Write On!

Read Write On! Online

Authors: Nancy Krulik

BOOK: Write On!
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Table of Contents
 
 
 
For Mandy and Ian, who give me
lots of great ideas!—N.K.
 
To Pat L, man of mystery and
a right on guy—J&W
 
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet
or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal
and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions
and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted
materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Text copyright © 2005 by Nancy Krulik. Illustrations copyright © 2005
 
by John and Wendy. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap,
a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark
of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. S.A.
 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 
Krulik, Nancy E.
 
Write on! / by Nancy Krulik ; illustrated by John & Wendy.
p. cm.—(Katie Kazoo, switcheroo ; 17)
Summary: Fourth-grader Katie forgets to read the new book of her
favorite author, Nellie Farrow, who comes to class for a discussion, but
when Katie turns into Nellie, the presentation seems doomed! Includes a
recipe for S’More Bananas.
 
eISBN : 978-1-101-09861-5
 
[1. Authors—Fiction. 2. Books and reading—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction.
4. Magic—Fiction.] I. John & Wendy. II. Title. III. Series.
 
PZ7.K944Wr 2005
[Fic]—dc22 2004024038
eISBN : 978-1-101-09861-5

http://us.penguingroup.com

Chapter 1
“Katie, you are so lucky!” Suzanne Lock declared as she sat in her best friend Katie Carew’s living room after school on Monday afternoon. “I can’t believe your grandmother sent you computer software. All my grandmother ever sends me is socks. Not even
fancy
socks with glitter or rainbow-colored toes. Just plain wool socks.”
“My grandma
is
very cool,” Katie agreed. “I don’t know anyone else who rides a motorcycle or goes hiking in Alaska.”
“What kind of software did she send?” Suzanne asked. “Some sort of game?”
Katie shook her head. “It’s software that lets you make your own website. My grandmother had so much fun creating her site, she thought I should have one, too.”
“Wow! Your
grandmother
has a website?” Suzanne was really impressed. “What kind?”
“Mostly it’s about the amusement parks she’s visited. She’s been on roller coasters all over the world!” Katie boasted. “My grandma’s the one who took me on my first roller coaster ride.”
“Your grandmother’s website sounds really neat,” Suzanne told Katie. “What kind of website should we make?”
We?
Katie hadn’t asked Suzanne to do a website with her. “I haven’t thought about it yet,” she answered honestly. “I only opened the package yesterday. I haven’t even read all the instructions yet.”
“Well, don’t worry.
I
have a million ideas,” Suzanne assured Katie.
Katie sighed. There was no way she could talk Suzanne out of this now. Once Suzanne decided she was going to do something, she did it.
But that was okay, actually. It could be kind of fun to work on a website with Suzanne. Now that the girls were in different classes, they didn’t get to spend a lot of time together.
“Actually, building a website sounds like fun,” Katie agreed.
“Let’s get started,” Suzanne squealed as she reached for the box on the computer table.
Katie frowned. “Don’t you think we should come up with an idea for our website first?” she asked her.
“Oh, that’s easy,” Suzanne replied. “We’ll do a fashion site.”
“A
fashion
site?” Katie didn’t sound very excited.
“Sure,” Suzanne continued. “We’ll tell people what’s in style.”
“Why would anyone listen to what two fourth-grade girls think about fashion?” Katie asked.
“Because
one
of those two girls is me!” Suzanne said. “No one at Cherrydale Elementary School knows more about fashion than I do.”
Katie sighed.
Suzanne is such a show-off.
“How about a website that helps animals?” Katie suggested. “Maybe we could work with the animal shelter and post pictures of dogs and cats that need to be adopted.”
Katie loved the Cherrydale Animal Shelter. That was where she’d gotten her cocker spaniel, Pepper. She reached down and gave her dog a pat on the head. He looked up at her and wagged his stubby tail.
Suzanne didn’t have any pets. “The shelter has its own website,” she stated. “I think a fashion site is a
much
better idea. We could post photos of me modeling all kinds of outfits.”
Katie frowned. “And what would
I
do?”
“You’d take the pictures of me,” Suzanne said.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun,” Katie said.
“You can’t be the model, Katie,” Suzanne said. “You haven’t taken any modeling classes like I have.”
“I don’t want to do a fashion website at all,” Katie insisted.
“Well, I do,” Suzanne replied just as firmly.
Katie was getting very angry. Suzanne was taking over everything. “It’s my computer software,” Katie reminded her. “Don’t you think
I
should get to decide what kind of website we make?”
Suzanne glared at her. “You’re not a very good sharer, Katie,” she declared.
“I am too,” Katie argued back.
“No, you’re not,” Suzanne said. “You want everything your own way.”
Katie was shocked. That was exactly how Suzanne was acting.
“I would share my grandma’s gifts with
you
,” Suzanne continued.
Katie frowned.
Big deal.
Why would she want a pair of plain wool socks anyway?
Suddenly, doing a website with Suzanne didn’t seem like such a good idea after all. It was just going to make them fight.
Just then, Katie’s mom came into the room. “Would you girls like some chocolate-chip cookies?” Mrs. Carew asked.
“You bet!” Suzanne said, forgetting all about the website for the moment.
Phew.
Katie had avoided another fight with Suzanne. For a little while, anyway.
Chapter 2
The girls followed Mrs. Carew into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
“So, did you have a good day today?” Katie’s mom asked them.
“Yeah!” Katie exclaimed. “Mr. Guthrie gave us the best news! Nellie Farrow is coming to our school!”
“Nellie Farrow, the author?” Mrs. Carew asked. “That
is
exciting.”
“Ms. Sweet told our class that, too,” Suzanne said between bites of her cookie. “She said we’re going to get to read the new book before anyone else.”
“The whole fourth grade is going to do that. Not just your class,” Katie told her. “And it was
Mr. Guthrie
who got us the books. He knows someone who works at the publishing company. His friend is the one who sent us the books. We’re getting them before the stores do!”
Suzanne shrugged and ate another cookie.
“The book is called
Only Orangutans Hang from Trees
,” Katie told her mother.
“I know,” Mrs. Carew said. “We’re getting a whole carton of them delivered to the store next week. It’s supposed to be a very funny book.”
Katie smiled proudly. Her mom worked at the Book Nook bookstore in the Cherrydale Mall. She knew tons about children’s books.
“We’re supposed to start reading it right away. That way we can be finished when Nellie Farrow comes to school on Friday.” Katie smiled excitedly. “I can’t wait to meet her. She’s a real writer. That’s what I want to be when I grow up.”

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