FVRL Teen Imagine Contest Winners 2024

IT CAN BE ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR

MIND TO.

WINNERS & RUNNER-UPS

TEEN IMAGINE 2O24

Welcome,

Fraser Valley Regional Library is pleased to present our 2024 Teen Imagine Contest winners. We had over 105 entries in 2024, and selecting our winners was difficult, as always. We hope you’ll agree that these works are impressive. Enjoy admiring, watching, reading, and listening to this collection of winners!

Background

Starting in 2015, this annual contest invites Fraser Valley teens to submit any and every creative piece they’re proud to share. Every year, we’re impressed by the creativity and talent of our teen community.

CONTENTS

• MISSION RESCUE NOVA

• BOOK COVER QUILT

• ROSIE ZOEY IS AFRAID OF SPIDERS!

• HOLDING HURT

• INOSUKE COSTUME HEAD

• AEVNASS, GUARDIAN DRAGON

• BURNING STAR

• OTHER PEOPLE – VIGNETTES

• RIBS: A POEM

• EQUILIBRIUM

• LEMONHERB’S PATH: A NEW DAWN

MISSION RESCUE NOVA

Nova and her friend set out to space and experienced some engine malfunctions, which led to an impromptu rescue mission.

Grand Prize Winner

Camdyn M. | 17 years old

Terry Fox Library

BOOK COVER QUILT

This piece is a handmade quilt featuring 25 hand-painted, sewn, and embroidered covers of my favourite books! Each cover is the size of a standard paperback book (around 8”x5”), and the entire quilt is roughly 40”x60”. The covers are sewn onto three layers of fabric: a white cotton jersey, a quilting filler, and a brushed fleece. The quilt is decorated with ribbon in a grid pattern, with seams throughout the piece to create that proper “quilt” pattern. This project took over 170 hours to complete and is my favourite thing I have ever created!

Grand Prize Winner

Raven C. | 18 years old Abbotsford Community Library

ROSIE ZOEY IS AFRAID OF SPIDERS!

Rosie Zoey is afraid of spiders and believes she can not be friends with one. But if her dad can, maybe she can too. It is a delightful storybook for young readers ages four to eight.

Grand Prize Winner

Sandy V. | 17 years old

Abbotsford Community Library

RosieZoey is Afraidof S!

Written and illustrated by Sandy Valencia

But today, Rosie Zoey spotted a spot on the wall. fvrl.me/4cmj43V

READ THE FULL STORY

HOLDING HURT

I did this piece for my visual art class for Remembrance Day. It is graphite on paper. It represents the physical effects of war and trauma on the body, shown through the muscle tension and expression.

Runner-up

Angie F. | 16 years old

Abbotsford Community Library

INOSUKE COSTUME HEAD

This is a project I made for Halloween. It’s a boarhead based on a character I like. At first, I bought a pattern but then decided to do it on my own because of the materials I had. The head, nose, and ears are made of plastic grid sheets, foam, and felt. The head portion is covered in brushed-out yarn, which is the most tedious part, other than gluing the features. Overall, this project took a long time for me, but I’m so proud of the result, considering this was my first time doing anything like it. I may not be able to see well out of it, but at least I can see a little.

Runner-up

Jayden M. | 18 years old Sardis Library

AEVNASS, GUARDIAN DRAGON

The original acrylic painting is a 4-foot by 1-foot canvas found in the back of my school’s art storage room. Going into our painting unit, I only knew I wanted to paint a dragon. I had thumbnail sketches for all different sizes of canvases, but I kept coming back to this one because of its irregularity compared to the others. I then cycled through colours, poses, and backgrounds, but the constant was that this dragon would be watching over a landscape. I then started to think about my home city, Chilliwack, and how comfortable the mountains make me feel. Naturally, I added another guardian — the mountain. The hills are inspired by my time in southern Germany when I first saw real rolling hills. My favourite parts of the painting are the dragon’s eye and the lake because they are whimsical. In person, it feels like the dragon is looking at you.

