It Is What It Is

it is what it is To Be Frank, It’s a Time Capsule Stories and art from the Writers’ Room and the Writers’ Exchange

Spring 2021

Copyright ©2021 The Writers’ Exchange This book is a collection of writing and art created by the kids of the Writers’ Exchange and Writers’ Room after school programs during our spring 2021 term.

The Writers’ Exchange is a community that supports under-resourced kids and youth to build their confidence and get excited about reading, writing and their own potential. All of our programs are free for the children and families we serve, and we could not exist without the support of our amazing donors.

Many thanks to Megan Abbott, anonymous, BC Social Venture Partners Foundation, Linda Louis, City of Vancouver, The Waterbury Foundation, Bernard MacLeod, The Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund and Vancouver Foundation, The Grayross Foundation held at the Vancouver Foundation, BC Gaming, Sasamat Foundation, Low Tide Properties, Marily Mearns, Nancy and Ted Maitland, Premium Brands, Seedlings Foundation, Taylor Taliesin Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, Vancity Community Foundation, Edith Lando Charitable Foundation, Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation, David Ferguson, Jim and Casey Fletcher, Lynn and Gene Gerwing, Patricia Massy and Massy Books, Port of Vancouver, Second Harvest, The Wolrige Foundation, Theresa Shaw, Van Tel/Safeway Credit Union Legacy Fund, Mark Tindle, Monday Creative, Tweedledum Foundation, Morie Ford, Raise-a-Reader and Decoda Literacy Solutions, Jamie Evrard, Michael MacEntee, Andrew Igel, Betty and Chris Wansbrough Family Foundation, CLICK (Contributing to Lives of Inner City Kids Society), MBS TV Productions Ltd., West Point Grey Academy, Bridget Chase, Rain or Shine Homemade Ice Cream, Gordon Ross, Human Rights Internet, The Hamber Foundation, Richard Sexton and Electronic Arts, Not Just Coffee Fund, Diane and Robert Matson, Teresa Toews, Thomas Sater, Colette Storrow, Darlene Mahyr-Richardson, DTES Literacy Roundtable, Tech Cafe, Jeff Charpentier, Scott Shaw and Marion Man, RBC Foundation, Mathisen Family Foundation, and Mount Pleasant War Memorial Community Cooperative Association

We are honoured to be able to provide safe, fun and welcoming programs for kids and their families on the unceded and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

As uninvited guests on this land we are grateful to be able to enjoy this beautiful place and we are committed to building relationships and learning about ongoing traditional ways of life from our Indigenous friends.

Supported by the Province of British Columbia

Seedlings Foundation The Grayross Foundation

is an in-kind partner of the Writers' Exchange

generously donated the printing of this chapbook

207–877 E Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6A 3Y1 VANCOUVERWE.COM

it is what it is

To Be Frank, It’s a Time Capsule

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The Writers’ Exchange

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The Writers’ Room

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Captain James Cook Elementary 2

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¿Uuqinak’uuh Elementary

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χpey̓ Elementary

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Writers’ Exchange High Schoolers

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Autographs

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The Writers’ Exchange

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The Four Seasons, by Aisa Ramadan, by A.B. The Girl Who Changed to Be Who She Is, by Hiba Ciara, by Sylvia and Biden Dragon’s Race to the Edge, by Moon The Loving Cinderella, by Malak Grass Donkey Adventure, by Khalil The Alien, by Lucia Turtle, Part 3, by Remas Me and My BFF!, by Viyana One Rainy Day in Vancouver,

by Kiana Cloud Guy 2, by Sydney Butterflies, Part 3, by Sara A. Super Dog, by Ali Hiding, by M. Jeffy, by Jack F. The Sheep and the Wolf,

by Yasmeen Dog Man, by Anthony The Boy and the Animals,

by Hamza and Uday The Princess and the Castle,

by Ruoa The Stones, by Kiasa

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Bored Girl Here, by Sara S. Name and No, by Alan Funny but True, by Ahmad The Girl Who Can Read Minds,

by Ruha The Boy Who Left, by Luke Spring Break, by Sireen The Little Boy, by Omar Fortnight, Part 5, by Jack G. Pikachu vs. Squirtle, by Mattias All About Percy Jackson,

by Francis and Eric The Soccer Bully, by A.M. The Unicorn, Part 2, by Marah ABC Soup, Part 3, by Louisa The New Weird Girl, by Lien Shrek: The Twinkie Heist, by Arwell Elfys Plane Jump, by Meisa Zhīzhū Tiānhuābăn in the Chinese Past, by Chi Chi The 2 BFFs, Part 1, by Felek and Sedra The Princess and the Dog and the Castle, by Sundus How I Love Writers’ Exchange,

by Taima

The Four Seasons

By Aisa, age 11

Sound of Spring

Summer Is Sweet

“Chirp chirp,” birds sing As flowers bloom Spring showers For hours Not a thought in mind

Summer is sweet Because of the heat Picnics are neat And barbeques with meat Let’s pretend It will never end

Apples in Autumn

White Winter

There are apples in autumn With a sweet juicy crunch And on school days They’ll be in your lunch There are pumpkins as Round as a ball And if you look closely You can see the leaves fall

Winter is white Shining bright You can eat snowflakes And skate on frozen lakes Eating gingerbread With a gingery taste Comfortably at the fireplace

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Ramadan

By A.B., age 11

This year Ramadan was in the month of April. All Muslims around the world fast at Ramadan. When Muslim people fast, they don’t eat or drink. When Ramadan is over, there is a big celebration called Eid. When Eid comes, people go to each others’ houses to get candy and money and gifts. Eid is my favourite time of year. Eid Mubarak.

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The Girl Who Changed to Be Who She Is

By Hiba, age 11

Once upon a time there was a girl named Chloe. She was 17 years old. Her parents were billionaires and they travelled all around the world. When they reached New York they decided to stay because they found it very beautiful. They moved into a house and bought a cat. The cat’s name was Tina. One day it was Chloe’s first day of school. She was excited to meet her new friends.

Ciara

By Sylvia, age 10, and Biden, age 8 Ciara was driving a car on a bridge when a cargo truck ran into her and the cargo fell on top. When she got out, she was like a box with a head. Then she ran home and never left the house.

Dragon’s Race to the Edge

By Moon, age 8

One day Hiccup and the dragon riders went for an adventure with their dragons. They found a hurt dragon so they nursed it back to health. And then they trained the dragon to help them fight the dragon hunters. The dragon they helped was a razorwhip.

