Invasion of the Thistles

By Barbara A Fanson

Thistles take over when people stop using the playground due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Can the grade 8 graduates use their social media savvy to get others to help them eradicate the prickly pests before the restrictions are lifted? How will they confront Queen Bea who wants to save the thistles for the bees? Will 'les trois amis' conquer th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sterling Education Centre Inc.
• Release date: Jun 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781989361160

Book preview

Invasion

of the Thistles

Keeping an abandoned park

from becoming a COVID casualty

Written and designed

by Barbara A. Fanson

©2020 Barbara A. Fanson

Front cover photo by Barbara A. Fanson

Dedicated to Kristen Van Kampen for her encouragement and to the many people whose lives were altered during the COVID-19 restrictions in the spring of 2020:

Lena, Anita, Kathleen, Katie, Molly, Lois, Melania, Bridget, Alicia, Gordon, Kristen, Nancy, Charlie, Ethan, and Barbara.

ISBN: 978-1-989361-16-0

Published by Sterling Education Centre Inc.

220 Homebrook Drive

Mount Hope, ON L0R 1W0

[e-mail]

Chapter 1

Grandma sent to her room

That's four, Tia said as she tossed the basketball back to her twin brother Donny. He held the well-worn ball up and shot another free throw.

Five. Tia threw the ball back to him. Donny was trying to see how many free throw shots he could make in a row.

It's all in the follow-through, he boasted, how you flick your wrist at the end. He cradled the ball between his two hands and tossed it at the basket with a flick of his wrist. Missed.

You shouldn't boast, Tia said as they switched places, My turn.

Ok, you beat five free-throws.

Tia stood behind the chalk line on their driveway and held the basketball between her hands. She tossed the ball up, hitting the backboard and into the basket. SCORE!

One, Donny counted as he tossed the ball back to her. By the way, I heard a new buzzword today to add to the list. Asymptomatic.

Shh, Tia said as she held the ball up ready to shoot. She needed to focus. She tossed the ball with a flick of her wrist. Score! That's two in a row!

Asymptomatic is when people have the coronavirus but have no symptoms, he said as he tossed the ball back, so they could be spreading it without knowing they have it.

I should add those buzzwords to my list, Tia said