Read Online Jesses Star by Ellen Schwartz - Free Book Online

Chapter One
    â€œRemember, children, your family reports are due tomorrow,” Ms. Brannigan reminded the class as they headed out the door.
    Jesse groaned.
    That stupid assignment. He hadn’t even started it yet.
    What was he going to do?
    Scowling, he shoved his hands in hispockets and started across the school field.
    Tomorrow? No way.
    What a dumb project anyway. “Find out how your relatives came to Canada,” Ms. Brannigan had said. “Find out when they came and why they came, and what the conditions were like in the country where they came from. Write it all up in a report. Then we’ll put all the reports together in a big scrapbook that the whole class can share.”
    Yippee, Jesse thought, kicking a stone. As if he cared about his dumb old relatives. What difference did it make when they came to Canada, or why, or how? They were all dead now, had been dead for years. They got here and now Jesse’s family lived here — that was all that mattered. So why bother going back in time to find out all that stuff?
    Jesse whacked at a tree with a stick.
    And how was he supposed to find it all out anyway? He knew nothing about his relatives, didn’t remember hearing anystories. He had no papers or pictures or scrapbooks or diaries, like some of the other kids. And the stupid report was due tomorrow.
    Jesse aimed a stone at a telephone pole.
Ping!
    Shoot. He’d have to ask his parents. And then they’d know he’d left it until the last minute. Again. Last time, with the science project, was bad enough. But now, again …
    Well, there was no help for it. No one else to ask. Might as well face the music — and hope his mom or dad could bail him out.
    He entered the kitchen. No sign of his dad, but his mom was there, stuffing papers into her briefcase.
    â€œHey, Mom,” he said, “how’s it going?” No harm buttering her up a bit first.
    â€œHi, Jesse.” She waved a hand as she hurriedly slipped on her dress shoes.
    â€œGot a minute?”
    â€œAs a matter of fact, no. I’ve got to dash.What’s up?”
    â€œWhere’re you going?”
    â€œBig meeting at the office — remember?”
    Jesse’s heart sank. “But Mom, I need your help.”
    â€œFor what?” she said, stuffing papers into her briefcase.
    â€œA social studies report. About our relatives.”
    â€œWhich relatives? What about them?”
    â€œThe long-ago ones. The ones who first came to Canada. I need to know when they came and why they came and how they came and —”
    Jesse’s mom laughed. “That’s quite a project.”
    â€œI know, Mom, that’s why I need to ask you —”
    â€œNot now, that’s for sure.”
    â€œBut Mom —”
    â€œSorry, Jesse, I’m running late as it is. Tell you what. We’ll sit down tomorrow after school. You can ask me all the questionsyou want. Promise.” She ruffled his hair, then started putting on her jacket.
    Panic set in. “But Mom, it’s due tomorrow.”
    She stopped with the jacket halfway on. “It’s what?”
    Jesse lowered his eyes.
    â€œYou left this until the last minute?”
    â€œWell, yeah, but —”
    â€œJesse!”
    â€œAw, Mom, you know how much I hate Social Studies, and it’s a dumb assignment anyway —”
    â€œThat is no excuse.”
    â€œI know, but —”
    â€œI can’t believe you’ve done it again, Jesse. You’ve got to smarten up!”
    â€œI know, Mom. I will. Really. But in the meantime can’t you at least tell me when they came? And where they came from?”
    She frowned at him, shaking her head. “They came from Russia. Around the end of the nineteenth century.”
    â€œ
Around?
” Jesse repeated, dismayed. “Don’t you even know the year?”
    â€œNot the exact year.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause nobody kept