Jasper John Dooley, Star of the Week by Caroline Adderson, Ben Clanton Read Free Book Online

else said.
    â€œListen,” the Star said. “It’s a song.”
    And then they heard it, the music coming from Jasper, the sloshing of the water in his tummy. He was jumping so high now his heart was beating like a drum. His heart was playing, too.
    â€œI hear it! I hear it!” everybody shouted.
    And they all leapt up to play the song with Jasper. The song about being alive.

    On their way out of school at the end of the day, Jasper reminded Ori that they had a plan. Ori nodded. As soon as they met up with Mom outside, Jasper said, “Let’s go over to Ori’s. I want you to see the baby.”
    â€œWe want you to hear her,” Ori said.
    Mom said, “What about the Special Snack?” She got an idea. “I know. Why don’t we make extra and bring it over to Ori’s? I really do want to see the baby.”
    Ori went home to tell his mom visitors were coming. Jasper and Mom went home to make the Special Snack. There was a little bag sitting on the kitchen counter when they got in. “That’s a present for you, Jasper,” Mom said.
    Jasper reached in the bag and pulled out a cookie-cutter in the shape of a star. “Thank you!” he cried.
    Mom powdered the counter with flour. She let the Star roll out the sugar-cookie dough. Sugar cookies were Jasper’s favorite. He liked to lick the sugar sprinkles off the top after they were baked. Now he stood on a chair and drove over the dough with the rolling pin. “I’m flattening the hump,” he said.
    â€œHow did Your Talent go?” Mom asked.
    â€œIt was great. I’ll be the Star tomorrow for sure. But what if nobody can think of any Compliments to write to me?”
    â€œDid you write nice Compliments to the other Stars?”
    â€œYes,” Jasper said.
    â€œThen I’m sure they’ll have nice things to say to you.”
    Jasper wished then that he’d written even nicer Compliments. He wished he’d
said
some Compliments out loud to the other Stars. Mom passed him the cookie-cutter. Jasper said, “I love this cookie-cutter. Look at how well it’s cutting! What a great job it’s doing making stars!”
    â€œI’m glad you like it,” Mom said.
    â€œI love it!”
    Mom laughed.
    â€œI love you!” Jasper said.
    â€œOh, Jasper,” Mom said. “That’s so nice.”
    â€œI love Dad, too,” Jasper said. “And Earl.”
    Jasper thought of a really nice thing to do for his poor wooden brother Earl, who scared people and bit them and had to sleep on the floor. He climbed off the chair and went to the drawer where all the kitchen things were jumbled together. After digging around for a bit, he found another cookie-cutter. It was in the shape of a heart.
    â€œI’m going to make a special cookie for Earl,” Jasper said. “Because I love him so much.”
    Too bad Earl couldn’t write. Jasper would have got some really good Compliments for that!
    As soon as the cookies were baked, the Star of the Week decorated four of them for Ori’s family. In icing, he wrote the nicest thing he could think of ­— SHH! — then sprinkled all four with colored sugar sprinkles. Jasper and Mom put the cookies on a plate and carried them across the alley and one house down.
    They heard crying as soon as they were in the yard. “Maybe this isn’t a good time,” Mom said.
    â€œThis is a really good time,” Jasper said, ringing the doorbell.
    They had to ring twice. Ori answered wearing his hat with earflaps.
    â€œI don’t think I told you before,” Jasper said. “You look nice in that hat, Ori.”
    â€œThe thing is,” Ori said, “it’s really hot.”
    â€œI hear the baby,” Mom said.
    Ori pointed to the living room where the crying was coming from. Mom went ahead with the cookies. Ori and Jasper smiled at each other behind her back because the crying was so loud. But