Karen's Big Fight Read online

  1. Cupcakes. (I was going to make them, with Nannie’s help.)

  2. Oatmeal-raisin cookies. (Bobby and his mother would bake them.)

  3. Pumpkin and apple pies. (Hannie’s mother would bake them. Goody. Mrs. Papadakis makes wonderful pies.)

  4. Popcorn and jelly beans. (Pamela and Omar said they would make popcorn and buy jelly beans.)

  5. Sandwiches. (Chris, Ricky, and Addie said they would make them. I did not know Ricky likes to cook. But that is good. It is good to have a husband who cooks.)

  6. Fruit salad. (Ms. Colman said she would make it herself. Yummy.)

  7. Fruit punch. (Our class was going to make it the day of the party.)

  Then Ms. Colman handed out construction paper, Magic Markers, crayons, stickers, glitter, scissors, and glue. “Class, I would like you to do two things. First, some of you need to make invitations for the residents at the manor. The rest of you can work on decorations. We need to brighten up the classroom for the party.”

  Yes! I love making decorations. Ms. Colman said we could make anything that reminded us of fall or Thanksgiving. Hannie cut out a chain of pumpkins. Nancy decorated an invitation for Grandma B. I decided to make a collage of fall leaves. First I drew big leaves on yellow, red, and orange construction paper. Then I cut them out and pasted them on a big sheet of blue paper.

  “Now it looks like the leaves are falling against the sky,” I said to Hannie.

  While we worked, our class talked about what we would do at the party. Omar wanted to play games. Nancy wanted to dance. I wanted to sing. Addie wanted to write the grandparents a special poem.

  “Those are all good ideas,” Ms. Colman said. “But remember, a lot of the grandparents are very old. We do not want to tire them out with too many activities.”

  In the end, we decided to tell the grandparents about our banner. We would also sing some songs, dance (only if some of them wanted to), and eat. It was going to be a wonderful party.

  Packing and Planning

  It was already the Monday before Thanksgiving. I was very busy. I was packing for my trip to New York. I was also planning my outfit for our Grandparents’ Day party the next day.

  I could not decide between my red plaid dress or my blue velvet party dress. I put both dresses on the bed, along with a pile of T-shirts, all my favorite sweaters, my troll doll, and my pink plastic jewelry collection.

  I reached under the bed for my suitcase. It felt kind of heavy. Then I remembered. I had already started packing.

  I looked inside the suitcase. I found my favorite books, my camera, my notebook with the dinosaur on the cover, my Magic Markers, two pairs of sneakers, and my black patent-leather party shoes.

  I started piling my clothes in the suitcase too. They did not all fit. I took out some books and my troll doll.

  “Karen?” I turned to find David Michael staring at my suitcase. What did he want? “Aren’t you packing an awful lot for just a few days?”

  I scowled. “I might need all these clothes. I want to be prepared.” (That reminded me. I still wanted to pack my ice skates and maybe my roller skates.)

  “Oh,” David Michael said. He even looked as if he understood. He had been nicer to me lately, ever since the neighborhood kids had stopped teasing him so much. I had actually been feeling a little better about him, too — ever since he told me he did not want to go to my school. But we were still fighting. “Nannie wants you to come to the kitchen,” David Michael said. “Your cupcakes are almost ready.”

  Oops. I had almost forgotten about my cupcakes. David Michael followed me to the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table memorizing his lines with Charlie.

  Charlie: “Hello, Piglet. I thought you were out.”

  David Michael: “No, it’s you who were out, Pooh.”

  Charlie: “So it was. I knew one of us was.”

  David Michael: “You know, I know Pooh’s ‘Tiddely Pom’ song by heart.”

  Charlie: “Wait, that’s not in the script.”

  “I know,” said David Michael. “I’m just telling you. ‘The more it SNOWS — tiddely-pom, the more it GOES tiddely-pom …’ ”

  Big deal, I thought. I was tired of hearing about David Michael’s play. That was all he ever talked about. I knew that his costume was almost finished, that he had his lines all memorized, and that his play was opening soon.

  I shook sprinkles on my cupcakes to make them look extra fancy.

