Heidi Heckelbeck for Class President

by Wanda Coven

Heidi sighed and lifted her fork.

  “My posters were fine,” she said. “But Melanie handed out cookies, and everybody loved them.”

  Henry finished slurping up his spaghetti and said, “Oh, I had one! Best cookie EVER.”

  Heidi dropped her fork. It clanked on the edge of her bowl.

  “EXACTLY,” she complained. “How am I supposed to beat THE BEST COOKIES EVER?”

  Henry waved his hand at Heidi to get her attention. “That’s easy!” he said. “Just promise everyone in your class straight A’s! Then you’ll get ALL the votes.”

  Dad laughed. “Giving out cookies—or better grades—doesn’t make a good class president,” he reminded them.

  “Well, it does if you’re voting for best-tasting cookies!” Henry said with a fake cough.

  “That’s true!” Dad announced with a wink. “But since Heidi is running for class president, she needs her ideas to reach voters. Will you be able to give a speech?”

  Heidi just nodded glumly and said, “We have to give one short speech.”

  Dad snapped his fingers. “There’s your chance!” he said. “A speech allows you to talk about how you can make a difference. Show your classmates how you plan to solve class problems. That is what voters really care about.”

  Heidi sat up in her chair. She had a little twinge of hope. Maybe Dad’s right. Maybe I CAN make a difference.

  A PRESIDENT VOICE

  The rest of the week went by quickly, and soon Heidi was in her room, staring at a blank piece of paper. She needed to write her speech for the next day.

  Heidi scribbled down a first sentence and read it out loud.

  “ ‘Hi, I’m Heidi Heckelbeck, and if I am voted class president, I will solve ALL our school problems.’ ”

  No, scratch that, she thought. I sound WAY too powerful. She rewrote the end of the sentence.

  “ ‘I’ll help our problems go away.’ ”

  Heidi crossed that out too and wondered, What exactly are the school’s problems, anyway?

  Aside from the drainpipe that needed to be moved, Heidi couldn’t think of any. She frowned. How am I supposed to write a winning speech if I don’t even know what to talk about? Hmm, this calls for a little magic!

  Heidi stood up from her desk and slid her Book of Spells out from under the bed. She studied the chapters and found the perfect spell.

  How to Have a Presidential Voice

  Have you been nominated for president of a club, a class, or a business? Perhaps you’re wondering what to say to your voters? If you want to be a good leader and have a presidential voice, then this is the spell for you!

  Ingredients:

  1 dash of sugar

  1 light bulb

  1 organizer

  1 paper heart

  Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Hold your Witches of Westwick medallion over your heart. Chant the following spell:

  Leaders have an open mind, listening ears, and thoughts that are kind.

  To listen is a leader’s choice.

  When you do, you’ll find your voice.

  Heidi collected the ingredients in a large bowl. Then she held her medallion over her heart and chanted the spell. Sparkles swirled and lifted Heidi right off the floor. Then she gently drifted back down.

  Heidi hopped to her feet and ran back to her desk to work on the speech. She sat there until bedtime, but oddly, not one idea came to her. Perhaps this spell was a dud!

  SPEECH! SPEECH!

  The next morning Heidi woke up to an odd sound.

  A small plane buzzed in the sky over her house. Heidi looked out the window and saw something trailing behind the plane.

  It was a banner!

  VOTE FOR MELANIE MAPLETHORPE! was written in giant red letters fluttering over the town.

  Heidi rushed to get ready for school. There was no time to lose. She grabbed her backpack and a granola bar, and then ran straight to the bus stop.

  Bryce Beltran, Heidi’s neighbor, was also early that morning.

  “Oh my gosh, Heidi! Did you see Melanie’s cool banner?” Bryce asked.

  Heidi didn’t really know what to say, but that didn’t matter. Because when Heidi opened her mouth to answer Bryce, nothing came out. Her voice was gone!

  Heidi touched her throat and thought, Merg! How am I going to give my speech if I’ve lost my voice?

