This book was written by the students of After-School Tutoring in Fall 2021.
The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826LA. We support student publishing and are thrilled you picked up this book.
Las opiniones expresadas en este libro son las de los autores y no reflejan necesariamente las de 826LA. Apoyamos la publicación de jóvenes autores y estamos felices que haya recogido este libro.
This chapbook was made possible in part by support from the Green Foundation, the Joan Leidy Foundation, and the Skylight Foundation, a legacy of the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Editors:
Monica Arellano
Maricruz Pool-Chan
Pedro Estrada
Cover Artwork & Book Design:
Puicón-Pérez for 826LA
SECTION ONE: CELEBRATIONS / CELEBRACIONES
MY AUNT’S
BABY
SHOWER
<3 :)
Adamaris G.
On November 1st, my aunt had her baby shower and I was so happy, but in the morning it was so cold that we did not decorate so we did it later that day and the party was from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We set up decorations and the decorations were pink and blue and that was my first time in a baby shower. We had this shed that had all types of decorations, colorful balloons, and streamers. We found the decorations so we rested, then people came and then my family came to me, and my cousins were playing catch. Then it was time for cake so we went to go get the cake and it was a vanilla cake. It was so yummy and then it was time for presents. The presents were pink. She got so many things and then they went home so we were going to clean the next day.
MIS MEMORIAS DEL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Fatima G.
“Wait, that smell—what is it?” My eyes flew open. The smell of the Pan de Muerto was enough to wake me up! I got ready to go down the hall, where the decorations for Day of the Dead were beautiful. Then I saw the vibrant colors of the traditional flowers; yellow and orange. I went into the kitchen, and when I reached for a piece of the Pan de Muerto, my mom slapped my hand away.
“That is not for you, those are for your ancestors!” she said. “Didn’t you see the ofrenda?”
Later on in the day, I was feeding los perros for the second time. Soon my whole family gathered at the dinner table to celebrate the Day of the Dead—which is not just about celebrating loved ones who have passed, but also about enjoying life. At nighttime, around 7:00 PM, we ate lots of food: tamales verdes, tamales rojos, tamales de pollo y tamales de dulce, y más tamales. To drink, we had Capri Sun juices and soda. We put cerveza in the ofrenda for my uncle.
Last year, my mom went through a depression because her brother, my uncle who I didn’t know very well, died of COVID. We made the ofrenda to honor him.
Finally, it was time to eat the Pan de Muerto. It was sweet but I avoided eating the sculptures of the skulls because they are just made out of wheat paste. Even though I was very full from all of the tamales, I still ate as much of the bread as I could. I tried to give the last bit to my mom, and she said, “No, no, no! Don’t give me your bread. I’m about to explode like a bomb, just like you!”
I laughed and crawled into bed and passed out.
LAST SUMMER RELEASE PARTY! :)
Ashley M.
Hi! I am Ashley and this is a story that happened to me at 826LA; and by the way, this all happened last summer at our camp release party. I first got to 826LA with my sister Alexa and my mom. Then we ate and got snacks like chips, candies and water. Then it was my sister’s turn to read but before she went, other kids that were at 826LA went. While the other kids were going, it was almost my turn and I was getting nervous and scared.
Before it was my turn, one of my favorite tutors, named Will, was there for me. Well, back to my story. I was still scared and nervous, but my tutor said he would go up with me onstage and read my story out loud that I created with his help. Then, when I least expected it, it was my turn. They called my name and that is when I started to cry because I didn’t want to go, so then I was happy I didn’t have to read out loud. Afterwards, they called someone else and when the reading was over, we got a few more snacks. We got to play some board games we wanted to play with, and some outdoor games. So I decided to play Twister with my sister and some friends I had at 826LA. So we went to the patio and we played Twister for twenty minutes. Then Alexa and I put it away. Two minutes later, my mom came and picked us up from 826LA. We said bye to everyone who was there and we went home with our snacks and chips. That is my story that happened to me at 826LA. I hope you liked it, and have a wonderful day. Bye and see you soon.
ONE DAY
DURING CHRISTMAS Rigo H.
“Hey, it’s Christmas,” my dad said. “Really? Can we go to my cousin’s house?” I asked. “I’m sorry, but we are going to your madrina’s house,” my dad responded.
