AwesomExpress

volume 3

issue 2

spring 2014

the writers’ room book of awesome stuff and creative things

Copyright © 2014 The Writers’ Exchange This chapbook is a collection of the kids’ favourite writing and art that they created in the Writers’ Room after-school program during the winter and spring of 2014.

The Writers’ Exchange makes literacy exciting and accessible for inner-city kids through free mentoring and creative writing projects like this chapbook.

All Writers’ Exchange programs are free for the children and families we serve, so we could not exist without the support of generous donors, including Bernard MacLeod, Megan Abbott, Marily Mearns, the Vancouver Foundation, Nancy and Ted Maitland, TELUS, Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, the Central City Foundation, Lindsay Mearns, Claudia Casper and James Griffin, The Home Depot Canada Foundation and the Hamber Foundation. Thank you.

And thank you to the amazing volunteer mentors who work with the kids in all Writers’ Exchange programs so that each child can succeed to the best of his or her ability.

881 East Hastings Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8 To read more great student writing, visit vancouverWE.com and our student blog, wewritersland.wordpress.com.

Editorial support by Mira Design and layout by Claire Balderston, clairebalderston.com project of

The Writers’ Room program runs in partnership with Queen Alexandra family School and the Vancouver School Board’s Van Tech Community School Team.

Coast Capital Savings Credit Union supports after-school programs in the Writers’ Room.

Printing for this chapbook was generously donated

by Hemlock.

thanks!

Thanks to the 54 fantastic volunteer mentors who helped with the Writers’ Room program from January to June, 2014: Adrian, Alysha, Amanda G., Amanda S., Bára, Beanie, Belinda, Caitlin, Cam, Carina, Carissa B., Carissa D., Cat, Chloe, Courtney L., Courtney V., Dan, Dana, Elizabeth, Emelyn, Emily, Eric, Gavin, Godfrey, Graeme, Jasmine, Joe, John, Joy, Julian, Karen, Kathleen, Kathryn, Kelsie, Lo, Lu, Maddie, Maeve, Mico, Morgan, Prabhi, Rachel, Ryan, Sammy, Sarah D., Sarah F., Sarah W., Sean, Sharon, Stacey, Sydney, Thea, Veronica and Yvonne

Table of contents Food Play 3 Love Poem, by Gyle 3 Strawberries with Chainsaws, by Simon 4 Top-Secret Mission, by Renil 4 Pizza Robots Spying on My Team as We Try to Find More Armour

for When We Go Parachuting, by Braeden Quick and Quotable 5 Inside the Giant Red Box, by Zainab 5 The Kitten and the Unicorn, by Daniella 5 The Germ, by Hannah 5 Lorenzo the Spy, by “Lorenzo” 6 Skating, by Giao 6 Watermania, by Kadyn 6 The Man with the Purple Hat, by Gabby 6 Kitty and Cat, by Ella 7 The Pink-Nosed Snowman, by Skate Club 7 Skate4Cancer, by Skate Club 7 Billy the Buster and Pac-Man, by Skate Club Game Time 8 Minecraft Is…, by Sabrina 8 A Guide to Playing Minecraft, by Ricky 9 10 Things I Didn’t Know About Minecraft, by Judy 10 Pokémon Origins, by Francis 11 Jumpskating, by Joey 11 Hit It, by Michelle 11 Village News, by Jaykwon 12 Pokémon, by Angelo 12 How to Play Go Fish, by Farhin 13 Nintendo 3DS Pros and Cons, by Andrew J. Animal Adventures 13 Sunny the Cat, by Cathy 14 I’ll Stuff a Book in Your Mouth, by Kimleen 14 The Guy Who Was Nice to Pets, by Ryan 15 It’s Too Hot, by Liza 15 Happy Pig Day, by Clara 16 I Am X-Man, by Faris 17 Did Garfield Steal the Chalk?, by AJ 17 The awesome/Cute Cat, by Yatalia

On a Mission 18 The Box, by Stas 18 The Awesome Mission, by Zainab 19 Detective of the Phones, by Bryan, Jason and Andrew D. 20 The Problem, by Mico 22 Night of the Moon, by Selena 23 Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2, by Huynh and Howard 24 Secret Party and the Artwork People, by Cole 25 An Excerpt from “A Tough World,” by Alex 27 Summer Nightmares, by Coral 28 Treasure, by Shemaiah 30 The Shirt, by Jasmine 30 The Chronicles of Bossy Stacey, by Victor Icky and Wacky Tales 31 Mr. Dirty, by Kurtis 31 A Creature from Another Galaxy, by Nirel 32 What Happens When Two People Eat Watermelon, by Brayden 32 The Germ Villain, by Jacky 32 The Great News, by Amin 33 The Magic Skateboard, by Jae 34 I Am X-Man, by Sami 34 My Trip to Disneyland, by Danny Funny Friends 35 My Imaginary Friend Escapes the Monster, by Kim 35 My Imaginary Friend, by Sean 36 Hotdog Land, by Azayle 36 My Imaginary Friend, Hello Kitty, by Celest 37 Mr. Midnight, by Trisha Pop Culture 37 You Need Some Help: Advice Column, by Chelsea 38 Pop-Star Quiz, by Kiarra Handy Work 39 Comic by Bryan 40 Tooth Art by Precious and Victor 41 Graffiti by Jeremy and Nikita 42 Brain by Bogdan 43 Comic by Branky 44 Collage by Isaiah 44 Word Art by Peter 45 Illustration by Kaki 46 Poem by Aron 47 Art by Brisky

FOOD PLAY love poem

By Gyle, age 12 I think I love you, but sometimes I think I don’t.

Sometimes I forget about you.

Sometimes I crave you.

Sometimes I don’t even think you exist.

You’re so perfect.

We’re going to reunite again tomorrow.

Only me and you.

Pizza. 

strawberries with chainsaws

By Simon, age 13 The U.S. is thought to have the largest amount of chainsaw-yielding strawberries. Two years ago, a victim of a chainsaw-type crime was depicted as a smoothie.

Nothing remained of the egg besides its eggshells spread all over the fridge. The egg’s neighbour, a headless chicken corpse, was speechless.

Kyle, a celebrity that no one’s heard of, was familiarly attacked, but instead of a chainsaw, it looked like a giant had ollied on his face.

It has appeared that gangs of juvenile lemons have been attacking people at precisely 1:07 a.m. with skateboards. The last attacker was caught red-handed with a chainsaw poised directly above a soon-to-be victim’s head.

The lemons’ love for skateboarding on hats eroded their joints.

Now, they attack people while riding Segways.

3

On a Mission 18 The Box, by Stas 18 The Awesome Mission, by Zainab 19 Detective of the Phones, by Bryan, Jason and Andrew D. 20 The Problem, by Mico 22 Night of the Moon, by Selena 23 Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2, by Huynh and Howard 24 Secret Party and the Artwork People, by Cole 25 An Excerpt from “A Tough World,” by Alex 27 Summer Nightmares, by Coral 28 Treasure, by Shemaiah 30 The Shirt, by Jasmine 30 The Chronicles of Bossy Stacey, by Victor Icky and Wacky Tales 31 Mr. Dirty, by Kurtis 31 A Creature from Another Galaxy, by Nirel 32 What Happens When Two People Eat Watermelon, by Brayden 32 The Germ Villain, by Jacky 32 The Great News, by Amin 33 The Magic Skateboard, by Jae 34 I Am X-Man, by Sami 34 My Trip to Disneyland, by Danny Funny Friends 35 My Imaginary Friend Escapes the Monster, by Kim 35 My Imaginary Friend, by Sean 36 Hotdog Land, by Azayle 36 My Imaginary Friend, Hello Kitty, by Celest 37 Mr. Midnight, by Trisha Pop Culture 37 You Need Some Help: Advice Column, by Chelsea 38 Pop-Star Quiz, by Kiarra Handy Work 39 Comic by Bryan 40 Tooth Art by Precious and Victor 41 Graffiti by Jeremy and Nikita 42 Brain by Bogdan 43 Comic by Branky 44 Collage by Isaiah 44 Word Art by Peter 45 Illustration by Kaki 46 Poem by Aron 47 Art by Brisky

FOOD PLAY love poem

By Gyle, age 12 I think I love you, but sometimes I think I don’t.

Sometimes I forget about you.

Sometimes I crave you.

Sometimes I don’t even think you exist.

You’re so perfect.

We’re going to reunite again tomorrow.

Only me and you.

Pizza. 

strawberries with chainsaws

By Simon, age 13 The U.S. is thought to have the largest amount of chainsaw-yielding strawberries. Two years ago, a victim of a chainsaw-type crime was depicted as a smoothie.

Nothing remained of the egg besides its eggshells spread all over the fridge. The egg’s neighbour, a headless chicken corpse, was speechless.

Kyle, a celebrity that no one’s heard of, was familiarly attacked, but instead of a chainsaw, it looked like a giant had ollied on his face.

It has appeared that gangs of juvenile lemons have been attacking people at precisely 1:07 a.m. with skateboards. The last attacker was caught red-handed with a chainsaw poised directly above a soon-to-be victim’s head.

The lemons’ love for skateboarding on hats eroded their joints.

Now, they attack people while riding Segways.

3

top-secret mission

Quick and Quotable

By Renil, age 8

Captain: Renil The name of the place is Candy Land Airlines.

My plane looks like a gumdrop that’s pink!

Today, I am travelling to Candy Land!

When I arrive, I’m going to eat everything everywhere. I’ll eat candy trees and help grow candy (gumdrops, candy trees and candy grass)! 

pizza robots spying on my team as we try to find more armour for when we go parachuting

By Braeden, age 9 QA school playground, Vancouver, B.C. Hi, I’m Braeden. I’m a part of Agency CHERUB (for spies).

A couple of days ago, me and my team were searching for armour for the parachuting launch next week when we spotted a weird mouldy pizza on the ground. They just thought somebody dropped their pizza, but I knew something was going on. We found weird crawling marks on a tree, a piece of pepperoni on the slide and some melted cheese on the onion rings. After we were done looking for clues, I heard something rustle in a bush! I turned around and saw an army of pizza robots with lasers and freeze rays! We all ran for our lives! They froze everybody on the team except for me, and then they froze everybody in the world except for Chuck Norris and me! With some extremely hardcore action, we destroyed half the robots. But they morphed together and formed a colossal pizza robot bigger than a skyscraper! They shot freeze rays and lasers combined, and blew up British Columbia. The End. There goes your happy ending, guys. 

4

inside the giant red box

By Zainab, age 9 I opened the door to a giant red box. I was so creeped out because I had never seen something so glorious. It was all cheese.

