by Mary Amato
“You did, too. You wrote a note this morning and passed it to Scarlett and then she passed it to me.”
“I wrote a note saying that I wasn’t worried about her club because you promised to be in my club,” he yelled.
What? I stared at Scarlett.
She wouldn’t look at me. “Who wants another cookie?” she asked.
“Scarlett!” I said. “Did you copy Phillip’s handwriting and make up that note about having one big club?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scarlett said. “I didn’t pass you any note.”
“That’s a lie!” I turned and looked up at Ms. Adamson’s window. “She tricked me, Phillip!”
“Where’s the note?” Scarlett asked. “Prove it.”
I didn’t have the note.
Scarlett picked up Riley’s uke and started strumming even though she didn’t know how. “Okay, everybody. Here’s how my song goes…”
I looked up at poor Phillip all alone in Ms. Adamson’s room.
I was so mad and sad. I had to show Phillip that I was on his side. So I did something crazy. I grabbed my ukulele and stood under Ms. Adamson’s window and made up a song on the spot.
You’re the kind of friend
that everybody needs.
You can bet I won’t forget.
You are the friend for me!
Scarlett laughed in a mean way and said, “Lucy loves Phillip! Lucy loves Phillip!”
“Oh, be quiet, Scarlett,” I said. “I’m just singing a song to a friend. I’m not asking him to marry me.”
Phillip laughed.
Saki stood next to me and started singing the song, and then Riley and Natalie joined in.
You’re the kind of friend
that everybody needs.
You can bet I won’t forget.
You are the friend for me!
“We’re coming in, Phillip!” I called. I started walking toward the school, singing and playing the uke, and it was like follow the leader. They followed me! Pablo and the other fifth graders joined us. I looked back. Even Resa, Victoria, and Mara were following me! (Well, I think Mara was following Pablo.)
Anyway, we were all singing and dancing our way through the school building toward Ms. Adamson’s room. Teachers came out of their rooms to look at us. Mr. Stiles, the custodian, joined in, dancing and singing with his mop.
Phillip was so happy when we all walked in the door and sat down with him in the circle.
Then Scarlett burst in. “This is not fair, Ms. Adamson! Lucy just stole all the people from my songwriting club.”
“They were in Phillip’s club to begin with,” I said.
“Okay,” Ms. Adamson said. “Here’s the deal. Phillip was the first one to have the idea of a songwriting club. He came to me and asked permission. So he gets to be the leader of the Songwriting Club. Anybody who wants to be in the club can join. Anybody who wants to have their own songwriting club can do that at home.”
“That’s fine with me,” Scarlett said. “I have a very nice Music Cottage. And cookies. Come on, everybody.” Scarlett went over to the door and waited.
Nobody moved.
“Sorry, Scarlett,” Victoria said. “But this club looks more fun.”
“It is fun,” Riley said. “And we have our own cookies!”
Riley, Saki, Natalie, Phillip, and Ms. Adamson all laughed at the joke. My tin of bug cookies was still sitting on Ms. Adamson’s desk. I had forgotten to take them home.
Scarlett grabbed the tin. “Those were supposed to be for my club, Lucy McGee. No take-backs!” She opened my tin.
“Wait!” I said.
She stuffed one of my cookies in her mouth.
Phillip, Saki, Natalie, Riley, and Ms. Adamson gasped.
Scarlett stuffed another cookie in her mouth.
“Scarlett, you might want to take a closer look at what you’re eating,” I said.
She stopped and looked. Her eyes got big. “Bugs!” she screamed. She ran to the trash can and spit out the cookie. Then she dropped the tin on the floor and ran out the door.
Phillip smiled and picked up the cookies. “I think I’ll have one.” He lifted a cookie to his mouth, and we all froze. “Just kidding! Let’s make up some verses for Lucy’s new song.”
Phillip started to teach the new people how to strum.
After a few minutes, Scarlett peeked in the door. She had a puppy face like Leo gets when he wants to play whatever game I’m playing.
“Do you want to join Phillip’s club?” Ms. Adamson asked her.
Scarlett nodded and held out her box of cookies. “I’ll share my cookies.”
It’s hard not to feel sorry for somebody who gets a bug in her cookie and loses her friends in one day, even if she kind of deserved it.
“Okay,” Phillip said. “As long as you don’t try to take over.”
“I would never do that!” Scarlett said. She ran in and handed the cookies to Phillip and sat next to Victoria. And she didn’t try to take over!
We actually had fun singing and playing together.
Some days are good.
Some days are bad.
This is the best day I ever had.
Hey, that’s another rhyme from me, Lucy McGee. See you later!
The End
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 on my site: http://www.maryamato.com/lucy-songs/. You can also find out more about making up your own songs and learning how to play songs on a ukulele, piano, or guitar.
THE CLEANING SONG
Oh…I got a bucket and a brand-new sponge and I went to a dirty old shed.