  Bryce stared at Heidi. “Are you okay? Oh wait, you must be saving your voice for your big speech today.”

  Heidi nodded—because that’s all she could do.

  Luckily, Bryce was great at talking, so she let Heidi rest her voice for the whole bus ride.

  At school students were watching the plane with Melanie’s banner circle in the sky. It was the only thing kids were talking about. At least, until Melanie arrived to hand out even more of her famous cookies.

  Heidi wanted to scream, but she couldn’t! So instead, she stormed off to class.

  Mrs. Welli had set up a podium and three chairs at the front of the room. As the rest of the class entered, the candidates took their seats by the podium.

  “Welcome to the class presidential election!” Mrs. Welli announced. “Our candidates will each have five minutes to speak. When the speeches are done, students will cast their votes. Melanie, you may go first.”

  Melanie’s blond hair swished back and forth as she pranced to the podium. She waited politely for her classmates to stop clapping.

  “Hi, everyone! As you all know, MY name is Melanie Maplethorpe, and I’m here to say it would be a TREAT to be your class president. So remember to vote sweet! Vote for Melanie!”

  The class cheered, but when the applause died down, the classroom became quiet. Everyone waited for Melanie to say more, but Melanie just stood there.

  Soon it began to get uncomfortable, and Mrs. Welli had to step in. “Melanie, do you have a speech prepared?” she asked.

  Melanie simply shook her head. “No. That’s all I wrote,” she said. Then Melanie held up a tub of cookies. “Would anyone like another cookie?”

  But nobody did.

  “Um, thank you, Melanie,” said Mrs. Welli. “Now let’s hear from Carter.”

  The kids cheered again, and Carter waved to his classmates as he stepped up to the podium.

  “Hey, I’m Carter Collins,” he said with a smile. “If I were elected to be class president, we would have the best foods at lunch every week: cheesesteak subs, hot dogs, and pizza. And since I love kickball, I would make sure we have a ton of kickballs on the playground. And, of course, if you vote for ME, you’ll get A TON more recess. So vote for CARTER!”

  The class whistled, clapped, and cheered.

  Heidi clapped too, but she thought Carter’s speech only covered what HE wanted. Other kids looked like they felt the same way.

  Now it was Heidi’s turn. She peeked into her notebook. Had a speech magically appeared?

  Nope. There was only one word written on the page:

  Suddenly Heidi knew what she had to do.

  She didn’t go to the podium. Instead, she moved her chair to sit with the class. Then she took a deep breath and tested her voice.

  “My name is Heidi Heckelbeck, and I don’t want to talk about me. I want to listen to you, my classmates. What would YOU do to make our school a better place?”

  The words flowed out of her, and now Heidi waited for her class to respond.

  Bruce raised his hand. “We really need new lab equipment,” he said.

  Heidi thanked Bruce for sharing and called on Stanley.

  “The swings on the playground are rusty and squeaky. They need to be cleaned.”

  Heidi thanked Stanley for pointing this out. Then she called on Laurel.

  “The water fountain is too strong, and the water goes up my nose when I drink,” she said.

  Everyone laughed, even Mrs. Welli, who then signaled that Heidi’s time was almost up.

  “Thank you all for sharing your ideas with me,” said Heidi. “If I’m elected class p
resident, I promise to always listen to you and help in any way I can.”

  The class whistled and cheered for Heidi.

  Mrs. Welli stood in front of the class and said, “Our candidates have spoken! Now it’s time to vote!”

  VOTE HERE!

  All the candidates were listed in alphabetical order on the ballot.

  “Mark your choice for president,” Mrs. Welli instructed. “Then drop your ballot into the ballot box.”

  Mrs. Welli held up the ballot box for everyone to see.

  It had red-and-white stripes on the sides and a blue lid with white stars. On top was a small rectangular opening. This was where all the kids would place their ballots.

  “Vote here!” she said and pointed to the opening.