Everything was made out of cheese. 

the kitten and the unicorn

By Daniella, age 7 One day, a kitten met a unicorn and the kitten gave the unicorn an apple and they became friends.

the germ

By Hannah, age 9 There once was a germ called Spikey, but Spikey was sad because he caused a lot of trouble by making people sick, so he cleaned himself up and he felt good!

lorenzo the spy By “Lorenzo,” age “15” Hello, my name is Lorenzo. I was born in L.A. I was in the L.A. army and I have two dogs and their names are Saint and GTA. 

5

top-secret mission

Quick and Quotable

By Renil, age 8

Captain: Renil The name of the place is Candy Land Airlines.

My plane looks like a gumdrop that’s pink!

Today, I am travelling to Candy Land!

When I arrive, I’m going to eat everything everywhere. I’ll eat candy trees and help grow candy (gumdrops, candy trees and candy grass)! 

pizza robots spying on my team as we try to find more armour for when we go parachuting

By Braeden, age 9 QA school playground, Vancouver, B.C. Hi, I’m Braeden. I’m a part of Agency CHERUB (for spies).

A couple of days ago, me and my team were searching for armour for the parachuting launch next week when we spotted a weird mouldy pizza on the ground. They just thought somebody dropped their pizza, but I knew something was going on. We found weird crawling marks on a tree, a piece of pepperoni on the slide and some melted cheese on the onion rings. After we were done looking for clues, I heard something rustle in a bush! I turned around and saw an army of pizza robots with lasers and freeze rays! We all ran for our lives! They froze everybody on the team except for me, and then they froze everybody in the world except for Chuck Norris and me! With some extremely hardcore action, we destroyed half the robots. But they morphed together and formed a colossal pizza robot bigger than a skyscraper! They shot freeze rays and lasers combined, and blew up British Columbia. The End. There goes your happy ending, guys. 

4

inside the giant red box

By Zainab, age 9 I opened the door to a giant red box. I was so creeped out because I had never seen something so glorious. It was all cheese.

Everything was made out of cheese. 

the kitten and the unicorn

By Daniella, age 7 One day, a kitten met a unicorn and the kitten gave the unicorn an apple and they became friends.

the germ

By Hannah, age 9 There once was a germ called Spikey, but Spikey was sad because he caused a lot of trouble by making people sick, so he cleaned himself up and he felt good!

lorenzo the spy By “Lorenzo,” age “15” Hello, my name is Lorenzo. I was born in L.A. I was in the L.A. army and I have two dogs and their names are Saint and GTA. 

5

skating

By Giao, age 7 Once there was a girl who liked skating and she went to skating lessons to practise skating on the ice. Then she almost fell on the ice but she didn’t fall. She was named by her mommy. They lived happily ever after. 

watermania

By Kadyn, age 10 My friends and I went to Watermania. We played lots of swag (“swag” means “swim tag”). It’s a pretty cool name. It was on the last Friday of Spring Break. We went because we were really bored. 

the man with the purple hat

By Gabby, age 8 When you go to a dark school named Zombie, you will see a dark man with a purple hat. You will always see him by a fan, and if he sees you, he will scare you! He has white eyes. 

kitty and cat

By Ella, age 7 Once Kitty was having fun with her sister, Cat. Then Puppy came along. Cat and Kitty were really cute, with magic cute powers.

Puppy ran away because Kitty and her sister, Cat, were too cute.

The dog lost and Kitty won. 

6

the pink-nosed snowman Written and illustrated by Skate Club The snowman with the pink nose was bored so he visited his friend the blue stickman. They were happy to see each other. They played some finger deck. 

skate4cancer Written and illustrated by Skate Club There’s a guy with a yellow face who is thinking if he should join the Skate4Cancer. A unibrow, circle-face guy named Bob with a mini face told the guy to join Skate4Cancer because it is a good group that donates, and raises awareness and knowledge, to prevent cancer. 

b i l ly t h e b u s t e r and pac-man Written and illustrated by Skate Club This thing is so confused. It got brainwashed.

Billy the buster is the first ghost with big muscles. Pac-Man found a skateboard and finally can get away from the ghost. 

7

skating

By Giao, age 7 Once there was a girl who liked skating and she went to skating lessons to practise skating on the ice. Then she almost fell on the ice but she didn’t fall. She was named by her mommy. They lived happily ever after. 

watermania

By Kadyn, age 10 My friends and I went to Watermania. We played lots of swag (“swag” means “swim tag”). It’s a pretty cool name. It was on the last Friday of Spring Break. We went because we were really bored. 

the man with the purple hat

By Gabby, age 8 When you go to a dark school named Zombie, you will see a dark man with a purple hat. You will always see him by a fan, and if he sees you, he will scare you! He has white eyes. 

kitty and cat

By Ella, age 7 Once Kitty was having fun with her sister, Cat. Then Puppy came along. Cat and Kitty were really cute, with magic cute powers.

Puppy ran away because Kitty and her sister, Cat, were too cute.

The dog lost and Kitty won. 

6

the pink-nosed snowman Written and illustrated by Skate Club The snowman with the pink nose was bored so he visited his friend the blue stickman. They were happy to see each other. They played some finger deck. 

skate4cancer Written and illustrated by Skate Club There’s a guy with a yellow face who is thinking if he should join the Skate4Cancer. A unibrow, circle-face guy named Bob with a mini face told the guy to join Skate4Cancer because it is a good group that donates, and raises awareness and knowledge, to prevent cancer. 

b i l ly t h e b u s t e r and pac-man Written and illustrated by Skate Club This thing is so confused. It got brainwashed.

Billy the buster is the first ghost with big muscles. Pac-Man found a skateboard and finally can get away from the ghost. 

7

Game Time minecraft is...

By Sabrina, age 9 Minecraft is a game and it is played on an electronic device. Jens Bergensten and Markus Persson are the creators of Minecraft and they come from Sweden. I play Minecraft because I think it is fun and creative. I think you should play Minecraft because it is a fun game and it is a creative game. People make videos of tutorials on mods. One of those mods is the Mo’ Creatures mod, and basically, it gives you more creatures in the game, like pandas, foxes, bears, boars, raccoons and more. Also, you can collect minerals, food and more. 

a guide to playing minecraft

By Ricky, age 7 Game rules: Get some wood to get stone and make a house. If you don’t make a house, monsters will get you at night. If you don’t have a sword to protect yourself against the monsters or if you don’t have armour, the monsters will get you faster. If you don’t have a house that is bright, monsters will spawn. If a Creeper spawns and explodes, you have to make a house that has torches. 

8

10 things i didn’t know about minecraft

By Judy, age 9 1. There are Creepers that glow and explode farther.

2. There are skeletons that are really tall and they try to get you.

3. If you hit a cow, it will come charging after you.

4. You can craft a crafting table (which is actually a block of wood with a hammer on it).

5. If you want a bed, you have to get a cow and a sheep. (You get the sheep for the blanket and pillow or something, and the cow is for the mattress.) You also need wood to make the frame.

6. If someone’s in the place you built, you can put a lava block on them. Just do it every time someone’s in your house.

7. If you need food in Minecraft, you can make a fishing rod and fish.

8. If you wander around in the forest, you will obviously run into a mouse because they run around everywhere, and maybe when you go back to your house, there will be a lot of them in there.

9. You can go in different servers that people have made.

10. Never make a big square (or box) and put a girl dog in it and a boy dog in it. They will make a million puppies and start teleporting everywhere.

Finally, I’m done! 

9

Game Time minecraft is...

By Sabrina, age 9 Minecraft is a game and it is played on an electronic device. Jens Bergensten and Markus Persson are the creators of Minecraft and they come from Sweden. I play Minecraft because I think it is fun and creative. I think you should play Minecraft because it is a fun game and it is a creative game. People make videos of tutorials on mods. One of those mods is the Mo’ Creatures mod, and basically, it gives you more creatures in the game, like pandas, foxes, bears, boars, raccoons and more. Also, you can collect minerals, food and more. 

a guide to playing minecraft

By Ricky, age 7 Game rules: Get some wood to get stone and make a house. If you don’t make a house, monsters will get you at night. If you don’t have a sword to protect yourself against the monsters or if you don’t have armour, the monsters will get you faster. If you don’t have a house that is bright, monsters will spawn. If a Creeper spawns and explodes, you have to make a house that has torches. 

8

10 things i didn’t know about minecraft

By Judy, age 9 1. There are Creepers that glow and explode farther.

2. There are skeletons that are really tall and they try to get you.

3. If you hit a cow, it will come charging after you.

4. You can craft a crafting table (which is actually a block of wood with a hammer on it).

5. If you want a bed, you have to get a cow and a sheep. (You get the sheep for the blanket and pillow or something, and the cow is for the mattress.) You also need wood to make the frame.

6. If someone’s in the place you built, you can put a lava block on them. Just do it every time someone’s in your house.

7. If you need food in Minecraft, you can make a fishing rod and fish.

8. If you wander around in the forest, you will obviously run into a mouse because they run around everywhere, and maybe when you go back to your house, there will be a lot of them in there.

9. You can go in different servers that people have made.

10. Never make a big square (or box) and put a girl dog in it and a boy dog in it. They will make a million puppies and start teleporting everywhere.

Finally, I’m done! 

9

pokémon origins

jumpskating

By Francis, age 8

By Joey, age 6

One boy named Red wanted to be a Pokémon Master. He went to Professor Oak’s lab. His rival, Blue, wanted to be a Pokémon Master, too. Once Red and Blue saw each other, they pushed and argued all the way to Professor Oak’s lab.

“Hello, you both,” Oak said.

“Gramps! What took you so long?” Blue said to Oak, “Well, I got some Pokéballs for myself. I have three starter Pokémon for you,” Oak said.

“I will get Charmander,” Red said.

“I’ll get Squirtle,” Blue said.

“Well, I have something for you two: the Pokédex.”

“Gramps! I already know what it does!” Blue said madly.

“Good luck, you two.”

Once Red finished with every gym leader, he went to the Pokémon League. Once he got to the champion, he went crazy! It was Blue. After the battle, Red won! Red went to the Pokémon Hall of Fame. Red was the champion.

After that, he finished the Pokédex. But… he forgot Mewtwo!

He went to a cave and saw Mewtwo. Red sent out Charizard.

Once Charizard failed, Charizard turned to a Mega Charizard!

Once Charizard used mega punch, and then he used an Ultra Ball and got Mewtwo! But he forgot Mew. He saw Mew and used an Ultra Ball again. There he goes! He finished the Pokédex! Oak was so “OMG” that his heart exploded! 

Jumpskating is a race on ice.

The race is five miles long.

Racers jump over curling rocks.

The first person to finish wins.

Please do not cheat. 

hit it

By Michelle, age 8 1. The rules are you have to be five feet away from the set of books and you get five tries to get all the books down.

