But then out of nowhere, Henry started tap-dancing. I swear. Tap-dancing. Like with an imaginary cane and hat. Emily and I just stared at each other. That boy can’t be serious for a second. And then Henry was all “Ladies! Let’s put aside our petty differences. We’ve got to save our teacher from the witch hunt.” Which he tried to say with an English accent.
But he had a point. I’ve seen my parents do this kind of thing before, and there’s one thing I know for sure. This is not going to end well for you, Ms. Graham. Henry can tap-dance all he wants, but I don’t think there’s anything we kids can do to help you.
Henry said I should tell my parents how great you really are. But here’s the thing. In my family, it doesn’t matter what I want. It only matters what my parents want because they’ll push and push until it happens. It’s just like the river by our vacation house. From the shore it looks all gentle, like the water’s hardly moving, but once I’m in, I can’t swim against it no matter how hard I try. The current keeps pushing me forward. That’s the way it is with my parents. It’s easier to go along with the flow than it is to fight against it. Sometimes I try to convince myself that I agree, just so I won’t have to disagree. There’s no point in swimming against the current. I won’t get anywhere. It’s better to just hang on for the ride.
KAI
To the Frog,
My dad went to that big meeting at the Barrettes’ last night. He left our house “pumped up” but came back dragging. He said the parents are on a witch hunt and that he tried to be a “voice of reason.” He told them that it was our idea, not Ms. Graham’s, and that we need to take responsibility for our choices…but nobody listened to him, even though he’s a professor and knows what he’s talking about. What if they fire Ms. Graham over this? And Cecilia has disappeared. Completely.
I wish we’d never tried to go to the shelter. It was a huge mistake. I’m so mad at Sharon, I can hardly look at her. She always thinks she knows everything, but clearly she doesn’t.
At lunch she tried to tell me about a new idea she has to fix things. I backed away from her and yelled, “I’m done! I don’t want any more of your ideas.”
I hurt her feelings. Bad. Her face crumpled, and then I wished I hadn’t said all that. Because of course it’s my fault too.
BLAKE
EMILY
Status:
Dear Hope,
I can’t believe it.
I feel like the school walls have crumbled in around me.
Looking around the room, I think my whole table group is feeling the same way. All the other students hate us too. They know it was us that screwed up, not Ms. Graham.
No matter who we tell, the grown-ups won’t listen to us. Sharon, Kai, and I went to Principal Severns, but she told us this was something the “adults would handle.” OMG! I’m about to rip my hair out. And Cecilia hasn’t come back to school yet…where is she?
There’s an old picture book called Harold and the Purple Crayon. The kid walks around all over the place, drawing things. It’s like he’s making up his own story as he goes. If he’s falling, he draws a parachute. If he hits an obstacle, he draws an escape route. Too bad life’s not really like that. Because right now, I need a purple crayon.
Feeling FRUSTRATED,
Emily
BLAKE
KAYLEY
Dear Ms. Graham,
My mother says you’re in “Hot Water.” She says you’re on administrative leave and that’s why you haven’t been back in school. We’ve got a sub, Ms. Millbrook. She wears these big flowery dresses that hide her feet so she looks like she’s gliding along the floor, like a giant float in a parade or something. She hands out worksheets all day so she can just sit there and play on her phone.
And she’s totally freaked out by Kermit. We’ve had to explain to her like a thousand times that we’re allowed to take Kermit out of his tank. It’s like she thinks it’s her classroom or something.
My mother keeps talking on the phone and forgetting I can hear. This is the first time she’s gotten a teacher placed on Administrative Leave. She’s Excited about it, I think. Usually when she’s Excited, it sort of trickles down to me and I get Excited too. This time I feel sad and angry.
I’m not alone, though. Everyone is upset. Most kids are mad at Emily’s group. They totally screwed everything up. They’re the ones who should be placed on Administrative Leave. Nobody’s even doing their class jobs anymore, but if they were, I’d vote to kick them off class council.
AVIVA
Date: December 18
Not only am I losing my teacher, but Ms. Millbrook is a complete imbecile with a frog phobia…and Cecilia hasn’t been back to school. Ms. Graham always said “anyone can make a difference,” but guess what? I think she’s wrong. There is NOTHING I can do right now that will help this situation.
I asked Ms. Millbrook if I could take Kermit home for winter break. She got this surprised look on her face, like she hadn’t even thought about Kermit. I bet if I hadn’t suggested it, she’d have left Kermit alone in his tank for two whole weeks, and we’d come back to find him starved to death. Yikes.
The first night of Hanukkah is tomorrow, but the world feels too dark for my candles to make much of a difference. Although maybe we could all use a miracle.
KAI
To the freaking Frog,
Everyone’s in pieces about Ms. Graham.
Me too.
But at least we know where Ms. Graham is. She’s at home.
