There’s no way to win.
I say nothing.
He says, “Take good care of yourself at camp. Your mother and I won’t be around to watch out for you.”
I nod, holding the ironing board between us, feeling like a lion tamer who’s losing control.
“Just be careful,” he continues. “Don’t try any funny-looking cigarettes or do anything that would make your mother and me unhappy.”
I wish he could tell me he loves me, instead of making me feel as if I’m going to screw everything up. I don’t even smoke anything. Why can’t he trust me?
He leans around the ironing board, kisses me on the forehead, and walks quickly away.
I stare at him as he goes down the steps.
He calls up to me. “Don’t forget to set your alarm for six a.m. I want to get an early start.”
I don’t have to be there until eleven or twelve. The drive from New Jersey to upstate New York should take three hours, at the most. He always makes everyone leave early, to miss the traffic. We always end up hanging around. It’s so embarrassing.
I shove the ironing board into the closet. It tilts down, hitting me on the head. As I push it back and shut the door, I want to cry—not because I got hurt by the board but because I have a father who just doesn’t understand me.
Back in my room, in my own bed for the last time until the end of summer, I feel very strange. This time tomorrow I’ll be on my own. Trying to be grown up. Not knowing anyone but Ms. Finney. Being a CIT without ever even having been a camper. Not having a boyfriend back home to tell the other counselors about. Missing the summer parties back here and the friends I’ve made. All of a sudden I’m nervous, not sure I’m doing the right thing. I can’t believe it. I’m getting homesick before I even leave, homesick for a place I’ve always said I couldn’t wait to leave.
In order to fall asleep, I attempt counting sheep. But it’s no use. Not only am I wide awake, but all of the sheep have name tags sewn into their wool and they all know how to act more adult than I do.
READ ALL OF PAULA DANZIGER’S BELOVED NOVELS!
Cassie Stephens is dealing with a lot: She’s got asthma. She’s running for freshperson class president. World War III is waged daily in her home. Cassie’s not really sure how it started, but eating pistachio nuts always makes her feel better. No matter how weird it sounds, those little red nuts are just the prescription for Cassie’s troubles.
“Funny, well-characterized, and loaded with popular appeal.”
—Booklist
No one wants to ride the Divorce Express. Especially Phoebe. It means leaving her New York City apartment and friends, moving to the country with her dad, and taking the bus every weekend to visit her mom in the city. Can Phoebe be herself and still be part of both her parents’ worlds?
“Danziger’s light style laced with humor will continue to attract readers.”
—Booklist
Rosie and Phoebe have been best friends since they met on the Divorce Express, shuttling between their parents on weekends. Now Rosie’s mom and Phoebe’s dad have fallen in love and they’re all moving in together. It seemed like the perfect setup, but can their friendship survive in the same house?
“An honest approach to problems [with] a lively and natural writing style and strong, consistent characterizations.”
—BCCB
In the year 2057, zits and cliques are still around, but people live in malls, take classes in ESP, and get detention from robots. Fifteen-year-old Aurora loves everything about her life. Then her parents make an announcement that she’s sure will ruin her life-the family’s moving to the moon!
“A mischievous spoof of a science fiction novel as well as a warm and funny saga about a teen of the future who is having severe difficulties adjusting to a family move.”
—School Library Journal
Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
Discover your next great read!
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit Page 10