The Invisible Day Read Online Free PDF

knows you’ll need all week to work on your Small World assignments. This is the big moment. Each of you will have a turn to pull a name from the hat and read it aloud. The person whose name is on the paper will then tell us his or her country. Then that person will pick the next name. I know that Ms. McPhee suggested that you should each have a second choice ready in case your first choice gets taken by someone else. I can’t listen to any disputes. This is the system that Ms. McPhee recommended, leaving it to plain old chance. If there’s a problem, you’ll have to talk to her about it. We’ll have our first research period right after the selections. Does everybody understand?”
    They all murmured yes. I wasn’t worried about not choosing today. I was pretty sure that nobody else would think of Liechtenstein. It doesn’t exactly jump off the map.
    “Okay, David, since it’s your hat, you choose the first name.”
    David drew Renée, and Renée picked France because she went there last summer with her aunt. Renée drew Josh, and Josh picked the Dominican Republic because he loves baseball and that’s where the best players come from. Then Josh drew Alyssa. She tilted her head to one side and coyly made her announcement.
    “I have chosen to do my Small World project about China,” said Alyssa.
    I gagged. Everyone was looking at Hubert, but of course Hubert was looking at the floor. Ms. Maloney was sharp enough to know that something was wrong with this picture.
    “Why did you choose China, Alyssa?” she asked.

    “Well,” said Alyssa earnestly, “China is a very important country because it has the largest population in the world. I think it’s going to play a big part in the next ten years of international politics, and I’d like to find out more about it.”
    “We’ll look forward to your report, Alyssa. Thank you.” Alyssa sat there with her eyes flashing in triumph. She reached for the nameslips and warbled out, “Charley,” while I stood there wanting to spit. Hubert looked in my direction from across the circle and slowly crossed his eyes.
    Charley picked Australia. Nina picked Greenland. Hubert picked Bali. He said later he didn’t have a second choice ready. Bali is the name of a place his mother says she’d like to run away to sometimes, and it just popped into his head.

10 • Story Time
    I was so mad I left the room. I trailed down the stairs to the library, punching the wall along the way.
    Even though she couldn’t help me, I sort of wanted to be near my mother. I sat in the corner next to the window, with my feet scrunched up under me. I wanted to strangleAlyssa. How can someone always be so mean?
    My mother was browsing in the picture book section. She was wearing the blue plaid shirt that I like. Better than her striped one, anyway.
    After a couple of minutes, I heard the giggles and whispers of the kindergarten kids. It was Jane’s class coming for Reading Time. My mother was going to read them a story.
    It took a few minutes to get everyone settled on the green mat. I could only see my mother’s back. Jane was curled up next to her. The other kids were all watching with complete attention. They call her Ms. Stoner, and they think that everything she says is true and smart. No wonder she likes this job so much.
    She held up the book to show them the first picture. It was
Millions of Cats
. I used to love that book. It’s almost like poetry, the way “hundreds and thousands and millions of cats” gets repeated in a chant. I loved the way my mother’s voice sounded saying it over and over. I closed my eyes and listened. I couldremember snuggling up to her, just like Jane. Lying on the navy corduroy couch at home, begging her to read it again.
    What if I don’t come back? What if I really don’t? The thought entered my head and stayed there, gnawing. I wanted to run over and hug my mother. I wanted to put my head in her lap and let her stroke my hair. I silently apologized