The Substitutes by Kathryn Lay illustrated by Marcos Calo
Chapter 1 Questions Josh reached down to pick up his twin sister’s math book When he straightened he was staring into the face of another new substitute Uh sorry Jenny dropped her book on your foot Josh said The substitute stared at him with her bright green eyes She gave him a smile that sent a chill down his spine When she smiled the lobster tattoo on her cheek wrinkled Why did your sister drop her book the red-haired woman asked Josh backed away It was an accident 4
Accident the substitute asked Josh stared at her She acted as if the word were new Suddenly he was yanked backward by his shirt Let’s get to class his sister whispered They walked around the substitute When Josh looked back she was still standing in the same spot talking into a cell phone on her wrist What is going on with these new substitutes Josh asked There are new ones every day Josh and Jenny raced down the quiet halls past rows of lockers It was only the second week of fifth grade and they had already been late three times Jenny looked back at him They’re just spooky And weird Three classroom doors opened at the same time Three substitutes walked out and stared at Josh and Jenny Each had red hair and bright green eyes And each wore gray pants with a blue shirt 5