2. On the books, you have pieces of paper that say what you have to do. And you have to hit the books with a ball.

3. If you hit 2, 3 or 4 of the books, then you have to do all 2, 3 or 4 things.

4. The objective of this game is to do the hardest thing. Then when you have done the hardest thing, you win.

P.S. The people decide how many points you get. 

village news: minecraft, speed skating and taekwondo

By Jaykwon, age 8 First we play Minecraft. Then we speed skate really fast. Then you fight in taekwondo and then…

Erase the people and smash the Minecraft brick with a taekwondo fist! Go back to play Minecraft again. This is the Village News. 

10

11

pokémon origins

jumpskating

By Francis, age 8

By Joey, age 6

One boy named Red wanted to be a Pokémon Master. He went to Professor Oak’s lab. His rival, Blue, wanted to be a Pokémon Master, too. Once Red and Blue saw each other, they pushed and argued all the way to Professor Oak’s lab.

“Hello, you both,” Oak said.

“Gramps! What took you so long?” Blue said to Oak, “Well, I got some Pokéballs for myself. I have three starter Pokémon for you,” Oak said.

“I will get Charmander,” Red said.

“I’ll get Squirtle,” Blue said.

“Well, I have something for you two: the Pokédex.”

“Gramps! I already know what it does!” Blue said madly.

“Good luck, you two.”

Once Red finished with every gym leader, he went to the Pokémon League. Once he got to the champion, he went crazy! It was Blue. After the battle, Red won! Red went to the Pokémon Hall of Fame. Red was the champion.

After that, he finished the Pokédex. But… he forgot Mewtwo!

He went to a cave and saw Mewtwo. Red sent out Charizard.

Once Charizard failed, Charizard turned to a Mega Charizard!

Once Charizard used mega punch, and then he used an Ultra Ball and got Mewtwo! But he forgot Mew. He saw Mew and used an Ultra Ball again. There he goes! He finished the Pokédex! Oak was so “OMG” that his heart exploded! 

Jumpskating is a race on ice.

The race is five miles long.

Racers jump over curling rocks.

The first person to finish wins.

Please do not cheat. 

hit it

By Michelle, age 8 1. The rules are you have to be five feet away from the set of books and you get five tries to get all the books down.

2. On the books, you have pieces of paper that say what you have to do. And you have to hit the books with a ball.

3. If you hit 2, 3 or 4 of the books, then you have to do all 2, 3 or 4 things.

4. The objective of this game is to do the hardest thing. Then when you have done the hardest thing, you win.

P.S. The people decide how many points you get. 

village news: minecraft, speed skating and taekwondo

By Jaykwon, age 8 First we play Minecraft. Then we speed skate really fast. Then you fight in taekwondo and then…

Erase the people and smash the Minecraft brick with a taekwondo fist! Go back to play Minecraft again. This is the Village News. 

10

11

pokémon

nintendo 3DS pros and cons

By Angelo, age 9

By Andrew J., age 7

Once upon a time there was a boy named Red and his rival’s name was Blue. Red and Blue were going to get their starter Pokémon.

Red got Charmander and Blue got Squirtle. Red and Blue battled, and Red lost! A person named Brock came and said, “Battle me,” and Red battled the gym leader. Red won and got his badge. He got all of the Pokémon badges, and Red battled Blue for the second time and Red won! Red completed the Pokédex. 

how to play go fish

pros

cons

• 3D Slider • Software options • Make Miis • Nintendo eShop Buy Software

•No SNES

j ava u p d at e d o p t i o n s • You can play Megaman 9/10 • You can play Minicraft and Minecraft

By Farhin, age 9 1. Each player gets five cards and leaves the rest in the middle in a stack. Anybody can play. Don’t let anybody see your cards. If you get two cards that have the same letter or number, then you put those in another stack.

2. Everybody takes turns saying a number or letter from a card. If somebody has the same card, you take it from them. It has to be an equal number of cards.

3. And if nobody has the same card, they say, “Go fish,” and the person who asked takes a card from the stack in the middle.

4. The person with the most pairs of cards wins!

Yahoo! 

12

Animal Adventures sunny the cat

By Cathy, age 7 One night, there was a cat named Sunny. She always got up at night, and when it was sunny, she went to sleep. One night, she saw a robber! She turned invisible and she ran to catch up. She jumped on the robber. So she took off the robber’s mask. It was a baby! The baby ran away with the money. Sunny has powers, so she got up again. Finally, she got the money, but the baby went to the bank to get more money! So I got a trap. I dug a hole and trapped the baby. Crash! Yay! Now the baby is in jail. 

13

pokémon

nintendo 3DS pros and cons

By Angelo, age 9

By Andrew J., age 7

Once upon a time there was a boy named Red and his rival’s name was Blue. Red and Blue were going to get their starter Pokémon.

Red got Charmander and Blue got Squirtle. Red and Blue battled, and Red lost! A person named Brock came and said, “Battle me,” and Red battled the gym leader. Red won and got his badge. He got all of the Pokémon badges, and Red battled Blue for the second time and Red won! Red completed the Pokédex. 

how to play go fish

pros

cons

• 3D Slider • Software options • Make Miis • Nintendo eShop Buy Software

•No SNES

j ava u p d at e d o p t i o n s • You can play Megaman 9/10 • You can play Minicraft and Minecraft

By Farhin, age 9 1. Each player gets five cards and leaves the rest in the middle in a stack. Anybody can play. Don’t let anybody see your cards. If you get two cards that have the same letter or number, then you put those in another stack.

2. Everybody takes turns saying a number or letter from a card. If somebody has the same card, you take it from them. It has to be an equal number of cards.

3. And if nobody has the same card, they say, “Go fish,” and the person who asked takes a card from the stack in the middle.

4. The person with the most pairs of cards wins!

Yahoo! 

12

Animal Adventures sunny the cat

By Cathy, age 7 One night, there was a cat named Sunny. She always got up at night, and when it was sunny, she went to sleep. One night, she saw a robber! She turned invisible and she ran to catch up. She jumped on the robber. So she took off the robber’s mask. It was a baby! The baby ran away with the money. Sunny has powers, so she got up again. Finally, she got the money, but the baby went to the bank to get more money! So I got a trap. I dug a hole and trapped the baby. Crash! Yay! Now the baby is in jail. 

13

i’ll stuff a book in your mouth

it’s too hot

By Kimleen, age 13

By Liza, age 9

I had a pet chicken named Pox. Pox had a red stomach and green eyes. Pox always talked and he was never quiet. One day pox said that he was going to go to school with me. I didn’t agree to it because he is so annoying.

When I went to school, I found out that there was a new “kid” in our class. Then I realized that Pox was the new “kid.” I was furious! Then I just had to hear Pox telling the class embarrassing facts about me. When it was recess, my friends kept laughing at me because I still suck my thumb.

After recess, Pox kept talking and he blamed me for encouraging him to talk, so I got in trouble! Even though I told him to be quiet, he wouldn’t listen. So, I decided to threaten him. I said that if he wouldn’t stop talking and if he didn’t quit school, then I’d stuff a book in his mouth.

The next day, he quit school, but he kept talking about school, so I stuffed a book in his mouth. When my teacher asked me where my homework was, I said that my chicken ate it. 

piggie Hi, Gerald.

Hi, Piggie!

We can play ball.

We can’t play ball.

But it’s a nice day. We can play ball or catch or tag or grounders or badminton or…

But it’s too hot.

Maybe tomorrow? See? We are already sweaty and hot. Let’s play board games in our house.

Fine.

happy pig day

By Clara, age 8

piggie

the guy who was nice to pets

gerald

Gerald, Gerald!

Today is Happy Pig Day!

By Ryan, age 7 Once there was a guy named Jason. He had a pet fish named Sammy. Jason loved everything. He fed the fish every day. Jason and Sammy liked each other. Sammy liked his fish food. His fish tank was for him. He liked rainbows. The fish had a computer. The fish ate too much food. He had a tummy ache. The he ate a lot more and it made him better. 

14

gerald

Happy Pig Day is the best.

I think it is a lot of fun.

I don’t have anything.

Why don’t you come with me? Pig Day is for everyone.

My fake pig family is a bear, a cat and a squirrel. So you can come with us.

15

i’ll stuff a book in your mouth

it’s too hot

By Kimleen, age 13

By Liza, age 9

I had a pet chicken named Pox. Pox had a red stomach and green eyes. Pox always talked and he was never quiet. One day pox said that he was going to go to school with me. I didn’t agree to it because he is so annoying.

When I went to school, I found out that there was a new “kid” in our class. Then I realized that Pox was the new “kid.” I was furious! Then I just had to hear Pox telling the class embarrassing facts about me. When it was recess, my friends kept laughing at me because I still suck my thumb.

After recess, Pox kept talking and he blamed me for encouraging him to talk, so I got in trouble! Even though I told him to be quiet, he wouldn’t listen. So, I decided to threaten him. I said that if he wouldn’t stop talking and if he didn’t quit school, then I’d stuff a book in his mouth.

The next day, he quit school, but he kept talking about school, so I stuffed a book in his mouth. When my teacher asked me where my homework was, I said that my chicken ate it. 

piggie Hi, Gerald.

Hi, Piggie!

We can play ball.

We can’t play ball.

But it’s a nice day. We can play ball or catch or tag or grounders or badminton or…

But it’s too hot.

Maybe tomorrow? See? We are already sweaty and hot. Let’s play board games in our house.

Fine.

happy pig day

By Clara, age 8

piggie

the guy who was nice to pets

gerald

Gerald, Gerald!

Today is Happy Pig Day!

By Ryan, age 7 Once there was a guy named Jason. He had a pet fish named Sammy. Jason loved everything. He fed the fish every day. Jason and Sammy liked each other. Sammy liked his fish food. His fish tank was for him. He liked rainbows. The fish had a computer. The fish ate too much food. He had a tummy ache. The he ate a lot more and it made him better. 

14

gerald

Happy Pig Day is the best.

I think it is a lot of fun.

I don’t have anything.

Why don’t you come with me? Pig Day is for everyone.

My fake pig family is a bear, a cat and a squirrel. So you can come with us.

15

i am x-man piggie

By Faris, age 8

S’up, Elephant?

How is your day?

did garfield steal the chalk? elephant

I am X-Man.

I am the happiest thing ever.

Will you play with me?

I am X-Man.

By AJ, age 8 Garfield is a little bit curious. He needs to write with something.

He got a job as a teacher and needs the chalk for classes. He uses a special glove to reach under the bottom of the classroom door.

That is how he unlocks the door. And then he steals all the chalk that he needs. He needs it to make a statue to show to the kids. 

the AWESOME/cute cat

By Yatalia, age 10

I am hot, aren’t you?

