On Monday Oscar walked through the Echo Park Time Travel Mart and into the writing lab, thereby becoming the first ever drop-in student at 826LA East. That's right: after-school tutoring has officially begun in Echo Park! We've had an amazing first week in our new space, powered by a dozen or two very eager, very bright students, and an equally eager and bright cadre of tutors. We already have stories about kitty cats and racecar drivers, talks of a music video, a deceptively simple sibling rivalry piece, and even a short story called "No Way," a spin-off from a short story also called "No Way."

We also held our first two Storytelling and Bookmaking field trips this week, and the resultant masterpieces couldn't be more wildly different. In Fred Junior Risks Death to Find His Family, our hero escapes the confines of life in a cup and ventures out through the desert, equipped only with four rapidly drying towels. In Dailycracker Rescues Princess Jackie, a robot supercracker is torn between two love interests: a robot butterfly and a princess who turns into a great white shark.

Each student reviewed his or her own book, and they found their work praiseworthy. The critics have spoken:

If you read this book, you will feel excitement, sadness, and happyness. You would like this story because it's about a monster that misses its family. He is no ordinary monster. He is very nice.
—Marcela

This is the first book she ever did. Terrific! Super!! Go Sandra!!! Super job!!!!! Good work! Go reading!!
—Sandra

We're still looking for more fantastic volunteers to help us out with these programs, so feel free to drop on by Echo Park, or send an email to iwanttohelp@826la.org!