“Well, at least it’s still fun there,” I thought.
When we got there, my other cousins were already there. I saw them and they saw me and we knew what was about to happen. We looked at each other and we all thought about games. After we played for hours, we ate. We ate and drank hot chocolate con pan. Afterward, we opened presents, and I got money, sweaters, clothes, games, and toys. We were all grateful for what we got. Even my parents got presents. I got my sister a Starbucks gift card. She gave me a black sweater.
I’m lucky to have my family.
WHEN MY MOM MAKES PANES CON POLLO
Deemar G.
It was October 27, 2020. Every morning on my birthday, my mom and my brother and sisters sing happy birthday to me. I got dressed for school and left. When I got picked up from school and got home, my mom and sisters set up the table. Then my mom started cooking the pollo. My brother and I sat on the couch watching anime. My mom invited some of my friends, just like two or three. We ate the food that my mom made, which was Panes Con Pollo. We took some photos and when I mean some I mean a lot of photos. Then we started cutting the cake. When we cut the cake, my nephew said, “I want the big piece,” which was the whole cake and he said, “mine!” loud and he took all the cake.
CHRISTMAS EVE
Rosaisela L.
One Christmas Eve, we all got everything ready for a wonderful evening. My mom wrapped last-minute gifts, my dad checked if everything was ready, my sister acted lazy like always. I also acted lazily and did not help at all.
A couple of hours later, we headed out and put all the tamales in the car and we drove out into the road. We were stuck in traffic for almost an hour and we finally arrived and knocked on the door. The door opened and it was my Tia and she held the door open for us. We got all our stuff out of the car and placed them inside the house.
After all that craziness, I just wanted to relax while we waited for the rest of the family to arrive. We relaxed, laughed, talked, and ate. We finally were going to open presents because it was about to be 12:00
AM. I was desperate and kept checking the clock every ten seconds to make sure. When it was finally midnight, all of my cousins started running and I ran with them. We raced to open the gifts and left wrapping paper everywhere, we were so happy! At least I was. We again ate after opening gifts and my stomach felt like I was eating for four years straight.
It was the best night because there was yummy food and time spent with family.
BRALIE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Gio S.
What if I told you what happened two days ago?.... If you said NO I don’t care. Imma tell you anyways. On Saturday October 23 2021, it was my best friend’s birthday party and its theme was Guko from Dragon Ball Z. The birthday party was downstairs in the backyard and when I was walking down the stairs of the apartment, he came up to me and so I told him, “Happy birthday Bralie.” He responded, “Thanks Gio.” We sat on a chair and talked until JJ came and I smelled Little Caesars pizza. We ate until Camila, his friend, came so we played tag as we were waiting. Then when JJ saw her she ran to give her a hug. Then Girmo came and he wanted to play sea monster which no one knew how to play.
My mom called me and told me to give him his present. I got it and gave it to him. We played until it was piñata time. It was a Dragon Ball Z piñata. We destroyed the piñata and got a lot of candy. It was cake time and it was cookies and cream. Then I gave him a card. I walked up home and went to sleep for tomorrow. It was really fun and I very much enjoyed it.
CHRISTMAS
Daniela V.
I had waited for Christmas and I was so excited to get presents. Do you get excited? It was Christmas eve and my sister and I decorated our tree for the day. My mom baked food for that day. My sister and I were so excited and the food smelled so good. We were ready for bed that night and the next morning we woke up in a hurry.
I saw the presents that were under the tree. The tree hovered over the presents, the presents wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper. Then my mom woke up and saw me holding my present and said, “Do not open your present!” I felt so mad because I wanted to open my other presents, but I put them back under the tree and went back to my room. I was in my room watching TV and my mom said, “It’s time to open the presents!” I felt happy again and it was finally time to open the presents. I felt happy and excited but I still needed to wait my turn to open presents. I loved what everybody got and when it was my turn, I opened my presents and I was so surprised. I got a drone. My sister and dad also got a drone! At one point we all went to the park to fly our drones, but our drone would run out of batteries.
Christmas is a good holiday because you get presents, you also get to eat wonderful food and spend time with your family.
