Liz at Marigold Lake

by Callie Barkley

  Inside, the girls found Liz’s parents huddled over a cardboard box on the kitchen counter.

  “Oh girls,” Mrs. Jenkins said, “are we glad you’re here!”

  Liz and her friends looked at one another, puzzled. “What’s going on?” Liz asked.

  “Well,” Mr. Jenkins explained, “last night we heard some noises.”

  Liz’s mom nodded. “Little tiny squeaks. Coming from somewhere inside the cabin. And this morning, we found what was making them.”

  She nodded toward the box. The girls came over to look inside—and gasped.

  “Awwwwww,” Liz cooed.

  “They’re adorable!” cried Ellie.

  Cuddled together on a kitchen towel at the bottom of the box were a bunch of tiny animals. They were covered in a light brown fuzz. They had long, skinny, pink tails and rounded ears. Their eyes were shut tight.

  “Baby mice?” Amy asked.

  Liz’s dad nodded. “Yep! We found them in the back corner of the pantry closet. There was a little nest too. But we can’t find any sign of the mother.”

  “They looked so cold in there,” Liz’s mom added. “We thought they might be more comfortable in this box. There’s a hot water bottle under the towel to keep them warm.”

  “What if the mother comes back?” Amy asked. “She won’t be able to find them.”

  “Oh, no! She’ll be so worried!” Ellie said dramatically.

  The girls thought for a minute. Liz’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea!” she cried.

  Liz got some scissors from a kitchen drawer. Carefully, she cut out a mouse-size hole on one side of the cardboard box. “A door for Mama Mouse,” she explained.

  Then Liz carried the box to the pantry closet. She laid it gently in the back corner. “Now they’re snug and comfy, but if their mom comes back, she can find them.”

  Liz’s friends and parents agreed: it was the perfect solution. Liz felt very proud!

  “There’s just one more thing,” said Ellie. “What if the mother doesn’t come back?”

  Critter Sitters

  The girls knew one person who was sure to have some answers: Amy’s mom, Dr. Melanie Purvis.

  Amy used the cabin phone to call her mom back in Santa Vista. Marion sat next to her. She took notes in her notebook to help Amy remember everything her mom told them.

  “So?” said Ellie the moment Amy hung up the phone. “What did your mom say?”

  Amy sat down in front of the fireplace. The girls gathered around, eager to hear all the info.

  “Mom thinks they’re probably about two weeks old,” Amy said.

  “And what did she say about the mother mouse?” Liz asked.

  “Well,” said Amy, “here’s the bad news: she said if it’s been more than a couple of hours, the mother probably isn’t coming back.”

  Liz, Marion, and Ellie looked at one another, not knowing what they could do.

  “But there’s good news,” Amy said. “We can take care of them. They’ll need our help to eat for a few weeks.”

  Huge grins spread across the girls’ faces.

  “The Critter Club’s work is never done!” Liz exclaimed.

  Marion showed them her notes. She had made a list of supplies they needed to take care of the mice.

  Liz’s dad offered to go shopping. “There’s a pet supply store in town,” he said. “I’ll run out and get what you need.”

  “In the meantime,” Liz’s mom said, “why don’t you girls head down to the lake? I packed you a picnic breakfast.” She held up a basket filled with muffins and fruit. “And I’ll keep my eye on the mice for you.”

  The girls thanked Liz’s parents. Liz took the basket and led the way down to the boat dock.

  “So what should we do today?” Liz asked the girls as they nibbled on blueberry oat bran muffins. “There’s a cool waterfall in the woods I could take you to.”

  Ellie frowned. “In the woods?” she asked. “How far into the woods?”

  Liz sighed. Oh right, she thought. Ellie’s still nervous about the snakes.

  “Ah-CHOO!” Marion sneezed a huge sneeze.

  “Bless you!” Liz, Ellie, and Amy said all together.

  Marion sniffled. “Thank y—ah-CHOOOO!” She sneezed even louder and rubbed her eyes. “Uh-oh.”

  “What’s the matter?” Liz asked.

  “I just hope I’m not getting sick,” Marion replied. “You know, from the chilly lake yesterday. I have a horse show next week that I do not want to miss. Maybe I’d better not swim today.”

  Marion rode her horse, Coco, in all kinds of competitions. Sometimes they even won ribbons. Liz hated to think the trip to the lake had made Marion sick.

  “And I guess I’d better stay out of the canoe,” Amy said. “I don’t want to dunk anyone again!” She said it with a half laugh. But Liz wondered if Amy still felt bad about the whole thing.

