The Grimm Chronicles, Vol. 2 Read Online Free PDF

leg. On her back pocket was a gold embroidered B. “These are Berrywise jeans. The newest trend. Totally impossible to find, like, anywhere.”
    “Ooooookay,” I said. “As much as I’d love to compare jeans, I need to get to History class.”
    “Don’t forget!” Trish called out after me. “Your date is Friday night!”
    I gave a wave, heading to the south stairwell. I hurried my way up to the second floor, taking the steps two at a time and feeling a good burn in my legs. As I slipped into room 245, I gave Mr. Feinman a nod, finding my place in the middle row. Mr. Feinman was standing at the podium in the front of the room, reading from our textbook as he always did before class. Some of the students thought Mr. Feinman was reading up because he didn’t know U.S. history very well. But given how much Mr. Feinman taught us that wasn’t in our textbooks, I had a sneaking suspicion my classmates were wrong.
    The bell rang. The quiet conversations stopped.
    “All right,” Mr. Feinman announced. He was a tall man with short dark red hair that was retreating from his forehead. He wore long-sleeve collar shirts—always some variation on the theme of plaid—and khakis. His boots were brown, tough, and made clomping noises on the tile floor as he stepped out from behind the podium.
    The classroom itself didn’t look so much like a classroom as it did an art room. There were posters along the walls everywhere, even along the front of his old wooden desk in the corner of the room. They were posters drawn by students, which was one of his favorite class activities for some reason. Already after not quite a week of class, the unused blackboard in the back of the room was nearly full. What was this place going to look like at the end of the semester?
    “Today, we’re going to learn about Thomas Jefferson,” Mr. Feinman said. “Specifically, his founding of the University of Virginia.”
    “He was the president, though,” said one of the students in the back.
    Mr. Feinman snapped his fingers, which seemed to be a quirk of his. “That he was, Bryce. That he was. But he also founded a university. Jefferson loved the idea of educating people on a variety of things—including science. He also let the students choose their own courses. It was a remarkable achievement that wasn’t easy to accomplish.”
    “Why did he do it then?” asked Margaret, who was sitting near the front. It looked like she was taking a lot of notes, despite the fact that Mr. Feinman had said during the first day of class that it wasn’t necessary.
    “Because he loved education!” Mr. Feinman exclaimed. “It was a passion of his. Let me read you this quote.” He closed his copy of the school history book and pulled out a much smaller book from underneath. He cleared his throat. “ Health, time, labor, on what in the single life which nature has given us, can be better bestowed than on this immortal boon to our country? The exertions and the mortifications are temporary; the benefit eternal .”
    I sighed. A dead president after my own heart.
    Mr. Feinman looked up. The class was strangely silent. Even the couple of jocks in the back seemed temporarily focused. “After his friend in the Virginia Congress read those words, he said, ‘Well! That does it. We’ll get you the funds for this university. But you’d better stop asking us for money for a while!’ ”
    The class laughed a bit, more at Mr. Feinman’s impression of a stuffy old man than the actual story.
    Mr. Feinman continued, “You see, Jefferson believed that education was the best tool to fight tyranny. And he didn’t believe it should only be a privilege for the wealthy who could afford it. He wanted everyone to have the right to an education, even if they came from a poor family. Knowledge is power.”
    Knowledge is power. Oh, you have no idea, Mr. Feinman.
    After History, I left and took the bus to the library. Fran was working, and she gave me a mildly pleasant smile as