Brandywine Mayhew Kaye who was absolutely not a princess Once Miranda had a friend and learned she needed glasses she began to enjoy school Things she once hated like music class which was very loud lunch which was very smelly and PE which was a little bit dangerous dangerous were now practically okay because everything everything was better when you had a friend to agree with you about how loud smelly and dangerous things were But right now Miranda’s classroom was not loud or smelly or dangerous 3B was quiet because she was the only student there and it smelled like lavender because that was what Miranda’s beloved teacher Miss Kinde smelled like Miss Kinde was just like her name Kind Wonderful Amazing She was always interested in what Miranda had to say and best of all even though she often reminded Miranda and Maude to stop talking to each other she never switched their seats The only bad thing about Miss Kinde’s class Miranda thought that early Monday morning isn’t about Miss Kinde at all It was about a test 2
A famously awful test called the Mandatory National Reading and Writing and Math Exam which every student had to take at the end of the school year Since the beginning of the year which wasn’t that long ago Miss Kinde had given 3B many many practice exams Because Miranda had never taken the exam before and since Principal Fish thought it was extremely 3
important she often had to spend her extra extra help time taking practice tests I’m sorry to give you another exam Miss Kinde said sadly handing Miranda a thick booklet It’s not your fault Miranda said unhappily Not only were the practice exams long they were also confusing and boring The exams caused fear and misery in both students and teachers alike They took up time from the things the students students and teachers really wanted to do Sighing Miranda looked at the clock grabbed a pencil from Maude’s desk and waited for Miss Kinde to tell her to begin But before Miss Kinde could say begin Maude Brandywine Mayhew Kaye roller-skated into the classroom yelling HELP 4
2 MAUDE BRANDYWINE MAYHEW KAYE TRULY NEEDS HELP Miss Kinde and Miranda stood up Did Maude need help stopping But Maude came to an easy stop plunked down on Miranda’s desk and took off her skates
