Read Online Snaggle Doodles by Patricia Reilly Giff - Free Book Online
Authors: Patricia Reilly Giff
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“Who knows where the storeroom is?” Ms. Rooney asked.
Emily Arrow dashed out of the coatroom. “Me.”
“Good,” said Ms. Rooney. “I need a box. Pick two helpers.”
Emily looked around the room.
She loved picking helpers.
Everyone was raising hands.
Everyone was saying, “Pick me, Emily. Pick me.”
Everyone but her friend Richard Beast Best. And Matthew Jackson.
They were rolling pencils across their desks.
“I pick Jill,” Emily said.
Jill Simon came up to the front of the room.
She had four braids. Two in front. Two in back.
She was fat and a little wobbly. Like peach Jell-O.
“And …” said Emily, “Linda Lorca.”
Linda came up to the front.
She didn't have braids like Jill.
She had a lot of thick brown hair.
She was always twirling it around her fingers.
“Now,” said Ms. Rooney. “Listen carefully. The box is in the corner/It's big and brown. It has INV written on it.”
Ms. Vincent, the student teacher, came to the front of the room.
“Do you want me to go too?” she asked Ms. Rooney.
Emily looked at Ms. Vincent.
She was beautiful.
Today she was wearing a pink skirt and a purple sweater.
Ms. Rooney shook her head. “I think the girls can do it alone,” she told Ms. Vincent.
Emily raced out of the classroom.
Jill and Linda were right behind her.
They climbed the stairs to the third floor.
They banged open the storeroom door.
It was pitch black inside.
Emily felt for the switch.
She flipped on the lights.
The storeroom was full. She could hardly walk.
“Some mess,” Jill said.
Emily stepped over some boxes. She looked around.
A cardboard cannon stood in one corner. The sixth graders had used it in a play last year.
In the middle of the floor were stacks of old readers.
Baby readers.
Emily picked one up.
COME AND GO, it said on the cover.
It was full of dust.
Suddenly the lights went out.
The door banged shut.
Emily blinked. It was too dark to see anything.
In the back of her there was a sound.
A strange sound.
It sounded like a ghost. Or a monster.
Emily's heart began to pound.
Jill screamed.
The lights went on again.
“April Fool!” shouted Linda.
“Snaggle doodles,” Emily said. She waited for her heart to stop pounding.
“I thought it was a vampire” Jill said. “A spooky—”
“I knew it all the time,” Emily said. She crossed her fingers.
“It's April first,” Linda said. “Everyone tries to fool everyone else
Emily didn't say anything.
She wanted to pull Linda Lorca's fat brown hair.
“That wasn't nice,” Jill said.
“Don't be silly,” Linda said. “Emily knew all the time.”
Emily pulled an old flowerpot out of her way.
“Let's look for the box,” said Linda.
“I'm looking,” Emily said. “It's right here. In the corner.”
Emily leaned over. On the top of the box was a big INV. “I told you,” she said.
They pushed some other boxes aside.
Then they dragged the INV box across the floor.
“What's INV?” Jill asked.
Emily tried to think.
“Invitations, I bet,” Linda Lorca said. “Wedding invitations.”
“To Ms. Vincent's wedding?” Jill asked. “It's a pretty big box.”
“That's because Ms. Vincent's going to ask a lot of people,” said Linda. ‘Teachers. Not kids.”
“Really?” Jill asked.
“Really,” said Linda. “I know something else, too. Ms. Vincent's new name. It's Mrs. Stewart.”
“Nice,” said Jill.
Emily wanted to ask Linda how she knew so much.
But she kept her mouth closed.
She didn't want everyone to think she didn't know all about Ms. Vincent's wedding.
Emily began to lift the box.
“Let me,” Linda said.
“I think we should all take a corner,” Jill said.
“I was the first one picked,” Emily said.
She lifted the box a little higher.
She could just get her arms underneath it.
She rested her chin on top.
She started down the hall.
