Karen's County Fair Read online

  The author gratefully acknowledges

  Diane Molleson

  for her help

  with this book.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1 Roses

  2 I Am a Two-Two

  3 Oliver Twist

  4 Tia

  5 Karen Brewer, Lamb Trainer

  6 At Camp

  7 A Trip to the Airport

  8 Strawberries, Peaches, and Plums

  9 Tia on the Farm

  10 Downtown

  11 Mrs. Stone Is Tired

  12 A Bad Day

  13 To the Mall

  14 Movie Night

  15 New York, New York

  16 County Fair

  17 A Royal Princess

  18 Ollie in the Ring

  19 The Contests

  20 Good-bye, Tia

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  Roses

  “I love the smell of roses,” I announced to my best friends Hannie and Nancy.

  They nodded. The three of us usually like the same things.

  It was the last day in June. We could see — and smell — roses everywhere. Red roses on the vine near the door of my house. Yellow roses across the street. Pink roses in my neighbor’s yard.

  Using my mother’s special clippers, I carefully snipped a red rose from the vine. Then I snipped another and another. I picked only the ones with perfect blossoms.

  “Karen, are you sure it is all right to cut so many of your mother’s flowers?” Nancy asked. She sounded worried.

  “Mommy said we could,” I reminded her.

  “She said we could cut some,” Hannie reminded me.

  “Mmm,” I said. I was hardly listening. I had to concentrate. I handed the flowers to Nancy. I needed both hands. One to hold the vine, the other to cut the roses that were harder to reach. Snip. Snip. Snip.

  I wanted to put roses in every room in my two houses. I have a little house and a big house. Right now I was at the little house. But later that day, my brother and I would be going to the big house to spend the month of July with Daddy. (I will tell you more about my two houses later.) I also wanted enough flowers for Hannie and Nancy.

  Snip. Snip.

  “Karen!”

  I looked up. Mommy was staring at us from the kitchen window. Actually, she was looking at her special rose bush. She did not seem very happy. Hmmm. Maybe I did get a little carried away.

  I am Karen Brewer. I am seven years old. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bunch of freckles. I wear glasses. I have two pairs. I wear the blue pair for reading. I wear the pink pair the rest of the time.

  I adore roses. I also adore my best friends, Nancy Dawes and Hannie Papadakis. We do everything together. That is why we call ourselves the Three Musketeers. And guess what? Tomorrow the three of us are going to Farm Camp at Mrs. Stone’s barn. My stepsister, Kristy, will be one of the counselors. Kristy is thirteen and a lot of fun.

  “Karen,” my mother repeated. “Are you ready to go to your father’s? Have you packed your overalls for camp?”

  I nodded. I had packed my overalls, my favorite sneakers, and a straw hat. (I might need the hat if we were out in the sun a lot.) Everything else I need is at Daddy’s.

  “Hannie, are you ready, too?” Mommy said.

  “Yes, Mrs. Engel,” Hannie answered. Hannie lives across the street from Daddy. We were going to drive her home.

  “I picked enough roses for both my families,” I told Mommy.

  Mommy gave me a funny look. “Karen, you have enough flowers for the whole town of Stoneybrook.” She smiled when she said that. Hannie and Nancy did, too.

  I Am a Two-Two

  “Can we stop for ice cream?” Andrew asked on the way to Daddy’s. Andrew is my little brother. He is four going on five. He was sitting in the frontseat with Mommy. Hannie and I sat in back with the roses.

  “Not today,” Mommy answered.

  “Please!” Andrew begged. “Puh-lease.” (I think Andrew learned to say please that way from me.)

  “Andrew,” Mommy warned him. She gave him a Look.

  Andrew quieted down.

  Remember I told you I had two houses? Now I will tell you why.

  A long time ago, when I was very little, I had one house and one family — Mommy, Daddy, Andrew, and me. We all lived in a big house in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Then Mommy and Daddy started fighting — at first a little, then a lot. Finally, they got a divorce. They told us they still loved Andrew and me very much, but they did not love each other anymore. So, Daddy stayed in the big house. (It is the house he grew up in.) Mommy moved to a little house, not far away. Then Mommy married Seth. Now he is my stepfather. Daddy married again, too. He married Elizabeth, my stepmother.

