Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote

by Andrea Beaty

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-4197-4350-4

  eISBN 978-1-68335-832-9

  Text copyright © 2020 Andrea Beaty

  Illustrations copyright © 2020 David Roberts

  Book design by Marcie J. Lawrence

  Published in 2020 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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  To all who fought for the right to vote and all who struggle still —A.B.

  CHAPTER 1

  Sofia rushed around the house looking for her red shoe.

  “Please hurry, Abuelo! I can’t be late today!” she said.

  Abuelo calmly looked up from the lunch he was packing.

  “Sofia. Do I ever make you late to school?” he asked, raising his left eyebrow just so.

  It was Abuelo’s why don’t you think about that for a moment look. Abuelo had a look for every situation, and Sofia knew them all by heart. They were always kind, but they got their message through. Abuelo didn’t have to say a lot to say a lot.

  “I know,” said Sofia. “But I really can’t be late today. Miss Greer has a surprise for us!”

  Abuelo smiled at his granddaughter. “Here’s a surprise,” he said. “Your shoe is under the couch.”

  “I should have known,” said Sofia, looking at Pup.

  Pup barked and wagged his tail. He fetched his leash and ran to the door. He was ready to go. A few minutes later, they were on their way.

  Sofia, Abuelo, and Pup walked to Blue River Creek Elementary School together every day. Today, Sofia couldn’t stop wondering about the surprise her teacher, Miss Lila Greer, had in store for her second-grade class.

  “Maybe it’s a field trip!” said Sofia. “The last one was so exciting. The bridge collapsed and Miss Greer got stuck on an island. Then, Iggy showed us how to make a new bridge with shoelaces and Fruit Roll-Ups. It was cool. Miss Greer said that was a Learning Experience.”

  “That’s for sure,” said Abuelo.

  “Maybe it’s an experiment!” said Sofia. “Last time, Ada taught us about chemistry and how to make rainbow geysers. I don’t think Miss Greer liked the mess, but she said it was a Learning Experience, too.”

  “That would be one,” Abuelo said with a chuckle.

  Sofia thought a moment.

  “We sure have a lot of Learning Experiences in second grade,” she said.

  “You surely do,” said Abuelo.

  They reached the school, and Sofia scratched Pup’s ear.

  Abuelo handed her the lunch bag. “Extra cookies today,” he said. “For sharing.”

  Abuelo always packed extra cookies for sharing. It was one of the things Sofia loved about him. It was one of the things her friends loved, too. Abuelo was the best baker in Blue River Creek. For years, his bakery, La Panaderia de la Magnolia, was the most popular place in town for people to gather for coffee and cookies and Mexican sweet breads. He was famous for his pan dulce. Abuelo was retired now, but he still baked for Sofia and her friends and anyone else who might need a treat. He was kind like that.

  “Te amo,” Sofia said.

  “Mi vida,” said Abuelo, hugging her tight.

  Sofia hugged him back, then she ran through the open school door, ready for the big surprise.

  CHAPTER 2

  “What do you think the surprise will be?” asked Rosie Revere, who sat next to Sofia. “I hope we’re engineering again. That was so much fun. But I don’t think Miss Greer liked it when we made inventions and the log scooter knocked Iggy’s apartment-building-slash-airplane into the ant farm. What did she call it when we were trying to catch the ants?”

  “A Learning Experience,” said Ada, plopping down next to them. “She says that a lot. Do you think that’s a good thing?”

  Before Sofia could answer, Miss Greer entered the classroom.

  “Good morning!” she said. “As you know, I have a surprise announcement for you.” Miss Greer silently waited for all her students to look at her. That was how she got their attention without a lot of fuss. It worked. Within seconds, everyone was sitting quietly with their mouths closed and their eyes open.

  “Thank you, class,” said Miss Greer. “As you know, second grade is a time for new experiences. And responsibilities.” She paused and looked at the students seriously. “I believe that you are ready for a very big responsibility.”

  “Like a chore?” someone asked.

  “Yes, but a good one,” said Miss Greer. “I think we should get a class pet!”

  The class cheered.

  “We will raise money to buy the pet and feed it. Everyone will take turns caring for the pet. So it will be a big responsibility,” she said. “What kind should we get?”

  Immediately, the class erupted with ideas.

  “A pony!”

  “A buffalo!”

  “A giraffe!”

  “Oh . . .” Miss Greer said. “Hmm. Well . . .”

  “A boa constrictor!”

  “Hot dogs!”

  “A giant squid!”

  “A giant one?” Miss Greer asked. She looked worried.

  “A killer shark!”

  Miss Greer looked a little dizzy and started to sway. The last time she looked like that was when she fainted on the island during their field trip.

  “Are you okay, Miss Greer?” asked Iggy.

  “Oh dear,” said Miss Greer, imagining giant squids and killer sharks eating hot dogs in her classroom.

  “Killer squids and giant sharks,” she mumbled.

  “We could get a small one,” said Rosie.

  “A small shark?” asked Miss Greer.

