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Did you know that popular actor and WWE Superstar John Cena was also an author? Itā€™s true! In ā€œElbow Greaseā€, we meet a monster truck and his exciting, big wheelinā€™ family, as they prepare for the big demolition derby! Will Elbow Grease realize his dreams and win the day?Ā  Watch John Cena himself read the story, and then scroll down to find some fun activities to keep the monster truck excitement going!

  1. Elbow Grease and his brothers each have a special ability that sets them apart. If you were a monster truck (or other vehicle), what would your special ability be? Draw a picture of what you think youā€™d look like if you were a super powered car! You could even build a model of your motorized self with Lego or other materials!
  2. In the story, Elbow Grease gets to meet his hero, Big Wheels McGee, and even gets some good advice from him! Who is your hero (real or fictional), and what are some things youā€™d like to ask them if you could?
  3. The big demolition derby is an exciting race through obstacles like logs, mud pits, and fire barrels. With an adult, come up with your own obstacle course in your backyard, and race with your family to see who the champion is! Search online for ideas of different obstacles, or come up with some yourself! Then at the end, give out awards to everyone, like Best Runner, Quickest Thinker, or Most Gumption!
  4. When Elbow Greaseā€™s battery loses power, heā€™s stuck! Heā€™s sad, but also scared of the lightning thatā€™s striking. But it turns out the lightning was just the thing he needed to recharge and finish the race. Think of a time when you were scared about something, but it turned out to be a good thing. Then, write the story down, either with words or pictures.
  5. Elbow Grease has trouble finishing the race because he stays up way too late training, and isnā€™t rested, healthy, and ready to go the next day. He probably wouldā€™ve had a much easier time if heā€™d gotten a good nightā€™s sleep! Make a list of some other things that we can do to make sure weā€™re at our healthiest.

Hereā€™s a cool monster truck craft from Craftulate! How cool would it be to own our own monster trucks? Very cool, right? Since theyā€™re SUPER expensive (and donā€™t fit in the garage) we might have to settle for designing our dream monster truck, complete with giant paper plate wheels!