WHERE is Cecilia? Where is she? Why is no one out searching for her? I tried to ask Ms. Tildy in the front office, but she wouldn’t tell me anything. She just said she couldn’t share any information about another student due to confidentiality. I wanted to shake her and say, “Yeah, but where is she?”
I feel like I’m trying to yell but no one can hear me. HELLO? A student is MISSING! That sticky note from Ms. Graham is still stuck to her desk, taunting me with “Missed you today.” I got so mad I wrote underneath, “WHERE ARE YOU?”
Real life is too hard.
We’re about to start winter break, it’s almost Christmas, and I’m not even excited. I still don’t feel like reading. Jeeez. This has been the WORST month of my entire life.
CECILIA
Hola Abuelita,
At night, when I miss you the most, that’s when my worries come. And nightmares of being separated from Mami leave me tossing and turning.
But thank you, Abuelita, for your kind words to Mami. I could tell it made her feel better to hear “No hay mal que por bien no venga.” I doubt anything good could possibly come from this, but I’ll try to be patient.
Thank you for talking to Mami about moving on, and getting me back into soccer. I really miss it. There isn’t a lunchtime game at my new school. I like your idea of finding a different after-school team, something near our new apartment. At least that would give me something to look forward to.
Feliz Navidad, Abuelita. Hopefully, things will be better in the New Year.
WORDS TO PRACTICE
nightmares = pesadillas
Besos y abrazos,
Cecilia
BLAKE
SHARON
Christmas dinner stuck in my throat
Like the ham
Had turned to glue.
Mom set down her fork and tried to reassure me.
Like words could somehow
Fix this.
Like she could somehow
Smooth my worries away
With “You’ve learned your lesson,”
“The worst is over,”
And “At least you’re all safe.”
“You’re wrong!”
My words tumbled out hot and heavy.
“The worst is NOW
!
Ms. Graham is in huge trouble,
Cecilia is missing,
I finally had some good friends,
And now I’ve RUINED it!” I told her.
“Have you?” she asked.
“If there’s one thing I know about you,” she said,
“It’s that you go to bat
For what you believe in.
The question is,
Are these friendships
And your teacher’s job
Worth fighting for?”
EMILY
Status:
Dear Hope,
Mom and I took a “girls’ trip” up to Northern California over winter break. (Dad’s traveling.) During all that drive time, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ms. Graham. The next school board meeting is February 5th, four weeks away. We can’t just sit here and do nothing! We’ve got to explain, we’ve got to do something to make people listen to us.
But this problem is a BIG problem, a grown-up problem. Is there anything WE can do about it? Out of the blue, an idea struck. We need to see Ms. Graham! She’ll know how we can save her job. But I don’t know where she lives, and it’s not like I can ask her.
Tomorrow’s the first day back at school. Maybe I’ll ask Sharon and Kai to help. I guess I could ask Aviva. She put a note in my box before winter break. So…maybe?
We all got her into this mess.
We need to get her out.
Love and luck,
Emily
AVIVA
Date: January 8
First day back. I have two words: boring and sad. Even Kermit looks depressed. I suffered through the day, but after school Emily pulled me aside and shared her idea.
Then all of a sudden, I smelled Kayley’s strawberry shampoo from behind me, and she kept saying, “What? What?” and before I knew it I was explaining to Kayley even though Emily kept elbowing me, and then it was like “oops,” maybe I wasn’t supposed to say that.
Only, then Kayley surprised both of us. “I’ll help,” she said. “I’m in. A hundred percent.”
KAYLEY
Dear Ms. Graham,
We’re going to get your job back. I could tell Emily didn’t really want my help at first, but she’s not in charge of the world, is she?
Plus I’ve decided the Social-Issues Project is officially back on! Our topic is still Access to Education, but I say we focus on our OWN education. If we want to learn anything this year, we’ve got to get you back to teach us.
PS Most of us are still writing in our journals every day…even though you’re not here to make us. I don’t know about everyone else, but writing helps me think.
SHARON
Today I found Cecilia’s friends
On the far end of the playground.
“Where is Cecilia?” I asked.
One girl crossed her arms.
“They moved.”
I froze. “They moved? With no warning?”
The girl looked at me like I’m stupid. “Yes.
Your little field trip
Could have gotten her family
In a whole lot of trouble.”
I must have seemed
As confused as I felt
Because then she said,
“You don’t get it.”
It took me about an hour
But then it hit me
Like a fist in the face,
And I understood.
No wonder Cecilia cried a river
All over the backseat of that police car.
After school, I found Kai by the bike rack,
To tell him Cecilia had moved.
And I explained
Why.
He just stood
And scuffed his feet.
I was all, “Listen.
I messed up.
You messed up.
We messed up.
“We’ve got two choices.
Do nothing. Or try to help.
We may not be able to fix
Things for Cecilia.
Or for Ms. Graham.
But we owe it to them to try.
Both Emily and I
Have ideas.
You in?”
