Dedicated to Donald, my Prince Charming.
I love you with all my heart. You are my best friend, my home sweet home, my forever and always. Also to my grandchildren, who will grow up loving these stories, and to my children, who were finding their way when I began writing about the Baxters. And to God Almighty, who continues to give me the most beautiful life with all of them.
—Karen
To the reader, wherever you are and whatever your age, may you always see the best in others, view the world with wonder, take hold of adventure, and choose in your heart to never grow up. Thank you for reading these stories. You are the best. To my family, thank you for supporting me, for keeping me young, and for being the best family ever (besides The Baxters, of course). And to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All I have and all I do is because of You and for You. Thank you for giving me stories to share. I pray I tell them well. Happy reading, friends.
—Tyler
Dear Reader,
Hello again! We are so happy that you loved our first two Baxter Family Children books—Best Family Ever and Finding Home! You made them both big hits, and you were sure to tell us just how much those books meant to you. Thank you for that! The letters, posts, colored pictures, and reviews were heartwarming to me and to Tyler. One of our favorite comments was from a third-grade boy who said, “I will watch every day to make sure you write what happens next.”
And so we bring you this third book in the Baxter Family Children collection—Never Grow Up. Now that the Baxter Children are settled in their new lives in Bloomington, Indiana, this book will give you a glimpse of how important it is to appreciate your days as a child. The days of being young.
Writing about the Baxter children and seeing them grow up in their loving and supportive family has been an incredible joy for us. I’ve been writing about the Baxters for many, many years—the years when Tyler was growing up! Now, though, these books take us back to a simpler time when the Baxters were children, when they were growing up and finding their way. Sort of like flipping through the pages of a family photo album.
Like with Best Family Ever and Finding Home, this third installment in the Baxter Family Children’s story will have you laughing and smiling and thinking about what matters most—faith, family, and figuring out life along the way.
In fact, we like writing about the Baxter children so much, there just might be more books in this collection somewhere down the road!
Enjoy… and always keep reading!
Love, Karen
and Tyler
BROOKE BAXTER—an eighth grader at Bloomington Middle School in Indiana. She is studious and smart and happy about her family’s move. Like before, she has her own room.
KARI BAXTER—a sixth grader at Bloomington Elementary School. She is pretty, kind, and ready to make new friends—even if that means starting a new sport. Out in their huge backyard, Kari and Ashley find the perfect meeting spot for the family.
ASHLEY BAXTER—a fifth grader at Bloomington Elementary. When life gets crazy, Ashley is right in the middle of the mess. Always. She is a dreamer and an artist, open to trying new things. She sees art in everything, and is easily the funniest Baxter child.
ERIN BAXTER—a third grader at Bloomington Elementary. She is quiet and soft-spoken, and she loves spending time with their mom. She has her own room in the new house.
LUKE BAXTER—a second grader at Bloomington Elementary. He’s good at sports, but sometimes he’s a little too risky. Most of all he’s happy and hyper. He loves God and his family—especially his sister Ashley.
1 Meteor Madness
KARI
Kari Baxter’s head was somewhere in the clouds.
Nothing very unusual about that. Kari was more of a dreamer than most kids in her sixth-grade class. Only this time being in the sky was the exact right place for Kari.
Her teacher, Ms. Nan, was talking to them about meteors. Not from a science fiction book. But actual balls of fire streaking through the real-life sky over their heads. Kari could hardly believe it.
Ms. Nan stood in front of the class. “Next month we’ll have a meteor shower over Bloomington, Indiana.” The teacher’s eyes lit up. She was a big fan of meteors, apparently. She looked down the rows of students. “We’ll do a countdown until then, and on that night each of you will spend an hour viewing the meteor shower from home.”
Excitement welled up in Kari. An in-person meteor shower! Right here in Bloomington! She couldn’t wait to tell her family. Her four siblings would also want to count down the days, Kari was sure.
