Книга “Дети из дома № 300” - Читать онлайн бесплатно

Mallory on Strike

Ann M. Martin

Chapter 1.

Today — at exactly2:15 PM — my entire life changed. That was when Mr. Dougherty, my creative writing teacher, told my class about Young Authors Day.

I'm Mallory Pike. Most people call me Mal. I'm eleven years old, and I want to be a writer. Correction. I am going to be a writer. And I am going to write about everything. And illustrate my books, too.

Anyway, Mr. Dougherty announced the event to my creative writing class, which is a special one that I was invited to join because of my writing talent. (Does that sound too conceited? I hope not.) I was so thrilled when I was picked for his class because not only is Mr. Dougherty the coolest, funniest, smartest teacher I have ever had, but he has actually had a book published. He's a real author like I want to be. The kids in my class call him Mr. D. He seems to like it, too. He's kind of round

and jolly, with a big, bushy mustache that he twirls around his finger whenever he's pleased with something. He always twirls it when we call him Mr. D.

Now, where was I? Oh, right. Young Authors Day. Mr. D told us that it is a special day celebrating future writers. A famous author is going to talk to the whole school about writing and how to get a book published, and then a contest is going to be held, with prizes going to the best writers inStoneybrookMiddle School . There are lots of categories that we can enter: Best Poem, Best Short Story, Best Mystery, Best Illustration of a Story, and (the one I hope to win) Best Overall Fiction for the Sixth Grade. When I told Mr. D that was the category I wanted to enter, his eyes twinkled and he twirled the ends of his mustache. (So I know he was pleased.)

I couldn't wait to tell Jessi about it. She's my best friend. Jessica Ramsey is her full name, but no one ever calls her that, except maybe her parents when they're mad at her. Jessi is beautiful. She's tall and thin, with wonderful long legs that are just right for a ballerina, which is what she is. And not just any ballerirta, either, but one of the best at this really good ballet school she goes to inStamford . Just to show you how great a dancer she is, Jessi's had the lead in several major pro-

ductions recently, including Coppelia, in which she played Swanilda. I go to every one of her performances, and so do the rest of my friends in the Baby-sitters Club —but I'll tell you about them later.

Jessi is the same age as me, eleven. We're both junior officers in the BSC (Baby-sitters Club). We're a lot alike except for a few things. First, I come from a huge family with eight kids. And guess what. Three of them are identical triplets. But even though they look alike,Byron,Jordan , and Adam have very different personalities — especially Byron, who's quieter and more sensitive than his brothers.

People often say we're stair-step kids, which means that we were born one after the other. And they're right. You see, I'm the oldest. The triplets, who are ten, are right behind me. My sister Vanessa is nine, Nicky is eight, Margo is seven, and last but not least is Claire. She's five. Can you imagine eating dinner with that many people every night? It can be a zoo, sometimes. But Mom and Dad don't seem to be bothered by it. They're great.

Everyone in my family has chestnut brown hair and blue eyes. And out of all ten of us, Nicky and I are the ones who wear glasses. Which I hate. I've begged my parents for contacts, but they say I have to wait until I'm older. I also wear braces. (The clear plastic

kind.) And as long as we're on the subject of things I hate, let's talk about my nose. I got it from my grandfather. If I could get rid of it, I would.

Jessi doesn't wear braces or glasses, and her family is regular-sized (two parents and three kids, plus her Aunt Cecelia). Jessi's eight-year-old siste...