MY FAVORITE CELEBRATION
Meggan M.
One of my favorite holidays is Christmas. One of my favorite memories was when we went to my uncle’s house before COVID19 started. One day before Christmas, my family decided to celebrate Christmas at my cousin’s house. They live all the way in Pomona. It was one of my favorite memories because we got to spend time with family and friends. I was really sad because COVID19 happened and I couldn’t see them for a long time. That Christmas was one of the best ones I have ever had.
This Christmas was with my mom’s side of the family at my uncle’s house. I have a lot of family so we decided just to celebrate with my mom’s side. One of my favorite activities that we did was a family dinner and decorating the Christmas tree. The tree was very big so we knew it would take a while. There were so many different ornaments to pick from there were sparkly ones, shiny one’s etc… The Christmas dinner was tamales verdes, amarillos and de pollo. They were so good. We also got amazing gifts. For example, I got a Nintendo Switch, books, clothing, jewelry etc… Me and my cousin’s were really grateful for our gifts and couldn’t be more happy. This was one of my favorite Christmas ever! If you had to choose your favorite holiday/celebration, what would you choose and what was so fun/special about it?
MY CHRISTMAS
Nube F.
Good evening! The book you are about to read is based on a true story. In the morning, my sister and I were sleeping in the same room. We heard the noise of my dog’s nails on the floor. My dad went and said, “good morning.” We went to the table and ate breakfast. Then we went to the living room and opened presents. We went to my grandma’s house and we gave my grandma and grandpa gifts. They loved them! We stayed and watched movies. My grandparents’ house had lights on the window. We spent the morning together. Good, you’ve finished the book. Now you know all about my Christmas. Bye.
HALLOWEEN EVE
Von H.
It was the morning. I was sleeping really well, then, of course, my dad turned on the lights. He called the dog and he licked my face like it was peanut butter. My dad had to go to his swimming appointment. I wanted to go, but he left before I could say it cause duh. I went back in the house. I went on my dad’s computer cause, why not? I played Roblox cause it’s one of my favorite games. That’s when I heard someone breathing but then it was just the fan. I heard the garage opening and I rushed outside until my dad almost ran me over. Then I helped him unload the groceries from Costco. Then I almost stepped on a black widow. I thought it was the end of my life cause I was so scared and I almost dropped the groceries cause my shoe got caught on something? I think it was the rug. When I went to get more, it was absolutely empty. I went back inside. We were getting ready for the Harvest Festival.
When we got there I met my friends Andre and Nathan. Since there was a prize booth, we went across the school to play games and get prizes and then we went to the Haunted House which was supposed to scare me, but it really didn’t. Then I tried this cotton candy and it was the best cotton candy I have ever had. It was a really good flavor called, “The Mix” which was a mix of blueberry and raspberry. Then, we went to this game that was totally free and you didn’t need any tickets and we got mini-soccer balls and we made up this game called, “try to get it stuck on the fence.” I had to go home. After waiting for Halloween, I went to my friend River’s house to trick or treat with him. And then my friend River was dressed as a penguin and I was dressed as Pickachu and I got a bucket and a half of candy. River only had a small bucket so he didn’t get much candy. We went home and ate a lot of it and I slept really well.
THE GIFT Grace T.
It all started with a birthday, the cake, the people and ended with a gift. This birthday changed everything. You probably think it was a normal birthday, but it wasn’t! First, I woke up on that day, it was my sister’s birthday. Everyone that lived with me got ready for the birthday party. They cleaned the tables, cleaned the chairs, and got the food ready. After the preparation of the party, the people started to come. The night came, it was fun to play with my friends, but for the purpose of this story, the best part was the gifts. My sister cut the cake and passed it out to the people. She opened the gifts but the last gift was a big surprise, to me at least.
The gift was a dog! I didn’t expect that, but that also changed everything. Three or two weeks later, we named him Toby. It took us a while to pick a name. First, we decided on Oscar, but my sister didn’t like that name, but then she decided on Toby. We all agreed to the name so that’s what we called him. Time passed and he has turned four. He grew a lot! He was a very small dog when we first got him, but now he isn’t anymore. I am happy with Toby.
MY LONG PARTY
Yael H.
