The Competition

Then I go tell Ivy I am going to follow Brooks because something is off. She says, “be brave” and I say, “ok bye”.

Hey, my name is Amber and I am 16 years old. I was born in 1999. I lived in Miami but when I was 6 years old, I moved to Oakville. It was new to me but I got used to it. This is what I look like: sugar plum pink hair with green eyes and a turquoise dress.

I didn't want to say it to her because all my students are the best but she kept on asking so I had to tell her - but I didn't want to. After I told her, she got very angry and she stormed off. 

My throat feels nasty and slimy. I burp and flies, frogs and mice come out of my mouth!! And I am just like, “What’s happening? I am suppose to sing beautifully and Amber is suppose to sing horribly!“ I run off stage covering my mouth.

It’s the end of the day and I walk frantically to the woods where my cabin is and I’m mad. I can’t believe it didn’t work. I                make a new plan!

Out of the corner of my eye I see someone is walking behind me.

Today Brooks came to talk to me. I asked her why. Is there something wrong      I followed her into the hallway, she looked very serious. Then she asked me who is the best singer in the class. 

Brooks goes to the stage and she starts singing. It sounds weird. I’ve never heard her sing like that before. I look at her mouth and it looks green. Flies are coming out! Then frogs and mice!

Now it’s starting. It’s Brooks’ turn. She sings and throws up. Frogs come out of her mouth and flies and mice! The audience gasps and so do the judges. Brooks runs off the stage.

What happened to me? How could water have done that? Why didn’t it turn out the way I planned?

Amber appears. I said, How is this possible!?"

The concert has started and I have no time to do anything. My throat feels dry and I see a blue bottle and I go to drink it.

Veronika: So it was planning but in a different way?  

Jaida: “Visualizing helps me to learn the story better. That's just how we came up with our people...we just visualized them."

Keona: “We had to think about where the scenes would be - the setting. We didn't think it was actually going to come to real life and we were going to videotape the whole thing."

Keona: "Green Screen was fun. Cause it was like we were there but in real life we weren't, so it was kind of weird but it felt like we were there.”

Veronika: What did you think of using the Green Screen?

Brooklyn: “I guess it's exciting and cool.”

Keona: “It came to life especially when I was flying. Brooklyn was great at coaching.“

Brooklyn: “I told her this is the first time you're flying. You look down, you're scared. You have to be excited! People don't get to fly!”

It’s getting darker and I’m getting scared because I hear animals like bears, wolves and wild dogs. A bird catches my eye. I think to myself, what if I climb up a tree to be safe from wild wolves and bears?

Then I go tell Ivy I am going to follow Brooks because something is off.           She says, “be brave” and I say, “ok bye”.

Today I go out of the classroom with Ms. Penelope and ask her who is the best singer in the class. She says well you all are good singers but  there is this girl named Amber and well she has a special voice. I am so mad I want to make Amber sing so so bad that I am the best singer in the class.

After school I go back to my witch house to make a spell. I scoop up some mice from the floor and put them into the potion.

Something is definitely going on with Brooks! Will we ever see her again? Where did she go? Is she a witch?

Amber came to tell me that she saw Brooks doing something strange and that after school she needed to go follow her. She said, “I have this

I sing every day with my family. Me and my family like to help people and we also are very kind. We like this kind of flower: It is called Ivy. We also like this flower: Iris.

We miss her because we have no people to sing with us in the forest and we also miss that food that she gave us. We hope she is going to be okay! We also wonder why and how she came to the woods in the first place?

I hear the footsteps and I look and see it’s Amber. I am going to put a force field on her so that she can’t sing at the contest. She will be trapped by the force field in the forest against a tree.

Amber came on stage and started to sing. Meanwhile, little birds started to fly around her then she sang a really, really, high note. I was so impressed by that! After that it was time to announce the singing awards.

      All my students got pretty medals.  

Right now I am taking attendance. I am very worried because all the students should be here for the competition because I want them all to do their best especially Amber, so one of them can win the medal. 

I felt calm as soon as I heard Amber sing. It sounded beautiful, the same as it has always been, but then I heard really high notes, notes that she never sang before.

There were birds circling around her while she was singing and her clothes changed into a pretty white dress! I thought something DID happen to Amber.

