Chapters (68)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Chapter One
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Chapter Two
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Chapter Three
- Ten
- Eleven
- Chapter Four
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Chapter Five
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Chapter Six
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Chapter Seven
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Chapter Eight
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Chapter Nine
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Ten
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Chapter Eleven
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Chapter Twelve
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Chapter Thirteen
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Chapter Fourteen
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Chapter Fifteen
- The Following Summer
- About the Author
- About the Publisher
“I just want to say that I learned so much, like how to decide how to classify what you see. You think things are one way, and then they turn out to be something else altogether.” Without so much as a glance in Ali’s direction, she hurried to her seat. Ali slunk back to hers, wishing she could disappear.
“Next up: Cassie and Murray,” said Mr. Corby.
Thirty-Four
Ali was disheartened to realize that Murray and Cassie had also dressed up: Murray in a tad-too-big gray suit and Cassie in a sky-blue dress. Clearly, Ali was the only one who hadn’t gotten the memo. Murray pressed start with a flourish, and the title slide burst onto the Smart Board like a firecracker. Music filled the air. Even Ali, who didn’t watch much TV, recognized the familiar theme song right away.
“This is Classification Jeopardy!” Murray boomed.
Everyone, including Mr. Corby, clapped and stamped their feet.
Cassie took over. “Now entering our studio: this eleven-year-old boy plays basketball and is addicted to Minecraft. Please welcome Tom Power!”
Tom raced to the front of the classroom, high-fiving everyone in his row along the way.
“This twelve-year-old girl plays the clarinet, loves lip gloss, and says her favorite place to visit is New York City. Please welcome Taylor Marshall!”
More clapping. Ali could tell from how they acted that Tom and Taylor had agreed to participate before the class started. Why hadn’t Cassie and Murray asked her?
“And please welcome our last contestant, who wants to be a professional hockey player when he grows up and whose current team, the Vito’s Pizza Vipers, was undefeated last season. Please welcome Jackson Mather!”
Jackson lumbered to the front of the classroom, grinning, his ears a bright red. Cassie handed each of them a small metal clicker.
“Welcome, everyone,” said Murray, “Now let’s play CLASSIFICATION JEOPARDY!”
The screen dissolved into the familiar game board featuring five categories: CELL-O: IS IT ME YOU’RE THINKING OF?; HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW; EYE GOT YOU; CREEPY-CRAWLIES; BRINGS OUT THE ANIMAL IN ME.
“Very clever,” said Mr. Corby.
“We did a coin toss earlier,” said Cassie. “Jackson, you get to go first.”
“I’ll take Cell-O, Is It Me You’re Thinking Of? for one hundred, Alex, I mean, Murray,” Jackson said.
“I’m the simplest organism kingdom and my members have one cell,” read Murray.
Taylor clicked first. “What is Monera?” she shouted.
“Very enthusiastic response, and correct,” Cassie responded. She wrote one hundred on a piece of paper under Taylor’s name. “You get to choose the next category, Taylor.”
“I’ll take Eye Got You for three hundred, please.”
“I’m a crustacean with one eye, proving what?’
Tom clicked first. “What is, not every species in the Animalia kingdom has two eyes?”
“Correct!”