by Brann Garvey
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Cast of Characters
Chapter 1: Tuesday
Chapter 2: Wednesday
Chapter 3: Thursday
Chapter 4: Later Thursday
Chapter 5: Friday
Chapter 6: Saturday
Chapter 7: Sunday
Chapter 8: P.S.
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Writing Prompts
More Fun with Claudia!
Explore More
Copyright
Back Cover
Cast of Characters
CLAUDIA That’s me. I’m thirteen, and I’m in the seventh grade at Pine Tree Middle School. I live with my mom, my dad, and my brother, Jimmy. I have one cat, Ping-Ping. I like music, baseball, and hanging out with my friends.
RANDI lives in Florida. She’s in the same grade that I am. She loves snorkeling, playing volleyball, and eating hot dogs. She and her brother, Mason, live in a house near the motel where my family is staying in Florida.
MASON is Randi’s big brother. He’s in eighth grade. He’s really nice! He loves watching movies and playing dominoes. He told me that his favorite food is hamburgers. We have a lot of fun together!
MOM is the person who makes sure we all do what we’re supposed to. On vacation, she plans meals, organizes sightseeing, and helps with cooking.
DAD is usually boring. That’s why it’s a big surprise that he planned a trip to Florida for us!
JIMMY is my big brother. He’s obsessed with videogames and computers. He doesn’t talk to me very much, except when I do something to annoy him. I usually try to stay out of his way, but sometimes he helps me out.
UNCLE DIEGO is my dad’s brother. He spends a lot of time at our house. I really like Uncle Diego. He treats me like a grownup and always gives me good advice. He likes playing the guitar and eating sandwiches.
GRANDMA is my favorite person in the whole world. She teaches me big words and we read books together. She lives near us, so I see her at least once a week.
ALISHA is my seven-year-old cousin. She’s always crabby and never smiles. As far as I can tell, the only thing she really likes to do is complain about everything.
JOSE is Alisha’s six-year-old brother. He likes watching TV. He’s also obsessed with pirates. If Jose isn’t watching cartoons, he is trying to figure out a way to watch cartoons.
GABE is Alisha and Jose’s three-year-old brother. The only thing Gabe likes to do is cry. He’s pretty cute, but he’s always getting into my stuff and wrecking things.
AUNT MARIA and UNCLE RENALDO are Alisha, Jose, and Gabe’s parents. Aunt Maria is Dad’s sister.
GREAT-AUNT LOUISA and GREAT-UNCLE SAM don’t have any kids. Great-Uncle Sam is Grandma’s brother.
GREAT-GRANDPA is Grandma and Great-Uncle Sam’s father. He’s turning 85, and we’re going to Florida to celebrate his birthday!
BRAD TURINO is the guy I like at school. He’s a star on the football team. He’s also a really, really nice guy.
CHAPTER 1
Tuesday
Surprise
My father is dependable and boring. He wears a suit and goes to work before I get up, six days a week. He comes home at 6:15 every night. Then he reads the newspaper, eats dinner, watches TV, and goes to bed.
He does that every day except Sunday. Dad’s computer store is closed on Sunday, but he still gets up early. He reads the newspaper in the morning. Then he works around the house and watches sports on TV.
Every Sunday.
Today wasn’t Sunday. It was Tuesday. When I went to the kitchen, Dad was at the breakfast table reading the newspaper.
I stopped and stared. I was too surprised to talk. It was as shocking as if a T. rex had just squashed our kitchen.
Dad looked at his watch. “It’s after eight,” he said. “Aren’t you late for school?”
“No school,” I said. I was on winter break, but Dad doesn’t take breaks. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
My mom handed me a glass of orange juice. “Sit down, Claudia,” she said. “Your father has something to tell you.”
My throat closed up. I thought that something terrible must have happened. “Am I failing math?” I asked. “Are we moving? Did someone die?” I gasped. “Is something wrong with Grandma?”
“Well, she’s going away for a while,” Dad said.
