Karen's Movie Star

  Just before Hannie went home and Nancy’s mother picked her up, Ms. Hopper told us an amazing thing. She said that the last couple of scenes to be filmed would take place in a snowstorm. But they could not be sure that it would snow here in Connecticut when they needed it to. So they were going to create tons of fake snow all over our house and yard.

  I could not wait. Maybe the fake snow would still be here when Andrew came home! I hoped so.

  * * *

  “Even though Hannie and Nancy and I do not have speaking roles,” I told my big-house family at dinner that night, “we are thinking of ways to get ourselves noticed.”

  “I bet,” muttered Sam, taking a bite of his chicken.

  “Do not tell me,” said Charlie. “Let me guess. You are all going to roll yourselves in glow-in-the-dark paint before you show up for your scene.”

  David Michael grinned.

  “Boys,” said Elizabeth in a warning tone.

  They snickered.

  I waved my fork at them. “You will be sorry you teased me when I become rich and famous.”

  Sam and Charlie and David Michael are not meanie-mos. They are usually very nice to me. But they do like to tease me sometimes.

  “Um, Karen,” said Kristy. “Please do not get your hopes up about becoming a star. It might not happen.”

  “It is good to think positively,” I said.

  “If I may change the subject for a moment,” said Nannie, “I would like to discuss Boo-Boo. You all know he is getting older and more frail. Lately I have noticed that it is difficult for him to come downstairs for his meals.”

  “Hmm,” said Daddy. “I have noticed that too. Poor old fella. What should we do?”

  “I have an idea,” said Nannie. “He spends most of his time upstairs anyway. We could fix him up a little spot in the upstairs hallway. Perhaps under that table in the hall. We could put his food and water there, and his kitty bed. Then he would not have to use the stairs at all.”

  “That is a good idea,” said Kristy. “And we could move his litter box from the downstairs mud room to the hall bathroom.”

  “And we could put his toys right by his bed,” I said. “We could even put a hot water bottle in his bed, to keep him cozy.”

  “Good,” said Nannie. “Tonight I will do all of those things.”

  I finished eating my dinner quietly. Poor Boo-Boo. I decided to spend some extra time brushing him gently, after I had done my homework. I knew he liked that.

  Allison Hunter!

  On Tuesday afternoon I leaped off the school bus. (Hannie was not with me because she had a dentist appointment.) I could not believe she was at the dentist’s while maybe Allison Hunter was in a trailer right in front of my house!

  Nannie had a snack waiting. I wolfed down gingersnaps and a glass of milk. Then I ran to the living room window. (The movie people had asked us not to play outside, because they might be filming.)

  I kneeled on the couch and peered outside. It was getting colder every day. I saw lots of people in heavy coats, but I did not see Allison. Maybe she was still in the makeup trailer. (All movie stars have to wear makeup. Even kids.)

  Suddenly there was a small pop! I saw a flash of light, like a tiny bolt of lightning. Then all of the outside lights on the trailers and movie trucks went out.

  Golly. What had happened? Was this part of the movie? I watched and waited, but the lights did not come back on. Five minutes later, our doorbell rang. I raced to the door, but Nannie beat me to it.

  “Yes?” said Nannie.

  “Hello, ma’am,” said the man standing there. I recognized him. He was one of the film crew. “I am sorry to disturb you, but our generators have blown out. May I use your phone?”

  “Oh, certainly,” said Nannie.

  I did not eavesdrop while the man was on the phone. (Eavesdropping is wrong.) I sat in the living room. Soon the man walked out of the kitchen.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked him.

  “Well, we have no electricity in our trailers,” he told me. “So we have to stop filming for today.” He turned to Nannie. “Good-bye, and thank you.”

  “Nannie, this is awful,” I said after he left. “If they stop filming, Allison will leave.”

  “I have a thought,” said Nannie. “Why don’t you go across the street and ask Allison if she would like to come over for a cup of hot cocoa? If they have no electricity, then they have no heat. And it is cold out there.”

