Natalie and the Downside-Up Birthday by Dandi Daley Mackall Read Free Book Online

and see a girl from our class who goes by the name of Erika. She is jumping up and down and waving something in her hand.
    “One more invitation,” Anna says. Her boots squeak when she drags them to stop her swinging. “Sasha passed out a bunch already. There can’t be too many left.”
    Sasha is standing in the middle of the playground. A gazillion kids are crowding around her.
    I hear Bethany’s voice. “What about me, Sasha? Is there one for me?”
    Yesterday Bethany said she was coming to my party.
    “Hmmm,” Sasha says. “Bethany…Bethany…Let me see.” She goes through the invitation envelopes she’s still got left. “I don’t know…”
    Bethany is kind of dancing next to Sasha. She tries to peek at the cards. But Sasha jerks them away. “Is it there?” Bethany whines. “Am I invited?”
    “Well, look at this,” Sasha says. She holds a card to her chest. Then she hands it to Bethany.
    “YEA!” Bethany grabs the card and rips it open. “I got one!”
    “Big deal,” Anna mutters. “Who cares?” She drags one boot on the ground. Her swing spins in a slow circle.
    I’m glad that Anna doesn’t care about getting invited to Sasha’s party. She’s coming to my party.
    Laurie must be thinking what I’m thinking ’cause she says to Anna, “We’re going to play all kinds of games at Nat’s party.”
    Anna makes a tiny smiley face at us. “That will be—”
    “Anna!” Sasha tromps right in front us. “I’ve been looking for you.”
    “For me?” Anna says.
    Sasha holds up an envelope. She reads the front of it. “Is your name Anna?”
    “Yes! I’m Anna.”

    Sasha hands over an invitation. Anna takes it like it’s a big, fancy Christmas present. “Thanks, Sasha!” Anna says. “I can’t believe you invited me !”
    Sasha makes a smiley face. But she turns that face to me. And it doesn’t look smiley for real. “I just wish I had enough invitations so everyone could get one.”
    I stare at the invitations Sasha is still holding. I think they’re all gone, except for one. Sasha ishiding that one, last envelope against her purple coat.
    Laurie makes her eyes into lines and turns her frowny face to Sasha. “Sasha, what time is your party?”
    “The party starts at nine in the morning,” Sasha answers.
    This is exactly when my party starts. My mom wrote on all the invites Party time: 9 – 11, Saturday morning . That way we don’t have to make lunch. Only maybe we can change my party time. On account of Sasha’s party is then.
    Before I can say this idea, Laurie comes up with it. “Nat, do you think your mom would switch your party to after lunch instead? Kids could go to both parties.”
    Sasha shakes her head. “That won’t work.”
    “Why not?” Laurie asks.
    “Because my party is all day. We do party stuff at my house in the morning,” Sasha explains.
    “Like horse rides? And jumping-on-the-trampoline things?” Anna asks. She sounds way too excited about these things for a girl who will be at my party then.
    “And other things too,” Sasha says. “Lots of secret surprises.”
    My neck is getting chokey. This is why I leave the talking to my bestest friend.
    “And all that stuff is in the morning, right?” Laurie asks. She turns to Anna. “So maybe you can go to Sasha’s in the morning and come over to Nat’s in the afternoon.”
    “I’d like that,” Anna says.
    “But you’ll miss the Pizza Game Parlor,” Sasha says.
    “The Pizza Game Parlor?” Anna shouts. “Wow! I’ve always wanted to go there!”
    Now I am chokey all over. That pizza place has games like Skee-Ball and a fish tank and machines you sit in and drive. Plus also, pizza.
    “Well,” Laurie tries, “you can’t stay there all afternoon, can you?”
    I think this is a good point. I just hope it’s okay with Mom and Dad and Granny if we have my party later.
    “Of course we can’t stay there all afternoon,” Sasha says. “That’s why my dad reserved the whole bowling alley for