7 July

7 July I can't believe we have to go to school in July. "It's not fair!" said Ryan, Alexia, Michael, Neil, and I. Even Andrea and Emily were complaining about how hot it was. When we walked into the media center on July 2, Mrs. Roopy was putting books on the shelves.

"What are we celebrating today, Mrs. Roopy?" asked Ryan. "I forgot," she replied. "Huh?" Ryan said. "How could you forget today's holiday?" "I didn't forget today's holiday," she said. "But you just said you forgot today's holiday," Ryan told her.

"Sorry," she said. "What I meant to say was today is National I Forgot Day!" WHAT?! "Let's celebrate!" we all shouted. "Is there really a holiday called National I Forgot Day?" Emily asked. "Yes!" said Mrs. Roopy. "Sometimes life gets busy and we forget things, like a friend's birthday or a dentist appointment. National I Forgot Day is dedicated to forgetfulness." "I forget stuff all the time," said Alexia. "Me too," said Michael. Me three. I've forgotten so much stuff that I forget what I forgot. "When did National I Forgot Day begin?" asked Andrea, who has to know everything so she can be smarter than everybody else. "I forgot," said Mrs. Roopy. "Who started National I Forgot Day?" Neil asked. "I forgot," said Mrs. Roopy. "How do we celebrate National I Forgot Day?" asked Alexia. "I forgot," said Mrs. Roopy.

That's when the weirdest thing in the history of the world happened. There was a noise outside the window. Well, that's not the weird part. There are noises outside the window all the time. But this was a really weird noise. It was a loud humming sound. Then there were a bunch of flashing lights.

We ran to the window. And you'll never believe in a million hundred years what we saw outside. I'm not gonna tell you. Okay, okay I'll tell you. It was a UFO! A giant blue flying saucer was hovering over the playground! Slowly, it landed near the monkey bars. The humming noise stopped. A ramp lowered to the ground. The door to the flying saucer opened. And you'll never believe who stepped out of the flying saucer. I'm not gonna tell you. Okay, okay I'll tell you. It was Mr. Granite, who was our third-grade teacher last year! Yes! Mr. Granite lives on planet Etinarg, which is "granite" spelled backward. You can read about him in a book called Mr. Granite Is from Another Planet!

We hadn't seen Mr. Granite since the time he came back to Earth because he forgot to return his key to the teachers' lounge.* We all rushed outside to give him hugs. "Mr. Granite!" shouted Alexia. "What are you doing here?" "Today is World UFO Day!" he said. "I came back to celebrate with my favorite students." Mr. Granite was right. July 2 isn't just National I Forgot Day. It's also World UFO Day. There are parades and parties, and people go out at night to see if they can spot unidentified flying