Then she thought about being brave with Clementine when they were both scared to come out from under the bookshelf. She thought about flipping herself from her back to her front, by the creek. She thought about Chaz’s story—about choosing to expect good things. And she thought about how quickly she’d become friends with both the spider and the squirrel, despite meeting them under very, very unusual circumstances.
She let all of those thoughts float around inside her until she came to one crystal-clear realization:
“It was nice having a shell to hide in. But . . . I don’t think I need it anymore.”
“Well, then,” Bagel said with a satisfied nod.
“Can you tell me how to change back?” Tally asked.
“Not exactly,” Bagel answered.
“Oh, no.” Tally slumped. Had she come this far for nothing?
“Chin up. Not one kid has ended up stuck as an animal. You won’t, either.” Bagel gave Tally’s shell an encouraging pat. “Here’s what I know: In order for the magic to do its thing, you have to return to the spot where you first transformed. Not somewhere close by.” The guinea pig held up a curved claw in warning. “The exact location. In five years, I’ve never seen it work any other way.”
Tally glanced at the square of tile floor between her desk and Nate’s, next to her mint-green backpack. “Okay. Then what?”
“Then . . .” Bagel said slowly, “it’s up to you.”
“It’s up to me.” Tally liked the sound of that. She smiled at Bagel. “Thank you.”
Bagel beamed. “What are class pets for?”
16
A Happy Turtle Grin
Bagel led Tally to a notch cut into the back of the shelf behind his cage. “Three years ago,” he said, “Lulu Lawrence turned into a lizard. I was trying to help her, but I was up here, and she was on the floor. Long story short, afterward, she made me this.”
Tally crawled to the edge. “A slide! Mrs. Norrell doesn’t know?”
“Not yet—so try not to scream too loud as you go down,” Bagel said with a chuckle.
Tally stretched out her neck. She could only see a couple inches of the cardboard slide before it vanished into darkness. She liked slides, but she also liked seeing where she was going.
You can do this, she thought, preparing to kick off.
Bagel stopped her with a paw on her shoulder. “You can’t talk to your classmates about what happened to you today. At least, not until they’ve had an animal day of their own.”
“Why not?” Tally asked.
“Unfortunately, if a child knows it’s coming, it won’t happen to them.” Bagel sighed. “We learned that the hard way.”
“Oh.” Tally gulped. “Will I know if someone has transformed?”
“You won’t see it happen. Humans never do. But you’ll figure it out.” Bagel gave her a stern look. “Now, promise to keep the secret.”
“I promise.” Tally looked back at Clementine. “I’ll miss you,” she told the spider. “You’re my first friend here.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” Clementine hugged Tally’s neck. “But you’re about to make so many more friends!”
“You’re right,” Tally said with a shiver of anticipation. “I am.”
She pushed off with her back feet. The slide was straight. The slope was steep. Tally’s shell was slick. She slid fast.
It was fun!
She hit the floor and began to crawl. She’d made it halfway across the room when—
“Whoa! Look at that!” Nate was pointing at her. “It’s a turtle!
“Ew,” Victoria said, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s so cute!” squealed a girl Tally didn’t know yet.
Everyone crowded around.
Tally kept crawling, trying to tune out the chatter. She knew she could get scooped up and taken outside again, or put in a cage . . . or worse. Bagel had said no kid ever stayed an animal permanently, but Tally didn’t want to be the first.
“Let me through, kids,” Mrs. Norrell said, making a path with her hands. She knelt in front of Tally. “Well! What are we going to do with you?”
Tally trembled, but she didn’t stop moving forward.
“Maybe this is one of the other teachers’ class pets,” Mrs. Norrell said. “Oh, dear. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that other turtle outside, after all.” She leaned in. “Don’t be afraid, little one. I’ll get you somewhere safe. Madison, can you hand me a tissue, please?”
“Why do you need a tissue?” someone asked. “Are you allergic?”
Mrs. Norrell laughed. “No, it’s not that. Sometimes, turtles carry salmonella.”
“That’s a germ that makes you sick to your stomach,” David informed the group.
“The tissue is to cover my fingers,” Mrs. Norrell explained, as Madison ran over to the arts and crafts corner.
Tally finally reached the correct floor tile. Immediately, she wished to be herself again. She pictured her jean shorts and green T-shirt and green-and-white sneakers. She pictured her straight brown hair in its ponytail and her round glasses perched on her nose. She pictured the clear sparkle polish on her fingernails.
Nothing happened.
