Fourth-Grade Disasters by Claudia Mills

Author:Claudia Mills [Mills, Claudia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ages 8 & Up
ISBN: 9780375899591
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-11-08T08:00:00+00:00

“Now what?” Mason asked Nora and Brody.

“We could go to my house and work on my bridge,” Brody suggested.

So they did. Mason wouldn’t have pointed this out, but Nora was a much better bridge builder than Brody, even though Brody was the one who wanted to be a professional bridge builder when he grew up. Nora’s bridge had rock supports underneath it and stone steps leading up to it.

Even Brody noticed how much better Nora’s bridge was.

“Maybe you should be a famous bridge builder, and I’ll be a famous something else,” Brody said. “I’ll be a famous singer!”

In preparation for his new career, he began singing the Platters raindrop song, starting in the middle, heading toward the exciting part.

“Drip, drop, drop, drop, drip, drip, DRIP!”

Dog barked along with Brody’s singing. For a dog who was terrified of thunder, he did a pretty good thunder imitation. Maybe Mrs. Morengo would let Dog be in the concert instead of Mason.

Nora said, “I have an idea.”

Brody’s rainstorm was over, the last little drop fallen. The mighty thundering Dog lay panting on the grass.

“What is it?” Mason asked. Nora’s ideas didn’t make him nervous. Nora always had good ideas.

“You don’t want to sing in the concert, right?”

Mason didn’t remember ever telling Nora that. Maybe it was obvious, at least to someone as observant as Nora.

“Tell Mrs. Morengo you want to flash the lights on and off to be like lightning. And you can turn the audience lights off at the start of the concert and turn them back on at the end. Tell her you’ll be the stage crew. That way you’re in the concert but not in the concert.”

“Nora,” Mason said, “how did you get to be so smart?”

Nora shrugged. “It’s just how I am.”

When Nora said it, it wasn’t bragging.

It was true.

Then came Monday, with Platters practice at 7:45, because this was the week of the concert, the week of having Platters practice every single day.

Mrs. Morengo looked flustered that morning.

“Are we starting with ‘Puff’?” a fourth grader asked her.

“No!” Mrs. Morengo almost barked. “We have five days! To learn two new songs! To perform on television! We don’t have time for ‘Puff’!”

Mason noticed that stuffed-dragon Puff had completely tipped over and was lying halfway off the chair, with his feet on the chair and his head upside down on the music room floor.

Brody apparently saw, too. He darted out of his place in the front row and set Puff back upright on his chair again, frowning as he studied Puff’s turned-up tail.

“Mrs. Morengo?” Brody asked. “Did you know that Puff’s tail is ripped in a couple of places, and his stuffing is starting to come out? Should we get him fixed before the concert? In case the television cameras zoom in on him for a close-up?”

Mrs. Morengo clutched her head with her hands.

“Brody, right now Puff is the least of my problems.”

“Mason’s mom can fix him,” Brody persisted. “She’s a famous knitter, and knitting is sort of like sewing, so Mason and I could take him to Mason’s house after school today, and she can probably sew him.

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