Karen's Christmas Carol

  The author gratefully acknowledges

  Stephanie Calmenson

  for her help

  with this book.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1 Together Again

  2 Happy Where I Am

  3 Mommy’s News

  4 Big Sister

  5 Something Exciting

  6 Something Surprising

  7 Questions and Answers

  8 The Audition

  9 Good Grief!

  10 Coach Karen

  11 Fired!

  12 A Mystery Gift

  13 Who Cares?

  14 Bah! Humbug!

  15 You Are Not Invited

  16 Holiday Spirit

  17 Candy, Anyone?

  18 Time Is Running Out

  19 Bravo, Andrew!

  20 A Christmas Carol

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  Together Again

  “One flake, two flakes, three flakes, four! Five flakes, six flakes, seven flakes, more!”

  Maybe you think I was counting cereal flakes. I was not. It was a December morning and I was counting snowflakes. They were falling outside my little house. (I have two houses — a big house and a little house. I will tell you more about them later.)

  The snow was white and sparkly. It fell quietly. But it was too quiet for me. I wished someone would wake up and keep me company. But it was early Sunday morning. Mommy, Seth (my stepfather), and Andrew (my little brother, who is four going on five) were still sleeping.

  But I was wide awake. I am Karen Brewer. I am seven years old. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and some freckles. I wear glasses. I have a blue pair for reading and a pink pair for the rest of the time. Except when I am sleeping.

  Why was everyone at the little house sleeping so late? At the big house, someone is usually awake when I get up. That is because so many people live there.

  I missed the big house. I had lived there since last spring. There was almost always something going on. Even early in the morning.

  I closed my eyes and wished that Andrew would wake up and come downstairs. I wished very hard.

  Guess what! When I opened my eyes, Andrew was standing in front of me. I jumped when I saw him. He had tiptoed into the room so quietly, I had not heard him.

  “I did not want to wake you up,” said Andrew.

  “I was not sleeping,” I replied. “I was wishing you would wake up and come downstairs.”

  “And I did!” said Andrew. “I am glad you are here. I woke up sad.”

  “What is wrong?” I put my arm around my little brother.

  “I miss Chicago,” Andrew replied.

  Andrew lived in Chicago with Mommy and Seth for almost eight months. Seth had to move there for a very good job. (He is a carpenter.)

  “I am sorry you miss Chicago. I think I know how you feel. I miss the big house,” I said.

  “What do you miss the most?” asked Andrew.

  I had to think for a minute.

  “I miss all the people and all the pets,” I replied. “But especially Pumpkin, because she is such a funny kitten. And Boo-Boo, because I will never see him again.”

  Pumpkin was our newest pet. Boo-Boo was Daddy’s cat, who died. I did not always like him so much. But Boo-Boo and I became good friends while I was living at the big house.

  “What do you miss about Chicago?” I asked.

  “I miss my friends at school. And my room,” said Andrew.

  We sat together and watched the snow come down.

  “One thing I do not miss is missing you,” I said.

  “What?” said Andrew.

  “I missed you when you were in Chicago.”

  “I missed you too,” said Andrew.

  “It is good we are here together,” I said.

  “Yup. You know what? I am hungry.”

  “Me too,” I replied. “We are not allowed to cook without Mommy and Seth. But we are allowed to have cereal. Want some?”

  “Yup!” said Andrew.

  We raced to the kitchen. Soon my little brother and I were eating — and counting — Krispy Krunchy flakes.

  I was so glad that Andrew was home again.

  Happy Where I Am

  It is easy to miss one place when you are someplace else. Now that I am at the little house, I miss the big house. But when I am at the big house, sometimes I miss the little house.

  But wait. I was going to tell you why I have two houses. Here is the story.

  A long time ago, when I was little, I lived in one house. That was the big house, here in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. I lived there with Mommy, Daddy, and Andrew.

  Then Mommy and Daddy started arguing a lot. They tried hard to work things out. But they just could not do it. So they got a divorce.

  Mommy and Daddy told Andrew and me that they were divorcing each other, not us. They told us they loved each of us very much and always will. It is true.

  After the divorce, Mommy moved with Andrew and me to the little house, not too far away. Then she met Seth. She and Seth got married, which is how Seth became my stepfather. So in my little-house family are Mommy, Seth, Andrew, me, Rocky (Seth’s cat), Midgie (Seth’s dog), Emily Junior (my pet rat), and Bob (Andrew’s hermit crab).

  Daddy stayed in the big house after the divorce. (It is the house he grew up in.) He met a nice woman named Elizabeth and they got married. Elizabeth was married once before. She has four children, who are now my stepsister and stepbrothers. They are David Michael, who is seven, like me; Kristy, who is thirteen and the best stepsister ever; and Sam and Charlie, who are old enough to be in high school.

  My other sister is Emily Michelle. She is two and a half. Daddy and Elizabeth adopted Emily from a faraway country called Vietnam. (I love her a lot. That is why I named my rat after her.)

