Liz and the Nosy Neighbor

by Callie Barkley

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 - Art Is Everywhere

  Chapter 2 - Friday Is for Friends!

  Chapter 3 - The New Neighbor

  Chapter 4 - Liz’s Secret

  Chapter 5 - Something Smells Fishy

  Chapter 6 - Grains of an Idea

  Chapter 7 - Backyard Spy!

  Chapter 8 - Not So Loud and Clear

  Chapter 9 - Find That Critter!

  Chapter 10 - Diorama Day

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Chapter 1

  Art Is Everywhere

  Liz Jenkins opened her locker. She reached inside and unzipped her backpack.

  Her best friend Ellie Mitchell appeared at her side. “Can I see how it turned out?” Ellie asked.

  The whole class had just come from the art room. They had finished their cut-paper collages—a project they’d worked on for a few weeks. Liz was excited to take hers home.

  Liz unrolled her collage.

  “Another Liz Jenkins masterpiece!” Ellie said.

  Liz smiled. “Aw, thanks, Ellie,” she said. She asked to see Ellie’s art. It was ablaze with reds, oranges, and yellows. “I love the colors!” Liz exclaimed.

  “Me too,” Ellie agreed. “But I wasn’t really thinking about the pattern. Yours is so planned out.”

  Liz had put a lot of thought into the layout. She was going for a swirly, Starry Night look. Like Vincent Van Gogh, one of her favorite artists.

  Just then, their teacher, Mrs. Sienna, poked her head into the hallway. “Come in and let’s get settled for science,” she told them.

  So Liz and Ellie put their artwork in their lockers. “Ellie,” Liz whispered as they walked into class, “did you give Mrs. Sienna your note?”

  “I almost forgot!” Ellie pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. “I’ll do it now.”

  Now everything was set. Liz knew that her other best friends, Marion Ballard and Amy Purvis, had handed in the notes their parents had written too. They were all coming home with Liz for a Friday night sleepover!

  The girls had a lot to talk about, like stocking up on supplies at The Critter Club. That was the animal rescue shelter the four friends had started.

  This week, they were going to be pet sitting some fish called neon tetras. The Critter Club had to be ready for their guests!

  But right now, Liz had to concentrate on science. Mrs. Sienna was telling them about their next science unit. It was on animal habitats.

  Isn’t that just a science-y way of saying home? Liz wondered.

  Mrs. Sienna held up a shoebox. “We are going to be making animal habitat dioramas,” she said. “Like this one.”

  Mrs. Sienna turned the box sideways to show the inside. It had been decorated to look like a flower garden! A paper hummingbird was suspended by a string from one side of the box. It looked like it was hovering next to a flower.

  “Each of you will choose an animal,” Mrs. Sienna went on. “Any animal you wish! Then, your assignment is to create a scene of that animal in its habitat.”

  Liz heard the words create and scene. It made her think . . . art! Art and animals! Liz’s two favorite things!

  “So,” said Mrs. Sienna, “your homework for the weekend—”

  Some students groaned.

  “Don’t worry,” Mrs. Sienna said with a smile. “All you need to do is pick your animal. On Monday, I will meet with each of you. You can tell me what you’ve decided.”

  Liz nodded. Decisions weren’t always easy for her. But she could do this. She could choose an animal by Monday.

  This was going to be fun!

  Chapter 2

  Friday Is for Friends!

  At dismissal, Liz’s dad picked the girls up from school. They piled into the back of the Jenkins family van.

  “How about pizza tonight?” Mr. Jenkins asked. “I bought some whole-wheat dough. We can make personal-size pizzas. Each of you can choose your own toppings.”

  “Sounds great!” said Marion.

  “Yum!” said Amy.

  “I love pizza!” cried Ellie.

  Within minutes, they were at Liz’s house. Amy noticed two big trucks parked next door. “What’s going on at your neighbor’s?” Amy asked.

  Mr. Jenkins explained. “Oh, our old neighbors, the Wallaces, recently moved. A new family is moving in today.”

