The author gratefully acknowledges
Stephanie Calmenson
for her help
with this book.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
1 Switching Houses
2 An Excellent Two-Two
3 How Are You Feeling Today?
4 Talking to Grandad
5 Good Books
6 In the Middle of the Night
7 Waiting Up
8 Two Good Ideas
9 Visiting Grandad
10 Sad News
11 Saying Good-bye
12 A Friend for Hootie
13 A Surprising Announcement
14 Babies!
15 Talking to Granny
16 The Lottery
17 Granny’s News
18 Karen’s Gift
19 The Airport
20 New Homes
About the Author
Also Available
Copyright
Switching Houses
I woke up on Thursday morning feeling very cozy. I was in my warm bed, wearing my pink flannel pajamas. But it was time to get up. I could not stay in bed one more minute.
“Today is an important day,” I said to Moosie, my stuffed cat.
It was the first day of February. I was waking up at my big house. I had been living at the big house for two months. I would be going to sleep at my little house. I would live there for one month. I will tell you later why I have two houses. But first I will tell you who I am.
My name is Karen Brewer. I am seven years old. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bunch of freckles. I wear glasses. I have two pairs. I wear my blue pair for reading. I wear my pink pair the rest of the time. When I switch houses I have to be very sure I do not forget either pair.
Switching houses is the reason I had to get up right away. I had a lot of good-byes to say. I also had to pack a few things to take to the little house with me.
So why was I still in bed? Because it was warm and cozy.
“Okay, Moosie. I am going to count down from three. Then I will get up,” I said. “Three … two … one … up!”
I jumped out of bed and got dressed. I put on the red sweater and matching socks Mommy had given me for Christmas. I put on navy blue leggings. Then I hurried downstairs for breakfast. My whole big-house family was there.
Andrew was there, too. Andrew is my little brother. He is four going on five. Andrew and I switch houses together.
Andrew looked the way I felt. Kind of sad. I always feel a little sad when I leave one house to go to the other. I have been through this lots of times. So I knew just how it worked.
Before I left for school, I said good-bye to everyone. The people who live at the big house are Daddy, Elizabeth, Nannie, Kristy, David Michael, Emily Michelle, Sam, and Charlie. (I will tell you more about them later.) This is how I did it.
When I finished breakfast, I hugged each person. When my jacket was on and I was walking out the door, I waved. When I was walking down the street to the school bus stop, I called, “Good-bye, everyone! I will be back in a month. Good-bye!”
The next thing I did was say hi to Hannie. Hannie Papadakis is one of my two best friends. She was waiting at the bus stop when I got there.
“Hi, Karen. I just remembered you are switching houses today. I will miss riding to school with you,” said Hannie.
“I will miss that, too,” I replied.
There it was again. Being sad and being happy. I was sad I would not be riding the big-house school bus with Hannie. But I would be happy when I rode the little-house school bus with Nancy. (Nancy Dawes is my other best friend.)
I was also going to be gigundoly happy when I saw my granny and grandad. They usually live in Nebraska. But they had been staying at the little house since November. It was kind of a winter vacation.
We had almost reached school. The sad part of my day was over. All that was left was the happy part. After school, I was going to the little house. Hooray!
An Excellent Two-Two
The reason I live in two houses is not so unusual. It is because my parents are divorced.
A long time ago, when I was little, I lived in one big house in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, with Mommy, Daddy, and Andrew. Then Mommy and Daddy started fighting a lot. I did not like that at all. After a while, they told Andrew and me that they love us very much, but they could not get along with each other anymore. So they decided to get divorced.
After the divorce, Mommy moved with Andrew and me to the little house, which is not far away from the big house. Then she met a very nice man named Seth. Mommy and Seth got married. That is how Seth became my stepfather. So now Mommy, Seth, Andrew, and I live at the little house with Midgie (Seth’s dog) and Rocky (Seth’s cat), Emily Junior (my pet rat), and Bob (Andrew’s hermit crab). And I told you that Granny and Grandad have been living with us since November. Their real home is in Nebraska.
After the divorce, Daddy stayed at the big house. (It is the house he grew up in.) Then he met Elizabeth. Daddy and Elizabeth got married. That is how Elizabeth became my stepmother.
Elizabeth was married once before and has four children. You already know their names. But you do not know how old they are. David Michael is seven; Kristy is thirteen; Sam and Charlie are so old they are in high school.
Daddy and Elizabeth adopted Emily Michelle from a faraway country called Vietnam. Emily is two and a half. She is lots of fun and I love her a lot. That is why I named my pet rat after her.
Nannie is Elizabeth’s mother. That makes her my stepgrandmother. She came to help take care of Emily. But she really helps take care of everyone.
Let me see. Who did I leave out? Oh, yes. The pets. They are Shannon, David Michael’s big Bernese mountain dog puppy; Boo-Boo, Daddy’s cranky old cat; Crystal Light the Second, my goldfish; and Goldfishie, Andrew’s pony. (Just kidding. You know what Goldfishie is. Don’t you?)
