folded five times about the size of a lemon.
Harry read it outloud:
Harry looked at me, âYOU! I should have guessed! You didnât want to spoil the surprise.â
I didnât say anything. I just looked ahead at the classroom calendar for December.
I could see from the corner of my eye that Harry was writing something. Then drawing something. Then he pushed it under my elbow.
I acted like it wasnât there. I wanted to count how many days were in December. There were thirty-one.
Slowly, I moved the paper in front of me and I read it.
I turned and looked at Harry. He was smiling so hard I could see his two silver fillings in the back.
Sometimes when Harry is really horrible, he apologizes.
And sometimes, I forgive him.
The Deadly Skit
One day after lunch, the principal, Mr. Cardini came into the classroom. He was not happy. He was holding something in his fingers that was long and white. âThis was found under a cafeteria table.â Everyone leaned forward to see what it was.
âItâs a cigarette,â he said.
We all groaned.
âAlthough it was not lit, someone in South School thinks cigarettes are okay to have around. Cigarettes are not okay. They are bad for your health. Smoking can kill you. Now, Iâm asking each classroom to do some kind of activity that will promote a NO SMOKING Campaign at South School.â
As we nodded our heads, Miss Mackle looked at Mr. Cardini. âRoom 2B will do something special about it,â she said.
Mr. Cardini waved to us and then he left the classroom.
âLetâs make posters!â Sidney blurted out.
I raised my hand. âYes, Doug,â Miss Mackle replied.
âIâm tired of doing posters. We did fire prevention posters just last week.â
âThatâs true,â Ida said. âNo one even got an honorable mention in our room.â
âWould you like to do skits?â Miss Mackle suggested.
âYeah!â we all shouted.
âWell then,â Miss Mackle continued, âI will put you in groups of six. You can get together and plan something. Of course the main idea is ... smoking is bad for you.â
Harry and I looked at each other and crossed our fingers. We wanted to be on the same committee.
Miss Mackle got her roll book. âOkay, in this corner, we can have these people practiceâDoug, Sidney, Ida, Mary, Song Lee, and ...â
Harry was kneeling on the floor begging to be chosen.
â... and, okay, Harry.â
Harry and I jumped in the air!
âTogether!â we said in a thumb grip.
As we walked over to the corner, Mary spoke first. âEveryone sit Indian style in a circle.â
Harry rolled his eyeballs, but he did what Mary said. I did too. âNow,â she said. âI think we should sing something about not smoking. I can even play the song on the piano.â
We looked over at Miss Mackleâs piano. It had a lot of stuff on it.
âI donât like to sing,â Sidney complained.
âI do. My favorite song is âSilent Night,â â Ida replied. âWeâre singing it in the church choir.â
âI can play âSilent Nightâ on the piano,â Mary said.
âI donât like to sing,â Sidney repeated.
âI like âSilent Night,â too,â Song Lee said. âIt is only song I know English word to.â
I shook my head. âListen you guys. This is NOT a Christmas program. Itâs supposed to be about not smoking.â
âDougâs right,â Sidney agreed. âBesides, I donât want to sing. I just want to be king.â
âKing?â I replied. âWho said there was a king in our skit?â
Harry raised his eyebrows and spoke for the first time. Hmmmm, kings do smoke I suppose.â And then he said, âhmmmm,â again.
I could tell Harryâs wheels were turning. âI think I can put all of this together,â he said.
âYou
Kimberly Willis Holt
Virginia Voelker
Tammar Stein
Sam Hepburn
Christopher K Anderson
Erica Ridley
Red L. Jameson
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Barbara Bettis
Sebastian Barry