Blue Skies, French Fries Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 1988 by Judy Delton. Illustrations copyright © 1988 by Alan Tiegreen.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Originally published by Yearling, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., New York, in 1988. This edition published by arrangement with Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Delton, Judy.

  Blue skies, french fries / Judy Delton; illustrated by Alan Tiegreen.

  p. cm. — (Pee Wee Scouts)

  SUMMARY: The Pee Wee Scouts learn the importance of team spirit and sportsmanship when they play a soccer match for charity.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-77886-4

  [1. Scouts and scouting—Fiction. 2. Soccer—Fiction. 3. Sportsmanship— Fiction.] I. Tiegreen, Alan, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.D388Bl 2007 [Fic]—dc22 2007001630

  v3.1

  For Lori Mack, super editor

  and my favorite fan

  —J.D.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  1 Second Grade

  2 A Double Surprise

  3 One-legged Race

  4 Soccer Fever

  5 Cheese Louise

  6 Team Spirit

  7 An Indian Summer Day

  8 The Blue Pee Wees

  9 Sonny Scores

  10 Break That Tie!

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Second Grade

  it was the last day in August. The last day of summer vacation.

  “Rat’s knees!” said Molly Duff. “School starts tomorrow.”

  “But the next day,” said Mary Beth Kelly, “we have our Pee Wee Scout meeting.”

  That cheered Molly. She loved Pee Wee Scouts. But she didn’t love school.

  This year, when school opened, they would be in second grade.

  Second grade sounded like a lot of work. Even homework. A new teacher and new books.

  Many of the Pee Wees were seven years old already.

  “We better play fast,” said Mary Beth.

  But Molly and Mary Beth didn’t feel like playing.

  “I have to get my stuff ready for school,” said Molly.

  “I’ve got a new Star Wars lunch box,” said Mary Beth.

  “I’ve got a folder to hold my papers,” said Molly.

  Molly had wanted a folder for a long time. Ever since kindergarten. Now she would have enough papers to use one.

  In second grade you used lots of paper.

  Piles of paper!

  “See you tomorrow,” said Mary Beth, going down the street to her own house.

  Molly waved.

  The next morning, Molly’s mother had her clothes laid out for school. Her new plaid skirt. A new white blouse. Even a new hair ribbon.

  Vacation was over.

  The first day went fast. Even though Molly grumbled about it.

  There were some new students in her room. And sharp new pencils and clean, shiny desks. Everything was new except the smell. Molly made a face.

  That school smell was the same as in first grade.

  The next day, Molly watched the clock move toward Pee Wee Scout time.

  Three o’clock.

  Then she could dash out the door with the other Scouts to Mrs. Peters’s house. Mrs. Peters was their leader.

  As soon as the little hand got to three, Molly jumped out of her seat. She ran out the door.

  “Molly!” called Mrs. Harris. “The bell has not rung yet.”

  Rats, thought Molly. What was the matter with that bell? The clock said three o’clock.

  “Now sit down and be patient, dear,” said her new teacher. “In second grade we are grown up, aren’t we?”

  No, said Molly to herself. I am still six. I’m not grown up.

  “Now we will all just sit here until we are grown up,” said Mrs. Harris.

  That could take forever, thought Molly. Eighteen years!

  The bell rang. Mrs. Harris held up her hand. It meant “stay.” It was what Mrs. Peters said to Lucky when she wanted him to stay! Lucky was their troop mascot.

  The whole class glared at Molly. This was her fault they were staying after school.

  That they had to wait.

  That some of them would be late for Scouts.

  Everyone else in the school was leaving. Molly could hear them outside. Shouting and calling to each other. Getting on buses.

  But the second grade sat still.

  The big hand of the clock moved past twelve, on its way to one.

  “Dummy!” whispered Rachel Myers to Molly. “It’s all your fault.”

  Just when the Pee Wees could sit still no longer, Mrs. Harris said, “Class dismissed.”

  The Pee Wee Scouts walked quietly to the door. But when they got there, they ran!

  All the way to Mrs. Peters’s house!

  A Double Surprise

  Mr. Peters was waiting. The Scouts tumbled in her front door. They had on their Pee Wee Scout kerchiefs that said Troop 23.

  Molly looked to see if Mrs. Peters was getting fat. She was supposed to get fat because she was going to have a baby.

  Molly knew that.

  Most of the Pee Wees knew that. Except maybe Sonny Betz. He was a mama’s boy. He probably doesn’t know where babies come from, thought Molly.

  “Maybe Mrs. Peters will have her baby on Labor Day,” whispered Lisa Ronning to Molly.

  Molly had thought the same thing. Mrs. Peters did look fatter.

  But not fat enough to have a whole baby.

  “Naw,” whispered Molly. “Labor Day is next week. She can’t have her baby next week.”

  The Scouts held hands and said their Pee Wee Scout pledge. Then they told about the good deeds they had done that week. And about the people they had helped.

  “I helped my dad clean the refrigerator,” boasted Tracy Barnes.

  “I took my baby sister for a long walk,” said Lisa. “So my mom could take a nap.”