I have a special name for Andrew and me. I call us Andrew Two-Two and Karen Two-Two. That is because we have two of so many things. (I thought of those names after my teacher read a book to our class. It was called Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.) Andrew and I have two mommies and two daddies, two houses and two families, two cats and two dogs. I have two of lots of other things. I have two bicycles, one at each house. Andrew has two tricycles. I have two stuffed cats. Moosie lives at the big house. Goosie lives at the little house. I have two pieces of Tickly, my special blanket.
Having two of so many things makes going back and forth a lot easier.
I even have my two best friends. Nancy lives next door to the little house. Hannie lives across the street and one house over from the big house. Nancy and Hannie and I are in the same second-grade class at Stoneybrook Academy. (We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.)
Andrew and I switch houses almost every month. Sometimes we stay at one house or the other for two months. Either way works out fine for me. I have many talents in life. And one of my talents is being an excellent two-two.
How Are You Feeling Today?
By Monday I was settled into the little house. I rode the bus to school with Nancy.
“Please be seated, everyone,” said Ms. Colman when we arrived. “Natalie, would you take attendance this morning?”
Oh, boy. I decided I had better get comfortable. Natalie is the slowest attendance taker in class. She worries about making mistakes. I looked over her shoulder to make sure she was doing things right.
First she checked off her own name. Then she checked off my name and Ricky Torres’s name. (Ricky is my pretend husband. We got married on the playground at recess one day.) The three of us sit at the front of the classroom together. That is because we wear glasses and Ms. Colman says we can see better
up front.
Next Natalie checked off Pamela Harding, Jannie Gilbert, and Leslie Morris. (They are best friends, kind of like the Three Musketeers. Pamela also happens to be my best enemy.)
These are the other kids Natalie checked off: Addie Sidney, who rolled into class late in her wheelchair (her bus was having trouble that week); Bobby Gianelli, who lives near the little house and used to be a bully, but is now mostly my friend; Terri and Tammy Barkan, who are twins; Audrey Green; Hank Reubens; Ian Johnson; Omar Harris; Chris Lamar; Hannie, and Nancy.
Sara Ford was out sick.
Natalie checked over the list one more time. Then she handed the book to Ms. Colman. Whew!
“Thank you, Natalie,” said Ms. Colman. “I have an announcement to make, class.”
Hmm. I like Ms. Colman’s Surprising Announcements best. Her most surprising announcement came last month. She told us that she is going to have a baby. We gave her a baby shower and everything. I could tell this was just a regular announcement, though. I wondered what it would be.
“Before I make my announcement, I want to ask you a question,” said Ms. Colman. “How are you feeling today?”
Huh? I wondered why Ms. Colman was asking. She called on a few kids.
“Bobby, how are you today?” asked Ms. Colman.
“Okay, I guess. Only I feel a little cranky because my sister, Alicia, was up sick last night,” replied Bobby.
“Karen, how are you feeling?” asked Ms. Colman.
“I am feeling happy because my granny and grandad are still living at my house.”
Ms. Colman asked a few more kids her question. Then she made her announcement, “We are going to begin a new unit today,” she said. “You have helped me start it. The unit is about feelings. And you have each just told me how you feel. Bobby feels cranky. Karen feels happy. Can you name some other feelings?”
Pamela raised her hand. She said that anger is a feeling. Nancy said sadness is a feeling. After that, no one could think of any others.
Ms. Colman helped us out.
“What if there is going to be a party. How do you feel?” she asked.
“Excited!” we replied.
“What if no one comes to your party. How do you feel?” asked Ms. Colman.
“Disappointed!” we replied. We were catching on.
Then Ms. Colman gave us a homework assignment to start us on our new unit about feelings.
“I would like each of you to bring in a book about a feeling or feelings,” said Ms. Colman. “It can be a chapter book or a picture book. We will share our books and our feelings about them.”
Do you want to know how I felt about that assignment? I will tell you. I felt very good because I love books.
Talking to Grandad
When I got home from school, Mommy and Granny were in the kitchen unpacking groceries. Grandad was resting in bed. (Granny’s and Grandad’s bed was a foldout couch in the den. We had turned the den into a very nice bedroom for them.)
“Hi, Grandad,” I said. “Want some company?”
“You know I always love your company, Karen,” Grandad replied.
“I am going to ask Mommy if I can have my after-school snack in here. Do you want a snack, too?”
“No, thank you,” replied Grandad. “I am not too hungry these days.”
I washed up while Mommy made me a snack of peanut butter on crackers, and apple juice. She said I could bring it to Grandad’s room.
Grandad was resting with his eyes closed. I looked around while I ate my snack. The room was small. That was too bad because Grandad was used to living in a big, open farmhouse. And he was used to working outside in his garden. It was one of his favorite things. Being in a little room could not be so cheerful for him. It was a gray, gloomy day, too. Just then Grandad opened his eyes and smiled at me.
“You are back,” he said. “How was school today? I would like to hear all about it.”
“Well, first of all, Natalie got to take attendance instead of me because it was her turn. She is so slow,” I said. “And Ms. Colman started a new unit about feelings. Our homework assignment is to bring in a book that is about a feeling or feelings.”
