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Storygraphs for Student Workers

by Ahlaam Abdulwali ’25

With the start of the new school year, the newsletter editors wanted to find a way to introduce the new (and old) student workers. A fun fact? Boring. A syllabus for a class about their lives? Done before. Instead, we had each student worker write a storygraph for their fictional memoir. If you want to learn more about Birdie’s non-mysterious life or Cal’s love for Warrior Cats, you can read the storygraphs below!

A Book That Always Stays Open: A Brief Introduction to Lucy Flack (’27)

Moods:

  • happy 75% 
  • emotional 28% 
  • relaxing 40%
  • curled up in bed 30% 
  • reflective 36% 
  • hopeful 45% 
  • challenging 18% 
  • inspiring 20%
  • funny 15% and/or 49% 
  • lighthearted 19% 
  • adventurous 8% 
  • mysterious 0% 
  • whimsical 9%

Pace: medium 50% | fast 30% | slow 20%

Plot or Character Driven? Character: 54% | A mix: 25% | Plot: 11%

Strong Character Development? Yes: 83% | It’s complicated: 10% | No: 2%

Loveable Characters? Yes: 86% | It’s complicated: 12% | No: 1%

Related texts / people also enjoyed:

  • ●  The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai
  • ●  The Harry Potter Series – She Who Must Not Be Named
  • ●  The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles – Julie Andrews

Soundtrack for film adaptation:

  • ●  “Oldies Station” by twenty one pilots
  • ●  “Medicine” by Dayglow
  • ●  “Saint Simon” by The Shins
  • ●  “Fool’s Gold” by Briston Maroney
  • ●  “Dumbledore’s Farewell” by Nicholas Hooper
  • ●  “Nobody” by half•alive
  • ●  “cardigan” by Taylor Swift
  • ●  “So Many People” by Two Door Cinema Club

First line: “You know when a dog comes up to you—tail wagging, tongue out and smiling, already so full of love for you? That’s me: perfectly content with trading in zero ‘mystery factor’ for a smile or two.”

Certified Lingerer: A Journey Through Ahlaam’s Past Lives (Ahlaam Abdulwali ’25)

Moods:

  • emotional 40%
  • happy 55%
  • reflective 76%
  • hopeful 86%
  • funny 30%
  • lighthearted 20%
  • adventurous 1%
  • mysterious 1%
  • relaxing 1%

Pace: medium 70% | fast 28% | slow 2%

Plot- or character-driven? Character: 60% | A mix: 24% | Plot: 6% 

Strong character development? Yes: 60% | It’s complicated: 30% | No: 10% 

Loveable characters? Yes: 80% | It’s complicated: 19% | No: 1% 

Related texts / people also enjoyed

  • Anna Karenina -Leo Tolstoy
  • Quicksand -Nella Larsen
  • Bodega -Su Hwang

Soundtrack for film adaptation

  • “Un Millón” by The Marías
  • “Is It a Crime” by Sade
  • “Francis Forever” by Mitski
  • “Selfless” by The Strokes
  • “Full Moon” by Brandy
  • “Supermodel” by SZA
  • “Pintura” by Patio Solar
  • “Nagma” by King Khalid

First line: “There are infinite ways to pronounce my name, and, for each pronunciation, there are infinite versions of me.”

Coffee Shop Cryptid: The Odds and Ends of Birdie Keller (’25)

Moods:

  • Mysterious 0% (this is an OPEN book)
  • Identity Crisis 30%
  • Emotional 80% (crying is good for you)
  • Stargazing 12%
  • Funny? 10%
  • Cozy Blankets and Candles 86%
  • Tense 5% (when there are unread emails)
  • Wanting a Cat 100%

Pace: Alternates between breakneck and very slow. (99% of the book occurs before 10am.)

Plot or Character Driven? Character: 98% | A mix: 2% | Plot: 1%  (The plot sneaks up on you)

Strong Character Development? Yes: 73% | It’s complicated: 22% | No: 5% 

Loveable characters? Yes: 96% | It’s complicated: 4%

Related texts / People Also Enjoyed

  • The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
  • A Psalm For the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
  • The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
  • The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
  • Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
  • Tender by Sofia Samatar

Soundtrack for film adaptation

  • “Two Birds” by Regina Spektor
  • “Blue Healer” by Birdtalker
  • “Altalena” by Lino Cannavacciuolo
  • “Talk it Up” by Sammy Rae & The Friends
  • “King” by Florence & The Machine

First line: “It was a tragic day when Birdie lost their favorite pen.”

