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    Princess for a Week
    Princess for a Week
    Princess for a Week
    Ebook103 pages1 hour

    Princess for a Week

    By Betty Ren Wright and Jacqueline Rogers

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    “Boys and girls alike will appreciate the mix of classic and contemporary elements in this creepy, suspenseful middle-grade mystery” (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books).

    Roddy Hall overhears his mother saying “Princess” is coming to visit. He’s excited—he’s always wanted a dog. But then he finds out that—ick—Princess is a girl and—yuck—she’ll be staying for a whole week. One night, Princess, Roddy, and his best friend, Jacob, notice a mysterious car pull up to an abandoned house. Could it be a burglar? Or worse yet, a ghost? Princess is determined to find out, and against his better judgment, Roddy goes along with her. They sneak out of the house to investigate—but will they be ready for what they might find?
     
    Princess for a Week is a Society for School Librarians International Honor Book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHoliday House
    Release dateJul 21, 2015
    ISBN9781504013291
    Princess for a Week

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      Book preview

      Princess for a Week - Betty Ren Wright

      1. Day One

      It’s way too big, Roddy, Jacob said. It won’t fit.

      Roddy Hall stared at the doghouse. The battered old wreck, tilted against the side of the wagon, looked as if it might fall apart at any moment. Still, he had to have it. Once he got it home, he’d figure out how to fix it.

      All you have to do is hold the wagon steady for a sec, he said. I’ll slide the house up over the edge, and then we can sort of balance it.

      Jacob rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Roddy shoved, grunted, and shoved again. Gradually the house moved upward. Then it crashed down across the wagon, sticking out on either side.

      Beautiful! Roddy puffed, picking up a board that had fallen off the roof. You hold it in place, and I’ll pull the wagon.

      They walked slowly up the gravel road from the riverbank where someone had dumped the doghouse. Roddy had noticed it two months ago, right after he and his mom moved to Hilltop Drive. For a few days he had wandered around alone, just looking at the many empty, run-down houses. His mom always said Hilltop was the right place to be because the rent was so low. She liked it, too, because the town was just eight miles from Gregg Army Base. His dad had left for Afghanistan from Gregg, and it was the place he would return to someday.

      Make the best of it, his mom had said. You never know what’s waiting for you out there, little man.

      Now he knew that the doghouse had been waiting, like a miracle, when he needed one. Maybe this would be a whole week of miracles. The doghouse today, and tomorrow or the day after a letter or an e-mail from his dad to say he would be home soon. Roddy pulled harder, just thinking about it.

      You don’t even know for sure you’re getting a dog, Jacob grumbled. We might be doing all this work for nothing.

      I do know for sure. Roddy corrected him. I was there when my mom’s friend Linda called this morning. She shows dogs for rich people, and she’s taking one to a show in Philadelphia today. Her neighbor’s supposed to come in and look after things when Linda’s away, but the neighbor has the flu. So Linda needs someone to take care of her own dog, Princess, for a week. My mom said okay. And, Roddy finished triumphantly, the minute I heard that I remembered this doghouse.

      Still a lot of work for one week, Jacob mumbled.

      Roddy didn’t argue. He’d wanted a dog for as long as he could remember. Now he had a week to prove to his mom that he was old enough to take care of one himself.

      You taking that thing to the dump?

      Both boys jumped. Neither one had noticed the girl coming toward them.

      Want some help? she asked coolly. I don’t mind.

      No, thanks, Roddy said.

      Sure, Jacob said.

      I’ll push, the girl announced, as if she hadn’t heard Roddy at all. She was skinny and brown, with a long, almost white braid and startling blue eyes. She wore a baggy T-shirt with SAVE THE PLANET EARTH printed on it.

      They started up the hill. Roddy pulled, the girl pushed, and Jacob kept both hands on the doghouse to keep it from slipping.

      How far to the dump? the girl demanded.

      Roddy pretended not to hear.

      We’re going to Roddy’s house, Jacob explained. He’s getting a dog, and it’s going to need a house.

      The girl snorted. That poor dog will drown in the first rainstorm, she said. Look at the roof.

      The roof will be fine, Roddy snapped. I’ve got plans.

      The wagon began to move faster. Soon Roddy almost had to run to keep ahead of it. When he looked back he saw that Jacob was running, too. The girl was out of sight behind the wagon, but when she spoke again she wasn’t panting at all.

      I’d never make a dog sleep in a doghouse, she said. I’d have it in my bedroom. Right on my bed.

      What a pain she was! Stop pushing, Roddy growled. This is where I live.

      The girl’s head popped up from behind the doghouse. You’re kidding! she exclaimed. You’re Roddy Hall? I didn’t know you were getting a dog. That’s great!

      The dog isn’t here yet, Roddy told her. She’s coming today.

      Princess, Jacob added. That’s her name.

      The girl’s blue eyes narrowed. She looked at Jacob, then at Roddy. Then she looked down at the doghouse.

      "You are so not bright, she said. I’m Princess. Princess Thornberry. My stepmother Linda dropped me off an hour ago. And if you think I’m going to sleep in a broken-down doghouse, you’re crazy. Your mom said I get the bedroom with all the dinosaur posters."

      Roddy blinked. Now just wait, he sputtered. You’re not—you can’t—you’re not a dog.

      Smart kid, the girl said. You should be a detective.

      Roddy was stunned. Whoever heard of a girl called Princess? I don’t believe you, he said faintly.

      I do. Jacob sighed. I just knew we were doing all this work for nothing. He poked Roddy with his elbow. That’s your bedroom she’s talking about, he said. The bedroom with all the dinosaur posters. Maybe you’re the one who gets to sleep in the doghouse tonight.

      2. Night One

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