costume. Little did he know the magnet he got with the costume was from a legendary, powerful hero’s suit.After 85 hours, he got the power to stick to anything and to have a strong body. The next day, Timmy got into a fight with a bully and punched him. The bully went flying to Egypt and never came back.
After that, Timmy got scared, because he was wanted in town. If anyone were to find him, they would get $100,000. To escape, Timmy used his magnet suit, and when people started to look for him, he stole some food and went to another town.
That’s where one of the villagers saw him and called the police. Timmy started running away, but the magnet in his suit slowed him down. The police caught him and took him to prison.
The villager who called the police on Timmy got $100,000. With his prize money, this person bought a whole new mansion, a Lambo, and a private jet. Meanwhile, Timmy escaped prison and stole $30,000 dollars from the village. With the money he stole, Timmy bought a diving suit and a submarine. After that, he only had enough money to buy food, so that's what he did. Timmy bought food and ate it in the submarine.
However, when Timmy was 1,600 feet down in the military submarine, the soldiers saw him and reported him to the police. Then they started a pursuit and Timmy got away. When Timmy was rising to the surface, he hit an iceberg and crashed.
Lucky for him, he had a diving suit. He went to shore, stole $100,000,000, bought a rocket, and went up to the moon. Then he built a home mansion and lived happily ever after.
Making Cookies
You take the bowl and put in some flour
Melt some chocolate
Add some butter and sugar
Put it in the oven
Eat it, burn it up
Next time you’ll get it right
Next time add cookies and cream
Put it in the oven
Enjoy
TAHMID HASAN
If I could time travel, I would go to Wonderland.
I am proud of myself for playing realistic plane games.
ASTORYBY
SETH INGRAM
Ricky the Raccoon
One late summer morning in Scarborough, Ricky the raccoon got lost after a long day of playing sports. He was so tired from playing all day that he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going on his walk home.
A mysterious bird flew down and stole Ricky’s keys! He couldn’t stop the bird because he was soooo tired, so he sent his drone after the mysterious bird.
The bird dropped his keys in a tree and flew away. Ricky went to climb the tree and get his keys, but when he looked up, he realized the tree is much taller than he expected. Slowly and carefully, he climbed up the tree.
Just as he is about to reach his keys, the branch he was holding onto broke! He managed to hold onto another strong branch and didn't fall out of the tree.
Ricky pulled himself up the tree and grabbed his keys. Then carefully, he climbed back down and reached the bottom safely.
Mr Bear, who was mowing his grass on the other side of the street, said “Hello, Ricky!”
Ricky recognized his neighbor Mr. Bear, and finally realized where he was. He answered “Nice to see ya, Mr. Bear!” And found his way home.
SETH INGRAM
I like the comic Call of Duty because I play the game in real life.
I wish other people knew that I’m good at playing soccer.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
SAESHA PRAMANIK
The Worst First Day Ever
It was my first day of middle school, and I was very nervous.
“I have spent my whole life in elementary school,” I said to my best friend Mya.
“Well, I think it’s going to be fine. You worry too much anyway,” Mya responded. We stepped into our new school. The walls were fully cemented and there was no playground.
“Not all schools are as good as Willow Park, Rachel,” said Mya.
RIIING the bell rang. Mya and I walked into the hallway. I stood there with a smile. I was super excited. I was at my new middle school, holding my red math folder and
wearing my blue shirt with gray baggy jeans. The hallway was filled with lockers and chairs.
“It feels so weird with lockers now,” I said.
“We better get to class. We don’t want to be late on the first day. It would be so awkward,” Mya complained.
On the first day, she gave us a math test. I was so sure I was going to fail.
When Mya and I were putting our stuff in our locker, a girl walked up to us and said, “Eww, look at their clothes. Where did they get them from? The dump?”
I was so mad. “Um, are you talking to us?” I said.
Of course, our first class was math. Our teacher’s name was Miss Louis, and she was not nice at all.
“Oh, let me introduce myself. I’m Jessika, the most popular girl in this school. This is my bestie, Ariana, and we don’t wear clothes from the dump,”
Jessika said. Then she screamed so loud, I couldn’t hear for a second.
“Well for your information, we got these clothes from the store,” I yelled back.