  “May I have a cupcake?” asked David Michael when he finished singing.

  “No,” I answered. “They are for my class party tomorrow.”

  “Just one? I’ll share it with you — and Charlie.”

  “No!” I shouted.

  “Karen,” said Nannie.

  I sighed, and picked up the smallest, most lopsided cupcake. “Okay. You and Charlie may have this one,” I said, handing it to David Michael. Then I covered the other cupcakes and put them away. “I have to finish packing,” I announced.

  I went to find Kristy. Maybe she could help me decide what to wear.

  Party Time

  The next morning I was up very early. I did not want to be late for our class party. I put on my red plaid dress, white tights, and fancy party shoes. I found a red plastic necklace in my jewelry box and put that on, too.

  I remembered to bring my cupcakes to school. I also remembered to carry the plate straight.

  Everyone in class thought my cupcakes were beautiful. Even Pamela. And she is not always nice to me. (I am not always nice to her, either. We are best enemies.)

  We were very busy before the grandparents arrived. We made fruit punch. We arranged all the food on a big folding table in front of the room. We blew up some orange, yellow, and red balloons. And we hung up our banner. (We were keeping the banner in our classroom for the party.)

  I had just finished blowing up a big orange balloon when the grandparents arrived. Mrs. Fellows came in first. She works at the manor. Grandma B was right behind her. Grandma B does not even need a cane to walk. But many of the other grandparents do. Some even came in wheelchairs.

  “Welcome to Stoneybrook Academy,” Ms. Colman said after all the grandparents had sat down. “We are very pleased you could come to our party.”

  First we showed the grandparents our banner. Our class had drawn the coolest colonial town. It had a main street, a one-room schoolhouse, a meeting house, three churches, lots of farmhouses, dirt roads, and horse-drawn buggies. The grandparents loved it.

  Each group stood up to talk. I went first. (I wanted to.) I told the grandparents all about the one-room schoolhouse. Ricky asked if the grandparents had had to ride horses to school.

  “No, we are not that old,” one answered, laughing. “But I do remember buying milk from a horse-drawn cart.”

  “Really?” asked Ricky. His eyes grew rounder.

  “Yes,” said Grandma B. “And I remember when people used to cut ice out of Lake Michigan in the winter. We used that ice to keep our food cold in the icebox, before refrigerators were invented.”

  “Wow,” I said.

  Many of the other grandparents had old memories too. Our class loved listening to all of their stories. We were so busy talking, we almost forgot to eat. But Bobby reminded us.

  Hannie and I helped Ms. Colman bring punch and plates of food to some of the grandparents who could not walk very well. Pamela, Chris, and Omar showed the grandparents the computer. (Most of them had never used one before.) They were very impressed.

  “Karen and Ricky, could you come here, please?” Ms. Colman called.

  “Oops,” Ricky whispered to me. “Are we in trouble?”

  “I do not know,” I answered. I brushed some pie crumbs off my skirt. I also checked to make sure I had not spilled punch on myself. What did Ms. Colman want?

  Ricky and I walked slowly to where Ms. Colman was standing. “Children,” Ms. Colman said, “some of the grandparents were not able to come to the party. I was wondering if you would help me pack up some of this foo
d for them.”

  “Sure,” we said. We made the plates of food look extra special. This was such a wonderful party, we were sad anyone had to miss it.

  A Castle

  “Oof,” I said. I could not move my suitcase off the bed. Charlie had to carry it to the car.

  “What do you have in here, Karen, rocks?” asked Charlie.

  I shook my head. “No, I did not pack my rock collection,” I answered. (I had thought about it, though.) I had not even packed my ice skates.

  Everyone in my big-house family had a suitcase, even Emily Michelle. There were so many of us, we took the van and the car to the train station.

  We all waited on the platform for the train to come. I was very excited. Soon I would be in New York City. (I love New York.)

  Toot! Toot!

  “Here comes the train,” David Michael shouted. He was so excited, he jumped up — and landed on my big toe.

  “Ouch,” I cried. I gave him a dirty look.

