The Posh Puppy Pageant

by The Posh Puppy Pageant (retail) (epub)

  By JoJo Siwa

  © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All rights reserved. Nickelodeon and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. JoJo Siwa is a trademark of JoJo Siwa Entertainment, LLC.

  eISBN 978-1-950837-07-6

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 1

  “BowBow, no!” JoJo Siwa didn’t often say no to her cute, snuggly fur-ball friend, but BowBow Siwa didn’t often jump paws-first into their neighbor’s slimy green koi pond! “Get out of there now!” BowBow flattened her ears against her head and gave JoJo a look that said, You can’t possibly be mad at me! Then she splashed her way back to the lawn, where JoJo stood waiting with her friend Jacob.

  “Careful, JoJo,” Jacob said. “Don’t let BowBow get too close! She’s all muddy.”

  But it was too late. BowBow trotted right up to JoJo and shook out her fur, splashing green and brown muck everywhere.

  “Oh, BowBow,” JoJo said to the stinky teacup Yorkie, “you smell terrible.”

  “Yeah, that pond is more for looking at than for swimming,” Jacob said. “It’s my mom’s thing. The whole garden is.”

  “Well, I hope your mom has a garden hose, ’cause BowBow’s gonna need one! Luckily I wore old clothes today.”

  “Hose is on the patio,” Jacob said.

  JoJo scooped up BowBow in one hand and plugged her nose with the other, then headed for the patio while Jacob ran to collect a large plastic tub, a bottle of shampoo, and a handful of rags to use as towels.

  “I’ve never given a dog a bath before,” said Jacob, “but I grabbed Oscar’s baby shampoo. My mom says it doesn’t hurt if it gets into his eyes.”

  “That’s perfect,” JoJo said. “You’re the best! Now, if only BowBow will stay still …”

  But BowBow had other ideas. She splashed around the tub while JoJo squirted baby shampoo onto her fur and lathered her up, and soon Jacob and JoJo were both covered in suds.

  “Phew,” JoJo said a few minutes later. “I think we got all the pond muck out—we can set her down in the grass for a last rinse.”

  Jacob reached for the hose, and the two took turns squirting down BowBow, who yipped and ran in circles under the spray.

  Then Jacob aimed the hose at JoJo!

  “Jacob!” JoJo laughed, running away. Then she grabbed the hose from him and put her thumb in the middle of the spray so it would go all over the place. Soon she and Jacob were as soaked as her little pup!

  By the time BowBow’s bath was finished, all three were exhausted. JoJo and Jacob sprawled out on the grass, letting the bright California sun dry their T-shirts and gym shorts.

  “Maybe we should toss BowBow back into the pond,” Jacob suggested, flashing his blue braces as he smiled. “That was fun.”

  “Don’t even joke about it!” JoJo giggled and turned over onto her stomach to check on BowBow. Her fur was already almost dry—she was so tiny that it didn’t take much time.

  “All that running around made me hungry,” said Jacob, patting his stomach. “Want to grab a snack? I made double-chocolate caramel cookies last night.”

  “Of course you did,” JoJo said with a grin. Jacob was always whipping up treats. “And yes, chocolate caramel cookies will totally hit the spot.”

  The two walked through the sliding glass door into Jacob’s kitchen, BowBow at their heels. Jacob’s mom was sitting at the counter with her laptop, and she gave them a big smile when they came in.

  “Hey, kiddos,” she said. “Looked like you were having fun out there!”

  “BowBow jumped into the koi pond,” JoJo told her. “But don’t worry, she can swim.”

  “And don’t worry, she doesn’t like sushi,” joked Jacob.

  “Well, I’m glad of that,” his mom said. “How about some peanut butter on a rice cake for BowBow and some cookies for you two? Unless you want sushi, that is,” she said with a wink. “I think we have a fishing pole around here somewhere …”

  Jacob rolled his eyes at JoJo but smiled and gave his mom a quick hug as he headed for the pantry and pulled out the ingredients for BowBow’s snack.

  “I’ll leave you kids alone,” Jacob’s mom said, gathering her things. “I’ve got some work to do, and it looks like you’ve got your snacks under control. Nice seeing you, JoJo!”

