The Magical Ms. Plum by Bonny Becker Read Free Book Online Page A

him?”
    “Maybe because that’s not what I see when I look at you,” Ms. Plum said.
    Carlos was almost afraid to ask, but he did. “What do you see?”
    “I see someone very special who will learn and grow all his life,” said Ms. Plum with a smile.
    “That doesn’t sound so special,” Carlos said quietly.
    “Oh, but it is,” said Ms. Plum. “You’ll see soon enough.”
    After a moment, Carlos asked, “Does this mean I’ll never get a chance at the closet?”
    “There’s always another chance at the closet for everyone,” she said firmly.
    Then Ms. Plum handed Carlos one of her plums. It was plump and purple and shimmered as if covered with a silvery dust. Ms. Plum didn’t give out her plums very often.
    As Carlos hurried across the schoolyard, he bit into his plum. It filled his mouth with springtime, earth, and honey.
    He took another bite. He could feel the prickle of grass and the lazy heat of a summer afternoon. He took another bite. Autumn leaves crackled and popped, tickling his mouth. He took his last bite. He couldtaste frost sparkles and the blue shadows of snow.
    It was the most amazing thing he had ever eaten.
    Carlos grinned and ran for his school bus. It was still there! It was as if the bus and all the kids inside were waiting just for him.

When Becky Oh squinched up her eyes and put her hand on her hip, she could scold a wall if she wanted to. “Why do you have to stand there so still and flat?” she would complain.
    “Stop being so hard,” she’d tell the floor.
    “You’re always wet,” she’d grumble to water.
    Becky could complain about just about anything. Today she was mumbling and grumbling because she thought Ms. Plum was being really boring. They were learning about grammar—nouns and verbs and adjectives. Becky usually liked words, but the day was boiling hot and Becky’s head felt heavy and dull. When Ms. Plum underlined the nouns in the sentence on the board, the chalk made a horrible squeak and broke in two.
    “Becky, dear, could you please get me a new piece of chalk?” she asked.
    Becky scowled. She could even complain about being picked for the closet!
    She tromped up to the closet and slipped inside.
    It was much cooler in there. And she could smell erasers and … lemon drops? She stood there for a long time, until she heard Ms. Plum calling.
    “Becky, please, hurry up.” Even Ms. Plum seemed a little crabby today.
    Becky grabbed a stick of chalk, then heard a tiny “hee-haw.” She looked down. There at her feet was a little donkey, about the size of squirrel. His coat was a soft gray. His eyes were bright. Strapped to his sides were two big yellow baskets that looked perfect for carrying things.
    Becky tucked the chalk into one of the baskets and walked slowly from the closet. She didn’t want Ms. Plum to think she would hurry just because Ms. Plum had told her to.
    The donkey carried the chalk to Ms. Plum and stood there while she bent down and took the chalk out of the basket. “Thank you, dear,” said Ms. Plum.
    Then the donkey trotted after Becky to her desk.
    Ms. Plum began to drone on again. Becky saw Tashala sigh and lay her head in her arms.
    Becky scribbled out a note:
    Ms. Plum is so B-O-R-I-N-G!
    She put it in one of the donkey’s baskets, and he seemed to know right where to take it. He trotted over to Tashala and gave her a little nudge with his velvety nose. Tashala looked at Becky’s note, then scribbled out one in return:
    It’s too hot for nouns.
    The donkey trotted back to Becky, frisking his long ears and glancing up at her as he delivered the note.
    Becky wrote out another note:
    It’s not fair. Ms. Plum should give us extra recess.
    Mindy saw the note over Becky’s shoulder, and she quickly wrote her own note:

    I hat grammar and speling.
    She stuffed it into the donkey’s basket along with Becky’s note.
    Lucy saw what was going on and wrote her own note:
    Ms. Plum shouldn’t use chalk. It squeaks and is dusty, which could