Winds Whisper Songs and What Ifs (Vivian Montgomery ’28)

Moods:

  • emotional 86%
  • funny 59%
  • adventurous 51%
  • reflective 43%
  • sad 33.3%
  • inspiring 33%
  • hopeful 29%
  • lighthearted 20%
  • dark 10%

Pace:  medium 75% | slow 27% | fast 16%

Plot or Character Driven? Character: 79% | mix: 46% | Plot: 34%

Strong Character Development? Yes: 67% | It’s complicated: 43% | No: 23% 

Loveable Characters? Yes: 63% | It’s complicated: 39% | No: 12% 

Related texts / people also enjoyed: 

  • Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan 
  • Dear Evan Hansen by Steven Levenson
  • Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling 
  • Heaven Offical’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
  • Loveless by Alice Oseman

Soundtrack for film adaptation:

  • “Passing Through” – Kaden MacKay
  • “From the Start” – Laufey
  • “Could Have Been Me” – The Struts
  • “People Watching” – Conan Gray
  • “Talk Too Much”  – COIN
  • “Until I Found You (with Em Beihold)” – Stephen Sanchez, Em Beihold
  • “Talk to Me” – Cavetown
  • “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” – Tomorrow X Together
  • “Revenge Party” – Mean Girls
  • “You Will Be Found” – Dear Evan Hansen
  • “Seventeen” – Heathers
  • “More Than Anything (Reprise)” – Hazbin Hotel

First line: “Learning to love is hard, but learning to be loved the right way is harder.”

La Chicana Rockera: Jizelle’s Place in a Weird World (Jizella Villegas ‘26)

Moods:

  • happy: 78
  • emotional: 93%
  • relaxing: 3
  • wanting to be a vampire: 72%
  • funny: 90%
  • spooky: 100%

Pace: medium: 72% fast | 19% slow| 9%

Plot- or Character Driven: Character: 65% | A Mix: 20% | Plot: 15%

Strong Character Development: Yes: 60% | It’s Complicated: 30% | No: 10%

Loveable Characters: Yes: 75% | It’s Complicated: 20% | No: 5%

Related Texts/People Also Enjoyed:

  • ●  Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
  • ●  Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua
  • ●  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

Soundtrack for Film Adaptation:

  • ●  “Somewhere I Belong” by Linkin Park
  • ●  “Chinese Satellite” by Phoebe Bridgers
  • ●  “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” by Radiohead
  • ●  “The Perfect Girl” by The Cure
  • ●  “Matenme Porque Me Muero” by Caifanes
  • ●  “Bull Believer” by Wednesday
  • ● “I Still Do” by The Cranberries 

First Line: “I’ve lost my voice many times because I screamed too hard at a concert the night before.”

Whimsical Winnie’s Wondrous Adventure of Life (Winnie Hilker ‘25)

Moods:

  • emotional 89%
  • sad 45%
  • tense 70%
  • dark 15%
  • reflective 89%
  • hopeful 90%
  • challenging 40%
  • inspiring 65%
  • informative 8%
  • funny 79%
  • lighthearted 80%
  • adventurous 65%
  • mysterious 1%
  • relaxing 1%

Pace: medium 55% | fast 65% | slow 3%

Plot or Character Driven? Character: 90% | A mix: 40% | Plot: 50% 

Strong Character Development? Yes: 90% | It’s complicated: 20% | No: 8% 

Loveable Characters? Yes: 55% | It’s complicated: 39% | No: 20% 

Related texts / people also enjoyed: 

  • Looking for Alaska by John Green
  • Double Fudge by Judy Blume 
  • Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Soundtrack for film adaptation:

  • “Two of Us” by the Beatles
  • “Frances” by Role Model 
  • “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan
  • “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield
  • “State of Grace” by Taylor Swift 
  • “Tears Dry On Their Own” by Amy Winehouse 

First line: “As she looked up from her paisley print jeans, Winnie realized she had been staring out the window all day long.”

