His friends came over to the table to look. Gomez pretended to hide some finished caramel apples behind his back, trying to stick to our plan.
“Go away, these aren’t for you! It took us all afternoon to get these done,” he said.
A big grin crossed Lucas’s face. “Thanks for making them for us, little bro!” he said, slapping Gomez on the back.
“No!” Gomez yelled.
I tried hard not to laugh as Lucas picked up the finished balls of caramel on a stick and handed them to his friends.
“Eat up!” he told them.
Gomez and I watched as they all took huge bites out of the caramel apples. At first, they laughed as they ate. But within a few seconds, they began gagging and spitting out the food.
Gomez and I laughed and laughed.
“What is this?” Lucas yelled. He looked down at his hand.
“Caramel-covered onions,” I said calmly.
“Happy Halloween!” we both said as we ran out of the kitchen laughing.
It was the day of the Halloween party, and I was in the girls’ bathroom at school with Mrs. Fletcher. I stared at myself in the mirror and said, “Well, at least I know no one else will be dressed like me!”
“You look great!” Mrs. Fletcher said.
We started walking to my classroom. I could feel my heart pounding. I liked my costume. We’d worked really hard on it. I just hoped no one would laugh at me.
When we walked into Mr. Luther’s room, I looked around. Everyone was in their costumes. Sidney was dressed like a magician, showing James a card trick. James was dressed like a cat. Kara and Alexa were both twirling around in their matching princess costumes. Even Mr. Luther was dressed up as a chef.
Gomez was dressed like a banana and was making everyone laugh. He kept running around the room shouting, “B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Go, bananas! Go, go, bananas!”
I laughed and started to relax.
“What have we here?” Mr. Luther asked as he walked toward me.
Everyone in the room stopped talking. They all looked at me.
“Um . . . I’m, um —” I mumbled.
“She’s a painting,” Sidney said. He and Gomez came over. “See? I helped with this part.”
“And I helped with this part,” Gomez said.
I stretched my arms out wide so everyone could see my costume. Mrs. Fletcher had taken a large piece of canvas, folded it over, and cut a hole in the top for my head. Then Harley, Gomez, Sidney, and I painted it. Even Owen helped.
On one side, we had painted our feet and walked across the canvas. Although I was mad at him for ruining my other costume, Owen’s footprints looked the cutest.
On the other side, we did what Mrs. Fletcher called an “abstract” painting. I didn’t know what “abstract” meant, but it was fun to paint! We all took turns splattering paint everywhere. I wore that side on my front.
“Very clever!” Mr. Luther said.
Before I knew it, the rest of the kids had gathered around and were checking out my costume.
The class party was so much fun! There were a bunch of different stations set up. I carved a pumpkin, won two games of Bingo, and learned a dance to the song “Monster Mash.”
I was just about to play Pin the Face on the Jack-o’-Lantern when I heard Mr. Luther say, “Gather around, everyone! It’s time to announce the costume awards.”
This year, instead of one award, there were a few. Nick won for scariest costume. Gomez won for funniest costume.
And finally, Mr. Luther said, “And the award for most creative costume goes to … Sydney Greene!”
I was so happy! It hadn’t turned out like I expected, but this was the best Halloween ever.
And I already knew that it was just going to get better after school, when Sidney and I finished our plan. Just as he had promised, he thought of the perfect solution to the candy problem.
After school, Sydney and I had to finish the final part of our special Halloween plan. It didn’t take long to get everything ready. And soon, we saw Harley and Gomez walking down the street toward Sydney’s house.
“Here they come!” Sydney shouted as she ran toward me.
I laughed a little because she looked pretty funny trying to run in her painting costume.
We took our places in the garage and waited. Inside the Greenes’ garage, we had set up a haunted house. It was a lot of work, but it turned out so cool!
On one wall, there was a table full of gross stuff to touch. One bowl had a sign that read “Eyeballs” and was filled with peeled grapes. Another read “Mushed-Up Guts” and was full of cooked spaghetti.
