Song Lee in Room 2B Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Shy Song Lee

  Green with Envy

  Song Lee’s Nosebook

  Song Lee and Chungju

  Spring break’s still two weeks away, but it’s vacation time in Room 2B!

  Miss Mackle held up the globe and spun it once. “The mind can take you anywhere! For homework tonight, each one of you will prepare a talk, and take us to your favorite vacation spot. Tell us what it is like. Bring in family pictures, maps, or brochures if you have them.”

  “I never go anywhere,” I groaned.

  “Me, either,” Sidney replied.

  Song Lee raised her hand. She looked like she was going to cry.

  “Yes?” Miss Mackle said.

  “I feel sick.”

  I looked at Song Lee. She wasn’t really sick. She just didn’t want to stand in front of the class and give a talk.

  PUFFIN BOOKS ABOUT ROOM 2B

  Song Lee and the Hamster Hunt

  Song Lee and the Leech Man

  Horrible Harry and the Ant Invasion

  Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise

  Horrible Harry and the Green Slime

  Horrible Harry and the Kickball Wedding

  Horrible Harry in Room 2B

  Horrible Harry’s Secret

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers,

  345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

  Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5TZ, England

  Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia

  Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2

  Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand

  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England

  First published in the United States ofAmerica by Viking,

  a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., 1993

  Published in Puffin Books, 1995

  Reissued 1999

  Text copyright © Suzy Kline, 1993 Illustrations copyright © Frank Remkiewicz, 1993

  All rights reserved

  THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE VIKING EDITION AS FOLLOWS:

  Kline, Suzy.

  Song Lee in Room 2B / Suzy Kline; illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz.

  p. cm.

  Summary: Spring becomes a memorable time for Miss Mackle’s second-grade

  classroom because of the antics of Horrible Harry and the

  special insights of shy Song Lee.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-07784-9

  [1. Schools—Fiction. 2. Korean Americans—Fiction.]

  I. Remkiewicz, Frank, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.K6797So 1993 [Fic]-dc20 92-41523 CIP AC

  RL: 2.4

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  Dedicated with to my class:

  Amy Addison

  Krystal Avery

  Christine Bascetta

  Scott Begey

  Tanya Camire

  Steven Caruso

  Garrett Celadon

  Joseph Conti

  Eric Crossman

  Yetzalee Cubero

  Maria Fantasia

  Lisa Gelormino

  Guiseppe Graziano

  Roland Greenwood

  Sara Hart

  Phyllis Herrera

  Amy Hubbard

  Matthew Langin

  Amorette Languell

  Tara LaTulipe

  David Leisten

  Gabrielle Lopez

  Blake Paris

  Ricky Pestritto

  Patrick Reardon

  Daniel Roberts

  Sarah Ruby

  Cynthia Twining

  Shy Song Lee

  Miss Mackle looked out the window of Room 2B. “It’s snowing in March?”

  Harry jumped out of his seat. “Hot dog! Come and see, Doug.”

  “All right!” I said, slapping Harry five. It was fun watching the snow stick to the playground and treetops.

  When I turned around, everybody was up at the windows.

  Except Song Lee.

  The teacher smiled at her. “You have permission to leave your seat.”

  “Thank you, Miss Mackle.”

  Miss Mackle sighed. “I wish everyone in our second grade class had your good manners, Song Lee.”

  “STOP PUSHING!” Dexter shouted.

  Harry held up a fist. “You’re in my face. Move over, scuzzball.”

  Dexter put up two fists. “Make me, lizard breath.”

  “Harry and Dexter are fighting,” Sidney called.

  Miss Mackle waved her hands in the air. “That’s it! Everyone sit down.”

  Harry and I shot Sidney a look. His tattling always got us in trouble.

  After we returned to our seats, Miss Mackle looked at the class.

  No one was smiling.

  Most of us were moaning.

  “I think we all have a case of cabin fever,” Miss Mackle said.

  “What’s that?” Mary asked.

  “It happens when people are cooped up in one place for a long time. Everyone gets grumpy.”

  “GGGGGrrrrr,” Harry growled, as he stood up and dangled his arms like a monster.

  Song Lee giggled.

  “I wish I could fly this coop and go to Texas,” I grumbled.

  Miss Mackle snapped her fingers. “Doug, you just gave me an idea! It’s time for Room 2B to take a vacation.”

  “YEAH!” we all shouted.

  Mary counted the days on our bird calendar. “How can we? Spring break is two weeks away.”

  Miss Mackle held up the globe, and spun it once. “The mind can take you anywhere! For homework tonight, each one of you will prepare a talk, and take us to your favorite vacation spot. Tell us what it is like. Bring in family pictures, maps, or brochures if you have them.”

  “I never go anywhere,” I groaned.

  “Me, either,” Sidney replied.

  Song Lee raised her hand. She looked like she was going to cry.

  “Yes?” Miss Mackle said.

  “I feel sick.”

  I looked at Song Lee. She wasn’t really sick. She just didn’t want to stand in front of the class and give a talk.

  Whenever the class had a play, Song Lee had a silent part, like a dead fish or Little Miss Muffet.