Using my painting as further inspiration for playing Magic The Gathering, I used the MTG Cardsmith site (http://mtgcardsmith.com/) to design and print a Legendary Creature card and two land cards with each of the three sections of the painting. While I couldn’t use these cards for a tournament, they are a great addition to my dragon decks.

Runner-up

Kayley H. | 17 years old

Sardis Library

BURNING STAR

This is a song I wrote and recorded on my iPad using BandLab. It describes the feeling of being burnt out and struggling to be good enough. I’m sorry if the vocals aren’t very good. I’m not the best singer. I hope you enjoy my song xx.

Runner-up

Michelle E. | 14 years old Sardis Library

OTHER PEOPLE – VIGNETTES

I made this collection of short scenes because, in real life, we spend so much time misunderstanding each other. It often feels like one sentence could get two people on the same track, but it never gets said, and they keep pulling the train in opposite directions. I wanted to make sense of it — beneath the tension and frustration, we’re all asking for empathy. I hope these portraits have captured some of the messier parts of being a human.

Runner-up

Mythili G. | 15 years old

Terry Fox Library

Boarding House

Smoke rises from the radiator in room 3C. The woman inside glares at it, propped up on her hip in bed. She gets up, wraps the blanket around her yellowed nightgown, and flounces out into the hallway. Six women stand in line to the bathroom, all hunched over, rather like fish out of water.

“Who left socks on my radiator last night?” she demands, scanning the row of bored faces. “You want to burn us all down?”

A blonde woman with exactly four strands of her hair in curlers turns away from the bathroom door and scratches her cheek with a toothbrush. “If you need to pee, get in line.” The woman from 3C gets in line behind someone in striped pajamas and grumbles quietly about fire hazards. “How much longer?” The blonde woman bangs on the door. The insider groans faintly. “If you’re trying to drown yourself, use the ocean.”

Someone behind the blonde pokes her in the back and says, “Your car alarm is going off. I can hear it all the way up here.”

“Plug your ears,” the blonde snaps, but she trudges downstairs. The woman from 3C hurries to squeeze into her place before the line has a chance to move. Someone slaps her shoulder, which she ignores.

“Come out before we kick the door down, because no one wants to see you that way,” she says to the door.

A woman with a pale, drawn face opens the door and inches out, embarrassed. She stares at imaginary moving dots on the ground until she passes the line, and then limps to an armchair in the nearest room. The woman from 3C goes in. She steps into the tub and sees a cotton bandage in the trash. Loud splotches of crimson seep through the carefully placed covering. She pulls the curtain and spends ten minutes verbally abusing her own conscience to keep it from approaching.

fvrl.me/3yT4Gll

RIBS: A POEM

This poem is inspired by the collective experience that people, especially girls, have with society’s unrealistic beauty standards and how they influence our body image.

Runner-up

Natalia P. | 15 years old Tsawwassen Library

the tender age of nine, and she wishes for proof that there’s something anything guarding the delicate walls of her heart and lungs

she wishes she was more than soft star-freckled skin, she aches to see the skeleton buried under her warm flesh

others seem to want that too, grandmothers cluck their tongues, drag wrinkled fingers over hips “you’re feeding her too much” “greedy little girl” and “slow down, you’re eating like a starved animal”

that wildness, though, is too boyish, “you’re a lady, act like one” so i’ll pull off my skin and tie it into a pretty bow just for you, i’ll weigh 15% less and be enough for you

but the moment my bones shine through my skin milk-pale and fragile, i am too sharp “be softer, be sweeter” be a whisper, not a scream

but how i long to scream to howl at the moon like the starved animal i am, like the starved animal you made me

because maybe if i scream loud enough, i will be heard, by those who have the audacity to say that we are not enough or too much

we will not change ourselves to fit into your razor blade cookie cutter that shaves off our flesh and our spirit and leaves us bleeding because the fire glowing within us, is the same one witches were burned in and it will not cease, ‘til your expectations are nothing but ash

