The Kid Who Ran For President by Dan Gutman Page A

so?”
    â€œOh yeah. I told you you’d make a great president, Moon. I just think you make a better kid.”
    â€œYou’re probably right,” I said. “Hey, Ab, I was wondering. Maybe you wanna come over tomorrow after school?”
    â€œAnd do what, Judd?”
    â€œOh, I don’t know. Play a game of Life maybe.”
    â€œSounds fabulous!”

Go back
    Nice try. That was pretty clever, going straight to the back of the book to see how the story turned out. But you don’t want to spoil the ending for yourself, do you? Now go back to the beginning and read the whole thing.
    There are no shortcuts in life.

 
    Learn what America’s youngest president does next in
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    The weatherman had predicted rain in the Washington, D.C., area for Inauguration Day, but as I mounted the podium on the west side of the Capitol Building, the clouds parted to reveal a beautiful, sunny but chilly January day.
    As I looked out across the National Mall, I was struck most of all by the people. Thousands and thousands had jammed the grassy area outside the Smithsonian museums that line both sides of the Mall. They spilled out onto Independence Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. The sea of faces stretched all the way to the Washington Monument off in the distance.
    Flags were every where. Enormous ones flying from every building and tiny ones in the hands of little children. Marching bands played enthusiastically. “Yankee Doodle.” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
    As I turned to look at the stands behind the podium, I spotted my mom and dad beaming at me and waving. I wasn’t sure how they were going to deal with me being president. All my life they had been in charge of me. Now I would be in charge of … everyone.
    My parents were standing next to Chelsea Daniels — dressed to kill, of course — and her parents.
    Mrs. Syers was sitting in her wheelchair behind me, her hands folded in her lap, looking very regal and proud. She had already been sworn in as vice president.
    Lane was up in the stands in a corner seat, with a smirk on his face. I wouldn’t have been able to get elected president of the student council at school without him, and he knew it.
    The rest of the bleachers were filled with dignitaries — senators, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, the outgoing president, and all the living ex-presidents.
    At precisely noon, the chief justice of the Supreme Court leaned into his microphone and asked, “Mr. Moon, are you prepared to take the oath of office as president of the United States?”
    â€œI am, sir.”
    The chief justice held up a Bible, the same one George Washington had used when he was sworn in as our country’s first president back in 1789. Shivers went up and down my spine as I raised my right hand and repeated those thirty-seven words that change history:
    â€œI, Judson Moon, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
    I wasn’t old enough to vote. I couldn’t legally drive a car. I couldn’t take a sip of my dad’s beer. But I was president of the United States. I felt like I had to be in the middle of a dream. It couldn’t really be happening.
    Only in America!
    A twenty-one-gun salute echoed off the buildings and a cheer went up from the crowd. Balloons rose into the air. Doves were released. The Marine Band played “Hail to the Chief.”
    The former president, who was now just an ordinary citizen, shook my hand. “Good luck, President Moon,” he said solemnly as he handed me a large brown briefcase. “This is for you. Take good care of it, young man.”
    Nobody had told me the president was going to give me a gift. Considering that I had beaten him in the election, it was very gracious of him. I