I scrubbed the walls and the ceiling and the floor until my arms were dead.
There were beetles and bugs and ants and slugs and spiderwebs all droopy.
And hiding in the corner were some little brown bits where I think a mouse went…oopsy!
(Notice that I changed the last word! If you are singing the song in the shower at home, you can sing it however you want. But if you are singing the song in school or on TV or for old people who faint easily, “oopsy” will be a better choice!)
THE PIGGY SONG
We are the Piggies.
We love our cuddly blanket.
We play so much upon it
we actually should thank it.
Wrap a little piggy
in a blanky…so snug!
Come on, little Piggies,
have a Big Pig Hug.
We wag our tails,
and we wiggle them some more.
We say, “Oink oink.”
Then we sleep and snore.
Wrap a little piggy
in a blanky…so snug!
Come on, little Piggies,
have a Big Pig Hug.
THE COOKIE SONG
Gimme chocolate chip cookies,
and peanut butter, too!
Gimme dulce le leche
cookies from Peru.
Gimme gingersnaps and oatmeal
and snickerdoodle-doos
and all the coconut cookies
they got in Honolulu!
Just don’t give me cookies
with bugs ’cuz it’s true,
dead bug bodies are
very hard to, very hard to,
very hard to chew.
THE FRIEND SONG
You’d rescue me
if I lost my way.
You’d write a funny
song for me to play.
You’d share your last
potato chips and say,
“You’ll be okay. Hey, hey, hey!”
You’re the kind of friend
that everybody needs.
You can bet I won’t forget.
You are the friend for me.
I make mistakes,
a hundred every day.
I played some tricks
before, I’m sad to say.
make you feel okay.
Okay! Hey, hey, hey!
You’re the kind of friend
that everybody needs.
You can bet I won’t forget.
You are the friend for me.
My friend Phillip Lee walked up to me with a strange look on his face. “Lucy,” he whispered. “We need to spy.”
We were having indoor recess because of rain, and I was in the Reading Corner of Mrs. Brock’s room. Although the book I was reading about animals was good, there is nothing like the word “spy” to grab your attention.
“Who are we spying on?” I asked.
“Scarlett. She’s talking about the talent show,” Phillip said.
Phillip took my book, and we crept over to the carpet near the cubbies and sat down. We pretended to look at the book, but we were spying. Scarlett and Victoria and Mara were talking on the other side of the cubby wall.
“Ms. Adamson said the talent show is for fourth and fifth graders only, which means it will be really good,” Scarlett said. “Little kids would make it babyish.”
“So babyish,” Victoria said.
“I’m going to write a special song for us,” Scarlett went on. “We’ll be the best in the whole show.”
“Is our group going to be just the three of us singing?” Mara asked. “Or all the fourth and fifth graders in the Songwriting Club?”
“Everybody except Lucy and Phillip,” Scarlett said. “Don’t tell them.”
Phillip and I looked at each other. Scarlett wanted to leave us out?
“I’m going to write my song today,” Scarlett whispered. “Let’s have a secret group meeting tomorrow at recess to practice.”
I couldn’t believe it. A secret group without me and Phillip? That hurt.
Just then, Mrs. Brock walked by. “What are you two doing?” she asked us.
“Just reading,” I said quickly, looking down at the book.
The girls stopped talking, and Scarlett peeked out.
Phillip pointed to the open page. “Mrs. Brock, did you know that a group of monkeys is called a troop, and a group of dolphins is called a pod, and a group of lions is called a pride?”
“I did,” Mrs. Brock said. “Animal group names are interesting. I’m glad you’re enjoying that book.”
Our teacher went to her desk, and Phillip and I raced back to the Reading Corner.
“We’re all in the Songwriting Club together,” I said. “It isn’t fair for Scarlett to leave us out. You’re the one who started the club, Phillip.”
“I know! And you’re our best songwriter, Lucy,” Phillip said. “The club should sing and play one of your songs at the show.”
An idea popped into my head. “Let’s try to write a great song,” I said. “We can make it better than Scarlett’s song. When everybody hears our song, they’ll want to sing and play with us for the show.”
Phillip smiled. “That’s brilliant! We have to make it a catchy song. Everybody loves a catchy song.”
My heart started dancing with excitement. If you are wondering what that feels like, just imagine a troop of tiny monkeys having a party inside you. “Let’s do it right now!”
The bell rang.
“Recess is over,” Mrs. Brock said. “Clean up and get ready for math!”
Math?
The party was over. It felt like a herd of elephants had stomped in and chased the monkeys away!
MARY AMATO is not just an author of terrific books. She also founded a puppet theater company and is a songwriter and musician who performs regularly in the Washington, D.C., area. Her books for children include The Riot Brothers books, The Word Eater, Guitar Notes, and Please Write in This Book. She lives in Hyattsville, Maryland.