  Miss Mackle put her hand on Song Lee’s forehead. “You aren’t warm. Is your stomach bothering you?”

  Song Lee nodded. “I feel sick and sad all morning.”

  “Really? A moment ago you were giggling at Harry.”

  Song Lee looked down at her desk.

  Miss Mackle patted her head. “Don’t worry, Song Lee. You can give a short little talk tomorrow.”

  When the teacher left, Song Lee took out her pink cherry-blossom handkerchief.

  “Are you crying?” I asked.

  Song Lee sniffed a few times.

  When she caught her breath she whispered, “If I don’t give talk tomorrow, I get zero on homework chart.”

  “Don’t worry,” Harry said, putting his elbow on my desk. “You’ll never have as many zeros as me.”

  I looked over at the homework chart. Song Lee’s row of red stars was twice as long as Harry’s. “Gee, you’ve never gotten a zero!”

  Song Lee wiped her eyes. “I don’t feel well. I stay home ... write story about vacation. Mother bring story in and Miss Mackle give me red star on yellow homework chart.”

  “If you stay home, you’ll miss my talk,” I said.

  “And mine,” Harry added, flashing his white teeth and making his thick eyebrows go up and d
own.

  Song Lee giggled.

  Harry could always make her laugh. Even now, when she had tears in her eyes.

  “You have to come tomorrow,” we said.

  The next morning when the bell rang, Song Lee was not in her seat. The words PUBLIC SPEAKING were written on the board. By 9:30, five people had already talked about Disney World, Sea World, and Epcot Center. Lots of brochures were passed around. Posters and souvenirs were displayed on the chalkboard.

  Sidney showed us some neat pictures of a barbecue on his back porch. He and his stepdad were wearing chef hats and cooking hamburgers.

  When it was my turn, I put on Gram-pa’s ten-gallon hat, got out Grandma’s book about Texas, and started talking.

  “I’ve never been to Texas but I’m going someday. Someday, I’m going to be the rootinest, the tootinest, and the shootinest cowboy ever to raise the dust on a high Texas plain.”

  When I was showing a picture of a rodeo, Song Lee and her mother appeared at the door, so I stopped talking.

  “Hello, Mrs. Park,” the teacher said.

  Song Lee was not smiling when she dashed to her seat.

  After Miss Mackle talked with Mrs. Park in the hall, the teacher returned. “Go on, Doug,” she said.

  So I did.

  “You can visit the LBJ Ranch in Texas. LBJ are initials for Lyndon B. Johnson. He was president after Kennedy was shot. This is a picture of the Alamo.”

  Miss Mackle smiled when I sat down. “I liked the way Doug had bookmarks in his book to show us special places in Texas. He was very organized. And his hat was fun. Who would like to go next?”

  We all looked at Song Lee. She shook her head. “I ... go ... last.”

  “Harry?” Miss Mackle called.

  Harry walked up to the front of the room with a souvenir book. I had seen it hundreds of times. It was about the House on the Rock in Wisconsin.

  “You walk out on this long narrow beam and see the hills and trees below. Mom said it was creepy because the beam teetered. I thought it was fun.”

  Miss Mackle shivered. “You’re ... very brave, Harry.”

  Harry grinned.

  Twenty minutes later, it was time for the last person to speak. Miss Mackle tried to be casual about it “Eh ... let’s see, Song Lee, I guess you’re next.”

  Slowly, Song Lee got out of her seat. She walked up to the little wooden stand that sat on a desk and had a sign that said PODIUM.

  Mary and Ida smiled at their friend.

  Harry and I shook our heads. There was no way she was going to do this.

  Song Lee took one look at the class and then ran out to the hallway.

  I knew it!

  Everyone looked at the teacher.

  I thought she’d get mad. But she didn’t. She just sat at the side of the room.

  Waiting.

  Then something appeared in the doorway.

  It was a big piece of cardboard that had a brown trunk, branches, lots of leaves, and a dozen pink Kleenex flowers.

  Harry and I pointed at the round holes that were cut out for eyes, nose, mouth, and hands.

  “SONG LEE!” we all shouted as the tree moved across the classroom to the podium.

  I stared at the two pink lips in the mouth-hole of the tree. They were beginning to move.

  “I was born in Seoul, Korea ... where Summer Olympics take place in 1988.”

  “Would the tree speak louder, please?” Miss Mackle said with a big smile.

  When Song Lee nodded, the pink Kleenex flowers jiggled.

  “Korea is size of Virginia. It is like Switzerland because it has many mountain and beautiful blue sky. There are many palace, royal tomb, secret garden, and stone pagoda. We also have 3,000 island in Korea.”

  “Ooooh,” the class replied.

  Song Lee continued, “It is ten o‘clock in Room 2B. In Korea, grandmother Bong sleep. It is midnight in Seoul.”

  Mary made some tally marks on a piece of paper. “Korea is 14 hours ahead of us!”

  Song Lee shook the branches and made her green leaves and pink blossoms quiver. “In spring, we have many picnic under cherry tree at Korean park. My family play Ping-Pong and archery.”

  Harry stood up and shot a pretend arrow at Sidney. “BOING!”