EQUILIBRIUM

“Equilibrium” is often defined as a state of balance between opposing forces. However, I define it as a vivid portrayal of balancing tranquillity within the chaos, the permanent within the ephemeral, the joy against the sadness. In this digital artwork, I used the symbol of a glowing lamp as inspiration. I specifically wanted to convey the importance of focusing on our inner light, as it is with this light that we learn to stabilize ourselves when life starts to spiral. Otherwise, how can peace exist when there is no chaos? There is a common misconception that two opposing forces must always have one that dominates the other. Nevertheless, physics states the contrary. Two opposing forces of equal magnitudes can coexist and balance each other: simply, equilibrium.

Runner-up

Sabrina V. | 15 years old City of Langley Library

LEMONHERB’S PATH: A NEW DAWN

This is a novel I wrote based on the Warriors Cats series by Erin Hunter. The timeline is quite long after Wind, and all the cats in that book have already passed on. All of the names in Allegiances are original and do not refer to the cats in the actual series.

Runner-up

Sophia Z. | 12 years old

Ladner Library

CHAPTER 1

Firestar unsheathed his claws. His pelt shone fiery red in the sun, and his sharp green eyes gazed menacingly. Behind him, the LionClan cats watched, tensely waiting for the signal from their leader.

“This is my forest,” he roared. “Leave, or else I’ll rip the fur from your bones! I will let you go back to the two-leg place in peace!”

Scourge glared contemptuously at the leader.

“Go back in peace?” he snarled, “Do you think we are cowards? This is our home now!”

“No!” Firestar growled, a low sound that would make any warrior cringe, “We live here by the rule of StarClan!”

“StarClan!” the BloodClan cat spat, “It’s just a nursery tale for kits! They won’t help you now!” His eyes roamed through the ranks of the LionClan cats, “You are alone. Prepare to die!” he snarled.

“LionClan, attack!” yowled Firestar, and the warriors leapt forward, slashing at the intruders. The moss was soaked with red blood, and the BloodClan cats howled with pain and fury.

The BloodClan cats were fierce and relentless, but the LionClan cats were determined to protect their home. Firestar and Scourge faced each other, their eyes locked in a deadly stare. Firestar lunged at Scourge, but the BloodClan leader was too quick for him. He dodged the attack and slashed at Firestar’s flank with his sharp claws.

Firestar yowled in pain and stumbled backwards, blood soaking his pelt.

Lemonkit whimpered and buried her face in Lichenfur’s long pelt, and the elder licked her soothingly.

“Don’t be scared; it’s only a story,” she purred as Lemonkit snuggled deeper in her feathery fur.

“Those days were scary, weren’t they?” mewed Lemonkit in a voice muffled by fur.

“Lemonkit! Where are you?”

Lemonkit lifted her head and scowled, not wanting to leave the warm nest.

“Run off, little one,” Lichenfur meowed, “Lizardstripe is looking for you.”

“But I want to listen to the rest of the story!” Lemonkit wailed stubbornly, “I don’t want to go!”

“We’ll finish it later, I promise.” The old she-cat prodded Lemonkit with a thin gray paw, and Lemonkit stumbled reluctantly out of the nest, shivering from the cold air. She pushed through the bramble before the elders’ den and emerged into the camp. The brambles that circled the camp were covered in a thin sheet of white frost, and the cold air hit her like a blast. Lemonkit shivered and fluffed her pelt against the wind. Lemonkit’s belly rumbled with hunger when she smelled the warm scent of the fresh kill. The hunting patrol had just come back and deposited their prey. Before she was even a fox-length away, a damp moss ball knocked her legs from under her.

“Oof!” she grunted, tumbling onto her side.

“You good?” meowed Poppyfrost, who was watching the kits play.

“Of course she’s fine!” huffed a black she-kit. She trotted over on solid and sturdy legs. “She’s just scared, right scaredy-mouse?”

“Yeah,” taunted Heronkit, “Are you going to go wailing off to your two-legs?”

