It's the first day back to school after winter vacation, and Richard Best is off to a bad start. Who ever heard of a January without any snow? And as usual, he has already forgotten something - the ruler Ms. Rooney told him to bring for dinosaur day. Luckily, Richard finds a ruler in his desk - with a dinosaur's initials - and he's sure the ruler is special. And then he finds out it has magic p…
Summertime. It's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. Richard Beast" Best and Matthew Jackson can't wait to dive into Emily Arrow's cool blue pool. But when they get there, Mrs. Arrow tells them that Emily has gone off to summer school.rnSummer school! How could they forget? That's exactly where they should be right now. Sitting in class, Beast still thinks summertime is the best time, and…
It's almost Thanksgiving, and Richard Best can't stop thingking about Ms. Rooney's Candy Corn Contest. Whoever can guess the exact number of yellow-and-orange candies in the jar on Ms. Rooney's desk gets to keep them all. The only problem is that Richard has to read a page in a library book for each guess.rnSmelly Matthew, who sits in front of Richard, knows neither of them will win. We're the …
R-O-A-R! The March wind sounds like a gigantic lion.rnRichard Beast" Best thinks March is the worst month of the whole year. Mr. Mancina, the principal, has reminded him that it's almost time for report cards. If Beast doesn't get good grades, he might be left back again.rnEveryone in Ms. Rooney's class is busy writing about real people. But writing is Richard's worst subject. It's especially h…
Hurray, it's June! The last month of school.rnEmily Arrow and the other children in Ms. Rooney's room are excited about the class picnic at the park. Mrs. Stewart, the student teacher, is even going to take class pictures. But Emily's worried. She wants a best friend. It seems everyone has a best friend expcept her.rnAt the picnic, Emily feels so lonely, she wanders off into the woods with Uni,…
December is a time for gift giving. This month everyone in Ms. Rooney's room has chosen a special person to be kind to. All the kids are happy with their secret friends except Emily Arrow. Because she was the last one to pick, Emily is stuck with fat Jill Simon. Jill is the class crybaby, and Emily decides that she will make Jill happier - and thinner. At the same time, Emily's getting lots of …
April is invention month. We're going to make our own inventions," says Ms. Rooney, "and work together in groups."rnThough Emily Arrow knows it's important for each group to think, listen, and share, she still wishes she were in charge of her invention group. Linda Lorca, the bossy leader, can't get anyone to cooperate.rn"Snaggle doodles," Emily says. If her group doesn't come up with an idea s…
Fish for a good book.rnIt's August, and Emily has big plans at the library. She's going to read lots of books and tack a paper fish next to her name for each one. Then Dawn Bosco says she can read more books than Emily. Not only that, but both Emily and Dawn want to keep Pickle Puss, a stray cat they found. They decide that whoever reads more books can keep the cat.rnWhen Emily adds a fish for …