The Invisible Harry Read Online Free PDF Page A

there the first time. Jody’s dog, Pepper, remember her? She had puppies, only my mom won’t let me have one, so we had this idea and—”
    “And it’s a dumb idea, Billie. You have a dog that no one can see! What’s the point? The whole point is to think your dog is the cutest dog and to teach him cute tricks and to go around looking at your cute dog all day.”
    “Oh, he’s cute all right. He’s the cutest. Hey!” I’d found the perfect thing.
    “Look!” From the bottom, I pulled out a fluorescent pink skipping rope.
    “Billie, I’m going to computer lab.”
    “Just come with me for one second,” I insisted.
    I coiled the rope around my wrist and carried Harry in my arms, making Hubert lug my pack.
    In the library, I crouched down beside the shelf with domestic animal books, Dewey decimal number 636. My mother’s substitute was a parent volunteer. She had her glasses about two inches away from a fat book called
Murder on Long Island
, so I figured we were safe.
    I put Harry on the floor and got him to sit next to my knees. I plucked the
Encyclopedia of Dogs
from its place and started to flip through the pages.
    “What are you doing?” demanded Hubert.
    “Hold your horses. I’m going to show you what he looks like so you’ll know I’ve got the cutest dog.”
    I flipped the pages back and forth, hunting for a picture that looked like Harry. Harry leaned against my thigh, panting as usual.
    “See? Sort of like that.”
    Harry is a mutt with a large dose of terrier. I showed Hubert the closest, cutest picture I could find.
    “‘Personality,’” I read aloud, “‘courageous, merry, devoted, obedient.’ See? Who could ask a dog for anything more?”
    I pulled another book called
Puppy Care Guide for Children
.
    “Here,” I said, handing it to Hubert, “sign this out.”
    “Why me? I already have a book out.
All About Armor
.”
    “Hubert, just do it. I can’t have it on record that I took out this book. My mother is the librarian, in case you don’t remember.”
    “Very funny.”
    It was just plain bad luck that Ms. McPhee came in just then, trailed by a few of her students. She was our teacher last year, and she gets overexcited whenever she spots one of her “old” kids.
    “Billie! Hubert! How nice to see you here! Are you doing some special research?”
    “Er, um, yeah, sort of …” We mumbled a duet.
    Suddenly Hubert lurched to one side and did a funny, leaning dance, trying to shake his left foot. I noticed that his shoelaces were disappearing.
    “What are you working on this year?” asked Ms. McPhee, oblivious to Hubert’s discomfort.
    “Oh, it’s so interesting,” I jumped in, trying to shield Hubert from close inspection. “We’re learning about the Middle Ages and how they never brushed their teeth or washed their hair or anything.”
    Hubert was swaying behind me.
    “Well.” Ms. McPhee nodded. “I won’t keep you. We have our own work to do, don’t we, kids?” She beamed at her group, and they moved off to the index files.
    Hubert had just managed to tug himself free when Harry made a low, ominous growl. I’d heard it only once before, but already I knew what it meant.
    “Hubert!” I panicked. “Grab the tissue box and follow me!” I picked up Harry, almost by theseruff of the neck, and ran with him, dangling, up the back stairs and into the courtyard. Then I dropped him, not too gently, onto the ground.
    “Okay,” I said, “it’s safe now. You can poop out here.”
    “Billie, that’s completely disgusting,” said Hubert.
    But Harry performed his duty, and we waited for it to appear, and I cleaned it up and tossed it into the garbage can. I think Hubert was a little bit impressed.
    Until the door swung open and our class came bursting out with hollers of freedom, and Hubert realized that it was recess time and he’d just cut computer class for the first time in his life.

10 • Recess
    R ecess!
    We went behind the bike racks where no one else was