Marion Takes a Break Read online

  “Great idea, Liz!” Ellie said.

  Amy nodded. “He might need some special care for a little while, but we can handle that. Right?”

  “Right!” the others chimed in.

  “And while he gets stronger,” said Marion, “we can work on finding homes for all the kittens!”

  Marion was feeling more like her old self again. Her talk with Amy had helped a lot. She got out a notebook and pen to start a to-do list.

  “So what about Amy’s idea?” Marion asked. “Having a big party at The Critter Club so people can meet the kittens?”

  “I still love that idea,” said Ellie.

  “There’s just one thing,” said Liz. “Throwing a big party costs money. We’d have to buy food and decorations.”

  “That’s true,” Amy agreed. “It could get pretty expensive.”

  Marion thought it over. How could they get lots of people to meet the kittens? She remembered when they were trying to find homes for some bunnies. Ellie was starring in the school play. She had gotten the bunnies up on stage.

  Could we get the kittens in some kind of show? thought Marion. A show . . . A show . . . Then it hit her. The horse show!

  “I’ve got it!” Marion exclaimed. “We could bring the kittens to the big horse show next weekend! We could set up a booth. There will be lots of kids and parents there!”

  “Yes!” said Amy. “Marion, that’s a great idea. Maybe my mom could bake some cookies for us to give away to people so they stop by the booth!”

  “I could bring my karaoke machine!” Ellie chimed in.

  “Ellie,” began Liz, “you are a fantastic singer, but—”

  “Oh no!” Ellie said. “Not so I can sing. We could use the microphone to get people’s attention.”

  Liz giggled. “Oh! That makes sense. And I can be in charge of decorating the booth.”

  Suddenly Marion knew what she wanted to be in charge of. “Can I make a special collar for each kitten?” she asked. “That way they’ll each look their best for the big day.”

  The girls agreed it was a plan—a great plan!

  The Sixth Kitten

  Marion lined up the kittens’ collars she had made so far. “Five down, one to go!” she said.

  She was at The Critter Club with Amy, Ellie, and Liz. All four had been spending extra time there. The horse show was only three days away, and there was a lot they wanted to get organized.

  “Wow, Marion! Those are all so pretty!” Ellie said.

  “Thanks!” Marion replied. She had worked hard on her creations. She had thought a lot about which color would look best on each kitten. “The braided green one is for the little black kitten,” Marion explained. “The bright purple satin collar is for the white kitten. The red velvet will look great on the black and white kitten, and the pink collar will really stand out on the silver kitten. The sunny yellow collar goes on the dark gray kitten.” Whew! Marion took a breath.

  “Great colors!” said Liz. “What about the tabby kitten?”

  The tabby kitten was the one with the healing paw. Marion was saving his collar for last. “I’ve got something extraspecial planned for Ollie,” Marion said with a smile.

  The name had been Marion’s suggestion. All the girls gave Ollie extra care and cuddles, but Marion had a special place in her heart for him. His brothers and sisters could now run and jump and play. But poor Ollie was still limping around a little. He would often sit off to the side and watch the others.

  Sometimes Marion felt like she and Ollie were going through the same thing.

  Marion reached for her clipboard. She checked the list. “So what’s left to do before Saturday?” she asked.

  “Mom and I are baking another batch of cookies tonight,” said Amy. “We’ve got six dozen so far! We’re going to bring a big cooler of lemonade, too.”

  “Great!” said Marion, making a note on her list. “Food, check!”

  “And I’ve got almost all of the decorations ready,” said Liz. “I’m still making some really long paper chains in bright colors. We can hang them all around the sides of our table. Tonight I’ll make the sign!”

  “And Mom helped me put new batteries in my karaoke machine,” Ellie added. “Now I’m thinking up catchy things to say at the horse show. What do you think of this?” Ellie held an imaginary microphone to her mouth. “Kittens and cookies! Cookies and kittens!” she boomed.

  The girls laughed at Ellie’s announcer voice. “That will get people’s attention, all right!” Amy said.

  Marion checked things off on the list. “Decorations, check! Karaoke machine, check!”

  There was one other thing Marion wondered about. “Guys, how will we know who should adopt a kitten—who would give them a good home?” Marion wanted to make sure the kittens would be taken care of.

  “Good thinking, Marion,” Amy said. “My mom will be there the whole time, so she can talk to people about having kittens as pets.”

  Marion nodded. She knew that Dr. Purvis would make sure the kittens went to loving families.

  She hated the idea of any of the kittens living somewhere they wouldn’t be loved . . . especially little Ollie.

  Kittens and Cookies

  “Wow!” said Liz, leaning close to Marion. “There are a lot of people here!” She had to speak up. Right next to them Ellie was half talking, half singing into the karaoke machine microphone. She couldn’t quite contain her musical side.

  “Kittens and cookies! Come have a looksie!”

  “Lots of people and lots of horses!” Marion replied to Liz.

