Princess Posey and the New First Grader Read online

  Don’t miss

  the other Princess Posey books

  1

  PRINCESS POSEY and the FIRST GRADE PARADE

  2

  PRINCESS POSEY and the PERFECT PRESENT

  3

  PRINCESS POSEY and the NEXT-DOOR DOG

  4

  PRINCESS POSEY and the MONSTER STEW

  5

  PRINCESS POSEY and the TINY TREASURE

  For the Cookies.

  —S.G.

  For Betsy Shaffer, the perfect teacher at the perfect time. Thank you for all you do for children—lucky kids! —S.R.S.

  G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS

  An imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.

  Published by The Penguin Group.

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, USA.

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.).

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  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England.

  Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Stephanie Roth Sisson.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission in writing from the publisher, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

  G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Reg. U.S. Pat & Tm. Off. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Published simultaneously in Canada.

  Decorative graphics by Marikka Tamura.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Greene, Stephanie. Princess Posey and the new first grader / Stephanie Greene ; illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson. p. cm.—(Princess Posey ; bk. 6)

  Summary: “When Posey’s first grade class gets a new student, she worries her friends will like the new girl more than her.”—Provided by publisher.

  [1. Best friends—Fiction. 2. Friendship—Fiction. 3. Jealousy—Fiction. 4. Schools—Fiction.] I. Sisson, Stephanie Roth, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.G8434Ppt 2013 [E]—dc23 2012029771

  ISBN 978-1-101-61823-3

  Contents

  More Princess Posey books

  Dedication

  Copyright

  1. Three Peas in a Pod

  2. The Magic Land Game

  3. The New Girl

  4. Stuck Like Glue

  5. “I’m a frog, too!”

  6. “She won't be my friend!”

  7. Cows Wearing Lipstick

  8. The Same Books Posey Reads

  9. A Kind Teacher

  10. Magic Land, at Last

  Three Peas in a Pod

  “what’s this word, Mom?” Posey asked. She pointed to a word in her book.

  Her mom was making dinner. She came over and looked.

  “It’s added,” her mom said. “To add something.”

  “Then he added a splash of mud,” Posey read. She laughed. “This is such a silly story.”

  “You’re doing very well with it,” said her mom.

  “I love reading,” said Posey. “I’m going to read so much, I’ll get into the blue group.”

  Reading was very important in first grade. The top group was blue. They read books with blue dots on them.

  The next group was red. Posey was in the red group with Ava and Nikki. They read books with red dots on them.

  After red came the yellow group. And then the green group.

  The green group was at the bottom. No one wanted to read books with the green dots on them.

  “All that matters is that you do the best you can,” her mom said.

  Posey’s mom always said that. She didn’t know first grade. In first grade, everyone wanted to be in the blue group.

  Every month, Miss Lee assigned new reading partners. She put people together from different groups. It was so much fun to read with a partner.

  “I wish Ava and Nikki could both be my reading partners,” said Posey.

  “Reading partners means two, doesn’t it?” said her mom.

  “No fair,” said Posey.

  Her mom laughed. “You girls are like three peas in a pod,” she said.

  Three peas in a pod. Posey liked that.

  “I’m finished with my homework,” she said. “Can I go see Hero?”

  “Sure,” said her mom. “I will call you when dinner’s ready.”

  The Magic Land Game

  Posey ran up to her room. She put on her pink tutu and her veil with the stars.

  Princess Posey was ready.

  She ran down the stairs and skipped to the red house next door.

  “Hi, Mrs. Romero,” she called. “Hi, Hero.”

  Mrs. Romero was planting flowers in her garden. Hero was chewing a ball next to her.

  When he saw Posey, he jumped up and ran to her. He licked her face.

  “You silly dog,” Posey said. She scratched behind his ears.

  “I think Hero likes you more than he likes peanut butter,” said Mrs. Romero.

  Posey laughed. Peanut butter was Hero’s favorite treat.

  “Can Hero play a game with me?” Posey said.

  “That would be great,” said Mrs. Romero. “He keeps eating my flowers.”

  “Come on, Hero,” said Posey.

  She looked around for a good place to play her new game. She called it Magic Land. She made it up herself.

  “I’m the princess,” Posey told Hero. “You can be my pet lion.”

  Hero wagged his tail.

  The princess lived in a castle in the forest, Posey explained. There was a magic unicorn. It lived in an invisible cave.

  “A mean giant wants to steal the unicorn,” Posey said. “You and I have to protect it.”