  Ellie pointed at bikes parked next to one of the trucks. “One of those looks like a kid’s bike!” she said.

  Liz peered out the car window. Ellie was right. “Maybe it’s someone our age!” she said hopefully.

  Liz led the way up to her bedroom. The girls put down their backpacks.

  “What should we do first?” Liz asked them. “Snack? Game? Movie?”

  Marion shook her head. “Homework first!” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Liz, Amy, and Ellie gasped.

  “On a Friday afternoon?” Amy said. “Marion, even you aren’t that organized.”

  Marion laughed. “You’re right,” she replied. “But hey! I think I already know my animal for that science project. Zebras! I’ve always wondered how similar they are to horses.”

  Amy spoke up next. “I’m going to choose wolves,” she said. “Maybe the kind that live in the Arctic.”

  Ellie clapped excitedly. “I want to do some kind of tropical bird,” she said. “Like Lenny.” That was Ellie’s grandmother’s pet parrot. “Something colorful,” she added dreamily.

  The three friends turned to Liz. “How about you?” Amy asked her.

  Liz was amazed. “You all have such good ideas already!” she said.

  Ellie threw an arm around Liz’s shoulder. “Yeah,” Ellie interrupted. “But we know your diorama will be the most artistic one!”

  Amy and Marion nodded in agreement.

  Liz beamed. Their faith in her made her feel so happy.

  “So what animal are you going to choose?” Amy asked.

  Liz opened her mouth to answer. And nothing came out. She didn’t know! But she wanted it to be really good. Her friends were expecting the best.

  Just then, there was a knock at the bedroom door.

  Liz’s mom poked her head in. “I made oatmeal cookies,” she said. “Anyone hungry?”

  The girls jumped up. “Yes!” Liz exclaimed.

  They all headed downstairs to the kitchen. On the way, Mrs. Jenkins asked them a favor.

  “I baked way too many cookies,” she said. “Would you girls bring some to the new neighbors? Moving day can be exhausting, and I thought it would be nice to offer a pick-me-up.”

  Liz looked at her friends. They all nodded excitedly.

  “We’ll go now!” Liz told her mom.

  Chapter 3

  The New Neighbor

  The four friends squeezed onto the front steps of the neighbors’ house. Liz pressed the doorbell.

  They heard a muffled ding-dong from inside.

  They waited, listening for footsteps.

  But none came. The girls waited another minute. Liz pressed the doorbell again.

  Another minute passed. No one came.

  “One more try?” Ellie suggested. She pressed the doorbell twice. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

  Liz shrugged. They turned to go. Then they heard a rush of footsteps. The lock clicked. The door opened.

  “Hello?” said a woman. She was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. A bandana held her hair back. “I’m sorry!” she said. “Did you ring more than once? I was out in the backyard. I guess my son didn’t hear the bell.”

  The girls introduced themselves.

  “Hi, I’m Liz. My family lives next door,” she said. “And these are my friends, Amy, Marion, and Ellie
. We came to say welcome to the neighborhood!”

  “And her mom made some cookies,” Amy said. She handed the plate to the woman.

  The woman smiled at them warmly. “Thank you so much!” she said. “I’m Sylvia Knight. My husband, Michael, just ran out to the store. But let me introduce you to Dylan.”

  Mrs. Knight invited them in. The girls waited in the foyer while Mrs. Knight disappeared into another room.

  She returned a minute later with a boy at her side. Liz thought he did look to be about her age!

  “This is Dylan,” Mrs. Knight said.

  The boy smiled and gave a friendly wave.

  His mom put a hand on his shoulder. “He’s starting school at Santa Vista Elementary on Monday,” she said.

  Liz and her friends smiled at one another. “That’s our school too!” Liz cried. “What grade are you in?”

  “Second,” Dylan replied. “I think my teacher’s name is Mrs. Sienna or something?”

  “Wow! You’re in our class!” Marion told him.

