My Pops Is Tops! (7 page)

Read My Pops Is Tops! Online

Authors: Nancy Krulik

BOOK: My Pops Is Tops!
7.24Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Katie walked over to the water cooler. Kids from all the grades were standing nearby.
“Wow, Katie, your grandfather’s really fast,” a sixth-grader named Selena said. The French flag was on her shirt.
“Seriously,” agreed Evan, a fifth-grader in a shirt with the Spanish flag on the front. “My grandparents can’t run like that.”
“Your grandfather’s cool,” Selena told her. “I wish mine was here.”
“Katie’s grandfather
is
amazing,” Suzanne said, stepping into the middle of the crowd. “Of course
I’ve
known him for years. That’s because Katie and I are best friends. I like to come over to her house whenever her grandfather visits.”
Katie rolled her eyes. Suzanne could always find something to brag about.
But Katie could understand why someone might brag about knowing Pops. He was a really great guy. And an awesome athlete, too.
As Katie walked over to give her grandfather his cup of water, she thought about how glad she was that the magic wind had stayed away today. Right now she was really happy to be exactly who she was—Max Carew’s granddaughter, Katie Kazoo.
Fun Facts About the Olympics
1. The five Olympic rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. Those colors were chosen because at least one of them appears on every flag in the world.
2. The traditional lighting of the Olympic flame started in ancient Greece. Once the flame was lit, it was kept burning until the closing of the Olympic Games.
3. The ancient Olympic Games were held to honor the Greek god Zeus.
4. Olympic gold medals haven’t been solid gold since 1912. Today the gold medals have a silver core and then are covered with a layer of real gold.
5. In winter Olympics, Norway has won the most medals—263 in all as of 2006.
6. In summer Olympics, The United States has won the most medals—2,189 total as of 2007.
7. The official motto of the Olympics is “Swifter, higher, stronger.”
8. Women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics until the 1900 Paris games. There have been women competitors in the games ever since.
9. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
10. More than two hundred and three countries now compete in the Olympics.
About the Author
NANCY KRULIK
is the author of more than 150 books for children and young adults, including three
New York Times
bestsellers. She lives in New York City with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, their children, Amanda and Ian, and Pepper, a chocolate and white spaniel mix. When she’s not busy writing the
Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo
series, Nancy loves swimming, reading, and going to the movies.
About the Illustrators
JOHN & WENDY’S
art has been featured in other books for children, in magazines, on stationery, and on toys. When they are not drawing Katie and her friends, they like to paint, take photographs, travel, and play music in their rock

n

roll band. They live and work in Brooklyn, New York.

Other books

The Exiled by Kati Hiekkapelto
Model Misfit by Holly Smale
Slow Homecoming by Peter Handke
Okinawa by Robert Leckie
Afterimage by Helen Humphreys