Ivy and Bean No News Is Good News Read Free Page A

three dollars out of his pocket. “Go, go!” he bellowed. “Run away!” He waved his hands, shooing them away before they could hear any more bad words. They didn’t even get to do their song.
    When they got down to the sidewalk, Bean looked at the three dollars. “Do we have to give him three copies of The Flipping Pancake ?”
    “No,” said Ivy. She thought. “I think he gave us extra to forget that bad word.”
    “It’s working!” said Bean. “I can’t even remember it.”
    Ivy and Bean looked at each other and giggled.
    After Jake the Teenager’s house came Fester the dog’s house. No one was home but Fester. He howled when they rang the doorbell, but he couldn’t answer.

    Next, Ruby and Trevor’s mother gave them a dollar before Bean had even finished her speech. Of course Ivy’s mother subscribed. She paid for two copies. Katy and Liana’s father said he’d always wanted to know what was going on in Pancake Court.
    At Dino and Crummy Matt’s house, their mother said she wished that her children were so hard working. She said it really loud, so Dino and Crummy Matt could hear her over their video game. Ivy and Bean smiled modestly as she handed them a dollar.
    It was easy, giving speeches, singing songs, taking money. It was easy and fun. “I don’t know why my mom and dad complain about going to work,” said Bean as they left Mr. Columbi’s house. “It doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me.”
    “Careful of the car!” yelled Mr. Columbi from his front porch. He was always worried about his car.
    Bean waved and smiled and stuffed Mr. Columbi’s dollar in her pocket.

    “I bet we could make even more money,” said Ivy, looking at Sophie W.’s house.
    “Why? We have ten dollars. That’s enough for two bags of Belldeloon cheese,” Bean pointed out.
    “I guess you’re right,” said Ivy. “We don’t want to get worn out.”

BAD NEWS
    “I can’t believe that’s what you wanted to buy with your hard-earned money,” said Bean’s dad. “Cheese!”
    Bean and Ivy didn’t answer. They were happy. Each of them had a little red bag of Belldeloon cheese hooked over her wrist. The bags bounced against their legs as they walked across the parking lot. It felt nice.
    “Why do you want cheese?” he asked.
    “We like cheese,” said Bean. There was no reason to tell him about the wax. He wouldn’t understand.

    “Especially lowfat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for-you serving size,” murmured Ivy, getting into the car.
    They sat quietly in the backseat as Bean’s dad drove them home. They had planned everything out. They were going to wait until they got home to open their bags. They would each eat just one cheese ball that afternoon. Then they would switch off cheese days. Ivy was going to go first. Tomorrow, she would bring a Belldeloon ball to school. The next day, Bean would bring a Belldeloon ball. The cheese-bringer would split her wax with the non-cheese-bringer. Ivy was going to use her half circle of wax to make a tiny voodoo doll. Bean wanted to squish hers in front of Vanessa. For ten days, they were going to drive everyone in Emerson School crazy. It was going to be great.
    “So!” called Bean’s dad from the front seat. “When are you going to start your writing?”
    Ivy and Bean didn’t answer. They were thinking about wax.
    “Girls!”
    “What?” said Bean dreamily.
    “You’re going to start writing when we get home, right?” he asked.

    “What?”
    “Stop saying what! Your magazine! You’re going to start writing it today, right?”
    “Magazine?”
    “The magazine! The newspaper!” he yelled. “The one you sold! The Flopping Pancake! ”
    “Oh yeah. That,” Bean said. “You don’t have to yell.”
    “Well? Are you going to start today?” He was still yelling a little.
    “After we have some cheese,” said Bean. “Maybe.”
    Bean’s dad pulled into the driveway. He stopped the car and then he turned around to look at Bean and Ivy with