This morning at school Ivy comes up to me and gives me a drink but I don’t know what it is. The drink looks sparkling blue. She says it’s for my dry throat, so I say ok and I almost drink it but I see Brooks doing something strange. I see she looks at me but I don’t drink the drink I leave it on the desk. 

I went up to Ms. Penelope and told her that my singing partner Amber is not here. Ms. Penelope said, “Oh, she is probably coming but is just a little bit late.” I go back to sit down and I keep on thinking about Amber.

Amber asked who it was from and I told her it was from Brooks. She said thanks and I went back to my desk to practice reading the notes.

Then I said, “next up is Ivy, then next up is Amber.” They both came out of nowhere. Then Ivy ran on stage and every person in the audience face looked like they didn't want the same thing that happened to Brooks to happen to Ivy. Then Ivy started to sing and then everybody started to stand up in the audience and clapped. 

Wednesday, May 22nd

The next day I am back at school and Amber is not there. My evil plan finally worked….muhaha! 

Ivy is looking for Amber and seems worried. She has no idea Amber is trapped in a force field in the forest. Nobody even knows I live there! She will never find her and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen. 

We are so sad the girl has to leave and can't stay with us because she is very nice to us and it is our first time that we have friends out here in the dark forest. We hope we can get her to the concert in time. We really hope she comes back sometime again cuz this is the first time that we got a visitor that's not going to eat us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's my turn. I’m walking up the stairs and I have butterflies in my stomach. I sing and the birds spin around me. Next thing I know, I’m wearing a white dress and everyone gasps again! Then I’m singing high notes while the judges mark.

My favourite music is R&amp;B        . I go to a music school. It's beautiful and plus it's by the freshwater. It's so clear, it tastes like sparkling water. I live not far from a forest so does Ivy and other kids too but I do not know the kids’ names or anything about them. 

I know one girl. It's Brooks. She’s so nice ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️ and she’s the same age as me too. I don’t really talk to her but I’ve talked to her a few times. I have a beautiful voice and sometimes I do not even know that I'm singing. 

It's the best pink in the world . I love the colour sugar plum pink but I hate dark colours it's so eww… Anyways, I love dogs and baby monkeys. They're so cute I just want to give them a hug.

I like gardens they're so beautiful and plus it's getting fresh air. I love, love, love apples -  that's my favourite fruit. 

My best friend is Ivy. She’s so great, so smart and she’s 16 like me too. How cool is that?

After Ivy left to give the bottle to Amber to drink, I walked away.  

It was the morning of the rehearsal and I wanted to win the contest so I made sure that I won. I gave Ivy the blue bottle and I said, “Give this to Amber so she can clear her voice.” Ivy said, “Why?” and I said, “just give this to her.”

Next I know it’s morning. The birds help me cause I gave them food last night. They teach me high notes to break the force field. It works!!

It was the morning of the rehearsal and I wanted to win the contest so I made sure that I won. I gave Ivy the blue bottle and I said, “Give this to Amber so she can clear her voice.” Ivy said, “Why?” and I said, “just give this to her.”

I’m here now. The competition is about to start. There is a whole bunch of people packed. It’s squishy, tight and sweaty.

Ms. Penelope says I have to go on. I start to sing and it sounds good...

and then all of a sudden my voice sounds horrible!

After lunch my class is sitting in the audience. I am backstage and Amber is on the stage. I am feeling good because she is going to mess up. I walk back and forth and I wait excitedly for her to begin. She opens her mouth and it sounds beautiful... like normal. What happened? I am mad! Did the drink not work? I need to go home and make another plan.

I looked all over the class to see if Amber was there. She was not and I immediately thought Brooks did something bad to Amber!

I ask myself: Why did Brooks give me that bottle? Why did she throw up??????

She went to the wicked woods.  I’m walking more...where is she going? I am clueless so we’re still walking in, we’re getting deeper in the woods.

Right now it’s just after lunch and my class is in the gym rehearsing. Soooo, each student does great in their performance.

Amber is sounding great as always and her voice is like a little bit better than anybody else (not to be rude) because all my students are the best. 