  Another person I love a lot is Nannie. Nannie is Elizabeth’s mother, which makes her my stepgrandmother. She came to live at the big house to help take care of Emily. But really she takes care of everyone. She also has a candy-making business. She makes her candy right in the big house. Sometimes I get to help and taste. Yum!

  The pets at the big house are Shannon, David Michael’s big Bernese mountain dog puppy; Scout, our training-to-be-a-guide-dog puppy; Pumpkin, the new kitten; Crystal Light the Second, my goldfish; and Goldfishie, Andrew’s gorilla. (Just kidding!)

  Before Andrew moved to Chicago, we switched houses almost every month. (I moved to Chicago too, but did not stay.) Now that Andrew is back, we will switch houses again — one month at the big house, one month at the little house.

  I gave Andrew and me special names because we have two of so many things. I call us Andrew Two-Two and Karen Two-Two. (I thought up those names after my teacher, Ms. Colman, read a book to our class. It was called Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.)

  Andrew and I have two families with two mommies and two daddies. We have two sets of toys and clothes and books. And we each have two bicycles. (I am the one who taught Andrew how to ride a two-wheeler!)

  I also have two best friends, Hannie Papadakis and Nancy Dawes. (We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.) Hannie lives across the street and one house over from the big house. Nancy lives next door to the little house.

  So no matter which house I am living in, I have all that I need. (Unless I leave something special behind.) I can be happy where I am. Happy is a good thing to be!

  Mommy’s News

  Mommy and Seth finally came downstairs.

  “Good morning!” I said. “Would you like us to make you breakfast? How about some Krispy Krunchies?”

  I picked up the box and shook it. Oops. It was almost empty. That is because
Andrew and I had each eaten three bowls of cereal.

  “That is all right,” said Seth. “We will have toast and jam.”

  “Will you keep us company?” asked Mommy. “There is something I would like to talk to you about.”

  “Is it something good?” I asked.

  “It is something good for Mommy,” Seth replied.

  Seth made coffee. Mommy made toast. Then we all sat down to talk.

  “A very good job has come up and I have decided to take it,” said Mommy.

  Andrew’s eyes grew wide with worry.

  “Are we moving again?” he asked.

  “No, we are not moving,” said Mommy. “The job is right here in Stoneybrook.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You know that while I was in Chicago, I learned to make jewelry. Now I have been offered a job making jewelry at the Stoneybrook Crafts Center.”

  Hmm. I felt confused. I knew I was supposed to be happy for Mommy. But I was scared. I guess Andrew was too. He asked the question I was thinking of myself.

  “Who will take care of us?” said Andrew.

  “You do not have to worry,” said Mommy. “I will not start working until I find someone very nice to be with you when I am at work.”

  “I do not want someone nice. I want you!” said Andrew. He started to cry.

  “You do not have to be afraid,” said Seth. “By the time the job starts, you will know your nanny very well.”

  “That is right. We will not leave you with a stranger,” said Mommy.

  Boo. I had just gotten over missing Mommy and now she was talking about leaving again. She was not going very far. She was only going to be downtown. Still, things would not be the same.

  We talked some more. Andrew wanted to know why Mommy needed to take a job.

  “You have a job,” he said. “You are Mommy.”

  “Of course. And that will always be my favorite job of all,” Mommy replied. “But now that you are going to school, you need me less. And we could use the extra money.”

  “Speaking of making money, I have to get to my shop,” said Seth. “I have a rush order waiting. I promised to work on the weekend to have it ready tomorrow.”

  Our talk was over. Seth left for work. Mommy and I cleaned up the kitchen. And Andrew disappeared into the den.

  Big Sister

  After I finished helping in the kitchen, I went to the den. Poor Andrew. He was sitting in front of the TV watching a Road Runner cartoon. But he was not laughing. He looked unhappy.

  It was time for action. The situation called for help from his big sister, Karen Brewer.

  “What are you watching?” I asked.

  “TV,” said Andrew.

  “I can see that. What is Road Runner up to?”

  “Don’t know,” Andrew replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

  “Well, if you are not really watching, do you want to play a game with me?”

  Andrew shrugged.

  “Come on,” I said. “We can play something fun.”

  “No.” Andrew made a grumpy face.

  This was not working. I needed a plan. I thought and thought. Then I got an idea. I found a calendar in the kitchen. Then I ran back to the den. I stood between Andrew and the TV.

  “One, two, three,” I said. “Three weeks till Christmas!”

  That got Andrew’s attention.

  “We have to start getting ready.”

  “What will we do?” asked Andrew.

  “Lots of things. Come on, we will make a list.”

  I found a pencil and some paper in a drawer.

  “First we will decorate the house,” I said.

  I wrote Decorate house at the top of the paper. (It is a good thing I am an excellent speller.)

  “What else?” asked Andrew.

  “We need Christmas cards.”

  “Then we will need stamps,” said Andrew. “I know all about mailing letters. A letter carrier came and talked to my class at school!”

  I added Stamps to our list.

  “We need presents!” said Andrew.

  “We sure do!” I wrote PRESENTS in capital letters.

  “And we will have to wrap the presents. So we will need wrapping paper. Maybe we can make some,” I said.

  Andrew was starting to perk up.

