Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade?

by Nancy Krulik

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  For Bonnie B.

  A super special friend and editor—N.K.

  To Rauni and John,

  with love—J&W

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or

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  punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,

  and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted

  materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Text copyright © 2004 by Nancy Krulik. Illustrations copyright © 2004 by John and Wendy. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. S.A.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-09803-5

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  Chapter 1

  “Hurry up, Katie,” Suzanne Lock urged her best friend, Katie Carew. “I’m just dying to find out what teacher I’ve got this year!”

  Every year, Katie and Suzanne made this same trip on the day before school began. Even though Cherrydale Elementary School was closed, the class lists were posted on the front doors. All the kids in town came to the school to find out who their teachers would be—and which of their friends would be in their classes.

  Katie picked up her speed. She was excited to find out who her fourth-grade teacher was going to be too.

  “Girls, wait up!” Katie’s mother shouted, following close behind them.

  As she raced toward the school building, Katie thought back on how she’d felt this time last year. She remembered how upset she and Suzanne had been when they’d found their names listed under class 3A. That was Mrs. Derkman’s class. Mrs. Derkman was the strictest teacher in the whole school!

  But they had survived Mrs. Derkman and third grade. Now they were going to be in fourth grade. The Upper Elementary School!

  Katie knew that fourth grade would be full of changes. In fourth grade, you got real textbooks to keep for the whole year—not just worksheets that the teachers handed out. The fourth, fifth, and sixth-graders all got to play in the big yard—the one without the swings and seesaws. Plus, the Upper School’s yard had a real baseball diamond and a soccer field.

  But the most exciting thing of all to Katie was that this year, she could sign up to play an instrument in the beginning band! Katie wanted to learn to play the clarinet, just like her mom had.

  No doubt about it. Fourth grade was going to be awesome!

  “I sure hope I get Ms. Sweet,” Suzanne huffed as she ran. “She’s gorgeous! She wears the coolest clothes and really funky high heels. Not dorky, old dresses and flat shoes like Mrs. Derkman.”

  “She’s supposed to be really nice,” Katie added. “That’s even more important than what she wears.”

  “Whatever,” Suzanne muttered as she reached the front door of the school.

  A crowd of kids was gathered around the door, searching the lists for their names. Suzanne grabbed Katie’s arm and elbowed a few smaller kids out of the way so she could reach the front of the crowd. “Okay, let me see.”

  “Hey, move over,” Katie stood behind Suzanne and tried to see over her friend’s shoulder. “I want to see too.”

  “There I am!” Suzanne squealed excitedly. She placed her finger under her name. “Class 4B, Ms. Sweet. Oh, yeah!”

  “Is my name there?” Katie asked, still not able to see the list.

  “Zoe Canter’s in my class,” Suzanne continued, without answering Katie’s question. “Miriam Chan and Manny Gonzalez too. We’ve got Jessica Haynes, and that computer whiz, Sam McDonough. Becky Stern’s here too. And oh, no.”

  “Oh, no what?” Katie asked her.

  “Jeremy Fox. I can’t believe I’m stuck with him again!”

  Jeremy! He was Katie’s other best friend. Now Katie really wanted to be in class 4B. “How about me?” she asked again.

  Suzanne shook her head. “Sorry, Katie. You’re in 4A.”

  Katie couldn’t believe it. She pushed Suzanne out of the way and looked at the list. It was hard to see through all the tears that were forming in her eyes. Katie wiped her eyes. Yes, it was true. Her two best friends were in the same class, with the best teacher, and she wasn’t with them! That was not fair!

  “You’ve got the new teacher, Mr. Guthrie,” Suzanne pointed out.

  Katie didn’t say anything.

  “Don’t feel so bad,” Suzanne comforted her. “You’ve got some cool kids in your class too. Mandy Banks is with you, and both Emma Stavros and Emma Weber. Gosh, we haven’t been in a class with Emma W. since kindergarten. And . . . uh-oh.”

  “What?” Katie demanded. “What’s the problem?”

  “Nothing except . . .”

  “Except what?”

  “Well,” Suzanne said slowly. “George Brennan and Kadeem Carter are both in your class. You know how much trouble those two can be on their own. I can’t imagine what they’ll be like together!”

  Katie groaned. George was a real joker. He thought he was the funniest kid in the entire school. And he probably was—except maybe for Kadeem. He was pretty hilarious too. She had a feeling that George and Kadeem weren’t going to get along too well.

  “Come on, it won’t be so bad,” Suzanne said, trying to make Katie feel better. “You’ve got Kevin in your class, and he’s not so bad—for a boy, anyhow. He’ll probably be trying to break another tomato-eating record. Andy Epstein’s in 4A too. He’s a great soccer player. You guys might win a few games against us.”

  But that didn’t make Katie any happier. “I don’t know,” she said. “You still have Jeremy. He’s the best soccer player in the whole grade.”

  “Jeremy. Ugh. Don’t remind me,” Suzanne groaned.

