by Abby Klein
“Sorry!” Max barked.
“Max,” said Miss Clark, “you need to say it in a friendly voice.”
“Sorry,” Max mumbled, looking at the ground.
“Max, look at Chloe and tell her you’re sorry.”
Max glanced at Chloe and quickly said, “I’m sorry.”
Miss Clark helped Chloe get her lunch back in her lunch box. “Now, boys and girls, we really need to finish putting our things away. It’s time to get started.”
Chloe took off her pink fluffy sweater, folded it neatly, and laid it carefully in her cubby. Then she went to sit down at her desk.
Josh went to sit down, too.
I looked around to make sure that no one was watching me. I secretly pulled the rubber spider out of my pocket, put it in Chloe’s cubby, and knocked her sweater on the floor. As I walked over to my desk to sit down, I patted Josh on the back.
“Hey, Chloe,” said Josh.
“What?”
“Is that your sweater on the floor?”
“No, it can’t be,” said Chloe. “I folded my sweater up very neatly and put it in my cubby. It must be someone else’s sweater.”
“But isn’t your sweater pink?” asked Josh.
“Yes,” said Chloe. “Pink and fluffy.”
“Then it’s yours,” Josh said, pointing. “Look over there.”
Chloe turned her head to look, and then she bolted out of her chair. “Oh no! Oh no! That is my brand-new sweater from Paris. My nana just went on a trip to France and brought it back for me.” She picked up her sweater and brushed it off.
“Chloe,” said Miss Clark, “please put your sweater away quickly and come sit back down.”
Chloe took a step toward her cubby.
I looked at Josh, and Josh looked at me. We smiled.
I mouthed the words, “One, two, three …”
“AAAAHHHHHHHH!” Chloe screamed.
I was sure Robbie could hear it all the way down in his classroom.
“Help! Help! A spider! A spider!” Chloe shouted, and she jumped up on a chair. “There’s a spider in my cubby! There’s a spider in my cubby! Get it out! Get it out!”
“You are such a baby,” said Max.
Chloe jumped down off the chair and started running around the room, waving her arms and screaming, “AAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
“Chloe, calm down. Spiders won’t hurt you,” said Miss Clark. “I’ll catch it and put it outside.”
Miss Clark got a jar and went over to Chloe’s cubby to catch the spider, but when she got there, she started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” said Chloe.
Miss Clark picked up the rubber spider. “It’s not real,” she said. “It’s just a toy. I guess someone was playing a practical joke on you.”
“Well, I don’t think that’s very funny,” said Chloe.
“Ha, ha, ha! I do,” said Max. “I think it’s really funny. I wish I had thought of that.”
When Miss Clark turned around to put the spider on her desk, I gave Josh a thumbs-up. “Good one,” I mouthed.
Josh smiled and gave me two thumbs up.
“So, how did it go?” Robbie asked when we saw him at recess.
“It was awesome!” said Josh.
“Yeah, it was great!” I said. “I really wish you had been there to see it, Robbie.”
“She was screaming her head off,” said Josh. “She even jumped up on a chair.”
“Couldn’t you hear her in your classroom?” I asked.
“They probably heard it all the way in the office,” Josh said, laughing.
“Did Miss Clark know who did it?” asked Robbie.
“Nope. She had no clue,” I said, smiling.
“She didn’t even really get mad,” said Josh. “She just told Chloe that someone was playing a trick on her.”
“Wow! That’s pretty cool,” said Robbie.
“I know,” I said. “Really cool.”
“I wish I was in Miss Clark’s class,” said Robbie. “You guys are so lucky you got the new teacher. She seems so nice.”
“She’s super nice,” I said.
Just then Max snuck up on me from behind. “Boo!” he said.
I jumped about three feet in the air.
“Ha, ha, ha!” Max laughed. “You are such a fraidy-cat, Freddy.”
I tried to ignore him.
“So, who is super nice?” Max asked. “You just said, ‘she’s super nice.’ Who is ‘she’? Your girlfriend?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” I said.
Then Max started singing, “Freddy and Jessie sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
“Stop it, Max,” I said.
But Max kept on singing. “First comes love, then comes —”
Josh got right in Max’s face. “Freddy said ‘stop it,’ so I think you’d better stop,” he said.
“Oh really?” said Max.
“Really,” said Josh.
Robbie looked at me, and I looked at Robbie. We both could not believe our eyes.
Josh did not budge. He just stared at Max.
I think Max realized that Josh was not going to back down. “Oh, whatever,” said Max. “See you babies later.” And he walked away.
“You are really brave,” said Robbie.
“Or really crazy,” I said, laughing. “I can’t believe that you aren’t afraid of the biggest bully in the whole second grade.”
“Like Jessie said — he wants you to think he’s mean and tough, but he really isn’t,” Josh said.
“Well, I’m scared of him,” I said.
“He knows that,” said Josh. “That’s why he picks on you.”
“Really?” I said.
“Yep,” said Josh. “That’s why he never picks on Jessie. She’ll stand up to him.”