PS: the dragon riders won.

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The Loving Cinderella

By Malak, age 9

One day Cinderella was with her dad. Sadly, her mother passed away. Cinderella was so sad and disappointed, so her dad married again. Her new stepmom had two daughters, and they were all so, so, so nice and kind to Cinderella. They would help her do her work.

Rainbow ice cream

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Grass Donkey Adventure

By Khalil, age 8

Once there was a grass donkey. He loved a chicken named Car. Car had fun. One day it was Car’s birthday, and Car had a bike that rides slow. The grass donkey wished he had a bike that rides slow too, so his friend gave him a new bike. Car and the donkey went for an adventure to the waterslides.

The Alien

By Lucia, age 7 The alien flew to Dice World. He was having airplane sickness, so he landed. He thought he had a sunflower that would help him feel calm, but actually it was a daisy that knocked him out.

When it was at 2 p.m. Dice World was all over!

Turtle, Part 3

By Remas, age 7

Once upon a time a turtle opened a treasure chest.

He saw some lettuce. He ate it all up.

Me and My BFF!

By Viyana, age 10

I had a phone and I called Hiba’s mom, and my mom too!

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One Rainy Day in Vancouver

By Kiana, age 9, and her volunteer mentor, Scott

One rainy day in Vancouver, Dandelying and her best friend Unknown were hanging out at Writers’ Exchange. It was a strange day though, because no one else was at Writers’ Exchange, and the room was pitch black.

“I know you’re scared in here,” said Unknown. “No I’m not,” said Dandelying, her voice rising to a high pitch. Unknown laughed at Dandelying and said, “Your mom told me that when your voice goes high like that, it means you’re lying.”

“Fine,” said Dandelying. “This place is haunted.”

Unknown laughed again and was about to deny that the building was haunted when, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a ghost showed up and scared Dandelying and Unknown.

Dandelying laughed at Unknown this time, and the ghost quickly said, “Hi, my name is Auto-Tune.”

Unknown was still a little surprised that they were listening to a ghost, so Dandelying responded: “Hello, I’m Dandelying and this is my best friend Unknown.”

“I’m 13,” said Auto-Tune. “How old are you two?”

Unknown had recovered from her fright and was now sure that they were indeed speaking with a ghost. She chirped up: “I’m 14, and Dandelying is 15.”

The three girls were instant friends, teasing each other and laughing. Soon though, Dandelying and Unknown remembered that the doors to the building were locked and they were trapped in Writers’ Exchange in the dark. Dandelying and Unknown looked to Auto-Tune in the hope that she could help them get out.

“I have trapped you in here,” said Auto-Tune. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that it’s just me here at night, and I’m lonely.” Auto-Tune hoped they would stay and keep her company for a few more hours at least, but Unknown and Dandelying were unsure. They were about to say no when a huge

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smile spread across Auto-Tune’s face. She said, “Hey, the wifi still works, and we have all the computers, phones and TVs we’ll ever need.”

Dandelying and Unknown laughed and decided to stay and hang out with Auto-Tune—“for a bit longer at least.” Dandelying and Unknown remembered that six of their favourite games had just come out. So, for the next several hours, the three best friends took turns playing Friday Night Funkin’.

Dandelying had a huge crush on the character Senpai in the game, but Unknown and Auto-Tune just chuckled and soon all three were laughing together.

To be continued...

Cloud Guy 2

By Sydney, age 8

Once upon a time, Cloud Man ran into Thunder Man. He had 20 eyes and 30 legs. Cloud Man put on his lightning powers and Thunder Man went into the floor and melted.

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Butterflies, Part 3

By Sara. A, age 9

Once upon a time there was a butterfly. They were going to have a party. They went to bed, then they woke up and started cleaning. At the party they played. They had so much fun. The butterfly was so, so happy. Some of the others were getting sleepy, but the butterfly was not sleepy. They played and played and cooked some food for the others. They ate, and then all of them got sleepy. They all went to bed.

Super Dog

By Ali, age 7

Once upon a time there was a dog named Super Dog. He was scared to talk! One day Super Dog was in class. He was afraid to speak to anyone. But suddenly he started to talk without being scared because he was Super Dog. He had a great day!

Hiding

By M., age 10 “You can’t see me, I’m Donald Trump!”

Jeffy

By Jack F., age 10 My name is Jeffy, you poo. I want ice cream.

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The Sheep and the Wolf

By Yasmeen, age 7

One day there was a mother sheep, and she said to her little sheep, “I’m going to granny’s house, so do not let anyone in.”

And then she left. Soon there was a knock on the door. It was a wolf, and the wolf said, “Let me in, little ones.” The little sheep opened the door, but when they saw it was a wolf they ran to hide. The wolf searched for them and tried to take all of them.

But he missed one little sheep that was hiding in the clock.

When the mom came back, she called for her kids but only one came out. She asked the little sheep what had happened, and he told her the wolf had taken all of them. So the mom said, “I know where the wolf lives. We will switch out my little ones for rocks and save them.”

Dog Man

By Anthony, age 6 Is that...?

Hey! That’s my living spray can!

BUT ME MUNCHY! MUNCHY! HUNGRY!

The Boy and the Animals

By Hamza, age 6, and Uday, age 6 Once upon a time a fat dog and a fat cow and a fat piggy and a moose and a fat boy liked pizza. If the boy saw a cow he would eat it. A wolf came to eat them and they screamed so loud.

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The Princess and the Castle

By Ruoa, age 9

Once upon a time there was a princess. She was in the ocean.

Then she got ice cream with her friend. She ate bubble gum ice cream. She was happy! She played with her friend. “This is the best day ever!” she said. Then she went home, but something was at the door. It was a cat! The princess liked the cat. Then she saw a dog. She liked the dog too. She went to the park with her friend and the dog and they all played together. After that, they went to the store to buy things. When she came back, she saw a paper that had a lost dog on it. It was the same dog as the one she found. “Oh no!” she said. “This dog is not mine, it is the girl’s.” She went to give it back and then went home.

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The Stones

By Kiasa, age 9

It was a normal day and Thanos was in his house. The Avengers thought Thanos had the stones, but Thanos said, “I sold them!”

The other Avengers came, and Thor was so angry.

Bored Girl Here

By Sara S., age 10

Hi people, there is a girl that’s bored here and she doesn’t want to write.

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Name and No

By Alan, age 10

CAUTION

Once there was a guy named No. No went to his friend’s house.

