Princess Posey: Monster Stew Read online

  “Yes. But Danny wouldn’t like it.”

  “No.” Her mom smiled. “About all Danny can take at his age is his bumblebee costume.”

  “He should carry Gramps’s flashlight so he won’t be scared,” said Posey.

  “Good idea,” said her mom. “That reminds me. Mrs. Romero brought over something for you today. I’ll be right back.”

  Posey brushed her teeth and turned on her night-light.

  Then she got into bed.

  Her mom came back and sat on the edge.

  “Mrs. Romero thought you could wear this tomorrow night,” she said.

  She gave Posey a paper bag. There was a large plastic circle inside.

  It was pale pink.

  “Mrs. Romero said it’s called a glow necklace,” her mom said. “When you bend it a bit, it will glow pink.”

  It was pretty. Posey thought it would be fun to wear a glowing pink necklace.

  “It will be just like having a flashlight,” her mom said. “Except you don’t have to hold it.”

  Just like a flashlight? Posey frowned.

  She put the necklace on her bedside table.

  “Don’t you like it?” her mom said.

  “Flashlights are for babies,” said Posey.

  “Oh. I see.” Her mom looked at her for a minute. “It was nice of Mrs. Romero to give it to you,” she said.

  “I know,” said Posey.

  “You need to thank her tomorrow.”

  “I will.”

  Her mom stood up.

  “Mom?” Posey said. “What do you think will be in the monster stew?”

  “Are you still worried about that?” said her mom.

  “What do you think will?”

  “Oh . . . I don’t know.” Her mom smiled. “All kinds of silly, funny things. It’s make-believe, remember?”

  “I remember.”

  After her mom went downstairs, Posey got out of bed.

  She went to her drawer and took out her tutu. She brought it into bed and put it under the covers.

  Posey knew monster stew was make-believe. But sometimes make-believe felt as real as real.

  Like the eyeball.

  Posey held her tutu against her face. Princess Posey was brave.

  She wouldn’t be afraid of monster stew or going trick-or-treating without a flashlight.

  Posey wouldn’t be afraid, either.

  MONSTER STEW

  When Posey got to school the next day, it looked like Halloween.

  She walked past the principal on her way to Miss Lee’s class. The principal had a red ball on her nose. She wore a green wig.

  “I know what you are,” Posey said. “You’re a clown.”

  The teachers were wearing costumes, too. Some wore witch’s hats. One teacher had a pretend wart on the tip of his nose.

  Miss Lee wore black pants and a black shirt. The shirt had a cat made out of orange sequins on the front.

  Posey was so excited. Everyone was. It was hard to do normal work.

  Miss Lee let them go outside for a long recess. When they got back to the room, there was a table in front of her desk.

  It was covered with an orange tablecloth.

  In the middle of the table was a large black pot.

  Smoke was coming out of it. Everyone got quiet when they saw it.

  “It’s a witch’s pot,” Posey whispered.

  “It’s for the monster stew,” said Nikki.

  “What do you think is in there?” Ava asked. She sounded scared.

  “Make-believe stuff,” Posey said.

  “Like what?” said Ava.

  The boys had crowded in front of the table. They pushed and shoved. They tried to look in.

  “Careful, boys,” said Miss Lee.

  “We want to know what’s in it,” said Luca.

  “All sorts of scary things that you’re going to love, Luca,” Miss Lee teased. “Like bat’s blood and lizard’s livers.”

  “Cool,” Luca said.

  “What about eyeballs?” said Will. “My brother said his had eyeballs.”

  “That’s right, Will. Monster eyeballs.” Miss Lee laughed. “Now, go and sit down, all of you.”

  Monster eyeballs! Posey rubbed her hands against her pants.

  She was not going to eat that stew.

  “What if we don’t want to eat it?” Ava whispered.

  “They can’t make us,” Posey said.

  “But what if they do?”

  Poor Ava! She sounded as if she was going to cry.

  Posey had to do something.

  “I’m going to tell Miss Lee,” she said.

  KEEPING A SECRET

  Posey marched up to Miss Lee’s desk. Miss Lee was putting things in a large box.

  “Miss Lee, no one can make us eat that stew,” Posey declared.

  “Make you? What an idea, Posey!” Miss Lee said. “No one has to eat it if they don’t want to.”

  “Ava’s afraid,” Posey said.

  “Ava doesn’t have to be afraid. I promise.” Miss Lee leaned down. “Can you keep a secret?” she whispered.

  Posey nodded. Keeping a secret was important.

