maze and leapfrog games.
‘I guess so,’ Thomas said. ‘If we can’t do the tightrope walking.’
‘We could have a hamster toss,’ Nicole suggested.
Just-Joey raised his hand. ‘I liked the idea of a hamster obstacle course.’
Most of my friends nodded in agreement.
‘I liked the idea of the leapfrog game,’ Sophie said. ‘And of the adults competing against their kids.’
Most of my friends nodded in agreement.
‘BOING-BOING!’ Og said.
‘Very well,’ Mrs Brisbane said. ‘Simon’smother has kindly offered to head up a parents’ group to build what we need.’
‘She’s a really good artist,’ Simon said, and Mrs Brisbane nodded.
‘I’m sending a note home to your parents explaining the whole thing,’ she said. ‘Oh, and if your dad would like to juggle for us, Sophie, that would be wonderful. But no knives. I think Mrs Wright would faint.’
Sophie looked as proud as Simon did.
‘May I be the ringmistress?’ Rolling-Rosie asked.
‘Oh, I want to be a ringmaster, too!’ Felipe said.
‘I’ll tell you what,’ Mrs Brisbane said. ‘I’ll make up a list of jobs and then we’ll draw names for them. It’s a long evening, so we’ll need several ringmasters and other helpers.’
But will there be a job for Og and me?
Friday morning, Hurry-Up-Harry came into the room complaining. ‘It’s been raining cats and dogs for two days!’
‘Eeek!’ I squeaked, and glanced out thewindow. I didn’t see any cats and dogs, thank goodness.
Mrs Brisbane reminded him that rain in the springtime is very good for green and growing things. ‘You know the saying: “April showers bring May flowers”.’
Harry groaned. ‘The way it’s raining, those flowers are going to drown.’
It was still raining when Simon’s mum came to pick us up.
I hadn’t gone home with Slow-Down-Simon before, but I had been to his house. His older sister, Stop-Giggling-Gail, had been in last year’s class.
‘Slow down,’ Mrs Morgenstern said as her son rushed out of Room 26 with my cage. ‘Poor Humphrey will think he’s on a roller coaster.’
I’ve never been on a roller coaster, but it can’t be much worse than sliding around my cage like that!
Simon slowed down, but my tummy was still a bit queasy and uneasy.
Gail met us at the car. ‘Hi, Humphrey!’ she said. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you!’
‘I miss you and your classmates, too!’ I squeaked.
On the way home, Mrs Morgenstern explained that she had started on the signs for our booth. She said some of the other students and their parents were coming over to help out.
‘But it’s raining ,’ Simon groaned.
Gail giggled. ‘They’re working out on the back veranda. It has a roof. Besides, it’s not going to rain forever.’
It was still raining on Saturday, but lots of people showed up to help. Of course, they were on the back veranda and I was in Simon’s room. I was still unsqueakably curious about what everyone was doing.
I dozed off after a while and was dreaming about my friends from Mrs Brisbane’s previous class. The dream was so clear, I could almost hear A. J.’s booming voice say, ‘Hi, Humphrey Dumpty!’ That was my first nickname, before the Humster.
I heard Gail giggling. Maybe this wasn’t a dream after all.
I opened my eyes and poked my head out ofmy sleeping hut. And there they were: Garth and A. J., Heidi, Sayeh and Gail!
At the beginning of the school year, they used to stop by and say hello to Og and me. But as the year went on, I saw them less and less.
They all leaned down and smiled at me.
‘Come on out, Humphrey,’ Speak-Up-Sayeh said softly.
I raced out of my hut. ‘HI-HI-HI, old friends!’ I squeaked loudly.
Gail wasn’t the only one who giggled.
‘I remember when Ms Mac first adopted Humphrey and brought him to Room Twenty-six,’ Garth said.
Now I understood. I was adopted by nice people, just like Thomas!
‘I remember when Mrs Brisbane came back,’ Heidi said.