High above Tally’s head, Madison passed Mrs. Norrell a whole box of Kleenex. Tally’s time was almost up.
She looked at Madison, and then around at all of her classmates. She imagined introducing herself properly. She imagined sitting at a crowded lunch table, telling jokes and sharing secrets. She imagined having her new friends over to her new house for a sleepover.
Her lips turned up in a happy turtle grin.
The transformation began.
17
Ready to Be Seen
The odor of rotten eggs wafted through the air, chased by the fresh scent of citrus fruit. Invisible piano keys played a tinkly tune, which was cut off by the loud pop of a sticky jar lid. A gust of wind pushed Tally sideways and spun her around. Then everything was still and quiet.
Tally blinked. Immediately, she knew she was person-sized. But what did she look like? She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. Her skin was no longer scaly and striped in green, yellow, and brown. She had sparkly nails, not grimy claws. She tapped at her face. Her eyes, nose, and mouth were all in their usual spots. She twisted her arms to run her fingers over her back. She no longer had a thick, protective shell.
She was herself again!
Her classmates were emerging from their magical fog. They seemed a little confused, just like when she’d first transformed. For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Then David squinted at Tally. She tensed, wondering if he’d remember the turtle they’d all been staring at a minute ago. Instead, he slowly said, “Ta-loooo-lah?”
“Ta-loooo-lah!” Owen crowed back.
“Actually,” Tally said, her voice only a little shaky, “I go by Tally.”
Mrs. Norrell was staring at the floor with a wrinkle between her eyebrows. She looked like she knew there was something she’d forgotten, but she couldn’t think of what it might be. “Tallu—I mean, Tally,” she said. “You’ve returned from the nurse’s office.”
Tally felt a little thrill at her teacher’s words. She’d missed almost a whole school day, and no one knew! Well, she was back now, and she was on a mission.
“Are you feeling better?” Mrs. Norrell asked.
“Yes,” Tally said honestly. There were still a few butterflies in her stomach, but she wasn’t going to let them win. This morning, Tally had wanted to hide. Now, she was ready to be seen. “Mrs. Norrell, can I . . .” She drew herself up as tall as she could. “Can I introduce myself to the class, since I’m new here?”
“Of course,” her teacher said. “Take your seats, kids!”
The class got settled. The room fell silent. Everyone stared at Tally, waiting for her to speak.
Tally’s mouth felt dry. Her fingers felt trembly. She licked her lips and clasped her hands together. She took in a deep breath and held it, counting down in her min
d: three, two, one . . . blast-off!
“Hi. I’m Tally Tuttle. My family moved here last week, because my mom got a new job. I think she works with Madison’s dad now—hi, Madison!” A few rows up, Madison gave a friendly wave. “My favorite color is green,” Tally went on, “my favorite vegetable is corn on the cob, and my favorite candy is Starbursts. I like riding my scooter and reading books about kids going on epic adventures. I’m named after a film star who died a long time ago. My parents really like old movies.”
Most of her classmates were smiling—although Victoria wore a scowl. But Tally tried to ignore the other girl’s sour face. She didn’t need to be best friends with every single person in the class. A few new friends would do.
She didn’t need every single acorn. She just needed enough.
18
No Turtle Shell Required
When she finally sat down, Tally felt like she’d run a marathon. She was exhausted, but also jingly-jangly with excitement. She wasn’t sure if she would rather have a dance party or take a long nap.
Instead of doing either of those things, she snuck her hand into her backpack to get a celebratory Starburst. No, after the day she’d had, she deserved two Starbursts. She held the candies tight in her fist. Red and orange, she predicted, and when she opened her fingers under her desk, she was pleased to see she was right. She unwrapped the Starbursts and ate them together, letting the flavors swirl in her mouth just like the happiness and relief that swirled inside her.
Nate tapped her on the arm. At first, she was worried he’d seen her sneaking candy. Would he tell on her? Did he want a Starburst for himself? Tally was about to say she was glad to share when he handed her a note.
“For me?” Tally whispered.
“Any other Tally Tuttles in here?” he asked, but not in a mean way.
“Ha. Thanks.” Tally unfolded the sheet of paper. It was from Madison! The note read:
Hi, Tally! It’s so nice to meet you! Love, Madison.
P.S. My favorite color is sky blue, and Lydia’s is fire-engine red.
Tally looked up to see Madison grinning at her. Tally beamed back.
Then she looked over at Bagel’s cage by the windows. The guinea pig was looking right at her. Tally gave him a grateful thumbs-up. He nodded, turned in a tight circle, and curled up in his wood shavings for a snooze.
