Karen's Newspaper Read online

  Hannie and Nancy and I ran to Bart. Our pencils were poised over our notebooks. We watched the contest closely. When it was over, Bart held up Melody Korman’s hand. “And the winner is Melody!” he announced. “Congratulations, champ.”

  “Where are the blue ribbons?” I hissed to Nancy.

  “Right here,” she replied. She pulled several out of her notebook. My friends and I had spent hours making blue ribbons out of cardboard and construction paper.

  Nancy ran to Melody and Bart. She handed one of the ribbons to Melody. “Our first winner of the day,” she said.

  “Hey, Melody!” I called. “You are the first winner at Games Day. How do you feel? What are you thinking?”

  I wrote about Melody while Hannie and Nancy covered the fifty-yard dash. Linny Papadakis won the race.

  All afternoon the kids played games and ran races. Kristy and her friends had thought of some great contests, especially for the little kids like Sari Papadakis and Emily Michelle. The best one was the “I’m a Little Teapot” championship.

  By the end of the day, every kid had won at least one blue ribbon, and most had won several. The big winner was Maria Kilbourne. She left with nine ribbons. “Maybe you should put my picture in your paper,” she called as she left the yard.

  “Maybe,” I replied. My friends and I certainly had a lot of work to do.

  Too Much Work

  It was Saturday night. Games Day was over. I was in my room at the big house. I was lying on my bed. I was reading another book by the very wonderful Beverly Cleary. It was called Henry and the Paper Route. I was trying to enjoy the book, since it was so funny. But the paper route made me think of paperboys, and paperboys made me think of David Michael and Linny, and they made me think of The 3M Gazette, and that made me think of all the work I had to do.

  Boo and bullfrogs.

  “Karen?” said Kristy. She was standing in the doorway to my room.

  “Yeah?” I replied. “Come on in.”

  Kristy sat on the end of my bed. “I just want to tell you what a great job you’re doing with your paper. And what fun Games Day was. All afternoon I heard the kids saying how much they like The 3M Gazette, and how terrific Games Day was, and how they cannot wait to — Karen? What’s the matter?”

  I had started to cry. I did not know I was going to cry, but suddenly tears were rolling down my cheeks. “Nancy and Hannie and I just finished an issue of the paper,” I said, sobbing. “And now we have to write another. And it is probably going to be extra long because it will be about Games Day and all the winners. And I hardly have time for reading anymore.”

  Kristy looked serious. “Maybe the paper is too much work,” she said. “You have given yourself a very big job, Karen.”

  “I know,” I replied. I sniffled. “First no one liked our paper. Now everyone loves it — but I am too tired to write it.”

  “It might be time to stop,” said Kristy. “You have put out six issues of the paper. Maybe that is enough.”

  “But now the kids look forward to the paper,” I wailed. “They like to read about themselves. And they like entering the contests and working on the puzzles. I do not want to let them down.”

  “Why don’t you talk to your father?” suggested Kristy.

  So I did. And Daddy and I talked to Elizabeth and Nannie.

  “I thought you were having fun with the paper,” said Elizabeth.

  “I was,” I answered. “At first it was like a game. And no one cared whether the paper came out or not. But now the kids expect it. And it is a lot more work. Hannie and Nancy and I do not just write little stories and articles. We make up puzzles, and plan things like Games Day, and pick out the winners in our contests.”

  “That is a lot of work,” agreed Nannie.

  “I’ll say,” said Daddy.

  “And the problem is,” I went on, “that we promised we would write about Games Day. The kids are waiting to read about themselves.”

  We talked and talked. Finally Daddy said, “I have an idea, Karen. Why don’t you and Nancy and Hannie put together the issue about Games Day, since you promised you would do that. But that will be the last issue of your paper. I think the kids around here will understand.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Let me call Nancy and Hannie. I have to talk to them.”

  I called Nancy first. She said, “I was wondering how we were going to write the paper after school started. We would not have had enough time. I was getting worried.”

  And Hannie said, “Oh, thank goodness. I am really tired of The 3M Gazette! I was trying to figure out how to tell you that.”

  Whew. Why had I been so upset?

  Miss Jewel

  “Come on, Rocky. Come here. Now sit still. Please behave,” I said.

  “Karen? What are you doing?” asked Andrew.

  It was a late summer afternoon. Andrew and I were playing in the yard at the little house. Rocky and Midgie were with us.

  “I want Rocky to wear this bonnet,” I said. “I am trying to dress him up. I want to pretend he is going to cat school.”

  “Boy cats do not like bonnets,” Andrew told me.

  “I guess not.” I untied Rocky’s bonnet. I let him run away. “Well, I cannot wait for people school to start,” I said. “I just love school. I want to see my friends again. I want to see Mr. Mackey. He is the art teacher. And I want to see Mr. Fitzwater. He is the janitor. And I cannot wait to eat in the cafeteria again.”

  “You are so lucky, Karen,” said Andrew sadly.

  “I am?”

  “Yeah. You know all about your school. It is not new to you. You have been to it before, and now you get to go back. I cannot go back to my school. I am going somewhere new. I do not know anything about it.”

  “Andrew,” I said, “I think you need to visit your new school.”

