A look back to how a book saved Earth

Suzie Harrison

Oh no, it seems that aliens have landed on Earth and are trying to

eat library books. This concept is quite peculiar, except to

fifth-graders in Rosy Haynes’ Top of the World Elementary School

class who watched students perform the play “The Book That Saved the

Earth.”

Haynes explained that the play was a multidisciplinary activity

provided by their language arts “Open Court” series.

“It goes across the board,” Haynes said. “It is science, drama and

language arts, and we’re teaching across the grade levels --

fifth-graders performing for the second-graders.”

The aliens, called Macronites, were visiting from a planet called

Macron. The play is set in the year 2543 A.D. Looking back on the

20th Century, the historian explained that in those days there were

books about everything from anteaters to Zulus.

“Books taught people how to, and where to and why to,” Austin

Schlatter, 10, said. “They illustrated, educated, punctuated and even

decorated. But the strangest thing a book ever did was to save the

Earth.”

To learn the story, Austin invited the audience to travel back

through a “historiscope” to the time in 1988 when it really happened.

Think-Tank (played by Brooks Freeman, 9) was the ruler, who in his

mind was the most intelligent ruler. But truthfully his apprentice

Noodle (played by Louis Brown, 11) was the brains, but he continued

to stroke his ego.

“My character, Think-Tank, thinks he’s the smartest in the

universe,” Brooks said. “He’s just a glory hound and tries to make

himself seem smarter. But really it is his apprentice Noodle who is

smart.”

Other cast members included Jordan Glenn, 10, who provided the

offstage voice; Daniella Crivello, 11, as Captain Omega; Alex

Kempler, 10, as Lieutenant Iota; and Chantel Ebrahimi, 10, was

Sergeant Oop.

“I loved the character interaction with each other and everyone

acts the right part -- it’s a really good story,” Daniella said.

Alex said she learned that other people have different ways of

thinking and the students learned the key point that books are

invaluable.