The friend was named Name. Name had a caution sign on his head. Name and No liked to go to the toilet.

Funny but True

By Ahmad, age 11

There was this kid named Fart Pants. He always farted, and when he went to school he farted, and wherever he went he farted, even in front of his mom and dad and other people.

When he farted it smelled like eggs and poo and ketchup and burgers and pickles. The fart colour was greenish bluish. His friends said it was disgusting but he would cry and say he had to have surgery. He was the biggest farter in the world.

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The Girl Who Can Read Minds

By Ruha, age 12

To begin with, I will be talking about a girl named Amma who lived in the woods and could read minds. She had never told anyone because she didn’t have friends, but one day she heard a crying voice coming from a nearby tree. She walked to the tree and saw a little girl who was around her age. The girl was crying so Amma asked her what had happened. The little girl wouldn’t answer, so Amma read her mind.

“You’re lost,” said Amma.

“Yes, how did you know?” the girl replied.

“I can read minds... uh, I have a superpower,” Amma said.

Amma asked the girl if she had any kind of superpower, and the little girl said, “Disappearance.” Amma asked where she lived, and the little girl said, “In the woods, but I forgot the way.”

So Amma said, “I will show you, I know where you live.”

The girl asked how Amma knew, and Amma said, “I was once out walking and I spotted a house. I tried looking for others, but it was the only one, so I think it’s your house.” The little girl asked Amma where she lived, and Amma said, “I don’t have a house. I sleep on top of a tree.”

“Oh, okay,” said the little girl. “Wanna be friends?”

“Yes,” Amma replied happily.

“Wanna live with me?” asked the girl.

“Yes,” Amma said.

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The Boy Who Left

By Luke, age 9

Once upon a time there was a boy who was annoying and everybody was happy when he left.

Spring Break

By Sireen, age 8

On spring break I went to Alberta to see family that we had not seen for three and a half years. There were two boys and two girls. One boy was F, he was the second oldest. The oldest’s name was S and the third oldest was M. The youngest of the family was A. H is the dad, and the mom’s name is L. We all watched TV, and read a story. Then we ate yummy food—it tasted like magic, yum! We stayed for three days, and on the fourth day we stayed at the Sutton Place Hotel. It was fancy dancy. We got a room at the top. It was 15 floors high.

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The Little Boy

By Omar, age 12

There once was a little boy who was playing at the park. While he was playing his mother was watching. Everything was going well, but then his mother had an idea... a very bad idea. It turned out his mother was a witch, and she took him to the woods. But he found a wand and turned the witch back into a human. The police took her to the top jail in the world. The boy was adopted by a new family.

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Fortnight, Part 5

By Jack G., age 13

Hello everyone, it is I, the creator of Fortnite the Story, a.k.a Captain Jack Games and Stuff, a.k.a Jack G. I’m back at ya with Part 5 DUN DUN DUUUUH. But before I can tell you that story, I’m gonna give you a not-so-short recap. Hey hold the applause.

Okay, where was I... oh yeah, the recap, where we last left off.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others (who I am now naming... here are all the names: 1. Steve 2. Alex 3. Brian 4. Dan. Okay, back to the recap where we last left) were just illegally and mysteriously transported to the Stranger Things dimension (probably by Farley and Sophia). Also, Sophia was killed by Brian because Brian ate too many pennies and he got Sophia in the weenis (that’s the loose skin at the end of your elbow) with a chocolate-covered wooden spork (she got knocked into space through Apollo 400 and hit Uranus the gas giant so she’s gone now). And that’s the end of the recap.

Back in Hawkins, Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others started exploring and eventually bumped into Mike. But they didn’t know it was Mike and Mike didn’t know who they were so they said sorry to Mike for bumping into him and they walked away. But then Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others realized who it was eventually. After they had a bunch of fun in Hawkins, they realized that they didn’t know how to get out so they went to Dustin’s house. Dan knocked on the door, but when Dustin’s mom asked who they were they lied and said some old friends of Dustin. His mom said he was at the library so Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others went to the library. They saw Dustin, 11 and Mike reading a book on polliwogs (if you watch Stranger Things you’ll know why) and so Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others went up and told them that they knew about the Demogorgon and how Will was in the upside-down and how 11 has powers and how 11’s real name is Jane. Mike asked how Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others knew all that and they said they were from another dimension and there was a bad problem. Alex told Dustin to call the others to

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meet up at his house, so Dustin got his walky talky and said: “Code red! We have a big problem. Lucas, Will, Max, meet up at my house. And Will, bring your mom, and tell her to call Hopper.

I’ll tell my mom it’s for D&D. It’s important. Over.” Will, Lucas, and Max all said okay.

At Dustin’s house Hopper: Okay, why did you tell us to come here?

Joyce: Yeah, why?

Dustin (pointing to Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve and the others): Because of these guys.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Hi. We’re from another dimension and we can prove it.

Hopper: How? Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: We know about the Demogorgon. We know about the Demodogs. We know 11 has powers. We know about the mind flayer and all the others. Oh yeah, 11, we brought Eggos if you want any.

Joyce: Okay, but why are we here.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: We can’t escape this reality. We weren’t put here by choice. Our enemy Farley sent us here and if we don’t get out of here soon our reality will be destroyed. You see, this is 1985, but we are from the future. We are originally from 2021 but we went to 2500, when time travel exists. This whole reality is a TV show you can watch on demand on an app called Netflix.

It’s actually really cool. The stars of the show are all of you guys and also sometimes Billy.

Max: That lucky— Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Don’t worry, Max. Everyone in our reality thinks he’s horrible.

Will: Good, I hate him too.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: I think I just thought of a way out of this place. If we rebuild the machine that the Russians used to try to open the portal to the upside-down, we can get home.

Lucas: Wait... but you guys don’t live in the upside-down.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Yeah, I know. We’ll build it a different way.

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I’ll use the knowledge I got from the Flash Dimension and make it so the machine makes an interdimensional breach instead of a laver that rips a hole to the upside-down. Also we’ll need 11 and her powers for this. We can train you on how to use your powers, or rather Dan can.

11: How is Dan going to train me?

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Dan has the power to manipulate someone’s powers to the point that he copies them and gets all the knowledge of that power. Don’t worry, you’ll still keep your powers. Dan can also give you the full knowledge of your powers, if you want. He can also expand them and make sure you don’t go insane. How does that sound?

11: Sounds awesome to me.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: AWESOME. Hopper: Wait... but wouldn’t Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve just be able to do it by himself?