Jessika and Ariana just turned around and walked away, whispering stuff about us. Jessika had blonde hair, mascara, blush, and fake eyelashes. She was wearing baggy jeans with a striped shirt. You could tell she was a bully. Ariana had brown hair, lip gloss, and butterfly sunglasses, and she was
wearing black leggings with a dark blue shirt.
“The first day and bullies are already after us,” I said.
“And we can’t keep talking back like this either, or we might get into a fight,” Mya explained. Middle school was the worst. Suddenly Miss Louis ran out and passed everyone at least 20 pages of homework. For just one class. My backpack was heavy, and my back started to hurt.
Finally it was lunch time. For lunch, there was mystery meatloaf, broccoli pie, sand smoothie, and peanut butter tuna sandwiches. “This food is so bad, I would rather starve,” cried Mya.
As I was going to throw out the food, I slipped and fell flat on my face. Everyone started to laugh. Mya helped me get back up. People were still laughing. I was about to cry, but I chose not to. Not even when Jessika and
Ariana were pointing and laughing. It was the worst. Finally lunch was over, and we got to go outside. We were so excited to play tag with the other kids. When we went outside, it was boring because all of the kids were on their cell phones or laptops. Some girls were walking around talking, but of course those kids were Jessika, Ariana, and some other girls. Mya and I just walked around doing nothing.
At our old school we got equipment and played tag
with other kids all day long. It was always fun. Finally recess was over, and English was next. In English I was sad because Mya wasn’t in the same class as me, but at least for gym she would be in the same class. The worst part was that I was sitting in between Jessika and Ariana and they kept on telling me to pass notes to each other.
Our English teacher’s name was Mr. Johansson. He was nice, but he randomly picked people to answer hard questions.
He obviously picked me to answer the only question I didn’t know the answer to. We had gym after, and I was getting tired. I didn’t want to sit still in a classroom anymore. My backpack was heavier than an elephant, and worse, Mya wasn’t in my class again.
Our gym teacher, Mr. Cody-Simons, was super scary. He started yelling like crazy. He told us to do 15 laps without a break, and no jogging or walking, just running.
When gym was over, I couldn’t even walk properly. My legs were numb. As I limped home, Mya said, “Wow this is the best first day ever. I love this school. Art was amazing, and I made a new friend. Her name is Isabella,” She cheered.
“Mya, I just had the worst day ever, and you’re talking about how you made a new friend. You had art, and I had English and gym. I want to go back to Willow Park. This school is boring and everyone here is mean,” I said.
“Oh come on, we graduated from Willow Park,” Mya sighed.
“First, I tripped and then there were bullies. But wait, then we had a test and gym was torture. I can’t even feel my legs!”
When I reached home, I went to bed. My mom walked in and asked me how my day was.
“That was the worst first day of my life,” I said.
Birthday Cake
I am baking a cake. As I mix the eggs with my legs flour, eggs, milk, and water, I mix them up with a bit of sugar I get my baking gloves and they feel like bugs I put my cake in the oven until it hardens, flowers all around, sprinkles, chocolate, and sugar
SAESHA PRAMANIK
I wish other people knew how much I love to paint mountains and write stories.
I am proud of being in 360° Stories, because it was a very good opportunity!
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
SADIL AL KHALIL
Red-Winged Blackbird
On April 16, 2024, there was a family walking on a path when they saw some flowers that were small and blue. There was a yellow flower that was bigger than the blue ones. Their favourite part was when they saw a redwinged blackbird. That was the first time they saw that type of bird. They were so happy and amazed. Then they went home. They told everyone what they knew—that they saw a rare bird in their country. Then the bird was flying all around their house. They lived happily ever after.
Mike Is a Creep
She doesn’t like a bike because it rhymes with Mike.
Mike’s voice is so deep because he is a creep.
Mike’s favourite colour is blue but he doesn’t know what to do on the crew. The sun was so bright that Mike lost his sight. She fell off the bike so Mike said “Psych!”
SADIL AL KHALIL
I wish other people knew that my sister and I are 11 months apart.
I am proud of the poem that I wrote in April this year.
ROHA HASSAN
The Degree
Bella is a very silly child. Bella wants to be a police officer one day, but she knows that job is serious, so she is going to be silly and fun in her childhood. That is why she wears pajamas. Bella has a very silly childhood. The most serious thing she has done is stay quiet during a test. Several years later, she gets her degree and becomes a police officer.
Now she looks back very fondly to her silly childhood, and uses that as determination to be good at the job she has wished for for so long.