It was a very exciting day. It was the day of my birthday and I was going to be 11 years old. I was happy to get gifts. Something that happened on my birthday was that my family and I put the celebration things up. I got money, gifts, cake, chips, and candy. The next day it was my birthday and I celebrated it with my friends. The last thing we did was get cake and open my presents. At the end, it was fun and we ate a lot of food. It was a big party which ended at 2:30 in the morning. The night was cold and we had trash to pick up. My family and I fell asleep at 4:30 in the morning.
MY BEST CHRISTMAS Manuel J.
On Christmas Eve 2015, I was in my house while my mom was cooking my favorite food, tamales and posole. I like eating them on holidays. They are the best in my opinion.
I was excited to open my presents so while I waited I just watched TV like some cartoons and it was almost time to open the presents. I went to the living room to get ready and it was time for Secret Santa. Usually we try to guess who gave us the present based on it and so we went around and called each other’s names. We waited till the first person went then the next and then it was my turn and I got some clothes. My family also got some more clothes.
Lastly, there was a present for me and my two brothers. We opened it and we got a PS4. When we got it, I screamed, “PS4” so loud. Afterwards, we had smorz and some posole and green and red tamales. Very delicious. It was a good Christmas.
SECTION TWO:
STORIES / CUENTOS CHISTOSOS
THE MOST FUNNIEST VIDEO EVER
Jordan P.
What if I told you that me and my cousin Emma were watching the most funniest video ever that will make you laugh so hard and so loud that it will make your face red? I was at the market getting lettuce and we came back home to my Grandma’s house. Me and Emma were watching YouTube and why you ask because Youtube is the best, like it has almost everything, funny videos and sad videos and satisfying videos to see almost everything. Anyways talking about YouTube, where was I, oh yeah so the cat was standing still and the dog was right behind the cat and the dog slapped the cat in the back of the head. The cat was just looking out the window and the cat got so mad that the cat slapped the dog back and he ran away. That’s what the cat thought but the dog came back and jumped and slapped the cat back. Me and Emma laughed so hard that our faces turned red and that’s it.
THE FALL
Sofia A.
It was the day of my soccer game. I thought I was going to be the star of the game! It was my first soccer game, and I was excited to wear my pink uniform. My family was ready to cheer for me, but I was embarrassed.
The game started with a kick! My team started running towards the ball. The other team kept passing the ball to each other, but then I took it, dribbled it as fast as I could with my feet, and scored it with a hard kick! And then… Everyone cheered, and my mom said, “Good job, Sofia!” I was happy. I wanted to scream and say, yes!
Later on, in the second half, I took the ball away from the other team again. I was running with the ball but then… I fell. My pink uniform was covered with icky, slimy, mud.
I just laughed at myself.
THE FUNNIEST HALLOWEEN
Adan J.
In 2019, when I was in third grade, all my classmates were gathering in my teacher, Ms. Mendoza’s classroom in their costumes. One of them was a green samurai, one of them was a Ghostbuster, and the last one was a werewolf with bloody teeth. Then we were talking about what one of our classmates was wearing. We tried to hold ourselves from laughing outrageously because my friend was wearing a Pennywise costume that looked like a real clown. He looked like a normal clown. I was laughing so hard that I was slamming my hand on the table. The entire class started laughing and even my friend was laughing and the teacher got mad. After the teacher told us to go outside for the parade and I kind of scared the little kids. I growled at them because I had a ghost face costume and I had a fake heart that pumps blood through a tube that connects to the mask. Lastly, the parade ended and we kept learning, but I was scaring everyone all day because I was twitching a lot and staring at the little kids. One of them was crying. It was the best Halloween ever. The End.
THE DISASTER Galilea F.
It was a disaster.
I spit it out because it tasted awful. Let me start from the beginning. I was going to a Christmas party that would start at 6:00 PM and end at 6:00 AM the next day. We got there a day before the party. The place where we went to celebrate was 3 hours away in Visalia. We arrived at around 12:00 PM. We were going to my aunt’s house and finally, we got there. We went inside the garage to dance to the music, the music was very loud, and I danced so much it felt like my legs would fall off. I was super thirsty, so I got a glass of lemonade and left it back on the table to the right for about 20 minutes. When I got back later, there were two cups. I got one of them and I drank it, but then I spit it out. “Eww!” I said, realizing it was beer. I started to cry because I thought it was a sin. I felt like I drank pee water. It was so bitter and it burned my mouth.