I remembered that really
‘I guess so,’ Thomas said. ‘If we can’t do the tightrope walking.’
‘We could have a hamster toss,’ Nicole suggested.
Just-Joey raised his hand. ‘I liked the idea of a hamster obstacle course.’
Most of my friends nodded in agreement.
‘I liked the idea of the leapfrog game,’ Sophie said. ‘And of the adults competing against their kids.’
Most of my friends nodded in agreement.
‘BOING-BOING!’ Og said.
‘Very well,’ Mrs Brisbane said. ‘Simon’smother has kindly offered to head up a parents’ group to build what we need.’
‘She’s a really good artist,’ Simon said, and Mrs Brisbane nodded.
‘I’m sending a note home to your parents explaining the whole thing,’ she said. ‘Oh, and if your dad would like to juggle for us, Sophie, that would be wonderful. But no knives. I think Mrs Wright would faint.’
Sophie looked as proud as Simon did.
‘May I be the ringmistress?’ Rolling-Rosie asked.
‘Oh, I want to be a ringmaster, too!’ Felipe said.
‘I’ll tell you what,’ Mrs Brisbane said. ‘I’ll make up a list of jobs and then we’ll draw names for them. It’s a long evening, so we’ll need several ringmasters and other helpers.’
But will there be a job for Og and me?
Friday morning, Hurry-Up-Harry came into the room complaining. ‘It’s been raining cats and dogs for two days!’
‘Eeek!’ I squeaked, and glanced out thewindow. I didn’t see any cats and dogs, thank goodness.
Mrs Brisbane reminded him that rain in the springtime is very good for green and growing things. ‘You know the saying: “April showers bring May flowers”.’
Harry groaned. ‘The way it’s raining, those flowers are going to drown.’
It was still raining when Simon’s mum came to pick us up.
I hadn’t gone home with Slow-Down-Simon before, but I had been to his house. His older sister, Stop-Giggling-Gail, had been in last year’s class.
‘Slow down,’ Mrs Morgenstern said as her son rushed out of Room 26 with my cage. ‘Poor Humphrey will think he’s on a roller coaster.’
I’ve never been on a roller coaster, but it can’t be much worse than sliding around my cage like that!
Simon slowed down, but my tummy was still a bit queasy and uneasy.
Gail met us at the car. ‘Hi, Humphrey!’ she said. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you!’
‘I miss you and your classmates, too!’ I squeaked.
On the way home, Mrs Morgenstern explained that she had started on the signs for our booth. She said some of the other students and their parents were coming over to help out.
‘But it’s raining ,’ Simon groaned.
Gail giggled. ‘They’re working out on the back veranda. It has a roof. Besides, it’s not going to rain forever.’
It was still raining on Saturday, but lots of people showed up to help. Of course, they were on the back veranda and I was in Simon’s room. I was still unsqueakably curious about what everyone was doing.
I dozed off after a while and was dreaming about my friends from Mrs Brisbane’s previous class. The dream was so clear, I could almost hear A. J.’s booming voice say, ‘Hi, Humphrey Dumpty!’ That was my first nickname, before the Humster.
I heard Gail giggling. Maybe this wasn’t a dream after all.
I opened my eyes and poked my head out ofmy sleeping hut. And there they were: Garth and A. J., Heidi, Sayeh and Gail!
At the beginning of the school year, they used to stop by and say hello to Og and me. But as the year went on, I saw them less and less.
They all leaned down and smiled at me.
‘Come on out, Humphrey,’ Speak-Up-Sayeh said softly.
I raced out of my hut. ‘HI-HI-HI, old friends!’ I squeaked loudly.
Gail wasn’t the only one who giggled.
‘I remember when Ms Mac first adopted Humphrey and brought him to Room Twenty-six,’ Garth said.
Now I understood. I was adopted by nice people, just like Thomas!
‘I remember when Mrs Brisbane came back,’ Heidi said.
I remembered that really
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