Heidi Heckelbeck and the Snoopy Spy

by Wanda Coven

  Mom looked to Dad for support.

  “Well, you know . . . snoring means you had a good night’s sleep,” Dad said, avoiding the question. He set a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Henry.

  Heidi tried hard not to laugh. She hid her face behind a cereal box.

  Then Henry spoke some more truth. “Dad, these eggs are really GROSS,” he said. “They’re way overcooked.”

  Dad’s eyebrows shot up, and this time he looked to Mom for support.

  “Well, you know . . . nobody said scrambled eggs were over easy,” Mom said, and she winked.

  Heidi could tell that her parents were beginning to get mad, so she quickly jumped into the conversation. “Hey, Henry, did you sneak into my room last night and look at my Book of Spells?”

  Henry nodded happily. “Of course I did!” he freely admitted. “It happened last night when you were in the bathroom. You looked like a bubble monster! And it made me think—what kind of secrets would a bubble monster be hiding? So then I snuck into your room to look for a diary, but all I found was your crummy Book of Spells.”

  Heidi dropped her spoon and looked at Mom and Dad. They were not happy.

  Dad pushed back his chair and wagged a finger at Henry. “This spy business will stop RIGHT NOW.”

  Henry looked around the table. “Why is everyone so mad? I was only trying to save our family from the bubble monster. That’s what spies do!”

  Mom sighed and shook her head. “We’ll talk about this whole spy thing after school. Now, have you brushed your teeth, Henry?”

  “Nope!” he said proudly.

  Mom pointed to the bathroom. “Brush now, young man.”

  Heidi watched as Henry left the table. Wow, Mom never says “young man” unless she’s REALLY mad, she thought. This has to be my best spell EVER!

  TWISTED SISTER

  Heidi stood outside her classroom before school and talked to Lucy and Bruce. Henry tugged on Heidi’s jean jacket. She whirled around.

  “This is not mine,” Henry said, swinging Heidi’s Crazy Daisy lunch box in front of her face.

  Heidi grabbed her lunch box from her brother. Then she unzipped her backpack to find Henry’s Future Spy lunch box inside. Did Mom prank us? she wondered. She handed over Henry’s lunch. Then Heidi thought it would be funny to play her own prank on her little brother.

  “So, Henry . . . ,” Heidi began, “have you ever spied on Lucy or Bruce?”

  Henry zipped his lunch box back into his backpack. “All the time!” he said shamelessly.

  Lucy gasped. “Don’t you know spying on people isn’t cool?”

  Henry raised his eyebrows. “Well, sure, I know! But if I had never spied on you, how would anyone know you were writing a book?”

  Heidi stared at Lucy. “You wrote a book?”

  Lucy blushed. “It’s no big deal.”

  Henry waved Lucy off. “It is a big deal! The chapter I read was really GOOD.”

  Lucy beamed. “Why, thank you, Henry!”

  Heidi coughed and almost fell over. The last thing she had wanted was for Henry to be rewarded for spying. She had to fix this. Right now.

  “So, Henry . . . ,” she began again, “tell us what you think of Bruce’s inventions.”

  Then Henry happily spilled his spellbound thoughts. “Well, some of his inventions are pretty cool. But some of them are kind of weird.”

  Bruce’s eyes grew wide. “What do you mean, WEIRD? All my inventions are totally cool.”

  Henry shrugged. “If you want my opinion, I’d say your spy-on-the-guy-behind-you glasses are your coolest invention. That’s the best spy device I’ve ever seen.”

  Bruce’s face lit up. “Well, I have to admit, I love that one too,” he agreed, letting the “weird” comment go.

  Heidi couldn’t believe her ears. Now Bruce agreed with Henry! Her shoulders slumped, and she didn’t even move when the bell rang. Principal Pennypacker walked down the hall.

  “Time for class, Heidi,” he said cheerfully. Then he waved to Henry.

  “And kindergarten is this way,” he said. “I’ll walk you to class.”

  Partway down the hall, Principal Pennypacker looked back over his shoulder at Heidi. She quickly looked the other way.

  Whoa, did Henry just say something about me? she wondered. She bit her lip. Ugh, why does it seem like my whole spell is backfiring . . .?

  SPY GIRL

  Heidi decided to keep an eye on Henry. She wanted to make sure her spell was working properly. At recess Heidi followed Henry to the sandbox. She slipped behind the bushes so Henry wouldn’t see her. Then she spied on Henry between the branches.