She took tiny little steps.
Jim the custodian came along. ‘Til carry that,” he said.
“Good idea,”
Emily Arrow dashed out of the coatroom. “Me.”
“Good,” said Ms. Rooney. “I need a box. Pick two helpers.”
Emily looked around the room.
She loved picking helpers.
Everyone was raising hands.
Everyone was saying, “Pick me, Emily. Pick me.”
Everyone but her friend Richard Beast Best. And Matthew Jackson.
They were rolling pencils across their desks.
“I pick Jill,” Emily said.
Jill Simon came up to the front of the room.
She had four braids. Two in front. Two in back.
She was fat and a little wobbly. Like peach Jell-O.
“And …” said Emily, “Linda Lorca.”
Linda came up to the front.
She didn't have braids like Jill.
She had a lot of thick brown hair.
She was always twirling it around her fingers.
“Now,” said Ms. Rooney. “Listen carefully. The box is in the corner/It's big and brown. It has INV written on it.”
Ms. Vincent, the student teacher, came to the front of the room.
“Do you want me to go too?” she asked Ms. Rooney.
Emily looked at Ms. Vincent.
She was beautiful.
Today she was wearing a pink skirt and a purple sweater.
Ms. Rooney shook her head. “I think the girls can do it alone,” she told Ms. Vincent.
Emily raced out of the classroom.
Jill and Linda were right behind her.
They climbed the stairs to the third floor.
They banged open the storeroom door.
It was pitch black inside.
Emily felt for the switch.
She flipped on the lights.
The storeroom was full. She could hardly walk.
“Some mess,” Jill said.
Emily stepped over some boxes. She looked around.
A cardboard cannon stood in one corner. The sixth graders had used it in a play last year.
In the middle of the floor were stacks of old readers.
Baby readers.
Emily picked one up.
COME AND GO, it said on the cover.
It was full of dust.
Suddenly the lights went out.
The door banged shut.
Emily blinked. It was too dark to see anything.
In the back of her there was a sound.
A strange sound.
It sounded like a ghost. Or a monster.
Emily's heart began to pound.
Jill screamed.
The lights went on again.
“April Fool!” shouted Linda.
“Snaggle doodles,” Emily said. She waited for her heart to stop pounding.
“I thought it was a vampire” Jill said. “A spooky—”
“I knew it all the time,” Emily said. She crossed her fingers.
“It's April first,” Linda said. “Everyone tries to fool everyone else
Emily didn't say anything.
She wanted to pull Linda Lorca's fat brown hair.
“That wasn't nice,” Jill said.
“Don't be silly,” Linda said. “Emily knew all the time.”
Emily pulled an old flowerpot out of her way.
“Let's look for the box,” said Linda.
“I'm looking,” Emily said. “It's right here. In the corner.”
Emily leaned over. On the top of the box was a big INV. “I told you,” she said.
They pushed some other boxes aside.
Then they dragged the INV box across the floor.
“What's INV?” Jill asked.
Emily tried to think.
“Invitations, I bet,” Linda Lorca said. “Wedding invitations.”
“To Ms. Vincent's wedding?” Jill asked. “It's a pretty big box.”
“That's because Ms. Vincent's going to ask a lot of people,” said Linda. ‘Teachers. Not kids.”
“Really?” Jill asked.
“Really,” said Linda. “I know something else, too. Ms. Vincent's new name. It's Mrs. Stewart.”
“Nice,” said Jill.
Emily wanted to ask Linda how she knew so much.
But she kept her mouth closed.
She didn't want everyone to think she didn't know all about Ms. Vincent's wedding.
Emily began to lift the box.
“Let me,” Linda said.
“I think we should all take a corner,” Jill said.
“I was the first one picked,” Emily said.
She lifted the box a little higher.
She could just get her arms underneath it.
She rested her chin on top.
She started down the hall.
She took tiny little steps.
Jim the custodian came along. ‘Til carry that,” he said.
“Good idea,”
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