I am X-Man. Me, too. I am X-Man. I am X-Man. Xxxxxxx-Mmmman!

I am X-Man, X-Car. I am hot.

Me, too.

The kitten is sleeping on a guitar. The guitar is blue. The kitten’s dreaming about an adventure, about the kitten saving its family because the dogs took the kitten’s family.

The kitten was trained by a dog that was different from all the other dogs. The dog helped the kitten get trained to save the kitten’s family.

The kitten said, “Thank you,” to the dog.

The dog said, “I hope you save your family.”

So the kitten went to find its family. After 40 minutes, the kitten finally found its family and the evil dogs, but the kitten still had to fight the dogs.

I am X-Man. I am Thor.

16

17

i am x-man piggie

By Faris, age 8

S’up, Elephant?

How is your day?

did garfield steal the chalk? elephant

I am X-Man.

I am the happiest thing ever.

Will you play with me?

I am X-Man.

By AJ, age 8 Garfield is a little bit curious. He needs to write with something.

He got a job as a teacher and needs the chalk for classes. He uses a special glove to reach under the bottom of the classroom door.

That is how he unlocks the door. And then he steals all the chalk that he needs. He needs it to make a statue to show to the kids. 

the AWESOME/cute cat

By Yatalia, age 10

I am hot, aren’t you?

I am X-Man. Me, too. I am X-Man. I am X-Man. Xxxxxxx-Mmmman!

I am X-Man, X-Car. I am hot.

Me, too.

The kitten is sleeping on a guitar. The guitar is blue. The kitten’s dreaming about an adventure, about the kitten saving its family because the dogs took the kitten’s family.

The kitten was trained by a dog that was different from all the other dogs. The dog helped the kitten get trained to save the kitten’s family.

The kitten said, “Thank you,” to the dog.

The dog said, “I hope you save your family.”

So the kitten went to find its family. After 40 minutes, the kitten finally found its family and the evil dogs, but the kitten still had to fight the dogs.

I am X-Man. I am Thor.

16

17

On a Mission

detective of the phones

By Bryan, age 11, Jason, age 11, and Andrew D., age 12

the box

By Stas, age 12 The box is one of the only mysteries in the world that is left unsolved. Legend says that the box will contain the item that the person wants the most in his heart and that’s what he will get. But it was lost many years ago, when the war in this world got out of control. Many lives were lost. Then everybody needed the box in the war, so it was lost while the castle it was in was destroyed.

They never found it in the ruins, so now that it has been found, the world is in danger once again. Now you can start hearing the orcs in the mountain roaring, waiting to start the war. 

the awesome mission

By Zainab, age 9 Once upon a time there was a secret organization that was in a contest, determined to win against another team. And if they won, they’d get a trip to Hawaii. But when they went to win the contest, the other team cheated by bribing a team member by giving him 1,000,000 pieces of sand and he took the bribe. To be continued… 

18

p a rt 1

By Bryan It all began that day. That rainy, rainy day. It was scary. I couldn’t get home. So I spent the night at a hotel. At least I thought it was. I was sleeping when I had this crazy dream… and I found out… that…

I… am… an… extraterrestrial! I told my family the next day. They didn’t really care, which was fine. I got a job as a detective. Soon I remembered more of my extraterrestrial race and realized that every time I remembered something, I got supernatural powers. I got psychic powers, which helps with my detective work because I can tell the future and levitate objects. Awesome! I was awesome at all the crime scenes except with the private phone callers.

Nigas and Tony (my friends) called me for the private phone calls.

This is a job for… Leviathan Haih, private eye. Time to investigate at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

p a rt 2

By Andrew D. The private caller said, “You have won two tickets to Hawaii. You just need to answer these simple questions.” I was so excited, but who would I take with me to Hawaii? The private caller asked, “Where do you live? How much money do you have? What is your bank account number?” I paused. I ran to go tell my parents. My parents were shocked and they talked to the caller. My parents gave the caller everything. The caller also asked my parents if I was a boy who goes to school. So my parents told the caller everything about me. I was so… excited! The caller said the tickets will be at the school I go to. I can’t wait to go to school tomorrow.

19

On a Mission

detective of the phones

By Bryan, age 11, Jason, age 11, and Andrew D., age 12

the box

By Stas, age 12 The box is one of the only mysteries in the world that is left unsolved. Legend says that the box will contain the item that the person wants the most in his heart and that’s what he will get. But it was lost many years ago, when the war in this world got out of control. Many lives were lost. Then everybody needed the box in the war, so it was lost while the castle it was in was destroyed.

They never found it in the ruins, so now that it has been found, the world is in danger once again. Now you can start hearing the orcs in the mountain roaring, waiting to start the war. 

the awesome mission

By Zainab, age 9 Once upon a time there was a secret organization that was in a contest, determined to win against another team. And if they won, they’d get a trip to Hawaii. But when they went to win the contest, the other team cheated by bribing a team member by giving him 1,000,000 pieces of sand and he took the bribe. To be continued… 

18

p a rt 1

By Bryan It all began that day. That rainy, rainy day. It was scary. I couldn’t get home. So I spent the night at a hotel. At least I thought it was. I was sleeping when I had this crazy dream… and I found out… that…

I… am… an… extraterrestrial! I told my family the next day. They didn’t really care, which was fine. I got a job as a detective. Soon I remembered more of my extraterrestrial race and realized that every time I remembered something, I got supernatural powers. I got psychic powers, which helps with my detective work because I can tell the future and levitate objects. Awesome! I was awesome at all the crime scenes except with the private phone callers.

Nigas and Tony (my friends) called me for the private phone calls.

This is a job for… Leviathan Haih, private eye. Time to investigate at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

p a rt 2

By Andrew D. The private caller said, “You have won two tickets to Hawaii. You just need to answer these simple questions.” I was so excited, but who would I take with me to Hawaii? The private caller asked, “Where do you live? How much money do you have? What is your bank account number?” I paused. I ran to go tell my parents. My parents were shocked and they talked to the caller. My parents gave the caller everything. The caller also asked my parents if I was a boy who goes to school. So my parents told the caller everything about me. I was so… excited! The caller said the tickets will be at the school I go to. I can’t wait to go to school tomorrow.

19

p a rt 3

By Jason As I opened the package, I saw my classmate enter the room. His face instantly turned into a grim expression as he said in a terrified tone, “That… package.”

“What are you talking about?” I replied.

The second I said that, my classmate said, “You don’t know?”

Obviously I was feeling pretty scared.

The next day my friend Leviathan came to my university (MIT) to investigate the package I received. (He was a detective.) The second he saw the package, he brought up his phone and called my other friend Tony and, with a concerned voice, told him to come to MIT. When Tony arrived and saw the package, his expression instantly changed to a terrified look.

I asked him, “What?”

Tony replied in a terrified voice, “You don’t know?”

To be continued… 

the problem

By Mico, age 11 One day, Andy, Pony, Jake, Mouse, and Randy moved into a new town called Crystal Town. The family moved into a nice, white, glossy mansion.

After they bought the mansion, they looked into their pockets. They saw that they had run out of money to buy food and furniture. Randy went to see if they could buy furniture at the furniture store. Jake went to the grocery store to buy some food.

Jake double checked his jean pockets and found some money to buy only a few groceries. Jake only had a few dimes and quarters.

Jake bought cereal with milk and water. Randy arrived at the furniture store and found some nice beds. It was very expensive for Randy to buy beds for his whole family.

20

Andy was in the house putting on her clothes that she’d packed. Mouse and Pony were in the backyard chasing each other like they were playing cat and mouse. Andy went upstairs to her bedroom and saw that she had a safe in her bedroom and told herself, “I think the person who lived here before forgot his or her safe in the house.” Suddenly, Andy found a book right behind the safe, and at the back of the book was the password for the safe and the safe’s number was 4-6-3-1. Andy opened the safe and saw that there was five thousand dollars in there and yelled, “We are rich!”

While Randy and Jake were walking home, they heard Andy yell, “We are rich!” Randy and Jake ran as fast as they could all the way back to their white, glossy mansion to get money to buy beds and food before all the grocery stores and all the bed stores were closed down. They bought bikes and biked all the way to the stores. Randy bought two king-sized beds for him. Jake bought chicken and pork with white rice for his whole family to eat. Randy bought a nice, round, white, shiny table so they could eat their food, and Randy bought nice furniture like plants and a big flatscreen television.

While the kids were sleeping, Randy was preparing something for the kids in the morning. In the morning, the kids woke up and saw that the house was filled up with decorations and there was chicken set up on the table and everything everywhere was clean and tidy.

Randy said, “What are you guys doing?”

They said, “We are taking everything because you have five thousand dollars and you can’t have that much money.”

The family tried some other way to find the money. They got a lot of money because they all got jobs that gave them money. They worked really hard so they could earn money. 

21

p a rt 3

By Jason As I opened the package, I saw my classmate enter the room. His face instantly turned into a grim expression as he said in a terrified tone, “That… package.”

“What are you talking about?” I replied.

The second I said that, my classmate said, “You don’t know?”

Obviously I was feeling pretty scared.

The next day my friend Leviathan came to my university (MIT) to investigate the package I received. (He was a detective.) The second he saw the package, he brought up his phone and called my other friend Tony and, with a concerned voice, told him to come to MIT. When Tony arrived and saw the package, his expression instantly changed to a terrified look.

I asked him, “What?”

Tony replied in a terrified voice, “You don’t know?”

To be continued… 

the problem

By Mico, age 11 One day, Andy, Pony, Jake, Mouse, and Randy moved into a new town called Crystal Town. The family moved into a nice, white, glossy mansion.

After they bought the mansion, they looked into their pockets. They saw that they had run out of money to buy food and furniture. Randy went to see if they could buy furniture at the furniture store. Jake went to the grocery store to buy some food.

Jake double checked his jean pockets and found some money to buy only a few groceries. Jake only had a few dimes and quarters.

Jake bought cereal with milk and water. Randy arrived at the furniture store and found some nice beds. It was very expensive for Randy to buy beds for his whole family.

20

Andy was in the house putting on her clothes that she’d packed. Mouse and Pony were in the backyard chasing each other like they were playing cat and mouse. Andy went upstairs to her bedroom and saw that she had a safe in her bedroom and told herself, “I think the person who lived here before forgot his or her safe in the house.” Suddenly, Andy found a book right behind the safe, and at the back of the book was the password for the safe and the safe’s number was 4-6-3-1. Andy opened the safe and saw that there was five thousand dollars in there and yelled, “We are rich!”

