Zoe in Wonderland Read Online Free PDF Page A

him.
    He glanced at the clock, grabbed his backpack, declared, “Oh no, I gotta go!” and dashed to the door. “It’s my auntie’s birthday. They’re having a party at a fancy restaurant. Bye, Miz Reindeer!” he hollered. “Later, Zoe!” The door slammed shut and he was gone.
    And minutes later, when Harper reappeared, I’d not only shut off the computer but cleared my browsing history.
    Again, I dashed to my room, dug out the pages I’d printed, and pored over the articles. That was when I learned why it’s called the tree of life. It gives not only water but also food, plus some people actually live inside of them. I inspected a picture of the pub someone had built inside a six-thousand-year-old baobab.
    Reading on, I learned that the trunk can hold huge amounts of water, and that’s why the tree can survivewhen there’s a drought, and its fruit, named monkey bread, has healthy vitamins. I thought back to the man who’d come into the nursery this morning and how he’d called it the monkey bread tree. And I was picturing him standing so tall in his two-toned shoes when Mom yelled out, “Dinner!”
    Quickly, I stashed the papers under my mattress. If I was going to succeed, this had to remain a secret.
    Jade, Harper, and Mom were seated at the table, but only the queen bee was already filling her food hole.
    â€œYou’re supposed to wait for everyone before you start eating—that’s the rule.” I glanced at Mom. Please back me up, I thought.
    â€œIt is the rule, Jade,” Mom told her.
    Jade rudely clicked her tongue, turned to me as I sat down, and replied, “Okay, little miz princess of manners.”
    â€œBQ, Jade,” I replied.
    â€œBQ? What’s that supposed to mean?” Jade asked.
    â€œMeans ‘be quiet,’” I answered.
    â€œThat’s enough,” Mom fussed.
    Jade clicked her tongue again. I’d finished one turkey burger and was slathering mustard and ketchup on another when Daddy opened the kitchen door.
    â€œHowdeedoo, family,” he said. That’s his way, saying
howdeedoo
.
    â€œHi, Daddy,” we said simultaneously.
    Mom lifted her head and they gave each other a quick smooch.
    â€œDid you get your
endangered
plants?” I asked, emphasizing the word
endangered
.
    Daddy smiled. “Yes,” he answered, then washed his hands, sat down at the table, grabbed a handful of fries, and stuffed them in his mouth.
    Daddy Reindeer is not as tall as the man from Madagascar, but he’s pretty tall, and like me, he wears glasses. When he smiles, his whole face—a face almost as round as a full moon—joins in, especially his eyes. He doesn’t like to wear belts, so unless it’s some kind of extremely fancy party, he wears suspenders.
    Later, I hoped to catch him alone to find out what he knew about baobab trees. I couldn’t wait and it was hard to keep from blabbing it right then and there. I smiled inside and out. In fact, for the first time in a while, I had good feelings colliding around inside me, small secret sparks of happiness. It had been eons since I’d had something that felt like it belonged only to me.
    After I helped with the dishes, I found a spot on the floor in front of the TV. Every now and then, Mom orDaddy would act like they were going to bed, but they stayed snuggled together on the sofa until after eleven o’clock. They were in their we’re-not-budging-for-a-while comfortable pose, which led me to the sad conclusion that I probably wasn’t going to get a chance to talk to Daddy tonight after all.
    That being the case, I said, “G’night.”
    I showered and was about to climb into bed when I decided to give it one more try. Finally, I found him alone at his desk, sorting through the mail.
    â€œDaddy?”
    â€œHowdeedoo, Zoe.”
    I leaned against the desk. “A man came into the nursery while you