My mom and Mrs. Greene were dressed as witches. They were going to stand at the table and try to spook the trick-or-treaters.
Owen was sitting in his playpen. It was filled with broken toys and dolls without heads and a bunch of purple fabric. The playpen had a sign on it that read Beware: This Baby Destroys Toys and Costumes! I thought it was hilarious!
Mr. Greene was dressed up like a mad scientist. He was standing at a table covered with bubbling pots. One pot was full of cooked hot dogs and had a sign that read “Fingers of Naughty Children.”
On the outside of the garage, we’d set up a graveyard. Mr. Greene brought in dirt from the yard and made it look very real.
Gomez and I were going to hide in the bushes and jump out at people. I couldn’t wait!
We also had a fog machine, flashing lights, scary music, and ghosts and bats that flew across the room on wires. It was awesome!
When Harley and Gomez finally walked into the garage, Sydney and I yelled, “Surprise!”
“What’s going on?” Gomez asked.
“We decided that instead of going trick-or-treating, we’re going to stay here and do a haunted house,” I explained.
“But what about all the candy you’ll miss?” Gomez asked.
I smiled and said, “Don’t worry about that. We have treats inside. I know you and Harley can’t have much sugar, so my mom set up a chocolate fountain for us to dip strawberries and graham crackers into. We even made caramel apples with sugar-free caramel.”
Harley had a big smile on her face. That made Sydney smile too.
“Come on!” she said. “Our job is to direct kids in and out of the haunted house and to pass out candy. Let’s get ready.”
Gomez and I hid behind the bushes and covered ourselves with leaves.
“Are you sure you’re okay with not going trick-or-treating?” Gomez asked me.
“I’m sure,” I told him.
“This is the best Halloween ever,” Gomez said.
And I agreed.
GROWING UP
Sydney: I’m going to be a famous artist, a rock star, or a veterinarian.
Sidney: I’m going to play professional football in the fall, professional basketball in the winter, and professional baseball in the summer.
MR. LUTHER
Sydney: He may not smell like cherries like Mrs. Madden, but he has a nice smile.
Sidney: He’s awesome! He has sports stuff all over the room and tells the funniest jokes!
RECESS
Sydney: Inside recess is better because we get to do crafts and draw.
Sidney: Outside is way better because we can play basketball and football. Inside is only okay if we can go in the gym.
CLOTHES
Sydney: It really depends on the weather. I usually like to wear skirts, but if it’s too cold I love to wear a cute sweater and boots. Anything purple seems to work well for me.
Sidney: Who cares?
GALAXY CONQUEST
Sydney: I’m the best player. Sometimes I let him win.
Sidney: I’m the best player. Sometimes I let her win.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raised in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, Michele Jakubowski has the teachers in her life to
thank for her love of reading and writing. While writing has always been a passion for Michele, she believes it is the books she has read throughout the years, and the teachers who assigned them, that have made her the storyteller she is today. Michele lives in Powell, Ohio, with her husband, John, and their children, Jack and Mia.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Luisa Montalto followed a curved path to becoming an illustrator. She was first a dancer, then earned her doctorate degree in cinematography. She credits these experiences with giving her the energy and will to try harder. Finally, she went on to work with an independent comics magazine before becoming a professional illustrator in 2003.
Sidney & Sydney is published by Picture Window Books
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstonepub.com
Copyright © 2013 by Picture Window Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on the Library of Congress website.
ISBN: 978-1-4048-8001-6 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-4048-8104-4 (paper over board)
ISBN: 978-1-4795-2261-3 (ebook)
Summary: When Sidney Fletcher moves to Oak Grove, things get a little strange for Sydney Greene. Not only does Sydney share a name with a boy, but he’s in her third-grade class! From first-day-of-school problems to Halloween drama, Sidney and Sydney quickly become friends. Who says boys and girls can’t get along?
Design by Kay Fraser
Third Grade Mix-Up Page 3