“Yep!” Ellie replied. “And I think she’ll come again tomorrow. Nana Gloria said they got along very well all day today.”
“Very well! Very well!” squawked Lenny.
“See?” Ellie said, laughing with her friends.
The girls started on the telegrams. As usual, Amy got to work writing the words. Marion checked the address list. Liz sharpened her colored pencils.
Ellie had nothing to do until they were ready to practice. She let her mind wander. She thought about the people they had surprised the day before. They were all so happy! It must feel great to get such a special surprise. I wish someone would send me a telegram! she thought. She imagined it: the doorbell ringing, the surprise of seeing the girls there, singing a special song just for her.
Who would it be from? A secret admirer? A friend? And what would the message be?
“I was just thinking,” Ellie said out loud to her friends. “What if someone wanted to send one of us a telegram?”
Amy looked up from her notebook. “One of us?” she asked.
Ellie nodded. “Yeah. Like, let’s say, me. Just for example. How would that work?”
Liz smiled. “Hmm,” she said. “You mean, how would we keep it secret? If the telegram were for you?”
“Right,” said Ellie. “So that it would be a surprise for me. Or for any one of us.”
Marion tapped her pencil eraser against her chin. “I’m sure we could figure something out,” she said with a sneaky smile. “Why do you ask, Ellie?”
“Oh . . . uh!” said Ellie, “no reason.” No way am I going to ask them to send me a telegram, she thought. That wouldn’t be the same as someone sending it on their own.
Ellie was quiet for a minute. Then she asked, “So no one has . . . ordered a telegram . . . for any of us?”
Marion shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “Not yet.”
Lenny the Chatterbox
By Thursday afternoon the girls were getting a little bit tired. Meeting each day after school took up a lot of time.
And Ellie still had to squeeze in her chores—like walking their dog. Sam, their golden retriever, loved long strolls. But Ellie’s friends were back at her house, writing telegrams. She wanted to get back.
“Come on, Sam,” she said. “Can we walk a little faster?”
But Sam wouldn’t head home the short way. He pulled at the leash until Ellie let him walk on. They went all the way around the block.
By the time they got home, the girls were putting on their coats.
“We’re finished!” said Amy. “Everything’s ready for tomorrow!”
Ellie was confused. “But . . . don’t we have some to deliver?” she asked.
“Nope,” said Liz. “The only ones left are the telegrams that people want delivered tomorrow—on Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh,” said Ellie. “Okay. But shouldn’t we practice the ones you wrote?”
“We did!” said Marion. “And you’re so good at singing, you hardly need practice.” She patted Ellie on the back. “I have to get home to do my homework.”
“Me too,” said Amy.
“Me three,” said Liz. “Bye, Ellie!”
In a flash they were out the front door and gone.
Ellie stood frozen to her spot. “Well, they left in a hurry,” she remarked.
Ellie took off Sam’s leash. Then she went in to see Lenny. Next to him, Princess Boo was squawking cheerfully in her cage.
“I missed all the fun!” Ellie said to the birds.
“All the fun! Squawk!” said Lenny.
Ellie sighed. She flopped onto the sofa. “It’s all Sam’s fault. He sure was taking his time.”
“Taking his time! Taking his time!” Lenny squawked. Then all of a sudden, he added: “Ellie’s favorite song! Favorite song!”
Ellie looked up at him. “What?” she said.
“What? Squawk! What?” Lenny echoed.
Ellie stood up and walked over to Lenny’s perch. “No, before that. Did you say ‘Ellie’s favorite song’?”
“Ellie’s favorite song! Squawk!”
“Yes! Yes!” Ellie cried. “You did! But . . . why?”
Ellie knew that parrots like Lenny could mimic. That meant they could copy words or sounds they heard. “But I didn’t say those words,” said Ellie. “You must have heard them from someone else.”
“Someone else! Squawk!” Lenny screeched.
Then it hit her. The girls! she thought. The girls were just in here. They were working on telegrams. Why would they be talking about my favorite song?
Everyone knew Ellie’s favorite song was “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Ellie’s family loved going to baseball games. She dreamed of singing that song at a big-league game someday.
But why would the girls talk about that while writing telegrams? Ellie wondered.
There was only one explanation that made sense to her.
I’m getting a telegram tomorrow!
Ready, Set, Surprise!