  “I didn’t do it on purpose,” said David Michael.

  “I do not care. It hurts.” I limped onto the train. Charlie carried my suitcase along with his.

  The train was very crowded. We had to pile our suitcases on the overhead racks in two different train cars. And we could not find many seats together. I grabbed a seat across the aisle from Kristy. David Michael sat in another car with Nannie and Emily Michelle.

  I tried to talk to the man next to me. But he was very busy reading a newspaper. So I looked out the window instead. I knew we were getting closer to New York when I saw tall brick buildings and sidewalks.

  Suddenly the train went underground. I felt as if we were flying through a long dark tunnel. Swoosh. The train finally stopped.

  “Grand Central Station,” the conductor announced.

  Everyone on the train started grabbing their coats and suitcases. People bumped into me. Or maybe I bumped into them. I was not sure. Kristy grabbed my hand and led me off the train.

  Grand Central Station looked bigger and busier than ever. “Let’s stay together,” Daddy shouted above the roar of the crowd.

  I could not stop looking up at the ceiling. Grand Central Station has a huge, high ceiling painted like the night sky.

  Outside, Daddy and Elizabeth flagged down three yellow cabs. “Only four people can ride in each cab,” Daddy said. “And there are ten of us.”

  “Yeah, and about a million bags,” Sam added. (Sam is a big tease.)

  “I do not want to ride with Karen,” David Michael said.

  “I do not want to ride with you, either,” I said. Then I remembered my toe still hurt — sort of. I limped to the cab. Kristy and Elizabeth piled in behind me while the taxi driver put our suitcases in the trunk.

  “Beckman Hotel, please,” Elizabeth told the driver. And we were off. I looked at all the buildings, the crowds, the hot-dog stands, and the traffic. New York is a busy place.

  The hotel elevator was made of wood, with gold buttons showing the floor numbers. Andrew and I could have ridden up and down the elevator all day. But Daddy and Elizabeth said we should go outside and enjoy New York while we were here.

  I hurried to my room to put on my walking shoes. I was sharing my big, beautiful hotel room with Kristy, Nannie, and Emily Michelle. I felt sorry for Andrew. He had to share with stinky David Michael. (But at least Sam and Charlie were in his room too.)

  When we were ready, we met Daddy and Elizabeth in the lobby. We crossed the street to go to Central Park. The park was full of people, dogs, strollers, and bicycles. We walked and walked, until we came to a pond.

  “Look up,” Daddy said, pointing.

  We did. And I gasped. What was a castle doing in Central Park?

  “That is Belvedere Castle,” Daddy explained. “We can climb up to it.”

  We walked around the pond until we came to a stone staircase. Belvedere Castle was at the top of a high hill.

  When we came to the top we could see that the castle rested on a big rocky ledge. It had towers and turrets and looked gigundoly cool. Everything in New York was.

  The Parade

  On Thanksgiving morning I was up early. So was everyone in my family. No one wanted to miss the parade.

  First we had to have breakfast. Nannie and Elizabeth insisted. And they wanted to go out to eat.

  Outside, people were already lining up behind wooden barricades to watch the parade. Policemen on horseback watched the crowd.

  Andrew wanted to talk to one of the policemen. He wanted to ask him a million questions. Like do all policemen learn to ride horses? But Elizabeth and Daddy were in a hurry. We walked to a street called Broadway. (I knew that was famous.)

  “I thought there were supposed to be theaters on Broadway,” said David Michael.

  “There are,” answered Daddy. “But most of them are farther downtown.”

  “Look!” said Elizabeth. “There is Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookstore. And Zabar’s. You can buy all kinds of food there.” Zabar’s was closed for Thanksgiving. But the coffee shop was not. (Thank goodness. I was hungry.)

  I ordered a bagel with cream cheese. I did not want to ruin my appetite for Thanksgiving dinner. Charlie and Sam ate waffles — and pancakes, too. (Nothing ruins their appetites.)

  On the way back to the hotel we saw even more people and policemen. I wanted to stay out on the street to watch the parade. But Daddy and Elizabeth said we could see it better from their bedroom window.