  “You and I will still see each other all the time,” Suzanne continued. “At lunch, recess, and after school. And don’t forget, you and Jeremy will still have your Wednesday afternoon playdates.”

  That was true. No matter what the other kids signed up for after school, she and Jeremy were always careful not to plan any activities on Wednesday afternoons. That was their special time to hang out.

  “I do look forward to Wednesdays,” Katie admitted.

  “Wednesdays are going to be great for me too,” Suzanne said. “That’s the day I have my modeling classes.”

  “I know. You’ve told me about it a zillion times!” There was an angry tone in Katie’s voice. She was kind of mad that Suzanne wasn’t upset that they weren’t in the same class.

  “Mrs. Carew, can we go home now?” Suzanne asked, not even noticing how angry Katie had sounded. “I can’t wait to call Zoe and tell her the good news!”

  Chapter 2

  “You need a dozen pencils,” Mrs. Carew said when she and Katie were in the stationery store in the Cherrydale Mall later that afternoon. The schoo
l had mailed each student a school supplies list, so they could bring all their folders, notebooks, and pencils on the first day.

  “Can I get the mechanical kind?” Katie pleaded. “I hate having to go to the sharpener all the time.”

  “Katie, they’re so much more expensive than the regular ones,” her mom reminded her. But she threw the pack of mechanical pencils into the basket, anyway. “You pick out two folders while I get your notebook paper in the next aisle.”

  Katie began sorting through the cardboard folders until she found just the ones she wanted. One had a brown and white cocker spaniel on the cover. She liked it because he looked a little like her dog, Pepper. The other folder she chose had a big unicorn surrounded by rainbows and silver stars.

  Just then, Jeremy Fox and his mom turned the corner into the folder aisle. “Hi, Katie!” Jeremy called. “I saw the class list. I’m really bummed that we’re not in the same class.”

  Katie smiled at Jeremy. At least one of her best friends was going to miss her in class this year. “It really stinks,” she agreed.

  “But we’ll see each other,” Jeremy promised her.

  “I know,” Katie replied. “So how was your week at sleepover soccer camp?”

  “Awesome!” Jeremy told her. “I really improved. I just found out I made the Cherrydale traveling soccer team!”

  “Wow!” Katie congratulated him. Being on the traveling soccer team was a big deal. Only the best players in town got to be on that squad.

  “I’m second string right now,” Jeremy admitted. “But that’s because I’m one of the youngest players. The coach said if I practice a lot, I could start a few games.”

  “Cool,” Katie replied. “Maybe I could practice with you during our Wednesday playdates.”

  “Oh, I can’t play with you on Wednesdays anymore,” he said. “That’s when the team practices.”

  “But we always . . .”

  “It’s not my fault,” Jeremy interrupted her. “That’s when the practices are. What can I say? Things change.”

  Katie sighed. As far as she was concerned, too many things were changing.

  “Why don’t you hang out with Suzanne on Wednesdays?” Jeremy suggested.

  “I can’t. She’s got modeling classes.”

  Jeremy shrugged.

  “Can we pick another day?” Katie asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m really . . .”

  “Katie!” Mrs. Carew called out, interrupting Jeremy.

  “Gotta go,” Katie said. She didn’t want to hear the rest of Jeremy’s answer.

  “Ouch!” Katie cried. Her foot had gotten stuck in the bottom of one of the cardboard displays.

  Bam! She tripped and fell. The display flipped over on top of her, and she fell to the floor. Hundreds of colorful cardboard folders showered onto her head.

  Katie sat there in the middle of a huge pile of folders. Jeremy tried hard not to laugh. But he couldn’t help it. She looked hilarious.

  Katie glared up at her supposed best friend and scowled. “It’s not funny!” she told him.

  “It kind of is,” Jeremy told her, biting his lip.

  As Katie started to get up, Jeremy burst out laughing.

  Katie looked over at Jeremy and rolled her eyes. “This day stinks!” Katie moaned.

  Chapter 3

  Katie was quiet all through dinner that night. She didn’t feel much like talking.

  “So, Katie, are you all packed for school tomorrow?” her father asked as they were eating dinner.

  “I guess so.”

  “She’s got a great new backpack,” Katie’s mom told her husband.

  “I always loved the first day of school,” Katie’s dad recalled. “It was so exciting meeting my teacher, getting a nice clean desk, and seeing all my friends again.”

  “I won’t be seeing my friends,” Katie told him.

  “That’s not true,” her mom reminded her. “They’re still in your school. Plus, you’ve got some of your old friends in your class. You’ll make new ones too.”

  “I don’t want any new friends!” Katie exclaimed.

  “Katie, that’s just silly,” Mrs. Carew replied. “Sometimes it’s good to make new friends.”

  “What if Mr. Guthrie is mean? What if he’s strict like Mrs. Derkman?”

  Mr. Carew laughed. “Oh, I don’t think anyone will ever be like Mrs. Derkman. She’s one of a kind.”

  Katie frowned. “I don’t want school to start. I wish . . .”

