Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin Read Free Page A

true. And the only way you’re going to believe it is if you go into that bookstore and see for yourself.”
    I hate it when parents give you hard choices.
    I like my choices nice and easy.
    â€œOkay,” I finally said. “I guess I can do that. Probably she won’t even be there.”
    Just to be on the safe side, though, I knocked on a wooden chair extra hard.

9
The Bad-Luck Magnet
    â€œWow!” Dad exclaimed when he saw the pumpkin in the window. “You weren’t kidding. That is one big pumpkin!”
    â€œHello, there!” said Dan. “Back again?”
    â€œMy school really needs books,” I said.
    â€œAnd he really likes candy,” said Dad with a smile. “Matter of fact, so do I.”
    â€œIs No-name around?” I asked.
    â€œI just got here a few minutes ago,” said Dan. “But I haven’t seen her. Maybe someone decided to take her home.”
    â€œMy daughter will be disappointed if they did,” said Dad. “She spent all of our dinner begging us to add No-name to our family.”
    No No-name was good news. Finally I could concentrate on more important things.
    I thought about the world’s biggest pumpkin.
    Mr. Page had said it was over one thousand six hundred pounds. He’d shown us a picture of it too.
    The bookstore pumpkin was smaller than that. But it was still pretty big.
    I thought about the medium-sizedpumpkin at school Ms. Diz had weighed.
    It was seventeen pounds.
    The bookstore pumpkin weighed a lot more than that one.
    Finally I felt ready to take a guess.
    I wrote down my number:
    964

    I put ROSCOE RILEY on my paper. And also my telephone number.
    Then I folded up the paper and put it into the plastic pumpkin that held the other guesses. There were a lot of other guesses.
    â€œGood luck,” said Dan. “We’ll be announcing the winner on Saturday morning during the Fall Festival.”
    Dad looked at his watch. “We’ve got a few minutes before we have to pick up Max,” he said. “Let’s go check out the kids’ books section.”
    That’s where Hazel had run into No-name!
    â€œWe should probably go get Max,” I said quickly.
    â€œWe’ve got plenty of time,” Dad said.
    I followed him very closely down the aisle.
    So far, so good.
    No No-name.
    We passed the picture book part.
    And the pop-up book part.
    And the books that have a lot of big words and not enough pictures part.
    Just as we passed a tall stack of wizard books, I tripped.
    My shoelace was untied.
    That happens about twenty times a day.
    I bent down to tie my shoe.
    But somebody else wanted to help.
    No-name!
    She leaped out of a bookshelf and grabbed my shoelace.
    â€œIt’s her, Dad!” I cried.
    I could feel the bad luck rubbing off on me.

    â€œJust relax,” said Dad. “She’s only playing. Kittens love string.”
    I stood statue still.
    â€œDad,” I said in a trembly voice, “I will have to burn this shoe. It is totally covered with unluckiness.”
    No-name rubbed on me. Right on my lucky red sock.
    â€œGreat,” I said. “Now I have bad-luck cat stink all over my red sock.”
    Dad grinned. “I think she likes you.”
    â€œDad,” I said. “We have to get out of here. If she walks in front of us, we are cursed forever. Or for seven years. I’m not exactly sure which.”
    Gently Dad pulled the shoelace from No-name’s little claws. Then he picked her up.
    â€œDad!” I cried. “What is wrong with you?”
    â€œI’m just holding her,” he said. “It’s not like she’s crossing my path.”
    No-name made that rumbly purring noise again.
    She sounded like she’d swallowed a little toy engine.
    It was a good sound. But I knew it was just a sneaky cat trick.
    She wanted me to think she was cute so she could cross my path and ruin my life.
    â€œPlease can we go now? She’s already