Kristy's Great Idea Read Online Free PDF Page A

My mom said. Does your mother know you’re dieting?”
    â€œWell, she—”
    â€œSee, I’ll bet she doesn’t.”
    At that moment, someone knocked on Claudia’s door. “Mary Anne!” Janine called. “Your father phoned on the other line. He says it’s time for you to go home.”
    Mary Anne looked at her watch. “Six-ten!” she cried. “Oh, no, I’m late. Dad hates it when I’m late. Thanks, Janine. I have to go, you guys.”
    â€œWait,” I said. “We didn’t finish making our plans.”
    â€œLet’s meet tomorrow at recess,” suggested Claudia.
    â€œReally?” I said. Recently, Claudia has been spending recess watching the cute boys play basketball. She never wants to play four square or tetherball with Mary Anne and me.
    â€œSure,” she said. “As soon as we’re done with lunch we’ll meet outside by the gym door. Somebody remember to bring a pad of paper and a pen.”
    â€œI will,” I volunteered.
    Mary Anne stood up then and practically flew home.
    â€œI better go, too,” said Stacey.
    â€œMe, too,” I said.
    Claudia walked us to the door and we went our separate ways.
    The Friday lunch at Stoneybrook Middle School is always the same: sloppy joes, red Jell-O with canned fruit in it, a dinky cup of cole slaw, milk, and a Fudgesicle.
    I truly hate it, except for the Fudgesicle.
    After Mary Anne and I had forced down as much as possible, we went outside to wait for Claudia and Stacey. We hadn’t sat with them in the cafeteria because they were eating at a table full of the most sophisticated seventh-grade girls (whom we hardly knew)
and
some boys. How they could eat with boys was beyond me. The boys are always doing gross things like smushing up peas and ravioli in their milk cartons to see what colors they can make. Claudia seems to think those things are hilarious.
    So Mary Anne and I reached the gym door first. We played a fast game of tetherball while we waited. I won. I usually do. I’m good at sports.
    â€œHi, you guys!” called Claudia about ten minutes later. She and Stacey were walking across the playground.
    â€œHi!” we answered.
    The four of us went to a quiet corner of the school building and sat down on some empty packing crates.
    â€œI’ve got the paper and pen,” I said. “And something else.” I pulled the list that I had made Tuesday night from my pocket and pointed to section two, which was labeled ADVERTISING . “This is what we have to do next: Let people know what we’re doing.”
    â€œRight,” agreed Claudia from underneath an outrageous red felt hat, which her teacher wouldn’t allow her to wear in the classroom.
    â€œI think flyers are the easiest way to tell people about our club. We can make up a nice ad and my mom can copy it at her office. Then we can stick copies in people’s mailboxes. We can do it in our neighborhood and on other streets, too. Anywhere that’s in bike-riding distance. Mary Anne, your dad would let you sit in another neighborhood if it weren’t
too
far way, wouldn’t he?”
    â€œI guess so,” Mary Anne replied uncertainly.
    I saw Stacey glance curiously at Mary Anne.
    â€œGood,” I said. “Now, we already have aname—the Baby-sitters Club. Do you think we should have some kind of symbol or sign, too? You know, like the symbol that’s on Girl Scout cookies or the sun that’s on the stationery my mom’s company uses?”
    â€œYeah!” said Stacey. “That’s a good idea. We could put it on top of our flyers. Claudia, you could draw something for us.”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Claudia.
    â€œCome on, you’re a great artist,” I exclaimed. “You can draw anything.”
    â€œI know I can draw, but I’m not good at … at symbols and stuff. Janine’s better at those