from the BEST FAMILY EVER

Book 1

Fourth grade at Johnson Elementary School was turning out to be Ashley Baxter’s best year ever. This week in Miss Wilson’s class they were studying snowflakes. Beautiful creative snowflakes, of all things! And it was even supposed to snow today. Ashley twirled off the school bus and danced on her tiptoes, eyes fixed on the gray sky, her arms stretched wide. This was how a snowflake might feel. Ashley was pretty sure, because a snowflake spent its entire life dancing through space.

Her goal was to twirl all the way to her classroom. But Ashley must have lost track of where she was going, or which way she was turning, because all the sudden she heard a yelling voice. “Watch out, Baxter!” The words were from a boy and they sounded mean. Before Ashley could figure out who they were coming from, someone crashed into her. A strange sound came from her lips, like the air was leaving her lungs all at once. She couldn’t even get a deep breath before she and the boy fell to the ground. From the corner of her eye, Ashley saw a football roll a few feet from her. That’s when she figured out who had hit her. It was Eric Powers. Rudest boy in her class. “Why were you spinning?” Eric made a face at her. Four other kids walked by, headed to class. Every one of them was watching.

Great, Ashley thought. She stood and crossed her arms. “Um. It’s homework. Just so you know.” She stared at him, her eyes squinty. “And it’s Ashley . . . not Baxter!” Why did he have to run into her? Of all people? “Homework? Twirling?” Eric picked up the football and stood right in front of her, the ball under his arm. Suddenly his angry face relaxed. A slow sort of smile came over him. Like they were friends. “What sort of homework?”

“If I have to explain it to you, Eric, then you really just don’t get it.” Ashley huffed. Eric didn’t understand. The bell rang and students all over the school yard rushed inside. Ashley took one last look up at the sky and closed her eyes. Who cares

what Eric thinks. She could pretend to be a snowflake. At least for now.