  Everyone in class studied their ballots. Heidi circled her name and folded her ballot in half.

  She could hear others marking their votes as she dropped her ballot into the box and returned to her seat.

  When all the votes were in, Mrs. Welli handed the ballot box to Principal Pennypacker. The principal left the room with the box. He was the official ballot counter.

  The students whispered to one another while they waited. Everyone wondered who would win.

  Heidi watched the clock. It was so slow!

  Finally Principal Pennypacker returned to the classroom, and the whispering stopped.

  “Well, it was a very close race,” the principal said. “Are you ready to hear the results?”

  “YEEEESSS!” the class cried.

  He handed an envelope to their teacher. Mrs. Welli unsealed it and pulled out a slip of paper.

  “The winner of the presidential election is… Heidi Heckelbeck!”

  The class erupted—even Carter and Melanie cheered for Heidi.

  Mrs. Welli invited Heidi to stand in front of the class. “Congratulations, Heidi! Is there anything you’d like to say as the new class president?”

  Heidi nodded. “First, thank you so much for electing me!” she began. “Thank you to the other candidates, too. Carter had some really cool ideas, and Melanie made everything look and taste amazing. As your class president, I would like to ask Carter and Melanie to work with me.”

  Carter and Melanie looked at each other and then back at Heidi.

  “We’re IN!” they said at the same time.

  Now the students went wild! And, as Heidi looked at her class, she promised herself she would be the best president Brewster Elementary had ever seen.

  More from this Series

  Heidi Heckelbeck and the…

  Book 31

  Heidi Heckelbeck Has a…

  Book 1

  Heidi Heckelbeck Casts a…

  Book 2

  Heidi Heckelbeck and the…

  Book 3

  More from the Author

  Henry Heckelbeck and the…

  Henry Heckelbeck Spells…

  Keep reading for a preview of

  Heidi Heckelbeck and the Hair Emergency!

  by

  Wanda Coven

  Heidi snuggled under a blanket with her new book, Jolly Roger, the Pirate Puppy. This little hound sailed the seven seas in search of buried treasure. Heidi wondered what it would be like to sail with a pirate puppy and dig up treasure.

  Then Heidi heard a shriek of laughter and dropped her book on the floor. She sat up on the sofa and looked around. HENRY!

  Heidi shouted in her best pirate voice, “Aaargh! What be the problem, little brother?”

  Henry paid no attention to his sister. He was too busy chasing something around the family room.

  Heidi rolled onto her side to see what it was. Henry’s new wind-up toy—the Roly-Poly Puppy—sped and spun around in circles. This puppy had wheels instead of stubby puppy legs… and it was fast.

  Henry picked the puppy up and set it down on the floor. He pulled back on the body to wind up the wheels. Then Henry let the toy go.

  That Roly-Poly Puppy zoomed all over the carpet. Plus, every time it bumped into something, it giggled, turned around, and took off again in another direction.

  Bonk! It bumped into the leg of a chair. Hee-Hee! Heedle! Heedle! Hee!

  Then the puppy turned and charged into the game cabinet. Bonk! Hee-hee! Heedle! Heedle! Hee!

  Continue Reading…

  Heidi Heckelbeck and the Hair Emergency!

  Wanda Coven

  About the Author and Illustrator

  WANDA COVEN has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she’s able to visit other worlds through writing. Wanda lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.

  PRISCILLA BURRIS has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents, and teachers. She enjoys painting cakes and creating art for products, which include murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps! Priscilla lives with her family in Southern California.

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Wanda-Coven

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Priscilla-Burris

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  HeidiHeckelbeckBooks.com

  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

  First Little Simon paperback edition August 2020

  Copyright © 2020 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Also available in a Little Simon hardcover edition.

  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. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com. 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 Ciara Gay

  Jacket design by Ciara Gay

  Jacket illustrations by Priscilla Burris

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2020 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-5344-6131-4 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-6130-7 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-6132-1 (eBook)