She gazed out the window and imagined the night sky covered with streaking lights, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Kari liked school. She was good at all her classes. But this wonderful news took learning to an entirely new level. Kari turned her eyes back to Ms. Nan and listened to every word.
“Boys and girls, I assure you this will be an unforgettable cosmic event.” Ms. Nan sat on the edge of her desk. “Who has seen a meteor shower before and what do we know about them?”
Liza’s hand shot up first. Liza was one of Kari’s new friends, and her teammate on the school’s swim team.
“You’ve seen a meteor shower, Liza?” Ms. Nan looked impressed. “Was that here in Indiana?”
“Well, not exactly.” Liza enjoyed talking. “Last summer we went to Washington State for Fourth of July and my uncle set off a hundred fireworks.” She made a grand gesture with both arms over her head. “All across the whole sky.” Liza smiled and lowered her hands back to her sides. “And that, I believe, was very much like a meteor shower.”
Ms. Nan blinked. Like she wasn’t sure what to say. “I see.” She nodded. “Very nice, Liza.” She looked around. “Has anyone seen an actual meteor shower? With meteors?”
A kid named Jake raised his hand. He played drums in the school band. “Ms. Nan, aren’t meteors falling stars?”
“Hmm.” Their teacher tapped her knee. “Good thought, Jake. They are kind of like stars. Let me show you.” She walked to the blackboard. “Okay.” Ms. Nan drew a small circle. “Here we have Earth. That’s us.” She drew lots of smaller circles around Earth. “These represent other planets and stars. Even debris.”
“Debris?” The question came from Mandy, who sat next to Kari. Mandy was another of Kari’s friends, and also a fellow swimmer. Mandy never fell in the mud or got dirt on her dress at recess. She wrinkled her nose. “You mean… like trash?”
Ms. Nan turned to Mandy. “Well, kind of… There could be rocks, or comets and asteroids. This is typically what we call meteors.” She drew some rocks with fire coming off of them. “A meteor shower is caused by streams of this natural cosmic debris entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds.”
High speeds? A splash of fear hit Kari.
Up until that moment Kari had figured she would watch the meteor shower from the middle of their huge front yard. Or on the big rock by the stream behind their new house. The rock was flat and it was the best place for Kari and her older sister, Brooke, and her younger siblings—Ashley, Erin and Luke—to sit and talk.
But now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe they’d be safer inside.
Kari raised her hand. “Ms. Nan… That sounds dangerous. What if meteors crash into Bloomington and we blow up?” Kari’s heart beat harder. “Maybe we should take cover.”
“Well…” Ms. Nan crossed her arms. “I suppose a meteor shower could be dangerous. But it isn’t likely.” She smiled. “I’d say we don’t need to worry.”
Kari tried to imagine how the event would look. “So as the rocks and garbage come into our… atmosphere…?”
“Yes, atmosphere.” Ms. Nan nodded. Patience was her strong suit. “Atmosphere will be one of our spelli
ng words next week.” She hesitated. “Anyway, yes, a meteor shower happens as rocks and debris enter our atmosphere.”
“With flames around them?” Kari still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea.
“Yes.” Ms. Nan smiled. “Exactly.”
“When is it?” Kari tapped her desk. “How many days?”
Ms. Nan laughed and walked over to her calendar. “Forty-one days. Just over a month.”
Kari’s shoulders sank a little. “So… Bloomington might be destroyed in forty-one days?”
“No.” For a second, Ms. Nan laughed out loud… but then she seemed to get control of herself. “Kari. Bloomington will not be destroyed in this meteor shower. Scientists can predict that sort of thing.”
Their teacher started talking about Mars and Jupiter, which gave Kari time to think. Ms. Nan wouldn’t lie to them. Surely the meteor shower wouldn’t destroy Bloomington. And that meant Kari could be excited again.
A real meteor shower right over their very own city!
“All right.” Ms. Nan stood. “Let’s do free reading now. Then after lunch we’ll talk about our next assignment. It’s called: When I Grow Up.”
