Createspace
Category:
Children
Publisher: Createspace
Type: Fiction
Pages: 170
ISBN-13: 9781438249254
Maddy and Squirt start to their new school. They encounter and find a solution to a problem and share adventures with their new friends.
Excerpt
Table of Contents
MEET THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS
OF MADDY AND SQUIRT Page 7
SCHOOL DAYS AND FRIENDS 11
ANOTHER NEW YEAR BEGINS 43
A LOOK INTO THE PAST: GETTING TO KNOW
MELISSA MAE WILLIANS 71
HELPING THE COMMUNITY 97
DREAMS DO COME TRUE 121
BRINGING A PIECE OF THE PAST
INTO THE PRESENT 145
BOOKS AVAILABLE BY AUTHOR 167
MADDY AND SQUIRT:SCHOOL DAYS AND FRIENDS
Chapter 1
It seems impossible we’ve been in school six weeks. So far, it has been super for Squirt and me, with a few exceptions. I’ll tell you about them later.
We settled quickly into the school routine. We like our fellow students, some more than others. We still have our close friends from summer and I think that won’t change.
My teacher, Mrs. Butterbitter, is great. She’s funny and fun. We have free range of the classroom within reason. If we get too noisy or unruly, she’s quick to settle us down. We alternate weekly being room monitor. Our job is to get everyone organized and in line for art, music, gym and lunch. We collect and pass out papers. Mrs. Butterbitter sends us on errands. It’s a privilege to be the roommonitor.
Since Susie, Jenny, Carol and I are best friends; we realize other girls will also have best friends. We try not to exclude others from our groups, but it does happen sometimes. We told the other girls about our Clubroom and invited them to my house. We’ve had
afternoon pizza parties and craft parties. Everyone had a great time.
Squirt has fifteen students in his class. Miss Finch is pretty and young. She’s been teaching at Maplewood for three years. Squirt says they have a lot of fun in class. She keeps them in line by ruling with a velvet glove.
Squirt, Jeff, Casey and Sam are still the “Pony Club.” They have invited other boys to the tree house; they are good at including others. Perhaps this is because they play more team sports or are just boys.
The Pony Club, also known as The Musketeers, have appointed themselves the protector of Angie. Squirt is the head Musketeer, I think. Only a few days after the start of school, he
became Angie’s hero. Angie was on the playground watching everyone play when Cramer came up from behind and scared her. He proceeded to act as if he would turn her wheelchair over. Squirt
observed what was happening and told Cramer to stop.
Cramer just laughed and said, “Make Me!”
“If I have to, I will. Leave her alone. She can’t stand up to you, but I can. You’re too big and too smart to act this way,” Squirt replied.
“You really scare me,” Cramer sneered.
“Perhaps the four of us will make you think differently,” Jeff, Sam and Casey said as they came up to stand beside Squirt and Angie.
“Is there a problem?” Miss Finch asked.
“No. I think it’s solved,” Squirt responded as Cramer slipped away.
“If you have any problems, please, let me know,” she said. “I can solve problems you can’t. Remember that.” She retreated to the other side of the playground to watch.
“Thank you, Squirt, and all of you. He really scared me. He’s been making faces at me since school started, but I tried not to pay any attention to him. Why does he dislike me so much?” Angie asked with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t know, but one of us will always try and keep an eye on you. We don’t want him to scare you again. If he does, I think we will have to tell Miss Finch,” Squirt said.
Soon it was time to go back into the building. Squirt pushed Angie, with Jeff, Casey and Sam close behind.
Cramer looked after them with envy showing in his eyes. “Why can’t I be included in their group? I’m more fun than a girl, especially one in a wheelchair,” he wondered with indignation.
Chapter 2
Squirt talked to Dad and Mom that evening. “Why would someone try and scare Angie? She’s never hurt anyone. She was almost crying.”
“I don’t know. Maybe this boy feels left out and doesn’t understand that you, the boys and Angie have become good friends over the summer. Maybe he’s jealous. Do you know anything about
his family or where they live? Does he have other friends? There are many reasons why someone acts the way they do. Maybe you can find out,” Dad said. “Tell me what you know about him.”
“Cramer is a big kid, bigger than the rest of us and kind of sloppy. He doesn’t dress very well. Sometimes he uses bad words on the playground. He seems to be smart, because he always knows the answer when called on. He’s always polite to Miss Finch, but makes
faces behind her back. He doesn’t hang out with anyone particular. Sometimes he won’t join in when asked, so he’s usually the last selected. I don’t know where he lives. I think he has an older brother in the 6th grade, but I’m not sure,” Squirt replied. “Maybe some of
the other boys know. I’ll ask them. I hope it doesn’t happen again. Maybe I’ll try and talk to him as a friend and see how he responds.”
“It’s always difficult to know how to relate to someone who is a bully. When you find out more about Cramer, you will come closer to understanding why he acts that way. I hope you find a solution to the problem. Let me know what you find out and how you plan to
deal with him.” Dad said.
“He must be a very unhappy boy. I hope this was a one-time occurrence.” Mom said.
|