  Henry and his friend Dudley filled a dump truck with sand and unloaded it. Then the boys ditched the truck and ran to the monkey bars.

  Heidi crept out of the bushes and hid behind the slide. She peeked out and listened to the boys.

  “Watch me go BACKWARD across the monkey bars,” Henry said. He reached for the bar behind him and grabbed it. Then he let go of his other hand and grabbed the next bar behind him.

  Heidi was so focused on her brother that she didn’t see Lucy and Bruce come up behind her. Lucy tapped Heidi on the shoulder.

  Heidi squealed and jumped.

  “What are you doing?” Lucy asked.

  Heidi looked over at her brother. Henry had seen her. He jumped down from the bars.

  “She’s spying on her little brother!” Bruce crossed his arms.

  Heidi shushed Lucy and Bruce. What else could she do? She couldn’t tell them she was a witch who had cast a spell on her snoopy brother.

  Henry ran up to Heidi and her friends. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Heidi tried to act normal. “Just . . . um, playing a game—that’s all.”

  Bruce unfolded his arms. “A game called Spying on Your Little Brother.”

  “That’s right, Heidi.” Lucy nodded. “We caught you red-handed. Why don’t you tell Henry the truth?”

  Heidi threw her hands in the air. “Okay, okay!” she cried. “I was spying on Henry because I don’t want him to spill all my secrets.”

  Henry shrugged. “What secrets? It’s not like I’m going to tell everyone that you’re a witch or blab that you have a Book of Spells hidden under your bed. You can trust me on that!”

  Heidi froze. Now Henry had done it. He’d spilled Heidi’s biggest secret! How could he? Heidi thought. Her face burned with anger. She looked at Lucy and Bruce to see their reactions.

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “Henry, you already know it’s not cool to spy on people, but it’s totally not cool to make up stories about people!”

  Bruce nodded. “Especially stories about your own sister!”

  Poor Henry. He didn’t get a chance to defend himself because Principal Pennypacker was on recess duty that day and overheard the whole conversation. He waved for Heidi and Henry.

  “You two come with me,” he said. “We need to have a little chat in my office.”

  The two siblings hung their heads and followed the principal across the playground.

  Ugh, Heidi thought. This spell is definitely not going as planned.

  THE MAGICAL MYSTERY

  Heidi and Henry sat side by side in wooden armchairs, opposite Principal Pennypacker, who sat behind his desk.

  “What’s the trouble?” the principal asked. “You two aren’t getting along at all. Heidi, you go first.”

  Heidi cleared her throat before telling her side of the story. “My brother thinks he’s a spy. He snoops through my stuff, and then he lies about it, and it’s driving me crazy.” She turned and glared at her brother.

  “Now it is your turn, Henry,” Principal Pennypacker said.

  “I only spy on Heidi because she always ignores me,” he explained. “And it hurts my feelings. But when I spy on her and get in trouble, at least she talks to me—even though everything she says is mean.”

  Henry actually cares about me? Heidi’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe
it. Something inside her softened—a little.

  “Wow, Henry,” Heidi said. “I never knew you felt that way. I guess I was too busy being mad at you. I had no idea you wanted my attention.”

  Henry looked at the floor. “Well, maybe I have been kind of a pain,” he said. “I’m sorry about that.”

  Heidi smiled. “It’s okay. Hey, if you promise to stop spying and snooping, I’ll definitely pay more attention to you.”

  “Promise,” Henry said, and Heidi knew he meant it.

  Principal Pennypacker leaned back in his chair. “Well done, both of you. From now on, though, I don’t want either of you spreading rumors about each other at school.”

  Henry sat up in his chair. “But I was telling the truth!”

  Heidi squeezed her eyes shut. Here it comes, she thought. Henry’s going to tell Principal Pennypacker I’m a witch. She waited. But Henry was suddenly unable to finish his sentence.

  The principal put up a hand. “Nor do I want you spreading any truths about each other either.”

  Heidi opened one eye and then the other. It felt like there was magic in the air. Truths? she wondered. Is Principal Pennypacker onto me? Heidi grabbed the arms of her chair and stood up. She looked at Henry. He looked like someone had put another spell on him.

  “Thank you for letting us talk this over, Principal Pennypacker,” she said, trying to block out the odd feeling in the room. “I promise Henry and I will be more respectful of each other from now on.”

