happened to me in my whole entire life Okay fine Maybe not the greatest thing getting to meet the star of my favorite TV show was greater And being a big sister is sometimes greater And having parents who own a candy store is always really REALLY great But a library sleepover was one of the greatest things Anyway back to my conversation with Dad He was sitting on my bed with my baby brother Marco in his lap Marco likes to be bounced up and down so that’s what Dad was doing Marco giggled every time Bounce Bounce Bounce Giggle Giggle Giggle Yup I’ve got everything I need I said You like that Dad asked Marco And then he answered for him because Marco is too little to talk for himself Yes you do Yes 8
you do Dad are you listening to me I asked What Oh yes Stella I’m sorry Are you sorry you weren’t listening to me Penny asked Penny is my sister She’s five She used to be the baby in the family and sometimes she still wants to be You weren’t talking I reminded her I am now What do you want to tell me Dad asked her Um Penny said You didn’t even have anything to say I said I have lots of things to say Penny told me Like what Like it’s not fair that you get to have a sleepover at school 9
Yes it is I said You heard what Mr O’Neil said in assembly on Monday Mr O’Neil is the principal at our school Somers Elementary School I forget Penny said He said that Mr Ramos counted up all the books in the library that every class had checked out to read And Mrs Finkel’s class had checked out more books than anyone else had So we won the library sleepover and we get to go to school tonight and bring sleeping bags and have a campout in the library Mr Ramos is our school librarian in case you were wondering It’s not fair Penny said I didn’t even know there was a contest I would have checked out more books We didn’t know there was a contest either I said Mr O’Neil and Mr Ramos and 10
all the teachers kept it a secret from all the kids It’s cool to win a contest you know you entered But it’s even cooler to win a secret contest It’s still not fair Penny said with a pout I got my princess hand mirror from the top of my dresser and went to add it to the top of the pile of things I was bringing to school If you keep making that pouty face it’ll freeze that way I told Penny which was something my Grandma Dee once said to me No it won’t Penny said still pouting Let me see She grabbed the mirror from me and I grabbed back It’s mine I said tugging harder I’m packing it Girls Dad said The mirror slipped through both of our 11