The next hour passed quickly. Mrs. Norrell had everyone work on creating self-portraits for their bulletin board, using whatever art supplies they wanted. They were allowed to push their desks together, so Tally formed a triangle with Madison and Lydia. While she made a collage of her face out of tissue paper and glue, they told her a little bit about each of her classmates.
Aaron had a sweet tooth, so if Tally needed an emergency Starburst, he was the kid to ask. Zeke was short for Ezekiel, just like Tally was short for Tallulah. Nate never went anywhere without a book. Riley was a gymnast. David was constantly getting into trouble, and Owen went along with whatever David wanted to do. Gavin was the class clown. Victoria didn’t seem to find anything funny.
By the end of the day, Tally knew so many new things. The most important new thing she’d learned was that she was going to fit in here. Her life was different than before, but different didn’t have to mean bad. New wasn’t always scary. Sitting between Madison and Lydia, in a room full of people she now saw as possible new friends, Tally felt comfortable, cozy, and safe.
No turtle shell required.
Ten Fun Facts about Painted Turtles
What’s the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? Both are reptiles, but tortoises live on land while turtles spend at least part of their time in the water. Also, turtles tend to have smooth, flat shells and webbed feet with long claws, while tortoises often have dome-shaped shells and short, sturdy feet and legs.
Tally Tuttle turns into a painted turtle, one of the most common turtle species in North America. You can identify a painted turtle by the red, yellow, and orange markings on its black or greenish-brown skin. The top part of the shell is usually dark green, brown, or black. Some types of painted turtle have bright red, yellow, and orange markings on their undersides, while others have a bottom shell that is plain brown or tan.
A turtle’s shell is part of its skeleton! The top of the shell, called the carapace, is fused to the turtle’s spine and ribs. The bottom of the shell, the plastron, is connected to the carapace by bony structures called bridges, which run between the front and hind legs on either side.
The outermost layer of a turtle’s shell is made up of scales called scutes, which are made of keratin—the same protein that’s in your hair and fingernails! A turtle will naturally shed its scutes to make way for larger ones as it grows.
A full-grown painted turtle is six to eight inches long. As a juvenile turtle, Tally is only four or five inches long. It’s no wonder she’s worried about being stepped on!
When she goes outside, Tally feels a strong urge to bask in the sunlight. Soaking up the sun helps turtles regulate their body temperature. Basking can also help turtles shed scutes and get rid of parasites, like leeches.
Mrs. Norrell is right when she tells David and Owen that turtles’ shells protect them from many predators, but certain animals still pose a danger. Tally is attacked by a crow, but turtles must also keep an eye out for alligators, hawks, bald eagles, foxes, and raccoons.
When Tally uses her legs and her long, flexible neck to flip herself right side up at the creek, she’s doing exactly what a real turtle would do. Turtles who land on their backs are vulnerable, so they instinctively work to right themselves.
Painted turtles are omnivores. That means they eat both plants, like leaves and algae, and animals, such as small insects, fish, and crustaceans. They feed by hunting along water bottoms and by skimming the surface of the water. Instead of teeth, painted turtles have tough, horny plates in their jaws for gripping and mashing food.
Tally may only be a turtle for a few hours, but real turtles can live a very long time. Painted turtles that are properly cared for in captivity can live twenty to thirty years. Some painted turtles make it to their forties or fifties!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to:
• My agent, Alyssa Eisner Henkin, for encouraging me to try writing chapter books and for helping me find the right story to tell.
• My editor, Erica Finkel, for making the manuscript shine.
• Ariel Landy, Johanna Tarkela, Marcie Lawrence, and Deena Fleming, for their beautiful illustrations and design work.
• The rest of the team at Amulet Books: Megan Carlson, Jenn Jimenez, Emily Daluga, Maggie Lehrman, and Andrew Smith, for taking great care of me and Tally.
• Janae Marks and Lance Rubin, for their early feedback (and their friendship!).
• Herpetologist John Iverson, for sharing painted turtle factoids.
• Ian McKay, for giving his professional insight into childhood anxiety.
• My family and friends, for their support along this publishing journey.
• Justin and Evie—the two of you are my most magical adventure.
About the Author
Kathryn Holmes always dreamed of telling stories for a living. These days, she writes books for kids and teens. Originally from Maryville, Tennessee, she went to Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she majored in dance and English literature. She later received her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School in New York City. Kathryn now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter. You can find her online at www.kathrynholmes.com.
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