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: No, because it takes two different minds to operate the machine. Also we won’t be going straight to our dimension, we’ll be going to the Flash Dimension because we can’t make a machine that advanced. Our dimension has a temporal shield around it that only Star Labs in the Flash Dimension has access to.

Hopper: Okay. That’s a lot to process, but I think I’ve got it.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Good.

9,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,9 99,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 years and a lot of power training later....

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Finally, we got it done. Dan and 11, please put on the brainwave collector.

Dan and 11: Okay.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Alex, turn on the machine.

Alex: 3, 2, 1 ACTIVE. Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Now—guys, give it everything you’ve got.

(11 and Dan grunt a whole lot.)

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: YES, THE BREACH IS OPENING! Wait, what?

The breach is turning red.

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Alex: It’s unstable. We have to jump in now before it collapses.

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve: Okay, let’s go guys.

(Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeve jumps in. Alex jumps in. Dan jumps in.)

11: Oh no, it’s sucking us in.

(Dustin, 11, Mike, Lucas, Will and Max get sucked in. The breach collapses and Alex gets thrown back into the Stranger Things dimension.)

Okay, that’s the end of this story. I’m sorry I left it on a cliff hanger, but that means the next story will be even better. It will have all of the Flash characters and all of the Stranger Things kids, so see you in the next one.

Pikachu vs. Squirtle

By Mattias, age 7

Help me now!

My Pokémon Pikachu had a battle with Squirtle, and my Pikachu won! He threw a Pokéball, so he got trapped!

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All About Percy Jackson

By Francis, age 10, and Eric, age 11

Percy’s dad’s logo

Name: Percy Jackson Nickname: Peter Johnson (what Dionysus calls him) Eye colour: Sea green Hair: Black Height: 5’5” Mother: Sally Jackson Father: Poseidon, god of the sea and lord of horses Stepfathers: Gabe Ugliano, Paul Blofis Girlfriend: Annabeth Weapon: Riptide (a pen that changes into a sword) Teacher: Chiron (centaur) Mount: Pegasus BlackJack The Battle: Percy vs. Kronos

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Kronos rises from Tartarus and heads to Mount Olympus to destroy the gods. The demigods head to Mount Olympus to stop Kronos. The demigods fight for days. In the west, the gods are battling a huge monster called Typhon. Typhon gets taken down

by Mount Olympus. Kronos gets to Olympus and tries to break the thrones. Percy and Kronos battle and Kronos gets destroyed.

The gods reward the demigods and give them prizes.

The Soccer Bully

By A.M., age 13

There were three kids on Halloween. They made a plan to hide some kid’s soccer ball because the kid was a bully and they wanted to get revenge. They decided to bury the ball in the sand at the park.

At school, the bully was sad and was asking everyone where it was, but everyone said they didn’t know where it was. After school, the bully went to go talk to the teacher to say how special it was. At the same time, the three kids were talking and hanging out. It started to rain, so they went inside.

The next morning, the three kids went to go check on the ball.

They found it big and wet, but no one wanted to get in trouble or touch the ball. They also didn’t want to tell the bully. While the three kids were looking at the ball, they realized the bully was coming. Two of the kids shuffled toward the ball to hide it from the bully.

Just then, it started to get sunnier. Then, the bully found his ball.

To be continued...

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The Unicorn Part 2

By Marah, age 7

The BFF was sad because the unicorn died. Then the unicorn came back to life.

ABC Soup, Part 3

By Louisa, age 8

Martha the dog called the pizza shop to get some pizza.

Martha said, “Can I please get a pepperoni pizza?”

Martha ate the pizza.

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The New Weird Girl

By Lien, age 11

Ding! There was a new girl at our school. She was so quiet and never talked to anyone. One day I saw her looking in her locker, but she was looking so deeply that she could not hear anyone around her. I was so suspicious and I wondered what she was doing in there, so I accidentally looked in her locker. Somehow she saw me, and she screamed, “She’s looking in my locker!”

Her voice was sooo loud that principal on the third floor heard it and I got sent to the principal’s office. I explained everything to him, but he didn’t believe me. I thought in my mind: “Did she, like, curse him or something?”

All I knew about the girl was that her name was Crystalanea, and that she was creepy, weird, loud and had a lot of hidden stories. After that, Crystalanea kept staring at me all day long.

One day I was walking to my next class when I heard her saying really weird words that sounded like a spell. I said to myself, “She is definitely a witch.” I ran to class so she could not put a spell on me.

One day Crystalanea didn’t come to school, so I decided to find more information about her. I sneaked into the principal’s office (he wasn’t there because there was a big problem outside). When I found her file, I tried to remember the weird words that she said. I said them myself, and the paper turned red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then blue, then purple.

Then I heard her voice. I was freaked out but it turns out that it was her file that was speaking.

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Shrek: The Twinkie Heist

By Arwell Elfys, age “21”

Seven years ago, a man stole 10,752 Twinkies and rode away on a donkey. He sold the Twinkies for $1 a stack. The police are still trying to identify this mysterious man to this day.

Present day...

The man who stole the Twinkies was of course Shrek, and now he is running low on his Twinkie supply. Shrek decides it’s time for another Twinkie heist. He gets his friend Donkey and they go on another heist. Shrek’s plan is that Donkey is the getaway driver and Shrek will grab as many Twinkies as he can.

Shrek gets on Donkey’s back and drives to the Twinkie factory.

When they get there, Donkey stays outside and Shrek goes inside. In the factory, he sees about 10,000,000 Twinkies. He grabs as much as he can and RUNS! He gets on Donkey and tells him to go as fast as he can. Soon, they are speeding on

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the highway and the police are chasing them. Shrek gives the Twinkies to Donkey and surrenders.

Donkey gets to go home and Shrek goes to jail, where he waits for 18 hours, 7 minutes and 52 seconds... then… BONK! Shrek wakes up tied to a chair in an unknown place. “I have finally found you,” says an unknown voice. “Who are you?” asks Shrek.

“I am the Twinkie Man,” says Twinkie Man. “Where am I?” asks Shrek. “In my shack,” answers Twinkie Man. Shrek has to make a plan. He asks for a cigar and Twinkie Man says “fine” and grabs a box of matches. But then he changes his mind and says, “No, actually.” But Twinkie Man dropped a match without noticing, and Shrek grabs it. He lights the match with his fingernail and burns his chair so he can escape.

