The Candy Smash Read Free

Mrs. Overton's desk drawers? Were the cafeteria hot dogs really made of rubber? Why did the gym teacher leave in the middle of the school year? Who was responsible for the two fire alarms in January? And what made that funny smell down by the school boiler room? The principal said it was an outdated HVAC system that did a poor job of ventilating the school when it rained, but the boys claimed that the custodian had a dead body in there. David Kirkorian was the one who pointed out that the smell had started shortly after the gym teacher disappeared.
    But Jessie couldn't actually investigate any of those mysteries. She couldn't break into Mrs. Overton's desk or ask questions about the gym teacher. (She had tried and was told firmly by the principal that it was none of her business.) She couldn't sneak into the boiler room. Jessie shuddered, thinking what it would be like to find a dead body.
    Then Jessie thought of something her grandmother had said a few weeks ago when they had seen a news report about protesters occupying the State House: "You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs."
    "What the heck does that mean?" Jessie had asked.
    "It means if you want to achieve something important, you might have to make a mess along the way. Ruffle a few feathers. Kick up some dust." Jessie looked blankly at her grandmother. "In other words, Jess, you can't always make everyone happy. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do."
    "Grandma," Jessie said sternly. "Are you talking about breaking rules?" The thought of breaking rules made her feel lightheaded.
    "Oh, rules," said Grandma. "When you get to be my age..."
    Jessie stared at the empty pages in front of her and thought of her grandmother's words. Her dad broke rules all the time. He was always sneaking under fences and snooping through trash to uncover a story. Because he wanted to make the world a better place. Because he was a hero.
    Just then Scott Spencer burst through the door, followed noisily by half a dozen other kids. Jessie jumped as if she'd been caught red-handed doing something illegal, accidentally knocking her Valentine's shoebox off the desk. It made a strange rattling sound as it fell, and when the lid came off, something unexpected spilled out.

Chapter 3
Mushrooms Take Over the World
personification (n) giving lifelike characteristics to an inanimate object or an abstract idea; describing an object as if it were alive
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    Candy!
    A box of candy hearts fell out of Jessie's Valentine's Day shoebox, and now all the kids were tearing open the lids of their own boxes and finding candy, too.
    "Sweet!" Evan shouted, scooping up the miniature box of candy conversation hearts.
    "Thanks, Mrs. Overton!" said Nina Lee when Mrs. Overton hurried into the classroom from the hallway. She'd been at the photocopier, making copies of the Poem of the Day.
    "Thanks for what?" asked Mrs. Overton.
    "The candy!" shouted Jack, holding his box high and rattling it as if it were a maraca.
    "Where did this candy come from?" asked Mrs. Overton, looking surprised.
    "Who cares?" said Scott, popping three candy hearts into his mouth and crunching loudly.
    "I care!" said Mrs. Overton, her voice rising with alarm.
    "Hey, look what my hearts say," said Tessa. She held one up. " GREAT VOICE ."
    "That's so weird!" said Cindy. Tessa had the best singing voice in the whole school. Every year, she sang in the talent show, and it was like watching an episode of
American Idol.
    "Look at this!" said Christopher. He held up his candy heart. "Mine says MASTERPIECE ." Christopher was always drawing, and when he grew up he planned to be an artist.
    "What does yours say?" asked Jessie, turning to Salley Knight.
    "It says BEST LUNCH ." No one could argue with that. Salley's mom owned a restaurant, and she always packed the best food in Salley's lunchbox.
    "Who brought these candies to school?" asked Mrs. Overton. No one had a clue. "Well, don't eat them," she said, but almost everyone had already