Noodle Up Your Nose Read online

  A NOODLE UP YOUR NOSE

  A NOODLE UP YOUR NOSE

  Frieda Wishinsky

  with illustrations by

  Louise-Andrée Laliberté

  Text copyright © 2004 Frieda Wishinsky

  Interior illustrations copyright © 2004 Louise-Andrée Laliberté

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

  Wishinsky, Frieda

  A noodle up your nose / Frieda Wishinsky; with illustrations by

  Louise-Andrée Laliberté.

  (Orca echoes)

  ISBN 1-55143-294-3

  I. Laliberté, Louise-Andrée II. Title. III. Series.

  PS8595.1834N66 2004 jC813’.54 C2004-900641-X

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2004100824

  Summary: When Violet thinks that she isn’t invited to Kate’s birthday party,

  she spreads rumors that threaten to ruin everything.

  Teachers’ guide available from Orca Book Publishers.

  Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support of its publishing program provided by the following agencies: the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the British Columbia Arts Council.

  Design by Lynn O'Rourke

  Printed and bound in Canada

  Orca Book Publishers Orca Book Publishers

  1030 North Park Street PO Box 468

  Victoria, BC Canada Custer, WA USA

  V8T IC6 98240-0468

  07 06 05 04 • 4 3 2 1

  For my friend Norene Gilletz

  who really knows her noodles.

  —F.W.

  Chapter One

  Kate M’Mate

  “Only twenty more days till my birthday!” sang Kate Morris, jumping up and down on her bed. “Only twenty more days till I’m seven!”

  Kate flopped down on her stomach.

  Seven was her lucky number. Seven was the year she was going to learn how to ride a two-wheeler, swim in the deep end and rollerblade down her street. Her best friend, Jake promised he’d help her learn. He was seven-and-a-half and could do all those things already.

  Kate was glad she was having a party this year. Last year she had the flu on her birthday. Then her mom and dad had the flu. No one could visit them for two weeks. But this year she was going to have the best party.

  The only trouble was it was going to be too big. Her parents insisted she invite her whole class.

  “I can’t invite Leo,” Kate had protested. “He shoots spitballs into my hair at recess.”

  “I’ll make sure he doesn’t spit anything in our house,” said her dad, but her dad didn’t know how sneaky Leo could be.

  “I can’t invite Brad,” said Kate. “His nose is always runny, and he wipes the goop on his sleeve.”

  “I’ll make sure we have plenty of tissues,” said Kate’s mom.

  “I can’t invite Violet,” said Kate. “She’s so bossy, she always wants everyone to do everything her way.”

  “Just boss her back,” said Kate’s dad.

  Kate sighed. That was easy for her dad to say. No one could boss Violet back. Violet always got her way.

  At least Jake would be at her party. Kate smiled when she thought about how his curly red hair looked like a tangled forest even after he combed it. She thought about how before any adventure, he’d say, “Come on Kate M’Mate,” like they were pirates.

  So who cared if spitball Leo, drippy-nosed Brad and bossy-mouth Violet came to her party? It would still be fun as long as Jake was there.

  Chapter Two

  Late Jake

  The first person to greet Kate at school the next morning was Violet. She cornered Kate near the coat hooks.

  “Are you having a party this year?” Violet asked, brushing her long blonde hair. Violet was always brushing her hair. Before Kate could answer, Violet burbled on. “My party is in November and it’s going to be amazing. My mom’s hiring the best magician in town, Magic Merlin. She’s ordering a three-tiered birthday cake from Cake Delight, the best bakery in the world. And wait till you see the gorgeous dress I’m getting from

  Fun Frocks, that new store that sells the cutest stuff. Oh, there’s Lila. Gotta go.”

  And with that, Violet buzzed off to brag about her amazing birthday party to Lila.

  Kate was glad she didn’t have to discuss her party with Violet. She wasn’t having Magic Merlin entertain at her party. She and her mom were baking her birthday cake together. And she hated dresses, so she wasn’t going to wear one, even on her birthday. But she was going to wear great socks. They were red and black stripes. Perfect for a pirate.

  Maybe she’d even wear her red shirt and black pants and pull her straight brown hair back into a ponytail. Maybe she’d cover her eye with a black patch and borrow her mom’s red scarf to wear as a sash. Maybe she’d have a pirate party!

  Kate was so busy dreaming about her party that she didn’t hear the first bell ring.

  “Kate, hurry!” called Jake, zooming past her into his seat.

  Kate raced into her seat just as the second bell clanged.

  “Phew! I was almost late. My alarm clock forgot to ring,” said Jake.

  Kate laughed. “Your alarm clock can’t forget. It’s not alive,” she said.

  “It is alive,” said Jake with a straight face. “It wants me to be late.”

  “Oh sure,” said Kate.

  Jake was famous for being late. He was also famous for his reasons for being late. Last year in grade one, he told the teacher that he was late because his goldfish died. The trouble was that Jake didn’t have a goldfish.

  The real problem was that Jake loved to sleep in the morning. His mother said that waking him up was like trying to wake up a rock. Jake didn’t hear her say, “Good morning.” He didn’t hear her say, “Get up, Jake.” He didn’t even hear her shout, “Hurry! It’s late, Jake!”