My parents laughed after and I felt embarrassed.
MY CATS SAT ON MY PHONE
Sofia G. A.
My cat Pumpkin is a curious cat, so is his brother. His brother’s name is Tigger. Both of them are very energetic. My cats look like twins. They both have green eyes, long whiskers and they are both orange. Tigger and Pumpkin like to go in my room and run around and sleep in shoe boxes. Pumpkin likes to sleep on my bed. One day, Pumpkin got on my bed and came up to me. I couldn’t see my cat because I was glued to my phone, but I did feel my cat get on my bed. Pumpkin sat on my phone and just looked at me like he wanted my attention. I gave him attention then took him out of my room. He just came back to my room and got on my bed, but this time he went to sleep. Tigger saw Pumpkin sit on my phone. The next thing I know Tigger got on my bed and sat on my phone too. The End.
SECTION THREE:
THE DAY BECAME A COLD ONE / EL DÍA SE
VOLVIÓ FRÍO
ONE OF MY SADDEST DAYS
Damian M.
Have you ever felt sad, lonely, or lost because you miss someone real bad? Well, I did.
Let me tell you a story that I feel happened just yesterday!
JUNE : One day I was bored at home so I decided to go play outside with my cousin because he always makes me laugh and plays with me. He’s like a best friend x10,000. But when I went outside I saw something that will never make me feel the same! I saw boxes where my cousin lived and I asked him what in the world was happening? Then he said, “We’re moving to… Mexico.” That’s when I was worried. “When are you moving?” I asked. “At the end of the month,” he responded. Phew! I thought he was moving this week—Oh no! I didn’t have much time. I promised myself I would spend my time with him wisely. I knew I had to spend each day with my cousin and wanted to make memories with him because he would be leaving.
JULY 17TH : (I think). This was the day me and my family went to Las Vegas! My cousin was so excited the day before we went to Las Vegas.
JULY 31ST : I woke up in the worst way because I remembered what the day was. I got up, took a bath, was scared for a while, then got ready, ate breakfast. We went to IHOP and after that came the time to say goodbye. We went outside to say goodbye to my cousin Ricardo. After a lot of hugging, he went inside my Tio’s car. We both waved goodbye to each other as the car left down the road. I remembered my face feeling flushed while watching the TV that day just trying to finish my day.
AUGUST 17TH : I got a gift from Ricardo. It was a cool turtle plush made out of yarn so I was happy to know it was from him!
When it was the first day of school, it was not as fun as before since I had no one to play with which made me feel lonely. Also because I had no best friends. Then I became best friends with one of my old friends around the first day, but sadly he also left, and so I became isolated again.
MY VERY SAD DAY
Pedro S.
Hi, have you ever lost a loved one? Well, I have. Now let me tell you the story of how I lost my uncle.
It was on a bright sunny morning with a little hint of lavender skies. The chocolatey goodness of candy woke me up. Then I remembered it was Christmas morning and I woke up my brother Omar. I started to open all the presents and after we went to drink hot chocolate. It was so good that I drank it quickly and burnt my tongue. We went for a walk when my dad’s phone started ringing with a mysterious number. It was my uncle’s roommate and he told my dad that my uncle had fallen and hurt himself.
We rushed to see him but they told us he passed away. We were all sad that he died and the day became a cold one.
SPIDERMAN AND ME
Esthid S.
I was in my room with my phone watching Youtube and my brother Roberto texted me a video about spiderman. I watched it. The characters were funny and were fighting and all were strong. I was happy and surprised.
LETTUCE Nathalie C.
My sister and I woke up to lettuce on the floor. We burst out into laughter instantly. I was in the living room next to the couch in front of the door, just a few inches away from the kitchen table. Mochi was on the floor chewing the lettuce off the floor. My cat Mochi has black and white spots. Sometimes even yellow. He smells like cat food, soap, and fish mixed together. He makes a funny noise when he talks to birds. He feels soft and warm when I pet him. He loves lettuce.