  Especially if it was for Miss Lee.

  “These are the lizard’s livers.” Miss Lee lifted a plastic bag out of the box just high enough for Posey to see. It was filled with raisins.

  Posey’s eyes got big.

  “And these”—Miss Lee held up another bag—“are the monster’s eyeballs.”

  Grapes!

  The monster’s eyeballs were green grapes! They were peeled so they looked slimy.

  Posey clapped her hands over her mouth.

  “You can tell Ava she doesn’t need to worry,” Miss Lee said. “But don’t ruin it for anyone else, okay?”

  “Okay,” said Posey.

  She hurried back to Ava and Nikki.

  “Don’t be afraid,” she told Ava. “It’s so funny. I promise.”

  Miss Lee’s and Mrs. Warski’s classes loved the monster stew. They laughed and shouted every time Miss Lee put in another silly thing.

  “And now, for the final ingredient,” Miss Lee said at the end. She held up a pitcher. “Bat’s blood!”

  “That’s grape juice!” they all shouted.

  Posey and Ava and Nikki had so much fun.

  It was the best Halloween ever.

  GLOWING FROM THE INSIDE OUT

  “Let me go first, Mom,” Posey said.

  “Okay,” said her mom.

  Posey ran ahead up Mrs. Romero’s front walk.

  A pumpkin with a crooked smile sat beside the door. A candle flickered inside.

  Night was all around. Other children were trick-or-treating up and down the street.

  Posey knocked on Mrs. Romero’s door.

  She heard Hero bark inside. Then footsteps.

  “Trick or treat!” Posey shouted when Mrs. Romero opened her door.

  “Why, Posey!” Mrs. Romero said. “You are the most sparkly princess I have ever seen.”

  “Gramps said I look like a moonbeam,” said Posey.

  “He’s right,” said Mrs. Romero.

  “Where’s Hero?” said Posey. “I wanted him to see.”

  “I put him in the study,” said Mrs. Romero. “Some children are afraid of dogs.”

  Posey’s mom came onto the porch with Danny.

  “What do you have inside your hat?” Mrs. Romero asked. “The stars and moons are shining.”

  “It’s your necklace,” said Posey. “I didn’t need it outside. I needed it inside.”

  “That’s about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Mrs. Romero said. She hel
d out a bowl of candy. “Take one for yourself and one for Danny, too.”

  Posey took a piece of candy for herself. She put another one in Danny’s pumpkin.

  “Did you thank Mrs. Romero?” her mom said.

  “Thank you!” Posey sang.

  She skipped back down the walk and onto the sidewalk.

  A group of boys was walking past. One of them was an ogre.

  “Trick or treat,” he said in a growly voice.

  “You don’t scare me, Nick,” Posey said.

  “Cool hat,” said the ogre.

  It was so much fun to be out at night. The dark was so exciting.

  Posey floated from house to house. She glowed from the inside out the whole way.

  It was so much fun to make my princess hat!

  You can make your own, too. You need a pencil, a large piece of poster board, scissors, tape and/or glue sticks, glitter glue, ribbons, a stapler, a piece of elastic, and a glow stick.

  1. Draw a semicircle from one corner of the poster board to the other. Make a mark in the center of the straight edge.

  2. Cut out the semicircle. It will be curled into a cone with the center mark as the point of your hat.

  3. Trace stars and moons in the middle of the poster board and cut them out.

  4. Decorate the hat with glitter glue—as much as you want. Let it dry.

  5. If you want ribbons to come out of the tip, glue them inside.

  6. Curl your semicircle into a cone, making the bottom fit the top of your head.

  7. Staple the overlapping ends along the bottom and then tape and glue them together from top to bottom. Let the glue dry.

  8. Staple one end of the piece of elastic to each side of the inside of the cone to make a chin strap.

  9. Twist the glow stick to make it glow. Tape it inside the hat.

  10. Put your hat on and secure the elastic under your chin. Happy Halloween!!!!

  Watch for the next PRINCESS POSEY book!

  PRINCESS

  PSEY

  and the

  TINY

  TREASURE

  Posey knows the rules about bringing a treasure to school. It has to stay in your backpack or cubby or else Miss Lee will take it away. But Posey has something very special to show Ava and Nikki. It’s so small—surely it’s okay if it stays in her pocket?

  Also available

  1

  PRINCESS POSEY AND THE FIRST GRADE PARADE

  2

  PRINCESS POSEY AND THE PERFECT PRESENT

  3

  PRINCESS POSEY AND THE NEXT-DOOR DOG