by Monica Brown
“The first part of this surprise is that we will be partnering with the kindergartners for this project,” Ms. Garcia says. “They will be your little buddies, and I expect that all of you second graders will show them what it means to listen, follow directions, raise your hand when you want to speak, and most importantly, respect others. Can you do this?”
“Yes!” we say together, and just then there’s a knock at the door. Ms. Garcia opens the door, and a parade of kindergartners walks in.
I see my brother right away. He looks little and nervous and immediately comes over to sit by me. I try not to laugh at his slicked-back hair.
“Which one is Mira?” I whisper to him. He points to the girl sitting next to Alyssa. Mira has bright red hair and is even smaller than Ben. She’s holding Alyssa’s hand and looks scared. I smile.
“How’s the paint sharing going, Ben?” I ask.
“Pretty good,” he says with a mouth-guard-free smile.
“Attention, please,” Ms. Garcia says in a voice that gets everyone’s attention. “Today we are going to learn how to turn garbage into soil for our school garden using nature’s best recyclers!” Then Ms. Garcia reaches into the red bucket and pulls out a handful of squirmy, gooey red worms.
“These are called red wigglers, and they are going to help us compost!” Ms. Garcia says. All of a sudden, I hear a big gulp. I look at Ben. He seems a little pale. Uh-oh.
“All we need,” Ms. Garcia goes on, “is shredded newspapers, sand, a little water, the fruit and vegetable leftovers from your lunch boxes, and our worm friends, and we have something we call vermicomposting. Can you say ‘vermicomposting’?”
“Vermicomposting,” the class repeats.
“How does it work?” Juan asks.
“Well, the worms eat the garbage, and their poop turns into nutritious fertilizer that we’ll use in our class garden,” Ms. Garcia says. Ben grabs my hand, and I get worried.
“Worm poop…,” he whispers. I can tell he’s trying not to look up at Ms. Garcia’s red wigglers.
“Are you okay?” I ask. He shakes his head. He is definitely not okay. I’m trying to decide what to do as Ms. Garcia goes on with her explanation.
“We leave this pan under the plastic container, which has holes in it to capture the liquid that drips through the compost…. We call this liquid worm tea, and it’s a great plant food. It also scares away other insects.”
“Worm tea?” Ben says, and that’s it. He starts gagging. I raise my hand, but I’m already pulling Ben out of the classroom and out the door so he can have some fresh air.
“He’s going to be sick!” I tell Ms. Garcia.
We make it outside, but I know it’s too late. I’m just lucky we make it to the garbage can. Poor Ben. I try to be like Mom and pat his back. Ms. Garcia walks toward us, and it looks like half the class is staring out the window. Great.
“He has a weak stomach,” I tell her. “He’ll be okay.”
“Still, why don’t you take him to the nurse to be sure,” says Ms. Garcia, and she heads back to the classroom.
I take him to the drinking fountain to rinse his mouth first, and suddenly, there’s a little red-haired girl beside us. It’s Mira.
“Ben, are you okay?” Mira asks. Ben is red with embarrassment, but then Mira takes his hand. He smiles, and I think he forgets he just threw up in front of forty kids.
“Ms. Garcia says I can walk with Ben to the nurse’s office,” Mira tells me.
“Thanks, Mira.” I smile, and the three of us go see Nurse Mary.
I’m pretty sure Ben will be fine now that he’s not in sight of the worms. Nurse Mary decides that Ben won’t go back to the classroom until science class is over. She takes him to the library, and Mira and I walk back to the classroom together.
I take Mira over to Alyssa and say, “You know, Alyssa, you have an awesome sister.”
“I know,” Alyssa says, and she actually smiles at me, maybe for the first time ever. I decide that any girl with a little sister as cool as Mira can’t be all bad, so I smile back.
“Want to help us bury worms in garbage?” Alyssa asks, and I say okay. But when I start talking to the red wigglers, Alyssa rolls her eyes and snorts.
I’m in such a good mood, it doesn’t bother me one bit.
Chapter Eight
Hello, Good-Bye, and Peace
My name is Lola Levine, and the truth is I’d rather jump on the bed than go to bed. Who wants to sleep when there are so many fun things to do? I’d much rather be reading or painting or writing in my diary or playing soccer, or even burying worms in garbage with my worst enemy. Of course, Mom doesn’t like the word “enemy.” She’d prefer I didn’t use it. After everything that has happened in second grade so far, I can see why.
I can’t sleep. I’m meeting Josh in the park after school tomorrow to play soccer, because he’s my super best friend and he doesn’t care if I play like a normal person or not. I’m trying to think of a new nickname for him—something as cool as Lola Levine, Soccer Queen. But I can’t think of anything. Josh Blot, Polka Dot? Josh Blot, Pepper Pot? Laughs a Lot? Tip-top? Maybe not.
Oh, well. I’ll just go to sleep. But first I write a quick note in my diary.
Dear Diario,
Things are pretty great. We are going to get a kitty this summer, and I can hardly wait. I wonder if kitties like soccer. I sure do. The Orange Smoothies’ spring season starts next week. Of course, I’ll wear my T-shirt that says MY GOAL IS STOPPING YOURS! I can’t wait!
Most importantly, though, I have a super best friend who I like very much and the most awesome family in the whole wide world.
Shalom,
Lola Levine,
Soccer Queen
P.S. Meow! ¡Miau!
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CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter One
Hello, Good-Bye, and Peace
Chapter Two
The Orange Smoothies
Chapter Three
Five-Minute Warning Bell
Chapter Four
Mean Lola Levine
Chapter Five
Pencil Power
Chapter Six
Meow! ¡Miau!
Chapter Seven
Wriggly Science
Chapter Eight
Hello, Good-Bye, and Peace
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Monica Brown
Soccer ball designed by Ruben Sheep—thenounproject.com
Cover art by Angela Dominguez
Cover design by Marcie Lawrence
Cover © 2015 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: November 2015
ISBN 978-0-316-25838-8
E3