While Randy and Jake were walking home, they heard Andy yell, “We are rich!” Randy and Jake ran as fast as they could all the way back to their white, glossy mansion to get money to buy beds and food before all the grocery stores and all the bed stores were closed down. They bought bikes and biked all the way to the stores. Randy bought two king-sized beds for him. Jake bought chicken and pork with white rice for his whole family to eat. Randy bought a nice, round, white, shiny table so they could eat their food, and Randy bought nice furniture like plants and a big flatscreen television.

While the kids were sleeping, Randy was preparing something for the kids in the morning. In the morning, the kids woke up and saw that the house was filled up with decorations and there was chicken set up on the table and everything everywhere was clean and tidy.

Randy said, “What are you guys doing?”

They said, “We are taking everything because you have five thousand dollars and you can’t have that much money.”

The family tried some other way to find the money. They got a lot of money because they all got jobs that gave them money. They worked really hard so they could earn money. 

21

night of the moon

bob ho and bob ho #2

By Selena, age 12

By Huynh and Howard, both age 12

One day, in a city deep away from light, everyone was in misery.

Every day there was no light and they needed torches and flashlights—anything to bring some light back to the land.

A boy named Martin wanted to scare away everyone’s misery and bring in happiness. He set off on a journey to the other side of the world. As soon as he left, everything was midnight black.

His flashlight lasted a few hours, and then it went out. He got out a torch and lit it, and then kept on going forward. After about eight days, he fainted.

But when he woke up, he was in a room filled with light. That meant that he was in the light world! A person wearing very light clothing came and told him to lie down and rest for a while, but he said he was fine. The guy said that Martin was very brave to go out there, because out there was a world that was super cold at below zero. “Where are you from?” he asked.

“I come from the other side of the world,” Martin said.

“The other side of the world! Why have you come here?”

“Well, I am in search of light. My land needs it very much.

Without it, we will die very soon. Our land is very cold and we don’t have any light at all.”

“I have something for you since you came all the way here.”

The guy went out of the room and came back to the room carrying a box. The box was glowing. The guy said, “This is the moon. It carries light, too. I want you to have it.”

Martin was super grateful. 

Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 got a mission briefing of the mission: Bob Ho #7 was captured by Bob Ho Badguy so that Bob Ho Badguy could find the whereabouts of the legendary Professor Espeon, who knows everything. Your mission is to save Bob Ho #7 and protect the professor.

Bob Ho Goodguy was helping Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 save Bob Ho #7. Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 were about to jump off a building to place a camera at the window of Bob Ho Badguy’s Bad Academy of Badness: Sanctuary of Bob Ho Badguy’s Badness when they saw Bob Ho Badguy pointing a Stun Gun™ at Bob Ho #7. Bob Ho Badguy wanted to know the secret Bob Ho Goodguy uses to get students to obey rules of Bob Ho Goodguy’s Good Academy of Goodness: Sanctuary of Bob Ho Goodguy’s Goodness.

Bob Ho #7 answered, “They are good guys, not bad guys, so they obey rules.”

Bob Ho Badguy stunned Bob Ho #7 for four hours. When Bob Ho #7 woke up, Bob Ho Badguy wanted to know the whereabouts of the legendary Professor Espeon. Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 made a plan to break into Bob Ho Badguy’s Bad Academy of Badness: Sanctuary of Bob Ho Badguy’s Badness to save Bob Ho #7.

Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 succeeded in saving Bob Ho #7 and put Bob Ho Badguy in jail. Bob Ho Goodguy got to work at CHERUB. Bob Ho #7 got to work with the legendary professor. 

22

23

night of the moon

bob ho and bob ho #2

By Selena, age 12

By Huynh and Howard, both age 12

One day, in a city deep away from light, everyone was in misery.

Every day there was no light and they needed torches and flashlights—anything to bring some light back to the land.

A boy named Martin wanted to scare away everyone’s misery and bring in happiness. He set off on a journey to the other side of the world. As soon as he left, everything was midnight black.

His flashlight lasted a few hours, and then it went out. He got out a torch and lit it, and then kept on going forward. After about eight days, he fainted.

But when he woke up, he was in a room filled with light. That meant that he was in the light world! A person wearing very light clothing came and told him to lie down and rest for a while, but he said he was fine. The guy said that Martin was very brave to go out there, because out there was a world that was super cold at below zero. “Where are you from?” he asked.

“I come from the other side of the world,” Martin said.

“The other side of the world! Why have you come here?”

“Well, I am in search of light. My land needs it very much.

Without it, we will die very soon. Our land is very cold and we don’t have any light at all.”

“I have something for you since you came all the way here.”

The guy went out of the room and came back to the room carrying a box. The box was glowing. The guy said, “This is the moon. It carries light, too. I want you to have it.”

Martin was super grateful. 

Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 got a mission briefing of the mission: Bob Ho #7 was captured by Bob Ho Badguy so that Bob Ho Badguy could find the whereabouts of the legendary Professor Espeon, who knows everything. Your mission is to save Bob Ho #7 and protect the professor.

Bob Ho Goodguy was helping Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 save Bob Ho #7. Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 were about to jump off a building to place a camera at the window of Bob Ho Badguy’s Bad Academy of Badness: Sanctuary of Bob Ho Badguy’s Badness when they saw Bob Ho Badguy pointing a Stun Gun™ at Bob Ho #7. Bob Ho Badguy wanted to know the secret Bob Ho Goodguy uses to get students to obey rules of Bob Ho Goodguy’s Good Academy of Goodness: Sanctuary of Bob Ho Goodguy’s Goodness.

Bob Ho #7 answered, “They are good guys, not bad guys, so they obey rules.”

Bob Ho Badguy stunned Bob Ho #7 for four hours. When Bob Ho #7 woke up, Bob Ho Badguy wanted to know the whereabouts of the legendary Professor Espeon. Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 made a plan to break into Bob Ho Badguy’s Bad Academy of Badness: Sanctuary of Bob Ho Badguy’s Badness to save Bob Ho #7.

Bob Ho and Bob Ho #2 succeeded in saving Bob Ho #7 and put Bob Ho Badguy in jail. Bob Ho Goodguy got to work at CHERUB. Bob Ho #7 got to work with the legendary professor. 

22

23

s e c r e t p a rt y a n d t h e a rt w o r k P e o p l e

an excerpt from “a tough world”

By Cole, age 10

By Alex, age 10

Once upon a time, the evil artwork people (who turn people into artwork) were spying on our spies behind a poster. The spies were having a party when… the poster people (a.k.a. John and Johnny) shot all of them with a ray that turned them into artwork. But six spies escaped: Braeden, Cole, Kahlil, The Crazy-bot, Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis. So they were going to save their friends, but first, donut time. Then they went to The Home Depot to get supplies.

So Kahlil, Cole, Braeden and The Crazy-bot got a freeze ray, and everyone else got a heat ray. It was time for the war in 3… 2… 1…

They went back to spy camp but the artwork people zapped everyone but Cole and Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris burned John, but Johnny zapped Chuck Norris. Then it was Cole’s turn. Johnny zapped Cole and Cole fell into a deep sleep… When Cole woke up, there were no artwork people—just a party. Yea! But behind the poster someone was peeking at the party… 

Max, Ruby and their mom went to the museum. Their mom waited on a chair while Max and Ruby walked around on their own. Ruby saw a big, special door that said Do Not Enter, or Else.

Ruby: Or else what? Can we go in, Max? Max: Okay, but don’t tell anyone…

Ruby: I wonder what this red button does.

Max: Don’t press it!

Ruby: Oops. I already pressed it.

Computer: Earth will be destroyed in four hours.

They heard a beeping sound from the other side of the door. A security guard entered.

Robot Guard: Take off human disguise.

Ruby and Max were in shock. The security guard was a robot!

Robot Guard: You humans have pushed the red button, which means the Earth will be destroyed. You shall pay for this! I will destroy you.

Max: Run, Ruby!

So they started running. They ran around the museum looking for their mom but their mom wasn’t there. So they ran around in circles screaming. And then they hid. The robot was scanning the whole museum looking for them.

Robot Guard: I know where you are. You are at the edge of the museum. I will fly there…

Then they found another secret room to hide in. It was another security-robot lab. Ruby found a computer that said Stop Destruction Process. So Ruby turned the computer on.

Computer: Please log in with password.

Max: We only have 30 minutes!

Ruby: What? What happened to the four hours?

24

25

s e c r e t p a rt y a n d t h e a rt w o r k P e o p l e

an excerpt from “a tough world”

By Cole, age 10

By Alex, age 10

Once upon a time, the evil artwork people (who turn people into artwork) were spying on our spies behind a poster. The spies were having a party when… the poster people (a.k.a. John and Johnny) shot all of them with a ray that turned them into artwork. But six spies escaped: Braeden, Cole, Kahlil, The Crazy-bot, Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis. So they were going to save their friends, but first, donut time. Then they went to The Home Depot to get supplies.

So Kahlil, Cole, Braeden and The Crazy-bot got a freeze ray, and everyone else got a heat ray. It was time for the war in 3… 2… 1…

They went back to spy camp but the artwork people zapped everyone but Cole and Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris burned John, but Johnny zapped Chuck Norris. Then it was Cole’s turn. Johnny zapped Cole and Cole fell into a deep sleep… When Cole woke up, there were no artwork people—just a party. Yea! But behind the poster someone was peeking at the party… 

Max, Ruby and their mom went to the museum. Their mom waited on a chair while Max and Ruby walked around on their own. Ruby saw a big, special door that said Do Not Enter, or Else.

Ruby: Or else what? Can we go in, Max? Max: Okay, but don’t tell anyone…

Ruby: I wonder what this red button does.

Max: Don’t press it!

Ruby: Oops. I already pressed it.

Computer: Earth will be destroyed in four hours.

They heard a beeping sound from the other side of the door. A security guard entered.

Robot Guard: Take off human disguise.

Ruby and Max were in shock. The security guard was a robot!

Robot Guard: You humans have pushed the red button, which means the Earth will be destroyed. You shall pay for this! I will destroy you.

Max: Run, Ruby!

So they started running. They ran around the museum looking for their mom but their mom wasn’t there. So they ran around in circles screaming. And then they hid. The robot was scanning the whole museum looking for them.

Robot Guard: I know where you are. You are at the edge of the museum. I will fly there…

Then they found another secret room to hide in. It was another security-robot lab. Ruby found a computer that said Stop Destruction Process. So Ruby turned the computer on.

Computer: Please log in with password.

Max: We only have 30 minutes!

Ruby: What? What happened to the four hours?

24

25

Max: I don’t know. Time flies when you are trying to save the Earth.

Ruby: I’ll go as fast as I can, but I don’t know the password!

Max: I think I know the password—Stop Destruction Process.

Ruby: Of course! Robots don’t have long memories. That’s why they put the poster on top of the computer.

Then Ruby entered the password and logged onto the computer. She started typing stuff to save the Earth.

