MY STORY

Hi! I'm Austin! I don't know how to begin a story like this. You're probably wondering who I am. Well I can pretty much guarantee I'm wondering a whole lot more who you are! I know who I am. I really like peanut butter and jelly. I really like string cheese! I love telling stories! My Mommy always told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I'm the beginning of this story. 

THE BEGINNING

No one exactly knows where we come from. I certainly don't. I think I came from a place with a lot of cream filling. I was going to get a cone of ice cream when my Mommy said you can make it yourself. I didn't know how. I went over and asked Daddy but he was working. He always works. It drives me crazy. I was driving through my obstacle course when I fell and hit my head but I don't have to worry because my Mom's an injury attorney. She gave me a Spider-Man Band-Aid and a pen to write my story. And I'm sitting on the grass just thinking.

Mom and Dad have been acting strange. They keep looking over at me and just talking. I can't hear what they're saying but I can guess. It's about how I'm failing in class with all my grades. My teacher sent home a report card and it had all a's. A F. A D. I couldn't believe it what was happening to me. I resolved to build a spaceship. That way I could go anywhere I wanted including outer space but my fuel kept on failing. I kept running out. I kept on falling back to Earth. I kept on fuming. I never know how to build a rocket ship. I keep on building but the pieces don't go together. They keep falling apart. In art class I try to make pretty art but the only thing I'm good at is collage because you don't have to put things together right you can put things wherever you want so I'm putting this right here I love your art. I really like how I can identify with Auggie. Auggie is my best friend. He reminds me a lot of me. I'm just like Auggie but I'm my own person absolutely

but I don't really know what that means.

My Mommy says if I want to write a story something has to happen.

Something BIG.

I don't know what it should be. 

I was hoping you could tell me.

I come from Sherman Oaks, California. 

INTRODUCTION

Hi! I'm Austin! I don't know how to begin a story like this. Well, actually I do. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't be talking to you. There's a lot of stuff going on in the world right now. There's something called war. It's this thing where—actually, I don't even know why I'm talking about that. There isn't war anymore. 

My book, In the Shadow of Giants, is the story of how I found Paradise and saved the world. It's about how Dole, the huge banana company, illegally invaded this amazing island in the middle of the ocean and how I was just eating breakfast when I found out about it, and knew that I'd finally found my purpose, even if it started pretty silly with me eating a Dole banana. :P

After all, I'm pretty much the luckiest person in the world. My parents have always hugged me. My parents have always squeezed me. Back in the beginning, when I was a baby, they always told me that I could do anything. Be a pilot, be a scientist. Be a singer, be an artist. This story begins, where else?—at the beginning. 

THE BEGINNING

Things are always hard at the beginning. My teacher told me that I would never amount to anything. That's right.

Nothing. 

He said, "Michelle Obama could not be here this morning."

I was like, who's that? Michelle Obama? Is she somehow related to my favorite animal in the world, the llama?

Nope, that wasn't it.

"It is said that history has but time for one sentence for anyone."

"But," he said. That was pretty funny.

He looked at me. 

It didn't matter.

I had my story.

MY STORY

In the summer of 2011, Dole, the huge banana company, invaded Sri Lanka.  They bushwhacked the jungle. There were elephants. THat's right. There ere. 

Chapter 1

Hi! I'm Austin! I don't know how to begin a story like this. You're probably wondering who I am. Well I can pretty much guarantee I'm wondering a whole lot more who you are! I know who I am. I'm Austin! I'm me! I really like peanut butter and jelly! I really like string cheese! I really like EVERYTHING!!! It's so exciting! I never thought I would tell my story. My Mommy always told me that I would be something, something amazing, but I don't think I ever really knew what I was going to do while I was still in Mommy's tummy. 

I'm kind of silly. There's a lot of things that make me Austiny. The first thing I want to talk about is my family.

MY DADDY

My Daddy has done a lot of cool things. He married my Mommy. She and him were waiting for me. I was at the hospital, when I heard someone tell me that I was going to do a lot of cool things. It didn't matter what I'd be. It didn't matter what I'd do as long as I'd be me. 

In the summer of 2011, Dole, the huge banana company, invaded Sri Lanka. I know what you're thinking. Why would Dole do such a terrible thing. I was wondering the same thing. I was sitting at my desk, eating a bright juicy banana. I don't know if bananas can be juicy but I do know my story's pretty juicy because of me and Kelly. We loved each other. We were doing a lot of cool things. We were going to do a lot of cool things. We were going to live in Paradise forever. I always knew that it was going to be me. :)