“I AM NOT A KITTYPET!” Lemonkit growled. Anger surged through her, and she longed to sink her teeth into Heronkit’s pelt like the LionClan cats had once done to Scourge.

“Ravenkit and Heronkit, stop it,” warned Poppyfrost.

Pelt burning with shame and fury, Lemonkit hurried back to the elders’ den. She paused to look back and saw Poppyfrost scolding the two kits.

“Back again?” asked Lichenfur. “You should join them. You’d have lots of fun.”

Lemonkit looked up at the elder. “But I’m too small, and the other kits don’t want to play with me. They say that I’m a kittypet.”

“That’s a load of badger droppings! You’re nearly three moons old,” Lichenfur began. She broke off as a tabby cat burst into the den.

“This is for you!” he panted. “The mice and squirrels are coming out from their nests soon!”

“Thanks, Adderfang.” The elder purred. The warrior dropped the squirrel at Lichenfur’s feet and left the den.

“You want some, Lemonkit?” asked Lichenfur, turning towards the cream and yellow kit.

Lemonkit shook her head but took a small mouthful. It was delicious!

“But am I a kittypet?” she asked.

“Of course you aren’t! However, we weren’t able to locate your birth mother or father. You were found beside the Moonpool by the medicine cats.” meowed the old she-cat through a mouthful of squirrel, “I’m sure kittypets wouldn’t be outside during leaf-bare. Your mother might have been a rogue.”

“But a rogue is no better!” Lemonkit complained, “Why can’t I just be a normal Clan-born cat?”

“Shh…” soothed Lichenfur, gesturing towards the sleeping Fallowsong, “Everyone is special, Lemonkit. There is no such thing as ‘normal’.” She paused, thinking, and suddenly got an idea, “You know, Firestar was once a kittypet.”

Lemonkit perked up with interest, “He was? But then, how did he become the awesome and ferocious leader he was?”

“Good question; let me tell you a story.”

Firestar was not always a hero. He was born as Rusty, an ordinary kittypet who lived with his housefolk. Rusty was a young ginger tom who lived with his two-legs in a cozy house near the forest. He had nice housefolk that fed him every day and played with him. Rusty also had a nice, comfortable place to sleep but wasn’t as content as Rusty knew he should be. The kittypet had always been curious about the wild cats who lived in the woods and often dreamed of joining them. One night, he decided to sneak out of his house and explore the forest.

He padded through the trees, feeling the thrill of freedom and adventure. He smelled many different scents, some familiar and some strange. He heard rustling and chirping from the prey animals that hid in the shadows. He felt like he had entered a whole new world filled with the fresh scents of the outdoors.

Suddenly, he sensed the scuttling movement of a mouse. Instinct told him to drop into a hunter’s crouch, and slowly, one paw after the other, he crept towards the prey. A sudden noise of cracking twigs made him jump. The bell on his kittypet collar jangles, warning off the mouse. The small animal scurried away underneath a thick tangle of leaves, away from the kittypet.

He heard laughter from behind him. He turned around and saw a gray tom watching him with amusement. The tom had a thick pelt and a long bushy tail. Its yellow eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Nice try, kittypet,” the tom said mockingly. “But you’ll never catch a mouse like that. You need to learn how to hunt properly.”

Rusty felt embarrassed and angry. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

The tom snorted. “I’m Graypaw, an apprentice of ThunderClan. And this is our territory. You have no business being here.”

“ThunderClan?” Rusty repeated, confused.

Graypaw rolled his eyes. “You don’t know anything, do you? ThunderClan is one of the four Clans that live in the forest. We hunt and fight for our land and our lives. We follow the warrior code and serve our leader, Bluestar.”

Rusty was intrigued by Graypaw’s words. He wondered what living as a Clan cat would be like following a code and serving a leader. He felt a pang of longing in his chest.

“Can I join your Clan?” he blurted out.

Graypaw looked at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? You’re a kittypet, not a warrior. You don’t belong here.”

