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Authors: Nancy Krulik

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BOOK: Three Cheers for...Who?
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“Hosted by the whole fourth grade!” Ms. Sweet added.
The fourth grade didn't usually get to be in charge of an event for the whole school. This was a very big deal.
“You dudes are all going to have to work together to pull this off,” Mr. G. said. “You're going to have to make enough pom-poms for everyone in the school. And you'll have to write a school cheer which you will teach the whole school.”
“And since you'll be working so hard, there won't be any time for cheering in the halls or in the cafeteria or on the playground,” Ms. Sweet said. She smiled at Sam. “Or outside the bathrooms.”
“From now on, the only cheering coming from the fourth grade will be at next week's pep rally,” Mr. G. said. “Got it?”
“Got it,” the kids all answered at once.
“And are you ready to show some real school spirit?” Mr. G. asked.
“YEAH!” the fourth-graders shouted.
Katie smiled. That was the first thing the fourth-graders had agreed on in a long time.
“I can't believe your sister got the high school to lend us their mascot costume for our pep rally,” Katie said as she, Emma W., Suzanne, Jeremy, Becky, Miriam, Kadeem, and Kevin all sat together at a table making pom-poms out of trash bags on Friday afternoon.
“They were so happy you gave them the idea of turning their pyramid into a
V
for victory that they were glad to help us,” Emma W. said. “And it's usually a shorter kid who wears the mascot suit, so one of us should be able to wear it with no problem.”
“I think you should wear it,” Katie told Emma W. “After all, you're the one with the sister who's a cheerleader.”
“No,
you
should wear it,” Emma W. told Katie. “You were the one who straightened everything out for Lacey.”
“I can settle this,” Suzanne told the girls. “
I'll
wear the mascot costume.”
“You?” Becky asked. “Why you?”
“Because I started cheerleading at Cherrydale Elementary,” she said.
“Actually, I think Emma W. and Katie started it,” Miriam said.
“The pom-pom squad was my idea,” Suzanne said. “It was such a great idea, now the whole school is having a pep rally. Don't you think I should be rewarded?”
Katie sighed.
Great
wasn't exactly the word she'd use to describe the idea for the 4B pom-pom squad. Annoying, maybe. But not great.
“Suzanne, I don't think you're going to like the costume,” Emma W. said slowly.
“Emma W.'s right,” Katie added. “It's not really your style.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes. “Nice try,” she said. “But you two are not going to be able to talk me out of this one. I'm wearing the mascot costume, and that's that.”
Chapter 12
“A
squid
?” Suzanne's voice scaled up nervously as she took the costume out of its box. It was Monday morning, right before the pep rally. “They're the Cherrydale High School
Squids
?”
Katie and Emma W. nodded. “Yep.” They were all in the girls' bathroom.
Suzanne looked at the costume. She fingered each of the fuzzy tentacles, and stared at the bulging squid eyes.
“That mascot was a big hit at the state competition,” Emma W. assured Suzanne. “Everyone thought it was really funny.”
Suzanne made a face.
Katie understood why Suzanne didn't seem thrilled. Funny was never the look Suzanne was going for. On the other hand, Katie also knew Suzanne would never give someone else the chance to wear the costume. Not after she'd made such a big fuss about it.
“Well, the tentacles are a nice shade of red, anyway,” Suzanne said. “I guess I could wear it.”
“How did Lacey's squad do?” Katie asked.
“They came in second,” Emma W. told her. “That's the highest they've ever placed. And the pyramid routine was a real hit.”
Katie smiled proudly. Now she just hoped that her idea for an all-school pep rally would be a hit, too.
Mandy and Miriam walked into the girls' bathroom.
“We just finished giving out the pom-poms,” Mandy told them. “Suzanne, you have to hurry up. We need to get started.”
“Why?” Emma W. asked her.
“A few of the second-graders are trying to use their pom-poms as swords,” Miriam explained. “Principal Kane is worried someone's going to poke an eye out.”
“That would be awful,” Katie said.
“You're telling me,” Suzanne said. “Those kids need both eyes to really appreciate me in this costume.”
Katie sighed. Somehow Suzanne always managed to focus the attention on herself.
Katie hurried and zipped Suzanne into her squid costume. Then the girls helped lead her out into the gym.
As soon as the kids saw Suzanne they all began to laugh. “What is that octopus doing here?” Katie heard some first-grader ask.
Suzanne stopped in her tracks. For a minute, Katie thought she was going to run out of the gym. But Suzanne didn't run. Instead, she turned to the first-grader and said, “I'm not an octopus. Don't you know a squid when you see one?”
Katie gulped. That was kind of harsh. How was a first-grader supposed to know the difference between an octopus and a squid?
The first-grader looked upset. No way was Suzanne going to ruin this pep rally. Quickly, Katie leaped up and raced to Suzanne's side.
“That's right, this is the Cherrydale squid!” Katie cheered. “He's the high school's mascot, and now he's our mascot, too. Let's hear it: Squids rule! Squids rule!”
A moment later, the whole school was shouting along with Katie. “Squids rule! Squids rule!”
Phew.
That had been close. And then, suddenly, Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck
.
Oh no! Had the magic wind returned? Katie didn't want to switcheroo into anybody else. Not now. Not in front of everyone in the whole school. Not when she was having so much fun.
For a minute, Katie thought she was going to burst into tears. But then she turned around. Whew! So many of the first-graders were waving their pom-poms that they had made a breeze. Emma W.'s hair was blowing a little.
Hooray! Katie was going to stay Katie! At least for now.
She was so happy, she felt like cheering.
And that was just what she did. Katie cheered along with the rest of the fourth grade—because no one in the whole school had more school spirit than Katie Kazoo!
“Who's got spirit? We've got spirit. Stand on up and let us hear it! Go Cherrydale! We are cool and we are great! We're the best, we really rate! Listen up 'cause we're not fools. When it comes to schools, Cherrydale rules! GO CHERRYDALE ELEMENTARY!”
About the Author
Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 150 books for children and young adults, including three
New York Times
best sellers. She lives in New York City with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, and their children, Amanda and Ian. When she's not busy writing the Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo series, Nancy loves swimming, reading, and going to the movies.
About the Illustrators
John & Wendy have illustrated all of the Katie Kazoo books, but when they're not busy drawing Katie and her friends, they like to paint, take photographs, travel, and play music in their rock 'n' roll band. They live and work in Brooklyn, New York.
BOOK: Three Cheers for...Who?
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