  Ellie nudged Liz. “That’s cool,” said Ellie. “You guys will be next-door neighbors and classmates!”

  Mrs. Knight thanked them again for the cookies.

  “See you Monday at school, Dylan!” Liz said warmly as they turned to go.

  She looked back, expecting Dylan to say the same. But he was silent.

  Hmm, thought Liz. Was he just kind of shy?

  Or was Dylan not all that happy to have a classmate next door?

  Chapter 4

  Liz’s Secret

  Liz had the Monday morning blues.

  Sometimes that’s how it was after a great weekend. She’d had fun with her friends on Friday night. On Saturday, Liz’s mom took her sock shopping. She found some with polka dots and crazy stripes! And on Sunday, Liz had gone to the park with her dad and brother. Stewart had even let Liz hit a few baseballs—usually her only job was to retrieve the balls Stewart hit!

  Liz sighed.

  She just didn’t feel ready for school. She hadn’t even decided on an animal for the science project! Flying squirrel? Komodo dragon? Platypus? Liz loved unique animals. But none of them seemed right.

  “What did you pick?” Ellie asked as they sat down in Mrs. Sienna’s classroom.

  Without thinking, Liz blurted out, “You’ll have to wait and see!” She grinned as if she knew a secret.

  It wasn’t a lie, exactly. But it wasn’t honest either.

  Mrs. Sienna took attendance. As she did, there was a knock on the classroom door. She opened it and stepped into the hallway for a minute.

  When she came back in, Mrs. Sienna asked for everyone’s attention. “We have a new student today!” she announced.

  Liz looked at Ellie, Amy, and Marion. We know who it is, Liz thought.

  Sure enough, in walked Dylan. Mrs. Sienna introduced him to the class. Then she assigned him the empty desk—right behind Liz.

  Dylan took his seat. Liz turned around to wave. “Hi, neighbor,” she whispered.

  Dylan didn’t smile. But maybe he was nervous. After all, it was his first day.

  The class began their morning math. Later on, they went to gym. Then they had quiet reading time. During reading, Mrs. Sienna started calling students up one by one.

  Uh oh, thought Liz. She’s asking everyone for their animal. Quick! Just decide! Aardvark? Narwhal? Angler fish?

  It felt even harder to choose now. Liz could hear what her classmates were saying to the teacher. Shamir was doing rattlesnakes. Olivia had picked weasels. Liz didn’t want to choose an animal that someone else was doing.

  Her choices were dwindling!

  Just then, the lunch bell rang.

  “I’ll meet with the rest of you after recess,” Mrs. Sienna said. “Have a good lunch!”

  Liz saw her chance. She wanted to talk to Mrs. Sienna without anyone around. So she stayed seated as her classmates filed out.

  When the room was quiet, Liz went up to the teacher’s desk.

  “Mrs. Sienna,” she said nervously, “I can’t give you my animal choice yet.”

  The teacher looked surprised.

  “I’ve thought about it a lot,” Liz added. “I just haven’t come up with the perfect one.”

  Mrs. Sienna gave her a sympathetic smile.

  “Well, Liz,” she said gently, “I can give you more time. But there’s no right or wrong here. Just choose an animal that interests you. We can talk about it again tomorrow. Okay?”

  Liz nodded and sighed with relief.

  “I’m sure you’ll find your inspiration,” Mrs. Sienna said. “Just keep thinking. And keep your eyes open. A great idea might be right in front of your nose!”

  Liz headed for the door. As she turned, she jumped a little, startled.

  Dylan was there, sitting at his desk. He had his nose in a book. But as Liz walked out, Dylan got up. He walked over to Mrs. Sienna.

  Had he been sitting there the whole time? Because if so . . .

  Liz cringed.

  He had heard everything.

  Chapter 5

  Something Smells Fishy

  At lunch, Liz sat down with Amy, Marion, and Ellie. They were talking about Amy’s new wildlife magazine.

