Sam the Man & the Dragon Van Plan by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Author:Frances O'Roark Dowell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

“Hey, Sam!” Sam’s dad called from the driveway when Sam got back from dropping off Mr. Stockfish. He was standing next to a very clean, very white minivan. “What do you think of our almost new, sort-of-used van?”

The first thing Sam noticed was that the Grahams’ new-used white minivan looked a lot like a delivery truck, which wasn’t nearly as good as looking like a monster truck or even a mini–monster truck, but at least it was better than looking like a plain old minivan.

The second thing he noticed was that this white minivan needed some serious decorating, just like he’d thought it would.

Sam bet his parents had noticed that too. Still, he thought he should drop a few hints when his dad opened up the minivan doors so Sam could see inside.

“It’s nice in here,” Sam told his dad. “But I bet it will look even nicer when Annabelle covers the seats with leopard skin. Maybe we can spiff up the outside, too.”

“I always thought ‘spiff’ was a funny word,” Sam’s dad said as he rubbed at a smudge on the dashboard. “What does it mean, exactly?”

Sam shrugged. “I think it means to make something a little more . . . well, a little more exciting, a little more fun to look at, in a nice way.”

“Never a bad idea, Sam the Man,” his dad said.

Sam wished that Gavin had been there to high-five. It was only a matter of time before his monster dragon van dreams came true.

A school bus pulled up in front of their house. Annabelle! What if the first thing she did when she saw Sam was ask about her book? Sam popped out of the van, deciding he’d better take charge of this situation.

“Look at our new car!” Sam called out as soon as his sister stepped off the bus. “It’s white!”

“I can see that, Sam,” Annabelle said, rolling her eyes like she thought Sam was acting weird.

“I’m not acting weird,” Sam blurted out. “I’m just excited about our new minivan!”

Annabelle stared at him. “Did I say you were acting weird?”

“Hey, Anna Bana—Belle,” Sam’s dad said. “Come look at the new car. Even though it’s used, it actually has that new-car smell. There’s a spray for that. Climb inside and you’ll see.”

Dad to the rescue! Sam leaned back against the side of the minivan, relieved. He’d almost blown his cover. Was it going to be like this for the rest of his life? Would he spend every day trying to keep Annabelle from asking about her book or looking at it too closely?

Maybe he should just tell her. It might be easier than being nervous about it all the time. But if he told her, he had to do it the right way. What had Mrs. Kerner said this afternoon when they’d talked about the best way to give bad news? Oh yeah—that you should always give a present. She said that if Sam had to give her bad news, he should give her a box of chocolate, too.

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