where she hid her darkest secrets, Ramona

28

sometimes longed to be horrid to Willa Jean.

“OK, OK, I’ll try to remember,” said Mrs.

Quimby with a little laugh. “I know it isn’t easy.” She kissed Ramona and said, “Cheer

up and run along or you’ll miss your bus.”

Being a member of the Quimby family

in the third grade was harder than Ramona

had expected. Her father was often tired, in a hurry, or studying on the dining-room

table, which meant no one could disturb him by watching television. At school she was

still not sure how she felt about Mrs.Whaley.

Liking a teacher was important, Ramona had discovered when she was in the first grade.

And even though her family understood,

Ramona still dreaded that part of the day

spent at Howie’s house in the company of

Mrs. Kemp and Willa Jean.

Those were the bad parts of the third

grade. There were good parts, too. Ramona

29

enjoyed riding the bus to school, and she enjoyed keeping Yard Ape from getting the

best of her. Then another good part of the third grade began the second week of school.

Just before her class was to make its weekly visit to the school library, Mrs. Whaley

announced, “Today and from now on we

are going to have Sustained Silent Reading every day.”

Ramona liked the sound of Sustained

Silent Reading, even though she was not sure what it meant, because it sounded important.

Mrs.Whaley continued.“This means that

every day after lunch we are going to sit at our desks and read silently to ourselves any book we choose in the library.”

“Even mysteries?” someone asked.

“Even mysteries,” said Mrs.Whaley.

“Do we have to give book reports on what

we read?” asked one suspicious member of

the class.

30

“No book reports on your Sustained Silent Reading books,” Mrs. Whaley promised

the class. Then she went on, “I don’t think Sustained Silent Reading sounds very interesting, so I think we will call it something else.” Here she printed four big letters on the blackboard, and as she pointed she read out, “D. E. A. R. Can anyone guess what these letters stand for?”

The class thought and thought.

“Do Everything All Right,” suggested

someone. A good thought, but not the right answer.

“Don’t Eat A Reader,” suggested Yard

Ape. Mrs. Whaley laughed and told him to

try again.

As Ramona thought, she stared out the

window at the blue sky, the treetops, and, in the distance, the snow-capped peak of Mount Hood looking like a giant licked ice-cream cone. R could stand for R un and A for A nd.

31

“Drop Everything And Run,” Ramona burst out. Mrs.Whaley, who was not the sort of teacher who expected everyone to raise

a hand before speaking, laughed and said,

“Almost right, Ramona, but have you for-

gotten we are talking about reading?”

“Drop Everything And Read!” chorused

the rest of the class. Ramona felt silly. She should have thought of that herself.