Kari’s mouth went dry. When she grew up? Why would Ms. Nan want them to think about that? Sixth grade was hard enough without thinking about growing up. She raised her hand superfast.
“Yes, Kari?” Ms. Nan looked confused.
Kari swallowed. “Do we have to decide today? What we’ll do when we grow up?”
“No.” Something about Ms. Nan’s voice made Kari relax. “You don’t have to decide. I’ll explain everything after lunch.”
“Yes, Ms. Nan.” Kari remembered to smile. She didn’t want to panic, but she was struggling to get her head around this assignment. Sometimes she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next week, or what she wanted to have for lunch. The idea of trying to decide what she wanted to do when she grew up was scary.
She didn’t know how else to put it.
When their teacher was back at her desk, Kari grabbed her journal from her backpack. Journaling was her favorite. She flipped through the pages until she found the next blank one and then, with a quick breath, she began to write:
A meteor shower is coming to Bloomington! In just forty-one days! It sounds like the prettiest light show ever and I bet God has the best seat in the house that night. November 15. Yep. That’s the day. Ms. Nan says not to worry that the flaming meteors will destroy our city. So that’s good. Also, I have to think about growing up. It’s our assignment this afternoon. But the truth is… I have no idea what I want to do. Dancing, maybe. Or soccer. Here’s my secret: I’m not even sure I like being on the swim team, which I haven’t told Liza and Mandy. What if they don’t like me if I’d rather dance? I can’t think about it. Actually, maybe I’ll study meteors.
“All right.” Ms. Nan stood. “Lunchtime.” The bell rang and the students lined up at the door. Kari finished her journal entry.
Okay. I gotta go. Consider this the official meteor shower countdown.
41 DAYS UNTIL THE METEOR SHOWER!
2 The Falling Leaf
ASHLEY
On this superfantastic, most excellent day, Ashley was a leaf caught in the wind.
Spinning and dancing and twirling in circles, trying to make it all the way up to the clouds. Round and round, over and over again. She spun faster. The clouds were so close she could touch them.
Ashley’s unlikely new best friend, Natalie, stood on the school playground, eyes wide, just watching her.
“Things are looking up for me, Natalie! I’m almost dancing on the clouds. I’m a leaf caught in the wind!”
“You’re gonna get sick.” Natalie sounded concerned. “We just ate.”
Ashley kept spinning. “No need to worry, Natalie, my friend.” Her words came out a bit wobbly. Her twirling took her feet in bigger and bigger circles.
“I am worried!” Natalie yelled this time. “What if you fall? Everyone will see you!”
The spinning was catching up to Ashley. “No falling for me.” She kept doing circles, arms out to her sides. “Dancing to the clouds is the best leaf activity for this happy Tuesday. You don’t know what you’re missing, Natalie.”
“Stop, Ashley!”
Suddenly dizziness came over Ashley like a heavy blanket. “That’s… why I—” Ashley blinked a couple of times and came to a sudden stop. “Whoa. I need to sit.” She bent over her knees but she couldn’t stop herself. And in a sudden thump she collapsed to the ground.
Very much like a leaf, actually. A heavy leaf.
Natalie hurried over. “I told you!”
“I’m fine. Just a little woozy.” Ashley exhaled. She caught a glance of the rest of the class near the kickball area. Apparently no one had noticed.
“Are you okay?” Natalie stooped down and stared. “Your cheeks are green.”
Ashley pulled her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. “Whew!” The world was still spinning. “I should not have had that second slice of pizza.”
“It was my slice.” Natalie raised her eyebrows.
“But you don’t like pizza.” Ashley opened one eye and squinted at her friend. “So a second slice for me made perfect sense.”
Natalie still looked worried. “Maybe not on a twirling day.”
“True.” The spinning playground was finally slowing down. Ashley leaned back, using her arms as support beams. She still felt sickish, but her pizza was staying in place. So that was good.
All of a sudden she started to giggle. Soft at first.
Natalie raised her eyebrows. “Ashley?”
