Amelia Bedelia Shapes Up

by Herman Parish

  “Honey, I did make you a couch potato,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.

  That was his favorite—a double-stuffed baked potato with two kinds of cheese.

  “Gangway!” he said, running up the steps.

  The next day was the day of the Greek Games. Mr. Tobin, Coach, and everyone in Amelia Bedelia’s class arrived at school dressed in chitons or tunics and sandals. Amelia Bedelia and some of her friends even fixed their hair in ancient hairstyles. For fun, they posed like the Greeks pictured on ancient vases and pottery.

  When it was time for the pentathlon to begin, they traded in their sandals for sneakers. The class paraded outside, carrying flags and banners representing the five events of the pentathlon. They marched down to the lower field, where parents and some of the younger kids at their school had already gathered, cheering, to watch the games.

  The first event was the discus.

  “You’ll get two chances to throw the discus,” said Coach. “I’ll record every throw, and we will officially mark on the field the two longest throws made.”

  Amelia Bedelia was tenth in line. Her first throw was okay. It wasn’t the longest throw, and it wasn’t the shortest. It was right in the middle. Then she spotted her mother in the crowd. Amelia Bedelia wanted to show her mom that she had wrecked her cake pans for an important reason. She whirled around once, twice, three times. She kept whirling around and around like a tornado.

  “Let go, already!” shouted Coach.

  Amelia Bedelia did, and the discus went flying up, up, up in a high arc. Then it came down and struck the ground. It was the longest throw so far. But instead of being happy, Amelia Bedelia was so dizzy that she staggered three steps and fell over, the sky spinning above her. Her mother ran over to make sure she was all right.

  “Great throw, sweetheart,” whispered her mom as she helped Amelia Bedelia to her feet. “I’m glad my cake pans paid off.”

  Amelia Bedelia’s toss was the longest until Pat threw the discus. Both of his throws were longer than Amelia Bedelia’s, so Pat got first place and Amelia Bedelia came in second.

  “The most important part of playing sports is being a good sport,” said Mr. Tobin. “That’s why we are now going to perform that traditional sporting salute of ancient Greece, the high penta.”

  Mr. Tobin turned to Pat and gave him a high five. The rest of the class followed suit.

  “Nice win, Pat!” said Coach, smiling.

  Amelia Bedelia was tired already, and she was not ready for the hundred-meter dash, which was the next event. She was thinking about “pulling a Cliff” and heading to the restroom. She could really use a rest! But her classmates were assembling on the starting line, so she did too. There was the finish line, marked with white tape, just a hundred meters away. She could do it! They all crouched down, ready for the signal.

  “On your marks . . . get set . . . GO!”

  Holly took the lead right away, with Wade, Teddy, and Dawn hot on her heels, followed by Amelia Bedelia. Then it happened. Wade tripped and fell, causing Teddy and Dawn to tumble down too. Amelia Bedelia jumped over the tangled bunch and kept running. Then Suzanne fell on the pile and a bunch of other kids stumbled too. Holly looked back over her shoulder to see what the commotion was, and that cost her dearly.

  Amelia Bedelia was coming up fast, huffing and puffing. “Slow down, Holly! Slow down, Holly!”

  “No way,” said Holly as Amelia Bedelia drew alongside her. They were both heading for the finish line, neck and neck. Holly suddenly leaned as far forward as she could, almost falling on her face—but breaking the tape at the finish line before Amelia Bedelia.

  “Holly wins by a nose!” shouted Mr. Tobin, who was right there watching.

  The crowd went wild!

  Amelia Bedelia stretched out her leg muscles as the rest of the class staggered and limped across the line. She didn’t feel that bad. It wasn’t that she wasn’t fast enough. Her real problem was that her nose was too short.

  On her way to the water fountain for a drink, Amelia Bedelia gave Holly a high penta with each hand. “Congratulations,” she said.

  “Our first high deca!” said Mr. Tobin. “What an honor!”

  The next event, the javelin throw, let everyone catch their breath. Coach and Mr. Tobin cleared the field. Some parents, including Amelia Bedelia’s father, stood guard, making sure that no one got hurt. “We don’t want any student shish kebobs,” he said.

  As with the discus toss, each student got two throws. Using Charlie’s right-leg-across-left secret throwing technique, Amelia Bedelia threw the javelin farther than any girl and almost any boy. Only Clay hurled it farther down the field. There were high pentas for him, and another second place for Amelia Bedelia.

  Amelia Bedelia hadn’t practiced her long jump, except in gym class. As it turned out, she didn’t need to. She went running toward the white board where you take off, building up speed before she leaped into the air. As she took off, she heard Coach cry out, “Scratch!”

