CHAPTER 3

Ava

That’s right. As soon as Ava took the throne, she said the three words that every student on the planet had always wanted to hear:

“NO MORE HOMEWORK!”

And just like that, it was made into a law. Word went out to the entire nation. All teachers were to immediately cease giving homework to their students.

Previously, Ava had nothing against school. In fact, she liked school a lot. But she did not like having to do schoolwork outside of school. Her parents already had her taking tennis lessons, kicking karate butt, and splashing at swim class. The last thing she wanted to do at the end of a long day was more work. So she outlawed homework.

As word spread, you could hear students everywhere celebrating. College kids cried with contentment at campus parties. High schoolers howled happily. Middle schoolers mooned the moon. Elementary classes expressed their excitement with elongated echoes of elation. And preschoolers—well, preschoolers never had homework, so they just took naps.

Ava was known as a national hero. That first night, she texted her friends on her phone. The second night, she enjoyed a movie marathon with her family. On the third night, she painted a portrait. On the fourth, she read a book. But on the fifth, she had a strange feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Teo asked.

“I feel weird,” Ava said. “There’s all this free time I have, but I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Oh,” Teo said, “you’re just bored.”

“Bored?!” Ava was confused. She’d never been bored before. But she quickly decided being bored was better than being buried under homework.

When Ava woke up the next morning, she went out on her royal balcony. The crowds booed and hissed at her. They even threw rotten tomatoes. She ran inside and turned on the news. A reporter said, “Ava is one of the worst queens ever. Her new no-homework law has grades dropping. Our country is fast becoming the slowest-learning country in the world. People are dumber than ever! Thanks a lot, Ava.”

As her last act as queen, Ava (reluctantly, and with a heavy heart) undid the law. Students everywhere were devastated.