  Here is who is in my little-house family: Mommy, Seth, Andrew, me, Rocky and Midgie (Seth’s cat and dog), Emily Junior (my very own rat), and Bob, Andrew’s hermit crab.

  Here is who is in my big-house family: Daddy, Elizabeth, Andrew, me, Kristy, Charlie, Sam, David Michael, Emily Michelle, Nannie, Shannon, Boo-Boo, Goldfishie, Crystal Light the Second, Emily Junior, and Bob. (Emily Junior and Bob go back and forth when Andrew and I do.) Whew! Now you see why I needed to pick so many roses.

  Kristy, Charlie, Sam, and David Michael are Elizabeth’s children. (She was married once before, too.) That makes them my stepsister and stepbrothers. Charlie and Sam are old. They go to high school. David Michael is seven like me. Kristy is one of my favorite people. She runs the Baby-sitters Club with her friends from school. Emily Michelle is my adopted sister. (I love her very much. That is why I named my pet rat after her.) Daddy and Elizabeth adopted her from the faraway country of Vietnam. Emily is two and a half. Nannie is Elizabeth’s mother. (That makes her my stepgrandmother.) She helps take care of the big house and all us kids. And the pets. We have a lot of them. Shannon is David Michael’s puppy. Boo-Boo is Daddy’s fat old cat. And Goldfishie and Crystal Light the Second are (guess what?) goldfish. Isn’t it lucky Daddy’s house is so big?

  I made up special nicknames for my brother and me. I call us Andrew Two-Two and Karen Two-Two. (I thought up those names after my teacher read a book to our class. It was called Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.) Andrew and I are two-twos because we have two of so many things. We have two houses and two families, two mommies, two daddies, two cats, and two dogs. Plus, I have two bicycles, one at each house. (Andrew has two trikes.) I have two stuffed cats. Goosie lives at the little house. Moosie stays at the big house. Andrew and I have two sets of clothes, books, and toys. This way, we do not need to pack much when we go back and forth. I even have two pieces of Tickly, my special blanket. And I have a best friend near each house. Hannie lives near Daddy. Nancy lives next door to Mommy.

  So, you see, being a two-two is not too hard. Sometimes Andrew and I miss the family we are not staying with. But mostly we are very lucky. Think how many people love us.

  “We’re here!” Andrew called from the front seat. He rushed from the car into Daddy’s arms. It took Hannie and me a little longer to get out of the car with all of our roses.

  “Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Daddy and Elizabeth said together when they saw the flowers. (Daddy grows roses, too.) But I know he was happy to receive mine. So was Elizabeth. Even Sam and Charlie liked getting roses. Do you know anyone who doesn’t?

  Oliver Twist

  “Moosie,” I said to my stuffed cat the next morning, “how do I look?” Moosie stared at me from his pillow. He did not answer, of course. But I knew he thought I looked fine.

  This is what I was wearing for my first day of Farm Camp: overalls, a blue-and-white striped T-shirt, red sneakers, and a bright green bandanna
in my hair.

  “Karen, are you ready?” Kristy called from downstairs.

  “Almost!” I shouted back. I shoved some clothes under my bed to make my room look neater. It was still a mess. But I did not want to be late.

  I ran downstairs. Charlie was going to drive Kristy, Hannie, and me to camp in his gigundoly cool car. He calls it the Junk Bucket. I climbed in the backseat with Hannie, and we were on our way.

  The Stones’ farm is in Stoneybrook. But it is the part of Stoneybrook that looks like the country, the part where you can see lots of fields and cows. “Make a left turn here,” I told Charlie after we passed the cemetery. (I have been to the farm before.)

  “Karen, we know,” Kristy said. But she was smiling.

  Charlie pulled up by the rusty old tractor near the barn. I was the first one out of the car. “Come on, Hannie,” I said. “Let’s go find Nancy.”

  We found Nancy looking at some chickens. They were strutting around the yard. “Oh, they are so cute!” Nancy said. “I wonder if Mrs. Stone would let us hold one.”

  “Hey, Karen! You look like a farm boy in your overalls,” a voice behind us called.

  I groaned. The voice belonged to Bobby Gianelli. He goes to school with Hannie, Nancy, and me. And he is a gigundo pest — sometimes.

