Read Online Fight for Life by Laurie Halse Anderson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laurie Halse Anderson
Ads: Link
seat next to Caitlin Samboro. And by the time we get to Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary, Zoe and Caitlin are acting like best friends. And Gran told me to watch out for her today, this being her first day at a new school and all. Go figure.
My class has library on Monday. I usually hate it, but today I’m grateful for the quiet. It gives me a chance to think and plan. I find a table by the window and make a list of what I know about the puppy mill so far.
litter of sick collies sold at the
farmer’s market
black labs, too
and the mutt
the guy lives on Lafayet Road
I chew on my eraser. I don’t know much. What should I do next? I doubt they have a book that lists people who don’t take good care of their pets. I suppose I could ask a librarian, but I hate asking for help—it makes me feel stupid.
I look around. Everyone is actually doing homework. I see Sunita sitting on the floor, her feet tucked neatly under her legs. Gran told me to think about asking the kids for help. Sunita is the smartest of them, no question. And she’s the sweetest. I bet she won’t make me feel stupid. Here goes.
I walk over and explain my problem.
“Wait, I’m confused,” Sunita says. “What are you going to do when you find this man?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
She closes her book and stands up. “There have been some laws about animal abuse passed recently. That’s where we should start. Come on.” She heads for the reference desk.
“Do we have to ask a librarian?”
“Yes. We’ll find what we need faster if Mr. Margate helps us.” She smiles at Mr. Margate and explains what she’s looking for. He pulls out a giant book from the shelf by his desk. “You want information about the puppy mill law,” he says. “It’ll be in here. This book contains all the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
We carry the book to my table, and I open to the table of contents. The words look like millions of ants marching down the page. All I can do is stare.
“What’s wrong?” Sunita asks.
I look at her. I have to ask her to help me read. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to help shut down that puppy mill.
“Um, I, it’s just that, well... I don’t read so good. It takes me forever and then I forget what I just read.” I can feel sweat on my forehead, and my stomach is ready to bolt for the door. If she laughs at me I think I’ll die.
“Oh, that’s not a problem. I’ll help.”
That’s it? That’s all she’s going to say? I wish Gran would take that attitude.
Sunita scans the table of contents, flips to the index, then dives in. It’s like watching a great author or something the way she reads so fast and scribbles notes.
“Voilà! The Dog Purchaser Protection Act, Section 9.3. OK. Here’s the deal. People who raise puppies for sale are required to provide them with a healthy environment.”
“Well, he didn’t do that.”
“They also have to be honest about any diseases the puppies might have.”
“He lied. Strike two.”
“They have to make sure the pups are given the proper vaccinations, and they aren’t allowed to treat them badly.”
“We’ve got him! This guy really is breaking the law. Excellent! What can we do to him?”
“A couple of years ago, it was totally legal to mistreat puppies. Now anyone who breaks this new law has to pay big fines. He could even be sent to jail.”
“That’s so great!”
“Shhh!” Mr. Margate hisses from across the room.
“That’s so great,” I whisper. “We can shut him down.”
“What do we do next?” Sunita asks. She’s just as excited as I am.
“Hang on. I better write this down so I don’t forget it. This is important.”
“You spelled some words wrong,” Sunita says.
“I don’t care. What mattters is that we can put this guy in jail!”
“Or at the very least, put him out of the dog breeding business,” says Sunita. “But we have to find him first. Guess where we have to
My class has library on Monday. I usually hate it, but today I’m grateful for the quiet. It gives me a chance to think and plan. I find a table by the window and make a list of what I know about the puppy mill so far.
litter of sick collies sold at the
farmer’s market
black labs, too
and the mutt
the guy lives on Lafayet Road
I chew on my eraser. I don’t know much. What should I do next? I doubt they have a book that lists people who don’t take good care of their pets. I suppose I could ask a librarian, but I hate asking for help—it makes me feel stupid.
I look around. Everyone is actually doing homework. I see Sunita sitting on the floor, her feet tucked neatly under her legs. Gran told me to think about asking the kids for help. Sunita is the smartest of them, no question. And she’s the sweetest. I bet she won’t make me feel stupid. Here goes.
I walk over and explain my problem.
“Wait, I’m confused,” Sunita says. “What are you going to do when you find this man?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
She closes her book and stands up. “There have been some laws about animal abuse passed recently. That’s where we should start. Come on.” She heads for the reference desk.
“Do we have to ask a librarian?”
“Yes. We’ll find what we need faster if Mr. Margate helps us.” She smiles at Mr. Margate and explains what she’s looking for. He pulls out a giant book from the shelf by his desk. “You want information about the puppy mill law,” he says. “It’ll be in here. This book contains all the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
We carry the book to my table, and I open to the table of contents. The words look like millions of ants marching down the page. All I can do is stare.
“What’s wrong?” Sunita asks.
I look at her. I have to ask her to help me read. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to help shut down that puppy mill.
“Um, I, it’s just that, well... I don’t read so good. It takes me forever and then I forget what I just read.” I can feel sweat on my forehead, and my stomach is ready to bolt for the door. If she laughs at me I think I’ll die.
“Oh, that’s not a problem. I’ll help.”
That’s it? That’s all she’s going to say? I wish Gran would take that attitude.
Sunita scans the table of contents, flips to the index, then dives in. It’s like watching a great author or something the way she reads so fast and scribbles notes.
“Voilà! The Dog Purchaser Protection Act, Section 9.3. OK. Here’s the deal. People who raise puppies for sale are required to provide them with a healthy environment.”
“Well, he didn’t do that.”
“They also have to be honest about any diseases the puppies might have.”
“He lied. Strike two.”
“They have to make sure the pups are given the proper vaccinations, and they aren’t allowed to treat them badly.”
“We’ve got him! This guy really is breaking the law. Excellent! What can we do to him?”
“A couple of years ago, it was totally legal to mistreat puppies. Now anyone who breaks this new law has to pay big fines. He could even be sent to jail.”
“That’s so great!”
“Shhh!” Mr. Margate hisses from across the room.
“That’s so great,” I whisper. “We can shut him down.”
“What do we do next?” Sunita asks. She’s just as excited as I am.
“Hang on. I better write this down so I don’t forget it. This is important.”
“You spelled some words wrong,” Sunita says.
“I don’t care. What mattters is that we can put this guy in jail!”
“Or at the very least, put him out of the dog breeding business,” says Sunita. “But we have to find him first. Guess where we have to
Similar Books
