Marion Strikes a Pose Read online

“Hi, Olivia!” said Marion. “It’s so funny that we’re here at the same time.” She looked down at what Olivia had on: a denim jacket with ruffles, a flowing green skirt, tights, and low brown boots. “Is this your design?” Marion asked. “I love it! It looks great!”

  Olivia scrunched up her face. “Really?” she said. “I’m not sure about it. Actually, I have another one in here. I think it’s better than this one.” Olivia’s face brightened. “Can I show you? You can tell me which one you like better.”

  “Okay!” Marion replied.

  Olivia went back into the fitting room. Meanwhile, Marion scanned the racks. She spotted some scarves on a shelf and headed over to check them out.

  Behind her, Marion heard the fitting-room door open and then Olivia’s voice. “So what do you think of this one?”

  Marion turned. Her eyes took in Olivia’s outfit, head to toe. Marion felt something like a knot twisting in her stomach.

  Olivia was wearing slim purple pants and a sleeveless shirt. Over the top, tied to look like a dress, she had on an extra-large flower print scarf.

  Marion could not believe it! Olivia’s scarf looked like it had come straight out of Marion’s notebook.

  Marion thought the outfit was amazing. She loved it. She opened her mouth to say so. But she didn’t want to say so. Because if that was Olivia’s design, what would Marion do? Their outfits couldn’t be so similar!

  “It’s nice,” Marion said. “But you know what? The first outfit was better. I’d go with that other one.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Marion wished she could take them back.

  A Strange Feeling

  In the school auditorium, Marion was showing her outfit design to Hannah. She struggled to get the scarf tied the right way. Each knot she made just came untied.

  Marion looked up. In the back of the auditorium, Olivia stood in the doorway. She pointed at Marion’s scarf. “There it is!” Olivia cried. “Get it!”

  Olivia stepped aside, and Marion saw it: an army of huge frogs. They were hopping two by two down the auditorium aisle. They were headed right for Marion!

  Marion woke with a start. Morning sunlight shone through her curtains. She sighed with relief. It was just a dream. A terrible, terrible dream.

  But as Marion rubbed her eyes, a certain feeling in her stomach came back. What was it? Then Marion realized—she felt guilty. She had lied and convinced Olivia to choose the first outfit.

  Then, after Olivia had left the store, Marion had gone ahead with her design. She had chosen the blue skirt and shirt, a pair of sparkly flats—and an extra-large scarf. It was the outfit she would show to Hannah later that day.

  At least I didn’t get the exact same scarf Olivia picked out, Marion thought, trying to make it seem less terrible. Is it really such a big deal?

  But deep down, Marion knew it was. She had lied because she wanted to win so badly.

  Marion jumped out of bed. She had to get to school and find Olivia. She had to tell her the truth.

  Marion Makes It Work

  The clock outside the auditorium read 3:42. School was dismissed. The buses were gone. The pickup circle was empty.

  The only students left at school were the ones who wanted to enter the styling contest. There were three other second graders, plus about ten kids from other grades.

  But Olivia wasn’t there. She hadn’t been in school at all that day, so Marion hadn’t had a chance to talk to her.

  Marion was next in line to have her meeting with Hannah.

  What am I going to do? Marion wondered. Her heart beat faster. In a shopping bag, she had the clothes from The Closet. But Marion didn’t feel good about them. I want to win. But then, what if I do win? I won’t feel proud or excited.

  The auditorium door opened. Hannah poked her head out and called, “Next!” She looked at Marion with a smile.

  Marion took a deep breath as she walked in through the door.

  At the foot of the stage, there was a mannequin the size of Marion. “Your name is Marion Ballard?” Hannah asked as she checked her clipboard. “And you’re in second grade?”

  Marion nodded.

  “Great,” said Hannah. “So, why don’t I help you dress this mannequin with the outfit you’ve put together. Then I’ll have a few questions for you. Okay?”

  “Sure,” said Marion. She pulled out the blue skirt and the blue shirt. Hannah helped her wriggle the clothes onto the mannequin.

  Then Marion pulled out the scarf.

  “And where does this fit into your design?” Hannah asked.

