17: 2025 DONE

Technically I have seven more school days left in the year, so I’m not done in that sense. What I am done with is my latest end of the year book, titled “Night at the Zoo.” Here’s the premise.

Mr. Byers’ class takes a field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. While at the zoo, lightning strikes the top of the orangutan building and turns two boys into orangutans. They find a souvenir cup with a letter and a skeleton key inside. The note tells them to find the Golden Eel globe, and it will grant them one wish. Obviously their wish is to be turned back into kids. The key will allow them to enter and exit anyplace inside the zoo.

The note also gives a single clue: I am somewhere dark. Thinking the woods are dark, they head to the Forest exhibit. On the way, they run into the P.E. teacher and STEM teacher, who have to work the night shift as guards because teachers just don't get paid enough. As orangutans, the teachers do not recognize them as kids, and thus become minor antagonists within the story.

As the boys turned orangutans explore the zoo, they find more souvenir cups with more clues, leading them all over the place. They also realize everyone in the class has been turned into an animal at the zoo. AND they also realize an evil crocodile is also trying to find the Golden Eel Globe and wish for the kids to stay as animals. Who is the crocodile? None other than you’re truly!

The story totals 12,500 words, has twenty-three students, six teachers, and nineteen chapters. I’m pretty happy with how this turned out—it’s a fun read. I really try to embed the personalities of the kids within the story. I really hope they like it.