“She can’t!” I exclaimed. Grandma understood me. She listened to me, and she almost never yelled. She was always FAIR, even when I did something AWFUL and didn’t deserve it.
“I’ll miss her,” I said sadly.
“You’ll have plenty of time with her,” Dad said. “It’s a long drive to Florida.”
Mom smiled. I frowned.
My older brother, Jimmy, walked in and rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me,” he said.
I blinked. “Is Jimmy going to Florida?” I asked.
“We’re all going,” Dad said. “To the Gulf of Mexico. With Grandma.”
“And Aunt Maria’s family,” Mom added. “Your Great-Grandpa Cortez will be eighty-five next Sunday. We’re celebrating his birthday on the beach. We’ll have a big party.”
“When are we leaving?” I asked.
“First thing tomorrow,” Dad answered.
“WOO-HOO!” I shrieked. I jumped out of my chair. “I’ve got to pack!” I yelled.
“One suitcase per person,” Dad said.
“Okay!” I said. I ran upstairs to my room, but I didn’t start packing. First, I took a new spiral notebook out of my desk.
I’d never been to Florida or seen the Gulf of Mexico. I wanted to write everything down.
I opened the notebook to the first page and wrote:
Claudia’s Fabulous Florida Vacation Journal
I turned to the next page and wrote:
Market Street. Tuesday, 8:14 a.m.
I love vacations! No school, and no chores! Just fun!
To Do List
My To Do List
PACK!
Tell friends I’m leaving
Say goodbye to Ping-Ping
Jimmy was ready to leave in fifteen minutes. He packed his video games first. They almost filled up his suitcase. He stuffed clothes in the empty spaces. He was bringing three t-shirts, two pair of shorts, a bathing suit, underwear, and flip-flops.
“That’s not enough clothes for a week,” I said.
“We’re going to the beach,” Jimmy explained. “All I need is a bathing suit.”
That made sense, but I wanted to be ready for ANYTHING.
I put my favorite outfits in the washer. Then I helped Mom make sandwiches and pack snacks for the car.
“There must be something I don’t like about vacations,” I said. “But I can’t think of anything.”
“Sunscreen!” Mom exclaimed.
“I love sunscreen,” I said. “I’d rather be slippery than sunburned.”
“Get it now so we don’t forget,” Mom said. “I’ll check the laundry.”
I found two tubes of sunscreen in the bathroom. I took them downstairs and slipped them into my suitcase.
Then Dad walked in, carrying a big plastic cat carrier. “Come on, Claudia,” he said. “We’ve got to take Ping-Ping to the vet.”
My cat hates going to the vet when we’re gone. I hate taking her, but someone has to feed her.
I wish I could explain that to her, but I don’t speak cat. Ping-Ping probably thinks I’m never coming back.
Claudia’s Fabulous Florida Vacation Journal
Market Street. Tuesday, 3:37 p.m.
I thought of two things I don’t like about going on vacation: feeling guilty about
leaving my cat and missing my friends. I promised to send postcards to Becca and Monica, my best friends.
Packing List
I put everything I couldn’t live without on my bed. The pile was a lot bigger than my suitcase. So I packed the most important stuff first.
Clothes: bathing suit, shorts, tops, jeans, sandals, pajamas, a skirt, a sweater, sweats, underwear, and socks.
Bathroom supplies: toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, brush, and shampoo with conditioner. And my Pearly Pink lip gloss stick.
Books: Two new books, to read if I’m bored (or if it’s raining).
Beach gear: sunglasses, flip-flops, hat, beach towel, snorkel, goggles, and fins.
Flashlight.
The latest issues of my favorite magazines.
I flipped the top of my suitcase over, but I couldn’t zip it closed. It was too full!
I couldn’t leave my swimming stuff behind. I was going to the beach!
I needed my books and magazines, and I needed my flashlight so I could read under the covers.
I absolutely had to have my bathroom supplies. Besides, they didn’t take up much room. But something had to go.
