A New Home for Truman by Catherine Hapka

The Best Birthday Ever!
    â€œHappy birthday, Janey!” Lolli Simpson exclaimed.
    Janey Whitfield set down her lunch tray at her usual spot across from Lolli. “It’s not my birthday yet,” she told her best friend with a smile. “Not until tomorrow, remember?”
    â€œI know.” Lolli pushed a lock of curly black hair out of her eyes. “But tomorrow is Saturday. I wanted you to be able to celebrate here at school with all your friends.”
    Lolli waved a hand at the other people sitting at the table. Their friend Adam Santos was next to Janey. Several kids from their fourth grade class were a little farther down, talking about that morning’s spelling test.
    â€œCome on, everybody!” Lolli called out. “Let’s sing!”
    She led the whole table in a round of “Happy Birthday to You.” A few kids at nearby tables joined in. Janey loved every second of it. It was great having everyone sing to her!
    â€œThanks, everybody!” she called out when the song was finished. She waved, and some of the other kids waved back. Soon they all went back to their own conversations. “Thanks, Lolli,” Janey told her friend. “That wasfab.” Janey loved to use interesting words whenever she could. Her favorite right then was “fab.” It was short for fabulous.
    â€œWait—there’s more.” Lolli reached into her insulated lunch bag and pulled out a small reusable container. Lolli’s parents liked to call themselves back-to-the-land hippies. They lived on a small farm outside of town and grew their own organic food. They bought most of their clothes at thrift stores and recycled everything. Lolli never brought brown paper bags or plastic baggies for her lunch like most of the other kids. She had a whole set of reusable bags and containers that she used instead.
    â€œWhat is it?” Janey opened the container and peered at the grayish-brown lump inside.
    â€œIt’s a cupcake.” Lolli grinned. “Dad helped me make it just for you.”
    â€œOh. Thanks.” Janey smiled. “Um, it looks…interesting.”
    â€œThat’s a cupcake?” a new voice exclaimed loudly in Janey’s ear.

    Janey looked up. Zach Goldman had just stopped by their table. Zach was friends with Adam, but Janey didn’t like him very much. He was rowdy, loud, and kind of obnoxious. Once when Janey had received the highest grade in the class on a math test, Zach had called her “Brainy Janey” for almost a month.
    Zach leaned over for a better look at the cupcake. He was holding his skateboard under his arm, and the end of it poked Janey in the back.
    â€œOw,” she said, pushing him away. “What are you doing?”
    Zach grinned. “That doesn’t look like a cupcake,” he said. “It looks like something one of my mom’s patients barfed up.”
    â€œGross!” Janey made a face. Zach’s momwas a veterinarian. She treated most of the cats and dogs in town.
    â€œIt’s a special recipe my dad made up,” Lolli told Zach. “With zucchini, kale, and oatmeal. The cupcakes are actually really healthy, and totally organic, too.”
    â€œZucchini and kale?” Zach said. “Do me a favor, Lolli. Don’t make me a cupcake on my birthday.”
    With a grin, he hurried away.
    Lolli looked worried. “Does it really look that bad?” she asked Janey. “I ate one of the cupcakes for breakfast, and I thought it was good.”
    Janey didn’t like zucchini. But lots of the food at Lolli’s house tasted better than it looked or sounded. So she forced herselfto take a tiny bite of her birthday cupcake. She thought it would taste like mud, but it actually wasn’t that bad.
    â€œIt’s great,” she said. “I love it. Thanks, Lolli, you’re the best friend ever!”
    Lolli looked relieved. “No, you are,” she said. “So what are