Read CHAPTER 3

After the assembly, a group of girls crowded around Tamsin.

“How come you’ve moved here?” asked one.

“You have nice hair, I like the curly parts. Is it natural?” asked another. “It’s cool you’re in our class. Don’t you think Mrs. Withers is the best?” asked a girl with dark braids.

Tamsin didn’t know who to answer first. She felt a bit shy with everyone staring at her.

“My mom is a doctor, and we moved here because she got a new job,” she started. But before she could say anything else, Ivy, the girl with all the ponytails, pulled her towards the locker room.

“Look!” Ivy said. “We made you a name tag in art last week.” Ivy pointed to a peg. Above it was a tag with Tamsin’s name and a drawing of a yellow daisy on it.

“Thank you,” said Tamsin, grinning. “It’s really pretty.”

Tamsin felt good inside. It was nice of the girls to make her feel welcome.

Tamsin walked into class behind Ivy.

“I saved a seat for you next to me,” Ivy said. “It used to be Casey’s seat, but she got into trouble last week, and Mrs. Withers moved her over there.”

Ivy pointed to another table where a girl with long red hair was pulling out her chair. Tamsin smiled at her. Casey shot back a strange look. It definitely wasn’t a smile.

Casey banged her books hard on the table as she sat down. The sound made all the kids look at her, but Ivy just kept on talking.

“Now, there’s going to be a lot of names for you to remember,” Ivy said kindly. She grabbed Tamsin’s hand and pulled her over to the back of the room.

“The best thing for you to do is to look at this photo chart when you forget who’s who.” On the wall were labeled photos of everyone in the class.

“Thanks,” Tamsin whispered. “I think I’ll be looking at these a lot to begin with.”

“You will have to bring one in, too,” said a voice behind her. Tamsin turned around to see her new teacher.

When she had heard her name at the assembly, Tamsin had expected Mrs. With-ers to be a withering old lady. She wasn’t like that at all. She was quite young for a teacher, and she had a bob hairdo and groovy square glasses.

“And Casey, don’t forget that teachers have eyes in the back of their heads,” Mrs. Withers said.

Tamsin looked over just in time to see Casey staring up at the ceiling. The other kids at her table were laughing. Tamsin had a sinking feeling that Casey had been sticking her tongue out at her behind her back.

Tamsin was glad to start working. It made her stop wondering why Casey was being so mean. She wasn’t so glad that their first subject was math. But after that, they did reading comprehension. The time went really quickly.

Before Tamsin knew it, the bell was ringing.

“Is it little lunch already?” Tamsin asked. All the kids at her table started to laugh.

“What’s funny?” Tamsin asked. “We call the the first break snacktime, or mini-recess,” said Nina.

“But ‘little lunch’ is so cute!” said Ivy. “It makes me think of tiny little sandwiches.”

Tamsin tried to smile. But suddenly, she missed her old school and her old friends. Everyone said “little lunch” there.

She wondered how many things were going to be different for her in this new school. Maybe she would have to learn a whole new language!