  “That is a great idea!” I said, already running for my coat.

  I looked carefully both ways before I crossed the street. Then I saw the nice assistant director, Ms. Wynoski. She pointed out Allison Hunter’s trailer for me.

  I knocked on the door. My heart was beating so hard I could practically feel it through my coat.

  A friendly-looking woman came to the door. “Yes?”

  “Hello,” I said. “My name is Karen Brewer. I live across the street, in the big house they are filming. I heard you do not have heat or electricity. Would Allison like to come over for a cup of hot cocoa?”

  The woman smiled. “That is very kind of you. I am Belinda Hunter, Allison’s mother. We are waiting for a car to take us to a hotel downtown, but I guess we can wait at your house. Thank you.” She went inside the trailer for a moment. I could not see much. I was dying to know what a star’s trailer looked like.

  Soon Mrs. Hunter came back out again. She was followed by another woman with dark hair. “This is Sally Michaels,” said Mrs. Hunter. “She is Allison’s manger. And this is Allison.”

  I stared at Allison. She was eight years old, but she was hardly any taller than I am. She had long, straight brown hair and brown eyes. She did not smile.

  At the big house, we sat in the living room while Nannie fixed cocoa. Usually only grown-ups are allowed to eat or drink in the living room. But today Nannie was making an exception.

  “How do you like Stoneybrook?” I asked Allison.

  “It is fine,” she said, looking at her feet.

  “Do you go to school?” I have always wanted to know this.

  Allison looked at her mother, then at Sally Michaels. They both smiled at her. “I have tutors,” said Allison. “I do not go to a regular school.”

  Hmm. Allison did not seem very happy or friendly. She was not exactly being mean, but she did not seem to want to talk. Still, I was the hostess here. She was my guest. I had to keep the conversation going.

  “Where do you usually live?” I asked, passing her a plate of cookies.

  She took a cookie. “Arizona.”

  I was surprised. I had expected her to say Hollywood, or maybe New York.

  “What is it like in Arizona?” I said.

  Allison perked up a little. “I love it there,” she said. “The desert is very beautiful. My father and my little sister are there.” Suddenly she looked sad. “I have not seen them in five weeks. It is hard to be away from my family. At least my mom can stay with me.”

  “But you are a big star,” I said. “You get to meet other stars. People ask you for your autograph. You ride in limousines.” I knew that I would love to be a star.

  “It is not always fun,” Allison said, sounding a little grumpy. “I do not have enough time to play. I miss my daddy and my sister and all my friends at my old school. Sometimes I have to get up very early.”

  I did not think I would mind all that, if I were a big star.

  “Speaking of limousines,” said Mrs. Hunter, “here is our car to take us downtown. Thank you very much for the cocoa and cookies, Karen and Mrs. Taylor.” (Mrs. Taylor is Nannie.)

  Good-bye, Allison,” I said. “I hope to see you again soon.”

  Allison gave me a little smile, and then they were gone. I sat on the living room couch and hugged myself. I had met Allison Hunter! A real, live star had sat right next to me and eaten our cookies. I wished I had asked her how I could become a star too, but I had not had enough time. I would ask her next time. (I just knew there would be a next
time.)

  Thanksgiving Plans

  By Thursday, I had not spoken to Allison again. But both Hannie and Nancy had, while Nancy was at Hannie’s house. (I had been helping Nannie make chocolates that day.) During recess at school we told one another everything Allison had said.

  “I asked her how she got discovered,” said Hannie.

  “Good question! I wish I had thought of that,” I said.

  “She said she was shopping at a mall with her mother when she was just four years old,” continued Hannie. “A talent agent spotted her. Soon she was doing television commercials. Then a director called her to be in a movie.”

  Hmm. That sounded awfully easy to me. Did it mean I had to start hanging out in malls more? Also, I am already seven. I should have been discovered three years ago.

  “She has traveled all over the world,” said Nancy.