Jimmy was right. We wouldn’t need a lot of clothes at the beach. I kept my flip-flops, jeans, and sweater, but I took out the sandals, skirt, and sweats. I had to sit on my suitcase and BOUNCE to smash things down. I finally got it closed.
Claudia’s Fabulous Florida Vacation Journal
Market Street. Tuesday, 10:10 p.m.
I can’t sleep. It’s too quiet, and I’m too excited. My dad isn’t as boring as I thought he was. We’re going to Florida!
CHAPTER 2
Wednesday
Hitting the Road
Uncle Diego slept at our house. He was already awake when I got up. He helped my dad load the car. Then we headed to Grandma’s house.
When we got there, Grandma wasn’t ready.
“It’s after eight, Mom,” Dad said.
“I know,” Grandma said. She smiled and went back inside.
Dad can hurry up Mom, Jimmy, Uncle Diego, and me, but he can’t rush Grandma.
Grandma came back with two suitcases.
“You can only bring one,” Dad said.
“I need two,” Grandma said.
Dad sighed, but he didn’t ARGUE. He stuffed both bags in the carrier on top of the car. Then he opened the side door. “You can sit in the middle with Claudia,” Dad told Grandma.
Uncle Diego and Jimmy were in back. Mom sat up front with Dad.
“After I use the bathroom,” Grandma said. She went back inside.
Dad checked his watch. He tapped his foot and sighed, but he didn’t argue.
Claudia’s Fabulous Florida Vacation Journal
Grandma’s House. Wednesday, 8:13 a.m.
When you’re old, nobody makes you wait to use a bathroom.
Driving Me Crazy
Road trips can be fun or boring. Long drives with my family are a little bit of both.
Mom and Dad don’t like teenager music. So I started learning the words to old rock-and-roll songs. That was fun. Until the station got fuzzy.
“ … do-wah ditty ditty dum … ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!”
“Static AGAIN?” I yelled, throwing up my hands. We had to find a new station every fifteen minutes. “Let’s listen to my Bad Dog CD,” I suggested. Bad Dog is my all-time favorite band.
“I’ll find something,” Dad said.
“We wouldn’t lose the station if we had satellite radio,” Jimmy said. He’s a high-tech expert.
“Why should I pay for something I can get for free?” Dad asked.
“Right now, you’re only getting five seconds of music for free. Then you get FUZZ. You get five seconds of twenty different stations for free,” Uncle Diego said. He rubbed his nose and closed his eyes.
Finally, my dad got a music station on the radio. Uncle Diego started SNORING.
I started feeling bored. My mom could read in the car, but it always made me sick to my stomach. I looked for license plates and wrote the states down in my journal. I dozed off. I was tired after being up late the night before. But I only slept a few minutes. Then I ate a sandwich and drank a soda.
Dad stopped at a rest area when Grandma had to go. Just in time, too. I was about to burst!
When we got in the car again, Grandma asked, “Who wants to play the alphabet game?”
“Can we use any letter we see?” Uncle Diego asked.
“Only letters that begin a word or stand alone,” Grandma said. “And no license plates. That’s the rule. It’s not fun if it’s too easy.”
Uncle Diego went back to sleep.
Grandma and I played the alphabet game all the way through. TWICE.
Claudia’s Fabulous Florida Vacation Journal
Interstate 75, somewhere in Georgia. Wednesday, 5:12 p.m.
We just keep driving and driving and driving. On an endless road that never gets out of Georgia!
Overnight
Dad stopped at a motel with a restaurant. It was just after dark. We were all starved, but he wanted to get our rooms first.
“We’ll RELAX and EAT,” Dad said. “Then we’ll get a good night’s sleep.”
I had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries at the restaurant. Then we went to our rooms. Dad, Uncle Diego, and Jimmy shared one room. Mom, Grandma, and I had another. Grandma and Mom watched the news on TV. I read another chapter of my book.
