Jennifer Murdley's Toad (Magic Shop Books) Read Online Free PDF Page A

left," he said, sounding exasperated.
    Looking in the direction Bufo indicated, Jennifer saw Sharra Moncrieffe heading straight toward them. Scooping Bufo off her shoulder, Jennifer dropped him into the shoe box.
    "Hey, Murdley!" called Sharra. "What are you wearing today--your father's boxer shorts?" Without waiting for Jennifer to answer, she asked, "What's in the box?"
    "It's a toad," Jennifer replied cautiously.
    "A toad! Grossamundo!"
    At Sharra's cry of disgust an indignant thump sounded from the box.
    Sharra's eyes went wide. "Wow. He must be a big one."
    "Very," said Jennifer proudly.
    "Let me see."
    Jennifer eyed Sharra suspiciously. "What do you think I'm going to do?" asked Sharra. "Steal it? Who wants an old toad, anyway?" THUMP.
    "I'm just afraid he'll jump out of the box," said Jennifer. Which was the truth, though she didn't add she was even more afraid of what Bufo might try to do to Sharra once he was out.
    "Oh, you can catch him again. Let me see."
    Reluctantly, Jennifer lifted the lid of the shoe
    39
    box. Bufo sat hunched in one corner, glaring murderously at Sharra.
    "Oooh, he's an ugly one, isn't he?" she squealed.
    Jennifer slammed the lid down as Bufo began to lunge at Sharra. She heard him thud against it and fall to the bottom of the box again.
    "I like toads," she said defiantly. "If you think they're so ugly, what did you want to see him for?"
    Sharra shrugged. "It's like going to the zoo." THUMP!
    Jennifer had a feeling Bufo was going to shout something rude at any moment. But before she could figure out how to break away from Sharra, she heard Ellen cry, "Hey, guys, wait up!"
    Jennifer felt uncomfortable as her friend trotted up to join them. She still hadn't decided whether she was speaking to Ellen after the way she had blabbed yesterday's underwear secret.
    "What's in the box?" asked Ellen.
    "A huge, ugly toad!" exclaimed Sharra. She turned to Jennifer. "You know, you're really weird, Murdley. Why don't you get a good pet?"
    "Like Ponko?" asked Jennifer sarcastically.
    Ponko was Sharra's cat, and Jennifer thought the animal was just as stuck up and obnoxious as its owner.
    "Perfect example!" said Sharra.
    Jennifer snorted. "You got the spelling wrong. You have to put an s in front of the t in pet to get what Ponko really is."
    40
    Sharra glared at Jennifer. "Ponko is a purebred Persian," she said ferociously.
    "A purebred Persian pest!"
    "You are such a peasant!" cried Sharra. Flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder, she stalked away from the two girls.
    From inside the box came another loud thump.
    "Oh, be quiet!" hissed Jennifer.
    "Boy," said Ellen, "Sharra was really mad."
    Jennifer decided she was talking to Ellen after all. She had just remembered the time when she herself had accidentally told someone that Ellen was in love with Scotty Kiefer--a slip that had made a few days at least as hard for Ellen as yesterday had been for her.
    "You shouldn't talk to Sharra like that," continued Ellen. "You know she'll get even some way."
    "Oh, phooey," said Jennifer. "I couldn't care less about Sharra Moncrieffe and her creepy cat."
    "Hear! Hear!" said a voice from the box.
    Ellen's mouth fell open. "What was that?"
    "Not bad, huh?" said Jennifer, forcing a laugh.
    "What do you mean?"
    "I mean, you didn't see my lips move. I'm learning ventriloquism."
    "What?"
    "Ventriloquism. You know--like those guys on TV who make dummies talk."
    "Who are you calling a dummy?" Bufo shouted.
    "Wow!" said Ellen. "That's fantastic. I didn't see your lips move at all."
    "Any fool can do it!" bellowed Bufo.
    41
    "Oh, hush!" snapped Jennifer, whacking the top of the box. "Come on, Ellen. We'll be late for school."
    "School," said the voice in the box. "Yuck!"
    Later that morning Jennifer tried to concentrate as Mrs. Hopwell explained how to turn adjectives into adverbs. But with everything that had happened since yesterday, she just couldn't keep her mind on the lesson.
    Additionally, she was fretting over what