A CHOICE-FILLED ADVENTURE STORY
THE SECRET BASE Written by Students of MS. MAALA’S FOURTH GRADE CLASS at CORNERSTONE JEFFERSON DOUGLASS ACADEMY
FIRST EDITION AN 826MICHIGAN DIGITAL PUBLICATION
Copyright © 2022 by 826michigan and Blotch Books. All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, and the authors. The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study. By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org
You are in an underground pyramid in an iceberg land with a mountain. It’s dark, and people are yelling. It starts rumbling. You hear the sound of mechanical things, and your lamp goes out. You smell something burning, and people rush to get out.
If you decide to go to the secret base with your friends and find an exit, turn to page 2. If you decide to go to a maze with an exit at the end, turn to page 3.
1
It’s dark, and you happen to have a flashlight. There’s a bear, and it charges at you. It’s raining in the underground pyramid. Water starts coming in. You hear creepy sounds, and there’s water on your head. You dodge the bear, but the bear ends up being a human in disguise that has lived in the cave for 56 years! You start running toward the park and get lost, but the bear follows you. The bear turns out to be nice and is a scared momma bear. The secret base is in the park cave. The park has magical mushrooms around you. You decide to eat the mushrooms, and now you can FLY! The bear lets you climb on its back. You get to the secret base. You find papers and a secret computer under a rock with information about the people in the cave. There is a phone number.
If you choose decide to call the number on the paper, turn to page 4. If you choose decide to run, turn to page 5.
2
After you go into the maze, and the torch goes out, you try to find another torch. The maze is made out of dirt, rocks, and cement. You hear water coming into a cave. It’s very cold in the cave, but the water is very hot. It’s hard to breathe because the water is so hot. You need an inhaler to try to breathe. You find a map based on clues from the maze. The water mixes with a magical potion that makes a portal. You have a backpack with tools in it.
If you decide to walk through the portal, turn to page 6. If you decide to use the tools in your backpack, turn to page 7.
3
You call the number, and someone answers! They tell you about an address. The address is Harry Potter’s house. The caller says to only use this number for problems, and they will give you advice. When you go to the house, there’s magic on the block. You listen, and the caller tells you about a wand. You explore the house and find lots of light, magic, and a jetpack. You walk around the house and find more papers with mysterious codes. Harry Potter comes home and finds you! He gives you a wand. You go to the computer and type in the code. When you type in the code, something pops up! Another address! You start to explore again.
If you choose to go to the next address, write your own ending. If you choose to explore more of the house,
write your own ending. 4
(start again at page 1)
You decide to run, and then you fall on a rock. You realize that it’s not just a rock; it’s a hot rock! It’s magical, blue, and sparkly. You are injured, but you don’t have anywhere to go, and you don’t have anything except a flashlight and paper. There’s sand on the floor. You think, “Do I want to bang on the door or dig?” Then, you find your friend and go hide under your bed in the secret base. You are scared of someone.
If you choose to use the magic rock, write your own ending. If you choose to stay under the bed, write your own ending.
5
(start again at page 1)
You walk through the portal into a new city, where everything is like a maze. The next thing you see is a bunch of upside-down buildings in the air that look like 12-story-tall trees. In this world, the people and cars are flipped upside-down, and the sky is on the ground! You also see upside-down animals. There are no phones, tablets, or any kind of technology here. Suddenly, another portal appears, which takes you to Paris. But something is different: the sky is actually on the buildings! The animals are wearing movie glasses. You take a pair of glasses, and they show you a mysterious green and yellow path. On the path, you see yet another portal.
If you go through the next portal, write your own ending. If you go back to the underground cave, and you investigate a weird statue, write your own ending.
6
(start again at page 1)
The backpack has a hammer, a bow and arrow, and a jetpack. You combine all the tools together. You shoot the hammer through the bow and arrow toward the maze. The wall comes down, and you find yourself in a different part of the maze. You have to move quickly, or the wall will crush you! Once you go into a different part of the maze, you find a camera that you throw into the portal. The picture from the camera shows a cartoon version of the world. The cartoons want to escape!
If you use the hammer on the wall behind you, you can escape into the real world. Write your own ending. If you enter the portal, you can either go to cartoon London or Paris. Write your own ending. If you escape the maze, you can return to your original place.
Write your own ending. If you hope someone breaks down the wall, finds you, and helps you out, write your own ending.
7
(start again at page 1)
(space to write your own ending)
THE END 8
(start again at page 1)
(space to write your own ending)
THE END 9
(start again at page 1)
inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities. Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing. Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members. We believe that with one-onone attention from caring adults, students improve their academic performance, develop a sense of belonging, and discover the unique value of their voices. We also believe that the more fun a student has, and the more directly we speak to a student’s interests, the more we can help students find the fun in learning. That’s why our programs are more than just extra homework. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice. ONLINE LEARNING LAB In the spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly transitioned all of our programs online. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our community, while continuing to offer engaging, high-quality opportunities to students. Each of our main programs—Schoolwork Support, Workshops, Field Trips, and In-school Projects—has been reimagined for the virtual space as part of our new Online Learning Lab. For the 2021–22 school year, our programs will remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well! SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school. Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8–18. Generally, we offer this program at three locations: at our Liberty Street Lab in Ann Arbor, at the Michigan Avenue Branch of the Ypsilanti District Library, and at our Winder Street Lab in Detroit’s Eastern Market, though in-person programs are on pause this year. We have added a Virtual Schoolwork Support program. Students are paired with two tutors to work on assignments for school and writing projects of their choosing.
WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers. IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry. In addition, we hold regular Writers Clubs, in which small groups of students are able to work on a writing project over the course of a semester, culminating in a publication. We also partner with schools to hold Family Writing Labs: laughterfilled events in which families to come together and participate in an evening of engaging writing activities and community connection. FIELD TRIPS Always full of surprises and theatrics (and usually a visit from our crotchety editor, Dr. Blotch), our Field Trip program is an experiential writing extravaganza. We welcome teachers to bring their classes in for field trips during the school day. Students join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home. Often the field trip writing is connected to a second leg of the students’ journey, whether a trip to a museum, library, or local record label, thanks to our many incredible community partners. OUR STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. We have two locations: Ann Arbor Robot Supply Co. at 115 East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor and Detroit Robot Supply Co. at 1351 Winder Street in Eastern Market in Detroit. Our Ann Arbor location is open for in-person shopping, and you can visit the Robot Supply Co. at onwardrobots.com at any time. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!
WRITING IS
A way to figure things out by ourselves
We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)
A way to help us connect to our world
We study the writing we want to do so we can try it We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose
A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become
We work with a group of writers who help and support each other
A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world
www.826michigan.org
826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities. We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization. We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands. As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability. The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.
by Gerald Richards, CEO
826michigan inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.
Find out more at 826michigan.org