  Last week his mother bought him an alarm clock, but that didn’t seem to be helping much either.

  This morning, Jake wasn’t the only one who was late. Mr. Bolin, their new teacher, dashed into the room five minutes after the bell.

  “Sorry, class,” he said, huffing and puffing. “My alarm clock didn’t go off this morning. I don’t understand it. I’m sure I set it last night.”

  Jake nudged Kate in the arm. “See,” he said. “His alarm clock is alive too.”

  Chapter Three

  Pirate Plans

  At recess, Violet skipped over to Kate.

  “I hear you’re having a birthday party soon. Are you having clowns? Clowns are so much fun,” said Violet.

  “No,” said Kate.

  “Oh,” said Violet, turning her nose up. “Then what ARE you doing at your party?”

  “Well...I...” Kate began.

  Before Kate could finish her sentence, Violet turned her back and shouted, “Hey Lila. Wait up!” Then she ran off.

  Kate plunked down on a swing and pumped.

  Violet made her so mad. She always asked questions and never waited for answers.

  Up. Down. Up. Down. Kate bent her knees and arms. The swing flew higher and higher.

  Where was Jake? He’d gone to the bathroom before recess, but he promised he’d meet her at the swings.

  “Hey, Kate M’Mate,” rumbled a voice. It was Jake. He was standing behind her and pushing her swing! Kate didn’t dare turn around to look at him. She knew
she’d fall off the swing if she did.

  Suddenly the girl in the next swing hopped off and Jake hopped on. Side by side they rose higher and higher. She felt like they were acrobats flying through air. She felt like they were jets criss-crossing the sky. She felt like they were birds gliding above the trees. She wished they could swing forever.

  Then the bell rang. Together they jumped off the swings.

  “Jake,” said Kate, as they walked back to class. “I’m going to ask my mom if I can have a pirate party.”

  “Hey. That’s neat. You could ask everyone to dress up like a pirate,” he suggested.

  “And we could bake a red and black strawberry chocolate cake,” said Kate.

  “And you could get red and black jelly beans,” said Jake.

  “I’ll ask my mom today,” said Kate, as they slipped into their seats.

  Kate didn’t wait long. The minute her mom picked her up after school, she said, “Can I have a pirate birthday party?”

  “That’s an unusual idea for a birthday party,” said her mom.

  “It will be so much fun,” said Kate. “We can make a pirate cake and blow up red and black balloons and hunt for buried treasure and play pin the fin on the shark and...”

  “Hold on, pirate girl,” said Kate’s mom, laughing. “You’ve convinced me.”

  “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” said Kate, hugging her mom tight. “You’re the best mom in the world. And can I borrow your red scarf to wear as a sash, please?”

  “Why not?” said her mom.

  “Yippee!” sang Kate, dancing up and down the sidewalk. “I have to tell Jake.”

  As soon as they arrived home, Kate ran to the phone.

  “Kate M’Mate, it’s going to be great,” sang Jake.

  “Don’t forget, you can’t be late,” sang Kate.

  “Me? Late?” said Jake. “Never. Well, never for a party!”

  Chapter Four

  Imagine

  “Slow down, Kate,” said her mom the next day after school. “I can’t keep up with your ideas.”

  “But imagine if we turned the basement into a pirate island. We could make the couch a pirate ship and the rug the ocean and the coffee table could be the plank the prisoners have to walk across before they fall into the ocean.”

  “I don’t think I want twenty kids bouncing on our couch, jumping off our table and drowning on our rug,” said Kate’s mother. “So let’s just have pirate food, pirate games and pirate decorations.”

  “But, Mom. Just imagine...” Kate began. Then she saw the stern look on her mom’s face. “Okay,” she said. “No island, but we have to make pirate patches. Everyone has to get a patch to decorate.”

  “Sounds good,” said her mom. “Let’s go shopping this weekend for birthday supplies.”

  “Then I’ll write up all the invitations and give them out on Monday,” said Kate.

  For the rest of that week, Kate couldn’t wait for the weekend. She couldn’t stop herself from dreaming up more ideas for the party.

  Her mom didn’t like most of them.

  “Kate,” said her mom. “I’m afraid someone would choke if we buried treasure in the birthday cake. And no duels, especially not with broomsticks.”

  “What if we buried treasure in a bucket of sand?” asked Kate. “We have lots of sand in the sandbox. And what if we had duels with chopsticks or even Popsicle sticks? What if...”

  “Kate, please,” said her mom. “No more ideas. We can’t do everything. It’s a three-hour party. Not a week long festival.”

  “I just want everyone to have fun,” said Kate.

  “If we do all the things you’ve thought of, everyone will be too exhausted to have fun. Especially your parents.”

  Chapter Five

  The Party Store

  On Saturday morning, Kate and her mom drove to The Party Store at the mall.

  It didn’t take long to find red and black balloons and streamers. They even found black eye patches and sparkly pirate stickers to decorate them. But Kate couldn’t find pirate invitations anywhere.

  “There’s nothing here for a pirate party,” she told her mom after looking at dozens of invitations. “All the invitations have dolls, cowboys, baseballs or clowns on them.”