  Liz turned her head away from the girls. She stared out at the lake. Her vision was getting blurry as her eyes filled with tears. She bit her lip, trying hard not to cry.

  They hate it here, Liz thought. Swimming is out. Canoeing is out. Hiking to the waterfall is out.

  “Should we just take the baby mice and head back to Santa Vista today—a day early?” Liz asked them.

  With the words out, she couldn’t hold back the sobs anymore. Liz covered her face, turned, and ran off the boat dock.

  Friends to the Rescue

  “Can we come up?” Ellie asked.

  She, Marion, and Amy craned their necks, looking up at Liz. She was in a tree, about ten feet off the ground.

  Liz nodded. “Yeah, sure.” She sniffed. She wiped her eyes. She’d let it all out. Now she was feeling better—although maybe a little silly.

  “Actually,” Ellie called up, “can you come down?”

  Liz looked down. The girls were having trouble climbing the tree. She couldn’t help laughing through her sniffles. She had forgotten that it took her one whole summer to figure out how to get up into that tree!

  With a few quick moves, Liz was back on the ground. “I’m sorry, you guys,” she said. “I just . . . I just had all these ideas about how this weekend would be. I wanted you to have a great time. I guess I didn’t realize how much I wanted it.”

  Her friends moved in. They all wrapped their arms around Liz. Liz put her head on Ellie’s shoulder.

  “You don’t have to say sorry for being sad,” Ellie said. “We’re your best friends!”

  “She’s right,” said Amy. “Friends should be honest about their feelings.”

  Marion nodded. “So we’ll be honest,” she said. “We are having a great time.”

  Liz looked up at them. “You are?” she asked. “Really?”

  All three of them smiled and nodded. “Really!” they said together.

  “But . . . but . . . ,” Liz began. She listed all the things that hadn’t gone as planned: the snake-stick, the flipped canoe, the water that was too cold for them. “Nobody feels like swimming or canoeing,” she added. “And now Marion might be getting sick.”

  Marion gave Liz a squeeze. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” she said. “I’ll be fine. I just need to eat more of your mom’s veggies, I guess.”

  “And yesterday was so fun!” said Amy. “We had a blast swimming—before we got chilly. Even canoeing was great.” She giggled. “I can actually laugh about it now.”

  Ellie chimed in. “It makes a good story, that’s for sure,” she said. “And I know there’s no reason to be afraid of a little snake. I’m in The Critter Club, after all!”

  Ellie stood up straight and tall.

  “So it’s decided,” she went on. “You’re taking us to that waterfall. The one deep, deep in the woods. The deeper, the better!”

  The girls laughed together.

  “Aw, thanks, you guys,” Liz said. “I feel so much better. You really are the best friends in the world.”

  “You too, Liz,” said Marion. “And you’re the world’s best wilderness gu
ide. So lead the way!”

  Campfire Chat

  That night, around a glowing campfire, the girls roasted marshmallows with the sticks Liz had collected. Liz turned her stick slowly so her marshmallow cooked evenly all around.

  Then, as they ate their treats, they talked about the day.

  “My favorite part was the waterfall, for sure,” said Ellie. “I’m so glad I braved the evil snake-stick to see it.”

  “Well, my favorite was canoeing,” Amy said. “I didn’t even flip it one time today.”

  Marion put another marshmallow on her stick. “I think my favorite part of the day is still to come,” she said. “You’re not going to believe it: it’s sleeping outside in the tent!”

  “Really?” the girls said.

  Marion nodded. “I’ve never done it before this weekend,” she explained. “But I really like it. Being out in the cool air, bundled up in a cozy warm sleeping bag, plus the sound of the crickets all around . . . It’s the best!”

  Liz gave a happy little clap. “Well, that does it,” she said. “I think this is my favorite part.” Hearing what her friends loved about the lake made her day. Then she had another thought. “This and taking care of the mice. They are just so cute. And they need us so much.”

  The mother mouse had not returned. So every few hours that day, the girls had fed the babies, with the help of Liz’s parents. They used the special milk Liz’s dad bought at the pet supply store. They dripped drops of it into the babies’ tiny mouths.

  “My mom says we have a tough decision ahead,” Amy said. “After we bring them to The Critter Club, when the baby mice are bigger, they could be released back into the wild. They are wild animals, after all. Or we could try to find homes for them as pets.”

  Liz wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. “If we let them go, would they be okay?” she asked.