  “Let’s ignore him,” Hannie suggested. I thought that was great idea. At least the other campers seemed nice. They were Cordelia, Charlotte, Sophie, Gregg, Gemma, Pamela, Ricky, and Chris. Guess what? Pamela, Chris, and Ricky go to school with us. We are all in Ms. Colman’s second-grade class at Stoneybrook Academy. (Ricky is my pretend husband. We were married on the playground at school one day.) Sophie, Gregg, and Gemma were in my gymnastics class. Charlotte lives near the big house. Kristy sometimes baby-sits for her. The only camper I did not know was Cordelia. She looked younger than the rest of us. But that is all right. I knew Farm Camp was going to be fun, even with Mr. Pest.

  First, Mrs. Stone gave us a tour of the farm. She showed us her gigundoly cool vegetable garden. There were rows and rows of carrots, radishes, lettuce, cabbages, tomatoes, and other plants I did not recognize. Mrs. Stone said they were herbs.

  “You mean like parsley, sage, and mint?” Charlotte said. (Charlotte acts like a grown-up. Maybe that is because she is eight.)

  “Yes,” Mrs. Stone answered.

  “Parsley, gross!” Bobby said. (We ignored him.)

  Inside the barn we saw the animals. We met horses, pigs, more chickens, a goat, and best of all, a lamb. A soft, fuzzy lamb. Mrs. Stone told us his name was Oliver Twist, Ollie for short. He was named after the orphan, Oliver Twist. (Oliver Twist is from a book by a famous author called Charles Dickens.) And do you know why he was named that? Because Ollie is an orphan, too.

  I felt sorry for Ollie. It must be awful not to have any parents. I could not stop looking at the little lamb. He followed Mrs. Stone everywhere. Sometimes he butted her.

  “Lambs butt their mothers to make them produce more milk,” Mrs. Stone explained. “Ollie does it because he wants his bottle. I am trying to get him to eat other food. So I only give him one bottle each day.”

  “How old is Ollie?” I asked.

  “He was born in April. He is almost three months old now.”

  I could have played with Ollie all day. But Mrs. Stone wanted to tell us about camp. Kristy and the other counselor, Mallory Pike, led us outside. (Mallory is eleven. She is in the Baby-sitters Club with Kristy.)

  Outside, we gathered around Mrs. Stone. We sat under a big oak tree. I knew it was an oak tree because it had acorns.

  Mrs. Stone told us the county fair was coming to Greenvale. Greenvale is a town near Stoneybrook. And guess what? We would spend the whole last day of camp at the fair.

  “All right!” Bobby and Ricky said together. The rest of us cheered.

  “There will also be contests at the fair,” said Mrs. Stone.

  “What kinds of contests?” Charlotte asked.

  “Contests for handiwork, baking, and produce,” Mrs. Stone answered. “You can choose which contest you would like to enter. You will need to complete a needlework project for the handicraft contest, work on a recipe for the baking contest, or raise vegetables for the produce contest.”

  “I want to grow vegetables,” Bobby said.

  “You do not have to decide right away,” Mrs. Stone told him. “While you are at camp, you will all help take care of the animals. You will start a garden of your own, learn arts and crafts, and sing songs, too.”

  I looked at Hannie and Nancy. We smiled at each other. Farm Camp sounded gigundoly cool.

  Just then Ollie came out of the barn. I think he was looking for Mrs. Stone. I ran to pet him some more. I think I am in love — with a lamb.

  Tia

  Old MacDonald had a farm

  E-I-E-I-O

  And on that farm he had some ducks

  E-I-E-I-O

  I sat with Emily in the family room. I was trying to teach her some songs.

  “Eee Eeeee,” Emily squealed.

  “No, Emily. It’s E-I-E-I-O.”

  “Eeeeeeeee,” Emily shouted.

  I sighed and put her on my lap. I decided to tell her about Farm Camp instead.

  We had been going to camp for three days now. They had been three of the best days of my life.

  Every morning we met in the barn. First, we fed and brushed the animals. I took care of Ollie. That day I had even given him his bottle. The other campers fed the chickens, horses, and goat. (I do not know why anyone even bothers to feed that goat. He eats everything he sees. He even ate the sheets Mrs. Stone hung on the line to dry.)

