11. Truly Terrific Tricks

Chapter 11 Truly Terrific Tricks The dogs and their kids lined up in a special area. The crowd got bigger. I saw Gus and Emma. They waved. I saw Mom and Hazel and Max. They waved too. Then I saw somebody else. Goofy. He wagged his tail and pulled on the leash Max was holding.

He barked hello. I felt like I was on a playdate with the wrong friend. I mean a hang-out. Three judges sat in chairs behind a table. They had paper and pens and serious faces. "Contestant number one," said a man on a loudspeaker. "Mary Lou Oliver and her dog, Moe." Mary Lou and Moe went to the center of the field. Moe rolled over. Then he played dead. Next came Nico and Spinner. Spinner danced on his hind legs. Noodles caught a Frisbee in midair. Linus played a toy piano with his nose. He was extra good.

But nobody was as good as Edward. On the judges' table I could see lots of colored ribbons. And one beautiful trophy. It was silver. Not gold. And smallish. Not huge. But still, it was going to look great on my dresser. And be a cool show-and-tell. When other kids brought their ribbons and certificates and awards, I would have something to

show at last. More dogs did tricks. My favorite was Astro. He chewed up a kid's homework for his trick. On purpose. But even that amazing trick couldn't beat Edward's. At last they called us. "Roscoe Riley and his dog, Edward," the loudspeaker man said.

We walked onto the field. I turned toward the judges. "Edward, the amazing reading dog, will now read from this book," I said. The crowd made a "wow" noise. The judges leaned forward. I brought the book over so they could see the first page of Frog on a Log. Then I took it back to Edward. I put the book in front of him. "Open the book, Edward," I said. Edward opened the book with his nose. Just like I knew he would. "Now read to us!" I said. The first words in the story were "Frog on a log."

I tapped my foot four times. Just a little, so that only Edward could see. He barked four times. Just like I knew he would. "He's right!" one of the judges exclaimed. The crowd cheered. And I knew right then that trophy was mine. While we waited for the judges to make their decision, I went over to the stands to say hello to my family and Gus and Emma. "You rocked!" Gus exclaimed. "You for-sure are going to win!" "Not bad," Dad said, "for a dog who wears perfume." People crowded around me. Everyone wanted to pat Edward.