  “That goes . . .” Marion began. She froze. She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t use the scarf the way she—and Olivia—had pictured it. It didn’t feel right.

  But she had to use the scarf. Otherwise, her outfit was too plain.

  Thinking quickly, Marion held one end of the scarf. She twirled it around until it was twisted up, long and thin.

  She wrapped it around the mannequin’s waist like a belt and tied it in a large bow at the right hip.

  Marion stepped back to look at it. It wasn’t as good as her original scarf idea. But it wasn’t bad.

  “Interesting,” Hannah said, admiring the outfit. “That’s an unexpected touch.”

  Marion smiled for the first time that day.

  The Moment of Truth

  The rest of the meeting was a blur. Hannah asked Marion why she was entering the contest and a few other questions. Before Marion knew it, she was walking out of the auditorium.

  As she opened the door, she saw Olivia waiting in line. “You’re here!” Marion said. “But . . . where have you been? Why weren’t you in school today?”

  Olivia wiped at her nose with a tissue. “My allergies were really bad this morning,” she said. “My dad said I should stay home and rest.” She held up a bag. “But I’m ready with my outfit. I can’t wait for my turn to go in!”

  Marion looked down at the floor. “Olivia, about your outfit,” she began. This was going to be hard. Marion knew she had to tell Olivia the truth. “I lied to you yesterday. I said I liked your first outfit better, but really I loved your second outfit.”

  Olivia looked confused. “You did?” she asked.

  Marion nodded and explained everything—how they had had the same scarf idea, and how Marion hadn’t wanted to change her design. “I should have told you. We could have talked it over.” She looked Olivia in the eye. “I’m sorry.”

  Olivia smiled. “That’s okay, Marion,” she said. “Because you know what? I’m not going to use the clothes from The Closet.”

  Marion raised her eyebrows. “You’re not?” she said.

  Olivia shook her head. “See, I realized something when I was at home today,” she started. “I realized that . . . I do kind of like my own style. I mean, I learned a lot from you, and your style is amazing. But it’s just not mine.”

  Olivia opened her bag so Marion could peek in. “So this is my outfit: my high-top sneakers, a skirt that is so much fun to twirl around in, and my favorite sweater. My grandma gave it to me. It’s something I would feel good wearing.”

  Marion smiled a huge smile. “I love it!” she said. And she really meant it.

  She waited in line with Olivia, then wished her good luck when Hannah called her in. “I’ll wait out here until you’re done,” Marion said to Olivia.

  Olivia nodded and gave her a thumbs-up as the auditorium door closed behind her.

  Showtime!

  A week later, Marion ran full speed into The Critter Club. “Hello?” she called, out of breath.

  No one answered. “Amy? Liz? Ellie?” she said. It was time to feed the frogs. But the other girls hadn’t arrived yet.

  In one hand, Marion clutched a piece of paper. At last it had come in the mail: a letter from Hannah Lewis with the list of contest winners. Marion sat down by the frog tank to wait. She looked inside. One of the frogs hopped right up to the glass.

  “Oh, hello,” Marion said to the frog. She
looked down at the letter. She looked back at the frog. Then she shrugged. She was dying to share the news with someone.

  She held the letter up to the glass. “Look!” she exclaimed. “Look who won in second grade!”

  The frog croaked.

  “I know!” said Marion. “Isn’t it great? I’m so excited!”

  The frog didn’t say anything else, so Marion went on. “I can’t decide which is better. Winning, or winning with Olivia!”

  There was no answer from the frog tank.

  “And Hannah Lewis called me just now. She said she loved both of our designs. She said they were both so stylish and so different.”

  Marion was sure the frog was listening to every word she said.

  “And here’s maybe the best part: Hannah said if we want to, we can model our outfits in the fashion show! That’s right. We can be in the show! Can you believe it?”

  The frog was quiet. Marion was all out of news. She sat for a moment, just looking at the frog. She leaned in closer to the glass.

  “You know what?” whispered Marion. “You are a very good listener.” She looked around. She felt a tiny bit silly talking to a frog. Then she added, “And you guys are actually pretty cool.”

