Schools Out Read online

  SCHOOL’S OUT

  Johanna Hurwitz

  ILLUSTATED BY

  SHEILA

  HAMANAKA

  Text copyright © 2014, 1991 by Johanna Hurwitz

  Illustrations copyright © 2014, 1991 by Sheila Hamanaka

  All rights reserved.

  Published by StarWalk Kids Media

  Except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and articles, no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. Contact: StarWalk Kids Media, 15 Cutter Mill Road, Suite 242, Great Neck, NY 11021

  www.StarWalkKids.com

  Print version originally published by Morrow Junior Books

  ISBN 978-1-62334-988-2

  This book is for

  Ellen & David Conford, good friends

  (except for pages 9½–11

  which are dedicated to U.H.)

  CONTENTS

  1 Two Surprises

  2 The “Oh Pear” Pops Corn

  3 Which Is Which?

  4 Wet Paint

  5 Lucas on the Roof

  6 Lucas vs. Genevieve

  7 Lucas Learns to Dance

  8 At the Movies

  9 Au Revoir, Genevieve

  1

  TWO SURPRISES

  Lucas Cott had started out in third grade as the class clown. He constantly annoyed his teacher with silly behavior. He distracted his classmates from their work, and he didn’t perform in class up to his ability. Gradually, though, as the third grade progressed, Lucas began to improve.

  Now, on the last day of school, as Lucas ran home, he clutched three items in his hands. In addition to his report card, his teacher, Mrs. Hockaday, had given him a small package with three pencils. One of them was half red and half blue. If Lucas sharpened it at both ends, he could write in two colors. Mrs. Hockaday had given the same gift to every child in the class.

  The proof of the new Lucas was the note on pink stationery that his teacher asked him to give his parents. The note was not meant for Lucas. However, as soon as he was outside the school building, he opened and read it, anyhow. It said “Lucas is no longer the rambunctious student he once was.” Even though he did not know the meaning of the word rambunctious, Lucas was quite certain that the note was a good one. Hadn’t Mrs. Hockaday smiled when she gave it to him?

  Lucas was very eager to show the pencils and the note to his mother. He knew she would be proud of him. He was glad that this last day of school was only a half day. As soon as he ate his lunch, he could begin having a wonderful summer vacation.

  Lucas was right. His mother was delighted with his report card. She beamed as she studied it and as she read the note from Mrs. Hockaday.

  Marcus and Marius, Lucas’s twin brothers, were happy, too. Even though they were not yet three years old, they loved to play with their big brother. They were surprised to see Lucas home at lunchtime. Most days, he went off in the morning and didn’t return to their house until the middle of the afternoon.

  “Lucas. Lucas!” Marius squealed with glee.

  “Let’s play,” shouted Marcus, jumping up and down.

  Mrs. Cott admired Lucas’s gift from Mrs. Hockaday. “I have two surprises for you, too,” she said. She went to the closet and returned with a large box wrapped in fancy paper.

  “Yippee,” shouted Lucas. He had not been expecting a gift from his mother. “It looks like a birthday present,” he said.

  “How can it be a birthday present?” Mrs. Cott laughed. “Your birthday was in February. This is a gift because your father and I are so proud of your improvement at school this year.”

  Lucas quickly ripped the paper from the package. He could not believe how many good things were happening in one day. It had never occurred to him that both his parents and his teacher would give him presents today.

  He opened the box and pulled out something he really wanted. It was a blue-and-white plastic helmet to wear when he rode his bike.

  “Oh, wow!” Lucas said. He’d been wanting a helmet all spring. He put the helmet on his head and fastened the chin strap. He could hardly wait to go off on his bike. He would look just as if he was riding a motorcycle.

  “There’s another surprise, too,” said his mother.

  Lucas looked around, expecting to see another package. All he saw were his brothers playing with the torn papers and the empty box from his helmet.

  “Where is it?” he asked.

