My Pops Is Tops! by Nancy Krulik Read Free Book Online Page B

better.”
    “Your mom does make amazing cookies,” George agreed.
    “Wait up!” Suzanne shouted. Ms. Sweet had just dismissed class 4B. Suzanne, Jeremy, and Becky caught up with Katie and her friends.
    “What country did you guys get?” Jeremy asked Katie.
    “Japan,” Katie told him. “It’s pretty cool. You should see what Mr. G. did to our classroom.”
    “What country is your class?” Kevin asked Jeremy.
    “Liechtenstein,” Jeremy said.
    “Lickin’ where ?” George asked.
    “Liechtenstein,” Jeremy repeated.
    “I already know how to spell it,” Suzanne announced. “L-I-E — ”
    Becky cut her off. “It’s a little country between Austria and Switzerland.”
    “ Real little,” Jeremy said. “The whole country is smaller than Washington, D.C.”
    “Oh, man, that’s rotten,” George said.

    “What is?” Jeremy asked.
    “That you guys got such a weird, tiny country,” George told him.
    “It’s not weird,” Suzanne insisted. “I think it’s wonderful. We got a fascinating country. Liechtenstein is very cool.”
    “I thought you wanted France,” Katie said.
    “Liechtenstein is even cooler,” Suzanne replied. “It’s famous for its skiing. And you know what a great skier I am.”
    Katie frowned. Actually, the last time she and Suzanne went skiing, Suzanne spent most of her time falling. But Katie didn’t bring that up. She figured that deep down, Suzanne was kind of bummed about being stuck with a country no one had ever heard of.
    “There’s nothing new to learn about Japan,” Suzanne continued. “Everyone’s been to a Japanese restaurant. But who’s ever tried food from Liechtenstein?”
    “What is their food like?” Emma asked.
    “I don’t know yet, but I’m sure it’s delicious,” Suzanne told her.
    “We had green tea cakes for snack today,” Katie pointed out.
    “Were they good?” Becky asked.
    “So-so,” Katie said.
    “Big deal, green tea cake,” Suzanne said. “Frankly, I think you’re secretly jealous. I bet you all wish you got Liechtenstein as your country instead!”
    Katie’s eyes opened wide. “We do not wish that at all!” she exclaimed angrily. “We don’t wish anything!”
    “Whoa, Katie Kazoo, chill out,” Kevin said, calling her by her nickname. “It’s no big deal. It’s just some dumb school Olympics.”
    Katie blushed. She was embarrassed for having shouted like that. But she was really upset. Not about having Japan for a country instead of Liechtenstein, though. Katie was upset because Suzanne had accused her of wishing.
    Katie never wished for anything anymore. Ever.

Chapter 3
    It had all started one horrible day back in third grade. Because of Katie, her team had lost the football game. Then she’d splashed mud all over her favorite jeans. But the worst thing was when Katie let out the loudest burp of her life—right in front of the whole class.
    That night, Katie made a wish that she could be anyone but herself. There must have been a shooting star overhead right at that moment, because the very next day the magic wind came.
    The magic wind was a really powerful tornado that blew only around Katie. It was so strong, it could blow her right out of her body . . . and into someone else’s !
    The first time the magic wind blew, it turned Katie into Speedy the hamster, the pet in her third-grade class. Katie spent the whole morning going round and round on a hamster wheel and chewing on Speedy’s wooden chew sticks. Boring! When she’d finally escaped, she wound up inside George’s smelly sneaker. That had been really gross!
    And then there was the time Katie had turned into Suzanne just as she was about to go onstage for a big fashion show. Somehow Katie had managed to put Suzanne’s leather pants on backward. And she’d had a really tough time walking in those high-heeled shoes. In fact, she’d fallen right on her face! Afterward, Suzanne was really embarrassed—and confused. She had no idea that it hadn’t really