Ellie looked in the mirror. She practiced her happy, surprised face. Perfect! she thought. I don’t want to look like I was expecting a telegram.
She checked her outfit: her red wrap sweater, red skirt with sequins, and pink leggings.
Ellie felt ready for Valentine’s Day. And she was definitely ready to be surprised!
I just wonder when they’ll deliver my telegram, she thought on her walk to school.
Their teacher, Mrs. Sienna, had planned their classroom party for the morning. Everyone in class had a valentine mailbox—a decorated paper bag taped to each desk. The kids walked around the classroom to deliver their valentines.
Liz, Marion, and Amy came up to Ellie.
“Ellie,” said Marion with a big smile, “we have something for you.”
This is it! thought Ellie. They’re going to deliver my singing telegram now. How exciting!
Liz was reaching into her backpack. “We all worked on it together,” she said.
“We hope you like it,” added Marion.
Ellie got ready to flash her happy, surprised face. Liz handed her a heart-shaped card.
Ellie looked at it quickly, then up at her friends, expecting the singing to begin.
But it didn’t. Liz, Marion, and Amy just stood there smiling.
That’s when Ellie realized: It was just a valentine—not a singing telegram.
“Oh!” said Ellie. She tried hard not to look disappointed. “What an awesome valentine. You guys are so sweet. Thank you all so much!”
Ellie told herself they were just saving the telegram for later. Mrs. Young did say no telegrams at school, she thought.
The girls met up after school at Marion’s house. Marion checked her clipboard. She had the list of addresses they would be going to. “So,” said Marion, “there’s one very important telegram I think we should deliver first.”
Ellie’s eyes went wide. Does she mean my telegram?
“That’s right!” said Amy. Ellie thought she had a twinkle in her eye. “Ellie, you weren’t there yesterday when we talked about this special one.”
“Oh? Which one?” Ellie asked. She tried to act natural. But inside she was jumping up and down. Mine! They must mean mine!
“Ellie, you’re going to love this!” said Liz.
I know! I am going to love it! Ellie thought.
Liz went on. “We are delivering another telegram to Grandma Sue—from us this time.”
“To give her the good news!” Marion added. “You know, that Princess Boo seems one hundred percent better!”
“My mom agrees,” says Amy. “She thinks getting another bird should do the trick.”
Ellie forced a huge smile. “That is a great idea!” she said.
And she did think it was a great idea. She was so happy Princess Boo was better. But Ellie couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy. Grandma Sue was going to get two singing telegrams?
Still, Ellie tried to be patient. Sooner or later, I’ll be getting my telegram, she
thought. Won’t I?
The girls grabbed their coats and the telegrams. Marion led the way toward the garage. Mrs. Ballard had offered to drive them.
Marion stopped at the garage door. “Oh! I almost forgot,” she said. “We’re going to sing Grandma Sue’s telegram to the tune of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ It seemed to fit well with Amy’s words. Plus, we knew you’d know it!”
“It’s your favorite song, isn’t it?” said Amy.
Ellie nodded while her heart slowly sank. So the girls had been talking about her favorite song. But they had been writing a telegram for Grandma Sue—not for her. “Yes,” Ellie said distractedly, as if in a daze. “I do love that song.”
But right at that moment, Ellie didn’t feel much in the mood to sing it.
The Last Telegram
“Ta-da!” said Ellie’s mom. She put a plate down in the middle of the dining room table. On it were five chocolate-frosted cupcakes with Valentine’s Day decorations on top. “Something sweet for my valentines!” said Mrs. Mitchell.
“Yum!” cried Ellie’s brother, Toby, reaching for one.
“Thanks, Mom,” Ellie added with a little smile as she took one.
Ellie took a bite. The cupcake was so yummy. But Ellie was still feeling blue. She and the girls had had a busy afternoon of delivering telegrams. Delivering Grandma Sue’s was especially fun. But now dinner was over and Valentine’s Day was almost over too.
Oh, well, she thought. No singing telegram for me. Ellie didn’t know why she cared so much. She guessed she just wanted to feel special. She tried to cheer herself up by remembering she had done a great thing for Puppy Love.
Ellie was helping her dad clear the dishes when the doorbell rang. She went to answer it.
“Hi, Ellie!” Liz, Marion, and Amy were standing on her front porch. All three were wearing huge grins.
“Hi, you guys,” Ellie replied uncertainly. “What’s up?”
