by Nancy Krulik
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author
About the Illustrators
For Amanda, who has her own sense of sparkle,
and for Ian, our resident musician. Thanks for
helping me keep it real.—N.K.
For the ultra-fabulous Miss Mary Jones.—J&W
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Text copyright © 2010 by Nancy Krulik. Illustrations copyright © 2010 by John and
Wendy. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. S.A.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009027498
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Chapter 1
Camptown ladies sing this song. Doo-dah. Doo-dah.
The Camptown racetrack’s five miles long.
Oh, the doo-dah day!
Katie Carew rocked back and forth happily as she played the familiar song on her clarinet.
“Great job!” Mr. Starkey, the school music teacher, told the beginning band. “You guys really sound terrific.”
Katie smiled. For a long time, everything the band played had sounded like a bunch of squeaks and squawks.
“In fact,” Mr. Starkey continued, “you guys are so great, it’s time you gave a concert.”
“Wow! For real?” Jeremy Fox exclaimed from behind his drum set. He hit his cymbal to celebrate.
“Where?” Becky Stern asked.
“In the auditorium,” Mr. Starkey told her. “Next Monday night.”
Katie gulped. Monday night was just a week away. Would they be ready for a concert by then?
“What are we going to play?” she asked Mr. Starkey nervously.
“ ‘Camptown Races’ will be ready,” Mr. Starkey told her. “You guys also sound great on ‘Go Tell Aunt Rhodie’ and ‘Hot Cross Buns.’”
“Three songs?” Kevin Camilleri asked. “That’s not a very long concert.”
“True,” Mr. Starkey said. “But the beginning band won’t be the only group playing at this concert. The fifth-grade band will be playing, too.”
“The fifth-grade band is awesome,” George Brennan pointed out. “We’ll never sound nearly as good as them.”
Mr. Starkey nodded. “That’s why we’re going to have extra rehearsals during recess this week,” he said. “Okay?”
Katie wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She really loved recess time. So did all her friends. But everybody in the band—Katie included—also loved playing music.
The kids looked around at one another and shrugged. “Okay,” they all agreed.
“Great,” Mr. Starkey said with a smile. “Let’s try ‘Camptown Races’ again.” He lifted his arms. The kids picked up their instruments and began to play.
Camptown ladies sing this song. Doo-dah. Doo-dah.
The Camptown racetrack’s five miles long.
Oh, the doo-dah day!
Chapter 2
Katie couldn’t wait to tell her mom about the concert. She ran all the way home—which wasn’t easy, since she was carrying her clarinet case and her backpack.
“Mom!” Katie shouted as she raced into her house.
“Ruff! Ruff!” Katie’s chocolate and white cocker spaniel, Pepper, jumped at her heels. He could tell something really exciting had happened.
“What is it?” Mrs. Carew asked as she came from the kitchen.
“I’m going to play the clarinet in a concert,” Katie exclaimed.
“That is great news!” Mrs. Carew agreed.
“The concert’s at school,” Katie continued. “In the auditorium. Everyone’s invited.”
“Ruff! Ruff!” Pepper barked happily.
Katie bent down and scratched Pepper behind one of his long, fluffy ears. “Well, almost everyone,” she told him. “Dogs aren’t allowed in school.”
Pepper wagged his tail, anyway. He loved being scratched behind the ears.
“When is the concert?” Katie’s mom asked.
“Next Monday,” Katie replied.
Katie’s mother wasn’t smiling quite so widely now.
“What’s the matter?” Katie asked.
“Well, I can be at the concert,” Katie’s mom said. “But Daddy called a little while ago. He’s leaving town on business.”
“But I want him to hear me play,” she insisted.
“I understand,” Katie’s mom said. “But he can’t get out of this trip. I’ll tell you what. I’ll bring the video camera and tape the concert.”
“That’s not the same!” Katie exclaimed. “I . . .”
Katie stopped before she could say another word. She had been about to wish her dad didn’t have to go on business trips. But Katie knew wishes could bring trouble. Especially when they came true.
It had all started one horrible day back in third grade. First, Katie had missed the football and lost the game for her team. Then she’d fallen in the mud and ruined her new jeans. Worst of all, she’d let out a giant burp right in front of the whole class.
It had definitely been one of the most embarrassing days of Katie’s whole life. And that night, Katie wished she could be anyone but herself. There must have been a shooting star flying overhead when Katie made her wish, because the very next day the magic wind came.