  “The other surprise is something that hasn’t arrived yet. It doesn’t come in a box. Actually, it’s a person. . . .”

  Lucas stared at his mother in disbelief. This was the way she had announced the forthcoming birth of his new baby sister or brother a few years ago. They were all surprised when the new baby turned out to be two babies.

  “Do you mean that we’re going to have another baby?” he asked her.

  “Oh, no. My goodness, no!” Mrs. Cott laughed. “This is going to be a grown-up person. She’s coming to spend the summer with us. Her name is Genevieve Lamont. She’s from France and she’ll help take care of you and Marcus and Marius.”

  Lucas thought his mother must be joking. School was over and he was supposed to be free. Now suddenly, a grown-up person was coming to his house. It would be like having a teacher living right inside the house with them all summer long. It would be like school all over again—only worse.

  “Why does she have to come here?” he asked. “I don’t need anyone to watch me.”

  “She is going to work as an au pair,” Mrs. Cott explained.

  “Oh pear?” asked Lucas. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s a French term. It’s what they call a person who works for a family by taking care of their children and helping around the house. Genevieve will be here all summer. I’m sure you will like her. And it will mean that I have a bit of vacation, too. Marcus and Marius need a lot of attention.”

  “But you have me to help take care of them during the summer,” Lucas protested.

  “You’ll help Genevieve take care of the twins. And you can help her with her English. One of the reasons she is coming here is to improve her command of our language.”

  Lucas looked down at his brothers. Marcus was tearing the wrapping paper from Lucas’s gift into small pieces and chewing them.

  “Marcus, spit that out at once,” said his mother. She held her son’s mouth open and the soggy paper fell out into her hand.

  “You see? These boys need constant attention,” Mrs. Cott said to Lucas.

  “Did you ever wonder what it would be like if I had been twins, too?” asked Lucas.

  “Impossible,” said his mother, shuddering. “You are one of a kind . . . the one and only Lucas Cott. Thank goodness for that,” she added.

  “Let’s play,” shouted Marius. He was standing inside the box that had held the helmet.

  “Let’s eat lunch,” said their mother. “There will be plenty of time for playing later.” Mrs. Cott turned to her older son. “They don’t remember last summer, so they don’t understand that you are going to be home every day for more than two months.”

  Lucas frowned. With this strange “oh pear” person, he was no longer certain that he wanted to be home every day for over two months.

  “When does the oh pear get here?” he asked.

  “Not for another week,” his mother said as she placed the food out on the kitchen table.

  That was good. At least Lucas would have a few days to himself. “Ah.” He sighed. “No homework, no studying, no rules . . .”

  “Of course there are rules,” said his mother. “Every family has rules. For example, please go wash your hands before you eat. That’s a rule.”

  “Home rules aren’t as bad as school r
ules,” said Lucas. He took off his helmet and then he went to the kitchen sink.

  Marcus and Marius sat on their booster seats, and Lucas and his mother sat on either side of them. They had tuna-fish sandwiches. As a treat, Mrs. Cott made chocolate milk for all three boys. The twins drank their milk out of special mugs with only a small opening on the top. That was good because when Marius accidentally knocked his mug onto the floor, only a small amount of chocolate milk spilled out.

  Lucas reached automatically and grabbed Marcus’s mug. He knew his brothers well enough to know that when one twin did something accidentally, the other usually did it, too—on purpose.

  “All done. Let’s play,” said Marcus. He pushed his plate away.

  “Soon,” said Mrs. Cott. “First, you fellows have to take your nap.”

  “No nap. No nap,” protested Marius and Marcus together.

  “Just a short one,” their mother promised. “Then you can play with Lucas for a l-o-n-g time.”

  She helped the boys down from their seats and took them off into their bedroom.

  Lucas got up from the table and put on his helmet again. “I’m going to ride my bike over to Julio’s,” he called to his mother. He wanted to show his friend his surprise gift. He also wanted some time to think about the other surprise. The best surprises come in gift-wrapped boxes, he decided. Other surprises usually stink.