Shrek runs as fast as he can to his swamp. The thing is, nobody knows where his swamp is (it’s in the Bermuda Triangle).

When he gets home, Shrek sees all the Twinkies in his yard! He knew Donkey would win!

But just then, a huge army of Twinkies shows up. It is the start of the Twinkie War. There are 228 Twinkies against only Shrek and Donkey. So Shrek does something smart. The smartest thing.

He eats all the Twinkies in the world (except his own) and then sells his own to the world—and he put onions in the Twinkies for more flavour. In the end, Shrek is fulfilled.

To be continued in “Shrek’s Big Adventure,” coming this winter...

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Plane Jump

By Meisa, age 8 Ready Bob? blurg ablurg

No Mama!

Aaahhg

Help Dad

I love floor Did you call me, son?

Where is Dad?

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Zhīzhū Tiānhuābăn in the Chinese Past

By Chi Chi, age 10

I’m always watching you

Scientists haven’t really discovered anything about her, except that she had three children.

Once upon a time, there was this girl called Xabing. Xabing was very famous for her flexibility. She was only 16 years old!

One day, a man named Naxal asked if he could see her. She accepted, even though he didn’t really like spending time with her... he came home every day at 12 a.m. She didn’t mind though!

They even had three children!

One day, she was carrying groceries and she was very tied.

She had taken only 30 more steps when she saw her husband and someone else. She thought it was a dream, so she walked away. But the next day, her husband broke up with her, and she and her children left the house. She got fired from her job too!

Xabing was so frustrated that she sent her children away to a hotel. The next day, she got a call from Naxal, who said he wanted to see the children. She realized she had made a big mistake.

To summon Xabing today, go to a window and say the names of her three children: Lana, Sasra and Lanra. Don’t stay up till 3 a.m., and keep checking the ceiling!

33

The 2 BFFs, Part 1

By Felek, age 10, and Sedra, age 9

Once there were two BFFs who were always fighting together. But it was good in the end. The two BFFs were in the same class and they always talked to each other. After school they would go to Raycam together. After Raycam they sometimes went to each other’s house. They would play and play and play all the time.

Then they would be so sad because they had to go home. But it was okay because they would go to each other’s house from, like, 5:30 to 8:30. They would be at each other’s house for three hours.

To be continued...

34

The Princess and the Dog and the Castle

By Sundus, age 6

Once upon a time there was a princess, and she had a dog. But she did not like her dog, so she sent it out of the door. Then she was happy, so she went to the store. But at the store she saw her dog, and the dog said, ruff, ruff. So the princess took the dog home to her castle. The dog said, ruff, ruff, ruff again, and the princess said, “Don’t do that again.” Then the dog said, “Sorry.”

The girl kept the dog, but then the dog made a big mess in the castle again. The dog said sorry again, but the princess said, “No more sorrys” and led the dog out the door.

How I Love Writers’ Exchange

By Taima, age 8

Everyone at Writers’ is my friend. Gift is in Writers’ and she loves to play.

Sara is my friend, and I’ve known her since I was four.

Selina helps me with writing and we also do fun stuff.

The boss, Sarah, takes us to MacLean Park, where we play games and make slime.

I love Writers’.

35

The Writers’ Room

36

38 39 39 40

41 42

44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 52

53

54

My Birds, by David Choose Your Mask!, by Phyllis LOL XOXO by Ayla Dan the Reporter, Episode 2,

by Claire The Chocolate Store, by Nico The Adventures of Cosmo,

by Cosmo The Beast, by Jaden Robo Bam, by Michael Crazy Drawing, by Lorinda Among Us Night Funkin’, by Liam Deepest Fears, by Shirley Writers’ Room People, by Semira Fiona, by Daisy Daisy, by Fiona White Spot, by Brooklyn Advice for Starting a Business,

by Jewel and Meghan How Godzilla Beat Ghidorah and the Sun, by Andre Chat with Layla and Mya,

by Serenity

37

My Birds

By David, age 11

Buddy

Ala

Nature: Protective Species: Cockatiel Hobbies: Exploring, eating fine seeds Dislikes: People trying to pet him, fur, Church’s Chicken ads, getting a pedicure once every two months basically Likes: Being carried on a finger, exploring a bed, seeds, his rope Strength: Massage like Times lost: 0 Days sick: 0 Fact: Cockatiel crests move depending on mood!

Species: Cockatiel Nature: Territorial Dislikes: Fur, getting a pedicure once every two months basically Likes: Being pet, seeds, exploring a bed Strength: Makes you bleed Times lost: 1 Times sick: 1 Fact: Cockatiels can learn human speech without being taught!

38

Choose Your Mask!

By Phyllis, age 8

LOL XOXO

By Ayla, age 7 Hearts

Snowflakes

Sun Cat

Stars

Snowman

39

Dan the Reporter, Episode 2

By Claire, age 10

He he he... perfect

Hi, welcome back to Dan the Reporter

*Melts Dan*

Greg, I’m melting

See you in Episode 3!

The End! Help, Greg!

I can’t!

40

The Chocolate Store

By Nico, age 8

8 to 8 Everything $3

Tubes

Ice Cream Cone

Strawberry Menu

Kit Kat

41

The Adventures of Cosmo

By Cosmo, age 10

The Adventures of Cosmo

Minecraft

42

Drawings

by Cosmo Story by Cosmo

Godzilla

Mario

Among Us

Dungeons & Dragons

HOME

43

The Beast

By Jaden, age 8

Once upon a time there was a girl.

Her name was Lilac. She was an ordinary girl until...

She went inside her house, looked at her mirror and saw a BEAST. She SCREAMED and ran out of her house and called 911.

The police came to her house and checked everywhere but they couldn’t find the beast.

They told Lilac not to call if she didn’t have proof.

Lilac went home disappointed and went to sleep.

And that’s when the beast CAME OUT OF THE MIRROR. To be continued...

44

Robo Bam

By Michael, age 10

Baa

I’m here

Hi

Beep Ha ha

XX

XX Ha ha AA

Robot Bam

45

Crazy Drawing

By Lorinda, age 11

46

Among Us Night Funkin’

By Liam, age 10

One day...

321 GO Help Ha

AHH

eheheheheheh Shing

r Lase

Win

47

Deepest Fears

By Shirley, age 11 Trigger Warning Fears Sometimes

I walk down

I stare at my closet

the streets scared

scared something will stare back at me.

of being stolen or worse

No

I’m scared of

dying but...

am I really? Or scared of the feeling *sirens*

48

Writers’ Room People

By Semira, age 12 I have ice

Diamond tester ice!