The Best Anniversary
Once upon a time, a girl named Violet was going to the strong tree house she made with her father. But first she needed some flowers because it was her parents’ anniversary.
She saw the lake, got excited, and ran to it. She fell into a patch of poison ivy and got sick. She still gave her parents the flowers and a gift.
Even though she was sick.
That was her good deed. It made her feel much better. On this same day she became a big sister.
ROHA HASSAN
I am proud of myself for becoming an author.
I would like to thank all the facilitators and teachers for making 360° Stories happen!
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
RAIDA ARIBA
Lonely Casi
There was a girl named Casi. She loved to play with her friends and go outside, but her parents
She knocked—knock, knock. A small, weird-looking creature opened the door
Casi was surprised. “Hi, I’m Casi,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Tori!” the creature said.
“You’re my friend! I love you!” Tori said.
After a while, Tori’s parents came home. They smiled when they saw Casi.
“Welcome, sweetheart,” they said.
Tori’s mom, Mamma, served the food on the table and invited Casi to join.
“Oh, hi, thanks a lot. I’m Casi, nice to meet you all!”
“Thank you,” Casi said.
“Nice to meet you too!”
Tori’s parents said.
Then Tori grabbed Casi’s hand, pulled her inside, and closed the door. Casi entered inside the secret room. “Wow!” Casi said.
They all sat down on chairs around the table and ate their food.
“That was amazing! Thank you so much! See you guys again,” Casi said.
“Come back again, my friend. I love you. But
warning: I love you just as a friend,” Tori said. They all burst out laughing. Then Tori said goodbye to Casi. Casi said goodbye back.
Before going to bed that night, Casi said to herself, “That was amazing.”
Then she went right to bed and slept.
My Visit to the Old Cabin
I saw a very old cabin. Around the cabin there were beautiful flowers. Birds were tripping on the trees. There were chipmunks and they were eating chestnuts behind the cabin. There was a beautiful lake. The place was so relaxing and peaceful. I was curious to go inside, but the door was locked.
RAIDA ARIBA
I love watching Bollywood movies.
If I could travel anywhere, I would want to go to South Korea, so I could meet BTS in person.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
PURAB SARKAR
The Magic Fertilizer
One time, there was a man named Alan. Alan was watching the news when he noticed something that could change the world. It was fertilizer that could grow plants 1,000,000 times faster than usual. This could create more food for people. However, there was a catch. The fertilizer was located in a forest where many wild animals lived. They could hurt you in 30 seconds. So Alan came up with an idea. He would brew potions full of things that distract animals.
After six months of testing, he was ready. He went to the forest. He noticed a lion chasing him. He threw the bottle and ducked. The lion drank the potion, and suddenly, he grew backwards and turned from an aggressive adult to a cheerful child. It worked! Alan kept throwing bottles and ducking down until he ran out of bottles. Alan fixed everyone except for the final boss. He thought it was over. The final boss was buff, a combination of a lion and a tiger, both of which made
him so strong. But suddenly, lightning struck over the final boss, instantly killing him.
But in the end, he became the first to obtain the fertilizer. He became a celebrity.
Alan did not realize when brewing the potions that it could cause lightning. He won, confused.
3 AM Motivation
You check the time, it’s 3 AM. The motivation kicks in. You feel powerful. You play games, feel like a king. You fall asleep without your parents noticing.
PURAB SARKAR
I wish other people knew that I have highfunctioning ASD.
I am proud of myself for getting three Es (Excellent) on my report card.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
PATIENCE GILLIS
The Girl Who Walked With a White Bear
There was a girl who was friends with a bear. She loved him.
The girl’s name was Patience. The bear’s name was White.
A couple of years after that, the two went to pow wow together. When people saw the bears, they asked to pet them.
Patience said, “Sure!”
One day, Patience said to White the Bear, “Let’s go for a walk.”
The bears danced together, and everyone loved it.
On their walk, the bear spotted a baby bear. They took it home.
A couple of weeks later, the two bears started playing together.
Furball the Cat
PATIENCE GILLIS
I love playing baseball.
I am proud of myself for dancing pow wow.
ASTORYBY
OLUWASETEMI AWODELE
The Adventures of Pantsman
Once upon a time, a kid was born with special pants that gave him superpowers. That kid became the greatest hero, Pantsman, who used his power selflessly to help people in need. He often got attacked by people who wanted to steal his pants. One day, he met his match, Shirtgirl, a girl born with a shirt who liked Pantsman.But then Shirtgirl decided that she would be a villain and try to kill Pantsman.
