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Colorado Teens Author Book Made Up Of Personal Stories

DENVER (CBS4)- More than a dozen teenagers in Colorado are authors after sharing their personal stories and putting their feelings on paper.

The 13 middle school students in Holly Winter's literacy class were given an unusual assignment.

"I said, 'What do you guys think about publishing a book?'" asked Winter.

Morgridge Academy serves children in kindergarten through eighth grade who have been diagnosed with a chronic illness. The campus is on the National Jewish Health campus located at 1400 Jackson Street.

Morgridge Academy
Morgridge Academy (credit: CBS)

The students face medical challenges everyday but Winter decided to put them to the test intellectually.

"It was the hardest thing they ever did but they needed that," said Winter.

Students had to write stories from the heart.

"I wrote about my asthma and how my asthma doesn't stop me," said one student.

It's not only physical issues, but mental struggles the teens write about.

One student, Serenity, described living with her mother's abusive boyfriend, "I will remember the fear and the pain and the damage of living with that man but I do not and I will not have to carry it around with me anymore."

Another student, Edaja, gushed about how dance makes her feel like superwoman, "I don't have asthma, I don't have anything, it's just me and dancing."

The title of the book, "Everything is a Song" was born of much discussion and debate.

"And out of frustration one kid said, 'Everything is a song,'" said Winter.

It actually made a lot of sense.

"Songs go in a lot of different patterns and so do stories," said Winter.

The book is 86 pages long and was a lot of work for the students as they grappled with tight deadlines, frustrating rewrites and grueling attention to grammar.

"It was annoying to edit even the smallest thing," said one student.

The school hosted a book release party on Thursday night at National Jewish Health.

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