My dad woke up and started laughing too until he realized the lettuce might be for his food, but my mom informed him that the lettuce was not for him but Mochi.
MAKING ICE CREAM
Anthony A.
I was playing, then my sister called me into the kitchen and she was holding a cup full of melted chocolate and a banana right next to me. We were gonna make ice cream. I was excited because I had never done this before. We got the banana covered in melted chocolate then we put it in the freezer and we ate the ice cream. The banana tasted sweet. We did it at three twenty three.
THE MISTAKEN CHERRY
Rylan B.
This is the story of how my brother ate a ghost pepper. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a really spicy pepper. We were driving to the museum with my mom, brother, sister, and my grandma. I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to get there. It was a long drive, but finally, we got there. We all hopped out of the car and went into the museum. It was really big. There was a lot of cool stuff there. Then, we went to the outside area. There were a lot of plants out there. My brother was really hungry and there was a cherry plant there, so he decided to eat the cherry. When he took a bite he screamed! It turned out it wasn’t a cherry, after all, it was a ghost pepper.
ONE SUMMER DAY
Alexa A.
One summer day after school, my mom picked me and my cousin up from school. We did a lot of chores when we got home. After we were done, we went near my pool. My cousin told me, “Look there’s a beautiful bird!” I turned and didn’t see anything. She pushed me into the pool! “It’s not funny! Help me get out!” I yelled. I stuck out my hand so she could help me get out, but then I pulled her into the pool too. She fell into the water and my mom and aunt laughed. My cousin and I played in the pool for a while after that.
The next day, we both got sick.
THE TWIX ADVENTURES
Milli-On F.
I love Twix. Do you? They taste like chocolate and caramel and the wrapper is a bright yellow. They taste sweet. When I first took a bite, it tasted sugary and tasty. Boy, did I want to eat more!
But my mom told me to throw the candy into the trash. I said, “No, I beg of you!”
My Grammy saved the candy in the secret basement under my bed, (not true! I just made that up!) Grammy and I ate almost all the candy, I hid it from my mom because she’d throw it away in the trash. I wanted to eat the Twix and Kit Kat bars so I snuck the candy into the secret backpack in my room. I almost ate all the candy so I hid the rest. I was scared that my mom would hear the noisy candy wrapper so I said, “Shhh…” Also, my turtle, Hungry, might eat the candy and then pass away. I don’t want that to happen. I want Hungry to go on our next adventure!
TRIP TO LORETO MEXICO
Joaquin P.
My memory was when I went to Mexico in the Summer of 2021!
First, I had to go to the airport and get on the plane to go to Mexico. The plane had decent snacks. The toilets were super LOUD! After an hour and a half flight we landed.
Next, we rented a car and went shopping for food. Then we went to the hotel. It took ten minutes. Once we reached the hotel we checked in and went to our room, then went to the pool for an hour or two.
The next day I went to the beach and to the snack shack for food, then swam around for a little. Then we went to town and caught a crab on the last day. It was super fun. Then we went to the airport and went home.
And that was my trip to Mexico in 2021!
BROTHER MEMORIES
Omar
S.
This memory is about the time I played with my older brother in our house.
I woke up really early one day and then my brother woke up after me. My mom and dad were sleeping. We played a game on the TV. It was a lot of fun. We stopped playing when my mom and dad woke up. Then we stopped having fun.
THE DAY
I ALMOST DROWNED… BUT DIDN’T
Roxana G. C.
Do you want to know the story of how I almost drowned?
This happened a few years ago. I found out I was going to the beach so I started to pack. I packed sunscreen, towels, sunglasses, and some food. Then I got everything in the car. It took approximately one hour to get to the beach and I felt bored. When I finally got there it was so crowded. It felt so hot like it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
I decided to go in the water; it was freezing and my siblings and I played in it. Soon after, a giant wave formed so I wanted to jump in. I dove into the wave and I tripped and face-planted in the water. I froze for one second then I stood up. It felt horrible because my nose burned like fire from the saltwater. I got out. My mom asked if I was okay and I said, “Yes, I am okay.” She wrapped me in a big, pink and white, warm, fluffy towel and I went to sit down.
