Be Nice to Mice Read Online Free
Author: Nancy Krulik
“You’re a litter bug!”
Kevin bit his lip and kicked at the ground.
Suzanne glanced at the piece of notebook paper in her hand. “George, this has your name on it. It’s your spelling test!” She looked down and laughed. “Sixty-three. That’s pretty bad, George.”
George glared at her.
Suzanne began looking more closely at the garbage. “Hey, all of this stuff has Kevin and George’s names and addresses on it,” she said.
Katie stared at the boys in amazement. So that was what they had been hiding in their backpacks!
“This isn’t garbage from the field,” Suzanne told George and Kevin. “It’s from your houses.” Suzanne ran over and started opening up garbage bags.
“What are you doing?” Kevin asked her.
“Proving that you cheated!” Suzanne said.
Jessica went over to help Suzanne. “Look, these are from last month’s science unit,” she said, holding up a pile of notebook paper and showing them to Kevin. “And they have your sloppy handwriting on them.”
“That’s it!” Suzanne exclaimed. “You cheated, so you’re disqualified. Class 4B wins!”
Katie turned and scowled at Kevin and George. Class 4A had lost the bet, and it was all their fault. The other kids in the class were really angry, too.
“I can’t believe you guys,” Andrew moaned.
“You are so lazy,” Emma S. added.
Usually, Katie would have been upset that everyone was picking on George and Kevin. But today she wasn’t upset at all. George and Kevin hadn’t cared a bit about cleaning up the field so the animals could have a clean place to live. So why should Katie care if they got yelled at?
Finally, Mr. G. stepped in. “Okay, everyone, that’s enough. Ms. Sweet and I think you’re all winners. You worked very hard.”
“Except for George and Kevin,” Jeremy reminded him.
Mr. G. nodded. “That’s true. And don’t worry. I think I know a way that they can do some cleaning up, too,” he said mysteriously.
George and Kevin gulped.
“But the rest of you deserve a reward,” Mr. G. continued. “So you can all have pizza for lunch tomorrow.” He turned to George and Kevin. “Except for you two,” he added. “You’ll have the school lunch. Tuna surprise.”
“Oh, man,” Kevin moaned. “I hate tuna surprise.”
George frowned. “Me too. It tastes like garbage.”
Suzanne looked at the pile of envelopes, papers, and magazine covers on the ground. “That’s just perfect,” she said with a laugh.
Chapter 10
WELCOME TO THE SCIENCE FAIR!
Katie felt all tingly as she spotted the big banner in the gym the next morning. She was so excited. The big day had arrived. In just about half an hour, the parents would be arriving, and the science teachers would start the judging.
“I can’t wait until my parents get here,” Katie told Emma W.
“My dad can’t come. He has a huge meeting this morning. But my mother is coming,” Emma said. “And she promised not to bring the twins!”
“That’s a good thing,” Katie agreed. Emma W. had lots of brothers and sisters. She had a teenaged sister named Lacey, a brother in first grade named Matthew, and one-year-old twin brothers, Tyler and Timmy. The twins were always getting into some sort of trouble.
And trouble was the last thing Katie wanted today. She just wanted to sit back and enjoy the science fair . . . a science fair without Selena and her mice!
Unfortunately, Katie didn’t always get what she wanted. At that very moment, Selena walked into the room, holding her mice in their cage.
Katie watched as Selena began to set up her mazes. She placed a bottle of sugar water at the end of one. There was a plate filled with brown mouse food at the end of another. At the finish line of the third maze was a hunk of cheese.
Katie was angry. Selena was going ahead with her experiment. She obviously didn’t care about those mice!
Unlike Katie, however, Emma was focused on the lightning bug project. “I can’t get this flashlight to
Kevin bit his lip and kicked at the ground.
Suzanne glanced at the piece of notebook paper in her hand. “George, this has your name on it. It’s your spelling test!” She looked down and laughed. “Sixty-three. That’s pretty bad, George.”
George glared at her.
Suzanne began looking more closely at the garbage. “Hey, all of this stuff has Kevin and George’s names and addresses on it,” she said.
Katie stared at the boys in amazement. So that was what they had been hiding in their backpacks!
“This isn’t garbage from the field,” Suzanne told George and Kevin. “It’s from your houses.” Suzanne ran over and started opening up garbage bags.
“What are you doing?” Kevin asked her.
“Proving that you cheated!” Suzanne said.
Jessica went over to help Suzanne. “Look, these are from last month’s science unit,” she said, holding up a pile of notebook paper and showing them to Kevin. “And they have your sloppy handwriting on them.”
“That’s it!” Suzanne exclaimed. “You cheated, so you’re disqualified. Class 4B wins!”
Katie turned and scowled at Kevin and George. Class 4A had lost the bet, and it was all their fault. The other kids in the class were really angry, too.
“I can’t believe you guys,” Andrew moaned.
“You are so lazy,” Emma S. added.
Usually, Katie would have been upset that everyone was picking on George and Kevin. But today she wasn’t upset at all. George and Kevin hadn’t cared a bit about cleaning up the field so the animals could have a clean place to live. So why should Katie care if they got yelled at?
Finally, Mr. G. stepped in. “Okay, everyone, that’s enough. Ms. Sweet and I think you’re all winners. You worked very hard.”
“Except for George and Kevin,” Jeremy reminded him.
Mr. G. nodded. “That’s true. And don’t worry. I think I know a way that they can do some cleaning up, too,” he said mysteriously.
George and Kevin gulped.
“But the rest of you deserve a reward,” Mr. G. continued. “So you can all have pizza for lunch tomorrow.” He turned to George and Kevin. “Except for you two,” he added. “You’ll have the school lunch. Tuna surprise.”
“Oh, man,” Kevin moaned. “I hate tuna surprise.”
George frowned. “Me too. It tastes like garbage.”
Suzanne looked at the pile of envelopes, papers, and magazine covers on the ground. “That’s just perfect,” she said with a laugh.
Chapter 10
WELCOME TO THE SCIENCE FAIR!
Katie felt all tingly as she spotted the big banner in the gym the next morning. She was so excited. The big day had arrived. In just about half an hour, the parents would be arriving, and the science teachers would start the judging.
“I can’t wait until my parents get here,” Katie told Emma W.
“My dad can’t come. He has a huge meeting this morning. But my mother is coming,” Emma said. “And she promised not to bring the twins!”
“That’s a good thing,” Katie agreed. Emma W. had lots of brothers and sisters. She had a teenaged sister named Lacey, a brother in first grade named Matthew, and one-year-old twin brothers, Tyler and Timmy. The twins were always getting into some sort of trouble.
And trouble was the last thing Katie wanted today. She just wanted to sit back and enjoy the science fair . . . a science fair without Selena and her mice!
Unfortunately, Katie didn’t always get what she wanted. At that very moment, Selena walked into the room, holding her mice in their cage.
Katie watched as Selena began to set up her mazes. She placed a bottle of sugar water at the end of one. There was a plate filled with brown mouse food at the end of another. At the finish line of the third maze was a hunk of cheese.
Katie was angry. Selena was going ahead with her experiment. She obviously didn’t care about those mice!
Unlike Katie, however, Emma was focused on the lightning bug project. “I can’t get this flashlight to
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