Jasper John Dooley, Star of the Week Read Online Free PDF

asked.
    â€œShh,” Jasper said, so he could think. He waited for some ideas. If he waited long enough, one or two usually came along. Finally, one did, just as a few kids were starting to squirm at their tables. Jasper asked, “Did you hear something?”
    â€œNo,” they all said.
    â€œThat’s because Earl didn’t say anything. One of the ways you can tell that somebody isn’t real is if they don’t talk. Real kids talk all the time. They practically never shut up.”
    Even Ms. Tosh laughed when he said that.
    â€œNow, put your hand here,” Jasper said, placing his on his chest, right over the star. All the kids put their hands on their own chests.
    â€œDo you feel something?”
    â€œYes!”
    Jasper invited the class to feel Earl’s chest. “Let me feel! Let me!” Everybody ran up to the front with reaching hands until Ms. Tosh made them stop pushing and line up properly. One by one everybody in Jasper’s class got a chance to touch Earl.
    â€œHis body is a board,” Ori said.
    Ms. Tosh clapped her hands. “Okay, everybody. Back to your tables.”
    As soon as everybody was sitting down again, Ms. Tosh said, “Jasper has brought us an excellent Science Experiment. It teaches us one of the ways to tell if something is alive or not. Earl isn’t alive. Why not?”
    Everybody called out the answer: “He doesn’t have a heart!”

Chapter 8

    On Wednesday, Jasper didn’t want to play babies with Isabel and Zoë, not even for Halloween candy. He didn’t want his diapers changed. Also, he was too busy with his brother, poor heartless Earl. Ori didn’t want to play babies either. He wanted to stay in the classroom and sleep in the Book Nook. Nobody ever stayed in the classroom during lunch unless they had gotten in trouble, but Ori said, “I don’t care. I’m going to lie down in the Book Nook. Before you go to the lunchroom, cover me with pillows.”
    Jasper did. Then he and Earl ate lunch together in the lunchroom. Really, only Jasper ate. Earl stood beside him, leaning against the wall, grumbling because Dad hadn’t packed Earl any lunch. Then Jasper and Earl went outside to play.
    Isabel and Zoë came up to Jasper and Earl on the jungle gym. “Come on! Be babies!” they called.
    â€œWe’re not babies!” Jasper said. “Babies are boring!”
    â€œThey are not!”
    The girls kept bothering Jasper and Earl, who just wanted to climb in peace.
    â€œYou have to obey me!” Jasper called down to them. “I’m the Star of the Week!” He flashed his star at them.
    The girls laughed at that, which made Earl so mad that he jumped down from the jungle gym and started to chase them away. Since he couldn’t talk, he made growling sounds. Isabel and Zoë screamed.
    â€œYou better be careful!” Jasper shouted. “My brother doesn’t have a heart!”
    Zoë and Isabel were so terrified they ran right up to the monitor and told on Jasper. Terrifying other kids wasn’t allowed at their school.
    â€œIt wasn’t me!” Jasper said. “It was my brother!”
    This was the strict monitor, not the nice one who would baby-sit for pinecones. She marched Jasper John and Earl straight to the principal’s office.
    â€œI can’t go to the principal’s office,” Jasper cried. “I’m the Star of the Week!”
    Mrs. Kinoshita was still eating her lunch in the staffroom. Jasper and Earl had to wait in the hall while the monitor went to fetch her. “Look what you did,” Jasper told Earl. “Now I might lose my star.”
    A few minutes later, Mrs. Kinoshita showed up. She didn’t seem very mad. She smiled when she saw Earl. Something green from her lunch was stuck in the smile, which made her seem even less scary. “Come in, boys,” she said, pointing to the big chair across from her desk.