  2

  THE “OH PEAR” POPS CORN

  During the days before her arrival, Lucas learned a bit more about Genevieve Lamont. She was eighteen years old and about to begin university classes in France in the fall.

  “That’s like college here,” explained Mrs. Cott.

  Genevieve’s parents were friends of some people that Lucas’s parents knew. Mr. and Mrs. Cott had heard that the young French woman was looking for a summer job in the United States.

  “We offered her the possibility of staying here with us,” said Lucas’s mother.

  Mr. and Mrs. Cott were busy making arrangements for Genevieve’s stay. There was a room in the attic that had been used for storing suitcases and old furniture. Now it had been transformed into a bedroom for Genevieve.

  “Will she be able to understand us?” Lucas was worried.

  The only French words he knew were from the song “Frère Jacques.” He had learned that when he was in first grade. He still remembered the words to the song, but he had forgotten what they all meant.

  “Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques. Dormez-vous?”

  “Will we eat a lot of French fries and French toast this summer?” he asked. He wouldn’t complain about that.

  “Neither of those is a French food,” said his mother.

  That didn’t make any sense to Lucas at all.

  When Lucas went to visit his friend Julio, he discussed the expected arrival of Genevieve Lamont.

  “Maybe you’ll like her,” said Julio hopefully.

  Lucas had his doubts. “Why can’t she go someplace else to practice her English?” he asked.

  “It’s not easy to teach someone how to speak in English,” Julio warned him. “I’ve been working on my grandmother for years. She still hasn’t learned very much.”

  “Maybe you’re not so hot as a teacher,” said Lucas. He wasn’t sure he would be so hot, either. Besides, who wanted to spend the summer teaching someone how to speak English?

  Julio shrugged his shoulders. “My grandmother is never going to bother speaking English when she can talk to my mother and brothers in Spanish,” he said.

  “My mother studied French at college, but she says she has forgotten it all,” said Lucas. “So Genevieve won’t be able to speak French to anyone at our house.”

  “If she is going to take care of your brothers, she only needs to know one word,” said Julio. He had seen Marcus and Marius at least a hundred times when he played at Lucas’s house. “All she needs to know when she talks to them is the word NO.”

  When the day came for Genevieve to arrive, Mr. Cott thought they should all go to the airport to pick her up. However, his wife said that it might overwhelm the young girl.

  “If Marcus and Marius get restless in the car, Genevieve may decide to get right back on a plane and go home,” Lucas’s mother said.

  That sounded fine to Lucas.

  So it was decided that only Lucas and his father would pick up the French visitor. Since neither of them knew what she looked like, Mr. Cott asked Lucas to make a sign saying welcome, Genevieve. Lucas’s mother told him how to spell the French name. He hadn’t known that it began with a G because it sounded like a J. Lucas wasn’t sure he wanted to welcome Genevieve, but at least it gave him a chance to use his new red-and-blue pencil.

  A tall young woman with long dark hair stopped when she saw Lucas’s sign. “Allo,” she said. “It is me. I am Genevieve.”

  Lucas was filled with relief. Here was the woman they had come to meet, and she knew how to speak English. Her way of speaking was a bit strange. She pronounced everything in a weird way, but at least he could understand her and he wouldn’t have to bother doing any teaching.

  “That’s her French accent,” Mr. Cott explained to Lucas afterward. Lucas’s father also explained about the word oui, which Genevieve used in response to most things that were told to her. It was the way French people said yes. Although it sounded like wee, it was spelled oui.

  Genevieve also said funny things, such as “We will have good times together. No?”

  That certainly sounded like no, but Lucas realized she meant yes.

  To Lucas, she said, “You will like me. No?”

  No. He couldn’t decide if he would like her or not.