  The horse show was being held at the Santa Vista fairgrounds—near Ms. Sullivan’s house. There were two big performance rings, and stands for people to sit and watch. The parking lot was full of cars and horse trailers.

  The girls and their parents had come early. They had picked a shady spot, between the parking lot and the performance area, where they had set up the booth. It was made out of Marion’s family’s beach umbrella and Liz’s family’s big folding table. With Liz’s decorations and sign, the girls thought it looked great!

  The kittens were playing happily in a little fenced area behind the table. Ms. Sullivan had brought them over from The Critter Club. Earlier Marion had put on their special new collars.

  “They all look sooo cute!” Ellie squealed. “And I love Ollie’s collar, Marion.”

  Marion liked it too. It was a sparkly silver ribbon with a heart charm on the front. The other girls couldn’t see, but on the back of the charm was a message.

  It had already been a busy morning! Lots of people were stopping by the booth. Some just stopped by for cookies and lemonade, but many others asked Dr. Purvis about adopting a kitten. Amy’s mom was chatting nonstop!

  Right before noon Marion took a break. It was almost Gabby’s turn in the ring! She went with her mom and dad to watch from the stands. It was hard to watch her sister ride, but not because she was jealous. She was nervous and excited for her little sister!

  As Gabby did her routine, Marion was amazed—her sister was great! When Gabby finished, Marion cheered louder than anyone.

  Back at The Critter Club booth, Marion could hardly wait to tell her friends.

  “She and her horse both looked so calm. Their walk, trot, canter, and gallop was the best I’ve seen them do!” Then Marion noticed that there were only three kittens in the little play area. “What happened to the black, the white, and the silver kittens?”

  Dr. Purvis smiled. “Three of the families from this morning came back,” she said. “They wanted to adopt. I’m sure they will give our little friends great homes!”

  Marion smiled happily. Secretly, though, she was glad none of the families had chosen Ollie. She would have been sad to have missed saying good-bye.

  The hours sped by. More people stopped by the booth. One by one the cookies disappeared and the lemonade cooler got emptier. Ellie’s voice had gotten tired, too, and she had turned off the karaoke machine.

  Before Mar
ion knew it, two more kittens had been adopted—Ollie was the only one left.

  The horse show was almost done. The loudspeaker came on, and Marion could hear a voice reading a list of winners. Last year they read my name, she thought sadly. Not this year.

  Just then Marion did hear her name announced!

  “The junior division blue ribbon goes to rider number fourteen, Ballard.” That was Marion’s last name! Then the announcer went on: “Congratulations to Gabby Ballard!”

  Marion gasped and clapped. Her sister had won a blue ribbon!

  Surprise!

  What a day! The girls had found homes for five kittens and Gabby had won!

  “I’m so proud of you!” Marion said to her little sister. She gave Gabby a great big hug. At that moment seeing her sister win was even better than getting her own blue ribbon!

  “Let’s celebrate!” said Marion’s mom. She invited all the girls, their parents, and Ms. Sullivan back to their house for dinner.

  Together everyone packed up the booth. It took Marion’s dad a few extra minutes to get the umbrella back in their car. Then Marion and Gabby and their parents were on their way home—with Ollie. He sat, all alone, in a cat carrier at Marion’s feet.

  “Don’t worry, Ollie, we’ll find you a home,” she said to him.

  The Ballards were the last to arrive at their own house. Marion’s dad and sister took Ollie inside. Marion’s mom got the crutches from the trunk. She helped Marion out of the car and up the walk.

  When Marion hopped through the front door, she couldn’t believe her eyes. There were balloons everywhere! There was a big cake on the coffee table. A colorful banner hung over the fireplace.

  “Surprise!” everyone shouted. There was Amy, Liz, Ellie, and their parents; Liz’s big brother, Stewart; Ellie’s little brother, Toby; Ellie’s nana Gloria; Ms. Sullivan; and Rufus, too! They were all looking at Marion!

  “A party . . . for me?” Marion asked in shock. “But Gabby is the one who won.”

  Marion’s mom gave Gabby a squeeze. “Yes, but now it’s a party for you and Gabby!” she said. “We’re very proud of you both, Marion.”

  Marion’s dad put an arm around her shoulders. “We know nothing has been easy with the cast,” he said. “Missing the horse show was really tough, but you made the best of it. You put your efforts into working hard for The Critter Club.” He looked around at the girls. “All of you did . . . and it really paid off.”

  Marion felt great. Actually, she felt better than great. She felt proud. She hadn’t won anything or gotten a perfect grade. Instead, she knew she had done an important job. “Finding homes for five kittens in one day is pretty awesome!” she said happily.

  “You can make that six,” said Marion’s mom. She was holding Ollie.

  Marion’s smile disappeared from her face. “Six?” she said. “Has . . . has Ollie been adopted too?” Marion prepared for the bad news.

