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  THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY

  Miss Lois got mad at me for talking when I was trying to tell Sammy about the things Mimi and I had made for the fair.

  Miss Lois got mad at me for talking when I was telling Marta she should come to the fair.

  Miss Lois got mad at me for talking when I was asking Mimi if she thought we needed more signs for our table at the fair.

  Miss Lois said I was not allowed to talk about the fair anymore until after school.

  WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE GOT TO THE FAIR

  Robert’s school was super busy, with people rushing around everywhere. Even though I’d been there before, I was glad that Mimi’s mom was leading the way. The first thing she did was help us find our table. It was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. Mimi and I were worried about that, but Mimi’s mom said if we spread our stuff out, she was sure we’d be able to fill it up.

  WHAT IS NOT EASY TO DECIDE

  If we should put the Marie things all together in one place or if we should spread them out all over the table. We tried both, but I just couldn’t decide.

  WHY HAVING THE MARIE THINGS IN ONE PLACE IS GOOD

  The person who is standing and looking at them likes the same things that Marie does.

  WHY SPREADING THE MARIE THINGS OUT IS GOOD

  It will keep the person at the table longer because they will have to find all the things they like.

  I finally picked the spreading-it-out idea.

  When we were all done with setting up our table, we were both really happy with it. Mimi’s mom took some pictures of us standing behind it so we could remember it forever. It was pretty exciting.

  WHAT WAS EVEN MORE EXCITING

  Having someone come by and actually buy two of our things. And it was perfect, because the lady bought something Mimi had made and something I had made. Mimi and I were putting all the money from the sale together, so it didn’t matter how much we each sold, but still it was nice for both of us to be selling things. It meant that at the end of the fair I was not going to be sad or disappointed.

  WHAT I WILL NOT SAY

  WHAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING MOMENT

  Seeing Marie walking toward us. She looked different without her crossing guard outfit on—less easy to recognize. Of course, she loved everything on the table. She said, “It almost looks like these things were made for me.” I didn’t tell her that she was right. Instead, I just smiled. Marie spent a long time looking at everything, and that was just perfect. All we needed to do was to keep her at the table until other people came by to look too.

  HOW THE PLAN WORKS

  WHAT WAS NOT WORKING

  My plan. There were lots of people coming to the table, but not any of them were talking to Marie. They were only talking to us. While Marie stood looking over our stuff, we sold six things, and two of them were even part of the Marie project! But not one single person talked to her.

  WHAT WAS HORRIBLE NEWS

  Marie saying she was going to have to leave in a few minutes. This was a disaster! We couldn’t let her go. We had to make her stay. Suddenly I knew how to do it.

  I grabbed Mimi’s hand and pulled her across the room with me before she could complain.

  WHO WAS MAD

  Mimi.

  The whole time Mimi was complaining, I was watching our table. Suddenly I grabbed Mimi’s arm and pointed. She stopped talking. Now I was glad we weren’t at the table, because standing there in front of Marie was Miss Lois. Miss Lois was not someone I wanted to see if I didn’t have to, especially after today. What was she even doing here? Mimi felt the same as me, because she changed her mind about being away from the table. She said, “Okay, you win. We’ll stay here for a while, but as soon as Miss Lois leaves, we’re going back.”

  WHO DID NOT LEAVE

  Miss Lois! She was totally ruining my plan. Marie wasn’t talking to anyone but her. There were other people standing at our table, and some even bought stuff, but none of that made Miss Lois leave. My feelings for Miss Lois were not good ones.

  WHAT WAS A SURPRISE

  Miss Lois bought three things from our table. Mimi and I couldn’t believe it. “Maybe we should go back,” said Mimi. It was not what I wanted to hear, but she was right. We couldn’t spend the whole fair hiding and pretending to go to the bathroom.

  WHAT FEELS BAD

  Knowing that your plan is a 100 percent failure, especially if it took a lot of work—and mine did! Mimi and I walked back to the table. I tried to look happy to see Miss Lois, but it wasn’t easy. My outside face and my inside feelings did not match up. Miss Lois did not have the same problem as me—she was 100 percent happy.

  WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO

  Stay mad at someone when they are being super nice to you, especially if they use words like talented and amazing. Marie seemed happy too. It was good that she didn’t know about my plan, or she would have been like me, disappointed on the inside. I didn’t want to give up on the plan. I wanted Marie to stay longer, but she looked at her watch and said, “I’ve got to get the bus back home. I know it’s silly, but my favorite show is on—Birds of the Wild.” And then suddenly she and Miss Lois were talking again.

  Mimi was too busy helping other people to pay attention to what was happening, but I was. I just stood there staring. I couldn’t believe it. My plan was working, and it was happening right in front of me. Marie was making a friend.

  After Marie and Miss Lois left, the rest of the fair was kind of a blur.

  Grace F. and Grace L. came by, and they each bought one thing.

  Sammy came by, and he didn’t buy anything.

  Mom came by and took lots of pictures.

  Two other teachers from school came by.

  Augustine Dupre and Luke bought four things, plus they brought us a snack—chocolate chip cookies! Augustine Dupre is the best!

  Everything seemed like it was happening super fast, and before we even knew it, the fair was over.

  HOW YOU CAN TELL IF YOU HAVE HAD A SUCCESSFUL FAIR

  You only have five things left on your table. Mimi’s mom couldn’t believe it. When all the money was counted up she said, “You made eighty-eight dollars and fifty cents!” That was the best news ever! We had to give half to Robert’s school, but still that meant we had forty-four dollars and twenty-five cents for us.

  I offered to give Mom some money to pay for the supplies she’d bought me, but she said, “No, thank you.” So instead of money I gave her a big thank-you hug.

  Things hadn’t turned out exactly like I was expecting them to, but that kind of thing happens a lot in real life. Mostly I was lucky that the turning out was pretty close to what I wanted. When you can smile while you are thinking about something, that is a good sign. It was a surprise to me and something that I never could have guessed, but thinking about Miss Lois and Marie being friends made me smile.

  THE BEST NEWS EVER

  COZY KANGAROOS

  The carnival wasn’t going to be happening for a few months. That part was not good news, especially because I don’t like waiting, but some things are worth waiting for—especially if you really, really want them. Mimi and I had three new words for flashing our lights: We’re coming, twinsies!

  Visit www.hmhco.com to find all of the books in the Just Grace series.

  About the Author

  CHARISE MERICLE HARPER is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the Just Grace series. In a starred review, Booklist called Just Grace “Hilarious,” and said, “The kids come alive in the story, and Harper enhances the comical goings-on with sparkling cartoon sketches. Give this to . . . anyone looking for a funny book.” Charise lives in Westchester County, New York. Visit her website at www.chariseharper.com and visit Just Grace’s website at www.justgracebooks.com, where you’ll find all sorts of fun things, including videos, quizzes, and information about all the Just Grace books.

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