A little while later my sister came and we built a sandcastle. After one hour my mom told us we were going home, but I didn’t want to go, but we had to. Even though I almost drowned, I still love to go to the beach.
LEGOLAND I CHOOSE YOU
Ethan M.
Last year I went to Legoland with my dad, my mom, my big brother, my girlfriend, and my pet iguana named Godzilla.
We stopped at a Legoland restaurant where we ate and drank.
Then we got settled at our hotel and we went to a ride called The Couch Flying Race.
After the rides, we saw the fire dancers then late at night we went to the beach.
I was so excited and happy that I could barely swim, but I had to swim back to the shore.
MY CAT PANDA SCARED ME
Natalia V.
When I woke up something unfamiliar scared me.
My sister was still sleeping, so I laid back down again in my bed. I saw a shadow of something in my bedroom against the wall. Then I came back up to check again. I realized that it was just my cat! Then I started to pet her and I thought that my cat spoke to me, she said: “I am your pet.” I think she said that.
After that, I asked Panda, “Do you want to play?” I think she said yes. I started to play with her toys. I felt happy when I played with Panda. She has blue eyes, her fur is white and black, and she is very nice.
SECTION FIVE:
AUTHORS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Adamaris G.
Adamaris is ten. She is kind and helpful and she is important to her family and friends and her pet.
Adan J.
Adan is a fan of video games. He has a pet cat which is named Princess Nala, but her original name was Circe.
Alexa A.
Alexa is a nine year old girl. She loves to read and be with her family.
Anthony A.
Anthony is ten years old. Anthony likes to play scary games. Anthony’s favorite color is blue. Anthony’s favorite food is a sandwich. Anthony’s favorite activity is drawing.
Damian M.
Damian is an eleven year old boy. He loves the color blue, lost all his best friends, likes eating the following: pizza, hamburgers, spaghetti, lasagna, cucumbers, strawberries and more! He is obsessed with turtles and penguins. He has an older brother and loves to draw. When he grows up he wants to be an artist, animator, designer (maybe), swimmer, runner that runs marathons like his brother. He is also thinking about becoming a comic book designer, gamer (kinda), Youtuber (kinda too!), and that’s it!
Daniela V.
Hello, her name is Daniela and she is eleven years old. She likes to color and draw. She is an older sister that likes to read graphic novel books. She is a shy person and doesn’t like to talk in front of people. She loves animals like cats and dogs of any type.
Deemar G.
Deemar likes to play soccer. He has two sisters and two brothers and one nephew. His favorite color is red.
Esthid S.
Esthid is eight years old. He likes playing outside with his brother. He likes blue.
Ethan M.
Ethan is eight years old and he goes to Plascencia school, where his favorite subject is Chemistry. He has a pet iguana named Godzilla and a pet toad named James and three brothers and one sister. Naruto is his favorite show.
Fatima G.
Fatima is eleven years old. She loves her family. She enjoys her independence and privacy.
Galilea F.
Galilea is a ten year old girl that goes to 826LA and has three dogs. She is also a pokemon collector and trader. One of her favorite hobbies is art.
Gio S.
Gio is ten years old and likes to play outside. His favorite color is blue and likes soccer. When he grows up, he wants to be a math teacher.
Grace T.
Grace is ten years old and has three siblings, a dog, and two turtles.
Joaquin P.
Joaquin is ten years old and loves dogs and is very strong.
Jordan P.
Jordan lives in Echo Park. He loves spicy food like ramen and Takis, oh and Salsagheti, the spicy kind you know the purple kind.
Manuel J.
Manuel is a boy and likes to play sports. He likes to watch scary movies. He used to have very long hair, but now he has short hair. He has brown hair. He has a pet dog and he has two brothers. His favorite colors are red, black, blue, and green.
Meggan M.
Meggan is eleven years old. Her favorite sport is baseball/basketball. She loves spending time with family and friends. She wants to be a doctor.
Milli-On F.
Milli-On is nine years old. She loves karate and she wants to make a business where kids can do their homework and play. She has a turtle named Hungry.
Natalia V.
Natalia is eight years old. She has a cat named Panda with very soft fur. She can read up to ten books a week!
Nathalie C.
Natalie is ten years old. She likes to pet and play with Mochi. She likes to listen to K-pop and watch K-dramas.