HENRY
SCENE: Far end of the field at recess, kids clustering together.
EMILY: What we’re planning to do is against the rules. You could get in trouble. We all could. I want to make sure everyone here is making this decision on their own.
SHARON: Emily’s right. No one should feel pressured. Only do this if YOU think it’s the right thing to do.
KAYLEY: We’re in! Come on, we’ve all been listening to Ms. Graham all year. All her “You get to choose the kind of person you want to be” and “You can make a difference.” Let’s get this started!
BLAKE: Maybe we’re all one team now. It’s like our two table groups merged.
KAI: Minus Cecilia.
KIDS: (quiet, thinking about Cecilia)
BLAKE: Right. Minus Cecilia. But like Henry said, maybe we have to stop competing and just work together.
AVIVA: Except for the Egg-Off, I don’t think it was ever supposed to be a competition. Maybe we just made it one.
EMILY: Well, if we made it that way, then we can unmake it. The first step is we’ve got to find Ms. Graham’s address.
SHARON: And we know Cecilia moved. But maybe if we go to her old place, they’ll know where she is. So…we’ll search for her address too.
HENRY: I hereby dub this adventure Operation Frog Effect. Or OFE for short.
BELL: Riiiiiiiing!
KAI
Hey there, Frog,
At first, I didn’t want to talk to Sharon or go to the recess meeting. I wanted to stay sucked into my books and forget about the real world. Today my team stole the Beyonders and Fablehaven books I had in my backpack and said they’d hold them hostage unless I came to the meeting.
Yes, I’m reading again. Halfway through winter break when I was about to DIE from boredom, I picked up some old favorites, the ones with missing pages and torn covers. The stories pulled me in, and I lay in my bed reading for days. I just wandered around in a book coma and didn’t think about anything real. Mom and Dad gave me a talk about how “we learn from our mistakes,” and while they “never ever ever want to get a call like that again,” all I can do is “learn and move on.”
I’ve got the book Wonder on my brain again, and it makes me want to get off my butt and be the kind of person that does something. Maybe that’s what Ms. Graham meant when she said we get to choose the kind of person we want to be.
We tried to look for Ms. Graham’s address with an internet search, but it came up with way too many names. We decided the next step would be to try to find her address written down somewhere—in her desk or maybe in the front office. I looked up Cecilia’s address on the internet too, but I realized I don’t know her parents’ first names. Jeeez!
Kayley’s all about the drama, running around calling this Operation Frog Effect. She even told me she wore black today so she can sneak around without anyone seeing her. Uh, Kayley? This is not a spy mission—we’re just doing what’s right. Plus it’s broad daylight. Get a grip.
SHARON
Here I am again,
Creeping like a criminal
Trying to right a wrong.
Hoping that having my heart in the right place
Will somehow make a difference.
Hiding in the classroom coat closet
Waiting for just the right moment…
When everyone is gone.
Tiptoeing up to the teacher’s desk,
Ruffling through stacks of paper,
And sliding open drawers.
&nbs
p; But…I cannot find a home address
Anywhere.
Next step…the front office.
But how will we search
Without getting caught?
I’m so glad the sneaking around
Is Emily’s idea this time.
Plus we’re a team again.
And that feels good.
We can’t fix everything, of course.
But we can sure try.
HENRY
SCENE: Aviva, Emily, and Henry have entered front office. Henry is not sure if he feels like a superhero or a criminal.
EMILY: (to Ms. Tildy, weakly) I think I might puke.
MS. TILDY: How about you sit here in the nurse’s office for a while? If you don’t feel better by the time lunch is over, we’ll call someone to pick you up. (opens the drawer with the emergency contact form and pulls Emily’s contact info) Aviva, and Henry, thank you for bringing her.
(Sharon and Blake push through the front office door. Sharon has an envelope in her hand.)
SHARON: Ms. Tildy? We all signed a card for Ms. Graham.
MS. TILDY: (glances back toward the hallway where Principal Severns’s office is located, then turns back with a softer voice) Would you like me to send it to her?
SHARON: Could you?
MS. TILDY: Yes. I’ll make sure she gets it.
BLAKE: Thanks, Ms. Tildy!
(Sharon and Blake leave office. Ms. Tildy types, scrolls, and begins addressing envelope.)
KAI: (walks into office and discreetly scoops a small frog out of his sweatshirt pocket and onto the office counter) Ms. Tildy. I forgot my lunch. Can I call my mom?
(Kermit hops across desk counter.)
MS. TILDY: (leaps up) EEEK! A frog!
KAI: I’ll get it! Do you have a bucket? I can trap it.
(Ms. Tildy runs to get a bucket. Henry stands up and scoots over to the open document on the computer. Takes photos of the address, then slips the phone back into his pocket. Emily flips through emergency contact forms and removes Cecilia’s. Henry steps back and takes a photo of this form, then Emily slips it back in.)
Operation Frog Effect Page 11