Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

Author:Nicole Panteleakos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2019-05-13T16:00:00+00:00

JAN 24, 1986

Dear Bridget,

T-minus four days until Challenger launch.

Today some girls in school called me retarded. You were not there to yell at them. But it’s okay. Mallory burnt their cookies and made them mad. You will like Mallory, I think. She is my friend. My first friend. I know because she told me, “I don’t let anybody be mean to my friends.”

I think maybe I should feel bad, Bridget, because I know burning their cookies was not nice. But I tried and I tried and I tried and I just don’t feel bad. Does that mean I’m not nice?

Now I am worried.

What if Francine finds out? What if Francine wants to give me back because I’m not a nice girl? Francine told Mrs. Pierce I am a very nice girl. I don’t feel like a nice girl. I feel mean. But I also feel happy because those girls were mean first and Mallory got them back good.

What is the word for when you feel two different feelings at the same time?

It feels like if one feeling was yellow and the other feeling was red but when you mixed them together instead of making orange they made something they shouldn’t, like pine green. I feel Crayola Pine Green and that doesn’t make sense.

Then, to make it worse, today on the drive home from school, Francine told me Mrs. Steele is coming this weekend to do her “wellness check.” But you and me both know a “wellness check” is really a deciding visit so Mrs. Steele can see whether we should stay with our foster family or get moved to a new one. I don’t want her to come.

Even though Francine thinks I cannot read, reads me Dr. Seuss at bedtime, and does not allow raw dough eating, I like her. And even though you say “We should not get attached” because “Foster families are not forever families,” I want to stay.

She bought me seven pairs of overalls so I can wear overalls every day and she bought me slouch socks and she cut the tags out of the backs of all my shirts, and she asks me about my day and tells me about her day in the car on the way home from school, and she lets me watch TV when she braids my hair so I forget it hurts to get my hair braided.

Then I feel bad again because those are all the things you do, Bridget. Except buying overalls. You get me slouch socks and cut my tags out and ask about my day and tell me about your day and let me listen to David Bowie when you braid my hair so I forget it hurts, remember?

I like Francine and Billy, but I want you to read my bedtime stories.

And I like Mallory but I want you to share my secrets, like the Fox’s secret.

I have so many confusing feelings I think they might fill me up like the expanding universe and then explode me out like a supernova.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.