  As the two kids and BowBow were chomping away, the doorbell rang.

  “That must be Miley,” Jacob told JoJo. “I texted her while we were outside.”

  Miley, Jacob, and JoJo had been best friends for years. They’d met in the neighborhood when JoJo moved in, and they’d all quickly bonded. Then Kyra and Grace had moved in, and the terrific trio had become a fabulous fivesome.

  Miley burst into the house without waiting for someone to let her in. “Hello?” She popped into the kitchen, her big smile warming JoJo, who skipped across the remaining distance to give her friend a hug. Jacob waved, his mouth full of cookie.

  “Mmm, my favorite. How did you know?” Miley slid onto a barstool at the kitchen counter and grabbed a handful of cookies, then pulled out a glittery purple notebook. JoJo leaned over her shoulder as she opened it to a page that read, Spring Fund-raiser.

  “What are you guys doing for your fund-raiser this year?” JoJo asked Jacob and Miley.

  “That’s actually why I asked Miley over,” Jacob told JoJo. “We’re allowed to team up with partners this year, and Miley and I decided to work together.”

  “Amazing,” JoJo said. “You know I’m happy to help.”

  Every year, Jacob and Miley’s school organized a spring fund-raiser. It wasn’t mandatory, but the kids who wanted to participate could pitch an idea to the school principal for approval, and the proceeds of the individual fund-raisers went to the booster club. Lots of the older kids did car washes, and the younger kids usually did bake sales or lemonade stands with their parents’ help. The events all took place on the same day at people’s houses, in the school parking lot, or in the school gymnasium or cafeteria under the supervision of parents and teacher volunteers. JoJo always pitched in when her friends were involved, since she was homeschooled but liked to lend them a hand.

  “Your bake sale last year was killer, Jacob,” Miley told her friend. “Remember how fast you sold out of fudge pie?”

  “Yeah! That was so fun! I’m just not sure I want to do it again this year. I kind of want to mix it up,” Jacob said.

  “Really?” Miley raised an eyebrow. “Seems like baking would be appropriate. And it’s your favorite activity!”

  “What do you think they’re going to do with the money?” JoJo asked.

  “Mrs. Shannon is head of extracurricular activities, and she said it depends on how much we raise. That’s why I want to do something creative that will really make a profit.”

  “What are Grace and Kyra doing?” JoJo wanted to know.

  “Well, you know how Grace’s face painting was such a hit at the neighborhood block party?” JoJo nodded—Grace was a very talented artist! “She and Kyra decided to offer babysitting at the school gym for parents who want to explore the other fund-raisers at the school or in the community,” Miley continued. “And Grace is going to make face painting one of the activities.”

  “That’s so perfect,” JoJo replied. “And Kyra is great with little kids.”

  “She babysat Oscar last week,” Jacob piped up, spraying crumbs across the counter. “He loves her.”

  “Now, how can we come up with something creative a
nd fun like that?” Miley pulled her eyebrows together, looking puzzled. “Oh!” she squealed in surprise as BowBow’s moist nose touched her ankle under the barstool. “I didn’t see you there, BowBow.” She stooped down and scooped up the little dog, cuddling her close. “Mmm, BowBow, you smell good. And you’re a little bit damp. Did you just have a shampoo?”

  Jacob and JoJo exchanged a look, then burst out laughing.

  “We gave her one in the backyard,” JoJo said. “It was an emergency situation.”

  “Really? You did an awesome job,” Miley said. “If only you could give her a haircut too.”

  “No way,” Jacob said. “She’d probably come out looking like a mini Chewbacca!”

  “It would be fun to do a spa day with her, though,” JoJo mused aloud. “Once, I saw some nail polish and hair color for dogs at a pet store. I’ve been wanting to try them forever.”

  JoJo looked up to see Miley staring at her intently with a gleam in her eye. She knew that look! Miley’s eyes sparkled like that when she had a big idea …

  Then JoJo got it. “Miley, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” JoJo asked. Her best friend nodded and grinned.

  “What?” Jacob looked back and forth between the two of them. “What are you guys thinking?”