Kirsten

Gift

Haley

h Jordan1 Hig

e Convers

Another Writers’ Room Person

49

Fiona

By Daisy, age 12

I was not forced to do this.

Fiona loves cheese.

She screams and yells just like me.

My drawing is great.

50

Daisy

By Fiona, age 13

Daisy screams so loud (because she doesn’t have swag).

I drew this picture.

51

White Spot

By Brooklyn, age 7

t White Spo

I like chicken strips, french fries and coke. The chicken strips and fries are really yummy.

Advice for Starting a Business

By Jewel, age 10, and Meghan, age 8

1. Someone has to be the mature one.

2. Always be prepared.

3. Have more in stock, not less (and keep it a secret so people want it more).

4. Have extra candy just in case (be prepared).

5. You have to negotiate.

6. Have a discount for friends and family (20%).

52

How Godzilla Beat Ghidorah and the Sun

By Andre, age 10

Oh no

How Godzilla Beat Ghidorah and the Sun

Reeeeeeeee

Human

53

Chat with Layla and Mya

By Serenity, age 10

Hi Hi How are u Good u

I see u

I see u too I missed u I missed u too

54

Captain James Cook Elementary 56

57

58

59

60

61 62

63

B.A.’s Invisible Pet Store, by B.A. Steam Roller,

by Mikey The Story of Yeeyee, by Emma The Story of Beebee, by Nia Suzan’s Fun Park,

by Suzan My Life, by Marina The Man, by Ethan and Musa Dragons, by J.R.

55

B.A.’s Invisible Pet Store

By B.A., age 10

He liked to scam people. He scammed them by giving them invisible pets that didn’t exist. People fell for it, but of course he knew that the pets didn’t exist. But the people had had enough, because they were never able to touch their pets.

So one day, when B.A. was doing his thing (scamming people), the people got an idea. They snuck up behind him and saw what he was doing, and that he had scammed them all day long. They wanted to confront him, but they couldn’t get their money back because he had spent it all on honey. So they went home.

But the next day, karma happened. B.A. didn’t have enough money to do anything, so he lost his job. After that, he couldn’t scam people anymore. He thought about stealing from people instead but he knew it wasn’t a good idea. So he started a new job with no scamming involved. Then B.A. lived happily ever after!

56

Steam Roller

By Mikey, age 12

Ah, what a night

I like th... wait, wat?!

wat!?

rollarolla da!

To be continued...

57

The Story of Yeeyee

By Emma, age 11

Once upon a time, a flamingo was born. Yeeyee blinked her eyes and looked around. “Where am I?” she said timidly. There were workers everywhere, throwing lifeless-looking flamingos onto a conveyer belt. Suddenly, one of the workers grabbed Yeeyee and threw her on the conveyer belt.

“Yee-ow!” screamed Yeeyee. She saw other flamingos that looked just like her, but none were real like she was. She had no idea that she was special. She was the only one with a life.

Soon Yeeyee was dropped onto another conveyer belt. “All this moving is making me dizzy!” she said. SLUMP! A machine clipped a tag onto her wing. “Ouch!” she yelped, rubbing her wing. Next, she was delivered into a box, where workers scooped her up and put her in a delivery truck. “When will people stop grabbing me without permission!” she grumbled. Then the back door of the truck opened and a man in a yellow vest took Yeeyee and the other flamingos into a building.

A few days later, there was a party at the building. The party was for kids who had nothing to do in the summer. There was food, candy, games, a bouncy castle, and even a corner with free stuff—and that’s where Yeeyee was!

A girl named Emma went to the free stuff area and found Yeeyee. A few months went by and, on Halloween, Emma brought Yeeyee to school. Emma and her best friend Nia were very happy with Yeeyee. The next day, Yeeyee met Nia’s bunny, Beebee, and the two have been BFFs ever since.

58

The Story of Beebee

By Nia, age 11

Once there was a bunny named Beebee whose BFF was Yeeyee.

Beebee was a bunny with many talents. One of her many talents was that she was flexible and could dance. Her creepiest talent was that she could stand on her own! It was very creepy when that happened, and when people realized that she could do that they called her “the Haunted Bunny.”

Yeeyee couldn’t stand like Beebee because her legs were too floppy. But then came Heehee... Heehee is another friend of Yeeyee and Beebee. When Heehee came, things started to change.

Heehee kept saying rude comments without even realizing it, and she was also excluding Yeeyee. Heehee wanted to kick Yeeyee out of the group, and she brainwashed Beebee into believing her. But one day Yeeyee and Heehee got into a fight, and Yeeyee had a chance to explain herself to Beebee. After that, Beebee believed Yeeyee instead of Heehee, and the two of them excluded Heehee from their group once and for all. Then Yeeyee and Beebee lived happily ever after.

59

Suzan’s Fun Park

By Suzan, age 10

Suzan’s Fun Park

The theme of Suzan’s Fun Park is “underwater.” At the park there is an underwater roller coaster. There is also an underwater trampoline. There is also a big whale that can move. It’s fun because it can blow a lot of bubbles. There are games, like who can swim the fastest, and if you win you get a trophy that has a person swimming on top and the word “underwater” written on it.

The food at the underwater park is hot dogs, blue ice cream, blue cotton candy and a lot of other yummy foods. Suzan’s Fun Park is special because it has the underwater theme and it is the funnest place on earth! It is really cheap because you only pay $20 for each person. We had a lot of customers this past week and they loved it, so we got a lot of money. I really hope you come this year! It is a special place so please come.

60

My Life

By Marina, age 10

My friend

In my life it’s perfect. I have a lot of friends at my school.

I love my life.

61

The Man

By Ethan, age 9, and Musa, age 11

Bald Man

RIP Bald Man

62

Baby Bald Man

Dragons

By J.R., age 11

roar

Attack the dragon

I have a spear

It’s attacking

Attack!

ROAR!!

63

¿Uuqinak’uuh Elementary 66 67 67 68 69 69

64

Math Quiz, by Faith Fred, by Emily 9 Ways to Say Hello, by Diya Titan, by Matias and David Moms, by Ana Julia A Day in the Life of a Stapler,

by Sequoia

65

Math Quiz

By Faith, age 12 Hello People Today is your big day, because it’s your math quiz! It’s pretty simple: you just have to answer some math questions. But you cannot use a calculator!