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

I decide to climb up.  As I climb up the tree I see beautiful pink birds. I keep climbing up until I get to the top where there is a big nest made out of twigs. 

The birds start humming so I sing a song that goes with it.

This morning Brooks gave me a bottle and told me: “Give this drink to Amber.” I said to Amber, “here is a drink that will makes your voice a lot better.”  

Then it was my turn to sing. When I finish, I run from the stage.... I see Amber backstage and say, “what happened?” Just then Ms. Penelope called her. It was her turn to perform. She had no time to talk.

I hear the bell ring at the end of the day. Brooks leaves the school in a hurry and she goes into a street and she keeps walking. She looks back but I hide. Then she keeps on walking until I notice that we're out of the city. Brooks is heading into the woods, I’m walking in, here I go. 

It’s 2 p.m. when Amber finally came to school. She ran into the auditorium, out of breath.  I was scared and happy. Scared that Brooks had done something bad to Amber - maybe she is not the real Amber or maybe the same.   

But I was happy that she came back and I couldn’t wait to ask her what happened. All the singers look beautiful in their short dresses.

It's almost the end of the day so I wonder...

Is Brooks mad because of what happened Is Brooks coming back

“Gooey Patooey Gargle Monsters Come out and rise! Make Amber sing horrible. Now rise my blue bottle!”

Be Kind Live Pure Speak Truth Right Wrong Defend the Weak Play the Game Square

I am a witch and I have a black wart on my nose. I use my powers for bad things. When I do not like people I put a spell on them. I don’t like people because people make fun of me and I want to make them suffer. 

My name is Brooks and I have a secret. I have special powers that I got from my mom (passed on to me) and I live in the woods.

They say things like “you smell” and “why do you wear the same clothes everyday and how do you wash your clothes?” “what’s that thing on your nose?” I don’t know why they make fun of me.

 I am short, I have purple hair, wear  black jeans, black t-shirts and when I go  on stage I wear a black dress. I love to eat black olives and prosciutto on its own.

Then... stuff came out of Brooks’ mouth... flies, frog and disgusting stuff!

I called to Brooks but she did not answer. Then Brooks ran away. Everyone was saying

There was gasping

I rub my hands together and am so happy! I turn around quickly and shout,

Sorry, this is just the warehouse for story pages.

Each time we do the rehearsal, it is great and when a student does the performance I tell them that it needs improvement. The next time the students improve so they’re applying what I say. 

Amber came on stage and started to sing. Meanwhile, little birds started to fly around her then she sang a really, really, high note. I was so impressed by that! After that it was time to announce the singing awards.

When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.

Veronika: If you were to tell a story in words or in pictures or act the story out, which way would you choose?  

Brooklyn: “I like acting it out. I like to pretend. It helped me get ideas out without having to just write."

Keona: “Oh, acting was good.”

Veronika: How do you normally do stories? 

Brooklyn: "We write it in our notebook."

Keona: "We start with the title &amp; make a plan."

Veronika: How was doing this story different? 

Keona: "We made a plan with Veronika's storyboard and we used magnets to see where we were in the story."

Jaida: “It's better planning with pictures cause with words it's kind of confused and with pictures it makes it better."

She sees me -                     I feel her power! Then out of nowhere she’s gone. I’ve got to get out of here                She put a force field on the woods.

Right now it is the evening and the sun is going down. I hear tree branches breaking and then I see pink hair but it looks like wolves’ hair. A girl comes up and she is very pretty. She looks like us because she has pink hair and we have pink feathers.

Oh no! Today is the day of the singing competition and one of my students is not here - AMBER !!

Her best friend Ivy who is also her singing partner told me that she is worried that she is not here. She is also a very talented student. 

From the Desk of Author Veronika Charles...

The students began by listening to the story Bianca and the Six Robbers (a version of Snow White) from my book, It’s Not About the Apple. We replayed the story on a magnetic board with symbols that showed the events in the story. Then, guided by questions, the students invented their own characters, setting and episodes. While the students' story, The Competition, draws parallel themes (e.g., jealousy, endurance) from the classic Snow White. Interestingly, for the students, the prize is not getting married, but winning a medal in the competition!