“Jessie is like my bodyguard. Do you want to be my bodyguard, too?” I asked Josh.
“Sure!” he said, laughing.
“Me, too!” said Robbie. “You can protect me, too!”
“I’ll protect you both from the Big Bad Wolf,” said Josh.
We gave each other high fives.
“Halloween is only two days away,” Robbie said. “We’d better make a plan for trick-or-treating.”
“We could all meet at my house,” I said.
“My parents have to take my little sister, Dani, trick-or-treating,” said Josh, “so if I could go with your family, that would be awesome!”
“Of course you can,” I said. “I already talked to them about it, and they thought it was a great idea.”
“And Freddy’s mom makes the best caramel apples,” said Robbie. “Wait until you taste them!”
“Yum! I love caramel apples,” said Josh.
“There’s only one rule,” said Robbie. “You have to eat them on the front porch.”
“The front porch? Why is that?” asked Josh.
“Because Freddy’s mom is a neat freak,” said Robbie. “She doesn’t want sticky fingers touching everything.”
“Ha!” said Josh. “She’d better not come to my house.”
“Why not?” I said.
“Because my mom is just the opposite. We can eat anything, anywhere.”
“You can take food up to your room?” I asked.
Josh nodded. “I eat ice cream up there every night, and my dog, Jasper, licks the bowl.”
“Lucky!” I said. “I want a dog so badly, but my mom won’t let me get one. She thinks they’re too smelly and dirty.”
“You’ll just have to come over to my house and play with mine,” said Josh. “And if you come for a sleepover, Jasper might sleep with you.”
“Then we’ll have to do a sleepover soon,” I said.
“Hey, guys,” said Robbie, “remember, we’re talking about trick-or-treating.”
We laughed. “Sorry, Robbie,” I said. “You know I just love dogs.”
“Are there any cool haunted houses on your block?” Josh asked.
“Oh, there is one that’s really awes
ome,” said Robbie.
“What’s so cool about it?”
“It’s really dark and creepy, and things jump out at you,” said Robbie.
“Wow!” said Josh. “We have to go to that one for sure. Right, Freddy?”
“Ummm, ummm …” I stammered.
“Freddy is kind of afraid of haunted houses,” said Robbie.
“Really?” said Josh.
I didn’t want Josh to think I was a baby, so I said, “Well, I, uh, used to be afraid, but I’m not anymore now that I’m in second grade.”
Robbie stared at me. “Are you sure?” he said.
I nodded.
“Great! Then we’ll definitely go to that one,” said Josh.
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, for sure,” I said, and gulped again. “Wouldn’t want to miss it.”
“This is going to be the best Halloween ever!” said Josh. “I thought it was going to be the worst because I didn’t know anybody here, but now that I met you and Robbie, I think it’s going to be so much fun.”
“I know,” I said. “I can’t wait.”
“Me, either,” said Robbie. “Yummy candy, here I come!”
“It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween!” I sang as I jumped around the kitchen.
“Freddy, calm down,” said my mom.
“But I’m so excited!” I said.
“I know you’re excited, but you’re going to rip your costume jumping around like that.”
“I can’t wait for Robbie and Josh to get here.”
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“That must be them now,” said my mom. “Mr. Great White, why don’t you swim on over to the door and answer it.”
I raced into the other room and threw open the door.
“Hi, Freddy,” they said.
“Hey, guys. Come on in.”
“This is going to be great!” said Josh.
“I’m going to fill up my whole bag with candy,” said Robbie. “I want to get even more than last year.”
“Yeah, I’m going to fill my bag to the top!” said Josh.
“You must be Josh,” my dad said as he walked into the room.
“Yes, I am.”
“Nice to meet you, Josh,” said my mom.
“Nice to meet you, too. Thank you so much for letting me come trick-or-treating with you.”
“No problem,” said my dad. “I’m glad Freddy invited you.”
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” I shouted. “We have a lot of houses to get to!”
The three of us took off running.
“Don’t go too far, boys,” my dad called after us. “We need to be able to see you.”
“All right, Dad,” I yelled over my shoulder.
“Let’s go to Mrs. Golden’s house first,” said Robbie.
“Good idea,” I said. “She always has the best candy.”
We ran up her steps and rang the doorbell. “Arf! Arf!” we heard from inside the house.
“That’s her dog, Baxter,” I said to Josh. “Wait until you see him. He’s so cute.”
Mrs. Golden opened the door.
“Arf! Arf!” Baxter barked again, and came running out dressed as a pirate.
I reached out to pet him. “Hey, Baxter,” I said. “Great costume.”
He wagged his tail.
“Hello, boys,” said Mrs. Golden. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Hi, Mrs. Golden,” Robbie and I said.
“Freddy, do you have a new friend?” she asked.
“Yes, this is Josh. He moved here all the way from California!”
“California! Wow! That’s a big move. Nice to meet you, Josh.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“Well, Josh, you couldn’t have picked nicer friends than Robbie and Freddy.”
