Toothless Wonder by Barbara Park Read Free Book Online Page A

drawer.
    “I bet there's something in there, probably,” I said. “Teachers always have good stuff in their desk drawers, right? And so why don't we take a little look-see?”
    Mr. Scary ran his fingers through his hair.
    Then at last, he opened his drawer.
    “Whoa! Is that a stapler I see there?” I said. “A stapler would be good, don't you think? I could really pound that thing, I bet. And so if you'll just hand it over, I will be on my way.”
    Mr. Scary shook his head. “No, Junie B.,” he said. “No stapler.”
    I looked some more.
    “Hey! Hold the phone!” I said. “Is that Tums I'm looking at?”
    I leaned closer.
    “Yes! Yes! It
is
Tums, Mr. Scary! You've got Tums just like my grampa Miller! And so I bet you suffer from gas and bloating. Am I correct?”
    Mr. Scary quick closed the drawer.
    Then he went to the supply closet and he got out a piece of shiny silver paper. And he scribbled a star.
    He cut it out and pinned it on my shirt.
    “There,” he said. “That's your prize for your tooth, okay? You get to wear a shiny star for being the winner. Now please go back to your seat.”
    I looked down at my star.
    “Yeah, only I don't actually think this is your best work,” I said kind of quiet.
    Mr. Scary pointed to my desk. He was not having a good morning, I think.
    I went back and sat down.
    May sneaked a peek at my star.
    I tried to act proud of it.
    “Well, well, well. What do you know … a
prize
,” I said.
    May did a mad breath and quick turned away.
    I looked down at my star again.
    This time it looked prettier, I think.

The speaker came at ten o'clock.
    Her name was Miss Chris.
    Miss Chris told us all about recycling.
    Also, she showed us a movie.
    It was called
Dan, Dan the Soda Can.
    It was very thrilling, I tell you. ’Cause Dan, Dan the Soda Can lived in a soda machine at a gas station. Then one day, a lady bought him to drink. Only too bad for Dan, Dan. ’Cause after the lady drank his soda, she threw him right out her car window. And Dan, Dan got his can all dented.
    But hurray, hurray! A cop saw the lady littering. And he gave her a big fat ticket!
    Then a can man took Dan, Dan to a recycling center. And the man got cash money. Plus Dan, Dan got fixed up good as new. And bingo! He turned into Dan, Dan the
Orange Juice
Can!
    It was a miracle, I tell you!
    Room One clapped and clapped at that happy ending.
    Then Miss Chris passed around stickers of Dan, Dan the Soda Can for us to stick to our shirts. And the stickers said RECYCLING MAKES CENTS. Ha! Get it?
Cents
sounds like
sense
! And that is a good one, I think!

    After that, all of us went to lunch and recess. And we were still in happy moods.
    On the playground, José and Lennie and Shirley asked to see my loose tooth. Then pretty soon, the other children wanted to see it, too.
    And so finally, I stood them all in a row. And I let them look real close.
    After they looked, I walked down the row. And I showed them how far I could bend it.
    Herb clapped and clapped.
    José and Lennie whistled.
    Sheldon tried to pick me up.
    That is not a normal reaction, I think.
    “You're going to look cool when it finally comes out, Junie B.,” said Herb.
    “Sí,” said José. “You're going to look
really
cool. Like a hockey player, I bet.”
    “Yeah,” said Lennie. “Hockey players almost never have any teeth.”
    “Neither do kick-boxers,” said Shirley. “Maybe you'll look like a kick-boxer, Junie B.”
    Just then, Sheldon did a sigh. “I just hope you don't look like my toothless uncle Lou,” he said. “My toothless uncle Lou never brushed or flossed. And then all his teeth fell out.”
    I made a sick face.
    Sheldon shrugged. “Well, it's not like he's
totally
toothless,” he said. “He still has one bottom tooth left. It's kind of yellow. But it still can bite an apple.”
    After that, Sheldon walked away.
    I watched him go.
    Then I sat down in the grass. And I tried and tried not to think of toothless Uncle Lou.
    After