Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin Page 3
“That’s me!” I cried. “I’m Roscoe Riley!”
“Roscoe, come on up here, my friend, and take a bow,” said Dan.
I ran up to Dan. Then I bowed and waved to the crowd.
Dan shook my hand, and a lady from the local newspaper took a picture of me.
Mom and Dad and Max smiled and waved.
Hazel crept closer to the box.
She poked at the top of it.
“Hazel, no!” I whispered.
But it was too late.
The box popped open. No-name leaped out.
She gave a little meow. Then she took a big leap.
Right for my shoelace.
She grabbed my lace with her kitty claws.
I could feel the bad luck pouring over me.
I fell backward. Right into the pumpkin cart.
The giant pumpkin rocked back and forth.
“Mommy! Daddy! It’s the kitty!” Hazel yelled.
Slowly the pumpkin rolled off the cart.
It started down the hill. Just like a giant piece of fruit going for a nice stroll.
“Look out, folks!” Dan yelled. “Runaway pumpkin!” The giant pumpkin was escaping, and it was all my fault.
“Don’t worry, Dan!” I cried. “I’ll stop it!”
The pumpkin rolled a little faster. Then faster still.
Most people moved out of its way.
But some ran after the pumpkin with me.
Kids, mostly.
It’s not all that often you get to chase giant fruit.
I ran my fastest.
No-name ran beside me.
You could tell she thought chase-the-boy-chasing-the-pumpkin was a wonderful new game.
The pumpkin picked up steam, but so did I.
I was behind it!
I was chasing it!
I was ahead of it!
It was chasing ME!
I was almost to the bottom of the hill.
The statue of Thomas Toadswaddle stood just a few feet away.
I didn’t want to get between Thomas and 964 pounds of pumpkin.
So I did what any sensible kid would do.
I jumped out of the way.
No-name jumped too.
Right onto my head.
Which I believe is even worse luck than crossing your path.
The giant pumpkin smashed right into Thomas and his porcupine.
The pumpkin split right in two.
Pumpkin guts were everywhere.
Orange and slimy and full of seeds and pumpkin juice.
It smelled just like Halloween.
No-name jumped off my head.
She circled around me, purring happily.
That kitty crossed my path big-time.
The crowd was running toward us to see if we were okay.
I was. And so was No-name.
The pumpkin not so much.
12
Good-Bye from Time-Out
So that’s how I ended up here in time-out.
When Mom and Dad found out I had sort of exaggerated about No-name finding a home, they were not very happy.
They said I should have told them exactly what I’d overheard in the bookstore office.
Not kind of what I’d heard.
They also said black kitties are absolutely, positively NOT bad luck.
Mom and Dad made me promise to talk to them if I have any more superstitions.
And not to Uncle Ed.
They also made me promise not to chase any more runaway fruit.
Or vegetables.
The bookstore made good use of all the pumpkin guts.
I guess a pumpkin really is a fruit. Because that thing was full of seeds.
Dan roasted the seeds and gave them away to customers.
He made about a googol pumpkin pies too.
And guess what else?
No-name is our kitty now.
Except that she isn’t called No-name anymore.
Her name is Bitsy Boo now.
We haven’t had any bad luck since we brought her home.
I have to admit I like her swishing tail and her blinking eyes and her fluffy black kitten fur.
But you know what I like best of all?
Hear that sound?
Kind of like the world’s tiniest motorcycle?
Time-out goes a lot faster when someone’s purring in your lap.
10 USEFUL THINGS I LEARNED AT THE BOOKSTORE
by Me, Roscoe Riley
1. Do not ask the bookstore lady to come to your house and read you a bedtime story. She has other plans.
2. There will never be enough books about dinosaurs, pirates, or boogers.
3. First graders are not Young Adults.
4. Say “Store Manager.” Not “Boss of the Books.”
5. If You knock over the giant stack of Harry Potters, be sure to say sorry to the bookstore lady. Then she will say, “That’s okay, sweetheart.”
6. If you pop a pop-up book so much that it stops popping, be sure to say you’re extra sorry to the bookstore lady. Then she will say, “That’s okay.” She will also ask, “Who is keeping an eye on you, sweetheart?”
7. The bookstore manager cannot call your favorite author and ask why it is taking so long for her to write another book.
8. Do not climb the rolling ladder that goes to the tip-top bookshelf. Especially when you are holding a Junie B. Jones in one hand and a Captain Underpants in the other.
9. During story time, do not yell out the ending of a story. The other kids will not exactly appreciate it.
10. There is a rule called Do Not Write in the Book Unless You Are Pretty Sure Your Mom Is Going to Buy It.
Discover more
ROSCOE RILEY Rules!
Roscoe Riley Rules #1:
Never Glue Your Friends to chairs
If the kids can’t sit still for the class performance, Roscoe’s teacher could be in big trouble. Fortunately Roscoe has a plan to save her—a super-mega-gonzo plan! What could go wrong?
Roscoe Riley Rules #2:
Never Swipe a Bully’s Bear
When Roscoe’s stuffed pig goes missing, he is convinced that Wyatt, the class bully, is responsible. When Roscoe finds out where Wyatt keeps his teddy bear, he decides to give that old bully a taste of his own medicine. That will fix everything. Won’t it?
Roscoe Riley Rules #3:
Don’t Swap Your Sweater for a Dog
It seems like everyone has an award of some kind. Except Roscoe. But a pet-trick contest is coming up, and first prize is a big, shiny trophy. Roscoe really wants that trophy—would he even borrow someone else’s dog to win?
Roscoe Riley Roles #4:
Never Swim in Applesauce
Roscoe wants to be on his best behavior for a class trip to the apple orchard. But no matter how hard he tries, he still ends up in a very sticky situation!
Roscoe Riley Rules #5:
Don’t Tap Dance on Your Teacher
Tap shoes make the best noise ever! But tap-dancing? The big boys say that’s just for girls. Roscoe promised to tap in the school talent show. When the teasing starts, will he keep his word?
Roscoe Riley Rules #6:
Never Walk in Shoes That Talk
Roscoe’s friend Gus wants a pair of cool new shoes. But Gus’s parents won’t buy them until his old, boring ones are worn out—and that could take forever. Luckily if there’s one thing Roscoe is good at, it’s destroying things….
About the Author
Unlike Roscoe, Katherine Applegate has never raced any giant pumpkins. She did, however, try to grow some when she was a kid. She ended up with one puny pumpkin shaped like a Cheez Doodle. Katherine has two kids, one husband, and several pets, and lives in California, where she no longer attempts to raise oversized fruit.
You can visit Katherine Applegate online at www.katherineapplegate.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
The Roscoe Riley Rules books
by Katherine Applegate
Roscoe Riley Rules #1:
Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs
Roscoe Riley Rules #2:
Never Swipe a Bully’s Bear
Roscoe Riley Rules #3:
Don’t Swap Your Sweater for a Dog
Roscoe Riley Rules #4:
Never Swim in Applesauce
Roscoe Riley Rules #5:
Don’t Tap-Dance on Your Teacher
Roscoe Riley Rules #6:
Never Walk in Shoes that Talk
Credits
Jacket art © 2009 by Brian Biggs
Copyright
ROSCOE RILEY RULES #7: NEVER RACE A RUNAWAY PUMPKIN. Text copyright © 2009 by Katherine Applegate Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Brian Biggs. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition July 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-194820-6
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