Junie B., First Grader_ Cheater Pants - Barbara Park [10]
Herbert did a wince at that word.
I patted him. “I know just how you feel, pally,” I said. “The word cheater makes you feel like a nasty, rotten ratty pants who can't even be trusted.”
Herb nodded. Then he smiled a little bit.
“You have a nice way with words,” he said.
I did a shrug. “Actually, Philip Johnny Bob came up with that one.”
After that, me and Herb rode the rest of the way to school without talking.
We both felt better, I think.
We told on ourselves at recess.
Me and Herbert.
Both of us.
Together.
We went to Room One after lunch. And we told Mr. Scary that we cheated on the spelling test.
Herb explained about how he heard me being upset during the test. And he didn't want me to get in trouble with Mother and Daddy again. So he showed me his answer so I would do good.
Then I explained about how that was a lovely gesture by Herbert. But after we did it, we both knew it was wrong. And so we will never, ever do that again. And we mean it.
Mr. Scary listened to us real careful.
Then he thanked us for our honesty. And he said he admired us very much for telling him what we did.
After that, he got out our test papers. And he wrote big zeros right at the top of them. On account of even if you get admired, you still get a zero, apparently.
Only that was not even the end of it.
Because that night—while I was eating dinner—Mr. Scary called my house. And he tattletaled to Mother right on the phone.
At first, Mother frowned a real, real lot.
Then me and her and Daddy talked about cheating all over again. And I got yelled at a little bit.
But later, when they tucked me into bed, they said they were proud of me and Herb for telling on ourselves. And all of us ended up hugging.
That night, Philip Johnny Bob and I slept very perfect.
Only here is the happiest news of all.
When me and Herb got to school the next day, Mr. Scary called us up to his desk. And he gave each of us a special poem that he wrote all by himself!
I tried to read mine, but I didn't know all the words. So Mr. Scary read it to me.
After he finished, I smiled real proud.
Then I read it one more time. To just myself.
BARBARA PARK is one of today's funniest authors. Her Junie B. Jones books are consistently on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Her middle-grade novels, which include Skinnybones, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Mick Harte Was Here, and The Graduation of Jake Moon, have won over forty children's book awards. Barbara holds a B.S. in education. She has two grown sons and lives with her husband, Richard, in Arizona.
DENISE BRUNKUS'S entertaining illustrations have appeared in over fifty books. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.
Text copyright © 2003 by Barbara Park.
Illustrations copyright © 2003 by Denise Brunkus.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Park, Barbara.
Junie B., first grader: cheater pants / by Barbara Park;
illustrated by Denise Brunkus. — 1st ed.
p. cm. “A Stepping Stone Book.”
SUMMARY: When her father will not let her stay up late to do her homework, first grader Junie B. copies a classmate's paper.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89445-9
[1. Cheating—Fiction. 2. Schools—Fiction. 3. Humorous stories.]
I. Brunkus, Denise, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.P2197Jsg 2003 [Fic]—dc21 2002153808
RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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