Chapter 1 Every Day is the Same Alana Alana lived on the same block her entire life She knew all her neighbors and the secret hiding spots in her backyard which made her the reigning hide-and-seek champion of Cranberry Lane when she was younger Although she enjoyed playing with her friends she yearned to go on a real adventure adventure like the ones she read about in books Every night before bed she created her own incredible tales Alana wrote stories about people who traveled to outer space climbed mountains or lived in different countries across the globe She imagined what her life would be like if she were able to live out an adventure Despite reading how-to guides on how to survive in the wild or at sea her real life never gave her a chance to try out these skills It was very predictable Every morning her mother made oatmeal with apples and cinnamon Truthfully Alana was a picky eater and this was the only breakfast food she would eat but even Alana was growing bored of having the 1
2 same breakfast In fact Alana was bored a lot She was bored of the PBJ sandwiches her mom made for lunch and she was bored of homework The only time Alana wasn’t bored was when she played video games Alana’s parents set a timer when she logged onto games and when the buzzer went off so did the screens Alana always begged for extra time but her parents never agreed to it It’s so much fun and it’s the only time I’m not bored she pleaded Pick up a book her mother said as she shut down whatever electronic device Alana was using I always read said Alana This was true she was an avid reader but she also liked creating her own worlds and meeting new people in the games which she couldn’t do in books Yes she did write her own stories but she loved creating new worlds in video games She tried to explain this to her parents but they didn’t understand One day while watching TV Alana saw an ad for a very unique island getaway where a kid could be transported transported through their TV to their very own island She was excited This sounded like a dream The ad promised promised that participants would be able to develop this island all by themselves They could plan the community community pick their own fruit fish and go on many adventures adventures Alana wanted to sign up right away She called her mother over to the screen Mom Look at this island adventure She stood by the TV screen and pointed to the ad she had paused with the remote control She pressed play and watched Welcome to Furtopia
Every Day is the Same 3 the commercial alongside her mother The commercial showed a little girl with red pigtails living in a small wooden cottage on a lush green island filled with red and purple flowers She looked to be socializing with a chatty rabbit I need to do this Mom Alana declared It looks like so much fun I can build my own island Let me do some research her mom responded which was what she said when she was avoiding making a decision Her mom said that a lot and Alana believed her mom hoped Alana would either forget or change her mind before her mom had to make a decision Let’s research it together Alana suggested Okay later Her mother got up and walked toward the kitchen Why can’t we research it now Alana questioned Let’s do it another time Don’t you remember what it’s like to be a kid You don’t get to make any decisions If I go on this island adventure I can have an island that’s all my own I can do something I’ve never done before and that is exciting Alana’s mother paused Okay Really Alana’s mother watched the ad a few times and pulled out her personal checklist of questions that she used when assessing if a video game was appropriate