The magic wind was unlike any wind Katie had ever seen before. It was a wild, fierce tornado that only blew around Katie.
But the worst part came after the wind stopped blowing. That meant Katie had turned into someone else. One . . . two . . . switcheroo!
The first time the magic wind appeared, it changed her into Speedy, the hamster in her third-grade classroom. Katie spent the whole morning going around and around on a hamster wheel and chewing on Speedy’s wooden chew sticks. Blech!
The magic wind
came back over and over again after that. Once the magic wind had even turned Katie into Mr. Starkey. Katie didn’t know a thing about being a music teacher. She’d tried to conduct the beginning band—the very same band she was in. It sounded awful. No. Make that worse than awful. The band sounded so bad that all the kids had wanted to quit playing music. That just couldn’t happen again, not when everyone was so excited about the concert.
That was why Katie didn’t make wishes anymore. Wishes caused too much trouble. Still, it would have been nice if her dad could have been at the concert.
“Why don’t you invite some of your friends to come hear you play?” Katie’s mom suggested.
“All my friends are in the band,” Katie said. “They’ll be onstage with me.”
“Suzanne doesn’t play an instrument,” her mom reminded her. “And I’ll bet she’d love to come.”
Katie brightened a little. It would be nice to have her best friend hear her play in the concert.
“Okay,” Katie said. “I’ll call her right now.”
As Katie walked to the phone, she crossed her fingers, hoping Suzanne would say yes. Hoping was different than wishing. Hoping never caused Katie any trouble at all.
Chapter 3
“Oh, Katie, that’s so cool!” Suzanne said when Katie called her. “You’ve never been in a concert before, have you?”
“No,” Katie replied.
“In fact, you’ve never been onstage before,” Suzanne continued.
Katie sighed. That wasn’t completely true. Katie had been onstage. It happened when the magic wind came and switcherooed her into Suzanne just before a modeling show.
And then there was the time when the whole fourth grade was waiting to see a Presidents’ Day show at the Cherrydale Arena. Katie had suddenly found herself onstage—playing President Millard Fillmore of all people!
But Suzanne didn’t know anything about Katie’s “performances.”
“So what are you going to wear onstage?” Suzanne asked Katie.
“I don’t know,” Katie replied. “I don’t think it matters.”
“Of course it matters,” Suzanne insisted. “You have to look great. That way the audience will focus on you.”
“But—” Katie began.
Suzanne didn’t let Katie finish the sentence. “My modeling class has a runway show on Saturday afternoon,” she continued. “And I’m already thinking about what I’m going to wear and how I’m going to do my hair.”
“The audience is supposed to focus on the music,” Katie reminded Suzanne. “A music recital is different than a modeling recital.”
“First of all, it’s not called a modeling recital. It’s a runway show,” Suzanne told Katie. “And second of all, it’s not that different. You’re performing, so you have to look good.”
“I guess,” Katie said slowly. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Suzanne said. “But that’s what you have me for. I’m going to that new hair salon in the mall on Saturday morning. You should come with me. We can both have our hair done.”
“What new hair salon?” Katie asked.
“It’s called Sparkle’s Salon,” Suzanne told her. She sounded very happy to know something Katie didn’t. “It’s right next to the flower shop.”
“Well, if you really think I need a haircut . . .” Katie said hesitantly.
“Not just a cut,” Suzanne said. “You need a whole new style.”
That made Katie feel bad. “What’s wrong with my old style?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Suzanne said, trying to sound a little nicer. “It’s just that I thought a change might be good.”
“Well, maybe,” Katie began. “But I don’t know if—”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Suzanne continued. “I’ll make sure Sparkle gives you a gorgeous cut. I’ll take care of everything.”
But Katie was worried. With Suzanne in charge, there was no telling what could happen.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Katie walked into her classroom. Hair was the last thing on her mind. Then she took a look at Mr. G.
Whoa! Her teacher was wearing a bald cap over his hair. He was also wearing knickers and holding a kite with a key on the end.
It was a very strange outfit. Even for Mr. Guthrie.
“Good morning, Katie Kazoo.” Mr. G. greeted Katie, using the way-cool nickname George had given her last year.
“Good morning, Mr. . . . um . . . uh?” Katie wasn’t sure what to call him. Mr. G. often dressed up in costumes. And usually Katie knew who he was supposed to be. But not today.
“Don’t you recognize me?” Mr. G. asked Katie.