“Well,” said Liz, “we have something for you!”
With that, the three girls started to sing to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
By the end, Ellie was clapping while jumping up and down. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “That was the best! The absolute best!” She hugged each one of them. “You three are the best friends in the whole wide world!”
Marion laughed. “Thanks, Ellie!” she said. “We’re glad you liked it!”
“But the telegram isn’t from us, you know,” Amy added.
Ellie stared. “It’s not?”
“Nope,” said Liz. She handed Ellie the heart-shaped telegram. On the back, there was a PS.
“We raised more than a hundred dollars?” cried Ellie. “That’s so cool!”
“Yeah, and that’s not all,” said Amy. She handed Ellie something in a frame.
“Wow! We can hang this at the Critter Club!” Ellie said excitedly.
“And just think of all the puppies that will be helped with the money we raised—from your idea!” said Liz.
Marion put an arm around Ellie. “We were going to deliver your telegram earlier,” she said. “But Rebecca wanted to sign the valentine herself.”
Liz smiled. “We were sort of getting the feeling that you’d enjoy a telegram of your own.”
Ellie pretended to be confused. “What in the world gave you that idea?” she said. Then she laughed and her friends joined in.
Ellie wasn’t sure what was the best: getting a singing telegram, truly helping Puppy Love, or having three best friends who knew her so well.
Suddenly, it felt like the sweetest Valentine’s Day ever.
Read on for a sneak peek at the next Critter Club book:
Liz at Marigold Lake
Squee-onk! Squee-onk! A loud, shrill sound woke Liz Jenkins. My alarm clock sounds broken, she thought, only half-awake.
Liz Jenkins rolled over in bed and rubbed her eyes. No, it wasn’t her alarm clock! It was a goose honking! Sunlight shone in through the window. Birds chirped outside. It was going to be a beautiful spring day at the cabin.
Liz threw off her flannel sheets and jumped out of bed. “Yes!” she cheered. “It’s the perfect weather for the girls’ visit!”
Liz’s three best friends, Ellie, Marion, and Amy, were coming up to the Jenkins’ lake cabin today for the three-day weekend. For years, they had heard all about it from Liz. She and her family had been coming to Marigold Lake since Liz was little. But this was the first time Liz had been able to invite her friends.
Liz hurried to change into her clothes. She had lots of things to get ready before the girls arrived. She wanted their first visit to the lake to be perfect.
Out in the cabin’s living room, Liz’s mom, dad, and big brother, Stewart, were already up.
“Oatmeal in ten minutes, Lizzie!” her dad said.
“Thanks Dad,” Liz replied. She was headed for the door. “I’ll be back. I just need to do a few things.”
Outside, Liz took a deep breath. Ahhhh. Fresh air. She smiled at the sight of the big, beautiful lake in the cabin’s backyard.
Liz went into the storage shed. She dragged a folded-up tent to a flat area by the campfire pit. “Just the spot,” Liz said out loud to herself. She would ask her mom or dad to help her set up the tent later. It was definitely warm enough for the girls to sleep outside in it. Liz couldn’t wait to surprise them!
Next, Liz hurried down to the boat dock. She took the tarp off the red canoe and made sure the life jackets were there. We can paddle around the whole lake, she thought.
Then, on her way back to the cabin, Liz picked up every long, thin stick she saw. We’re definitely roasting marshmallows over a campfire, she decided. She left her pile of roasting sticks next to the campfire pit.
Liz stopped to think. Canoeing, swimming, camping out, marshmallow-roasting, plus hiking on the nature path . . .
I hope we have time for everything! she thought excitedly.
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. Designed by Laura Roode.
Jacket design by Laura Roode
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barkley, Callie. Ellie’s lovely idea / by Callie Barkley ; illustrated by Marsha Riti. — First edition. pages cm — (Critter club ; #6) Summary: Valentine’s Day is near, and to raise money for a charity called Puppy Love, El
lie persuades the other Critter Club girls to join her in selling and delivering singing telegrams. [1. Fund raising—Fiction. 2. Best friends—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction. 4. Singing—Fiction. 5. Valentine’s Day—Fiction.] I. Riti, Marsha, illustrator. II. Title. PZ7.B250585Ell 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012049764
ISBN 978-1-4424-8218-0 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-8219-7 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4424-8220-3 (eBook)
Ellie's Lovely Idea Page 2