  Amy shrugged. “It’s hard to say,” she said. “We would need to help them get ready. My mom says there’s a special kind of mouse house we could build for them. It would help them get used to living outside on their own.”

  Liz stared into the campfire. The flames jumped and danced. “It’s funny,” Liz said. “Tomorrow our wilderness weekend is over. But it turns out we’ll be taking some of the wilderness home with us!”

  It sounded like The Critter Club girls were going to have their hands full with the mice for a little while. Liz knew they’d figure out the right thing to do—together.

  “So . . . , ” Liz said slowly, “do you guys want to do another trip to the lake sometime?”

  “Yes!” Ellie, Marion, and Amy all replied at the same time—and Liz knew they really meant it.

  Read on for a sneak peek at the next Critter Club book:

  Marion Strikes a Pose

  Marion walked in the front door of Santa Vista Elementary School. In her head, she was going through her morning checklist: Homework folder? Check. Lunch box? Check. Sneakers for gym? Check.

  Marion felt ready for the day.

  She followed other kids into the auditorium for morning assembly, which they had every Friday morning. She spotted an empty seat next to her three best friends, Amy, Liz, and Ellie.

  Walking toward that row, Marion passed a group of fourth graders. “I love your skirt, Marion!” said a girl named Emily as Marion went by.

  “Thanks!” Marion replied. She had spent a lot of time last night planning her outfit for today. She added one more item to her checklist. Cool outfit? Check!

  Marion loved picking out her outfits for school. And for play dates and parties. And for riding her horse, Coco. For everything, really!

  “Hi, Marion!” said Amy as she sat down. Farther down the row, Ellie and Liz waved.

  “Attention, students!” The principal, Mrs. Young, spoke into the microphone at the front of the auditorium. All the kids quieted down. “I have some announcements. But first, we have a special guest. Her name is Hannah Eliot. She is the owner of The Closet, a store here in Santa Vista. Please welcome her.” The students clapped.

  Marion gasped. The Closet! It was her absolute favorite clothing store.

  Marion sat up straight in her seat as Hannah Eliot walked up to the microphone.

  “Good morning, everyone,” said Hannah. “Thank you, Mrs. Young, for letting me come today. I want to announce that we will be having a special fashion show at The Closet in a few weeks.”

  A fashion show, Marion thought. How fun!

  “The purpose of the show is to raise money for a charity,” said Hannah. “It provides free clothing to children who need it, so it’s a very good cause. We hope the fashion show will get lots of people to come shopping at our store that day. All the money we earn will go to the charity.”

  “What a great idea,” whispered Marion. Amy gave a thumbs-up in agreement.

  “But I need your help,” Hannah went on. “Our store is a kids’ clothing store. And I was thinking: Who knows best what kids like to wear? Kids! So I am looking for some young fashion designers.”

  Marion’s eyes went wide. This was just getting better and better!

  “The Closet is having a styling contest,” Hannah explained. “To enter, you style an outfit—head to toe. I will pick one winning look from each grade. Those will be the outfits in our fashion show!”

  Now Marion was so excited she could hardly sit still!

  Callie Barkley loves animals. As a young girl, she dreamed of getting a cat or dog of her own until she discovered she was allergic to most of them. It was around this time that she realized the world was full of all kinds of critters that could use some love. She now lives with her husband and two kids in Connecticut. They share their home with exactly ten fish and a very active ant farm.

  Marsha Riti is an illustrator based in Austin, Texas. Her premiere picture book is The Picky Little Witch. She likes to take long walks, stopping frequently to pet neighborhood kitties.

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster • New York

  CritterClubBooks.com

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Callie-Barkley

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Marsha-Riti

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2013 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Initial interior sketches by Tina Kugler. Designed by Laura Roode.

  Jacket design by Laura Roode

  Jacket illustrations by Marsha Riti

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2014 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Barkley, Callie. Liz at Marigold Lake / by Callie Barkley ; illustrated by Marsha Riti. — First edition. pages cm. — (The Critter Club ; #7) Summary: Liz is excited that her three best friends are visiting her family’s cabin at Marigold Lake, but something seems to go wrong with every activity she planned. [1. Nature—Fiction. 2. Sleepovers—Fiction. 3. Best friends—Fiction. 4. Friendship—Fiction. 5. Clubs—Fiction.] I. Riti, Marsha, illustrator. II. Title.

  PZ7.B250585Lh 2014 [Fic]—dc23 2013013011

  ISBN 978-1-4424-9525-8 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-9526-5 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-9527-2 (eBook)

  d Lake