  “No,” said Rosie. “A small pet.”

  Miss Greer perked up. “That’s a good idea,” she said, pointing to a low bookcase by the window. “The pet’s home will be on top of that bookcase. So, no giant squids.”

  “Aw, rats,” said someone in the back.

  “Rats?” said Miss Greer with her eyes wide open. “Oh, double dear . . . No rats!”

  “A yeti!”

  “It has to be small,” said Miss Greer.

  “A small yeti.”

  “Oh, triple dear!” said Miss Greer, plopping into her seat. “I thought this would be easy. Maybe we’re not ready to choose a pet.”

  “We can do it!” said Rosie.

  “But everyone wants a different thing,” said Miss Greer. “How can we possibly pick one good pet for a class of seventeen different students?”

  Sofia Valdez jumped to her feet. “I know!” she cried.

  Everyone turned to look at Sofia. They all leaned toward her, and she leaned back just a bit. She felt nervous. Then she reme
mbered the time she went to City Hall and had to be brave and talk to the mayor and the whole city government and ask them to build a park. That had been very scary.

  She looked at the smiling faces of her friends in Grade Two and at her slightly worried teacher. This was not so scary. Sofia smiled and raised her head high.

  “I know how to do it,” she repeated. “Let’s have an election!”

  Miss Greer clapped her hands. “What a perfect idea!” she said. “Everyone, go home tonight and make a poster for the pet you would like to nominate. Remember, it has to fit on the bookcase!”

  The class cheered.

  “Tomorrow, we’ll vote,” said Miss Greer. “An election is the perfect way to decide. There’s nothing complicated about that! It will be easy!”

  After school, Sofia met Abuelo and Pup by the flagpole. All around them, students were talking about the election and the pets they would nominate. Sofia hugged Abuelo, and they walked home together quietly. Sofia was deep in thought. Something was bugging her.

  “What’s wrong, Sofia?” asked Abuelo. “You haven’t said a single word since we left school. Did something happen?”

  “We’re going to elect a class pet,” said Sofia.

  “That sounds like a good thing,” said Abuelo. “Aren’t you happy?”

  Sofia thought for a moment.

  “I am,” she said. “But Miss Greer said something else. She said it would be easy. You’ve told me lots of stories about elections that were really hard.”

  Abuelo pulled a cookie from his pocket and gave it to Sofia. He pulled out another and sneaked a pinch to Pup.

  “I’ve seen a lot of elections in my time,” said Abuelo. “And I’ve never seen an easy one. But that’s okay. Important things are worth the hard work.”

  Sofia frowned. “I think,” she said, “this might be what Miss Greer calls a real Learning Experience.”

  “Maybe,” said Abuelo. “But maybe it will turn out like this batch of cookies.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Sofia.

  “Maybe . . .” said Abuelo with a grin, “it will be a good one!”

  CHAPTER 3

  That night, Sofia’s friends came over to make posters at the kitchen table. Abuelo came in every few minutes to check the oven. He was making orejas, which were one of Sofia’s favorite treats. Abuelo had worked all afternoon preparing the smooth dough. He rolled, folded, and chilled the dough over and over. He sprinkled the final layers with cane sugar and cinnamon before he sliced and baked the cookies. It took a lot of time to make the sweet, flaky dough, so Abuelo did not make them very often, and it was always a special treat when he did.

  “We’ll give some to Marisella to celebrate her new baby brother,” said Abuelo.

  Marisella was Sofia’s third-grade cousin, whose baby brother was only three weeks old.

  “She’ll love that, Abuelo,” said Sofia.

  The smell of sweet pastries filled the air as Ada, Rosie, Sofia, and Iggy brainstormed ideas for the best class pet.

  “I’m voting for a turtle or maybe a lemur,” said Ada. “Or a flying squirrel. Do they really fly? Can they fly upside down?”

  “I’m picking a bird,” said Rosie. “I love my bird, Gizmo, and Aunt Rose’s bird, Gadget. Plus, birds know how to make things, just like engineers. Could you make a nest with only a beak and your feet?”

  “What about you, Iggy?” asked Sofia.

  Iggy proudly showed them the poster he had been working on.

  “It’s a building,” said Sofia. “Buildings can’t be pets.”

  “Why not?” asked Iggy. “You don’t have to take it for walks or clean its cage. It’s perfect.”

  “It’s too big,” said Ada.

  “I’ll make a model,” said Iggy. “I can make models from anything.”

  That was true. Iggy had once made a model of the St. Louis Arch from pancakes and coconut pie. It was beautiful and delicious.

  “What about you, Sofia?” asked Rosie.

  “I can’t decide,” she said. “There are so many choices, but not a perfect one. They all have something good and something bad about them.”

  “You don’t have to find the perfect pet,” said Abuelo. “Just the best one.”

  Sofia thought about that. She was always trying to make things better. Sometimes, she worried too much about making them perfect. There was never a perfect candidate in an election. How could there be? People aren’t perfect. Maybe it was the same with pets. After all, how could one pet be perfect for everyone? What pet would be good for as many kids as possible?