Katie shook her head.
“He’s Benjamin Franklin,” George called out.
“How could you tell?” Katie asked.
“It’s the kite,” George explained. “Benjamin
Franklin used a kite with a key on the end when he did his experiments with electricity.”
“How did you know that?” Kevin asked George.
“I used to live near Philadelphia,” George explained. “They’re crazy about Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. He lived there.”
That made sense to Katie. George’s family had moved around a lot. George had lived in a lot of places, so he knew a lot of interesting facts the rest of the kids didn’t.
“Are we learning about Philadelphia now?” Katie asked.
“Nope,” Mr. G. told her. “Guess again.”
Katie looked around the classroom for a hint as to what their next learning adventure could be. It didn’t take long to figure it out. There were diamond-shaped kites taped to the wall. Two big, colorful, box-shaped kites were hanging from the ceiling. And in the corner was a long, yellow, pink, and green, snake-shaped kite. It was hanging right over Slinky’s cage. Which made sense, since Slinky was their class snake.
“We’re learning about kites!” Katie declared excitedly.
“Exactly,” Mr. G. told her.
“How much can there be to learn about kites?” Andrew Epstein asked Mr. G. “You build them, you fly them, then you watch them crash on the ground.”
“There’s a lot to know about kites,” Mr. G. assured Andrew. “Like, for instance, did you ever wonder why kites can fly even though they are actually heavier than air?”
“How do they do that?” Katie asked her teacher.
“That’s for you to find out,” Mr. G. told her. “You can start when we go to the library later this morning.”
“There are whole books written about kites?” Andrew asked.
Mr. G. nodded. “Kites are really interesting,” he said. “You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn.”
Katie smiled. That was what she liked most about being in Mr. G.’s class. With a teacher who dressed up like Ben Franklin and hung giant kites from the ceiling, every day was full of surprises.
Chapter 5
At lunch later that day, everyone in the fourth grade was talking about kites. Class 4B was studying them, too. But their teacher, Ms. Sweet, hadn’t dressed up like Benjamin Franklin. Only Mr. G. would do something like that.
“Ms. Sweet told us about the very first kite,” Jeremy said to Katie, Emma W., Kevin, and George. “About two thousand years ago, a Chinese farmer tied a string to his hat to keep it from blowing away in the wind.”
“That’s a cool story,” Katie told him. “Do you know if it’s true?”
Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t know. It could be.”
“Well, I know something that is true,” Kevin said. “Kites are named for the kite bird. That’s a member of the hawk family.”
“Mr. G. taught us that,” George added.
“Well, Ms. Sweet told us that kites were used during the Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers,” Manny Gonzalez said.
“Kites are heavier than air,” Katie told the kids. “But they fly because the force of the wind pressure on the kite gives it lift. I read that in a book in the li
brary.”
“Impressive,” Jeremy complimented her.
“And I learned that the longest kite fly in history lasted 180 hours,” George said. “That’s, like, seven and a half days!”
“I’ll bet I can make a kite that flies higher and longer than you can,” Manny told George.
“Bet you can’t,” George replied.
“It’s a bet!” Manny agreed.
“I’ll help you,” Jeremy told Manny.
“With Jeremy helping, you’ll definitely win,” Becky assured Manny. She smiled brightly at Jeremy and batted her eyes.
Jeremy pretended not to hear Becky.
Katie took another bite of her sandwich and scowled. She hated it when kids from the two fourth-grade classes started bets. It always led to some sort of trouble.
But before Katie could do anything to stop the bet, Suzanne plopped down next to her. She was carrying an armload of magazines.
“These are my latest fashion magazines,” Suzanne said to Katie. “There are some great hairstyles for you to look at.”
“We’re talking about kites, Suzanne,” Jeremy told her.
“You’re talking about kites,” Suzanne said. “Katie and I have something much more important to discuss.”
Katie sighed. She didn’t feel like talking about hairstyles or kites. She felt like finishing the delicious peanut butter and banana sandwich her mother had packed for her.
But there was no stopping Suzanne. She had brought her magazines to school and she was going to make Katie look at them whether she wanted to or not.
“This one is pretty,” Suzanne said, pointing to a photograph.
“That model has really long hair,” Katie said. “My hair is too short to do that.”
“You could grow it long,” Suzanne suggested.
“Not by Monday night,” Katie replied.
“That is pretty soon,” Suzanne agreed. She pointed to another photo. “That hairstyle is cute.”