Rusty felt hurt by Graypaw’s rejection. He wanted to prove him wrong and show him he could be brave and strong.

“I’m not afraid of you,” he said defiantly. “I can fight you if I have to.”

Graypaw snorted again. “You don’t stand a chance against me. I’ve been trained by the best warriors in ThunderClan.”

“Then why don’t you show me?” Rusty challenged.

Graypaw shrugged. “Fine, if you want to get hurt. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He leaped at Rusty, aiming for his neck. Rusty dodged his attack and bit his leg instead. Graypaw yowled in pain and kicked Rusty off him. He lunged at him again, but Rusty dodged again and scratched his ear.

The two cats fought fiercely, exchanging bites and scratches. They were evenly matched in speed and agility, but Graypaw had more experience and skill.

The tom lunged at Rusty, aiming for his neck. Rusty dodged and bit the tom’s ear, making him yowl in pain. Graypaw shook Rusty off and raked his claws across his face, drawing blood. Rusty felt a sting but also a thrill. He had never fought like this before, and he liked it.

He leaped on the tom’s back and clawed at his fur, making him buck and twist. The tom threw him off and pinned him down with his weight. Rusty struggled to free himself, but the tom was more muscular and heavier. He felt the tom’s teeth close around his collar, ready to snap his neck.

Suddenly, there was a loud snap and a jingle. The tom’s eyes widened in surprise as Rusty’s collar broke off and fell to the ground. Rusty took advantage of the moment and kicked the tom in the belly, making him gasp for air. Rusty scrambled to his feet and faced the tom, who looked stunned and angry.

“What did you do?” the tom spat.

“I lost my collar,” Rusty said proudly.

“You lost your collar? You mean you broke it?” the tom exclaimed incredulously.

“Yes, I broke it,” Rusty announced defiantly.

The tom stared at him momentarily, then shook his head in disbelief.

“You’re crazy, kittypet,” he groaned.

“No, I’m not,” Rusty meowed, “I’m free.”

The tom snorted. “Free? You don’t know what freedom is. You’re still a soft, spoiled pet who doesn’t belong here.”

Rusty felt a surge of confidence. He had just fought off a wild cat and broken his collar, and he felt like he belonged here more than ever.

He thought he had lost, but then he heard another voice.

“Stop!”

The voice was deep and authoritative, making both cats freeze.

They looked up and saw a large blue-gray she-cat standing over them. The cat had silver fur around her muzzle and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see through them.

She was followed by two other cats: a golden tabby tom with amber eyes and a dark brown tabby tom with black stripes.

They were ThunderClan warriors. The blue-gray she-cat was Bluestar, their leader. She looked at Rusty and Graypaw with a stern expression.

“What is going on here?” she demanded.

Graypaw scrambled to his paws, bowing his head respectfully.

“Bluestar, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I found this kittypet trespassing on our territory and tried to chase him away.”

Bluestar nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to Rusty.

“And you?” she asked coldly. “What are you doing here?”

Rusty felt nervous under her stare, but he met her eyes bravely.

“I came to see the forest,” he said honestly. “I wanted to know more about the Clans.”

Bluestar narrowed her eyes, “Why?”

Rusty hesitated, then said what he felt in his heart.

“Because I want to be a warrior.”

Aligned by Rusty’s spirit and courage, Bluestar offered him a chance to join ThunderClan as an apprentice.

“You are strong and smart; you will be a great warrior,” said Bluestar, “And you are young. You can join ThunderClan and become one of our apprentices.”

“But I live with my housefolk, and they will miss me!” he protested.

“It’s your choice, Rusty,” she replied, “Come back tomorrow and tell me your answer.

Rusty returned to his housefolk but could not stop thinking about Bluestar’s words: You are strong and intelligent.