  “Maybe you should make up your own invitations,” suggested her mom.

  “Yes!” said Kate. “I could draw pirates, parrots, buried treasure and sailing ships.”

  “Good idea,” said her mom. “Now, let’s pay for the decorations and stickers.”

  As they waited in line, someone tapped Kate on her shoulder.

  She spun around. It was Violet with Lila and Lila’s mother.

  “Are you shopping for your party?” asked Violet.

  “Yes,” said Kate.

  “Why do you have pirate stickers?” asked Lila. “Do you like pirates?”

  “Yes,” said Kate. “I’m having a pirate party for my birthday.”

  “You are?” said Violet, nudging Lila in the side and making a face. Then they both giggled as if Kate had said the stupidest thing in the world.

  “Are you going to have pirate food like snakes, worms and shark guts at your party?” asked Violet.

  “No. Pirates don’t eat that stuff,” said Kate.

  “I bet they do,” sneered Violet. Then Violet strutted out of the store with Lila and Lila’s mother.

  Kate turned to her mother. “See what I mean about Violet?” said Kate. “She always thinks she knows everything. She always thinks everyone likes what she likes. She always thinks what she likes is the best. I wish I didn’t have to invite her to my party.”

  “You have to invite her, Kate,” said Kate’s mom. “You can’t leave just one person out.”

  “I know I can’t,” said Kate, “but I wish I could.”

  Chapter Six

  Each One Different

  “Look, Mom!” said Kate. “I’m making each one different.” Kate held up an invitation with a parrot perched on a pirate’s head. “Can you help me write the words?”

  “Sure,” said Kate’s mom.

  Kate’s mom helped her write COME AS A PIRATE TO KATE’S PIRATE PARTY. Kate carefully copied the words on the balloon popping out of the parrot’s mouth.

  “That’s great,” said her mom, “but are you sure you want to make each invitation different? That’s a lot of work. You could make one drawing and we could photocopy it nineteen times.”

  “But I love drawing” said Kate. “I don’t want everyone to have the same picture on their invitation.”

  Kate sat at the kitchen table and worked all Saturday afternoon on her invitations. By four o’clock she’d finished ten. She’d made an invitation of a pirate digging for treasure on a deserted island. She’d made an invitation of a pirate riding a whale. She’d made an invitation of a one-legged pirate dancing across the deck of his ship.

  “I’m so tired. My hand feels like it’s going to fall off!” Kate said.

  “Why don’t you take a hot chocolate break?” suggested her mom.

  “A hot chocolate break with whipped cream, please?” asked Kate, popping her head up.

  “Why not?” said her mom and she began to get the hot chocolate ready.

  As Kate and her mom sipped their drinks, the phone rang. It was Jake.

  “Want to play tomorrow?” he asked.

  “After I finish nine more pirate invitations. I'm drawing each one with a different picture,” Kate explained.

  “Want some help?” asked Jake.

  “Hey! That would be great,” said Kate. “You draw terrific pirates. Come over in the morning.”

  The next morning at ten, Jake's dad dropped him off at Kate's house. Kate showed Jake her ten finished invitations.

  “I love this one where the pirate catches a shoe instead of a fish,” said Jake.

  “Look at this one where the pirate catches a sea monster with nine green arms and one green eyeball,” sad Kate.

  “That gives me an idea,” said Jake
and he picked up a pencil and began to sketch. He drew a pirate swinging a fishing line across the ship and catching another pirate by the pants.

  By one o'clock, Jake had made four invitations and Kate had made five. One was for Jake. They were finished!

  “I love this one,” said Kate's mom to Jake. Jake's invitation showed a pirate opening a treasure chest full of toilet paper. “He doesn't look happy.”

  “He wanted to find gold,” said Jake.

  “Sometimes toilet paper is better than gold,“ said Kate.

  Chapter Seven

  Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

  The next morning Kate was up early. She carefully placed each of her nineteen party invitations into an envelope. On each envelope she wrote a person’s name in red and black marker.

  “I love my party already,” she told her mother, dancing around the kitchen. “I hope everyone comes.”

  “Everyone?” said her mother. “Even Violet?”

  “Even Violet and Leo and Brad. I feel so happy that nothing any of them do or say is going to bother me,” said Kate.

  Kate’s mom grabbed her jacket and purse. “That’s the spirit, my pirate girl! Let’s go so you can hand out those invitations before class,” she said.

  Kate and her mom hurried out the door.

  There were only three kids in class when Kate arrived, and they were playing with Roland the gerbil at the back. Kate slipped an invitation into everyone’s desk. Then she joined the kids at the back with Roland.

  The bell rang. Kate zoomed to her desk. As she did, she glanced at Jake’s seat. It was empty.

  Mr. Bolin walked into class. “Good morning, class,” he said, as Jake dashed into his seat. “And good morning, Jake. Did you have a little trouble getting up again?”

  “It wasn’t me,” said Jake. “My dad brought me to school this morning and just as we were about to go out the door, he saw that he forgot his keys. So he had to run upstairs and look through five pairs of pants pockets till he found them. That’s why I’m late.”