By Kariel M., Gale School
Once apon a time there was a lady name Elisabeth and she loved to go to the library and she always pick out books and one day she heard that the library was closeing and she was very disappointed so she was trying to stop the people that is closeing the library then the people got real mad and they called elisabeth mom and she said call I don’t care I love the library. So please don’t close the library I been since I was a little girl please please please don’t close the library and and they change they mine and the did not close the library and elisabeth lived happy ever after and she kept pick out book until she got to be a adult. The end.
By Hy’Dashia C., Dewey
That's Weird, Grandma
I woke up this morning and I made a peanut butter jelly sandwich and the peanutbutter jelly sandwich turned into a Black and Red Dragon. That’s when I start to fight the dragon. That’s when my parents came in, and they said “What’s going on?” and I got paranoid. It turned back into a peanut butter jelly sandwich. My parents thought I was crazy in the head. Mom, Dad: I am so disgusted. The End.
By Destiny C., 4th Grade, Avondale
That's Weird, Grandma
Back in the 1950s there were these two celebrity vampires. These vampires/celebrities were very famous and they would always wear the latest sunglasses and clothing. Everyone loved these celebs there names were Vamparista which was the girl and Vampro which was the boy. They were best friends they had grown up together in the Vampire Palace.
By Nakesha, Xavier, D’Sean, Cashmere, Reginald, Dewaynae, Javonte, and Tesha, Kohn Elementary
Podcasts
The raccoon is a cannibal. His name is Richard, and he’s a predator. He eats garbage and sometimes people. On a regular basis he likes to eat his own kind. His own kind turn on him. He’s a mean raccoon. His own kind wanted to eat him on a BBQ grill. So Richard ate the BBQ grill. Then he bust open. All the blood spattered everywhere. It took weeks to regenerate, and then they cooked him on a campfire. And then Richard died.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Jasmine, Ciera, Antaniesha, Lawrence, Kindall, Pamela, Tameka, Meadowbrook
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there were two men who were born in France and grew up in China. Their names were Francois and Brucois. Their parents Swallo and Dallo died in a car accident so Franncois and his brother moved to China to open a beauty shop called “picture in your head.” They lived in a trailer and take their equipment place to place. One day two women walked into the beauty shop and asked “What you got here going on?” They said “Just a hair shop going on. You check it out yourself.” Silly Lu and Bibi Lu sat down in the chairs and said “Get to working.” “This will not hurt” said Brucois. They fell asleep and saw pictures of hairdos in their head. They had electrics running through their head. But he machine broke. In two pieces. They couldn’t get the wires off. And the pictures were stuck in their head. “I’m gonna tell the whole town that your business should go out of business. I’m gonna report this to city hall.” They got their money back. THE END
By Ben L., 4th Grade, Hough Street School
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Eeooo! The sirens rang throughout the city. Speakers popped out of buildings. “Run, the IRS Moles are coming” said the speakers. Everyone ran. They knew that moles would make them pay. “Come on” said Harold to his mother as they ran. “But the cookies” said his mother, “we need them.” “We’ll have to leave them” said Harold. “Dang” said his sister. “I say we fight back against this tax collecting” said Bob who was 2 and very smart. No one noticed. He hopped down from his mother and ran back to the house unnoticed by his family. Suddenly out the window he saw a bunch of Moles in tuxedos. “Those must be the IRS Moles” thought Bob. Abruptly one walked up to his house and knocked on the door. Bob found a ladder and opened the door. “You have taxes to pay” said the Mole. Now Bob may have been a genius but he didn’t know what you were supposed to pay taxes with. He knew that he had to give the Mole something, so he went to the cupboard and got some squishy canned peas. When the Mole saw the peas he screamed and ran for his life. Moles have a horrible allergy to squishy peas. All the people came back and told Bob he should be mayor. The only person who did not like this idea was the current mayor. But nobody cared and Bob led them wonderfully.
By Natalie D., 4th Grade, Central School, Wilmette
OLD MAN
Now my dears, my children, I will tell you a story.
Twenty years ago, an old man, older than I, lived in thatched hut miles away from the nearest refuge. (takes a sip of water)
He had nothing but this hut, an old phone, and a rocking chair.
Lights up on rocking chair.
He was the secretive type, so no one knew much about him. There were rumours though. Folk said he never left the rocking chair. The chair, my dears, never stopped rocking.
Chair starts rocking.
They said, my dears, the chair was his soul. The flame, the life.
Lights on the chair go out.
But then, my dears, the police received a call from the man.
Sound of phone, ring, ring, sound of rocking.
Rocking was all they heard before the phone went dead.
Dead dialtone.
So the police went to investigate.
Sound of footsteps.
It was silent, was eerie, they had suspected something different.
Sound of rocking.
But they did hear the rocking chair.
Lights up on rocking chair, rocking, with a shadow on it.
There was no one there, but there was a shadow.
Voiceover says “vanished” at the same time as the man.
“Vanished” it hissed. And then we saw two terrified policemen. And a still rocking rocking chair with the shadow of the man.
Lights down on rocking chair.
The police would get eerie calls every so often. And only one word would be uttered,the word
Voiceover says “vanished” at the same time as the man. vanished. And up to this day, the rocking chair has never stopped rocking and the shadow has never disappeared. So, my dears, do you see why I despise rocking chairs and huts, why I stay in the city away from the country? Because I don’t want to vanish.
Lightening strikes.
So dears stick to my advice and you won’t vanish! (Man laughs wickedly) Oh yes,
Voiceover says “vanish” at the same time as the man.
Vanish!
Lights down on man, and he exits.
Lights up on the rocking chair, still rocking.
The End
By Jasmine & Kimberly, 4th Grade, Henderson
Dialogues
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Sister Alice: I heard that you were having a ball.
Sister Tilssa: Yeah, we’re having one, want to come?
King JP: Better fresh up before your funk spread.
Sister Alice: What did you say?
King JP: You heard me, Sister Alice.
Sister Alice: Sister Tilssa?
Sister Tilssa: You heard him.
Sister Alice: (starts to protest) Excuse me, but.. blah blah blah
Sister Alice: Okay, I’m insulted. I mean, I don’t see how this is any of your business.
King JP: It’s my business when I smell you.
Everyone offers her soap.
By Chamara W., 5th Grade, Washington School
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
Storefront 2002
One day there was a bully named Cheetos. Cheetos goes around bullying little kids and big kids. One day Cheetos ran into another bully named John. She said you kind of cute. John said you know you ain’t bad looking either. Cheetos asked for John’s number, so they both exchanged each other’s number. When Cheetos got home she called John, he was not there, so she left a message on his answer machines saying Hey Baby, it’s Cheetos call me later B-ye. So John returned Cheetos call and they talked for hours on the phone. The next day they went to school together, they ate lunch together, they even bullied kids together. One day John was flirting with a girl named Tiffany. Cheetos saw them and she went smacked John and said it’s over. John cried and said please one more chance so, Cheetos gave John another chance and everything was normal. They lived happily ever after.
By Inaara T. , 3rd Grade, Romona
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
Wilmette 2008
Once upon a time there was two girls named ammie and cathorine. They got dogs. ammies dog was blue and cathorines dog was red. They both said out loud what was your dogs name. They both said cookie they got mad at each other. They both said out loud change your dogs name. They both said no. they both went home mad. They both went to the park again they meet again at the park. They forgived each other then they said you can nam it cookie. Then they lived happley ever after.
