Keena Ford and the Secret Journal Mix-Up by Melissa Thomson Read Free Book Online

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
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    9:30 A.M.
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    I’m Keena Ford, and this is my notebook. This notebook belongs to ME ONLY. Right now it is writing time in my classroom, and most days during writing time I write in a beautiful journal. On the cover of my journal there are clouds and rainbows and a picture of President George Washington. But I don’t have my journal today, so I am just writing in this plain old notebook.
    The reason I don’t have my journal is because a very mean person has it and won’t give it back. And that person read my journal. And that person is Tiffany Harris, the meanest muffinhead in the whole second grade. Tiffany has been mean for a long time, but the problem of her taking my journal didn’t happen until yesterday afternoon.
    The problem happened right after I came home from school. I always walk home with Eric and Lamont. Eric is my very best friend, even though we are not in the same class. He is in the second-grade class that is all boys, and I am in the second-grade class that is all girls. And Lamont is a fifth grader. Back when Lamont was a kid, my older brother Brian would make sure he got home safely, so now Lamont has to make sure Eric and I get home safely. Sometimes Lamont used to just walk me to the door of my apartment, but now he ALWAYS has to wait for my mom to open the door before he can leave. The reason why Lamont has to wait is because one time when he left me at the door, I decided to visit my neighbor Mrs. Carlito before going into my apartment. Mrs. Carlito lives by herself, so I wanted to make sure she was not lonely. Also she has a LOT of cookies for someone who lives by herself. When I grow up and live by myself I will have lots of cookies and also some carrots because they help you see at night. Anyway, Mom got pretty mad at me for going to Mrs. Carlito’s instead of coming home, so now Lamont has to knock on the door and wait until Mom opens it before he can leave.
    Yesterday Lamont had only knocked on the door one time when it flew right open and Mom was already standing there. She had her coat and scarf on.
    â€œIs the heat broken?” I asked.

    â€œNo, I am going out,” Mom answered. She looked really mad, but I knew she couldn’t be mad at me, because I waited with Lamont like I was supposed to. Unless she was mad at me for something I did wrong then forgot about.
    â€œWho are you mad at?” Lamont asked her.
    â€œI’m not mad. Thank you for walking with Keena, Lamont,” she said to Lamont in a way that meant Lamont should probably go home now. He ran down the stairs.
    â€œWhere are we going?” I asked Mom.
    â€œI’m going to Brian’s school,” she answered. “And you are going to Tiffany’s.” She took my hand and started pulling me toward the stairs.
    â€œOh no I’m not,” I said, pulling back. “I will go to Eric’s.”
    â€œEric is going to a basketball game with his dad,” Mom reminded me.
    â€œThen I will go to Mrs. Carlito’s,” I explained to Mom.
    â€œMrs. Carlito is out,” Mom said, tugging me toward the stairs again.
    â€œThen I can sit in the car at the middle school,” I told her. “I will sit very quietly. I promise.”
    Mom stared at me without saying anything. I got the feeling that maybe she could be mad at whoever she was mad at already AND be mad at me at the same time. So I stopped tugging and started walking down the stairs with Mom. “Believe me, Keena,” Mom said, “I don’t like leaving you at the Harrises any more than you like it.”
    Before Mom knocked on Tiffany’s door, she whispered, “Keena, please do not give Sylvia Harris a single reason to say something bad about your behavior. If I get a good report from her, you will be able to watch thirty extra minutes of TV.”
    â€œHow many shows is that?” I whispered back.
    â€œIt’s one show,” Mom