Grades 7–9
Fantasy/SciFi, Narrative, STEMWritingFruit woman is one of the greatest superheroes in Veggie City. She can shoot fruit out of her hands and has really fast superspeed powers. One day in Veggie City, Fruit Woman was walking in the street and talking to Mr. Orange.
“Hey, Mr. Orange. How are you doing?” asked Fruit Woman.
“Nothing much, how is Fruit Man, your husband? I bet he is eating a bunch of fruits and veggies right now,” said Mr. Orange.
“He’s good. Okay, have a nice day,” said Fruit Woman. Fruit Woman just kept walking. All of a sudden, she heard this; “Help, help, the evil Junk Food Man is here in the fruit store!” With her superspeed she ran to the store.
Now when she got to the store she saw Junk Food Man and his sidekick, Cheesecake Boy. She ran to aisle six and started shooting fruit out of her hand at Junk Food Man.
“You do not belong here, Junk Food Man,” she said.
“Yes, I do! These fruits and vegetables are disgusting and not tasty,” said Junk Food Man.
“But it’s healthy for you, so you should eat it, and there are some vegetables that taste really good like broccoli and spinach! It’s good for you, and tasty. Would you like to taste some?” asked Fruit Woman.
“Okay, I will, not because I want to, but because you’re making me.”
So Junk Food Man tasted the broccoli and spinach.
“Is it good?” asked Fruit Woman.
“Yes, it actually is good. I want some more please,” said Junk Food Man.
“Okay,” said Fruit Woman, “you can have some more!”
So now Junk Food Man and his sidekick always eat vegetables and fruits. They are good friends with Fruit Woman and Fruit Man. They lived happily ever after.
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This book is a collection of superhero stories written by 7th graders at PS/MS 7 Samuel Stern in East Harlem. Each story engages with different food justice issues, from the harmful conditions of factory farming to the contamination of our drinking water. For six weeks, these young authors worked with 826NYC volunteers to craft original stories about a superhero bringing salads and fresh vegetables to school cafeterias, a villain who is a slice of pizza, and a monkey who saves the day. So grab a refreshing apple and get ready to meet some of the greatest superheroes you will ever encounter.
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