  “She has been to Disney World twelve times,” added Hannie.

  While we were talking, some of our classmates had gathered to listen. I felt very important, talking about Allison Hunter.

  “With Allison right across the street,” I said, trying to sound casual, “I will probably become good friends with her. Then maybe I can have a scene with her in her movie.”

  “The movie is already written,” said Bobby Gianelli. Bobby is not as much of a bully as he used to be. But he still likes to rain on people’s parades. “They will not rewrite it just so you can be in it.”

  I wanted to stick out my tongue at him. But I did not. I shrugged. “We will see,” I said. That sounded very mysterious, I thought. “We will see.”

  * * *

  On Friday night, Mommy called me from Chicago. We talk a lot on the phone. It helps us feel closer to each other.

  “Mommy,” I said. “I met Allison Hunter!”

  “I want to hear all about it,” said Mommy. “But first I have some good news for you. Andrew, Seth, and I will be coming back the day before Thanksgiving.”

  “Yay!” I cried, jumping up and down. Then I had a thought. “What about Thanksgiving dinner?” I asked. It is always a big deal at the big house. I had been looking forward to it.

  “That is the good news,” said Mommy. “Daddy and I talked, and we knew it would be difficult for you to leave the big house on a holiday. So we have decided that we will all have dinner together on Thanksgiving — both of your families. Then you can come home to the little house the next day.”

  For a moment I could hardly speak. Both of my families together? That does not happen very often.

  “That is wonderful!” I shouted into the phone. From the other room, Sam called, “Indoor voice, Karen.”

  I used my indoor voice. “Oh, Mommy, that is excellent. I will be so thankful to have everyone here that I love.”

  “Me too,” said Mommy.

  Then I reminded Mommy that the Three Musketeers had been chosen to be part of a crowd in Allison Hunter’s movie. “We will be in one scene tomorrow and one scene Sunday,” I told her. “I am so excited, I cannot stand it.”

  “I do not blame you,” said Mommy. “That sounds like fun.”

  “Mommy?” I asked. “Will you travel the world with me when I am a big star?”

  Mommy laughed. “We will worry about that when it happens.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  * * *

  That night I was too excited about filming the next day to go to sleep. Daddy read to me and tucked me in. I read to myself. Kristy came into my room and retucked me. I lay in bed singing quietly.

  Daddy came in again. “Karen, it is getting late. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

  “I am too excited,” I told him. “Tomorrow might be the day I am discovered. I am also excited about Thanksgiving. I cannot sleep.”

  “I see,” said Daddy. “Will it help if I tuck you in one more time?”

  “Yes,” I said. So Daddy kissed me and tucked me in one last time. Then he told me firmly to try to go to sleep.

  I turned off the light. I flopped this way and that. But I could not stop picturing myself smiling for the cameras. I saw a director telling me she would make me a star. I saw myself signing autographs.

  I tossed. I turned. I was wiiiiide awake.

  Then I felt a soft thump on my bed. It was Boo-Boo. It is very hard for him to jump up nowadays, but he had climbed onto my bench and then onto my bed.

  I reached for him and patted his head.

  “Hello, Boo-Boo,” I whispered. I scratched him behind his ears the way he likes. He purred and curled up next to me. His body was warm. His eyes were sleepy. Looking at his sleepy eyes made me feel sleepy too.

  I snuggled up next to him and closed my eyes.

  Three Extra Musketeers

  On Saturday, as soon as it was light outside, I threw back the covers and leaped out of bed.

  Downstairs Nannie was already making breakfast. Daddy had agreed to drive Hannie and me to Nancy’s house. Then Mr. Dawes would drive us downtown, where we would report to the assistant director.

  Hannie was waiting on her front porch when we came out of our house. She crossed the street carefully, then ran to our car. I looked at her clothes. We had each gotten a notice from the casting director saying what we should wear. We were supposed to wear casual play clothes, like jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt.

