2. Some Thankfuls

2 Some Thankfuls Mr. Scary moved on again. "Okay, boys and girls. Let's really get started now. If you'll please take out your homework papers, we'll begin sharing our ideas. Who would like to go first?" I quick pulled out my homework. "ME! ME! ME!" I shouted." 'Cause I have four excellent thankfuls! And I am not even kidding!" Then I sprang up like a spring. And I started to read my Thankful List. "First, I am thankful for the turkey I love at Thanksgiving. Second, I enjoy the gravy. Plus, number three, I am thankful for the

kind of cranberry jelly that comes in a can… only even when you take it out of the can, it still keeps looking exactly like the can!" I looked at my teacher. "That stuff is like magic," I said. "I do not know how farmers grow it in that shape." Mr. Scary stared at me a real long time. I looked back at my list. "Oh! And here is my favorite one of all!" I said. "I am thankful for the kind of biscuits that come in a tube. And then you BASH them on the counter! And they come exploding out! And everyone jumps! Plus also, my brother Ollie starts to cry." I grinned real big. "That is just a fun bunch of biscuits." My friend Herbert jumped out of his seat. "I can't believe it, Junie B.! I am thankful for those biscuits, too!" he said. He quick grabbed his homework page and

held it up. "Look! See? It's right here on my paper! Exploding biscuits!" After that, me and Herb did a high five. And a low five. And a medium five. Also, we did a fist bump. A fist bump is when you knock your knuckles together. Sometimes it can be painful. May threw back her head at us. "Oh no, no, no!" she said. "That cannot be true. Both of you did not write that by yourselves. You copied each other! I know you did! Who in the world is thankful for exploding biscuits?"

All of the children thought for a second. Then, one by one, they all started to shout. "I am!" "I am!" "I am, too!" they shouted. My friend named Sheldon Potts sprang up from his chair.

"Me too!" he called. "One time, I ate SIX exploding biscuits right out of the tube! And they weren't even cooked yet!" All of our eyes popped out of our heads. 'Cause that was the greatest exploding- biscuits story we ever heard. We looked back at Mr. Scary. His eyes were stuck on Sheldon. "You're a fascinating little boy, Sheldon Potts," he said. "Yes, I know. You keep telling me that," said Sheldon. Mr. Scary smiled. Then he turned to the board. And he wrote the words THANKFUL LIST. "Okay, Junie B. How about if you pick out your top two favorites. And we'll start the list off with them." I stared at my paper very thinking. Then I told him my two favorites. And Mr. Scary printed them on the board: 1. CRANBERRY JELLY IN A CAN

2. EXPLODING BISCUITS He took a step back. "Well, just as I thought. We're off to an interesting start," he said. He turned back to Room One. "As we continue—if you've brought a long list—please just pick the two things that you are the most thankful for. Okay?" "Okay!" we shouted back. My friend named Lennie waved his hand to go next. "All right, Lennie. Your turn. Tell us the number one thing in your life that you are the most thankful for." Lennie yelled it out. "NIPSY DOODLES!" he said real loud. "I LOVE NIPSY DOODLES!" Mr. Scary's face went funny. He did not move for a minute. Then, finally, his eyebrows raised to the top of his head.