by Barbara Park
But all of a sudden, Jim plopped down on the floor. And he wouldn’t even budge.
I stared and stared at the top of his head.
“Okay…this doesn’t actually seem like that good of a start for us, Jim,” I said.
He looked up at me.
“I know,” he said. “But I can’t tell the teacher that I like you. I can’t tell anyone. If I tell people, it will ruin everything.”
I wrinkled my eyebrows.
“Everything like what?” I said.
“Like all my friends will know I like girls. And that will be embarrassing,” he said. “Plus Room Nine won’t ever be the same again.”
I didn’t understand.
“Why, Jim? Why won’t it be the same?” I asked.
“Because it will be dull and boring, that’s why,” he said. “Because if you and I like each other, then I won’t tease you anymore. And if I don’t tease you, then you won’t tease me back. And that means you won’t shout silly, funny stuff at me that makes people laugh.”
He rocked back and forth on his feet very bashful.
“You make Room Nine sparky,” he said kind of quiet.
After that, he smiled very cute. And he poked my arm with his finger. And he made a sparky sound.
“Zzzzt!” he said. “Zzzzt! Zzzzt!”
I laughed very loud. And I sparked him right back.
“Zzzzt! Zzzzt!” I said.
And so guess what? Then me and that silly guy started chasing each other all over Room Nine. And we kept poking and sparking! And it was the funnest game I ever even heard of!
Only too bad for us. Because all of a sudden, we heard a noise at the door.
Oh no!
It was Mrs.
She caught us in the room!
“Hey! What’s going on in here?” she said. “You two are supposed to be on the playground.”
Me and Jim stopped very fast.
Then Jim looked nervous at me. ’Cause he was afraid I would tell his secret, I think.
All of a sudden, I pointed to him kind of mad.
“It’s his fault, Mrs.,” I said. “’Cause Jim poked me and made a sparky sound. And then I had to poke him back and make a sparky sound, too. Only he couldn’t let that be the end of it. And so pretty soon we were chasing and sparking, and chasing and sparking. Only just now you came in the door. And so the chasing and sparking are over, apparently. And so we will just be on our way to the playground, I believe.”
I tapped on her.
“Pardon me while I get by,” I said very polite.
Mrs. rolled her eyes way back in her head.
“Honestly, you two. It’s Valentine’s Day,” she said. “Can’t you get along for just one day?”
After that, she took us by our hands. And she marched us outside.
We waited for her to leave.
Then he looked at me kind of shy.
“You did good,” he said. “Thank you for not telling my secret.”
I smiled at that nice boy.
“That’s okay. Thank you for my mushy gushy valentime,” I said back.
After that, I faced my eyeball at him.
“Wink, wink, Jim,” I said. “Wink, wink, wink.”
And guess what?
Jim pointed his eyeball right back at me. And he winked very perfect!
After that, we runned off to play with our friends. Or else people might think we liked each other. And that would ruin everything!
That is how come I never ever told anybody about Jim’s secret. Not even my bestest friends, Lucille and Grace.
’Cause Meanie Jim is the bestest secret admirer I ever had.
And guess what else?
Room Nine is still staying sparky!
Zzzzt!
Laugh out loud with Junie B. Jones!
#1 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
#2 Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business
#3 Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth
#4 Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying
#5 Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake
#6 Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim’s Birthday
#7 Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren
#8 Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed
#9 Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook
#10 Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal
#11 Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy
#12 Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy
#13 Junie B. Jones Is (almost) a Flower Girl
#14 Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime
#15 Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket
#16 Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day
#17 Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl
#18 Junie B., First Grader (at last!)
#19 Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch
#20 Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder
#21 Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants
#22 Junie B., First Grader: One-Man Band
#23 Junie B., First Grader: Shipwrecked
#24 Junie B., First Grader: BOO…and I MEAN It!
#25 Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.)
#26 Junie B., First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha!
#27 Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny
Top-Secret Personal Beeswax: A Journal by Junie B. (and me!)
Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School
Text copyright © 1999 by Barbara Park
Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Denise Brunkus
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Park, Barbara.
Junie B. Jones and the mushy gushy valentime [i.e. valentine]/by Barbara Park; illustrated by Denise Brunkus.
p. cm. “A stepping stone book.”
SUMMARY: When Junie B. Jones receives a mushy gushy “valentime” on Valentine’s Day, she tries to find out who in her kindergarten class is her secret admirer.
eISBN: 978-0-307-75480-6
[1. Valentine’s Day—Fiction. 2 Valentines—Fiction.
3. Kindergarten—Fiction. 4. Schools—Fiction.]
I. Brunkus, Denise, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.P2197Jtslm 1999 [Fic]—dc21 99-40615
A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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