Computer: Please put your fingers on the green arrow, not the red, or else the destructive process will fail.

Max: One wrong move and the whole world will be destroyed. You have less than 15 minutes. The world’s fate is in your hands, Ruby!

Ruby: Okay! I’m trying as fast as I can. Patience. Oh, by the way, if I survive, ask Mom if I can have some hot chocolate when I get home because this is very stressful.

Max: Okay! Just get to work!

Ruby: Oopsies! I did the wrong move!

Computer: Stop Destruction Process failed.

Then the robot entered.

Robot Guard: You fool! That’s not how to stop the destruction. I am!

You have to stop the destruction by destroying me!

Max: We will defeat you! We shall have a battle! Ruby is on my team…

So the battle started and Max was slapping the Robot’s face while Ruby was screaming, and then Ruby had an idea. While Max was slapping the Robot’s face, she kicked the Robot and the Robot exploded into tiny little pieces.

Max: The Earth is saved!

So they went back to their mom and their mom was sitting on the chair where they had told her to wait.

Max: Where were you when we were here?

Mom: I went to the washroom because there was free hot chocolate there.

Ruby: That reminds me, can I have some hot chocolate when we get home? 

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summer nightmares

By Coral, age 10 One dark and stormy night, Ashley sat bolt upright on her bed.

Wow, she thought, that was the scariest nightmare I’ve ever had.

She shook off the feeling that someone was watching her. She felt a cool breeze ruffle her hair. She turned around and a young girl with long blonde hair down to her ankles was sitting on her bed with a note in her hand.

“Hello,” said the girl shyly. “My name is Annabell.”

“What are you doing here?” stuttered Ashley. “And how do you know where I live?”

“Questions, questions, questions,” said Annabell with a sigh.

“The reason I’m here is to give you this note. It’s from your mother and father.”

“My mother and father? Aren’t they in bed sleeping?”

“Nope, read the note if you want to find out.”

“OK.”

Dear Ashley and Sasha,

We have been captured by a large group of bandits. We

will be all right. Xoxo.

Love,

Mother and Father “Annabell, what am I going to do?” But Annabell was gone.

“OMG, I forgot about Sasha!” She ran up the stairs to her sister’s room.

“Sasha, Sasha!” called Ashley as she entered her sister’s room.

Just as Ashely was about to give up hope, she heard a muffled voice in the closet. “Sasha!” called Ashley and threw her arms around her older sister.

“We’ve got to find our parents,” said Ashley once the sister love was over.

“Oh my! Why can’t I stop laughing?” asked Sasha.

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Max: I don’t know. Time flies when you are trying to save the Earth.

Ruby: I’ll go as fast as I can, but I don’t know the password!

Max: I think I know the password—Stop Destruction Process.

Ruby: Of course! Robots don’t have long memories. That’s why they put the poster on top of the computer.

Then Ruby entered the password and logged onto the computer. She started typing stuff to save the Earth.

Computer: Please put your fingers on the green arrow, not the red, or else the destructive process will fail.

Max: One wrong move and the whole world will be destroyed. You have less than 15 minutes. The world’s fate is in your hands, Ruby!

Ruby: Okay! I’m trying as fast as I can. Patience. Oh, by the way, if I survive, ask Mom if I can have some hot chocolate when I get home because this is very stressful.

Max: Okay! Just get to work!

Ruby: Oopsies! I did the wrong move!

Computer: Stop Destruction Process failed.

Then the robot entered.

Robot Guard: You fool! That’s not how to stop the destruction. I am!

You have to stop the destruction by destroying me!

Max: We will defeat you! We shall have a battle! Ruby is on my team…

So the battle started and Max was slapping the Robot’s face while Ruby was screaming, and then Ruby had an idea. While Max was slapping the Robot’s face, she kicked the Robot and the Robot exploded into tiny little pieces.

Max: The Earth is saved!

So they went back to their mom and their mom was sitting on the chair where they had told her to wait.

Max: Where were you when we were here?

Mom: I went to the washroom because there was free hot chocolate there.

Ruby: That reminds me, can I have some hot chocolate when we get home? 

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summer nightmares

By Coral, age 10 One dark and stormy night, Ashley sat bolt upright on her bed.

Wow, she thought, that was the scariest nightmare I’ve ever had.

She shook off the feeling that someone was watching her. She felt a cool breeze ruffle her hair. She turned around and a young girl with long blonde hair down to her ankles was sitting on her bed with a note in her hand.

“Hello,” said the girl shyly. “My name is Annabell.”

“What are you doing here?” stuttered Ashley. “And how do you know where I live?”

“Questions, questions, questions,” said Annabell with a sigh.

“The reason I’m here is to give you this note. It’s from your mother and father.”

“My mother and father? Aren’t they in bed sleeping?”

“Nope, read the note if you want to find out.”

“OK.”

Dear Ashley and Sasha,

We have been captured by a large group of bandits. We

will be all right. Xoxo.

Love,

Mother and Father “Annabell, what am I going to do?” But Annabell was gone.

“OMG, I forgot about Sasha!” She ran up the stairs to her sister’s room.

“Sasha, Sasha!” called Ashley as she entered her sister’s room.

Just as Ashely was about to give up hope, she heard a muffled voice in the closet. “Sasha!” called Ashley and threw her arms around her older sister.

“We’ve got to find our parents,” said Ashley once the sister love was over.

“Oh my! Why can’t I stop laughing?” asked Sasha.

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“It’s laughing gas,” said Ashley through her teeth.

“Take them away,” said a new voice.

Ashely and Sasha spun around.

Sitting in Sasha’s chair was a man with raven-black hair and cold, lifeless eyes. “Take them away,” he repeated in a stonecold voice.

Who is that man? What will happen next? Where are their parents? Where’s Annabell? Find out in the next part of “Summer Nightmares”… 

treasure

By Shemaiah, age 11 At sunset, two brothers named Tom and Bob met a girl named Elsa and a boy named Hero. Elsa and Hero were best friends. Bob was a funny guy with blue eyes and blond hair, and he was handsome.

Tom was handsome, with black hair and brown, dramatic eyes. Elsa was beautiful, had blue eyes and black hair. Hero was handsome and had blue eyes. Tom and Bob were rich. They had a treasure.

Hero and Elsa were looking for a job. Tom and Bob were looking for a secretary and a janitor, so Tom and Bob asked Elsa and Hero if they would work at their business.

They said, “Yes,” so they had to start the next day.

Random guys named Wilfred and Daniel listened to Tom and Bob talking about treasure, and Daniel and Wilfred wanted the treasure. They wanted to apply for the job at the brothers’ business, but they wanted to work at the brothers’ house.

The brothers said, “Yes,” but they had to start the next day.

They were so happy because they really wanted to take the treasure.

The random guys had to sleep at Tom and Bob’s house so they could take the treasure if they wanted. At night, a random guy woke and he woke the other so that they could take the treasure.

Tom and Bob weren’t there, so Daniel and Wilfred asked their helpers, “Where’s the treasure?” They scared the helpers and said,

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“If you don’t tell us where the treasure is, we are going to hurt you.”

So the helpers told Daniel and Wilfred where the treasure was, and when they opened it, they were so happy that the treasure was there. In the morning, when Tom and Bob got home, they were so mad because the house was all messed up. The helpers said that two random guys took the treasure. Tom and Bob called Elsa and Hero and told them about what happened.

Elsa and Hero told Tom and Bob that they didn’t really trust those random guys, so they reported to the cop what happened.

The cop didn’t believe them and so they had to find the treasure by helping each other.

The brothers forgot that they had put a tracking device into the treasure, and when they looked at the computer monitor, they saw that the treasure was at the beach. They had to meet the random guys at the beach, so they had to ride an airplane to go there. They bought a ticket for the first flight.

After forty minutes, they were at the beach, and they asked at the counter if there were two people named Daniel and Wilfred who had checked into a room. The girl at the counter said very quickly, “Nope.”

Tom, Bob, Elsa and Hero were surprised that the tracking device led them there when the two random guys weren’t there. Hero thought that the random guys must’ve left the treasure at the beach.

So Tom and Bob went home to get money to buy the beach because it was for sale. When they bought it, they dug everywhere but they couldn’t find the treasure. So Elsa thought that they might have put it into the ocean, so they went scuba diving, but they couldn’t find it, so they followed the tracking device’s signal. They finally found it, so the two brothers actually trusted Elsa and Hero and they made Elsa and Hero their business partners.

The two best friends got a half of the treasure, and Elsa and Tom got married and lived happily ever after. 

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“It’s laughing gas,” said Ashley through her teeth.

“Take them away,” said a new voice.

Ashely and Sasha spun around.

Sitting in Sasha’s chair was a man with raven-black hair and cold, lifeless eyes. “Take them away,” he repeated in a stonecold voice.

Who is that man? What will happen next? Where are their parents? Where’s Annabell? Find out in the next part of “Summer Nightmares”… 

treasure

By Shemaiah, age 11 At sunset, two brothers named Tom and Bob met a girl named Elsa and a boy named Hero. Elsa and Hero were best friends. Bob was a funny guy with blue eyes and blond hair, and he was handsome.

Tom was handsome, with black hair and brown, dramatic eyes. Elsa was beautiful, had blue eyes and black hair. Hero was handsome and had blue eyes. Tom and Bob were rich. They had a treasure.

Hero and Elsa were looking for a job. Tom and Bob were looking for a secretary and a janitor, so Tom and Bob asked Elsa and Hero if they would work at their business.

They said, “Yes,” so they had to start the next day.

Random guys named Wilfred and Daniel listened to Tom and Bob talking about treasure, and Daniel and Wilfred wanted the treasure. They wanted to apply for the job at the brothers’ business, but they wanted to work at the brothers’ house.

The brothers said, “Yes,” but they had to start the next day.

They were so happy because they really wanted to take the treasure.

The random guys had to sleep at Tom and Bob’s house so they could take the treasure if they wanted. At night, a random guy woke and he woke the other so that they could take the treasure.

Tom and Bob weren’t there, so Daniel and Wilfred asked their helpers, “Where’s the treasure?” They scared the helpers and said,

28

“If you don’t tell us where the treasure is, we are going to hurt you.”

So the helpers told Daniel and Wilfred where the treasure was, and when they opened it, they were so happy that the treasure was there. In the morning, when Tom and Bob got home, they were so mad because the house was all messed up. The helpers said that two random guys took the treasure. Tom and Bob called Elsa and Hero and told them about what happened.

Elsa and Hero told Tom and Bob that they didn’t really trust those random guys, so they reported to the cop what happened.

The cop didn’t believe them and so they had to find the treasure by helping each other.