  Amelia Bedelia touched down in the landing pit. Her arms were windmilling to help her keep her balance, but she couldn’t stay upright, and she fell back into the soft sand.

  “Sorry,” said Mr. Tobin as he measured her jump. “Because you fell backward, I have to measure from where your body hit the sand, not your feet.”

  Amelia Bedelia jogged back to the starting block for her next try. When she got there, Coach gave her more bad news.

  “You scratched,” said Coach.

  “Scratched what?” asked Amelia Bedelia. She didn’t remember having an itch. Oh, maybe she had scratched some equipment when she took off!

  “Your toe slipped over the line before you jumped,” said Coach. “I had to disqualify your first attempt. In sports, that’s called a ‘scratch.’ You’ve got one more try.”

  Now Amelia Bedelia was nervous. She wasn’t worried about winning. She was having too much fun coming in second time after time. She had a runner-up reputation to uphold!

  Amelia Bedelia started to run, picking up speed, going faster and faster, but making sure that she didn’t go over the line again. She was just about to take off when . . . TWEEEEEEET!

  “EEEHHH—YAHHHHHHH!” screamed Amelia Bedelia.

  A blowing whistle always made her jump. She flew into the air, her arms and legs spinning around and around, her feet still running. She soared up and up, flying straight toward Mr. Tobin. She landed far into the pit. Like before, her whole body began teeter-tottering, knees going in and out, arms swinging back and forth. She struggled against gravity to keep from falling backward.

  Mr. Tobin made big scooping motions with his arms. “Come on, Amelia Bedelia!” he hollered. “Fall toward me.”

  She leaned forward and hit the sand.

  “I’ve never been so happy to fall on my face,” she said as Mr. Tobin measured her jump and the crowd cheered.

  “Congratulations,” he said. “Your jump put you in first place!”

  “Amelia Bedelia!” shouted Coach. “Great jump! Sorry about the whistle! We had a situation.”

  Amelia Bedelia waved and smiled. She felt funny in first, after being second so many times. She didn’t get to feel funny for long. Skip bested her best by two inches, just the length of one of her mother’s yummy brownies! So Amelia Bedelia came in second for the fourth time in a row.

  The real surprise came in the fifth and final event—wrestling. Who knew that Amelia Bedelia would be such a star? She won match after match! The final match of the pentathlon pitted her against her friend Angel, who was the sweetest and kindest person she knew. Amelia Bedelia was almost positive she would beat Angel. She didn’t want to, but if she pretended they were ancient Greek girls, it wouldn’t be so bad. She wished Angel good luck and planted her feet.

  “Thanks,” said Angel. “I hope you win, Amelia Bedelia.”

  Coach blew her whistle to start the final match. In seconds, Angel was all over Amelia Bedelia. Slipping behind her in a flash, Angel wrapped her a
rms around Amelia Bedelia, pinning both of Amelia Bedelia’s arms while using a leg to sweep her off her feet. BOOM! Down went Amelia Bedelia, with Angel on top.

  TWEET!

  Coach raised Angel’s arm in triumph. The match was over! Already?

  “Wow!” said Amelia Bedelia. “That was amazing!” She gave Angel a high penta and a hug.

  Amelia Bedelia was second again!

  Mr. Tobin thanked everyone for participating in the Greek Games—the students for their enthusiasm, and the parents and other teachers for their support, especially Coach Thompson, who got a big round of applause.

  Mr. Tobin went on, “As my good friend Aristotle said, ‘A body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength . . . is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful.’ Thank you all for making this such a beautiful and fun day at our school.”

  Parents clapped loudly, and the students cheered.

  “Our winners today will be awarded the highest honor in ancient Greece, a wreath of laurel leaves to wear on their heads as a symbol of their victory.”

  Mr. Tobin and Coach stood at the front, holding six wreaths.

  Five events = five winners, which does not = six wreaths, thought Amelia Bedelia. These Greek Games were not adding up.

  Mr. Tobin called the winners to come forward. He announced the winners’ names, the events they had won, and their winning time or distance. Then Coach placed a wreath on each winner’s head, and they all shook hands. When the fifth one had been presented, Mr. Tobin held up one last wreath.

  “This is an extra wreath,” he said. “It was made by mistake, but now I think it was not a mistake at all. One athlete among you never knew the thrill of coming in first. Second place was as close as she came. But that student did it five times. Let me tell you, being in second place five times adds up to being the best all-around athlete in our class. Where is Amelia Bedelia?”

