Fenway and Hattie Up to New Tricks
Page 11
My fur rises in protest. “Go away, you thieving chipmunk!” I bark. “You’ve stolen your last peanut!”
“Not so fast, Fenway,” Patches says, following my gaze. “They probably have a home under there.”
“I’ll bet the whole chipmunk family’s crammed into a tiny hole under those bushes,” Goldie says, suddenly the chipmunk expert.
As I creep closer, I see she’s right. One by one, the small chipmunks disappear into the same spot in the ground. The biggest one—the mama?—is the last to vanish.
I crawl under the lowest branch and notice something else. Shreds of silky black fabric . . . tangled strings . . . bits of peanut shell . . .
I knew it!
“Those things are Hattie’s, not yours!” I bark at the tiny hole. “You’ll never get away with this!”
Hattie’s probably just as concerned as I am because she and Angel dash over. Dropping onto their bellies, they shimmy under the bushes. They approach the hole so cautiously, they’re not even breathing. Like they’re approaching a flaming-hot barbecue.
“Fenway,” Hattie whispers, shooing me out of the way.
What’s the big deal? I’ve never seen short humans so alarmed by a bunch of rodents. Have they finally realized how treacherous they are?
I creep up to Hattie’s shoulder. She and Angel peer into the tiny hole. “Awwwww,” Angel says, pointing.
Hattie obviously spies her missing stuff. Her eyes get big. “Aha!” she says.
I scrape the ground with my two strong paws. “Consider yourselves on notice, chipmunk family!” I bark. “I’m back on the job!”
“Fenway,” Hattie says, tucking me under her arm and patting my head. Clearly, she’s grateful. Not to mention reassured.
Later, my whole family is gathered around the table. Now that I’m back in business, I’m hungrier than ever. I perch between Hattie’s and Nana’s chairs, smacking my chops.
The Eating Place is filled with the mind-blowing aroma of barbecued chicken and buttery potatoes. And the tired-kind-of-happiness that comes from a wonderfully busy day.
Food Lady and Fetch Man had ushered Nana through the entire house—even the boring room and the musty-smelling place. As Nana oohed and aahed at everything like she’d never been inside a house before, they both grinned proudly. As if they’d done a big job that was totally worth it.
When Hattie showed off her own room, Nana gasped and gushed as if it was the greatest place she’d ever seen. And then, something amazing happened—the used-to-be bear suddenly reappeared! Nana reached under Hattie’s blankets and, without a word, pulled him right out! She hugged him tight like she’d been missing him, too.
Finally, we all checked out the used-to-be-empty room. It was once again neat and clean, until Fetch Man brought all of Nana’s bags and cases inside. After that, it turned into an explosion of clothes and books and even a bunch of new toys for Hattie and me!
We sat on the bed while Nana played with the used-to-be bear. A needle and thread, too. When she was done, both of his button eyes were back!
Hattie gave Nana a hug and tossed him to me—chomp! I circled the room once before I let Hattie catch me. Game over!
“Best buddies, best buddies,” she sang.
I raised my head and joined in. “Best buddies, best buddies,” I howled.
“Wow!” Nana cried, clearly astonished. She clapped and clapped and clapped.
Hattie smiled proudly, cradling me in her arms. And then, we both took a bow.
Acknowledgments
For a Long, Long Time, I’ve wondered what dogs must think when we try to give them medicine. One day, I invited my neighbor Megan Brandwein, a veterinarian, to come over and talk about it. To my delight, she was not only willing to help brainstorm what can go wrong when a dog is hard to treat, but she was also full of anecdotes about caring for rambunctious Jack Russell terriers. Turns out, they are not the best patients.
And it also turns out that my own dog Kipper could give those JRTs a run for their money. He is such a bad patient that it takes at least two of us to take him to the vet—and that’s when we can actually get him in the door (one time the vet had to give him his shots in an alley). So the good news is I had plenty of inspiration. Thank you, Kipper!