  Abuelo checked the oven once more. “Aha!” he said, pulling out the cookie tray. “This is a batch to be proud of.”

  He put the orejas on a plate in front of the Questioneers and brought the kids cups of hot chocolate.

  “Thank you, Mr. Valdez!” said Ada.

  “What does orejas mean?” asked Rosie.

  “Ears,” said Sofia.

  “Wait,” said Abuelo. “I can’t hear you.”

  He held one of the curvy pastries up to his head like it was a sugar-covered ear.

  “That’s better,” he said. “Can you repeat the question?”

  Abuelo winked at Sofia. Then he took a bite of the pastry.

  “Ouch!” he cried. “My ear hurts!”

  Ada, Iggy, and Rosie laughed. Sofia couldn’t help laughing, too. Abuelo had been telling her that joke since she was a baby. He had lots of jokes like that. Sofia could always count on him to tell them. It was one of the things she loved most about Abuelo—that she could always count on him.

  Ada held up one of the orejas and rotated it. “Look!” she said. “This way, it looks like a butterfly.”

  Sofia smiled. “That’s it! I’ll nominate a butterfly! Everyone loves butterflies!”

  CHAPTER 4

  The next day, Miss Greer’s class learned about the candidates. One by one, the students gave short speeches about their nominees. The presentations lasted until lunch. Then, after recess, it was finally election time!

  “Write your vote on a slip of paper, and put it in this ballot box,” said Miss Greer. “The pet with the most votes wins.”

  After the voting, Miss Greer counted the votes and wrote the nominees on the board.

  “One vote for aardvark,” she said. “One for butterfly. One for turtle. One for miniature giraffe? One for . . .”

  Finally, Miss Greer pulled the last ballot from the box. “Last vote . . . goes to a skunk? Oh, dear! Well, let’s see who won.”

  She stepped back from the board and frowned. Each pet had exactly one vote. Every student had voted for the pet they had nominated.

  There were seventeen winners, but there could only be one pet.

  “Oh dear,” said Miss Greer. “We can’t have seventeen pets!”

  “Why don’t we do it like elections for the president?” asked Sofia. “We could have an election to find the top two candidates. That’s called a primary election. Then we’ll vote for one of the top two in order to pick the class pet.”

  “Wouldn’t everyone just vote for their own choices again?” asked Ada.

  “Hmm,” said Miss Greer. “First, we need to adjust the requirements. Some of these nominees have very sharp teeth. And we can’t have a pet someone is allergic to. Imagine the sneezing! How could we get any work done? We don’t want a stinky pet. Or a noisy one!”

  “Most elections have rules for the candidates,” said Sofia. “American presidents have to be at least thirty-five years old and must have been a U.S. citizen since they were born. And they must have lived in the country for at least fourteen years.”

  “I don’t think those rules will work for pets,” said Iggy. “Animals aren’t citizens, are they?”

  “Some animals don’t even live fourteen years. But some live a lot longer,” said Ada. “African elephants can live over seventy years. And Greenland sharks can live two hundred seventy-five years!”

  “Sharks?!” said Miss Greer.

&
nbsp; “And eels can live for decades,” said Ada. “And lay millions of eggs! Zowie!”

  “Millions of eggs?!” Miss Greer said.

  Miss Greer plopped into her seat. She looked queasy for a moment. Then, she shook it off, patted her hair neatly back into place, and stood up.

  “It will be okay,” she said. “It will be okay.”

  “Is she talking to us?” Ada whispered to Iggy.

  “I don’t think so,” Iggy whispered back.

  “Perhaps . . .” said Miss Greer. “Perhaps we should make a list of requirements.”

  She erased the board and started a list.

  The students made suggestions, and soon the list was complete.

  Miss Greer stood back and smiled.

  “There,” she said. “That seems reasonable.”

  CHAPTER 5

  The class compared the list of candidates against the requirements. One by one, they crossed candidates off the list.

  “What about this one?” asked Miss Greer, pointing to the Chrysler Building. “It’s not poisonous, and it’s not going to bite anyone.”

  “It’s not named Geraldine!” said Ada.

  “It fits all the requirements,” said Rosie.

  “Then it’s in!” said Miss Greer, smiling at Iggy.

  Iggy Peck smiled back.

  “Okay,” said Miss Greer. “Let’s vote again.”

  Miss Greer tallied the votes.

  Turtle—5

  Bird—6

  Lizard—3

  Fish—2

  Chrysler Building—1

  “There we have it,” said Miss Greer. “Turtle and Bird. Our two candidates.”

  Sofia smiled. Things were going so well. She could imagine real presidential candidates having conversations just like this one. Only without skunks and giraffes. What if the class could make this choice even more like a real election?

  “Miss Greer?” said Sofia. “I’ve been thinking. Can we do this just like a real presidential election? Can we have campaigns and everything?”

  Miss Greer thought for a moment.

  “That’s a good idea,” said Miss Greer. “And since it was your idea, Sofia, you should be the election commissioner.”