“You’re just going to love him, Junie B.!” she said. “Your new brother is the cutest little monkey I’ve ever seen!”

Then my eyes got very wide. “He is? Really?” I said.

Grandma Miller put me down. Then she started talking to my grampa.

“Wait till you see him, Frank,” she said. “He’s got the longest little fingers and toes!”

I tugged on her dress. “How long, Grandma?” I said. “Longer than mine?”

But Grandma just kept on talking.

“And his hair, Frank! My word! He’s got oodles and oodles of thick black hair!”

I pulled on Grandma’s arm. “How come, Grandma? How come he’s got hair?” I asked. “I thought little babies were supposed to be baldies.”

But still, my grandma didn’t answer me.

“And he’s big, too, Frank. He’s much bigger than any of the other babies in the hospital. And you should feel how tightly he grabs on to your finger when you—”

Just then I stamped my foot very hard.

“HEY! I WANT SOME ANSWERS DOWN HERE, HELEN! HE’S MY BABY TOO, YOU KNOW!”

Grandma Miller frowned at me. ’Cause I’m not supposed to call her Helen, I think.

“Sorry,” I said kind of quiet.

Then Grandma Miller bended down next to me. And so I didn’t have to yell anymore.

“Are you telling me the truth, Grandma?” I said. “Is my brother really the cutest little monkey you ever saw? For really and honest and truly?”

Then my grandma Miller hugged me very tight.

“Yes, little girl,” she whispered in my ear. “For really and honest and truly.”

After that, she picked me up again. And me and her twirled all around the kitchen.

⁴/_{Hoppy and Russell}

My room at kindergarten is named Room Nine.

I have two bestest friends in that place. One of them has the name of Lucille.

Lucille sits right exactly next to me.

She has a red chair. And also little red fingernails which are very glossy.

My other bestest friend is named Grace.

Me and that Grace sit together on the school bus. Except for not today we didn’t. Because today Grampa Miller drove me.

Then he walked to Room Nine with me. And he waved at my teacher.

Her name is Mrs.

She has another name, too. But I just like Mrs. and that’s all.

When I first walked into my room, Lucille was looking at that Grace’s brand new shoes. And their name was pink high tops.

“Hey, Grace! Those new shoes look very beautiful on you!” I said.

But that dumb Grace didn’t even say thank you to me.

“Grace is angry at you,” said Lucille. “She said that she rode the bus today. And you weren’t even there to save her a seat. And she had to sit next to an icky kid. Right, Grace?”

Grace bobbed her head up and down.

“Yes, only I couldn’t help it, Grace,” I said. “That’s because I stayed at my grampa Miller’s all night. And there’s no bus at that place. And so he had to drive me here today.”