  “A dog wash!” JoJo cried just as Miley shouted, “A puppy spa!”

  “Yes, that,” they both said. “Jinx.” Then they giggled, and Miley let loose her signature snort, making them giggle even harder.

  “It’s perfect, Jacob,” JoJo said to her friend, when they had settled down. “Think how much fun we had today! All we have to do is offer to give baths to the neighborhood dogs! People can drop them off, and we’ll wash them up.”

  “And maybe give them a little extra sparkle,” Miley added.

  “And then they’ll pick them up at the end of the day. It won’t even be work, because we’ll have all the adorable pups to play with all day long! We can do it right here in your backyard—you already have some of the supplies. We can gather our allowance money for the rest, or ask our parents to pitch in. Maybe some local businesses will even donate.”

  “I know!” Miley looked up from her notebook, where she’d been scribbling notes. “When all the puppies are clean and sparkling, we can do a puppy pageant to show them off.”

  “And the pageant winner will get an amazing prize,” JoJo finished. “It’s perfect! Oh my gosh. It’s going to be the best day ever.”

  Miley giggled and rolled her eyes at JoJo. “You’re always saying that,” she told her.

  “Because it’s true!” JoJo protested. “They’re all the best day, until another, better day comes along. I can’t help it that there are so many incredible days. Jacob—what do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Jacob said, looking worried. “I’d have to ask my mom. She may not want all those dogs running around.”

  “Well, then,” JoJo said, “we have some convincing to do!” When JoJo and her friends had a great idea, they were unstoppable.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Looks like you’re doing some important work,” JoJo’s mom, Jessalyn, teased as JoJo bent over her phone, her thumbs moving furiously. Jess brought a bowl of strawberries and fresh whipped cream to the table, placing it next to JoJo’s bowl of oatmeal. It was ten the next morning, and preparations for the fund-raiser were well under way. Miley had texted that she and Jacob had gotten the principal’s stamp of approval and a hearty “Good luck!” in an email earlier that morning. “Is it your Instagram or YouTube?” Jess asked, digging into her own breakfast.

  “Neither, actually,” JoJo replied. “It’s for the fund-raiser at Jacob’s. I’m texting Grace about designing a flyer to promote our dog wash and pup pageant.”

  “Great idea,” Jess responded. “I’m proud of you for helping your friends.”

  Just then, JoJo’s phone pinged with an incoming text.

  <3 it!! Of course I’ll do the flyer. Coming atcha soon, said Grace.

  “This is going to be amazing!” JoJo exclaimed. “It’s all starting to come together.”

  “You and your friends make a great team,” Jess replied. “What’s on the schedule for today?”

  “We’re going to go to the pet shop downtown to see if they’ll donate any supplies,” JoJo told her mom. “Jacob’s mom offered to take us. I think she knows the owner. Then when Grace is done with the flyer, we’ll make copies and post them around the neighborhood. We’ll probably also make a few posters for Jacob’s street and driveway, to point people in the right direction on Saturday.”

  “That’s a lot for one day,” Jess said. “Are you sure you can handle it all?”

  “Well, today is already Wednesday, so we have to be on the ball! And it’s the last few days of spring break before Grace, Miley, Kyra, and Jacob go back to school—we want to hang out as much as possible before then. Grace and Kyra don’t need to do too much prep for their own project, since it’s mainly babysitting. They’re excited to help with Jacob and Miley’s plan.”

  “Perfect,” Jess said, taking one last bite of her strawberry-topped oatmeal. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

  “Love you, Mom,” JoJo said. She gave her mom a quick hug, then bent to give BowBow a kiss on the top of her scruffy head before hurrying out the door.

  No Bones About It was mostly empty when JoJo, Miley, and Jacob arrived. Kyra and Grace couldn’t join them until later on—they were busily working on Grace’s flyer as well as gathering supplies for fun activities they’d organized to keep toddlers entertained: crafts, finger paints, and games.

  “You know,” Jacob said, picking up a plush taco with a squeaker inside, “I asked around last night, and apparently the booster club might open a cooking lab with Mrs. Shannon’s help if we earn enough money from the fund-raiser this year.”