And I hope you’ve done your studying, because the questions start easy but then they get harder and harder!

Let’s get started. Oh wait... also, you can’t have help. So for real now, let’s get started.

See, told you it would be hard. At least you’re done now, so have a good day!

66

1.

2+2=

2.

5+2=

3.

7+5=

4.

10 + 5 =

5.

15 + 6 =

6.

20 + 2 =

7.

23 + 5 =

8.

30 + 10 =

9.

60 + 20 =

10.

100 + 40 =

11.

8x5=

12.

1 x 72 =

13.

7x6=

14.

14 x 6 =

15.

20 x 4 =

16.

30 x 40 =

17.

43 x 6 =

18.

100 x 49 =

19.

5 x 100 =

20.

72 x 400 =

21.

63 x 7200 =

Fred

By Emily, age 10 Fred is a turtle Fred likes to go to murtle When it’s a sunny day Fred likes to play It is not a good day When Fred gets a straw up his nose!

It becomes quite the hurdle Because Fred is a turtle!

9 Ways to Say Hello

By Diya, age 11

Hi – English Bonjour – French Hola – Spanish Namaste – Hindi Olá – Portuguese Guten tag – German Konnichiwa – Japanese Salve – Italian As-salamu alaikum – Arabic

67

Titan

By Matias, age 12, and David, age 12

We were not expecting a titan

Somehow this is our biggest one Everyone get out of the area NOW

The End

68

M ms

By Ana Julia, age 10 Moms are over protective but I still love mine.

Moms provide a home.

Moms get angry but she still loves you.

Moms let you go to the park.

Moms don’t like to cook but they still cook yummy food.

When you get hurt your mom will always be there.

When you are sad your mom is there.

Who is always there?

M m!

A Day in the Life of a Stapler

By Sequoia, age 12 *click*

69

χpey̓ Elementary 71 Blackout

Poetry, by Arwen 72 The Babysitter,

by Turner 72 Political Opinions,

by Raine and Arwen 72 Poem #1, by Neveah 73 Rain, by Niobe

70

Blackout Poetry

By Arwen, age 13

In the distance pillars rose Like unsteady drunks A handful of gravel Like cinders from a furnace Three hours Recently small No maps Save those intelligence Both dead We put down events I couldn’t help the scientists They blew it August 29 Come to that tragedy Nowhere does it seem more profound Than its sophisticated Peace to the hundreds Nations born Another not accustomed to being Capitalist salesman maybe I roamed at sunset It was hidden in trees The quiet streets No cars, no gas Last year wandering Among shards of the shattered empire Three republics break away from the nation Coup of August Besides that left 11 to test Some joyously Some timidly The uncertainties of independence

71

The Babysitter

By Turner, age 12

My kid used to babysit me When I was a mom Whenever my kid was down At the royal celebrations Everything from days Just survived the week I didn’t mind, I loved playing games

Political Opinions

By Raine, age 12, and Arwen, age 13 Mark Zuckerberg looks like a fish I hate Ben Shapiro Trans women are real women

Poem #1

By Neveah, age 12 My kid was down at the royal birthday I loved my fingers, she said So tiny, she said

72

Rain

By Niobe, age 13 Rain is your ancestors’ tears as they watch you tear yourself apart piece by piece.

Rain is the tears of joy when I see you are home safe and sound.

Rain is the tears of anger you shed as you fight for you,

for your people,

for your rights.

Rain is the beginning, the middle, the end.

It is your sadness and your joy.

It is you and it is not.

73

Writers’ Exchange High Schoolers

74

76

78 78 79

80 82 83 84

90 91 91

Terrible Jokes for Terrible Times, by Tony Ted, by Anonymous The Cheese, by Jeff Conspiracy Theories, Part 5,

by Stephanie TOAL 4: Under the Blacklight, by Thor Cloud, by Celest M. Eye, by Ashley Godzilla vs. Kong: But Different,

by Philip Robbie the Zombie, by Brianna Bio of the Aasimartificer, By “???”

Advice for Kids in Grade 7, by the president

75

Terrible Jokes for Terrible Times

By Tony, age 12

What does a yardstick measure?

A yard Friends are just strangers you already met.

Nowadays, being more anticlimactic is more climactic than being climactic itself.

Jokes can dissect a deeper problem in society.

Vegans eat living things.

Comedy is just weaponizing a language for laughs.

We need to rise up against printer ink! It’s just food colouring!

Every spiral goes down.

What did the failed comedian say to the comedian?

I’m not funny!

Children are just old babies and adults are just young seniors.

You can offend someone by just moving your lips.

Half of Canada’s landmass is unlivable.

Facts are just a sucker punch of the truth.

Computers are just stupid things that only know two numbers.

Politics is just adults acting like babies over the world’s problems.

Psychology is just witchcraft on the human mind.

76

Currency is just a counterfeit of itself.

Astrology is just shooting yourself into the sun.

“What is the biggest invasive species?” asked Billy.

“You,” responded the teacher.

Sleeping is just having a small coma.

Why can you drown in water if there’s oxygen in it?

If I can take over a sports car racer, does that mean I can take over Europe?

People do more business in the toilet than in the government.

Communism is an ideology that people like.

Social media makes uranium-238 faster than the earth can generate it.

You can’t choke if you can’t swallow it.

Our parents ruined the economy faster than toddlers learn how to walk.

Canada is technically north (of) America.

Bottled water is just expensive water.

Cars are just a hunk of expensive metal and also the name of a bad franchise.

Junk food is not for nutrition, rather for taste.

Glass is expensive sand.

This is a cry for help.

77

Ted

By Anonymous

The Cheese

By Jeff, age 13

One day a man was throwing out his food when he threw his cheese sticks toward the trash, but they fell into the drain. The cheese sticks had fallen into the sewer and onto some chemicals that somebody had poured out sometime after making a mutant ninja cheese stick. The cheese sticks found evil mice in the sewer, who had been taught by their master turtle friend. Their worst enemy was a fully kitted out mouse called Shredder. The mouse had razor sharp everything: armor, suit, food and more, all made from a shredder.

They could beat them though, with the help of marble cheese stick. He was silly, but tough, that cheese stick. He was VERY MATURE. Then there was parmesan, which was the smart one among them. Last was mozzarella cheese stick, he was just the mozzarella of the group. They were cheese sticks from a failed company. They had a high concentrated amount of lead in them.