  Katie was about to say she wished she’d never have to go to school, but she stopped herself. The trouble with wishes was, sometimes they came true. Katie knew all about what happened when they did.

  It had all started one day at the beginning of third grade. Katie had lost the football game for her team, ruined her favorite pair of pants, and let out a big burp in front of the whole class. It was the worst day of Katie’s life. That night, Katie had wished she could be anyone but herself.

  There must have been a shooting star overhead when she made that wish, because the very next day the magic wind came.

  The magic wind was a wild tornado that blew just around Katie. It was so powerful that every time it came, it turned her into somebody else! Katie never knew when the wind would arrive. But whenever it did, her whole world was turned upside down . . . switcheroo!

  The first time the magic wind came, it had turned Katie into Speedy, class 3A’s hamster! While Katie was Speedy, she had escaped from the hamster cage and wound up in the boys locker room—stuck inside George’s stinky sneaker! Luckily, Katie had switched back into herself before George could step on her.

  The magic wind came back again and again after that. Once, it turned her into Lucille, the lunch lady. Katie had started a food fight and almost got Lucille fired.

  The wind had also changed Katie into other kids—like Jeremy, Becky, and Suzanne’s baby sister, Heather. That time, things got really awful—Suzanne had tried to change her diaper! Good thing Katie had stopped her just in time.

  Once, the magic wind turned Katie into her dog, Pepper. Cocker spaniel Katie had chased a really nasty squirrel into Mrs. Derkman’s yard—and had destroyed her teacher’s favorite troll statue. Mrs. Derkman had definitely not been happy about that!

  The switcheroos just kept on coming. Once, it turned her into Mrs. Derkman. Another time, it turned her into Genie the Meanie, her science camp counselor. That had been kind of scary—especially when Katie got all her friends lost in the woods overnight.

  Then there was the time the magic wind changed Katie into Louie, the owner of the pizza place at the Cherrydale Mall. She’d spent an entire afternoon making pizzas for Louie’s big pizza-eating contest. Katie was glad her mother hadn’t known about that. Katie wasn’t actually allowed to use an oven yet.

  “I know one thing you can look forward to this school year,” Mrs. Carew reminded Katie, interrupting her memories of the magic wind. “Your cooking lessons.”

  “Cooking lessons?” Mr. Carew asked.

  “Katie found out that Jeremy had soccer practice on Wednesdays. That’s when they usually have a playdate, and Katie was upset,” Mrs. Carew explained. “So to cheer her up, I took her to Louie’s for some pizza. Louie told us about a great cooking class for fourth-graders. They’re giving it at the Community Center. We went right over and signed Katie up for Wednesday afternoon cooking classes.”

  Mr. Carew licked his lips hungrily. “Mmmm. I can’t wait to taste all your new recipes,” he told Katie. “Just think, maybe someday you’ll make pizzas as well as Louie does.”

  Katie sighed. If her father only knew.

  Chapter 4

  By the time Katie arrived at the school yard the next morning, the classes were already lining up. She looked over at the line for class 4B. Suzanne was busy showing off her new jeans—black ones with silver zippers all over—to the other girls in class 4B. Miriam and Zoe seemed really impressed.

  Katie usually hated it when Suzanne showed off. Sometimes
, she even walked away when Suzanne began to brag. But today, Katie headed straight over to where Suzanne was standing.

  “Nice pants,” she complimented her best friend.

  “Thanks,” Suzanne replied. She looked at Katie’s blue sweater, plaid skirt, and red high-tops. “Didn’t you have those sneakers last year?” she asked Katie.

  Katie shook her head. “These are new ones. They’re a full size bigger.”

  Suzanne shrugged, unimpressed. “Hey, shouldn’t you be standing with class 4A? They’re over there.” She pointed over to where the kids in Katie’s class were gathered.

  Katie couldn’t believe how cold Suzanne was acting. Even though they were in different classes, she was still her best friend. Right? “See you after school,” Katie muttered as she walked away.

  As Katie got into line behind Emma W., her stomach started doing flip-flops. With Suzanne and Jeremy over there, and her over here, she was really afraid to start fourth grade.

  “Hi, Katie,” Emma W. said in her quiet, shy voice.

  “Hi,” Katie replied softly.

  Emma studied Katie’s face. “You wish you were in that class too, don’t you?” she asked knowingly.

  Katie nodded. “Jeremy, Suzanne, and I were always together . . . until now, anyway.”

  Emma sighed. “I know how you feel. Jessica and I have been in the same class since preschool. Now she’s over there and I’m over here. It’s going to be so weird.”

  Just then, George Brennan came charging up toward the line. “Hey, Katie Kazoo!” he greeted her.

  Katie grinned—a little. She couldn’t help it. She really loved it when George called her by the super-cool nickname he’d given her.

  “Hi, George. Do you know Emma? She’s in our class this year.”

  “Cool,” George said, smiling at Emma.

  “Did you have a good summer?” Katie asked.

  “Yeah!” George exclaimed. “I went to this awesome beach resort that had a circus school for kids. I learned how to be a clown, and I got to try swinging on a trapeze.”