  Amelia Bedelia had been in the back, but now a path cleared for her to come forward. Mr. Tobin handed the wreath to Coach, who placed it on Amelia Bedelia’s head. Then she said, “You worked hard to make yourself stronger and faster. Even though you didn’t win any events, you always cheered your classmates on. You captured the spirit of good sportsmanship, born in ancient Greece, and helped make these Greek Games a success.”

  Everyone was clapping loudly, cheering and stomping their feet.

  “I declare these Greek Games over,” said Mr. Tobin. “Let’s eat!”

  Everyone enjoyed a picnic lunch on colorful blankets on the grass where minutes before they had been throwing, racing, tossing, jumping, and wrestling. Mr. Tobin and Coach came by to thank Amelia Bedelia’s mother for her delicious honey cake.

  “We both took huge slices,” said Coach.

  “Yes,” said Mr. Tobin. “We put a dent in it.”

  “It was dented from the start,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.

  “Put your laurel wreath back on, sweetie,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “I want to get a picture of you with Mr. Tobin and Coach Thompson.”

  Amelia Bedelia touched the top of her head, but her wreath was gone. How could she have lost it, after all she went through to win it?

  “There it is,” said her mother. “You’re sitting on it.”

  “Aha!” said Mr. Tobin. “Are you resting on your laurels already, Amelia Bedelia?”

  She put her wreath back on her head, and her dad took a picture that ended up in the school newspaper.

  On their way home, Amelia Bedelia’s father leaned over and said to his wife, “Honey, at our next parent meeting with Mr. Tobin, remind me to suggest a celebration of golf. I could volunteer and show the kids how to putt and—”

  “Drive golf carts?” asked Amelia Bedelia.

  “Not your father,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “He only golfs for the exercise.”

  Amelia Bedelia and her dad winked at each other in the rearview mirror.

  “I know we just came from a picnic,” he said. “But I could use a bite to eat right now.”

  “Me too,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I’m starving after all that exercise.”

  Amelia Bedelia’s mother made a suggestion. “We could get french fries at Pete’s Diner.”

  “Pete’s is nice,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “But I was hoping to work on my slice.”

  Amelia Bedelia’s mother shook her head. “Golf!” she said. “Is golf the only thing you think about?”

  “Of course not,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “I was thinking that we could go to Perfect Pizza, and then I’ll work on a slice with pepperoni and a slice with sausage and a slice with extra cheese.” And that is exactly what they did.

  Excerpt from Amelia Bedelia Cleans Up

  Amelia Bedelia was as free as a bird. She was pedaling her bike as fast as she could. The wind was blowing in her face and blowing her hair straight back. Now she understood why Finally, her dog, loved to hang her head out the car window on trips. Amelia Bedelia really wished that every day was this easy and breezy.

  Today she was riding all over town with her friends Holly and Heather. They zipped through the park, zooming by babies in strollers, and woofing at the dogs out for a walk. The dogs woofed right back.

  “Let’s go this way!” shouted Holly.

  “Follow me!” yelled Heather.

  Amelia Bedelia raced behind her friends. As she pedaled, she imagined changing her name officially. Then people would call out, “There goes Amelia Breezelia, Club President!”

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  About the Author and Illustrator

  HERMAN PARISH was in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, wrote the first book about Amelia Bedelia. The author lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

  LYNNE AVRIL has illustrated all the stories about young Amelia Bedelia. The artist lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

  www.ameliabedeliabooks.com

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.

  Credits

  Cover art © 2014 by Lynne Avril

  Cover design by Sylvie Le Floc’h

  Copyright

  Gouache and black pencil were used to prepare the black-and-white art.

  Amelia Bedelia is a registered trademark of Peppermint Partners, LLC.

  AMELIA BEDELIA SHAPES UP. Text copyright © 2014 by Herman S. Parish III. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Lynne Avril. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Parish, Herman.

  Amelia Bedelia shapes up / by Herman Parish ; pictures by Lynne Avril.

  pages cm.—(Amelia Bedelia ; #5)

  Summary: Picked last for kickball, Amelia Bedelia gets another chance to prove her athleticism when her class holds a mini-Olympics.

  ISBN 978-0-06-233397-1 (hardback)—ISBN 978-0-06-233396-4 (pbk. ed.)—ISBN 978-0-06-233399-5 (pob) [1. Sports—Fiction. 2. Schools—Fiction. 3. Humorous stories.] I. Avril, Lynne, (date) illustrator. II. Title.

  EPub Edition July 2014 ISBN 9780062333988

  PZ7.P2185Arbe 2014 [Fic]—dc23 2014008703

  14 15 16 17 18 CG/OPM 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 FIRST EDITION

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