  Next, we worked in our vegetable garden. We had already planted tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, and radishes. We learned that tomatoes grow above the ground on vines. Lettuce grows on the ground. And carrots and radishes grow under the ground. Mrs. Stone said we could take the vegetables home with us when camp was over. (It is a good thing everyone in my two families likes salad.)

  After gardening, we helped Mrs. Stone with the cooking. That day we had made cornbread from scratch. (We taste everything we make. If it is good, we lick the bowls.)

  Then we went to the sewing room. It is really a big study where Mrs. Stone keeps her sewing machine and her fabric. So far, we have learned how to mark fabric and cut it in a straight line. We also learned how to thread a needle. Well, I already knew how. But Bobby and Pamela did not. They kept pricking their fingers and complaining.

  Mrs. Stone wanted us to choose which contest to enter in the fair. I was not sure which to choose. I liked working outside in the garden. (So did Hannie.) I also liked to cook, and taste everything. But best of all, I liked taking care of Ollie.

  “What should I do, Emily?” I asked.

  “Eeeee,” Emily squealed again. I shook my head. Emily is very cute. But she is not easy to talk to.

  “Karen, telephone,” Nannie called from the kitchen.

  “Hello,” I said when I picked up the phone.

  “Hello, Karen, it is Tia.”

  “Tia!” I shouted. Tia is my friend from Nebraska. I met her when I was visiting Granny and Grandad. She is seven, too. “Tia, I cannot believe it is you.”

  “It is me,” Tia said, laughing.

  Tia had some bad news and good news. Her bad news was that she was not going to Texas to visit her aunt and uncle. She was sad about that. The good news was her parents said that instead she could go to Stoneybrook to visit me. This was very exciting. But first I had to ask Daddy and Elizabeth about that.

  “Daddy, Elizabeth! It is Tia. She wants to come to Stoneybrook. Please say yes. Please, please.”

  “Indoor voice, Karen,” Daddy said. “Of course Tia is welcome.” First Daddy talked to Tia’s parents. Then Elizabeth talked to them. They worked everything out. Tia would visit for three weeks! Daddy and I would pick her up at the airport on Saturday. I could not wait.

  Karen Brewer, Lamb Trainer

  I sat under Mrs. Stone’s oak tree. I was
brushing Ollie. His wool felt very soft.

  “Karen,” Kristy called. “Mrs. Stone wants to make an important announcement. We are meeting in the kitchen.”

  “Okay,” I called. Ollie followed me to the kitchen door. But I could not let him in. Ollie is not allowed in the kitchen.

  “Good morning, girls and boys,” said Mrs. Stone.

  “Mrs. Stone,” I said, raising my hand. “I have a friend coming to visit me. Would it be okay if she came to camp?”

  “Just a moment, Karen,” Mrs. Stone said. “I would like to make my announcement first.” Mrs. Stone continued, “You must choose your groups today. You will begin your projects next week.”

  Boo and bullfrogs. I still could not decide.

  “Now, what did you want to ask me, Karen?” said Mrs. Stone.

  I asked if Tia could come to Farm Camp with me.

  “Yes,” Mrs. Stone answered. “Tia can also join a group.”

  “She would like that,” I said. “She lives on a farm in Nebraska. I do not want her to be homesick.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Stone,” Bobby interrupted. “I want to be in the cooking group.”

  “That is fine, Bobby,” Mrs. Stone answered. Kristy was carrying a big pad of paper. She wrote Bobby’s name under Cooking Group.

  “I thought you wanted to grow vegetables,” I said.

  “I changed my mind. Brownies taste better than carrots,” said Bobby.

  Ricky, Pamela, and Cordelia wanted to cook, too. Hmm, it would be fun to be in Ricky’s group.

  “Karen, join the sewing group with me,” said Nancy. “Gregg and Gemma are in it, too.”

  “I like to sew,” I said. “But I also like to garden.”

  Hannie wanted to work outside in the produce group. So did Charlotte and Chris. Everyone knew what they wanted to do — except me. (Sigh.) I wished I could decide.

  Just then Ollie came to the kitchen window. He pressed his nose against the glass. Everyone laughed. I went to the window to talk to him. Suddenly I had a brilliant idea.

  “Hey,” I exclaimed. “Don’t people enter lambs in livestock contests?” I did not wait for an answer. I knew they did. I once saw a state fair on TV.