No Grown-ups Allowed by Beverly Lewis Page A

the green marker off the Velcro. He wrote his name on the board. His stomach felt tight. He gritted his teeth. His parents were no fun. No fun at all! Why did God make parents anyway?
    Jason followed his dad into the house.He shuffled down the hall to his room. Closing the door, he plopped down onto his beanbag.
    Jason drew a picture on his new marker board. It was a giant ice cream sundae. Covered with chocolate candies. And gobs of whipped cream.
    He daydreamed about the chocolates in his mother’s closet. He thought about his plan. Soon he wouldn’t have to daydream about chocolates. He would gobble them right down!
    Jason took his glasses off and twirled them. He danced a wild jig. Friday—two days away. He would trick his grandma. Easy!

THREE
    At last it was Friday.
    Jason walked home with the Cul-de-sac Kids. All the kids lived on Blossom Hill Lane. Seven houses on one cul-de-sac.
    â€œMy grandma is spending the weekend,” Jason told his friend Dunkum.
    â€œSounds like fun,” Dunkum said.
    â€œNo kidding!” Jason said.
    Dunkum stopped in the middle of the street and stared at Jason. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œNothin’ much.” Jason ran and slid on the snow.
    Abby Hunter tossed her scarf around her neck. “I think Jason is up to something!”
    Dunkum nodded. “I better have a talk with Jason’s grandma.”
    Dee Dee Winters giggled. So did her best friend, Carly Hunter—Abby’s little sister. “I like your grandma,” said Dee Dee.
    â€œMe too,” said Carly.
    Stacy Henry laughed. “Who needs a sitter when you’re in third grade? I stay by myself every day after school.”
    â€œBut what about for a whole weekend?” Abby asked.
    â€œGuess you’re right,” Stacy said. “That’s too long to be alone.”
    Abby’s Korean brother, Shawn, threw a snowball at Stacy. It bounced off her backpack.
    â€œWhy you!” Stacy dropped her stuffand reached down. She pushed a pile of snow together. “This is war!” she shouted, giggling.
    Eric Hagel grinned. “You’re in for it now, Shawn!”
    The kids watched Stacy smooth out her snowball. She added more snow to it, then patted it hard. She tried to pick it up. It was too heavy.
    Shawn marched into the snowy street. “I help you, Stacy. This make good snowman.” He spoke in broken English because he’d just come to America. Shawn and his brother Jimmy had been adopted by Abby’s parents.
    â€œGoody!” shouted Carly. “Let’s build a snowman.”
    â€œHow about a snow monster?” Eric suggested. “The biggest one in the world.”
    â€œMake him an alien!” yelled Jason.
    â€œThere’s no such thing,” Abby said.
    â€œSo what,” said Jason. “There aren’t any monsters, either.” But he thoughtabout his plan to trick his grandma. Now that was something a monster might do!
    The kids took their school stuff home and came back with buckets of warm water.
    â€œLet’s make him in my yard!” Jason hollered.
    Just then Grandma Birchall stepped outside. She stood on the porch, waving to Jason.
    Jason looked the other way. On purpose. He knew what she wanted. It was time for his medicine.
    â€œJason, dear,” she called.
    â€œIn a minute,” Jason snapped. Then he ran to help Eric and Dunkum roll up a huge snowball. They grunted as they pushed it across the yard.
    Abby and Stacy made a medium-sized ball.
    Dee Dee and Carly made the head. Carly started laughing.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?” Abby asked.

    Carly kept giggling. “We could call the snow creature Dino-Dunce. And give him a walnut-sized brain.”
    â€œI know! He could have a tiny head like a Stegosaurus,” Dee Dee added.
    Eric laughed. “Who said anything about making a dinosaur?”
    â€œYeah,” said Jason. “What happened to our