Ivy and Bean_ Books 4,5,6 - Annie Barrows [22]
“Not yet,” said Katy. “I don’t care anyway.” There was a pause. “Are you going to be bad some more? That was better than House.”
“I’m sort of stuck here,” said Bean. “Unless—hey, Katy, will you push that rope up a little? The one on my knee.”
Katy pushed the rope up, and Bean felt the knot under her fingers. “This is not such a great knot,” she said.
Katy was looking at the kids in the mud. “I’m already dirty,” she said thoughtfully. “A little more won’t make any difference.” She ran down the lawn toward the puddle.
The knot was getting looser.
Suddenly Crummy Matt came running up to the tree. “Here,” he said to Ivy, pulling Blister out of his pocket. “You got a rat on your head.” He put Blister on the top of Ivy’s head. “If you move, he’ll chew your hair off.” Then he ran away, back to his hose.
“Yuck,” said Bean. Rats gave her the creeps.
Ivy felt Blister’s little feet scrabbling against her scalp. His stomach rested, fat and warm, on her hair. She could hear the squeaky sound of his breath inside her head. “Is he eating my hair?” she asked Bean.
Bean strained to see the top of Ivy’s head. “Hang on a sec,” she said. She pulled the rope until the free end slid out of the knot. All at once, the rope sagged. She had done it! “Ta-da!”
Now she could see. She stood on tiptoe and looked. Blister, dry and comfortable at last, stretched across Ivy’s head. “No. He’s sleeping,” said Bean. “I’ll get him off.” She reached up.
“No!” whispered Ivy. “Leave him there!”
“Really? You don’t mind?” asked Bean.
“No! Don’t you get it?” whispered Ivy. “He’s an animal, and he’s following me! Because I’m pure of heart!”
Bean stood on tiptoe again. Blister did look happy. So did Ivy. “How long are you going to let him stay there?” she asked.
“He can stay forever if he wants to,” said Ivy firmly. She stood very straight so Blister wouldn’t fall off.
Bean glanced at the mud puddle. Now Katy was stamping in it, too. “I’m going to stop being bad. I’m just going to be regular.”
“That’s okay,” said Ivy. “I’ve got Blister. You can be regular now.”
“Okay,” said Bean. She turned around and ran down the driveway toward the mud puddle. “YAH!” she screamed, jumping into the center.
Big drops of mud flew through the air, spattering over Dino, the Sophies, Liana, and Katy.
“Get her!” yelled Liana, but Bean darted away and grabbed the hose from Crummy Matt. Before he could blink, she had sprayed him in the face. Then she whirled around and around, water spurting in a circle. Nobody could get near her.
“You’ll never take me alive!” she yelled.
Crummy Matt jumped at her and slipped sideways down the grass. Liana was chasing Katy. Dino and Sophie S. were laughing so hard they were choking. Sophie W. was scooping big handfuls of mud and throwing them at Bean.
But up by the tree, Ivy and Blister rested peacefully, both pure of heart.
The First and Best
IVY AND BEAN QUIZ!
Come one, come all! Test your Ivy and Bean knowledge! Earn a star for every correct answer! And don’t worry—peeking at the answer key is fine!
1. What fruit does Bean smash into Leo’s hair?
(Hint: Ivy and Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go, BOOK 2)
a. bananas
b. spiders
c. plums
d. kumquats
2. What is the name of the dog that lives on Pancake Court?
(Hint: Ivy and Bean, BOOK 1)
a. Hester
b. Hippolyte
c. Bob
d. Fester
3. The world’s record for Number of Spoons on the Face is . . .
(Hint: Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record, BOOK 3)
a. 4
b. 15
c. 42
d. 12
4. Ivy and Bean study a marine reptile with a super-long neck. It’s called . . .
(Hint: Ivy and Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go, BOOK 2)
a. Elasmosaur
b. Giraffopod
c. Pteranodon
d. Crocoface
5. Bean’s favorite babysitter, Leona, can draw perfect . . .
(Hint: Ivy and Bean Take Care of the Babysitter, BOOK 4)
a. goldfish
b. horses
c. wands
d. herds of sheep
6. What is Bean’s middle name?
(Hint: Ivy and Bean, BOOK 1)
a. Blue
b. Lima
c. Solon
d. Alice
7. One of the three things that Ivy flushes down the toilet belonged to Zuzu. It is a . . .
(Hint: Ivy and