Ann Martin - Mary Anne's Book

I looked up from my book. Where was I? I'd thought I was in the Whoville town square, not the hall. "I was practicing walking and reading'at the same time," I explained to- my dad.

"You better stick to doing one thing at a

time," he advised. - -

So life as a six-year-old was interesting, fun, and challenging - until the Mother's Day tea party.

One rainy April afternoon, Mrs. Frederick-son announced, "Every year my first-grade class holds a special tea party for their mothers."

"I don't drink tea," Alan Gray called out.

Mrs. Frederickson yelled at Alan for not raising his hand when he had something to say. Finally, she returned to the subject of the tea. She described how we would decorate the room, what songs we would sing for our

mothers, and what food we would serve. "And we'll make special invitations that you'll give to your mothers," continued Mrs. Fred-erickson.

I was beginning to feel very weird.- I didn't have a mother. What would I do?

Kristy glanced my way and saw the tears forming in my eyes. Her hand shot up.

"Yes, Kristy," Mrs. Frederickson said.

"What if you don't have a mother to bring to the tea?" she asked.

"I was just getting to that," Mrs. Frederickson answered. "If you don't have a mother, or if your mother will be at work and can't take time off, you may invite another special person in your life."

Suddenly there was no need for tears. I could invite my dad to the tea. I remembered how he took a whole morning off from work for our Winter Holiday celebration at school. So I knew he'd try to take time off from work to come to the tea. Wow. A special tea party. I couldn't wait.

That night I told my dad all about the tea party. "A tea party put on by the firstgraders," he said. "What a nice idea. When is it?"

"I don't remember," I replied.

"Well, find out and let me know," he said. -"I'll try to arrange things at the office so I can

attend." He chuckled. "I never thought of first-graders as big tea drinkers."

"You don't just drink tea," I patiently explained. "We're going to have lots of other things to drink. And to eat, too. But I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

"Excellent," he said. "I love good surprises."

As it turned out I was the one who was in for a surprise. And it wasn't a good one.

Just before lunch period the next day, Mrs. Frederickson said we should each stand beside our desk and tell the class who we were inviting to the tea party. The first three kids said they were bringing their mothers. I began to worry that I was going to be the only one who didn't have a mother to bring to the tea. But then Rita stood up and said, "I'm bringing my auntie Marie. She's my godmother." And another kid said that he was bringing his stepmother. I breathed a sigh of relief. It would be just fine for me to bring my dad to the Mother's Day tea. Especially since the girl whose turn came just before mine said she was inviting her grandmother.

My turn. I stood up and said, "I'm inviting my dad to the tea party."

Everyone in the room - except Claudia, Kristy, and Mrs. Frederickson - laughed.

"Your dad!" hooted Alan Gray. "You're inviting your dad to a Mother's Day tea?"

I was overwhelmed by embarrassment. How could I have been so stupid? Everyone else was bringing some kind of mother - a godmother, a stepmother, or a grandmother.,

"Class!" Mrs. Frederickson boomed. I jumped at the sound of her voice, and sat

down. "Quiet down immediately or there will be no Mother's Day tea party."

Through a cloud of tears I saw that Kristy was approaching Alan Gray with her fists raised. "You stupid, dummy, jerkhead," she yelled.

Alan Gray rose to his feet. His fists were raised, too.

My classmates weren't laughing at me any more. All their attention was focused on Kristy and Alan. No one had dared fight in Mrs. Frederickson's classroom before. Now she rushed along the aisle toward Kristy and Alan, her volume rising to the decibels of a rock concert. "Return to your seat immediately, Miss

Thomas," she thundered.

"Why does he have to be so dumb?" Kristy asked, looking at the ceiling as she went to her seat.

Mrs. Frederickson was so busy restoring order to her class that she forgot why her students had been laughing and why Kristy was angry at Alan Gray. So Mrs. Frederickson never thought to tell me it would be perfectly fine for me to invite my dad. I was convinced that I'd make a total fool of myself and my dad if he came to our Mother's Day tea party.

Chapter 3.

On the way home from school Knsty and Claudia talked about what a jerk Alan Gray was and how he'd ruin the tea party. "He'll probably drop a tray of cookies," said Claudia.

"And blow his nose on the napkins," added Kristy.

They made up other dumb and gross things

-Alan might do to ruin the party. I pretended to listen and be amused, but I was thinking about how to keep my dad from coming to the tea party.

By the time my dad arrived home that night, I had a plan. I wouldn't tell him what day we were planning to have the party. If he didn't know when it was, he- wouldn't be able to come. -

That night my dad didn't mention the tea party, and neither did I.

The next day in school, Mrs. Frederickson announced that our art teacher, Mrs. Packett,

would help us make special invitations for the party. She showed us the art supplies she and Mrs. Packett had collected for us to use. There were little circles of paper lace, metallic sparkles, and squares of shiny paper in shades of pink, yellow, blue, and purple. We would each have a stiff sheet of white paper to work on, as well as our regular supplies: crayons, scissors, and glue. I couldn't wait to make a tea party invitation! In the next instant my heart sank. Who would I give my - invitation to?

- During lunch Claudia and Kristy talked about how, they were going to make their invitations the most beautiful ever. "I'm going to use a lot of purple on my invitation," Claudia said. "That's my mother's favorite color."

"What's Mimi's favorite color?" I asked.

"Blue, I think," said Claudia. -

"Are you inviting Mimi, too?" I asked.

"We can only bring one person," Kristy told me. "Mrs. Frederickson said." -

That's when I got the most brilliant idea. I'd invite Mimi to the tea party. She was a woman, and like a grandmother to me. It was perfect. "Can I invite Mimi to the tea party?" I asked Claudia. -"What about your dad?" she countered.

"It's a Mother's Day tea party," I reminded her. "So I can't bring a dad."

"But didn't you invite him already?" Kristy asked.

"He forgot about it," I said. "Besides, he has to work."

"Invite Mimi then," Claudia said. "That'd be great."

"Perfect," agreed Kristy.

Kristy and Claudia seemed glad that I wasn't bringing my dad to the Mother's Day tea party. Now I knew for sure that it would have been a terrible thing to do.

I sang happy little songs in my head that afternoon as I worked on Mimi's invitation. I thought it was the prettiest thing I'd ever made.

When I walked into my house after school that day I asked my baby-sitter if I could go to Claudia's. "Just for a little while," she said. She phoned the Kishis to be sure it was okay with Mimi, then I left to deliver my invitation.

Mimi was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for supper. "Hi," I greeted her.

"Hello, our Mary Anne," she said. "Claudia and Kristy are in Claudia's room."

"I have something for you," I said. I held out the invitation.

Mimi wiped her hands on her apron and took the invitation from me. A beautiful smile came over her face. "My, isn't this lovely!"

exclaimed. "And blue is my favorite color."

"I know," I said.

She read the invitation out loud. Then she said, "I would be honored to be your guest at the Mother's Day tea party." She leaned over