Pantsman’s abilities were stronger, so he could easily defeat Shirtgirl. But Shirtgirl wasn’t done yet. She had powerful backup goons to keep her safe while she healed. When she was done healing, she was distracted by a fly, so Pantsman hurried and stole her shirt. Pantsman then became 2,000 times stronger. Shirtgirl got scared and gave up. Wow, Pantsman once again saved the day. Then another villain came along named Gloveboy. Gloveboy was a lot stronger than Pantsman.
When Pantsman heard about Gloveboy, he jumped into action and tried to find him and take him down. Then Gloveboy rose up and revealed himself to Pantsman so that Pantsman could fight him. Pantsman never backed down from a fight. So Pantsman fought and fought hard. When Gloveboy was distracted, Pantsman took his gloves and became so powerful that he got badly injured. So Pantsman had to run, but he would come back, once he could control his power.
OLUWASETEMI AWODELE
I wish people knew that I have a birthmark that makes my ear look like an elf’s!
I am proud of myself for getting a 10 out of 8 (bonus marks) on my last math test.
ASTORYBY
MONICEA MORGAN
The Abandoned City
There was a city called Greenville. It was abandoned in 1971, when it was hit by a massive tidal wave. A couple of homes are still standing. Two girls named Amelia and Brooklyn heard about it on the news and how one of the houses had spirits lurking around. Amelia and Brooklyn decided to go visit Greenville for spring break. After school, they started to pack. Then on Friday, when it was dark, Brooklyn waited for her parents to fall asleep. When they
finally did, Brooklyn grabbed the keys to her mom’s Lexus, put her bag in the back, and drove to Amelia's house.
After that, Brooklyn told Amelia she needed to fill up on gas. Then she drove to the gas station, filled up two jugs for gas, and started to drive to their destination. Brooklyn was about to get into the car when she saw a man with a knife. He ran towards her. Brooklyn got into the car quickly and locked all the doors. Then she drove off fast, while
Amelia laughed her head off. Brooklyn said, “It’s not funny.” So Amelia said, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Brooklyn and Amelia continued on their drive. They even started singing and having a good time. Soon they got closer into the city, and to the house. When they got to the house, Brooklyn parked the car facing the road for a fast getaway, just in case.
They locked the car doors, then put on sweaters, grabbed their flashlights, and walked up to the front door. The door opened as
they entered, then slammed shut behind them. They both shrieked!
After that they started to walk around, looking for something to unlock the door with. They got to a hallway with many doors. At first, they were scared to walk down the hallway, when Amelia said there might be treasure inside somewhere. They walked to the first room. It was filled with rats, spiders and bats. So they went to the next room and found a pet bird in there with a clean cage. In the
room after that, they saw a creepy doll collection. Next, they stepped into another room. It was yellow. When they opened the door, a golden ray shone in their eyes, almost blinding them from the majestic golden debris awaiting inside. Along with two huge diamonds worth $10,000,000, they found a hammer they could use to knock down the front door. When they got back to the front door, it was wide open. They ran out of the house, shoved the sacks with the diamonds into the trunk and got into the car
fast. But the gas tank was empty. As Brooklyn was filling up the tank, she noticed a strange white figure staring at them from inside the house. She closed the gas tank fast, just as the figure started to run to the car. While trying to make their escape, Brooklyn almost bumped into a tree! Brooklyn kept speeding up the road, dropped Amelia off at home, then drove herself home, ran upstairs, and went to sleep.
MONICEA MORGAN
I am proud of myself for getting an A- for the first time in forever.
I would like to dedicate this story to my mom because she’s taken care of me my whole life. I love her for being amazing.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
MAJESTY BINGHAM
Colours
Colours, colours
They are amazing, because without them, it would be all boring and grey.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, brown and black, now that’s the end of the crew.
Colours are amazing and I hope you think so too.
David the Dino and His Crocs
One day a dino named David was walking in the forest and found a flyer on a tree that said, “Whoever wins this race will get unlimited animal food and treats.” He thought about it and decided he wanted to join the race because he was a poor dinosaur and did not have much food. However, he had to think of how to get some food faster.