Baxter barked and wagged his tail some more.
“You see. Even Baxter agrees,” said Mrs. Golden.
“Did Baxter eat any pumpkins this year?” I asked.
“He eats pumpkins?” asked Josh.
“He did last year,” I said, laughing. “He took it right off my porch!”
“Oh, I almost forgot about that,” said Mrs. Golden. “Baxter is a bit crazy. He will eat just about anything! Luckily, he didn’t eat the Halloween candy, so I have plenty to give to you. What would you like?” she asked, holding out a big bowl full of candy.
“I’ll have a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup,” said Robbie.
“I’ll take M&M’S,” I said.
“I’ll have gummy bears,” said Josh.
We dropped our candy in our bags.
“Thanks, Mrs. Golden,” I said.
“You boys have a great night!”
Baxter barked. “Arf! Arf!”
“Bye, Baxter. You have fun tonight, too,” I said. “Just don’t eat any candy.”
We jumped down her steps, and I started to run past the next house.
“Hey, Freddy, wait,” said Josh. “Don’t you want to go in here?”
“Go in where?”
“This house here,” Josh said, pointing. “You almost ran right past it. This house looks awesome.”
“This is the haunted house I was telling you about,” said Robbie. “It’s really cool.”
“Let’s go in.”
I stood there, frozen.
“What’s wrong, Freddy?” asked Robbie. “Did you change your mind? Do you just want to wait out here for me and Josh?”
“Ummm … ummm … I … ummm.”
“Come on, Freddy. Come with me,” said Josh. “Remember? I’m your bodyguard.”
You are in second grade now. You can do this, I said to myself.
“Okay, yeah, let’s go,” I said.
“Are you sure?” asked Robbie.
“I’m sure,” I said.
“Just stay right next to me,” said Josh.
I took a deep breath, and we went in. It was pitch-black. My heart was pounding.
“Remember,” said Josh, “it’s all just pretend.”
Before I knew it, our trip through the haunted house was over.
“You were right, Robbie,” said Josh. “That was one of the best haunted houses I’ve ever been in!”
“I just love when people jump out at you in the dark,” said Robbie.
“So, Freddy, what did you think? Were you scared?” asked Josh.
I smiled. “Not with you guys by my side,” I said. “I actually thought it was pretty cool.”
“We’d better get going,” said Robbie. “We have a lot of trick-or-treating to do if we’re going to fill our bags to the top tonight!”
Then the three of us took off running, singing, “Trick-or-treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat!”
Happy Halloween!
1. What is a baby great white called?
2. Adult great whites mostly eat what?
3. How fast can an adult great white swim?
4. A full-grown great white can weigh up to how many pounds?
5. How long is an adult great white?
Answers:
1. a pup
2. seals and sea lions
3. up to 40 mph
4. 4,000 pounds
5. 20 feet long
INGREDIENTS:
One Red Apple
Peanut Butter or Marshmallow Spread
Candy Corn
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut the apple into eight slices.
2. Turn one slice on its side and spread peanut butter on the white part of the apple slice.
3. Turn another slice on its side and place it on top of the peanut butter to finish the mouth.
4. Put a row of candy corn in the peanut butter to make the teeth.
5. Use the other slices to make three more treats.
Your friends will gobble them up!
It’s snowing, which means snowball fights, forts—and a snow day break from school! If only the biggest bully in second grade, Max, hadn’t dared Freddy to sled down Cherry Hill. Th
at hill is so steep and scary, Freddy’s never taken his sled to the top … but maybe with the help of his friends, this could be the best snow day ever!
ABBY KLEIN has been a first-grade and kindergarten teacher for twenty years. She and her husband and two children live in Vermont. They have four dogs.
JOHN McKINLEY has been drawing all his life. For the Ready, Freddy! books, he hides the word “fin” in every picture. He and his family live in Northern California.
#1: Tooth Trouble
#2: The King of Show-and-Tell
#3: Homework Hassles
#4: Don’t Sit on My Lunch!
#5: Talent Show Scaredy-Pants
#6: Help! A Vampire’s Coming!
#7: Yikes! Bikes!
#8: Halloween Fraidy-Cat
#9: Shark Tooth Tale
#10: Super-Secret Valentine
#11: The Pumpkin Elf Mystery
#12: Stop That Hamster!
#13: The One Hundredth Day of School!
#14: The Camping Catastrophe!
#15: Thanksgiving Turkey Trouble
#16: Ready, Set, Snow!
#17: Firehouse Fun!
#18: The Perfect Present
#19: The Penguin Problem!
#20: Apple Orchard Race
#21: Going Batty
#22: Science Fair Flop
#23: A Very Crazy Christmas
#24: Shark Attack!
#25: Save the Earth!
#26: The Giant Swing
#27: The Reading Race
#1: Second Grade Rules!
Text copyright © 2014 by Abby Klein
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by John McKinley
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First printing, September 2014
e-ISBN 978-0-545-69107-9
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.