Nube F.
Nube lives with her sister Luna and the sport she wants to play is volleyball.
Omar S.
Omar is an eight year old boy and has an eleven year old brother. In his spare time Omar plays games on the TV at home. He sometimes plays with his older brother. Sometimes his brother is nice in 826LA. But sometimes he is not very nice at home.
Pedro S.
There is an eleven year old boy named Pedro who enjoys doing community service because he wants to help others and has an annoying little brother named Omar who wants to be a lawyer when he grows up.
Rigo H.
Rigo likes Christmas because it’s good. Rigo is eleven and likes to play kickball. Rigo plays with his friend Joe.
Rosaisela L.
Rosie loves to play sports and is currently learning to play the accordion.
Roxana G. C.
Roxana is ten years old. She loves to read and is very close with her family.
Rylan B.
Rylan likes basketball and soccer.
Sofia A.
Sofia is nine years old. She likes to play soccer. She likes to listen to BTS and K-pop music. Her favorite colors are blue, gold, red, pink, yellow, and green. She also likes to bake a lot.
Sofia G. A.
Sofia is eleven years old and likes to play with her cats and her dog. Her favorite class she has in school is Mandarin.
Von H.
Von is eight years old and he really likes video games and making stuff. He collects Pokemon cards and likes kickball.
Yael likes soccer and he got picked for the all star soccer team.
Yael H.
ACKNOWLE dgements
826LA would like to thank to following for their support in making this chapbook possible: Our 826LA Families / Nuestras Familias de 826LA
From Monday to Thursday, students attend 826LA for free individual tutoring in all subjects. Once homework is completed, students read books from 826LA’s library and write stories based on a monthly theme. Students submit their writing for inclusion in chapbooks, which 826LA publishes throughout the year. To celebrate students’ hard work, 826LA unveils these chapbooks at book release parties, where students read their work to thunderous applause from their volunteers, families, and peers.
In-Schools
Because not all students can come to us, 826LA brings specially trained volunteer tutors into under-resourced public schools. There, volunteers provide one-on-one or small group assistance with writing projects. 826LA works with teachers to craft all projects, which are designed to engage students while targeting curricular issues. In addition to visiting twenty schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District each year, 826LA has additional sites within Manual Arts High School (South Los Angeles) and Roosevelt High School (Boyle Heights), called The 826LA Writers’ Rooms.
Workshops
826LA’s workshops bring students together with artists, writers, and professionals for creative collaboration. Whether the subject is journalism or preparing for the zombie apocalypse, our workshops foster creativity while strengthening writing skills. This includes two long running workshops, our reading development workshop Barnacle’s Bookworms, and our Journalism workshop.
Field Trips
During the week, 826LA invites public school teachers and their students to our writing labs to participate in a morning of collaboration, creativity, and writing. Whether Storytelling & Bookmaking, Choose Your Own Adventure, Memoir, or Personal Statements, field trips at 826LA support teacher curriculum and student learning by offering a safe space for students to be their most imaginative and to work on their writing skills. In a few short hours, students brainstorm, write, edit their work, and leave with something tangible—a bound book or a revised essay—as well as a renewed confidence in their ability to tell their stories.
Staff
Jaime Balboa
Executive Director
Shawn Silver
Director of Advancement & Events
Cheryl Klein
Senior Communications Manager
Ashley Love-Smith
Senior Manager of the Volunteer Program
Pedro Estrada
Programs & Operations Manager, Echo Park
Mike Dunbar
Programs & Operations Manager, Mar Vista
LaTesha Knighten In-Schools Program Manager
Melissa Long Institutional Giving Manager
Carinne Mangold Store Manager
Puicón-Pérez Design Manager
Jennie Najarro
Senior Volunteer Coordinator, Mar Vista
Angelica ButiuCoronado Program Coordinator, Writers’ Room Roosevelt High School
Cecilia Gamiño Program Coordinator, Workshops, Mar Vista
Maricruz Pool-Chan Program Coordinator, Tutoring, Echo Park
Monica Arellano Program Coordinator, Tutoring, Mar Vista
Maddie Silva Program Coordinator, Field Trips, Mar Vista