“That sounds like a very good unit,” said Grandad. “It is important to understand your feelings. It is easier to live with feelings when you make friends with them. Even the difficult ones. Now, what book are you thinking about bringing in?”
“I have not decided yet,” I replied. “I like The Rabbits’ Wedding a lot.”
“We read that book together,” said Grandad. “But I am not sure I can remember the story. Will you tell me what it is about?”
I have read the book a lot of times and know it very well. I reminded Grandad of the story.
“It is about a little black rabbit and a little white rabbit, who play in a forest together,” I said. “They play Hop Skip And Jump Me, and Hide And Seek. They play Jump The Daisies, and Run Through The Clover. They have fun and are happy. Only sometimes the little black rabbit gets sad. He wishes he could be with the little white rabbit forever and ever. Do you remember the rest, Grandad?”
“I would like you to tell it to me,” Grandad replied.
“Well, the little white rabbit tells the little black rabbit to wish very, very hard for them to be together always. They tuck dandelions behind their ears. Then the other animals in the forest come and dance a wedding dance around them because the rabbits are happy and in love,” I said.
“Ah, yes. I remember it now. It is about feeling happy, sad, and in love,” said Grandad. “What about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? You used to like that book.”
“That book is funny,” I said. “Everything keeps going wrong for Alexander one day. He feels so grumpy. He keeps saying he is going to move to Australia. But his mom says things can go wrong in Australia, too.”
We talked about books we like.
“Why don’t you bring some books in here? We can read them together,” said Grandad.
“Okay! I will be right back,” I replied.
I came back with just one book. I knew it was the one I wanted to share. It was The Velveteen Rabbit.
Good Books
The next day at school, Ms. Colman said, “I am looking forward to hearing about the books you brought in. Please tell the class about the feelings in your books. Who would like to begin?”
My hand shot up before anyone else’s. So Ms. Colman called on me first.
“I brought in The Velveteen Rabbit,” I said. “It is about love. A toy rabbit becomes real because a little boy loves him.”
“That is one of my favorite stories,” said Ms. Colman, smiling. “How does the boy show that he loves the rabbit?”
“The boy talks with him and plays with him. He hugs him and kisses him. He will not even go to sleep without the rabbit at his side,” I replied. “At the end of the book, a fairy turns the toy into a real breathing, hopping rabbit. She says only toys who have been truly loved can come alive that way.”
“Thank you very much for sharing that book, Karen,” said Ms. Colman. “Who else would like to share a book?”
Bobby raised his hand.
“The book I brought in is called My Grandson Lew,” said Bobby. “It is about a boy named Lew who misses his grandfather. His grandfather used to baby-sit for Lew when Lew was really little. Then his grandfather died.”
“How did Lew feel?” asked Ms. Colman.
“He felt sad. He wanted to see his grandfather again. But he knew he never would,” said Bobby. “So Lew and his mother remember things about Lew’s grandfather together. That makes them both feel better.”
Poor Lew. I was lucky. My grandad was at home in my very own house.
Ms. Colman called on Ricky next.
“My book is Everett Anderson’s Goodbye,” said Ricky. “Everett Anderson is a boy whose daddy died. He has lots of different feelings. First he cannot believe it. Then he is angry. Then he makes believe he can bring his daddy back if he
is very good all the time. But he cannot bring him back so he gets really sad. Then time passes and he starts to feel better. He knows that even if his daddy is not around, his daddy’s love still is.”
Wow. That was a very good book report. I was gigundoly proud of my pretend husband, Ricky.
Ms. Colman walked to Ricky’s desk.
“This book is another favorite of mine,” she said.
She picked up Ricky’s book and read to us from the end of it: “Whatever happens when people die, love doesn’t stop, and neither will I.”
The class grew quiet. I had goosebumps up and down my arms.
After a moment, Ms. Colman called on Hannie.
“I brought in I Hate English,” said Hannie. “A girl named Mei Mei moves with her family from Hong Kong to New York. She feels lonely. She misses Hong Kong. English is strange to her. So she says she hates it.”
“What do you think she means when she uses the word ‘hate’?” asked Ms. Colman.
“I do not think she really hates English. I think she feels angry and frustrated because she cannot speak it. Since she cannot speak English, she cannot make friends. Without friends she is lonely,” said Hannie.
Wheee! Wheee! Our guinea pig, Hootie, was whistling.
“I think Hootie likes that book,” said Addie.
“Maybe he likes it because he is lonely like Mei Mei,” I said. “We do not speak guinea pig language. So Hootie has no one to talk to.”
“When we go home, he stays here alone,” added Natalie. “I would not like to be in an empty classroom by myself.”
At the end of Hannie’s book, Mei Mei learns English. Hootie could not learn English. So he could not talk with us. He would stay lonely. Poor Hootie.
In the Middle of the Night
When I got home, I went straight to Grandad’s room. The door was closed.
“Hi, honey,” Granny whispered from behind me. “Grandad was feeling tired this afternoon. So he is taking a nap.”
I tiptoed away so I would not disturb him. I wanted to tell Grandad about my day at school. But my stories would have to wait.