We are proud to present this latest installment of our Field Trip Book of the Week series: a Storytelling & Bookmaking masterpiece, written by students from MacArthur Park VPA Elementary School.
Ms. Tappe’s third-grade class spent the morning with us, brainstorming, writing, editing, and publishing their very own book–which centers on a ten-eyed alien who controlls the universe–as a part of 826LA’s Field Trip program. Please read on and enjoy Ava’s Chamber Lockdown.
A huge thank you to our volunteers who helped make this possible: Ellie Barancik, Alison Baenen, Todd Brotze, Patrick Diaz, John Kendall, Mickey Bloom, and Abigail Harris, and our awesome intern, Carolina Nolasco.
Once upon a time there was an alien named Ava Anatalie. She had ten multicolored laser eyes, fifteen hands, and was from outer space. She was 30 years old and had control of the universe. When she touched someone she could see their future. She shopped at an exclusive alien boutique, Clothes 4 Aliens. Her wardrobe included a striped yellow-and-white long sleeved shirt and shiny metal leggings on her one big leg. She had size 10 1/2 foot, and wore one pink soccer shoe with athletic cleats.
One day on Venus, Ava went to the park. The swings were made out of slime; instead of grass there was lava; and instead of trees there were alien ships. She was hopping on her one huge foot through the park when she noticed an earthling man following her. He was in a gleaming white spacesuit and he was from Hollywood. She knew this from the patch on his spacesuit.
“Why are you following me, earthling?” Ava demanded.
But Ava didn’t speak Earth English, she spoke Tchoonch, so the man didn’t understand her. He was trying to capture her and had dug a trap crater. Ava turned around to leave, but she fell in his hole!
“Why did you trap me?!” Ava yelled from the bottom of the crater.
The earthling walked to the edge of the hole and said, “I’m taking you back where I live. We’re going to Hollywood.”
Zach Jason, the earthling, wrapped Ava up in a big net and dragged her to his rocketship. She was nervous and scared, but as she was being dragged away she reached out, touched his shoulder, and saw that she would be rescued by aliens who would attack Earth.
The spaceship flew back to Earth and touched down in Hollywood. The hatch door slid open. Ava saw towering skyscrapers, the Hollywood sign in the hills, and big apartments.
“Where are you taking me?” Ava asked in Tchoonch.
He took her to Griffith Park and locked her in the secret basement chamber of the Observatory where an alien bear named Luther had been locked up for years.
“I have a plan!” Ava said. Just then she tried to shoot the lasers out of her eyes but it didn’t work . . .
That’s a cliffhanger, ladies and gentlemen! Students took over from there and wrote their own endings. Here is student Gael’s version:
Her laser eyes did not work because the chamber was made out of her weakness: metal. After 2 minutes there was an earthquake and it cracked the chamber door. When the chamber door cracked open and they ran out and they went to the spaceship. They flew back home.
Student Xochitl ended her story like this:
And then she tried it again but it worked so Ava and the alien bear were free. But then the other aliens were attacking.
Ava said, “Stop, I’m fine!”
So they stopped and said, “Why, we are rescuing you, Ava.”
“Because I am fine, I already told you 2 times and let’s go home.”
The aliens said, “Okay.”
So they all go home. The end.
Students participate in field trips like these up to four times a week at both of our centers in Los Angeles, and carry the experience of being a published author with them for ages to come. If you are interested in volunteering for one of these fun and exciting field trips, you can find more information on our volunteer page. If you are a LAUSD teacher and would like to bring your students in for a field trip, you can find more information here.