Huge thanks to my (former) neighbor Megan (whose resemblance to Spicy Breath is not a coincidence) and my brilliant goddaughter Daniela Yuschenkoff, soon-to-be DVM. Without these ladies’ expert help, advice, and fact-checking, I could not have written this story. Here’s hoping none of their future patients are as hard to handle as Fenway!
Even with all that inspiration and access to medical info, creating a book is a lot trickier than waving a wand. I feel incredibly lucky for the chance to work with the world’s greatest editor, Susan Kochan. Her insight, guidance, and amazing support are beyond anything I could wish for. There are not enough thanks to express how grateful I feel to be able to learn from her.
Penguin Young Readers is full of amazing people who perform feats of magic every day. I am in awe of and thankful to Amalia Frick, Dave Kopka, and Alexis Watts, to name just a few of the unsung heroes who lend their talents to creating and marketing my books.
If I could say abracadabra and make the ideal literary agent appear, she would be Marietta Zacker. No author could possibly be in better hands than with this dynamic, sharp, and caring lady. Endless thanks to Marietta, Erin Casey, and the whole team at Gallt & Zacker, who are total pros and even better people.
A spot-on manuscript critique is a pretty neat trick. Many thanks to my astute readers, critiquers, and friends Cheryl Lawton Malone, Cynthia Levinson, Theresa Milstein, Judy Mintz, Lisa J. Rogers, Pat Sherman, and Donna Woelki. If anything is more amazing than these ladies’ helpful feedback, it’s their generosity.
Hands down, my favorite part of being an author is connecting with readers. I am endlessly thankful to the wonderful champions whose boundless enthusiasm and talents have helped share my books with readers, especially John Schumacher, Margie Myers-Culver, Rachel Harder, Jason Lewis, Melissa Guerrette, Michele Knott, Dana Williams, Dalila Eckstein, Lesley Burnap, Julie Kirchner, Melanie Roy, Jana Eschner, Kurt Stroh, Carrie Davies, Jennifer Kelley Reed, Emily Montjoy, Corrina Allen, Biff Donovan, Bill Grace, Kathy Detwiler, Margie Leonard, Sara Grochowski, and Melissa Brilliant. Every one of these professionals has gone way above and beyond the call of duty to get the Fenway and Hattie books into the hands of readers. I am so, so grateful to them and every book champion out there. They are all heroes!
One of the biggest heroes is Pernille Ripp—teacher, author, speaker, and founder of the Global Read Aloud. I am beyond grateful and honored that Pernille chose Fenway and Hattie for the 2017 GRA, giving me the opportunity to connect with readers all over the world. Whenever I get to interact with readers is the Best Day Ever.
One of those Best Days was at the official launch of Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang. After I signed her books, Olivia Van Ledtje shot one of her famous #livbits videos with me, which began a magical connection that continues to wow me every day. This young lady is on a mission to make the world a better place by spreading the love of reading and empowering kids by promoting digital citizenship. I am honored to connect with and support this special reader! Please check out what she’s up to at www.thelivbits.com. Go, Liv!
Speaking of support, I am forever in debt to Cheryl Lawton Malone, Bridget Hodder, and Elly Swartz, who teach me and encourage me on a daily basis. Lygia Day Peñaflor, Monica Tesler, Laura Shovan, and the rest of the Sweet Sixteens 2016 debut authors listen, cheer, celebrate, and offer guidance whenever I need it. I adore these authors as much as I love their books!
And finally, love and gigantic thanks to my family—Ralph, Philip, James, Mom, Dad, Walter, my brother and sister and their families, and all the Gormans and Wallaces. I hope I’ve made you proud.
Victoria J. Coe is a vor
acious reader, writing teacher, and Jack Russell terrier impersonator. She lives with her family on the outskirts of Boston, where she and her old dog are always learning new tricks.
www.victoriajcoe.com
instagram.com/victoriajcoe
Twitter: @victoriajcoe
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