  “No way!” said JoJo. “Like a Top Chef kind of thing?”

  “Not that fancy,” Jacob said.

  “And not on TV!” said Miley.

  “But, yeah! We’d have cooking workshops and sometimes even guest teachers, like the chef from Fortune’s.” Fortune’s was a bakery in town. It was so popular that its signature dessert—the rocky road cannoli—sold out every day by noon.

  “Whoa! Jacob, being a pastry chef is your dream,” JoJo said. “How amazing to have a place to learn all about opening your own bakery and making your favorite treats.”

  Jacob nodded, looking shy. “I’m just really hoping it happens. It would be so cool to take classes with real chefs.”

  “We’ll definitely do our part to help,” JoJo assured him. “And come on. Who wouldn’t want us to give their dog a bath?” JoJo put a dog-size cowboy hat on her head and struck a pose.

  “Meanwhile,” Miley piped up, “how many of these things do we have to buy to keep all the pups happy on the big day?” She tossed a fuzzy blue hippo at JoJo, who caught it, laughing.

  “I think tennis balls will do the trick—and we have boatloads in our garage,” JoJo said.

  “Can I help you kids?” An employee approached them with an easy grin and a name tag that read Mandi.

  “Hi, Mandi,” said JoJo, sticking out her right hand. “I’m JoJo, and these are my friends, Miley and Jacob.”

  Mandi’s eyes widened. “JoJo … Siwa?” she asked. “My niece is a huge fan of yours!”

  “That’s great to hear!” said JoJo. “Please tell her hello for me. Or, even better, if you have a phone, I can do it myself!”

  A minute later, Mandi was back with her phone, and the two recorded a video for Mandi’s niece, Lila—that way she’d have it forever. “Thanks, JoJo,” she said when they were done. “You just won me the Aunt of the Year Award!”

  JoJo grinned. “Always happy to help.”

  “Now, what can I do for you three?” Mandi asked.

  “Well,” Jacob chimed in, “we’re organizing a fund-raiser for our middle school—we’re going to hold a dog wash in my backyard.”

  “And a pup pa
geant afterward,” Miley added. “We’re looking for any donations that might help.”

  “How fun!” Mandi exclaimed. “I’ll have to ask my boss. We’re usually happy to do this sort of thing in exchange for a shout-out. We love the extra advertising! But just between us, business has been a little tight this year. I’ll have to go check to make sure it’s okay.”

  A minute later, Mandi was back with a whole shopping cart full of goodies. There were bottles of dog shampoo and conditioner, lavender-scented fur oil, and even nontoxic “paw-lish” for dogs’ toenails!

  Miley looked at it in wonder. “We can have all of this, for free?”

  “Sure can,” said Mandi. “We’re happy to help. Turns out my manager’s daughter is also a huge fan of yours, JoJo! Just be sure to put in a good word for us with your customers!”

  “We will,” sang JoJo, grabbing the bags of loot. They all thanked Mandi and waved goodbye, piling back into Jacob’s mom’s SUV.

  “Wow,” said Jacob’s mom. “You guys got all of that with the ten dollars I donated to the cause?”

  “Nope,” Jacob told her, handing back her bill. “Turns out No Bones About It was willing to donate to our cause … and they’re huge fans of JoJo’s too.”

  “Oh, pshhh,” said JoJo, waving off the attention. “We’ll have to ask Grace to print on the flyer that No Bones About It donated all the yummy-smelling supplies!”

  Grace and Kyra were waiting on Jacob’s front porch when they pulled into his driveway. “Hey, guys!” Grace flipped her long red hair behind her shoulders and gave them a wave. Her friendly smile showed off the bright pink of her colorful braces.

  “I bet she’s already finished the flyer!” exclaimed Miley, scrambling out of the car just as soon as Jacob’s mom cut the engine.

  Sure enough, Grace drew a flyer from her backpack, and Kyra clapped excitedly. “She really outdid herself this time,” said Kyra, and JoJo smiled at Kyra’s praise. Kyra and Grace had had a rocky start when they first met, but now they were the best of friends.