  Ring! Ring!

  Mommy answered the phone.

  “Karen, it is for you. It is Nancy,” she said.

  I picked up the phone.

  “Hi, Nancy!” I said.

  Nancy invited me to come to her house. She said Hannie would be there too.

  I looked at Andrew. If I left him alone, he might get sad again. I knew what I had to do.

  I do not usually invite my little brother to play with my friends and me. But this was a special occasion.

  “Can Andrew come too?” I asked.

  Nancy said yes. She did not seem to mind one bit.

  “Come on, we have to get dressed,” I said when I hung up the phone. (Andrew and I were still in our pajamas.) “We are going to play with Hannie and Nancy today. Maybe we still start making wrapping paper later.”

  Andrew jumped up and raced to his room. He was smiling. I was being a good big sister.

  While I got dressed I thought about Christmas presents. I wanted to get a really special one for Andrew. I had three whole weeks to decide what it should be.

  Something Exciting

  On Monday something exciting happened at school. My teacher, Ms. Colman, said she had an Important Announcement to make. Ms. Colman is my favorite teacher, and Important Announcements are my favorite kind!

  I turned to Hannie and Nancy and gave them the thumbs-up sign. Hannie and Nancy sit at the back of the room. I used to sit in the back with them, until I got my glasses. Then Ms. Colman moved me to the front so I could see better. (By the way, Ms. Colman is a glasses-wearer too.)

  Now I sit between two other glasses-wearers. They are Ricky Torres, who is my pretend husband (we got married on the playground at recess one day), and Natalie Springer, who is always bending down to pull up her socks, which are very droopy.

  I sat up tall to listen to Ms. Colman’s announcement.

  “I just found out that the Stoneybrook Community Center is putting on a play called A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens,” said Ms. Colman. “They have found all the grown-ups for the play, and now they are looking for some children. If you would like to try out for a part in the play, please raise your hand.”

  My hand shot up first. I looked around the room. Hmm. Just about everybody wanted a chance to try out.

  Addie Sidney was waving one hand and tapping on her wheelchair tray with the other. I could see she was as excited about the play as I was.

  Hannie and Nancy had raised their hands. (I knew Nancy would want to be in the play. She wants to be an actress when she grows up.)

  Pamela Harding, my best enemy, had raised her hand. So had her best friends, Jannie Gilbert and Leslie Morris.

  Ricky’s hand was up. Bobby Gianelli, Hank Reubens, and Omar Harris had put their hands up too.

  Terri Barkan had put her hand up. But her twin sister, Tammy, had not. Natalie and Audrey Green had not put their hands up either.

  I wondered how many children’s parts there were in the play. I asked Ms. Colman.

  “I do not know the exact number, Karen,” Ms. Colman replied. “I know there are a few speaking parts for children, and they will also need several children to be Christmas carolers. That means that many of you should get to be in it.”

  Hmm. Many of us did not mean all of us. But I was not worried. After all, I was an experienced actress. For instance, I had been filmed with Hannie and Nancy sledding down a snowy hill for a movie called I’ll Be Home for Christmas. I did not get to speak in the movie. But I am a very good speaker. Ms. Colman knows that. Sometimes she has to ask me to use my indoor voice because I am so loud. My outdoor voice would be perfect for a play.

  “Auditions will be held
this Friday afternoon,” said Ms. Colman. “Whoever is chosen to be in the play will need to go to rehearsal after school every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next two weeks. I will hand out permission slips for your parents to sign.”

  I took a permission slip on my way out. I could already see myself taking bows.

  Something Surprising

  I did not go straight home after school. I went to Nancy’s house instead. Andrew was at a friend’s house too. That is because Mommy had an appointment at the Stoneybrook Crafts Center.

  When we were all together at dinner, Mommy told us about her day.

  “I think my job is going to be a lot of fun. I might even get to teach a jewelry-making class,” she said.

  I could see Andrew frowning. He looked unhappy every time Mommy talked about her new job. Mommy noticed too.

  “You do not have to be sad, Andrew,” said Mommy. “It will work out fine. I promise. Now, will you tell us about your day?”

  Andrew shook his head.

  “Karen, how about you? How was your day?” asked Seth.

  “It was excellent,” I replied. “The community center is putting on A Christmas Carol. They need kids to be in it. I am going to audition!”

  Suddenly Andrew spoke up.

  “We do dishen at school,” he said. “One and one is two!”

  At first I did not know what Andrew was talking about. Then I figured it out.

  “I did not say addition, Andrew. I said audition. That means to try out. I am going to try out to be in the play.”

  “Oh. Can I be in the play too?” he asked.

  I looked at Andrew. Sometimes he surprised me. I did not think my little brother would want to be in a play. Especially if it meant being away from Mommy.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “There will be lots of big kids and grown-ups in the play. And you will have to go to rehearsals.”

  “That is okay,” replied Andrew.

  “Really? That would be great!” I said.

  “Wait just a minute, please,” said Seth. “Before either of you decides to try out, we need to know more about the play. First of all, when will the rehearsals be held?”

  “We will have to go three afternoons a week,” I replied.