by Mary Amato
I tapped my head, and then…plink! My glittery bobby pin fell out and landed on the floor. I picked it up. “Hey!” I said. “On TV, people are always picking locks with bobby pins. Maybe we can!”
“Yes!” Phillip raised his fist. “Great idea!”
I stuck the bobby pin into the keyhole.
“Jiggle it around,” Phillip said.
Jiggle. Jiggle.
“Try wiggling it more,” Resa said.
Wiggle. Wiggle. Jiggle.
Everyone was watching me and holding their breath.
Jiggle. Wiggle. Jiggle. Wiggle.
“No pressure, Lucy,” Saki said. “But this has to work!”
Jiggle. Wiggle. Jiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle.
“We’re never getting out,” Natalie said.
And then…Jiggle. Jig—click!
It opened!
Everybody jumped with joy.
Phillip took the bobby pin out of my hand and kissed it. “I never knew I would fall in love with a bobby pin. Thank you, thank you, glittery thing!”
We all laughed. Then we high-fived one another. Woo-hoo! Freedom! We grabbed our ukuleles and ran out.
By the time we got to the doorway of the gym, Scarlett, Victoria, and Mara were walking onto the stage with their sparkly white jackets over their T-shirts.
“And now for the grand finale!” Ms. Adamson said. “Scarlett, where are the others?”
“Here we are!” I called.
We hurried in. Scarlett, Victoria, and Mara looked scared. They knew what they did was wrong.
“Should we tell and get them kicked out?” Resa whispered as we walked up.
“Later,” Phillip said. “Right now, the show must go on.”
With our ukuleles and our colorful T-shirts, the six of us stood in a line in front of the three girls. We were like two different groups.
I tried not to think about Scarlett. I looked out. There was my mom and dad and Leo and Lily smiling and waving.
“Move,” Scarlett whispered, and tried to squeeze between Phillip and me. “Nobody can see us back here.”
“We’re in front because we’re late!” I whispered back.
“Yeah,” Phillip said. “Somehow we got locked in the supply room!”
Victoria and Mara looked embarrassed.
“Sorry,” I heard them both whisper.
“Scarlett made me do it,” Mara whispered to Pablo.
Scarlett didn’t say a word.
We started strumming. The audience was smiling and bobbing their heads to the beat. My heart was pounding, but in a happy way. It felt like a troop of tiny monkeys inside me was starting up the best party ever.
And then…just when we were about to sing…you will never believe what happened.
I guess Scarlett couldn’t stand being in the back row. So she pushed her way between Phillip and me. And let me tell you, when Scarlett wants something, she goes all the way. She pushed so hard, she tripped over her fancy shoes. Her ukulele flew up in the air….I caught it as Scarlett skidded to the edge!
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaack!” she screamed, and flapped her arms, and then…thud. She fell off the stage in front of the whole school. Fancy shoes, sparkly jacket, and all.
Scarlett’s mom rushed to her, and Scarlett started crying.
Nobody laughed.
When somebody does something really embarrassing—even if they deserve it—you have to feel sorry for them.
Ms. Adamson wanted to make sure Scarlett’s bones weren’t broken, but Scarlett just wanted to get out of there. Her face was red, and she wouldn’t look up.
“Can you perform, or do you want to leave?” Ms. Adamson whispered.
“Leave,” Scarlett whispered back.
Mrs. Tandy put her arm around Scarlett, and they started walking out of the gym.
Quickly, Ms. Adamson turned to us. “The show must go on!” she said.
We all stood there in shock. In their sparkly jackets, Victoria and Mara looked like they wanted to crawl under a rock. I couldn’t imagine them singing. And even though Scarlett had been so mean, she had come up with a great tune. It didn’t feel right to perform like this. How could we sing joyfully when none of us felt joyful? I glanced at Phillip. I could tell he felt the same way.
I looked back out. Scarlett was almost at the door.
“Scarlett,” I called.
She turned around.
“Come back!” I said.
She stood for a moment, blinking. Then she took off her sparkly jacket, threw it on the floor, and ran up to the stage with a big smile on her face. Victoria and Mara took off their sparkly jackets, too.
“Thank you, Lucy!” Scarlett whispered.
I faced the group. “Okay, let’s get into two lines and switch halfway through so everybody gets a turn being in the front row. Just like we practiced.”
We played and sang our song, and the audience went crazy.
The more we sing together,
The more we sing together,
The more the merrier we’ll be!
Hooray! Woo-hoo!
Yippee!
The End,
by Lucy McGee.
THE SONGWRITING CLUB SONGS
Have fun with the songs in this book. You can hear the songs and sing along by going to the special Lucy page: www.maryamato.com/lucy-songs.
You can also find out more about making up your own songs and learning how to play songs on ukulele, piano, or guitar.
THE TOGETHER SONG
(With extra words by Phillip!)
One duck floating in a pond is nice to see.
But a flock floating together is sweeter than sweet.
The more we float together,
the more we float together,
the more the merrier we’ll be.
A lion roaming all alone might want to cry.
But if her friends all join her,
she’s got her pride.
The more we roam together,
the more we roam together,
the more the merrier we’ll be.
A dolphin swimming solo is so odd.
But they have way more fun swimming in a pod.
The more we swim together,
the more we swim together,
the more the merrier we’ll be.
Fish love a school.
Horses love a team.
Wolves love a pack.
That’s what they need.
Happy little clams
love a bed in the sea.
Everybody loves
good company.
Somehow you + you + me equals more than three.
’Cause when we sing together, we sing joyfully.
The more we sing together,
the more we sing together,
the more the merrier we’ll be.
THE HOWL SONG
(Make sure to really let loose when you howl in this song!)
I want to stay in my closet right now.
