3. Ms. Tery’s Favorite Colors

Chapter 3 Ms. Tery's Favorite Colors Bradley didn't know what to say. Why did Mr. Vooray have a little green sneaker? "Tell him," Nate said, giving Bradley a poke in the back. "Um, when we went to get Goldi this morning, she was gone," Bradley said.

Mr. Vooray looked confused. "Goldi is gone?" he asked. "Gone where?" "We don't know!" Bradley said. "We kept her aquarium in our barn all summer long. When we went to get her this morning, it wasn't there!" Mr. Vooray's face went from happy to sad. "Who would steal a little hamster?" he asked. "And look what the crooks left!" Brian said. He showed Mr. Vooray the green sneaker clipped to his book bag. Mr. Vooray stared at the sneaker. He unclipped his key ring and showed the kids his little green sneaker. "I found this on my back porch this morning," he said. "Wow!" Lucy said. "It's exactly like ours!" Bradley stared and blinked. "Um, did… did they take anything?" "Darn right they did!" Mr. Vooray said. "My favorite tennis racket was on the porch, and now it isn't!" "Oh gosh, there's a maniac in Green Lawn!" Nate howled. Mr. Vooray shook his head. "It's probably someone pulling a joke," he said. "Not a very nice

one." "We really want Goldi back!" Brian said. "We loved playing with her in your class last year." "Yeah, my new first graders will be disappointed, too," Mr. Vooray said. "Thanks for telling me." A loud bell went off. The four kids walked to the next room. A little sign on the door said WELCOME TO SECOND GRADE. Bradley reached for the doorknob. But the door was yanked open before his fingers touched it. "Perfect timing!" a voice said from near the ceiling. Standing in front of the kids was the tallest woman Bradley had ever seen. She looked like a basketball player on TV. She wore a green sweatshirt that said BOSTON CELTICS on the front. Her skirt was long and orange, almost touching the floor. Her red hair hung in a thick braid down her back. She had blue eyes that stared down at the kids.

The giant woman smiled. "Come on in. I don't bite," she said.

The rest of the second graders in the class laughed. Bradley recognized a lot of the kids from first grade last year. "I'm Ms. Tery. In case you're wondering why I'm so tall, it's because I eat all my vegetables!" she said. "Now find a place to park, please." The four kids all found seats, but not next to each other. "You know who I am," Ms. Tery said to the class, "but I don't know you. When I point to you, stand up and tell us your name. Then tell us something interesting about yourself." She pointed to Julie, in the front row. Julie hopped up. "I'm Juliette Jackson, but my friends call me Julie. This summer I learned how to swim. Almost!" "Can I go next?" Bobby Arnold asked. Ms. Tery smiled again. "Of course." Bobby stood up. "I'm Bobby Arnold," he said. "My basketball got stolen last night! We live on Blue Jay Way. I left my ball in the front yard. It was gone this morning. I found this right where I left the ball." He held up a little green sneaker.

"Me too!" a kid named Zack said. He held up a tiny green sneaker. "Somebody took my bathing suit right off the clothesline!" Bradley stared at Zack's and Bobby's little green sneakers. They were just like the one they'd found in their barn. "Us too!" Brian yelled. He waved his little green sneaker at the class. "Someone stole our hamster. Well, really Mr. Vooray's hamster. We were keeping her over the summer. They left us a green sneaker, too!" "Someone stole Mr. Vooray's hamster?" Ms. Tery almost yelled. "That's just awful!" Caitlyn waved her hand. "My grandma called me last night," she said. "I gave her a flower for her birthday and she kept it on her front porch. When she went to water it this morning, it was gone!" "Goodness!" Ms. Tery said. "Did your grammy find a little sneaker?" "Yes!" Caitlyn said. She pointed at Brian's. "Like that!" "It seems we have a sneaker mystery in Green Lawn," Ms. Tery said. She raised her skirt a few