On Wednesday, October 20th, all the Grade 7 and 8 students were able to meet two incredible people, one of whom is Josh Rosen, wonderful cartoonist; and Ted Staunton, a magnificent writer. Ted Staunton is a regular in Boulden House, coming back each year to talk more about his lovely books.

This year Ted talked about his new book, The Good Fight, that he made with Josh Rosen. Josh has never come to Boulden House before, but we love his work and he is just as amazing as Ted. Their new book takes place in Christie Pits, Toronto 1933, during the Great Depression. These times were tough for everyone, and tensions were rising in Toronto. The main characters, Sid and Plug, are misled by a friend and turn to crime to make some money.

Their presentation was very enjoyable and fun! We did lots of hands-on things such as learning to pickpocket, which the main characters had to use to help their families get money. We found out that it is best done in a team called a whiz mob and that each member has a specific job and title; the mechanic, the stall and the duke man, all working to pick the pocket of the mark.

Another thing that we did was help to design our own character, in the same style as the book. Creating a graphic novel means researching the time period of the book so that the setting and characters look like they should. We thought about what the character would look like now, and then how the character would have looked in 1933.

Ted and Josh worked really well together to create this wonderful book. It took two years to make it! The outdoor visit was a perfect way to celebrate “Take Me Outside Day.”

Thank you to them both for a memorable visit.

- By Fiona Hartleib, Charlie Sprayson, Evan Thomas and Quinlyn Mendum, Grade 7 students