  It was strange to have Genevieve staying in the house. It wasn’t the same as having his aunt or his grandmother come for a visit. The good thing, of course, was that he wasn’t expected to kiss her at all. The bad thing was that although she brought presents when she came, they weren’t things he liked. Genevieve brought a bottle of perfume to Mrs. Cott and a jar of French honey to Mr. Cott. The twins each received a little wooden car. Lucas received a book. It had loads of pictures, like a comic book, and was about someone named Tintin. All the words, though, were in French. What good was that?

  “I will read it to you,” Genevieve offered.

  There was no way Lucas wanted Genevieve to read to him as if he were a baby.

  The first evening, Mrs. Cott treated her like company.

  “Would you like some more mashed potatoes? Did you have enough meat?”

  Genevieve was fascinated by the twins. They were identical, and so, like everyone else meeting them for the first time, she couldn’t tell them apart.

  “How do you know which is Marcus and which is Marius?” she asked, turning to Lucas for help.

  “It’s a piece of cake,” said Lucas.

  “A piece of cake?” said Genevieve, looking confused. There were meat and potatoes and broccoli and salad on the table. There was no cake anywhere in sight.

  “That’s an English expression,” said Mr. Cott, coming to Genevieve’s aid. “Lucas means that for him, it is easy.”

  “A piece of cake,” Genevieve repeated again. “Please excuse me,” she said, and she got up quickly from the table.

  Mr. and Mrs. Cott and Lucas looked at one another with puzzled expressions on their faces. Where had Genevieve gone?

  A minute later, Genevieve returned carrying a small notebook and a pencil. “This was a present from my sister. I am going to write down in here the new words I learn.” She opened the notebook and wrote the term a piece of cake.

  “I will be very smart when I go home,” she said.

  The next morning, no longer wearing a fancy dress but, rather, jeans and a T-shirt like any American her age, Genevieve was kept busy wiping up the orange juice that Marcus knocked over onto the kitchen floor.

  “Marius, you must be more careful. No?” she said.

  “No. That’s Marcus,” Lucas corrected her.

  “Marius needs to be more c
areful, too,” commented Mrs. Cott. Marius had already dropped some of his scrambled eggs.

  After breakfast, Lucas escaped to his swimming lesson at the local pool. He was already a good swimmer. Now he was learning how to dive.

  When Lucas got home, he found Genevieve watching the twins as they rode their tricycles on the sidewalk in front of the house.

  “Hello, Lucas,” she called to him. To Lucas, it sounded more like “Allo, Lu’kas.”

  “Allo,” he imitated her. He ran into the house to drop his bathing suit and damp towel into the laundry hamper.

  That afternoon, Mrs. Cott went off to meet her husband. They had an invitation to dinner with some friends. “Genevieve is in charge,” said Mrs. Cott. “There are many things about our house she still doesn’t know, so I’m counting on you to help her out.”

  “I will be the general,” said Genevieve. “Lucas will be my lieutenant.” She smiled at her joke.

  Lucas wondered if she was going to ask him to salute her.

  “Genevieve is going to prepare supper,” said Mrs. Cott as she got into the car.

  “Au revoir,” Genevieve called.

  “Mommy,” wailed Marcus.

  “I’ll be back soon,” said Mrs. Cott.

  “Mommy,” wailed Marius.

  The car pulled away, and Genevieve and Lucas were left with two crying boys.

  “Mama will return,” said Genevieve as she sat down on the front step of the house and tried to put her arms around the boys.

  Marius pulled away from her and began to jump up and down as he cried.

  “Come, we will play a game together,” said Genevieve, trying to get the attention of the crying children.

  Lucas wondered how long it would take her to get them quiet. They would not play ball with her, and they refused to get on their bikes or to go on the swings in the yard. Genevieve began to look around for another distraction. Lucas decided to help her out.

  “Let’s make popcorn,” he said in a loud voice.

  Like magic, the twins both stopped crying.

  “Do you make your own popcorn?” asked Genevieve. “At home, I buy the popcorn when I go to the cinema. I never made it myself.”