  “Visit it?” he repeated.

  “Yes. Then, on the first day of school, it will not seem so new.”

  That night I told Mommy about my idea. “I know the schools are closed now,” I said. “But do you think Andrew could visit his anyway? And meet his teacher? That would make him feel better.”

  “Karen, that is a terrific idea. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? I will see what I can do.”

  The next day, Mommy called the school. She talked to Andrew’s teacher. And the day after that, we hopped in the car and drove to Littlebrook Preschool. Mommy and Andrew and I.

  “Here we are, Andrew,” said Mommy.

  “Doesn’t your school look nice?” I said. “Look at the playground, Andrew. Look at the climbing toys and the sandbox.”

  Andrew just nodded.

  Mommy and Andrew and I walked inside. We found Andrew’s classroom. We peeked around the door.

  “Good afternoon,” said a young woman. She was standing by a table. She was wearing blue jeans and an old paint smock. “You must be the Brewers. I am Miss Jewel, Andrew’s teacher.”

  My mouth dropped open. Miss Jewel. What a wonderful name.

  Miss Jewel put her arm around Andrew. “I am so glad you could visit today. Some of your classmates are also visiting.” Miss Jewel pointed to a boy and a girl who were looking at books in the story corner. “They are Sherry Baldwin and Brad Rufus.”

  “Hey! I know Brad!” exclaimed Andrew. “He went to my old school!” Andrew ran to Brad. “Hi! Hi, Brad!” he cried.

  After awhile, Miss Jewel showed Andrew and Brad and Sherry the other things in the room. “Here are the painting easels,” she said. “And here is the math cabinet. And here is the imagination center. And here are the art materials.” Then Miss Jewel showed them the things on the playground.

  Andrew kept calling out, “Hey, look at this!” And, “Cool! Brad, let’s play with this.” And, “I want to put on a play in the imagination center.”

  Finally it was time to go home. “Good-bye!” Andrew cried. “Good-bye, Sherry. Good-bye, Miss Jewel. Good-bye, Brad.” Mommy and Andrew and I climbed into the car. “I cannot wait for school t
o start,” Andrew announced.

  The Children’s Page

  Andrew did not stop talking about Miss Jewel and his new school. He talked about it for days. He even wanted to play school. “I will be me, and you be Miss Jewel, Karen. Let’s put on a play in the imagination center. Okay? Karen? Are you listening?”

  I was listening. At least, I was trying to listen. I was very glad Andrew was so excited about his new school now. But I was thinking about something else. The 3M Gazette. Nancy and Hannie and I had written our last issue. It was the one about Games Day. And Linny and David Michael had delivered it for us. Most of the stories had been about the kids in the contests and who had won how many blue ribbons. But the very last article on the very last page had been called “The End.” My friends and I had written about why The 3M Gazette was going to have to stop. We had said we were very gigundoly sorry, but the paper was too much work.

  The kids in the neighborhood were sad.

  “It was the only interesting newspaper I ever saw,” said Melody.

  “It was the only newspaper I ever understood,” said Linny.

  “I had a great new story for you,” said Timmy. “My puppy is learning tricks. I wanted to read about that in the paper.”

  Hannie and Nancy and I felt sad, too. But we did not know what to do. We just could not start writing that paper again.

  Then, on the day before school started, the phone rang at the little house.

  “I’ll get it!” I called. I answered the phone in the kitchen. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Karen? This is Mrs. Halsey from the newspaper.”

  “Oh, hi,” I said. “Just a second. I’ll get Mommy for you.”

  “Wait, Karen,” said Mrs. Halsey. “I want to talk to you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I have an idea. Your mother showed me several copies of The 3M Gazette. And she told me that you and your friends had to stop working on it. That is too bad, because your paper was really very good.”

  “It was? You liked our paper?” I said.

  “Very much,” replied Mrs. Halsey. “It made me remember an idea I had a long time ago. I wanted to start a children’s page in the Stoneybrook News. So yesterday I mentioned the idea to my boss. I told her the children’s page would include articles kids would be interested in, and puzzles and activities and so forth. I also suggested that some of the articles be written by kids. The kids could be guest writers or reporters. My boss loved the idea. She told me I should start working on it right away.”

  “That’s great,” I said.

  “So,” Mrs. Halsey went on, “I was wondering, Karen, if you would like to write for the children’s page. I was hoping you could write a monthly article or column. I will pay you, of course. Would you be interested?”

  I hardly knew what to say. “Oh! Oh, yes!” I exclaimed. “I am interested. I am definitely interested!”

  “Do you think Hannie and Nancy might want to write for the children’s page, too? Just every now and then?”

  “I — I think so,” I replied. “I will have to ask them, but I think so.”

  When Mrs. Halsey and I hung up the phone, I sat in the kitchen for a few minutes. I tried to catch my breath. I was so excited. My friends and I would still get to be writers and reporters. We would see our names in print in the Stoneybrook News! And the kids in town would soon have their very own page in the paper.

  I got right to work. First I called Nancy and Hannie with the news. Then I found my PRESS hat. I sat down to think about my first real newspaper article.

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1993 by Ann M. Martin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 1993

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-05657-0