Claudia’s Fabulous Florida Vacation Journal
Interstate 75, somewhere in Florida. Wednesday, 9:47 p.m.
Motel pillows are too squishy.
CHAPTER 3
Thursday
Blue Dolphin
The morning drive went fast. Mom and I sang silly old songs. Grandma helped me look for license plates. We had 18 states when we arrived at our motel in Florida.
We stopped at a place called The Blue Dolphin Motel. It was right on the beach. I couldn’t see the Gulf of Mexico from the parking lot. The swimming pool and a snack shack were in the way. The snack shack was built on a wide deck.
“Is the snack shack roof made of palm tree leaves?” I asked.
“They’re called FRONDS,” Grandma said. She never missed a chance to teach me a new word.
We walked past the snack shack and toward the beach. I gasped when I saw the water. The Gulf of Mexico was huge!
The waves were small, but the water stretched all the way to the horizon. I couldn’t wait to get in it.
I kicked off my shoes and socks. I started to walk. But the sand was burning hot! I ran and jumped into the water. It felt fantastic on my sizzling feet.
I waded in the surf for a few minutes. Then Dad called me back to unpack.
I didn’t have to share a room with Grandma. She was staying in a beach house with Great-Grandpa Cortez, Great-Aunt Louisa, and Great-Uncle Sam.
I wasn’t sharing a room with Mom and Dad, either. Or with Uncle Diego and Jimmy.
I was STUCK with my three little cousins.
Aunt Maria and Uncle Renaldo have three kids, Alisha, Jose, and Gabe. I had to watch them last Thanksgiving while Aunt Maria, Mom, and Grandma made dinner. Those three cousins are on my Things I Can’t Stand list.
Claudia’s Things I Can’t Stand List
1. Getting a cavity filled
2. My cousins
3. Splinters
“Mom!” Alisha, who was seven, YELLED when I walked in. “Claudia’s getting wet sand all over our room!”
“No, I’m not!” I said. She was right that my bare feet were wet, but I had rinsed the sand off outside. There was a shower and a foot faucet. That was to keep people from tracking sand into their motel rooms.
Alisha stuck her tongue out. She was SPOILED and SNOTTY. I couldn’t stand her.
There was a bathroom between our room and Aunt Maria’s room. Alisha BANGED on her mom’s door. Her mom didn’t answer.
Jose turned up the volume on the TV. He was six. He never said or did much. He just watched carto
ons.
My suitcase was on one of the beds. Someone had opened it. I sighed and walked over to the bed.
Something rattled on the floor.
I rushed over and looked down. Three-year-old Gabe was playing with my bathroom stuff.
“Those are mine,” I said. Gabe wasn’t mean like Alisha or weird like Jose. He was just the youngest. So he thought he could have everything he wanted.
“Mine,” Gabe told me. He bit the end off my lip gloss.
“No!” I yelled. I took the case out of his hand. Only a little bit of gloss was left. It was covered with little kid germs.
Gabe spit out the glob of gloss. Then he started to cry.
“Shut up, Gabe!” Alisha yelled, covering her ears.
Jose didn’t say anything. He just turned up the sound on the TV.
I gave Gabe my swim goggles. He chewed on the strap and stopped crying.
“Is this a good book?” Alisha asked. She was sitting on the bed, next to my suitcase. She picked up my book and opened it.
“Yes,” I told her. “Don’t lose my place!” I didn’t speak fast enough. My bookmark fell out.
“It can’t be that good. There aren’t any pictures,” Alisha told me. She threw the book back in my suitcase.
“Leave my stuff alone, okay?” I asked quietly. I bent over to pick up my bathroom things.
Alisha stuck my snorkel in her mouth. YUCK!
“Mine!” Gabe yelled. He reached for the snorkel. Alisha held it out of reach. Gabe SCREAMED.
Jose turned up the TV again.
I gave Alisha one of my magazines and let Gabe have the snorkel. Then I turned the TV down.
Then Jose turned the sound up again. Louder.