  “Helping others begins at home,” said Mrs. Peters. “It’s good to help your family.”

  Molly couldn’t remember a single good deed she had done.

  Pretty soon everyone had told a good deed but her.

  “Molly?” said Mrs. Peters. “Would you like to share something you did to help?”

  Molly thought fast.

  She had tried to help an old lady cross the street. But the lady did not want any help. She had said, “I can do it myself.”

  Then Molly had gone to the store for her aunt, but she got the wrong brand of peanut butter. Her mother told her to take it back. That was not much help.

  “I didn’t do anything,” Molly admitted.

  Mrs. Peters thought a minute. “I know something you did,” she said. “You took Lucky for a walk.”

  Lucky barked. Then he licked Molly’s face. Molly smiled. She had forgotten that.

  The Scouts clapped for Molly.

  Suddenly there was a knock on
the door. The Pee Wees wondered who it could be. All of the Scouts were already there.

  Mrs. Peters went to the door. “Come in,” she said.

  Two children and their mother walked in.

  “Boys and girls, this is Mrs. Baker. Patty and Kenny are going to join our troop today,” said Mrs. Peters.

  New Scouts! They looked bashful. Molly knew how they felt. It was awful to be new.

  “Patty and Kenny are twins,” said Mrs. Peters. “They are new to our city and we will all try to make them feel welcome.”

  Twins! Molly didn’t know any twins.

  Mrs. Peters gave them Scout kerchiefs. Rachel ran up and helped them tie the kerchiefs around their necks.

  Rats, why didn’t I think of that? thought Molly.

  The twins looked alike. They both had short brown hair. They had on matching shirts.

  Mrs. Baker left, and Rachel showed the twins where to sit. Right beside her.

  “Our new members are one of my surprises today,” said Mrs. Peters. “My next surprise is our Pee Wee weenie roast next Saturday. I have talked to your moms and dads and they are all making something good to eat. We’ll have a big bonfire and roast weenies and marshmallows and Indian corn,” she said.

  “What’s Indian corn?” asked Rachel. “My dad doesn’t like me to eat foreign food.”

  The Scouts snickered.

  “It will be a surprise,” said Mrs. Peters. “But it won’t hurt you to eat it.”

  “My mom is bringing a great big cake,” said Sonny proudly. “I knew about the weenie roast already.”

  “I did too,” said Kevin. “My mom is making a Jell-O salad.”

  “Can we play games at the weenie roast?” asked Tim.

  “There is a game we are all going to play,” said Mrs. Peters mysteriously. “You will find out about it on Saturday.”

  The Scouts ate cookies and drank milk in Mrs. Peters’s kitchen. They tried to guess what the game was. But all Mrs. Peters said was “Wait and see.”

  Everyone wanted to talk to the twins, but Rachel and Tracy wouldn’t let anyone else near them.

  “Bossy,” said Lisa.

  At the end of the meeting, the Scouts all joined hands. They sang the Pee Wee Scout song and said the Pee Wee Scout pledge.

  Rachel grabbed Kenny’s hand and Tracy grabbed Patty’s.

  Rat’s knees! thought Molly. She wanted to know the twins too. Rachel and Tracy always had to be first at everything.

  One-legged Race

  “Do twins really like the same food?” Lisa asked Patty on the way home.

  “My cousin knows twins and they can both sing real good,” said Tim to Kenny.

  “My aunt knows some twins and nobody can tell them apart, not even their own mother,” boasted Roger. “Once the wrong one got penicillin pills.”

  Molly was glad that Rachel and Tracy got a ride home so the other Pee Wees could walk with Patty and Kenny.

  “I don’t know any twins,” she confided to Patty.

  “Now you do,” said Patty shyly.

  That made Molly feel good all over. This new girl was nice. Molly hoped she would be her friend.

  “We’re not identical,” said Kenny. “Twins that like the same food and stuff are identical.”

  The Pee Wees had to think about that. Twin talk was brand-new to all of them. No twins had ever been in Troop 23 before.

  “You’ll like Pee Wees,” said Molly. “And Saturday is our big Pee Wee weenie roast.”

  On Saturday Molly ran to the window as soon as she woke up. The sun was shining. The sky was bright blue.

  September could be a funny month, her mother said. It could be sunny, or it could even snow.

  Some of the maple leaves were just changing color and the sun made them bright red. The air felt chilly, and Molly got goose bumps when she opened her window.

  I can wear my new sweater to the weenie roast, she thought.

  The Pee Wees couldn’t think of anything else all morning except the picnic. What game were they going to play? Would there be prizes? The Pee Wees’ phones were ringing off the hook. They called each other up.

  All of them wanted to leave earlier than eleven o’clock.

  At last the car was loaded and Molly’s dad started for Jefferson Park. Molly bounced up and down in the backseat.

  Rachel got to the park at the same time Molly did. Her father drove her in a big blue Cadillac.

  Rat’s knees! thought Molly. Rachel will probably have a new sweater for the picnic too.

