Mailbox Mania
Authors: Beverly Lewis
Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers
P
ICTURE
B
OOKS
In Jesse's Shoes   â¢Â   Just Like Mama
What Is God Like?   â¢Â   What Is Heaven Like?
T
HE
C
UL-DE-SAC
K
IDS
The Double Dabble Surprise
The Chicken Pox Panic
The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery
No Grown-ups Allowed
Frog Power
The Mystery of Case D. Luc
The Stinky Sneakers Mystery
Pickle Pizza
Mailbox Mania
The Mudhole Mystery
Fiddlesticks
The Crabby Cat Caper
Tarantula Toes
Green Gravy
Backyard Bandit Mystery
Tree House Trouble
The Creepy Sleep-Over
The Great TV Turn-Off
Piggy Party
The Granny Game
Mystery Mutt
Big Bad Beans
The Upside-Down Day
The Midnight Mystery
Katie and Jake and the Haircut Mistake
www.BeverlyLewis.com
Mailbox Mania
Copyright © 1996 by Beverly Lewis
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6076-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Cover illustration by Paul Turnbaugh
Story illustrations by Janet Huntington
To
Kendra Verhage, my talented young cousin.
Someday, I hope to see your
stories in print!
CONTENTS
ONE
Abby Hunter yawned and stretched. And yawned again.
Summer had come. Hot, fly-buzzin' summer.
No school. Nothing to do.
Abby missed school. She missed her favorite teacher, Miss Hershey. “Summer's boring,” Abby said.
Abby's sister, Carly, crabbed about her paper dolls. “They're floppy,” she said.
Their adopted Korean brothers,
Shawn and Jimmy, were tired of American rice. “It's too dry,” they said.
All
the Cul-de-sac Kids were bored.
Dunkum Mifflin boxed up his basketball. “Too hot to play,” he said.
Stacy Henry was sick of sculpting. “The clay's too soft when it's hot outside,” she said.
Jason Birchall fussed about his frog. “Croaker never says, âRib-bitt' anymore.”
Eric Hagel complained about his paper route. “I never get to sleep in,” he said.
But the Fourth of July was coming. The United States of America's birthday.
Abby and her friends stood in front of her house. “Four more days,” she said. “I can't wait!”
Eric and Dunkum, Stacy and Shawn agreed.
The younger Cul-de-sac Kids looked at each other. Dee Dee, Carly, and Jimmy shrugged their shoulders. “We oughta
have a club meeting,” Dee Dee said.
“Good idea,” Abby said. She was the president of the Cul-de-sac Kids. Nine kids who lived on one street.
Dunkum smiled. “Let's meet at my house.”
Abby grinned. They
always
met at Dunkum's house. He had the biggest basement. “How soon?” asked Abby.
“Give me ten minutes to straighten things up,” said Dunkum. And he jogged down the cul-de-sac.
Carly, Dee Dee, and the others crowded around Abby.
“Let's think up something to do,” Jason said. “Something really fun!”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “Let's brainstorm.”
Stacy leaned on Abby's mailbox. “I can't think of anything fun.”
Abby tried to dream up something.
Just then, a mail truck came down the street. Mr. Pete, the postal worker, stopped at each house. The kids watched
him till he came to Abby's house.
Mr. Pete waved to them. “Good morning, kids!”
The Cul-de-sac Kids waved, too.
Stacy backed away from the mailbox. Mr. Pete stuffed the Hunter mailbox full.
Abby stared at the mailbox. Then an idea hit. “I know!” she shouted. “I know what we can do!”
Carly spun around. “What?”
“Tell us!” Jason said.
Dee Dee's eyes got big. “Please?”
“Come on,” Abby said. “It's time for our meeting. I'll tell you about it there.”
And she raced down the cul-de-sac to Dunkum's.
TWO
Abby took off her sneakers. They were new. One red, one blue.
The kids lined up their sneakers along the wall.
Jason plopped down on the floor. The others did, too. “Okay,” Jason said. “Let's get started.”
Abby sat in the president's seatâa beanbag. “The meeting will come to order,” she said. “Does anyone have old business?”
“Forget the old business,” Jason
hollered. “Let's have the new stuff!”
“Tell us your idea, Abby!” Carly shouted. “We can't wait!”
Soon, all the Cul-de-sac Kids were shouting.
Dunkum whistled.
Quickly, they settled down.
“Now,” Abby began. “Let's start over.”
Eric's eyes shone. “Abby sounds like a teacher.”
Abby grinned. She liked that. Maybe someday she'd be a teacher like Miss Hershey.
Jason swayed back and forth. He seemed wound up. “Forget school,” he said. “Let's hear Abby's idea.”
“Ya-hoo!” Dee Dee said.
Abby's voice grew soft. “I have a great Fourth-of-July idea.”
The kids leaned forward, listening.
“A contest,” she said. “We'll call it Mailbox Mania.”
Eric yelled. “What's
that
mean?”
“Sh-h!” said Dee Dee. “Just listen.”
“We'll decorate our mailboxes for America's birthday,” Abby said. “With American themes. Whatever you want.”
“How about Paul Revere's horse?” Jason stood up and trotted around.
The kids laughed. But Dunkum pulled him back down.
“Someone can judge our mailboxes,” Abby said. “The best mailbox wins.”
Jimmy raised his hand. “I judge! I good judge.”
Abby smiled. “Maybe it should be a grown-up.”
Dunkum suggested someone. “How about Mr. Tressler?”
“Let's take a vote,” Abby said. “How many want Mr. Tressler to judge the mailbox contest?”