Interviews "The Competition" Authors

I saw Brooks running off the stage and then out the door. She was crying and everyone in the audience was scared and screaming!!

Right now it is the evening and the sun is going down. I hear tree branches breaking and then I see pink hair but it looks like wolves’ hair. A girl comes up and she is very pretty. She looks like us because she has pink hair and we have pink feathers.

After lunch at 2:00 p.m. I am rehearsing for the competition. I start by warming up singing low notes first and then high notes . I’m feeling great. I really want to win the competition!

Veronika: Do you think it helped when you saw yourself doing it? Is it then easier to write about what the character did? 

Jaida: “I liked watching myself a lot. I like how we did it in a video instead of just writing it down because I don't like writing it down.”

Keona: “Yes, cause you get to feel it.”

Veronika: How's this book different than other books you read? 

Keona: You will have to read it all the different stories from each character's point of view and put them together. The book Wonder helped us with this story.

Jaida: Because now I know how to read from different points of view."

Jaida: “Are we going to do another story?”

I work at Oakville Music School. It looks like this.

In the morning me and my family thought that the girl deserved something in return. We teach her to sing higher and higher and as she does, she rises in the air. Then we fly her over to the school as quickly as we can.

Hi! My name is Ivy. I have green hair and blue eyes, very long eyelashes, big pink lips and I have long, long hair.

I wear a dress that is green and that has lines on it like a leaf. I can camouflage when someone is looking for me.

Fairy Tales in the Classroom (2009) by Veronika Martenova Charles. Published by Fitzhenry &amp; Whiteside Wonder by R.J. Palacio (2012) Published by Random House Children's Books

All photographs from Pixabay.com unless noted below. Music Sheet for Do Re Mi http://www.sheetmusicdirect.us/sheetmusic/song/1000032946/do-re-mi?redirect=1 Witch’s House Image (From video game Dragon’s Dogma) http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/File:Witch's_House.png Lobby Conversation, Footsteps &amp; Cave and Wind iMovie Sound Effects Drum Roll Recorded by Mike Koenig. http://soundbible.com/716-Drum-Roll.html Audience Clap Recorded by Mathiew 11 http://soundbible.com/2087-Audience-Applause.html Magic Wand Recorded by Mike Koenig. http://soundbible.com/474-Magic-Wand-Noise.html Piano played by Larissa De Oliveira (Grade 6 student) Best Hip-Hop R&amp;B Mix 2015-16 Published by Aekltwe Lakngas on Aug 12, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsZONcMBA6o Creepy Forest by Roderick Hebron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBF3KAfLQYY

Green Screen by Do Ink Animation by Do Ink Superimpose Book Creator LiveCollage

Amber came on stage and started to sing. Meanwhile, little birds started to fly around her then she sang a really, really, high note. I was so impressed by that! After that it was time to announce the singing awards.

The next day I am back at school and Amber is not there. My evil plan finally worked….muhaha!

This book is unlike any book you have read before. There are 5 different characters and each tell the story from their own point of view. To get the whole story you need to read everybody’s version. You decide what the story is about!

The girl that I want to suffer the most is Amber because she can sing better than me and when she sings it makes me want to blow steam. And then she will pay for what she has done.

We live in a big tree that is magical in the forest. This is what it looks like……

I am a pink bird and I am very small. I have long feathers on my back and my name is Lovely. I have magic powers. I also have a big family and I sing very well.

Hi I am Ms. Penelope. I am caring and nice towards my students because I let them have competitions with their classmates which helps them in their singing &amp; makes me happy. I am 27 years old. I love pink and purple shirts &amp; skirts. I love all my students but one of them sings the best and her name is Amber.

I take out my leftover lunch from my backpack. I have some bread crumbs from my BLT sandwich. I start to feed the birds.

Look in the Mirror... That's your Competition.

I'm walking out and I feel like I’m flying... oh my gosh!

I am flying with the birds! This is so awesome, amazing and cool.  

This is so awesome, amazing and cool.                I’m finally out of the woods. Now I can go to the competition. 

Then the girl started to give us food that tasted very good. It was very different from what we usually eat like nuts, seeds and insects.

The girl was also singing while she was giving us the food. It was very fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I snuggle in the birds’ nest and fall asleep.

Name

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