2 Ch2-A Special Guest

Chapter 2 A Special Guest Finally it was time for recess. Mr. Klutz, our principal, says kids today don't get enough exercise. There should be recess all day long, if you ask me, We should have school for half an hour, instead of the other way around. Then we'd get lots of exercise.

"That was cool when Mrs. McGilli- cuddy quit," Ryan said as we climbed the monkey bars. "Yeah," I said. "I guess they'll have to find a new lunch lady." "Where are they gonna find a new lunch lady?" asked Michael. "Mr. Klutz will put an ad in the paper," Ryan said. "That takes too long," Michael said. "We need a lunch lady tomorrow."

Michael was right. If Mr. Klutz didn't get a new lunch lady tomorrow there would be no lunch tomorrow. And if there was no lunch tomorrow, we would starve and die. My friend Billy who lives around the corner told me that if people have no food, they get so hungry they'll even eat dirt. "Maybe our moms can be lunch ladies," Michael said. I don't think that's gonna happen. My mom doesn't even like to cook for our family, and we have two kids, not three hundred. The bell rang. It was time to line up and go back to Miss Daisy's class. Recess

is way too short. We hardly had any chance to play. I had forgotten what happened to Emily in the vomitorium, but the girls were still talking about it when we got back to class. Emily had apple juice on her clothes, and she looked upset, like her hamster died or something. "It was all your fault, A.J.," said Andrea. "My fault?" I said "You're the one who knocked the apple juice over." "You shot a straw at my head!" Andrea said. "I did not," I said. "I shot a straw wrap- per at your head. There's a big difference." "Well, you're not invited to my birthday

party," Andrea said. "I wouldn't go to your stupid birthday party even if I was invited," I said. Nah- nah-nah boo-boo on her. Clap-clap, clap-clap-clap! Miss Daisy clapped her hands, which means that everybody has to stop talking. "I was going to start a unit about ancient Egypt today, but first I have some exciting news," Miss Daisy said. "Ella

Mentry School has won an award. Our school has been named the cleanest school in the district! Next week a special guest is coming to present us with the award." "Oooh, who is it?" everybody asked. "It's Ella Mentry!" Ella Mentry! She's the lady our school was named after! On the front lawn there's a big sign that says "Ella Mentry Elementary School." There's a framed pic- ture of her outside the front office, too. She looks like she's about a hundred mil- lion years old. I thought Ella Mentry was dead, but Miss Daisy told us she's not only alive,