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

narrow eyes. “Before you have some cheese,” he said. “For sure.”
    Dang.
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    “Okay. We did it. Can we have our cheese?” Bean said, coming into the kitchen with Ivy. “Where’d you hide the bags?”
    Her dad looked up from his computer. “Let’s see this newspaper first.”
    Bean handed him a piece of paper. At the top, it said The Flipping Pancake in enormous pink letters. Below that were some other words. Bean’s dad read them out loud. “Everyone on Pancake Court will be happy to know that Ivy and Bean just got Lowfat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for-you serving size. It costs five dollars a bag. But it’s worth it! Weather today: Cloudy.” He looked up at Bean.
    “See, we did the weather, too. Can we have our cheese?” she asked.
    “Bernice Blue, do you really think this is your best work?” he asked.
    Oooh! Trick question! Grown-ups were sly. If you said No, they got mad. If you said Yes, they got mad. But you had to say something.
    “Yes!” Bean said firmly.

    “I don’t think so,” said her dad. He gave her a serious look.
    Bean tried another way. She made her eyes big. “We did the best we could,” she said in a little voice. Ivy made her eyes big, too, and nodded sadly.
    Her father frowned at her. “I don’t think so,” he said again sternly. “Listen, girls, you promised people news about Pancake Court. You took their money. You have to deliver what you promised. Once you’ve made a real newspaper, with real news, you can have your cheese. Not before.”
    “That’s not fair!” cried Bean.
    “It’s perfectly fair,” he said, frowning some more.
    “How are we supposed to find news about Pancake Court?” Bean squawked. “Nothing ever happens around here.”

    “Nonsense,” her father said. “Hundreds of things are happening all the time on Pancake Court. Your job is to go out there and get the story!” He waved his hands. “Go! Discover! Write!”
    “It’s almost night,” said Bean, stalling.
    “Nice try. It’s afternoon. Get out there!” he said. He sounded very enthusiastic. “Find out what makes Pancake Court tick!”
    “And then we get our cheese?” Ivy asked.
    “Give us news, give us truth, and you will get cheese!” he said, thumping his fist on the kitchen table.
    Bean rolled her eyes. “Come on,” she said to Ivy. “Let’s go get the stupid story.”

RATS! SALAMI! WOW!
    “I thought this was supposed to keep us off the streets,” Bean yelled at the door.
    Her father didn’t answer. He didn’t open the door, either.
    “Sheesh.” Bean and Ivy walked down the front path to the sidewalk. They looked in one direction. Trees and houses. They looked in the other direction. Trees and houses and a cat.

    Ivy sighed and sat down on the sidewalk. “This could take days.”
    “Months,” said Bean. “Years.”
    The cat walked to the middle of Pancake Court and sat down.
    “Cat in Danger?” suggested Ivy. “Is that a story?” She took out her notebook.
    The cat licked its leg.
    “Clean Cat in Danger,” said Bean. She took out her notebook, too.
    The cat stood up, gave them an annoyed look, and crossed the street.

    “Cat Saved?” said Ivy.
    Bean shook her head. “Boring. This is going to be the worst newspaper in the world.”
    “What if they ask for their money back?” Ivy said gloomily.
    “I guess we could give them cheese,” said Bean, even more gloomily.
    “But it’s ours!” said Ivy.
    “Not until we write the ding-dang newspaper,” said Bean.
    They sat some more. Mr. Columbi came out of his house, waved at Ivy and Bean, took a leaf off his car, and went back inside his house.
    “Cleanest Car on the Court?” asked Ivy.
    “That’s not news,” said Bean. “His car is always the cleanest.”
    “Have you ever been in his house?” Ivy asked.
    Bean shook her head.
    “I wonder if it’s as clean as his car,” Ivy said.
    “Bet it’s not,” said Bean. She imagined Mr. Columbi’s house. “I bet it’s really