  “Look,” said Rachel, getting out of her car and standing like a model in the parking lot. “These are designer sweat pants. They are for runners.”

  Molly looked at the stripes on the sweat pants. She looked at the matching top.

  A hex on Rachel! She always had to have something better than anyone else.

  The Pee Wees’ bright red scarves looked pretty in the sun. Molly felt good wearing one of them.

  The twins had matching jeans. Lisa had overalls. Sonny had on a matching knit outfit that looked funny for a boy, Molly thought. The other boys were already laughing at him. The mothers were frowning at the laughing boys.

  “Don’t tease Sonny,” Kevin’s mother said.

  He’s a mama’s boy, Molly thought. Easy to tease.

  Molly tried to see if Mrs. Peters had a maternity outfit on. She couldn’t tell. It was just a loose blouse.

  The dads were busy lighting the charcoal grills.

  Mrs. Peters was passing out gunnysacks for the one-legged race. “First we’ll race,” she said. “Then everyone will have a good appetite.”

  Mr. Peters was there too. “This will be fun,” he said.

  “Yuck,” said Rachel. “I don’t want to put my legs into that dirty gunnysack. I’ll ruin my pants.”

  Molly chuckled to herself. Now Rachel’s designer pants would be all covered up with a sack during the race.

  “Line up on this line!” shouted Mr. Peters.

  All the Pee Wees lined up in their sacks. Lucky lined up too.

  “Lucky needs a sack,” called Roger. “Four legs aren’t fair.”

  Fair or not, Lucky did not want a sack over his legs. “Yip! Yip!” He barked his high puppy bark.

  “Get ready … get set …,” called Mrs. Peters. “GO!”

  The Pee Wees jumped like kangaroos.

  They hopped like rabbits.

  They even rolled.

  Lisa’s sack came off and tripped her.

  Molly’s sack scratched her skin. It felt awful.

  Some grain was still in Tracy’s sack, and it made her sneeze. Her nose ran so much, she had to quit the race.

  The rest of the Pee Wees neared the finish line.

  Molly was in the lead.

  Patty was coming up second.

  Kenny and Mary Beth jumped close behind.

  Molly pretended she was tired and slowed down. She wanted Patty to win so that she would like the Pee Wees. But when Molly slowed down, Patty kept hopping. Right into Molly!

  Smack! Bang! Crash!

  Down they went! Patty fell on top of Molly. Then Mary Beth and Kenny moved up.

  Someone else went over the finish line.

  It was Mary Beth!

  Molly had let Mary Beth win instead of Patty.

  “Rat’s knees!” shouted Molly, getting to her feet. “That’s the last time I let someone else win. It should have been me!”

  Soccer Fever

  The mothers came running over to see if Molly and Patty were okay. Mrs. Peters brushed them off.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Did you trip over something?”

  “I tripped over Molly,” said Patty, giggling.

  Molly didn’t say anything. She could have won the race by herself. Rats!

  Everyone ran over to Mary Beth and congratulated her. They all shook her hand. She was Molly’s friend. It was okay that she won by accident.

  But Molly wanted to scream, It was really me! I was the real winn
er!

  “Why did you stop before you got to the finish line?” demanded Rachel. “I saw you. You just stopped, plunk. At the end.”

  “I got tired,” said Molly.

  Rachel was too nosy. And too smart. Molly thought no one saw her let someone else win.

  “That was sure dumb,” said Rachel. “Like you wanted to let someone else win.”

  A hex on Rachel.

  Molly frowned.

  Hex, hex, hex.

  Tim collected the sacks. Parents bustled around, putting paper plates on the picnic tables. Something on the grill smelled good.

  “Yum,” said Rachel, rubbing her stomach.

  “Now,” said Mrs. Peters. “I will show you how to make Indian corn.”

  She pointed to a basket of fresh corn.

  It was still in the husk.

  On the cob.

  “I know how to husk corn,” said Kevin.

  “Indians did not husk their corn,” said Mrs. Peters. “We will just tie the ends together with a wire, and put it right into the fire to roast.”

  “It will burn,” said Rachel.

  “You’ll see,” said Mrs. Peters wisely.

  She showed the Scouts how to tie the ends of the leaves together. Then she let them each put their own cob onto the gray coals.

  “We just let it roast now,” she said.

  “We’ll be Indian Scouts,” said Roger, doing a dance. Kevin beat on an imaginary tom-tom.

  The other Scouts joined him. “Boom, boom, boom.”

  Soon they would be eating real Indian food. Molly wondered what it was like to be an Indian girl long ago.

  While the corn roasted, Mrs. Peters told them about the Indians. She read them a story about a brave Indian boy named White Fish. The parents listened too.

  Then she closed the book and said, “Now for the big news.”

  The Pee Wees gathered around Mrs. Peters.

  This must be the surprise, thought Molly. It must be about the game they were going to play.

  “The big news,” said Mrs. Peters, “is that soon we are going to play soccer against another Pee Wee Scout troop. We are going to play Troop 15 from Oakdale.”

  Oakdale was a suburb.

  “My cousin lives in Oakdale,” said Tim.