Still Figuring It Out: A Memoir of a Life in Progress (aka Naming This Was Way Too Stressful of a Decision to Make) (Peyton Williamson ‘27)

Moods

  • lighthearted 79%
  • emotional 60%
  • funny 53%
  • adventurous 42%
  • relaxing 29%
  • hopeful 26%
  • stressful 18%

Pace: medium 55% | fast 40% | slow 3%

Plot- or character-driven? A mix: 56% | Character: 34% | Plot: 28% 

Strong character development? Yes: 72% | It’s complicated: 18% | No: 8% 

Loveable characters? Yes: 67% | It’s complicated: 39% | No: 9% 

Related texts / people also enjoyed

  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
  • Normal People by Sally Rooney
  • Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
  • The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
  • The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

Soundtrack for film adaptation

  • “Long Live” by Taylor Swift
  • “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac
  • “Almost (Sweet Music)” by Hozier
  • “Everlong” by Foo Fighters
  • “Forever” by Noah Kahan
  • “Georgia” by Phoebe Bridgers
  • “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks
  • “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

First line: “Sometimes I’ll tell a story of something that happened to me once, and then realize I was explaining a book plot the whole time.”

Tachau’s Trials and Tribulations (Sarah Tachau ‘27)

Moods:

  • Pretty ok 70%
  • Calm 70%
  • Sponge-like level of observance 50%
  • Quiet 50%
  • Distracted 40%
  • Adventurous 0.05%

Pace: Slow and steady 70% | Fast 2% | Medium 1%

Plot or Character Driven? Character: 20% A mix: 10% Plot: 80%

Strong Character Development? Yes 50% | Depends on how you define that: 80% | No: 2%

Loveable Characters? Yes: 80% | Maybe: 10% | No: 10%

Related texts / people also enjoyed:

  • Letters to A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
  • What is Found There/ An Atlas of the Difficult World/ The Fact of a Doorframe by Adrienne Rich 
  • On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 
  • Circles on the Water by Marge Piercy

Soundtrack for film adaptation:

  • “Waltz (Better Than Fine)” by Fiona Apple
  • “Ooh La La” by Faces
  • “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem
  • “The Good Times Are Killing Me” by Modest Mouse
  •  “Steamboat” by Adrianne Lenker
  • “Triple Dog Dare” by Lucy Dacus
  • “A Month Or Two” by Odie Leigh
  • “Not Dead Yet” by Lord Huron
  • “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen

First line: “I don’t know how to start a fire, but I do know it cannot possibly be done if we’re all worrying about our little worlds falling apart.”

The third largest moon & their off-the-record archives (Cal Martinez ‘26)

Moods:

  • Sleepy: 99.99%
  • Social (around dogs and horses): 98%
  • Just a little guy: 92%
  • Sarcastic: 88%
  • Caffeinated: 87%
  • Witty: 79%
  • Anxious: 73%
  • Clumsy: 49%
  • Existential: 47%
  • Social (around humans): 38%
  • Indecisive: 34%
  • Productive: 9%
  • Making unethical publishing decisions: <5%

Pace: Slow: 10% | That of a slow burning candle, and then a smoke alarm: 80% | Fast: 10%

Plot or Character Driven? Plot-driven: 8% | Character-driven: 39% | Coffee-driven: 53%

Strong Character Development? Yes: 60% | It’s complicated: 18% | It’s mental illness: 22%

Loveable Characters? Yes: 43% | More lovable dogs than human characters: 52% | No: 5%

Related texts / people also enjoyed: 

  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  • Crookedstar’s Promise by Erin Hunter
  • The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath

Soundtrack for film adaptation:

  • “Strawberry” by Andrew Montana 
  • “Slide Tackle” by Japanese Breakfast
  • “Like A Dog” by Jordana
  • “Not Strong Enough” by boygenius
  • “Sweet Tooth” by Maya Hawke
  • “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski

First line: “Old postcards of places they’ve explored only through their ancestors, morning sun in full brightness stretched across a lavender duvet, a half-greenhouse of pothos plants and montesteras, and a barking foster dog, all cheering for Callisto to at least throw their covers off of their head; and still, they hit the snooze button.“

Thank you to all the student workers for taking the time to make a storygraph for their fictional memoir! Not storygraphed here: Eva Sturm, Bea Lloyd, and Delilah Acosta