“Definitely.”
“Well, Livi,” Mom says, looping her arm around my waist. “When this show airs, we’ll have a big party.”
“We will?” Charlie asks. “Can I invite my teacher, Ms. Bailey-Rioux, and my whole class except for Jeanne Epstein because she sat on my lunch on purpose once, and can we invite Hammy, the class hamster, and—”
“Yes,” Mom says. “We’re going to invite everyone, even the woman who delivers our mail.”
For some reason, this makes us all laugh.
But I know the only people I care about coming to the party are Mom, Neil, Charlie and Tucker. And maybe Tucker’s grandma.
Maggie comes into the green room. “It’s time to go back to your seats in the audience,” she says. Then she winks at me. “Congratulations, Olivia.”
“Thanks.”
As we walk down the hallway together, I’m grateful to watch the other kids play, knowing I’m done.
Mom holds my hand as we walk.
“Mom?”
“Yes, Livi?”
I stop walking. “Do you think you could, I don’t know, write to Nikki or call her or something?”
Mom tilts her head.
“I think it would mean a lot to her. I think she really misses you.”
“Sure.” Mom shrugs. “Why not? I always liked Nikki. I’ll get in touch with her as soon as we get home.”
“Okay.” I squeeze Mom’s hand to say thanks, and we keep walking.
Charlie, holding Neil’s hand, says, “Did you know the average human being makes twenty-five thousand quarts of spit in a lifetime, enough to fill two swimming pools?”
“You don’t say?” Mom pretends to throw up.
“Cool,” Neil says. “Keep those, ahem, interesting facts coming, little man.”
“I will.” Charlie grins.
And I grin too.
1. Merv Griffin created Jeopardy! in 1963, and it first aired in 1964.
2. Merv Griffin came up with the idea on a flight to New York with his wife, Julann. She suggested giving answers instead of questions.
3. The “Think Music” in the background was originally created by Merv Griffin as a lullaby for his son.
4. Alex Trebek began hosting the show in 1984.
5. Before that, Art Fleming was the popular host.
6. The show’s announcer, Johnny Gilbert, also began in 1984.
7. Two hundred thirty Jeopardy! shows are produced every year. Each show contains 61 Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! “answers.” That’s 14,030 answers per year!
8. To learn more about becoming a contestant on Kids Week, check out this link: jeopardy.com/beacontestant/contestantsearches/
Growing up in Philadelphia, Donna Gephart loved fascinating facts, ghoulish ghost stories, corny comic books, perplexing puzzles, and her purple banana-seat bike, which she often rode to the Northeast Regional Library. She still loves riding her bike to the library and reading all kinds of stories, but now she lives in South Florida with her family and writes books for kids. How to Survive Middle School garnered starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. As If Being 12¾ Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President! won the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award. Visit Donna on the Web at donnagephart.com.
Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen Page 16