One day he wanted to go on a jog to build stamina. On that jog, he found a pair of dirty Crocs on the path. He liked how they looked, so he put them on. When he put them on, he started to run. He ran very fast. He took them home and put them in his closet, so no one would find them and steal them.
On the day of the race, he ran as fast as he could. He ran so fast! He was faster than the other animals.
When he finished the race, he was so proud of himself. Everyone cheered for him. His goal was achieved, and he never had to go dumpster diving again!
This character does not give up, just like me. So this story is inspired by me.
MAJESTY BINGHAM
I am proud of myself for not giving up easily.
I would like to dedicate this story to my Crocs, and to my very big imagination.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
KAYLEIGH ENGLISH
The Truth
Ariana was a very kind and sweet sixteen-year-old, who was always homeschooled. She had black hair, lived in a cabin in the forest, and wore black hoodies. The cabin was a place that looked like somewhere a grandma with three cats would live. On the outside, the magical cabin looked small and cute, but on the inside, it was huge and looked like a castle. Ariana liked exploring things in the castle. One day, while trying to grab a book from the shelf, she stumbled upon one she really liked. When she finally got her hands on it, a secret passageway opened up. Inside was dark and scary, but Ariana wasn’t scared of anything. She climbed down the scary tunnel, and with every step she took, she heard a scream. It was coming from the bottom of the stairwell, and sounded like the kind of scream you hear when you stub your toe on a door. But Ariana wasn’t scared at all. At the bottom of the stairwell, she saw a locked door. She didn’t
know this at first, but she was the key. The kindness in her heart was the key, because she was a magical princess.
Ariana was her kindest when she saw her parents being happy. But then her mom passed away. Her dad was also a really important business guy, so she never got to see him.
But in that dark room, her dad had put up a lot of pictures of her mom, so when she saw it, she felt really happy again and the door widened up.
Inside were a bunch of messages saying, “You’re great” and “I will always be by your side.” Her mom didn’t get along with her dad when she was younger, so her dad had hid this room from her.
There was a mini fireplace in the secret room too. Every time Ariana was not home, her dad would take a message and burn it. When Ariana found out what her dad was hiding, she grew scared of him. One day though, she got the courage to stand up to him.
I Just Want You to Know
You’re always there for me even when my pink clothes are all over the floor, with my pink strawberry gum popping in class.
I’ll always be there for you, like how you are always there for me. Mom, I want you to know I love you forever, like how bees are addicted to summer flowers.
KAYLEIGH ENGLISH
If I could travel back in time, I would go to the year 1919.
I love playing the game GTA.
BY
JAYDEN MILLER POEMS
Stephen Curry
I like Stephen Curry
Stephen is a two-time MVP
Four-time NBA Champion
He scored a three-point shot
His talents are so, so great And he is so good at basketball.
The Best NBA Player Ever
Devonte is the best basketball player in the world, even though he's not in the NBA, and mostly on YouTube.
Devonte is the most viral person on the internet. He’s like a virus on your computer, cause you always see and hear about him!
Devonte is so viral, there is not one website that doesn't talk about him.
He was trained by Kobe Bryant, MJ,and Lebron James!
No one can stop him in one vs one.
Devonte is so good, he has no real competition. Devonte does not play the sport as much any more, only special tournaments and YouTube videos. When he does play basketball, he is so good of a hooper that some countries don't want him to participate in the tournaments. That’s because he will always win!
JAYDEN MILLER
I love playing Roblox.
I am proud of myself for writing a story that will be published in a book.
STORIESANDPOEMSBY
JAYDEN MARSH
The Big Brain
There’s a boy named Kevin from Ohio, America, who knows the future and is immortal because he knows when he’s going to die. However, since his IQ is so high, Kevin can find cures and prevent his death. Kevin lives in a house by himself because he doesn’t need school. The government wants to capture him because it’s not safe for someone’s brain to be so big. To know the secrets of the universe, he must use a device to capture some of his extra knowledge.
But there’s a setback that nothing can stop. There’s a 35–65% chance the device will take his life and his brain will be nothing but 1s and 0s. So as a precaution, he wrote some of the secrets of the universe in Kusunda, a language spoken by only Kevin and one other person in the universe named Kamala Khatri. Sen. Kevin finally powers on the device. When that happens, Kevin sees the future and understands he needs to make a few more adjustments. Just in the nick of time, he jumps out.
I am proud of myself for winning a basketball city championship with my school basketball team.