78

Conspiracy Theories, Part 5

By Stephanie, age 16, and her volunteer mentor, Stacey

Breaking News The Caribbean was heating up that week in 1971 when the Trudeaus were on vacation. They arrived at Sandals Caribbean Resort in a mint-green S7 Cadillac convertible. Margaret Trudeau’s hair was in a scarf, sunglasses perched up on her nose. She was ready to have fun, and fun was had. Cuban president Fidel Castro was also at Sandals that week.

There is a theory that Justin Trudeau’s father is not Pierre Trudeau. We’ve done the research, and here are the similarities.

The theory is that Justin Trudeau, our heartthrob, kind-ofracist prime minister, was the effect of a steamy affair between Margaret and Cuba’s president, Fidel Castro, who was also at Sandals that week.

There’s no doubt that Justin Trudeau’s parentage is questionable, but we’ve done the research. Here are the similarities between Justin and his real father:

JT

Curly hair Knows Margaret Trudeau Lives in a fancy house Large shoes Friends in high places Weird socks

Possible Dad

Curly hair Knows Margaret Trudeau Lives in a fancy house Large shoes Friends in high places Weird socks

So there’s the proof. Pierre Trudeau is not the dad of Justin Trudeau. Justin Trudeau is clearly the offspring of an infamous, curly-haired man who runs an empire known around the world and occasionally makes kids laugh. The one and only... Ronald McDonald.

79

TAOL 4: Under the Blacklight

By Thor, age 14

Author’s note: Writing is hard :( On a semi-cloudy afternoon, Lemmy was sitting in his cramped studio apartment on the south side of Vancouver. (What’d you expect, the Batcave?) He was painfully bored, so he said, “Guess I’ll go for a walk.” Being the three-billion-year-old pumpkindonning skeleton that he was, he decided to wander into a cave just off the nature trail he was on.

Once inside, he quickly got lost in the maze of glowing magical rocks that usually find themselves in obscure caves.

In classic horror movie fashion, he went, “Hello?” Of course, he didn’t get an answer, duh! Although, upon saying that, a path leading him straight out of the cave suddenly opened.

“How incredibly suspicious,” he said.

As soon as he walked out of the cave something felt... different. He didn’t see any people walking home, and the air felt more hazy. Just as the sun was setting, he looked out of the window to see something strange. The building shades turned darker, eventually becoming black and slick; the lights from the buildings and on the street became brighter, with neon colours.

In a few minutes, the city of Vancouver looked like a giant lasertag arena. “Well, this is one of those classic I-wandered-into-acave-and-came-out-to-find-an-alternate-dimension scenarios.

All I need is for someone accustomed to this dimension to inexplicably pop up and offer me aid,” said Lemmy.

“Hello Lemmy, my name is Annie and I’m here to offer you aid.”

“Well, great.”

Lemmy followed Annie out of the house and across the bright city streets until they reached city hall, the brightest building he could see.

“Lemmy, you must go in there and fulfill your destiny.”

“Whatever, Ms. Plot device, I’ve fulfilled my destiny like a million times. I know what I’m doing.”

80

Lemmy opened the large doors and headed inside. Then he saw something shocking (again). He saw himself on the second floor, at the top of the stairwell. Except he was glowing.

“Hello Lemmy, my name is Neon Lemmy. I am the secondary antagonist of this story.”

“Who’s the first?”

“Lazy writing!”

“Noooooooo, my worst enemy.”

At this point, Lemmy didn’t know if he could do it, but he went on. Neon Lemmy dropped down to the lobby and charged, and Lemmy charged too. Of course, they headbutted each other’s pumpkins heads, then chuckled and got back to fighting. “He’s copying my every move,” Lemmy thought, but he realized he’d need to use his own weakness against him: insecurity!

Lemmy backed up from the punching and made his move.

“Wow, that jacket makes you look fat,” Lemmy said. Confused, Neon Lemmy said, “What? No it doesn’t!” He put down his bony fists, feeling defensive. Lemmy jabbed again: “Yeah, it totally does, you look like the StayPuft guy.” In tears, Neon Lemmy responded, “I’m trying okay?! You know how hard it is to diet now?” Then Neon Lemmy completely broke down and ran away crying.

“Well that was easy.” Lemmy went back to his house through the cave and called it a day.

That’s it, the story’s done, go home.

81

Cloud

By Celest M., age 15

82

Eye

By Ashley, age 16

83

Godzilla vs Kong: But Different

By Philip, age 12

84

85

86

87

88

89

Robbie the Zombie

By Brianna, age 17

90

Bio on the Aasimartificer By “???,ˮ age_____

Real Name: "???"

Class: Artificer Race: Asimor Allies: Rosebud, Ctharus Skills: Can mimic other people’s voices Can invent weapons and armour, especially for his dog, Rosebud Can create master plans Powers: Can cast spells like Shocking Grasp Can grow wings and scare his enemies

Advice for Kids in Grade 7 By the president

Have a proper sleep schedule Drink water Be on time for your classes Eat bananas Eat hamburgers Don’t forget to wear your seatbelt Familiarize yourself with the layout Bring your own food (but the cafeteria is actually pretty good most of the time) Exercise (go to P.E. or to the weight room) Be prepared Attend clubs

91

Autographs

92

93

Autographs

94

95

This book belongs to:

96

Thank You to the Writers’ Exchange Community These literacy mentors volunteered online to help the kids read, learn and create during our spring 2021 programs at Captain James Cook Elementary, ¿Uuqinak’uuh Elementary, χpey̓ Elementary, the Writers’ Room and the Writers’ Exchange after school programs. A huge thanks to all of them!

Alison B., Allison R., Barnini, Cherry, Florence, Ismail, Jane, Jeff, Joyce, Karen, Karina, Kate, Maren, Matthew L., Matthew R., Megan, Melissa, Mifield, Naomi, Nicole R., Richard, Sarah Z., Scott, Siobhan, Stacey, Terry and Vicky And the following people helped run our programs and produce this book. Thanks to all of them as well!

Design and layout: Maddalena Aliprandi, marameolab.net Creative leads: Sarah Grasse, Cynthia Lee and Haley Wells Programs director: Jennifer MacLeod Support workers: Anne-Claire, Ciara, Kathleen, Lloyd, Phillies and Selina Leadership mentors: Allison R., Alysa, Diana, Dom, Genevieve, Jeff, Kandice, Kirsten, Kwin, Nicole D., Sarah S., Sheena, Stacey and Sydney Student leaders: Lorne, Gift and Stephanie

We’ve made so many of these!