  Hannie and I both smiled. We were wearing our nicest jeans. Under her coat, Hannie had on her special “I Love Greece” sweatshirt. (Her grandparents are from Greece. They sent her the sweatshirt.)

  I was wearing my special yellow sweater that looks like a New York taxicab. It is very bright and colorful. I planned to leave my coat open a little bit, so the bright yellow would show.

  “Okay, girls, hop in,” said Daddy.

  He dropped us off at Nancy’s. I looked at the empty little house, right next door. In just a few days I would be living there again. It would feel very strange.

  The three of us climbed into the Daweses’ car. Nancy looked at us and grinned. She was wearing brand-new jeans. She unzipped her coat and showed us her dressiest sweater. Little fake pearls are sewn all over it. Hannie and I gave her high fives.

  Downtown was very crowded. There were more cars than usual, and several of the big movie trucks were parked along one street. Ms. Wynoski was speaking through a megaphone.

  She and another assistant director, Mr. Frazier, told us extras what would happen. Basically, Allison had to walk down a block in downtown Stoneybrook. She would look lost and upset. The rest of us would walk down the same block, some in the same direction as Allison, some in the other direction. None of us was supposed to look at Allison or react to her in any way.

  That was it. Just walking and ignoring Allison.

  “But that is not right,” Hannie whispered to me. “If I were not in a movie, and I saw Allison walking down the sidewalk, of course I would turn and look at her. I might even ask for her autograph.”

  “I know,” I whispered back. “But Allison is not Allison in the movie. She is playing someone else. And that someone else is not famous. She is just a regular girl.”

  “Oh,” said Hannie, nodding.

  It is a good thing I know all about movies.

  The two assistant directors divided up the extras. We Three Musketeers were told to walk in the same direction as Allison. We had to walk normally — no skipping or hopping. Allison would be walking slowly, so we would pass her. We were supposed to talk among ourselves, and pay no attention to Allison.

  This is it, I told myself. It was not a very big part to play. But I had to start somewhere.

  * * *

  Three hours later I wondered if I really wanted to be a big star. We had been filming the same scene all morning. We had walked down the street seventeen times.

  “I cannot believe how patient Allison is,” said Nancy.

  We were all leaning against a fire hydrant. The assistant director had said we were done for the day. Because of our age, we could not work for very long. Mr. Dawes was waiting to take us
home, but we wanted to make sure they did not need us any longer.

  “Yes,” I agreed tiredly. “She is a real professional.”

  It was true. Allison had walked up and down the street about a million times. She needed to look worried and upset for three hours. And she did it. She did not complain or drag her feet. She just did it, exactly the way the director said, again and again.

  I guess that is why she is a big star.

  If I were going to be a big star, I would have to act like that. To tell you the truth, I did not know if I was up to it.

  We were only able to talk to Allison a couple of times. Hannie and Nancy and I had decided to compliment her a lot on her acting. That way she would know that we wanted to be friends. Then maybe she would help us get bigger roles in the movie.

  But it did not work. Allison seemed uncomfortable when we complimented her. She did not want to talk about making movies or being a star. She was not mean, but she was not friendly.

  Now it was time for us to go home. I knew I would see Allison again the next day, for a sledding scene that we were in. That would be my absolute last chance at stardom. Somehow I had to make sure Allison knew that I wanted to be friends with her.

  “Excuse me, Allison,” I said as she walked past us with her manager. She stopped and looked at me. “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?” I had not asked Daddy, Elizabeth, or Nannie if this was okay. But I was pretty sure they would say yes. At the big house, one more mouth to feed does not make that much difference.

  “Oh, um, thanks, but I do not think I can,” said Allison. “I have to study my lines for tomorrow. And I have to go to sleep early.”

  “Oh,” I said, disappointed. “That is too bad.”

  Allison looked as if she wanted to say something else. She stepped closer to me. “It is kind of hard for me to be friends with anyone,” she told me softly. “Because I will be here only a short time. Then I will leave again. I am always coming and leaving. I never stay in one place too long.”