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eraser to the other boy. If her lunch box

had not banged against her knees, Ramona

might have been able to grab him. Unfor-

tunately, the bell rang first.

“Yard apes!” yelled Ramona, her name for

the sort of boys who always got the best balls, who were always first on the playground,

and who chased their soccer balls through

other people’s hopscotch games. She saw her

pink eraser fly back into Danny’s hands.

“Yard apes!” she yelled again, tears of anger in her eyes. “Yucky yard apes!” The boys, of course, paid no attention.

Still fuming, Ramona entered her new

school and climbed the stairs to find her

assigned classroom, which she discovered

looked out over roofs and treetops to Mount Hood in the distance. I wish it would erupt,

she thought, because she felt like exploding with anger.

Ramona’s new room was filled with

excitement and confusion. She saw some

people she had known at her old school.

Others were strangers. Everyone was talking at once, shouting greetings to old friends or looking over those who would soon

become new friends, rivals, or enemies.

Ramona missed Howie, who had been

assigned to another room, but wouldn’t you know? That yard ape, Danny, was sitting at a desk, still wearing his baseball cap and toss-ing Ramona’s new eraser from one hand to

another. Ramona was too frustrated to

speak. She wanted to hit him. How dare he

spoil her day?

“All right, you guys, quiet down,” said the teacher.

Ramona was startled to hear her class

called “you guys.” Most teachers she had

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known would say something like, “I feel I am talking very loud. Is it because the room is noisy?” She chose a chair at a table at the front of the room and studied her new

teacher, a strong-looking woman with short hair and a deep tan. Like my swimming

teacher, thought Ramona.

“My name is Mrs. Whaley,” said the

teacher, as she printed her name on the blackboard.“W-h-a-l-e-y. I’m a whale with a y for a tail.” She laughed and so did her class. Then the whale with a y for a tail handed Ramona some slips of paper. “Please pass these out,”

she directed.“We need some name tags until I get to know you.”

Ramona did as she was told, and as she

walked among the desks she discovered her

new sandals squeaked. Squeak, creak, squeak.

Ramona giggled, and so did the rest of the class. Squeak, creak, squeak. Ramona went up one aisle and down the other. The last

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person she gave a slip to was the boy from the bus, who was still wearing his baseball cap. “You give me back my eraser, you yard ape!” she whispered.

“Try and get it, Bigfoot,” he whispered

back with a grin.

Ramona stared at her feet. Bigfoot?

Bigfoot was a hairy creature ten feet tall, who was supposed to leave huge footprints in the mountain snows of southern Oregon. Some