  “Yep!” her mom said. “He’s been adopted by . . . ”

  “Us!” said Marion’s dad and sister together.

  Marion’s eyes went wide. One of her crutches fell over. She almost lost her balance but didn’t. “Do you mean it?” she cried. “Really? Really, really?”

  Marion’s mom and dad smiled. “We really mean it,” her dad said. “But there’s one other person who has to agree.”

  Marion looked around in surprise. “Who?” she asked.

  Her parents glanced over at Dr. Purvis.

  “I can’t think of a better home for little Ollie,” Dr. Purvis said with a smile.

  As Marion sat down on the couch, her mother handed Ollie to her. The rest of the girls gathered around Marion and hugged her and the adorable kitten.

  “As soon as my ankle is all better, we’re going to have lots of adventures together, Ollie!” Marion told the kitten.

  Ollie purred and nestled happily into Marion’s lap.

  Read on for a sneak peek at the next Critter Club book:

  Amy Meets Her Stepsister

  Amy’s mom grabbed a potholder. She lifted the pot lid. Amy took a sniff.

  “Mmmm,” Amy said. “That smells so good!”

  Inside the pot was a big batch of their famous chicken noodle soup. They had made it together. “The perfect dinner for a cool night,” Amy’s mom said with a smile.

  Amy giggled. “Mom, this batch will last us all year!” It was a lot of soup for just the two of them.

  Amy set the table. She put out two napkins and two soup spoons. Meanwhile, Amy’s mom ladled soup into bowls.

  Just as they sat down to eat, the phone rang.

  “Start without me!” said Amy’s mom, popping up to answer it.

  Amy slurped up some broth.

  “Oh, hi, Eliot!” she heard her mom say into the phone.

  Amy’s face lit up. Eliot was her father. He lived in Orange Blossom, a bigger town near Santa Vista. Even though her parents were divorced, Amy got to see her dad a lot.

  “Uh-huh,” her mom was saying into the phone. “I bet she would love that!” She looked over at Amy and smiled. “Why don’t you ask her?” Her mom held out the phone to Amy. “Your dad has a question for you,” she said.

  Amy jumped up and took the phone.

  “Hi, Dad!” she said. “What’s up?”

  “Hey, kiddo,” came her dad’s voice through the phone. “How would you like to spend this weekend at my house?”

  “Really?” said Amy. She loved her weekends with her dad. “But I thought that was next weekend.”

  “I know,” her dad said. “But I’ve got some really big and exciting news to tell you.”

  News? “What is it?” Amy asked.

  “You know what? I want to tell you in person,” her dad said. “Oh! And Julia is going to come visit on Saturday too.”

  Julia was Amy’s dad’s girlfriend. He had met her about a year ago. Amy really liked Julia. She still kind of wished her mom and dad were married. But since they didn’t want that, Amy was happy her dad had met someone as nice as Julia.

  “So I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Okay?” her dad said.

  “Okay! Bye!” said Amy, and she hung up the phone. She was so glad she wouldn’t have to wait too long for the weekend. After all, tomorrow was Friday!

  Then it hit her. Friday. It was sleepover night with her three best friends: Marion, Ellie, and Liz. They had a sleepover almost every week.

  With a pang of disappointment, Amy flopped down into her chair. “Oh no. This means I can’t go to the sleepover at Marion’s.”

  Amy’s mom patted her on the back. “You’ll have fun with your dad, sweetie. And when we host next week’s sleepover, we can make it extraspecial.”

  Amy nodded. Besides, she thought, we have lots of sleepovers. But how often does Dad have big, exciting news?

  Now she was really curious. What was the big news?

  Callie Barkley loves animals. As a young girl, she dreamed of getting a cat or dog of her own until she discovered she was allergic to most of them. It was around this time that she realized the world was full of all kinds of critters that could use some love. She now lives with her husband and two kids in Connecticut. They share their home with exactly ten fish and a very active ant farm.

  Marsha Riti is an illustrator based in Austin, Texas. Her premiere picture book is The Picky Little Witch. She likes to take long walks, stopping frequently to pet neighborhood kitties.

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster • New York

  CritterClubBooks.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2013 by Simon &
Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by Laura Roode. Jacket design by Laura Roode Jacket illustrations by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  First Edition

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Barkley, Callie. Marion takes a break / by Callie Barkley ; illustrated by Marsha Riti. — 1st ed. p. cm. — (The Critter Club ; #4) Summary: When a broken ankle forces Marion to withdraw from the horse show, she finds a way to stay active by helping her friends at the Critter Club animal shelter find homes for a litter of kittens. [1. Fractures—Fiction. 2. Friendship—Fiction. 3. Clubs—Fiction. 4. Animal shelters—Fiction.] I. Riti, Marsha, ill. II. Title. PZ7.B250585Mar 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012020390

  ISBN 978-1-4424-6772-9 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-6773-6 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-6774-3 (eBook)