Lara Bergen: Sophie the Awesome

“Sophie the who?”

“Sophie the what?”

Sophie took a bow and cleared her throat. “Sophie the Hero,” she said.

And just as Sophie had hoped, she and Kate got to tell the Slinky story all over again.

And again!

“Wow! You are a hero!” said Eve, Mia, Sydney, and Grace when it was over.

“I am happy to sign autographs,” Sophie said. “Does anyone have a pen?”

“Wait a minute,” said a snooty voice. It belonged to Mindy VonBoffmann. Her name would have been Mindy the Meanie, if Sophie had anything to say about it.

“What happened to the Slinkys?” Mindy asked.

Sophie shrugged. “Mrs. Dixon picked them up.”

“Then isn’t she the real hero?” Mindy said. She crossed her arms and made a face that Sophie’s mom would have called sassy.

“Yeah,” Lily Lemley chimed in. She liked to copy Mindy, so she made her face look just the same. “If Mrs. Dixon saved the Slinkys, she’s the real hero,” Lily said.

“What are you talking about?” Kate said. “Sophie saved a kindergartner! Who cares about the Slinkys?”

“They only cost a dollar or something,” Ben added. “Kindergartners cost a lot more.”

Good old Ben. Sophie turned to smile at him.

She truly felt like a hero. And that felt really good!

But Mindy just shrugged. “I guess,” she said.

“Still, it’s only one kindergartner. It’s not like she saved five kittens from a burning building, like Scarlett the cat. Remember? Now that’s a real hero.”

“Yeah, that’s a real hero,” Lily echoed.

Sophie remembered the story their second grade teacher, Mrs. Cruz, had read to them the year before. It was a true story about a stray cat who saved the lives of all her kittens. When the building they lived in caught fire, she carried them out, one by one.

Okay. Yes. Sophie knew the cat was a real hero. But she was, too!

Before Sophie could say anything, Toby Myers spoke up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told Mindy.

Sophie’s mouth dropped open. She could not believe it. Was Toby standing up for her?

Until last year, this would not have surprised Sophie. Until last year, she and Toby had been best friends. But things changed in second grade. Toby started hanging out with Archie Dolan, and Kate moved to town. Now Sophie and Kate were best friends. And Sophie and Toby could not look at each other.

If they did, they had to stick out their tongues.

But maybe things were changing….

Sophie thought of the day before, when Toby had actually done something nice for her. He had not made fun of that day’s name — Sophie the Awesome — at all.

Was it possible? Could Toby actually be coming to his senses?

“Real heroes save the world from evil aliens and giant asteroids and killer robots!” Toby said. Then he looked at Sophie and stuck out his tongue.

No. Sophie sighed. She guessed he had not changed, after all.

“Yeah!” said Archie. “And heroes have a mutant power.” He pointed at Sophie with a sticky, stubby finger. “What’s your mutant power, Sophie?” he asked.

Toby held his nose. “Super BO!” He laughed.

“Not funny,” Kate said.

But Sophie just rolled her eyes — and secretly sniffed her armpit, just to be sure.

No, she did not have BO. And, yes, no matter what Toby or Archie or Mindy said, Sophie was a hero.

She stuck her own tongue out at Toby.

So there!

Finding the right name isn’t easy!

See what else Sophie tries out….

1: SOPHIE the AWESOME

2: SOPHIE the HERO

3: SOPHIE the CHATTERBOX

4: SOPHIE the ZILLIONAIRE

Just like Sophie, Lara Bergenwould love to find a name that describes her perfectly … but for now she’ll settle with being the author of this great series and many other books for children — and, before that, the proud editor of many more. She lives in the Big Apple, New York City, with the best husband and two children in the world.