  Hero looked brave.

  “Come on!” Posey shouted. “Let’s play!”

  There was a tree stump in one corner of the yard. It could be her pretend castle. Posey climbed on top. She acted like she was looking out the window at the forest.

  “The giant’s coming!” she cried. “We have to save the unicorn!”

  Posey jumped off the stump and ran around the yard. Hero ran with her. He jumped up and barked.

  Posey pretended the giant was getting closer and closer. Its footsteps sounded like thunder.

  “Hurry, lion!” Posey shouted. “Inside the cave!”

  Posey crawled into the bushes. Hero crawled in beside her.
The magic unicorn was shivering. It was so afraid.

  The princess patted its silver hair to calm it down.

  “Shh-h-h-h,” the princess warned in a soft voice.

  The giant roared and stomped. The walls of the cave shook.

  Posey’s heart beat very fast. It felt so real!

  What if the giant found them? What would it do?

  But it couldn’t see the invisible cave. It roared one last time and ran away.

  They were safe!

  Posey and Hero crawled back into the yard.

  Posey could hardly wait for tomorrow. Playing her magic game with Ava and Nikki would be so much fun.

  She would tell them about it at school, first thing!

  The New Girl

  Posey didn’t get to tell Ava and Nikki about Magic Land first thing.

  As soon as she got to Miss Lee’s room, they rushed up to her. They had their own exciting news.

  “We have a new girl,” Nikki said.

  “That’s her,” said Ava. She pointed.

  A girl Posey had never seen before was holding Miss Lee’s hand. They were looking at the art wall. The girl was dressed all in yellow.

  Her skirt with rows and rows of ruffles was yellow.

  Her sparkly top was yellow.

  Even the headband in her long black hair was yellow.

  “She looks like a real princess,” Nikki said.

  “She has real princess hair,” said Ava.

  They already liked her. Posey could tell. It gave her a funny feeling in her stomach.

  Posey put her things in her cubby and sat down. Miss Lee and the new girl walked to Posey’s table.

  “This is where you will sit,” Miss Lee said. She patted the chair next to Posey. “Posey, this is Grace. I told her you would show her how we do things in our class.”

  Grace sat down. Miss Lee went to her desk.

  Up close, Grace’s headband sparkled. Her black hair was shiny.

  “You want to know something amazing?” Grace said.

  “What?” said Posey.

  “I lost a tooth.” Grace showed Posey her teeth. There was a space on top.

  Posey wished she had lost a tooth.

  “I love yellow,” Grace said. “What color do you love?”

  “Pink,” said Posey.

  “I bet you love it so much, you wish you had pink hair.” Grace giggled.

  Posey frowned. “No one has pink hair,” she said.

  “You can if we make up an amazing magic game,” said Grace.

  Posey had her own magic game. She didn’t want to tell Grace about it. Or play it with her, either.

  Posey’s game could have only one princess.

  Grace’s long princess hair made Posey’s stomach hurt.

  Stuck Like Glue

  It was Grace, Grace, Grace all day. She asked Posey a million questions.

  She thought everything was so amazing.

  Posey didn’t get to tell Ava and Nikki about her game.

  “How was school?” her mom said when Posey got in the car.

  “Bad.” Posey buckled her seat belt.

  Danny was asleep in his car seat. He was making snuffling noises.

  “Danny’s snoring,” Posey said.

  “He has a cold, the poor baby,” said her mom.

  “He’s breathing his germs all over.” Posey pinched her nose shut.

  “Someone’s a little grouchy this afternoon,” her mom said. “Did something happen?”

  “We have a new girl,” said Posey. The ends of her mouth turned down. “All she wears is yellow.”

  “Yellow is a pretty color,” her mom said. “What’s her name?”

  “Grace.” Posey frowned. “Miss Lee made her sit next to me. She sticked to me like glue all day.”

  “You mean she stuck to you like glue.” Her mom laughed. “I bet she was scared. It’s hard to be new.”

  Posey crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Why can’t I have long hair?” she said.

  “We tried that last summer, remember?” Her mom turned the car onto their street. “Your hair got all tangled. I had to cut out the knots.”

  Posey did remember. It hurt when her mom brushed it.

  Her mom stopped the car in front of their garage.

  “Maybe Miss Lee thinks you and Grace will be friends,” her mom said. “It might be fun to have a new friend.”

  Posey didn’t want a new friend.

  She only wanted Ava and Nikki.

  “I’m a frog, too!”

