Chapter 1 After school Jasper John Dooley and his friend Ori rode their bikes to the library with Jasper’s mom Mom needed to pick up something from the store I’ll be back in ten minutes she said Stay in the children’s area okay Okay Jasper and Ori raced each other up the steps They got to the top at the same time and found a sign taped to the door
Under the words was a picture of a very grumpy dog Ori said I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog frown before What day is it Jasper asked Monday Ori said What time They burst into the library and looked around for the clock It was high on the wall above the desk where the librarian sat like a hen on a nest Jasper didn’t like time with hands He liked time with just numbers Is it three thirty he asked the librarian She looked at the clock It’s a little past four She
smiled at Jasper and Ori and pointed to the long long line behind them It snaked from the children’s area almost to the computers So so so many kids wanted to read to Molly the Dog Are we too late Ori asked Everybody reads for five minutes the librarian told them Unless some readers get tired of waiting you’ll have a better chance on Wednesday So some kids might get tired of waiting Jasper asked I suppose they might the librarian said Let’s get in line Jasper told Ori First they needed to see Molly the Dog up close They peeked around the shelves into the children’s area Zoë from their class was sitting in the big comfy chair with the flower splotches There was a pile of hair beside her Is that Molly Ori asked The two of them crept closer to get a better look When they were almost beside Zoë Jasper recognized the book in her hands It was the ballerina book Ms Tosh had started reading aloud at school the one about Cheeky the Squirrel