I want to stay in my closet and howl.
Everyone will hear me
and say, “Wow, oh wow.
We feel sorry for that kid
in the closet.”
Aawooo! Aawooo!
I want to stay in my closet and howl.
Don’t try and make me come out.
Don’t cheer me up,
’Cause I won’t allow it.
Just feel sorry for the kid in the closet.
Aawooo! Aawooo! Aawooo!
HAIR WITH FLAIR JINGLE
Is your hair a nightmare?
I care about hair! I repair hair! Oooh!
I dare to take the scare
right out of your hair!
Oooh!
I’ll turn it into hair with flair!
With your brand-new hair, I declare,
you’ll feel like a millionaire!
WHEN I’M HOME
When I feel sad and shivery,
home is where I want to be.
That’s where I know I belong—
Me and my family.
Oh, when I’m home…
Oh, when I’m home…
So much can happen in an ordinary day.
I know that when I’m home, I’ll be okay.
Though our clothes are kind of worn out,
torn right where they shouldn’t be,
And our hair’s a mess…
Nothing fancy’s fine with me.
Oh, when I’m home…
Oh, when I’m home…
So much can happen in an ordinary day.
I know that when I’m home, I’ll be okay.
Inside jokes and made-up games
and noisy laugh-out-louds.
Sometimes we hug so hard
we knock each other down.
Home Sweet Home, Oh!
Home Sweet Home, Oh!
Home is where I want to go.
There I’ll be okay.
Oh, when I’m home…
Oh, when I’m home…
So much can happen in an ordinary day.
I know that when I’m home, I’ll be okay.
COMING SOON!
Lucky Me,
Read a sneak peek from Lucy’s next adventure….
Chapter One
“Mom!” I yelled. “Have you seen my uke?”
My mom tapped me on the shoulder. “I’m right behind you, Lucy. You don’t have to yell.”
“Sorry!” I hurried past her and looked behind the couch.
“Don’t tell me you lost your ukulele,” she said. “Remember what we talked about?”
I stopped.
Last month I lost my favorite hat. Last week I lost my homework. Last night I lost a library book. I said it was bad luck. My mom said it wasn’t about luck, it was about paying attention. She had to say it three times because I wasn’t paying attention. Then she said if I didn’t get better at paying attention, she’d lose her mind.
I had to find my uke!
“It’s probably in my room,” I said. I smiled, even though I was worried. I had already looked in my bedroom. And in the bathroom. And in every other room in the house. No uke.
“Breakfast, Lucy!” my dad called from the kitchen. “It’s almost time for school!”
My mom said good-bye and left for work.
“Keep an eye on Lily while you eat,” my dad told me before he went to the basement to get a new sponge. I plopped down in my chair and ate a bite of cold toast. Lily sat in her high chair, stuck her fingers in the jelly jar, and then licked them.
“Lily, that’s gross,” I said, and moved the jar away. “Where did Leo go?”
She pointed under the table. “Tutta.”
“Tutta” is Lily’s word for turtle, which meant that my brother had turned himself into a turtle again.
I looked under the table. There he was all curled up, eyes closed.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked. Usually Leo turns himself into a turtle when he’s sad or mad.
He didn’t answer.
“I’m having a bad morning, too,” I whispered. “I can’t find my uke. Have you seen it, Leo? It’s really important.”
He squeezed his eyes tighter.
“It’s going to be a terrible day,” I whispered to Lily. “Why can’t I lose things I don’t like?” I peeked in the lunch bag on the table labeled LUCY MCGEE. “No potato chips! See? Dad put in zucchini sticks again! I hate zucchini. I wouldn’t mind losing all the zucchini in the world!”
“Zuzu!” Lily said. She loves zucchini.
“I’m sorry. That was mean,” I said. “I’m sure zucchini tries hard to be a good vegetable, and I shouldn’t have dissed it.” I leaned in and whispered, “I’m just sad because I lost my uke. Don’t tell Dad!”
Lily smiled and then she reached out and patted me on the head with her gross, jelly-slimed hand. Yep, it was my lucky day.
“Lucy!” Phillip grabbed me as soon as I got to the blacktop, which is where we line up before school starts. Then he saw Resa and called her over. “Guys, guess who’s coming to the Hamil Theater on Saturday?”
“The Queen of England?” Resa joked.
“Wrong,” said Phillip.
“Aliens?” Resa asked.
“No!” Phillip said. “Be serious! They’re playing a concert. I heard about it from Pablo. It’s big news.”
“I know!” Resa said. “Aliens playing ukuleles!”
“Okay,” Phillip said with a smile. “I’d definitely want to see that.” He pulled his uke out of his backpack. “Here’s a hint.” He started strumming a familiar tune. Resa pulled her uke out and started strumming with him. Seeing them play together made me feel even worse. I was ukeless.
Then Phillip started singing, “After all these trips and falls, I’m gonna get up again…”
“Get Up” was a Ben & Bree song. Ben & Bree are stars who sing and play ukulele all over the world. We watch their YouTube videos and try to play their songs in our Songwriting Club.
“Ben and Bree are coming?” I asked.
Phillip nodded and grinned and started singing their song again. That caught the attention of Scarlett, Victoria, and Mara, who ran over and started singing along. Everybody in our Songwriting Club loves Ben & Bree.
“Pablo said that Ben and Bree are doing a concert here on Saturday,” Phillip told them. “We all have to ask our parents to get tickets.”
Scarlett started jumping up and down, and then Victoria and then Mara. “I can’t wait! I love them!”
“It would be so fun if everybody in our Songwriting Club went together,” Resa said. “Don’t Ben and Bree give away a free ukulele at the end of their shows?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Did you just say they give away a ukulele?”
Phillip nodded. “They do it at every concert.”