“I’m fine.” Ashley’s giggle became a laugh. “These things always happen to me, Natalie. Have you noticed that? Which is kind of funny, right?”
“You’re the only person I know who wants to be a dancing leaf.”
“A leaf dancing to the clouds.” Ashley tilted her head back and stared at the sky. “I was so close.”
Natalie got down on the ground next to Ashley. She leaned her head back and looked up as well. The two of them sat there, watching leaves drift to the ground. “Ashley, you’ll make it to the clouds next time.” She smiled. “There’s no better leaf than you.”
“Thanks.” Ashley stood, brushed her hands on her jeans, and helped Natalie to her feet. “That’s why we’re friends, Natalie. You see the real me.”
“I’m glad you didn’t break your leg.” Natalie put her hands on her hips. “You need to be healthy for Field Day tomorrow.”
“What?” Ashley almost dropped to the ground again. “Field Day? How could I forget?” She ran in place for a few seconds. “That’s my very best day of the year!”
Natalie laughed again. “Better than Christmas? Or your birthday?”
“Okay, not the very best.” Ashley ran in place again. “But it’s up there.”
A familiar voice called from behind her. “Are you okay?”
Ashley did a half spin and saw Landon Blake. He had a basketball on his hip. Landon had been a menace at the start of this year. But not anymore. He had become another unlikely friend.
But in that moment, Ashley realized there was a problem here.
If Landon had seen her fall, then the whole class probably had, too. Ashley used her most dignified voice. “I’m fine, thank you very much.”
“It looked like you fell.” Landon stared at the dirt on her knees. “See?”
Ashley felt her cheeks get warm. In a quick rush she cleaned the dirt from her knees. Natalie hadn’t moved since Landon showed up. Like she was in shock.
Ashley tilted her head. “I was a twirling leaf. Dancing up to the clouds.” She paused. “But like all leaves, I’m supposed to end up on the ground.”
Natalie let out a little laugh.
“Okay.” Landon grinned. “Sure. That makes sense.”
“Right.” Ashley nodded. “Good. I’m glad we figured that out.”
“What are you doing for Field Day?” Landon dribbled his basketball
a few times.
Was he trying to battle her? “A lot.” She crossed her arms. “At my old school I was pretty much Queen of Field Day.”
“Funny.” Landon tossed the basketball to Ashley. His eyes were still smiling. “Because around here, I’m King of Field Day.”
“Really?” Ashley caught the ball and took a step closer to Landon. “I guess we’ll have to see about that.” She tossed it back to him. “And yes, that’s a challenge.”
Landon dribbled the basketball between his legs. “Challenge accepted.” His friend Chris was calling him from the court across the school yard. Landon waved. “See ya!” He dribbled the ball back to his friends.
Ashley turned to Natalie. “We have a lot of practicing to do.” Ashley noticed her friend’s long blue hair ribbon. Very softly, Ashley pulled one end of it. “We’ll need this.”
“No.” Natalie stepped back. “It’s mine!”
“I’ll give it right back.” Ashley grabbed at the ribbon again. “It’s for Field Day.”
Natalie thought for a few seconds. Then she sighed. “Fine.” She took the ribbon from her hair and handed it to Ashley. “What does this have to do with Field Day?”
“It’s for the three-legged race, of course! The day’s most difficult event!” Ashley positioned herself shoulder to shoulder with Natalie. “You have to be totally in sing with your partner. Like when you sing a song together and the words happen at the exact same time.”
“You mean… in sync.” Natalie laughed again. “Working together is in sync. Not in sing.”
“Hmm.” Ashley hummed a few notes. Natalie might be right. “Either way, we have to move at the same time.” She bent down and tied their side-by-side ankles together with Natalie’s blue hair ribbon. “Perfect.”
“I don’t know…” Natalie looked worried again. “What if—”
The bell rang.
Ashley stretched her hands over her head, one way, then the other. “We have to hurry.”
“We can’t do this now!” Natalie seemed ready to untie the ribbon.
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