6 How Big Is That Pumpkin in the Window

Chapter 6 How Big Is That Pumpkin in the Window? After school my mom picked up Max, my big brother, and me so we could go to the store to get new jeans. All my knees had holes again. My little sister, Hazel, was in her car seat. She was wearing fairy wings, her swimsuit, pajama bottoms, and yellow mittens. The usual. "Hazel, your socks don't match," Max said. "Neither do Roscoe's," she pointed out. "The red one is my lucky sock," I said. "When I wear it on my right foot, something good always happens." "Remind me to wash that one of these years," Mom said. "So what good thing happened today because of your red sock?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing yet," I admitted. "But if Mom will take us to the bookstore, I think something wonderful might happen." I gave Mom my sweetest smile. It takes all my smile muscles. "Mom, can we go to the bookstore after we buy clothes?" I asked. "I need to weigh a giant pumpkin." Mom looked at me in the rearview mirror. "Could you run that by me again?" I explained all about the pumpkin and the bookstore and the school winning lots of books. I kind of forgot to mention the part about me winning a googol pounds of candy. Mom said yes. Not even "We'll see" or "Maybe some other time, Roscoe." We drove to a giant store called the Clothes Closet. It has pants and socks and underwear and other stuff that wears out. It is also probably the most boring place on the planet. Finally it was time for the bookstore. Hilltop Bookstore was at the very tip-top of a big hill.

Mom parked the car at the bottom of the hill near a statue of our town founder, Thomas Toadswaddle. It's a very big statue made of metal. He is wearing an old-fashioned hat. And holding a porcupine. Nobody knows why. I guess he just liked porcupines. We walked past the statue and up the hill. Max and Hazel and I beat Mom to the bookstore. There it was at last. The giant pumpkin. It was beautiful and big and very orange. It was the size of a baby dinosaur. Or maybe a teenager elephant. We made whoa and no way sounds. Max whistled. I tried to whistle, but my whistle has more spit than whistle.

Then Hazel told Mom I was spitting on her. Which was true. But it doesn't count as real spitting if it's whistle spit. And not on purpose. When we got inside, the bookstore clerk said, "I saw you checking out our pumpkin. Would you like to guess its weight?" "You bet!" I said. "Just write down your guess, and be sure to include your name and phone number," said the

bookstore guy, whose name was Dan. It said so on his name tag. Sometimes knowing a little about reading comes in very handy. "I guess fifteen pounds because that's how old Rachel is and she is my favorite babysitter," Hazel said. "Okay, Hazel," said Mom. "Fifteen pounds it is." Mom wrote down Hazel's guess for her. Then Max wrote his. Mom read the contest rules. "If one of you kids wins, you are all sharing the candy prize," she said. "And you're making it last five years." "Mommy, can I look at the pop-up books?" Hazel asked. "Sure," said Mom. "Roscoe, we'll just be over in the children's books. Take your best guess, sweetie." I walked back and forth past the giant pumpkin. I looked it up and down. I knocked on it. I even sniffed it. Max groaned. "Just write down some number, Roscoe. It's not like you're actually going to win."

Big brothers should come with a set of earplugs. It is hard to keep your candy-and-books dream alive when they are around. I touched my lucky red sock for good luck. Then I closed my eyes and waited to see if the perfect number popped into my brain. But instead of a number, I thought of a fuzzy caterpillar. Then I thought of a fuzzy panda bear. Then I thought of a fuzzy— Something was tickling my hand! "Look, Roscoe!" Hazel said. "I found this kitty in the pop-up books!" I opened my eyes. Hazel was holding a tiny kitten. A real one. A real, live BLACK CAT!