The brothers forgot that they had put a tracking device into the treasure, and when they looked at the computer monitor, they saw that the treasure was at the beach. They had to meet the random guys at the beach, so they had to ride an airplane to go there. They bought a ticket for the first flight.

After forty minutes, they were at the beach, and they asked at the counter if there were two people named Daniel and Wilfred who had checked into a room. The girl at the counter said very quickly, “Nope.”

Tom, Bob, Elsa and Hero were surprised that the tracking device led them there when the two random guys weren’t there. Hero thought that the random guys must’ve left the treasure at the beach.

So Tom and Bob went home to get money to buy the beach because it was for sale. When they bought it, they dug everywhere but they couldn’t find the treasure. So Elsa thought that they might have put it into the ocean, so they went scuba diving, but they couldn’t find it, so they followed the tracking device’s signal. They finally found it, so the two brothers actually trusted Elsa and Hero and they made Elsa and Hero their business partners.

The two best friends got a half of the treasure, and Elsa and Tom got married and lived happily ever after. 

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t h e s h i rt

Icky and Wacky Tales

By Jasmine, age 11 One day, a girl went shopping and her name was Judy, and she was with her sister, Selena. They went to a shop and they saw a shirt they both liked. Selena and Judy were always competitive, so they both grabbed it at the same time. While that was going on, Judy thought of a plan. The plan was to try to get to the cash register as fast as she could so they could fight about it outside or at home. She told Selena the plan and Selena agreed with her. They bought the shirt and went back home. Judy and Selena agreed that Selena would keep it. Meanwhile, Judy had another plan, which was to wait until Selena was sleeping, and then Judy would sneak into her closet and grab the shirt and head out as fast as she could. She did it—it was a success. The next day, Judy wore it and Selena didn’t even notice until Judy told her. Selena was mad, but Selena forgave her and everyone was fine. 

m r . d i rt y

By Kurtis, age 9 Mr. Dirty is a germ.

Mr. Dirty lives under the bed.

He likes it in there because he wants to make kids sick.

He always gets vacuumed up, but he comes back to different kids’ houses.

He does it over and over again. 

the chronicles of bossy stacey

a creature from another galaxy

By Victor, age 9

By Nirel, age 12

Once upon a time there was a girl named Stacey and she was so bossy. One day she was so bossy that one kid decided to tell Sarah that Stacey was too bossy and she should fire her. So Sarah fired her. Stacey ran out crying and destroyed a building by punching it. Then she flew away with a stolen jet. She flew to Hawaii to have a nice day. But then a giant lizard, whose name was Lizard Man, already had destroyed two villages and was going to destroy this one. Then Stacey got angry that her vacation was interrupted, so she upper-cut Lizard Man and Lizard Man flew all the way to space. Then Stacey got her job back to protect Writers’ Room from giant lizards. And everyone lived happily ever after, except for the kid. 

We were at Gassery, a place where we eat tomatoes. My arm was acting crazy, spazzing everywhere. Then my pet vulture had a skateboard and did an impossible trick, and I clapped my hands.

Then suddenly, dusk hit and I was running home in time for dinner.

I was worried that my mom would be angry. One minute into running, the cops were chasing me because a person had robbed an EB Games (this happen before this story started) and they were dressed like me. But then I tripped on an orange weed knot. The chase ended, and it was all a mistake and everyone was fine. 

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31

t h e s h i rt

Icky and Wacky Tales

By Jasmine, age 11 One day, a girl went shopping and her name was Judy, and she was with her sister, Selena. They went to a shop and they saw a shirt they both liked. Selena and Judy were always competitive, so they both grabbed it at the same time. While that was going on, Judy thought of a plan. The plan was to try to get to the cash register as fast as she could so they could fight about it outside or at home. She told Selena the plan and Selena agreed with her. They bought the shirt and went back home. Judy and Selena agreed that Selena would keep it. Meanwhile, Judy had another plan, which was to wait until Selena was sleeping, and then Judy would sneak into her closet and grab the shirt and head out as fast as she could. She did it—it was a success. The next day, Judy wore it and Selena didn’t even notice until Judy told her. Selena was mad, but Selena forgave her and everyone was fine. 

m r . d i rt y

By Kurtis, age 9 Mr. Dirty is a germ.

Mr. Dirty lives under the bed.

He likes it in there because he wants to make kids sick.

He always gets vacuumed up, but he comes back to different kids’ houses.

He does it over and over again. 

the chronicles of bossy stacey

a creature from another galaxy

By Victor, age 9

By Nirel, age 12

Once upon a time there was a girl named Stacey and she was so bossy. One day she was so bossy that one kid decided to tell Sarah that Stacey was too bossy and she should fire her. So Sarah fired her. Stacey ran out crying and destroyed a building by punching it. Then she flew away with a stolen jet. She flew to Hawaii to have a nice day. But then a giant lizard, whose name was Lizard Man, already had destroyed two villages and was going to destroy this one. Then Stacey got angry that her vacation was interrupted, so she upper-cut Lizard Man and Lizard Man flew all the way to space. Then Stacey got her job back to protect Writers’ Room from giant lizards. And everyone lived happily ever after, except for the kid. 

We were at Gassery, a place where we eat tomatoes. My arm was acting crazy, spazzing everywhere. Then my pet vulture had a skateboard and did an impossible trick, and I clapped my hands.

Then suddenly, dusk hit and I was running home in time for dinner.

I was worried that my mom would be angry. One minute into running, the cops were chasing me because a person had robbed an EB Games (this happen before this story started) and they were dressed like me. But then I tripped on an orange weed knot. The chase ended, and it was all a mistake and everyone was fine. 

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what happens when two people eat watermelon

the magic skateboard

By Jae, age 12

By Brayden, age 12 Once upon a time at the club, two people were eating watermelons.

Suddenly, they noticed that their feet were floppy like worms. So they went to the doctor and found Tom Cruise doing an ollie at four o’clock. That’s the most unlucky number in the world. He obviously ended up falling. He was not happy that he had to take a stretcher and a gurney that cost $100. 

the germ villain

A magic skateboard falls from the sky on fire.

Normal guy is whistling to a song happily.

The skateboard is falling towards the guy.

The guy freaks out!

By Jacky, age 8 Once upon a time there was a happy kid who didn’t wash his hands properly. The bad germs came up and then his whole family got sick. He suddenly got sick and then his family felt better.

He learned how to wash his hands really well. They became superheroes and flew to a new town, where they adopted a new kitten. 

The guy is angry The skateboard hits and he stands up. the guy and the guy falls and is unconscious.

the great news

By Amin, age 13 “You never even told me!” I was so surprised when he told me this crazy piece of news. My friend found $100,000 in a park and he gave me $50,000. I started to cry out of happiness. I took the money and got an Xbox One. I also got 25 games. Then I went to buy a car. I’m 13 but have my licence. I learned to drive from a videogame. I drive better than my mom. I made a Hunger Games arena, and after a while, I gave it all to a homeless guy. I wanted to share all of my leftover money with others. 

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The guy fires a strong kick at the skateboard.

The guy slips and the skateboard takes the guy down.

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Skateboard troll!

LOL.

what happens when two people eat watermelon

the magic skateboard

By Jae, age 12

By Brayden, age 12 Once upon a time at the club, two people were eating watermelons.

Suddenly, they noticed that their feet were floppy like worms. So they went to the doctor and found Tom Cruise doing an ollie at four o’clock. That’s the most unlucky number in the world. He obviously ended up falling. He was not happy that he had to take a stretcher and a gurney that cost $100. 

the germ villain

A magic skateboard falls from the sky on fire.

Normal guy is whistling to a song happily.

The skateboard is falling towards the guy.

The guy freaks out!

By Jacky, age 8 Once upon a time there was a happy kid who didn’t wash his hands properly. The bad germs came up and then his whole family got sick. He suddenly got sick and then his family felt better.

He learned how to wash his hands really well. They became superheroes and flew to a new town, where they adopted a new kitten. 

The guy is angry The skateboard hits and he stands up. the guy and the guy falls and is unconscious.

the great news

By Amin, age 13 “You never even told me!” I was so surprised when he told me this crazy piece of news. My friend found $100,000 in a park and he gave me $50,000. I started to cry out of happiness. I took the money and got an Xbox One. I also got 25 games. Then I went to buy a car. I’m 13 but have my licence. I learned to drive from a videogame. I drive better than my mom. I made a Hunger Games arena, and after a while, I gave it all to a homeless guy. I wanted to share all of my leftover money with others. 

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The guy fires a strong kick at the skateboard.

The guy slips and the skateboard takes the guy down.

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Skateboard troll!

LOL.

i am x-man

Funny Friends

By Sami, age 7 I am X-Man times fifty.

My eyes are like a hawk’s.

My claws are sharp.

My enemy is Sabretooth.

My jet is the X-Jet. My team is the X-Team.

My best friend is Captain America.

Here is my list of superpowers: • Strong senses • Backflip • Somersault • Climb walls • Revive myself 

my trip to disneyland

By Danny, age 10 Once upon a time, I was at Disneyland. At Disneyland, I was doing parkour at the beach. For lunch I got dragon fruit. Then I saw Mickey Mouse, and then I realized Mickey Mouse was a tiny mouse. Then the mouse did a kickflip with his skateboard. Then I slept at 6 p.m. Then I saw a number 6 in front of me. The rollercoaster was broken so I pushed it with my hand. Then the rollercoaster worked, I got on and when it finished, I got dizzy. I went to the gift shop and bought a Mickey Mouse hat! And then I took the Disneyland cruise ship home. It was fun at Disneyland but now I’m home. Then I realized my pillow was green, and I felt sad going home. 

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my imaginary friend escapes the monster

By Kim, age 7 My imaginary friend’s special name is Hello Kitty. My imaginary friend looks like a red and white cat. My imaginary friend lives in a jungle. My imaginary friend’s favourite music is One Direction.

My imaginary friend’s favourite food is strawberry biscuits. One day, my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we went to the beach. We ate strawberry biscuits and then Hello Kitty was sad because someone took her ball. When she looked for it, she was thinking about her mom. Then something weird happened: there was a scary monster! Then someone helped her. She went home and saw her mom. Her mom felt happy because she was proud of Hello Kitty for escaping the monster. 

my imaginary friend

By Sean, age 9 My imaginary friend’s name is Boo. My imaginary friend looks like goo and is a green colour. My imaginary friend lives in Hotdog Land. My imaginary friend’s favourite type of music is hip hop.

One day, my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we hunted pigs and we went hiking. 

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i am x-man

Funny Friends

By Sami, age 7 I am X-Man times fifty.

My eyes are like a hawk’s.

My claws are sharp.

My enemy is Sabretooth.

My jet is the X-Jet. My team is the X-Team.

My best friend is Captain America.