I would like to dedicate this story to Grandma, because she was everything to my family.
FAIZA MALEK
Amira’s Necklace
One day a girl named Aurora went to this antique store near her house. When she got there, she saw this gorgeous shining necklace on the counter. She looked around and no one was looking at her, so she grabbed it and ran out of the store. When she got home, she started looking at it and realized it had the name Amira engraved on it. She realized she had made a really big mistake.
She decided to keep it and hoped that no one would find out. Weeks turned into months, and day by day, Aurora felt guiltier for what she did and she knew she had to return it.
Aurora knew she had to give it back to the owner, but she was scared she would get a punishment.
When she returned to the store, she realized the necklace belonged to the owner’s daughter named Amira, who had passed away years ago. The necklace was precious, and keeping it safe reminded the owner of her beloved daughter. Aurora felt so ashamed of what she did. The owner forgave her and told her
she was grateful the necklace was returned. Aurora learned a valuable lesson that day—that stealing was never the right thing to do. She promised herself she would never do anything
like that again and felt a sense of relief knowing the necklace was back in the hands of its rightful owner.
The Haunted House
Once upon a time, in a town called South Point, there was a tall brown abandoned house that stood out from the rest of the buildings. It had been left empty for years, and everyone in town knew about it.
One day, a little girl named Rose and her mom and dad came to the park.
Rose asked her mom if she could go swing while her dad went to the convenience store to get some snacks, five minutes away from the park. Her mom received a phone
call, and in the brief moment she was distracted, Rose disappeared.
After she finished talking, Rose’s mom saw Rose’s dad. Rose’s dad asked, “Where's Rose?!”
Rose’s mom looked back and gasped, “Where is she?” she asked. “Where’s Rose?”
They reported it to the police. The same incident happened the year before, and it was all over the news.
The next day they heard a knock on the door and ran to open the door, only to
realize it was the mailman. The mom sighed. One hour passed. They heard another knock. They thought it was going to be someone else again, so they decided to open the door. They both saw the police and Rose standing there, crying.
Rose’s parents questioned the police about where Rose had been. The police said Rose had been with her friend talking behind the abandoned house. So then they understood it was all a misunderstanding.
FAIZA MALEK
I am proud of myself for learning how to ride a bike and skateboard.
I would like to dedicate my stories to my family and my grandpa!
APOEMBY
FAITH QUINTAL
Rose and Her Grandma
Rose adored her grandma with all her heart. That all changed one day when she got a disturbing call from her grandma at school. Her grandma said, “Rose, come home now.”
Rose got scared. “What’s wrong?” she said. Her grandma said, “Just listen and come, come.”
Rose said, “Okay, I’m coming.” When Rose got home, her grandma said, “STAY HERE” and “Do you understand?” Rose said, “Yeah...but why?”
“Don’t ask questions,” was all her grandma said. Rose said, “Okay.”
“DON'T ANSWER THE DOOR,” were the last words Rose’s grandma said before she left.
FAITH QUINTAL
I love watching The Flash.
I wish people knew that I can sing.
A
POEMBY
AL-AMEEN ADESANYA
The Weirdos: Jeremy Needs a Bath
Once upon a time, there was a family called The Weirdos.
One day Mr. Triangle, the dad/mom of the family, was trying to give Jeremy a bath, but Jeremy said no and ran away.
So Mr. Triangle called Butty the Butterfly to try and convince Jeremy. So Butty met Jeremy and convinced him to have a bath by showing him how clean he was and what he had to do to achieve that!
Then they lived happily ever after.
AL-AMEEN ADESANYA
I love watching Mars Patel.
I am proud of reading over 50 books in the span of one year.
COVER ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: KAYGENI BENEBY
“When creating this session's cover art, I was inspired to imagine a world where all the participants' stories lived together and have the essence of each of their stories reflected in my artwork. Their stories tell of life, nature, adventure, and mystery, and I did my best to emulate that. I had a blast creating with this talented group of young storytellers!”
KEEP WRITING!
IN THIS COLLECTION OF STORIES AND POEMS, YOU’LL READ ABOUT FIERCE ATHLETES, BRAVE KIDS THAT FACE THEIR FEARS, HAUNTED HOUSES, AND MORE —ALLFROM THE IMAGINATIONS OF 18 YOUNG WRITERS IN SCARBOROUGH.