  One week later, Marion was backstage at The Closet’s fashion show. She peeked out at the audience from behind the curtain. The seats were filled and loud music played. Everyone clapped as the contest winners took turns walking the runway, showing off their outfit designs.

  “Marion, you’re next,” Hannah whispered behind her. “Ready . . . and go!”

  Marion took a deep breath and stepped out onto the runway. She felt so proud to show off the outfit she had styled. She was even prouder of the hard decision she had made to change her design. In the end, she loved the way the outfit turned out.

  By the sound of the audience’s applause, they liked it, too!

  At the end of the narrow stage, Marion struck a pose. She could see her friends and family cheering loudly for her.

  Marion turned and began her walk off stage. As she did, she passed Olivia on her way down the runway in her own winning outfit.

  Marion put her hand up for a high five. The friends’ hands met in the air with a loud clap.

  Then, as Marion walked on, she smiled a huge smile, listening to the crowd cheer for her friend.

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

  Amy’s Very Merry Christmas

  At her mom’s vet clinic, Amy Purvis peeked into the guinea pigs’ cage. She had just hung a new toy from its top. Will they figure out how to play with it? Amy wondered.

  Snowy, the white guinea pig, tried it out first. He sniffed at the jingle bell dangling at the end of a silver velvet ribbon. Jingle. The bell rang softly. Snowy darted away and hid inside a tissue box.

  His brother, Alfie, came over next. He nudged the bell with his paw. Jingle-jingle!

  Before long, the two guinea pigs were taking turns batting at the bell.

  Amy smiled as she watched them play. “Happy holidays, guys!”

  It was a week before Christmas. Snowy and Alfie had been staying at the vet clinic for a few days. Their owner had brought them in because they seemed sick. They hadn’t been eating or moving around much. But Amy’s mom, Dr. Melanie Purvis, had known exactly what to do.

  “Look at them now!” Amy’s mom said, walking up behind Amy. “See? They just weren’t getting enough vitamin C before. It’s a common problem for guinea pigs.” Dr. Purvis had fed the guinea pigs lots of oranges and kiwi fruit. “They’re just about well enough to go home.”

  Amy gave a happy clap. “Yay! They’ll be home in time for the holidays!” she said.

  Amy loved animals, so she also loved helping out at her mom’s clinic. It was in the building right next door to Amy’s house, where she lived with her mom. On some weekdays, after school, Amy brought her homework over to the clinic. She sat at the front desk, did her reading and math, then helped with chores.

  Today she cleaned out cages, refilled water bowls, and took two dogs for walks. But making the toy for Snowy and Alfie had definitely been the most fun.

  “Mom,” said Amy. “I just decided: I’m going to make a present for each animal at the clinic.”

  Dr. Purvis gave Amy a hug. “I think that’s very nice of you,” she said. “Maybe your Critter Club friends would like to help?”

  “Great idea!” said Amy. She and her best friends, Marion, Liz, and Ellie, ran an animal shelter called The Critter Club. The club was in their friend Ms. Sullivan’s barn. Together, the girls had helped lots of stray animals in Santa Vista find new homes.

  Right now, the club didn’t have any animal guests. So it was a perfect time for the girls to find some other critters to help.

  The animals at the clinic need some holiday cheer, Amy decided. This is definitely a job for The Critter Club!

  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

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Callie-Barkley

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Marsha-Riti

  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 • First Little Simon edition July 2014 • Copyright © 2014 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. The text of this book was set in ITC Stone Informal Std.

  Jacket design by Laura Roode

  Jacket illustrations by Marsha Riti

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2014 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Barkley, Callie. Marion strikes a pose / by Callie Barkley ; illustrated by Marsha Riti. — First edition. pages cm. — (The Critter Club ; #8) Summary: While her friends in the Critter Club babysit frogs, second-grader Marion enters a fashion design contest. [1. Fashion design—Fiction. 2. Contests—Fiction.] I. Riti, Marsha, illustrator. II. Title. PZ7.B250585Mar 2014 [Fic]—dc23 2013024708

  ISBN 978-1-4424-9529-6 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-9528-9 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4424-9530-2 (eBook)