  Liz was glad they weren’t talking about the science project. She had let Ellie think she had an animal all picked out. And now Dylan knew she didn’t. Liz felt a little embarrassed.

  “We were wondering where you were!” Marion said to Liz.

  “I just had to tell Mrs. Sienna something,” Liz said. Then she quickly changed the subject. “Oh, Ellie! Remember! It’s our day at The Critter Club today.”

  Ellie nodded. “Right!” she replied. “I’ll bring a book I checked out on aquarium pets.”

  Liz nodded. “And I think we need fish food. Maybe my mom can take me to the pet store after school. Then I’ll meet you at the barn and we can take care of the fish.”

  Mrs. Jenkins was happy to take Liz to the pet store. But first, she had to stop at the grocery store.

  Walking through the seafood department, Liz held her nose. The fishy smell was a little too much. But it brought back good memories. Like the time she and her family went to Luna Beach on vacation.

  “How come I love this smell at the beach but not the store?” Liz asked her mom. “In here, it seems stinky.”

  Liz’s mom laughed.

  At the checkout counter, Liz unloaded their basket.

  “Oh hi!” Mrs. Jenkins said suddenly.

  Liz looked up from the groceries. Behind them in line was Mrs. Knight—and Dylan.

  Liz’s mom and Mrs. Knight started chatting. Dylan and Liz stood there looking at each other. At last, Liz thought of something to say.

  “So how was your first day?” she asked Dylan.

  He smiled. “Good, I guess,” he said. “I like Mrs. Sienna.”

  Liz nodded. “Me too.”

  They fell into silence again. Then Dylan’s eyebrows shot up. “So that project,” he said. “Mrs. Sienna asked me to stay back at lunch so she could tell me about it.”

  Ah, thought Liz. So that’s why Dylan had been there.

  “What animal are you going to do?” he asked her.

  Liz frowned.

  Dylan already knew that she didn’t know. Hadn’t he heard that, loud and clear?

  Wait. Was Dylan teasing her?

  The cashier called, “Next!” Liz and her mom moved forward in line. Within minutes, they had paid. They were headed out the door.

  “That Dylan seems like a nice boy,” Mrs. Jenkins was saying.

  Liz didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure about that yet.

  Chapter 6

  Grains of an Idea

  Liz and her mom went on to the pet store. Liz picked out some fish food.

  On a nearby shelf, the glittery grains of fish tank sand caught her eye. She picked up a bag, just to admire it.

  Liz smiled. It was another reminder of Luna Beach—and that fun sandcastle contest she had entered!

>   They paid for the fish food. Then Mrs. Jenkins dropped Liz at The Critter Club.

  Ellie was already in the barn. She waved Liz over to a row of aquarium tanks. Three of them were lined up on a table.

  “The neon tetras are here!” Ellie told Liz. “Ms. Sullivan said the owner dropped them off this morning. And look! He brought more friends for us to watch. A red-eared slider turtle and a crayfish!”

  The turtle and crayfish each had their own tanks. Liz waved through the glass to welcome the guests.

  The neon tetras were tiny! But their shimmer and color made them stand out in the water.

  The turtle looked like ones Liz had seen up at Marigold Lake.

  And the crayfish seemed familiar too. “This guy looks like a lobster,” Liz said.

  Ellie nodded. “My book says they are sometimes called freshwater lobsters!”

  Liz remembered finding pieces of lobster shell washed up on Luna Beach.

  It was the third time she’d thought of the beach that day. It had been a very memorable vacation. And busy, too! Liz had spent most of that week taking care of a baby octopus that had washed ashore.

  That’s when it hit her.

  “Right under my nose!” Liz cried out loud.

  Ellie looked at her funny. “What?”

  Joy and relief and excitement washed over Liz like a big ocean wave. Finally, she knew what animal to choose. And the inspiration had been right under her nose.

  “An octopus!” Liz said to Ellie. “That’s what I’m going to do for my science project.”

  In a rush of words, Liz told Ellie everything.