  I could not believe I would finally see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade — in person. Already we could hear music from a marching band. But it sounded far away.

  By the time we rode the elevator to Daddy’s and Elizabeth’s room, the band did not sound so far away anymore. Already I could see the band in their blue and white uniforms. We crowded around the windows.

  “Look, there’s a huge balloon of the Cat in the Hat,” Andrew shouted.

  “Cool,” I said. (I love the Cat in the Hat. And he looked as tall as a building.)

  “Oh, there is the first float,” I shrieked. (No one even told me to keep my voice down. They were all too excited.)

  The float was shaped like a turkey. People dressed in feathers stood on top of the turkey and waved to the crowd.

  We saw floats decorated like snowflakes, hearts, and St. Bernards. There was even a movie float with strips of film all over it and a giant projector. (I loved that float. I want to be a famous movie star someday.)

  We saw marching policemen, marching firemen, marching bands, and marching choirs.

  But my favorite things in the parade were the balloons. “There is Donald Duck,” I shouted.

  “And Betty Boop,” said Charlie.

  “And Woody Woodpecker and Clifford,” said Andrew.

  “Cifford! Cifford!” shouted Emily Michelle. (She loves Clifford the Big Red Dog.)

  “Oh, and there is the Santa float,” Sam said. I saw Santa waving in his sleigh, led by eight white (pretend) reindeer.

  “The Santa float is always last,” Elizabeth said.

  “To remind people Christmas is coming,” Daddy added.

  I was sad the parade had ended. “It was great, wasn’t it?” I asked my family. I did not wait for an answer. I knew it had been the best parade ever.

  Un Deux Trois

  “Ew, my dress is wrinkled,” I said.

  “Emily Michelle, please give me back my lipstick,” cried Nannie.

  “Oh, no, I have a hole in my tights,” said Kristy.

  We were very busy after the parade. We were dressing for our special Thanksgiving dinner.

  I put on my blue velvet dress, lacy white tights, and black patent-leather shoes. (The dress did not look too wrinkled after I put it on.) Kristy found another pair of tights. Soon we were ready.

  Daddy asked the hotel doorman to hail three cabs. The doorman opened the cab door for me. I felt like a lovely lady sitting between Daddy and Kristy.

  “One twenty-three West Forty-fourth Street,” Daddy said to the
driver.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “To a restaurant called Un Deux Trois. That’s French for One Two Three,” said Daddy.

  “Oh,” I said. I was a little worried. What if the waiters did not understand English? What if the cook did not know how to make turkey?

  “Karen,” Daddy began. (I guess he could see I looked worried.) “Un Deux Trois has a special Thanksgiving menu today, with turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings. It’s a fun restaurant.”

  Daddy was right. Un Deux Trois turned out to be gigundoly cool. It had big chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and walls the color of butter. Best of all, there were cups full of crayons at every table, and paper tablecloths we could draw on!

  As soon as I sat down, I started drawing a picture on the paper in front of me. I drew myself standing on the movie float, waving to the crowd in a long red dress, just like a real movie star. David Michael was drawing something too. But I could not see what it was. He was sitting too far away.

  Most of us ordered the Thanksgiving special: turkey with cranberry sauce and stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, zucchini, creamed onions, and corn bread. (Boy, that sounded like a lot of food.) When the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink, I answered in French.

  “Vous lait bebee, oui oui, non, issi.”

  The waiter did not understand my pretend French.

  “She would like milk, please,” Daddy told him.

  “Wee, wee!” Emily shouted while we waited for our food.

  “Non, non!” cried Andrew even more loudly.

  “Andrew, Emily, please settle down,” said Daddy.

  Emily started blowing bubbles in her milk with her straw. Andrew poked me in the arm with his spoon.

  “Stop it,” I said.

  Nannie cleared her throat. “Why don’t we each describe something we are thankful for?” she suggested. “Andrew, since you’re so wiggly, you may go first.”

  “Um,” Andrew began, “I am thankful for my red sneakers.”

  Sam said he was thankful for the new girl in his class named Suzanne. Kristy rolled her eyes. “Oh, please,” she said.