  The next morning, Danny spilled his cereal. Posey’s mom had to change his clothes.

  Posey worried she would be late. But when she got to Miss Lee’s room, Ava and Nikki were still in the reading corner.

  Now Posey could tell them about her game!

  She started to skip.

  Then she stopped.

  Grace was in the reading corner, too. She was sitting on the red and blue pillow with Ava. It was the pillow Posey and Ava always shared.

  “We’re playing school,” Nikki told Posey. “I’m the teacher.”

  “We’re having reading time,” Grace said. “I’m in the red group, too.”

  “Did Miss Lee say that?” said Posey.

  “I’m a good reader,” said Grace. “Look how fast I am!”

  She held her book in front of her face. She shook her head back and forth like she was reading fast. “A-B-C, A-B-C, A-B-C,” she said.

  Ava and Nikki laughed.

  “You can read with us,” Grace said to Posey.

  Posey frowned. Grace acted like she knew everything.

  “I don’t want to,” Posey said. She went to her table and sat down.

  Posey worked hard all morning. When Grace tried to whisper to her, Posey said, “I’m trying to do my work.”

  As soon as it was recess, Posey ran to Nikki and Ava. She grabbed their hands.

  “Come on!” Posey said. “Let’s play the hopping game!”

  The three friends ran outside. They crouched down and put their arms around their knees.

  Then they jumped up high. Like springs.

  Up and down. Up and down. They tried to see who could jump the highest.

  “Look, I’m a frog!” Posey shouted.

  “I’m a frog, too,” called a voice.

  Grace crouched down next to Posey. “Let’s you and me hold hands and hop,” she said.

  “Frogs don’t have hands,” said Posey.

  Grace hopped to the left. Then she hopped to the right. This time, she made a funny croaking noise. She sounded just like a frog.

  Posey stood up. “That’s not how you do it,” she said.

  Ava and Nikki started to make croaking noises, too. They hopped with Grace across the grass.

  Posey watched them go.

  They were having so much fun.

  They didn’t look like they missed Posey at all. Posey’s mouth got trembly.

  What if Ava and Nikki liked Grace more than her?

  “She won't be my friend!”

  Posey went to find Miss Lee. She was sitting at the picnic table.

  “My stomach hurts,” said Posey.

  “Sit with me.” Miss Lee patted the bench next to her. “It’s almost time to go in.”

  Miss Lee held Posey’s hand when the class walked back to the room.

  “Do you feel better now?” Miss Lee asked.

  Posey nodded. She went to her cubby and put away her jacket.

  Grace was putting her sweater in her cubby.

  “That was so much fun,” Grace said. “Ava and Nikki are my friends.”

  “They were my friends first,” said Posey. Her eyes felt prickly. She blinked fast.


  “You want to know something amazing?” Grace said. “You have a cow lips.”

  “I do not have cow lips,” said Posey.

  “I do, too,” said Grace.

  “I don’t have cow lips!” Posey shouted. “I’m telling!”

  She ran to Miss Lee’s desk.

  “Miss Lee! Miss Lee!” Posey cried. “Grace is calling me names!”

  Grace was right behind her.

  “Sorry!” Grace cried. “I said I was sorry!”

  “What’s going on?” said Miss Lee. “Calm down, both of you.”

  Posey stood still. She pressed her lips together.

  “Grace,” Miss Lee said quietly. “Did you call Posey a name?”

  “I didn’t mean to,” said Grace. She sounded like she was going to cry.

  “She did too,” said Posey. “She hurt my feelings.”

  “She won’t hold my hand.” Grace’s face crumpled. “She won’t be my friend!”

  “You made croaking noises,” Posey said. “That’s not how you play the hopping game.”

  Grace started to cry.

  Posey did, too.

  “Oh, dear,” said Miss Lee. She reached for her box of Kleenex.

  Cows Wearing Lipstick

  It made Posey feel better to wipe her face with Miss Lee’s own Kleenex. It smelled like perfume.

  “Now. One at a time,” said Miss Lee. “Grace, what did you say to Posey?”

  “I said she had a cow lips.” Grace sniffed. “I have a cow lips, too.”

  “Cow lips?” said Miss Lee. “I don’t understand. What are cow lips?”

  “This is a cow lips.” Grace put her finger on the back of her head. There was a little circle where her hair stood up.

  “Oh-h-h-h,” Miss Lee said. She laughed her understanding laugh. “You mean a cowlick. C-o-w-l-i-c-k.”

  Grace nodded.