He wondered what it would be like to live in the forest, to learn how to hunt and fight, and to be part of a Clan. He also thought about the dangers and hardships he would face and the things he would have to give up. He would never get to cuddle up with his housefolk and live in the warm, sheltered den again. He will be living in the cold and dangerous outdoors. There will be storms and predators that will hurt the cats. He felt torn between his comfortable life as a kittypet and his longing for adventure. The following day, he made up his mind. Even though Rusty loved his housefolk, Rusty knew that he must follow his heart. He returned to the forest, where Bluestar and Lionheart awaited him.

“I do belong here,” he said firmly. “I want to join your Clan.”

Rusty felt a surge of excitement and nervousness. The former kittypet followed the tom deeper into the forest, leaving his collar and old life behind. He didn’t know what the future would bring, but he knew he had made the right choice.

He was no longer Rusty, the kittypet.

He was Firepaw, the warrior apprentice of ThunderClan.

Bluestar told him that Lionheart would be his mentor and that he would train him in the ways of the Clan. Firepaw was eager to start his new life but felt nervous and unsure. He wondered if he had made the right choice and would ever fit in with his new Clanmates. He hoped to prove himself worthy of Bluestar’s trust and someday be a brave warrior who defended his Clan with his life.

Firepaw soon proved himself to be brave, intelligent, and compassionate. He was a strong fighter and a good hunter. He made friends with other apprentices, such as Graypaw, and even befriended a former kittypet named Princess, who turned out to be his sister. He also faced many dangers and enemies, such as the ruthless ShadowClan, the rogue cat Tigerclaw, and the mysterious two-legs who threatened to destroy the forest.

Firepaw earned his warrior name, Fireheart, after saving the Clan from a fire that ravaged their camp. He also discovered that he was part of a prophecy that said, “Fire will save the Clan.” He did not know what this meant but felt a sense of destiny and responsibility. He continued to serve his Clan faithfully, even when facing difficult choices and sacrifices. He became the deputy of ThunderClan after exposing Tigerclaw’s treachery and later rose to leader as Firestar after Bluestar’s death.

Firestar led ThunderClan through many trials and triumphs. He fought against the bloodthirsty Scourge and his army of rogues, who invaded the forest and killed many cats. He also led his Clan to a new home by the lake when the two-legs destroyed their old territory. He welcomed new allies and friends, such as the Tribe of Rushing Water and SkyClan, the lost fifth Clan. He also found love with Sandstorm, a loyal and fierce warrior who became his mate. They had two daughters, Leafpool and Squirrelflight, who inherited their father’s courage and spirit.

Firestar was not only a hero to ThunderClan, but to all the Clans. He united them against common enemies, such as the Dark Forest, a realm of evil cats who sought to destroy the living. Firestar lived a long and noble life but knew his time would end someday. He died in battle against Tigerstar, his old enemy who had returned from the Dark Forest with a vengeance. Firestar gave his last breath to save his Clan and his friends from destruction. He joined his ancestors in StarClan, where he was greeted by Bluestar and many other cats who had loved him in life.

Firestar’s legacy lives on in his descendants and followers, who uphold his values and ideals. He is remembered as a hero who saved the Clans from darkness with his fire. His story inspires generations of cats to follow their dreams and fight for what they believe in.

“You see, Lemonkit,” said Fallowsong, who had woken up, “You can be powerful even though you aren’t a Clanborn cat. Even for Firestar, not everyone trusted and respected him when he joined the Clan. He was made fun of and laughed at. He was ignored and distrusted by the other cats. But, in the end, he grew up to be the great leader he was.”

“Yes. Run along to the nursery and let an elder get her sleep.”

fvrl.me/4b7yMil

TEEN IMAGINE

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CREATIVITY IN 2025.

Fraser Valley Regional Library is the largest public library system in British Columbia, with 25 community libraries serving almost 810,000 people in its service area. Established in 1930, it is funded with taxes raised in the communities it serves, plus a Government of BC operating grant. The governing board consists of elected officials representing 15 member municipalities and regional districts. With its mission of “opening minds, enabling dreams,” FVRL plays a prominent role in the communities throughout the Fraser Valley.