  Song Lee giggled. “It is time now for cherry-blossom tree to leave.”

  Everyone cheered as Song Lee scooted outside to the hallway.

  Miss Mackle went over to the yellow homework chart and added another star for Song Lee. This time it was a gold one!

  As soon as Song Lee returned to her seat, she covered her face.

  “Your talk was great!” I said.

  Harry clapped. “You’re the best tree in the world.”

  When she spread her fingers apart, I could see she was smiling.

  I found out one thing about Song Lee that day. She may be shy, but she can sure surprise you.

  Green with Envy

  The next week it was St. Patrick’s Day. Everyone in Room 2B was bringing something for our green smorgasbord.

  As soon as Song Lee, Ida, and I got to class, we showed Miss Mackle what we brought.

  “Mmmmm,” the teacher said, peeking inside the girls’ plastic containers. “Lime jello and pistachio pudding! What did you bring, Doug?”

  I couldn’t wait to take off the plastic lid and show everyone. “Green eggs.”

  “GREEN EGGS?” they shouted.

  “It was easy. Mom and I just peeled some hard-boiled eggs and colored them with green food coloring. I got the idea from Dr. Seuss.”

  Miss Mackle clapped her hands. “What fun! Well, I think you three should take these things downstairs to the cafeteria and ask Mrs. Funderburke if you can store them in the big refrigerator.”

  “Sure!” I said. It was exciting to get permission to go to the school kitchen.

  Just then, Mary hurried into the classroom with a big box.

  Miss Mackle smiled. “Goodness, Mary. What’s in there?”

  “Green cupcakes.”

  “Yum! They don’t need refrigeration ... do they?”

  Mary shook her head.

  “Then you won’t need to go with Song Lee, Ida, and Doug.”

  Mary scowled as she leaned in the doorway and watched us walk down the hallway.

  When we got to the kitchen, Mrs. Funderburke threw her hands in the air. “Oh, no! Not more green things!”

  “Yes!” we replied.

  “Let’s see,” the cook said, as she opened the big shiny chrome refrigerator door. “We already have grapes, green peppers, snap beans, Harry’s ants ...”

  “ANTS?” Ida covered her mouth.

  Mrs. Funderburke laughed. “Ants are a delicacy. Harry has exquisite taste.”

  I made a face. I like to study ants but not eat them.

  “Don’t tell anyone,” Mrs. Funderburke said. “Harry wanted his ants to be a surprise.”

  “We promise,” Ida said, crossing her heart.

  Song Lee crossed hers twice.

  After we set our things carefully inside the big refrigerator, I smelled the air in the kitchen. “Mmmmm. What are you baking?”

  “Oatmeal scotchies, Doug. Would you three like to sample one? They just came out of the oven.”

  “Yes!”

  When Mrs. Funderburke handed us a warm cookie on a napkin, Song Lee softly said, “Thank you very much.”

  “Thank you very much,” Ida and I copied.

  When we got back to class, Mary was waiting for us at the door. “What took you so long?”

  I licked some butterscotch off my lips. “We got a cookie. A warm one right out of the oven.”

  “No fair!” Mary replied.

  “We also heard a secret from the cook,” Ida said.

  Song Lee gave us a look. I could tell she was disappointed. Ida and I were making Mary feel left out.

  “What secret?”

  “We can’t tell,” Ida said.

  Mary put her hands on her hips. “You shouldn’t keep s
ecrets. We’re friends!”

  “We crossed our hearts,” Ida replied. Then Ida and I went over and admired the green smorgasbord. Someone had just brought in green sugar cookies, a jar of pickles, and green-onion potato chips.

  When I looked back at Mary, she was steaming mad! She just glared at Song Lee in the seat next to her. “You better tell me that secret or else.”

  Song Lee took a piece of paper out of her desk and drew a shamrock. Then she wrote a message inside with green crayon.

  When she handed the shamrock to Mary, Mary crumpled it up and threw it on the floor. “If you don’t tell me your secret, I’ll ...”

  Just then the bell rang, and Miss Mackle greeted the class. “Happy St. Patrick’s Day, boys and girls.”

  Everyone said “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” back, except Mary.

  “We’ll have our green smorgasbord after lunch,” the teacher said. “But right now, we’re going to read from the greenest story in literature!”

  “What’s the title?” Ida asked.

  “You all know it.”

  “We do?”

  “Does it have green slime in it?” Harry asked.

  Miss Mackle rolled her eyeballs, sat down in her reading chair, and opened a book.

  “THE WIZARD OF OZ!” we all shouted.

  “Right! And now it’s time to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City where everything is green.”

  We all got comfortable while Miss Mackle began reading about Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.

  Mary even forgot how angry she was.

  For one hour.

  When the teacher closed her book, we just sat there. I don’t think any of us wanted to leave the Emerald City.

  Miss Mackle walked over to the tall cabinet, took out some green clay, and broke off a piece for each person. “Now, how about making some miniature characters?”

  “Yeah!” we replied.

  When Sidney got his lump of clay, he used the whole thing to make a dog. “Ta-dah! It’s Toto!” Then he barked for a while.

  Song Lee was shaping a little ax for her tiny Tin Man.