Here is my list of superpowers: • Strong senses • Backflip • Somersault • Climb walls • Revive myself 

my trip to disneyland

By Danny, age 10 Once upon a time, I was at Disneyland. At Disneyland, I was doing parkour at the beach. For lunch I got dragon fruit. Then I saw Mickey Mouse, and then I realized Mickey Mouse was a tiny mouse. Then the mouse did a kickflip with his skateboard. Then I slept at 6 p.m. Then I saw a number 6 in front of me. The rollercoaster was broken so I pushed it with my hand. Then the rollercoaster worked, I got on and when it finished, I got dizzy. I went to the gift shop and bought a Mickey Mouse hat! And then I took the Disneyland cruise ship home. It was fun at Disneyland but now I’m home. Then I realized my pillow was green, and I felt sad going home. 

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my imaginary friend escapes the monster

By Kim, age 7 My imaginary friend’s special name is Hello Kitty. My imaginary friend looks like a red and white cat. My imaginary friend lives in a jungle. My imaginary friend’s favourite music is One Direction.

My imaginary friend’s favourite food is strawberry biscuits. One day, my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we went to the beach. We ate strawberry biscuits and then Hello Kitty was sad because someone took her ball. When she looked for it, she was thinking about her mom. Then something weird happened: there was a scary monster! Then someone helped her. She went home and saw her mom. Her mom felt happy because she was proud of Hello Kitty for escaping the monster. 

my imaginary friend

By Sean, age 9 My imaginary friend’s name is Boo. My imaginary friend looks like goo and is a green colour. My imaginary friend lives in Hotdog Land. My imaginary friend’s favourite type of music is hip hop.

One day, my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we hunted pigs and we went hiking. 

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hotdog land

By Azayle, age 8 My imaginary friend looks like a hotdog man. He loves hotdogs and he loves Sean and Kurtis. My imaginary friend lives in Hotdog Land. My imaginary friend’s favourite type of music is rap. His favourite food is hotdogs. One day, my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we fed on sausages. Hhhhhhhheeeeeehhhhhoooooooo. 

mr. midnight

By Trisha, age 9 My imaginary friend’s special name is Mr. Midnight. My imaginary friend looks like a black cat with stars on him. My imaginary friend lives in midnight stars. My imaginary friend’s favourite song is “Castaway” played on the piano. My imaginary friend’s favourite food is blackberries. One day my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure, and we shopped and bought blackberries for Mr. Midnight. We bought cute little clothes for Mr. Midnight, too. 

m y i m a g i n a r y f r i e n d, hello kitty

pop culture

By Celest, age 8

you need some help: advice column

My imaginary friend’s special name is Hello Kitty. She is red and white. She is a cat. She lives in Canada. My imaginary friend’s favourite food is pizza. Her favourite music is Charlotte Diamond.

One day my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we played cards. We both played Goldfish. I won! We had watermelon cupcakes. We both had one. My mom made the cupcakes.

We were at Hello Kitty’s house. Her house looks like a rainbow mushroom. We both like rainbows, and Luigi and Mario. We played together in the playground. I like the monkey bars. Hello Kitty likes playing with Barbies. We ate blueberries. Then we did colouring.

We coloured a tree. We played in the water. We played in the field with flowers. I put flowers in Hello Kitty’s hair. 

By Chelsea, age 10 Problem: Minions have taken over the world.

Solution: That’s actually a good thing, because they can be your minion and they’ll do whatever you want them to do.

Problem: My mother just turned into a bear.

Solution: Calm her down by giving her fish. While she’s eating the fish, take her to the zoo and give her to the zookeeper. The zookeeper will have a potion for you and it will turn your mom back to normal in no time.

Problem: Every member of One Direction wants to be my boyfriend.

Solution: Cheat on them. 

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hotdog land

By Azayle, age 8 My imaginary friend looks like a hotdog man. He loves hotdogs and he loves Sean and Kurtis. My imaginary friend lives in Hotdog Land. My imaginary friend’s favourite type of music is rap. His favourite food is hotdogs. One day, my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we fed on sausages. Hhhhhhhheeeeeehhhhhoooooooo. 

mr. midnight

By Trisha, age 9 My imaginary friend’s special name is Mr. Midnight. My imaginary friend looks like a black cat with stars on him. My imaginary friend lives in midnight stars. My imaginary friend’s favourite song is “Castaway” played on the piano. My imaginary friend’s favourite food is blackberries. One day my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure, and we shopped and bought blackberries for Mr. Midnight. We bought cute little clothes for Mr. Midnight, too. 

m y i m a g i n a r y f r i e n d, hello kitty

pop culture

By Celest, age 8

you need some help: advice column

My imaginary friend’s special name is Hello Kitty. She is red and white. She is a cat. She lives in Canada. My imaginary friend’s favourite food is pizza. Her favourite music is Charlotte Diamond.

One day my imaginary friend and I went on an adventure and we played cards. We both played Goldfish. I won! We had watermelon cupcakes. We both had one. My mom made the cupcakes.

We were at Hello Kitty’s house. Her house looks like a rainbow mushroom. We both like rainbows, and Luigi and Mario. We played together in the playground. I like the monkey bars. Hello Kitty likes playing with Barbies. We ate blueberries. Then we did colouring.

We coloured a tree. We played in the water. We played in the field with flowers. I put flowers in Hello Kitty’s hair. 

By Chelsea, age 10 Problem: Minions have taken over the world.

Solution: That’s actually a good thing, because they can be your minion and they’ll do whatever you want them to do.

Problem: My mother just turned into a bear.

Solution: Calm her down by giving her fish. While she’s eating the fish, take her to the zoo and give her to the zookeeper. The zookeeper will have a potion for you and it will turn your mom back to normal in no time.

Problem: Every member of One Direction wants to be my boyfriend.

Solution: Cheat on them. 

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pop-star quiz

handy work

By Kiarra, age 9 What do you wear the most?

A. A hat or other stuff on your head B. Name tags C. Dresses D. Boots If you could be any animal, what would you be?

A. A cat B. A dog C. A snake D. A lizard What One Direction song do you like?

A. “What Makes You Beautiful” B. “Kiss You” C. “Story of My Life” D. “One Thing” Who is your favourite singer?

A. Selena Gomez B. Justin Bieber, before he turned old C. Miley Cyrus, before she turned old D. One Direction 

Normal-Human Mode

Superhero Mode

Part-time job: Shelver (person who shelves books) Age: 18 Goes to school at: Elemomo High

By Bryan, age 11 If you got mostly As, you’re more like Victoria Duffield. If you got mostly Bs, you’re more like Taylor Swift. If you got mostly Cs, you’re more like Katy Perry. If you got mostly Ds, you’re more like One Direction.

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pop-star quiz

handy work

By Kiarra, age 9 What do you wear the most?

A. A hat or other stuff on your head B. Name tags C. Dresses D. Boots If you could be any animal, what would you be?

A. A cat B. A dog C. A snake D. A lizard What One Direction song do you like?

A. “What Makes You Beautiful” B. “Kiss You” C. “Story of My Life” D. “One Thing” Who is your favourite singer?

A. Selena Gomez B. Justin Bieber, before he turned old C. Miley Cyrus, before she turned old D. One Direction 

Normal-Human Mode

Superhero Mode

Part-time job: Shelver (person who shelves books) Age: 18 Goes to school at: Elemomo High

By Bryan, age 11 If you got mostly As, you’re more like Victoria Duffield. If you got mostly Bs, you’re more like Taylor Swift. If you got mostly Cs, you’re more like Katy Perry. If you got mostly Ds, you’re more like One Direction.

38

39

By Precious, age 13

By Jeremy, age 11

By Victor, age 9

By Nikita, age 10

40

41

By Precious, age 13

By Jeremy, age 11

By Victor, age 9

By Nikita, age 10

40

41

By Branky, age 11

By Bogdan, age 12

42

43

By Branky, age 11

By Bogdan, age 12

42

43

Rotate to read!

By Isaiah, age 11

By Kaki, age 12

By Peter, age 13

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45

Rotate to read!

By Isaiah, age 11

By Kaki, age 12

By Peter, age 13

44

45

By Aron, age 13

By Brisky, age 13

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47

By Aron, age 13

By Brisky, age 13

46

47

HEY, GUYS! As an author of a Writers’ Exchange book, you are invited to sign up for our FREE summer programs at the Writers’ Exchange home base at 881 East Hastings Street.

We run programs for kids in grades 1 to 3, 4 to 7, and 8 to 12.

For more information, ask Jason for a signup sheet, call Jen at 604-428-8228 or go to vancouverWE.com.

Copyright © 2014 The Writers’ Exchange This chapbook is a collection of the kids’ favourite writing and art that they created in the Writers’ Room after-school program during the winter and spring of 2014.

The Writers’ Exchange makes literacy exciting and accessible for inner-city kids through free mentoring and creative writing projects like this chapbook.

All Writers’ Exchange programs are free for the children and families we serve, so we could not exist without the support of generous donors, including Bernard MacLeod, Megan Abbott, Marily Mearns, the Vancouver Foundation, Nancy and Ted Maitland, TELUS, Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, the Central City Foundation, Lindsay Mearns, Claudia Casper and James Griffin, The Home Depot Canada Foundation and the Hamber Foundation. Thank you.

And thank you to the amazing volunteer mentors who work with the kids in all Writers’ Exchange programs so that each child can succeed to the best of his or her ability.

881 East Hastings Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8 To read more great student writing, visit vancouverWE.com and our student blog, wewritersland.wordpress.com.

Editorial support by Mira Design and layout by Claire Balderston, clairebalderston.com project of

The Writers’ Room program runs in partnership with Queen Alexandra family School and the Vancouver School Board’s Van Tech Community School Team.

Coast Capital Savings Credit Union supports after-school programs in the Writers’ Room.

Printing for this chapbook was generously donated

by Hemlock.

thanks!

Thanks to the 54 fantastic volunteer mentors who helped with the Writers’ Room program from January to June, 2014: Adrian, Alysha, Amanda G., Amanda S., Bára, Beanie, Belinda, Caitlin, Cam, Carina, Carissa B., Carissa D., Cat, Chloe, Courtney L., Courtney V., Dan, Dana, Elizabeth, Emelyn, Emily, Eric, Gavin, Godfrey, Graeme, Jasmine, Joe, John, Joy, Julian, Karen, Kathleen, Kathryn, Kelsie, Lo, Lu, Maddie, Maeve, Mico, Morgan, Prabhi, Rachel, Ryan, Sammy, Sarah D., Sarah F., Sarah W., Sean, Sharon, Stacey, Sydney, Thea, Veronica and Yvonne

volume 3

issue 2

spring 2014

the writers’ room book of awesome stuff and creative things