  Principal Pennypacker winked at both of them. Then he got up and showed them to the door.

  HANGING OUT

  Heidi and Henry played together all afternoon. They swept out their tree fort and brushed away the cobwebs. Then they sat down at the little table Dad had built. Heidi opened her cooler and set out two lemonade pouches and a bag of pretzels.

  Henry hooked a pretzel on his finger. “You know what? I don’t like hanging out with you at all.”

  “Hey!” said Heidi.

  “Just kidding,” Henry said with a wink. “This is actually really cool.”

  Heidi wondered if the spell had worn off or if something else had taken place back in Principal Pennypacker’s office. “You’re not so bad either,” she told him.

  They munched their pretzels and sipped their lemonade.

  “Will you help me with my reading homework?” Henry asked, pulling out a book from his backpack.

  “Sure,” Heidi said. She scootched her chair across the floor and sat beside her brother. “You read, and I’ll help you if you need it.”

  Henry opened his beginning reader book. “ ‘The Spy,’ ” Henry began. He looked at his sister and laughed.

  Heidi giggled too. “You have got to be kidding, right?”

  Henry shook his head. “No,” he said. “This story is actually called ‘The Spy.’ ” He began to read:

  There once was a spy.

  The spy spied on everyone.

  The spy even spied on his cat.

  Nobody liked the snoopy spy!

  Soon the spy had no friends.

  The spy cried and cried.

  He wanted to quit spying.

  And he did.

  Now the spy is a salesman.

  What is he selling first?

  His spy costume!

  Heidi and Henry laughed.

  “Maybe I should sell my spy suit too,” Henry said.

  Heidi crunched a pretzel. “Good idea!” she said as she gave him a high five.

  Heidi liked getting along with her brother. She also liked that her secret was still safe . . . at least for now.

  Check out the next book starring

  HEIDI HECKELBECK

  Heidi circled “Friday” on her Baby Animals calendar. Only FIVE days until we get to see the movie, Tristan and the Magical Toy Factory! Heidi Heckelbeck and her best friends, Lucy Lancaster and Bruce Bickerson, had been waiting for it to come out for months. They must have watched the trailer a hundred times.

  Heidi hung her calendar back on her bulletin board and went downstairs to see if anything fun was going on. As she passed the living room, she noticed the vacuum cleaner was out. Not a good sign. Then she stepped into the kitchen and saw a mop, a bucket, and Mom standing on a stepladder, scrubbing the inside of a cupboard.

  Oh no, Heidi thought. It must be time for the Mean Clean! The Mean Clean was the Heckelbeck family’s special cleanup day—and it always came without warning. During the last Mean Clean, Heidi had found a wet bathing suit in her dirty clothes pile. It had been sitting there for a whole week, and her clothes had smelled super-duper gross. She had never left her dirty clothes in a pile again.

  Maybe I can sneak out of here before Mom sees me, Heidi thought. She turned around and began to tiptoe out of the kitchen. But Mom already knew she was there. It was like she had eyes in the back of her head.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Mom asked.

  About the Author and Illustrator

  WANDA COVEN has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she’s able to visit other worlds through writing. Wanda lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.

  PRISCILLA BURRIS has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents, and teachers. She enjoys painting cakes and creating art for products, which include murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps! Priscilla lives with her family in Southern California.

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Wanda-Coven

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Priscilla-Burris

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  HeidiHeckelbeckBooks.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Little Simon paperback edition June 2018

  Copyright © 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Also available in a Little Simon hardcover edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Designed by Ciara Gay

  Jacket illustrations by Priscilla Burris

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Coven, Wanda, author. | Burris, Priscilla, illustrator.

  Title: Heidi Heckelbeck and the snoopy spy / by Wanda Coven ; illustrated by Priscilla Burris.

  Description: First Little Simon paperback edition. | New York : Little Simon, 2018. | Series: Heidi Heckelbeck ; 23 | Summary: Will Heidi’s snoopy little brother find her Book of Spells and uncover her secret identity as a witch?

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017043354 | ISBN 9781534411104 (pbk)

  ISBN 9781534411111 (hc) | ISBN 9781534411128 (eBook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Brothers and sisters—Fiction. | Witches—Fiction. | Spies—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic. | JUVENILE FICTION / Imagination & Play. | JU
VENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.C83393 Hbr 2018 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017043354