Alone in His Teacher's House (6 page)

He closed his eyes. Her cold hand touched the back of his neck.

“Come on, Marvin, we need to talk.”

He stood up. Every eye in the classroom watched as Mrs. North led him outside. There was dead silence.

“I’m sorry,” said Mrs. North.

“
You’re
sorry?” said Marvin. His legs were shaking.

“It was unfair of me to ask you to take care of such an old—” She stopped. “I just didn’t want to put him in a kennel. You must have felt awful!”

The next thing Marvin knew, Mrs. North was hugging him.

“The plane was very late,” she said, still hugging him. “Otherwise I would
have called you last night. You probably thought I hated you.”

“Maybe a little,” said Marvin.

She let go of him. “I spoke to Dr. Charles this morning,” she said. “He told me what you did. I’m so glad Waldo had someone like you.”

Marvin noticed her eyes were wet.

“Liver was his favorite,” said Mrs. North. “He died happy.”

She paid him the money she owed him. She gave him twenty-five dollars, as promised.

“I’d like to do something special for you, too,” she said. “How about I take you out to lunch this weekend? You pick the restaurant.”

“Okay,” said Marvin.

She hugged him again. “He had a good life,” she said.

They walked back into the classroom.

Everyone was watching. And wondering.

Marvin kept his head down.
Let them wonder
, he thought.

He sat at his desk and returned to his test.

Casey Happleton stared at him. Her ponytail stuck out of the side of her head. Her finger was in her mouth.

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Nick said at recess. “She’s taking you out to lunch
because
her dog died.”

“Twenty-five dollars!” said Stuart.
“And he only had to take care of the dog for five days instead of seven.”

“What restaurant are you going to choose?” asked Nick.

Marvin shrugged.

“Man, you’re so lucky,” said Nick. “It’s unfair. Some people have all the luck.”

Marvin suddenly figures out why he has red hair and blue eyes, while the rest of his family has brown hair and brown eyes. He’s not really Marvin Redpost at all. He is Robert, the Lost Prince of Shampoon!

“Wonderfully logical and absurd, with wit and attention to detail rare in an easy reader.… Aside from being resoundingly funny, Sachar has a rare honesty about what children really encounter in the world.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“My name’s not Marvin.”

—Marvin Redpost

The rumor is going around that Marvin is the biggest nose-picker in the school. Now everyone is acting as if the rumor is true! Even Marvin’s best friends don’t want to be seen with him. But what can Marvin do about it?

“Vintage Sachar—ingenious, funny, gross—and with a believable resolution.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Marvin’s the biggest nose-picker in the whole school.”

—Melanie, Marvin’s classmate

Marvin kisses his elbow by accident. Now he wishes he had pigtails and wants to play hopscotch! Everyone at school knows that if a boy kisses his elbow, he’ll turn into a girl. Could Marvin be turning into a girl?

“Sachar writes for beginning readers with a comic simplicity that is never banal.”

—
Booklist

“There’s nothing Marvin Redpost can’t do.”

—Stuart Albright, Marvin’s best friend

It’s “hole day” at school, and even Mrs. North and the principal are wearing their worst clothes. But now they’re expecting company—the president of the United States is on his way! And there’s no time to change!

“The story hums along with its own cheerful energy, much like Marvin himself.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Good job, Marvin.”

—The president

Marvin can’t sleep. Suddenly something zooms across the sky. It looks a lot like Nick’s birthday cake! Could it be? Or is it something else? The next day there’s a new boy in school. His name is Joe Normal, but everyone thinks he’s weird. What is
normal
, anyway?

“A smart, funny twist on the new-kid theme.”

—The Horn Book Magazine
, Starred

“His name should be Marvin Stupid.”

—Casey Happleton, Marvin’s friend?

Everyone at school thinks that Marvin Redpost is going to ride his new bike down Suicide Hill. But not only is Marvin terrified of the steep hill, he’s afraid of his new bike! How can Marvin survive this one?

“If Marvin says he’ll ride down Suicide Hill, then he’ll ride down Suicide Hill.”

—Stuart Albright, Marvin’s best friend

Marvin Redpost’s friend Casey Happleton lives in an old firehouse. But that’s not the only cool thing about her. She’s also got a super-secret
magic
crystal that she’s going to share with Marvin!

“Lively dialogue and Marvin’s endless imagination command steady attention.”

—Publishers Weekly

“You’re weird, Marvin!”

—Casey Happleton, Marvin’s friend?