Wish Upon a Sleepover Page 13
That’s right. I used the word friend.
Manga Girl opens her sack lunch and pulls out a tuna sandwich, a bag of Cheetos, and some kind of soda that comes from Japan. “So, what did you guys wish for, before you ate the soup?”
“We’re not supposed to tell, are we?” I ask. “I mean, the wish won’t work if we tell, will it?”
“There was nothing in the instructions about secrecy,” Autumn points out.
“Hey, cuz. Hey, guys.” Todd pulls a chair from another table and sits next to Autumn. Her cheeks turn red, and she starts chewing on her straw. “Whatcha talking about?”
“What we wished for,” Manga Girl tells him. “Before we ate the soup.”
Todd grabs a couple of Cheetos. “I wished for William’s cat to get better.”
Manga Girl sits up straight. “So did I.”
“Me too,” Autumn says, her eyes widening. “I wonder how Belle is doing.”
I shrug. “I don’t know.” I haven’t seen William since saying good-bye yesterday morning. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up and hanging out on the couch with Tutu. “I’ll go to his apartment after school and ask.”
“That sounds good,” Todd says.
“I sure hope she’s better,” Manga Girl says. Everyone nods.
Todd licks orange dust from his fingers. “Guess your wish didn’t work.” He stares at me.
“What do you mean?”
He tilts his head toward the big round table. “The Haileys are over there, and you’re over here.”
It’s true. The Haileys are sitting together, laughing and talking about whatever. They’re wearing their matching Converse sneakers and are dressed in a black-and-white theme. Once again, none of them bothered to send me the dress code memo. “For your information, Todd, I didn’t wish anything about the Haileys.”
“Really?”
“What did you wish?” Manga Girl asks. She sits back in her chair, her pencil poised in midair as if waiting for the next cartoon. Todd also waits. Autumn blinks at me.
What was my wish?
The night on the roof comes back to me like a movie. I stand beneath the moon, the sounds of traffic rising from the street. A crisp breeze chills my face. Then I begin my plea. Dear Hina, goddess who looks down from the moon and blesses us with her light. I know you’ve never heard from me, but I promise to pay more attention to Tutu’s stories, and to learn more about the land she loves. In the meantime, I’m wondering if you could do me a huge favor. Could you please wrap your arms around Belle tonight? She’s very sick, and I’m sure she’s scared in that hospital cage. Please make her healthy again so she can live with William and keep being his therapy cat, because he needs her. Thank you, and Aloha po.
“We all wished for the same thing,” I tell them. Even Autumn looks shocked.
“Not about Hailey?” she asks.
“Not about Hailey,” I say. It feels good to say that.
At some point, between starting the sleepover and standing on that moonlit roof, we’d become a team—united for the one person who didn’t say more than a handful of words the entire night, but who needed a wish more than anyone else.
“Hi, everyone.”
I gasp. Hayley Ranson has left the big round table and is now standing next to Autumn. She has a half-eaten apple in her hand. “I still wish I could have gone on that scavenger hunt with you. Are you going to do another one? Could you invite me?”
Autumn stops chewing, Manga Girl’s ears perk, and Todd, well, he uses the opportunity to sneak some more Cheetos. I carefully swallow my bite of chicken burger, because if there is one moment when I don’t want to choke and spray food across the table, this is certainly it. From the corner of my eye, I see movement at the big round table. Hailey Chun has turned and is watching us. I wipe the corners of my mouth with a napkin, then smile sweetly at Hayley. “Sure,” I say, acting as if this is no big deal, but making sure my voice is loud enough for any eavesdroppers to hear. “I’d be happy to add your name to my invite list.”
“Thanks,” she says.
Hailey Chun groans in annoyance, then turns her back to us.
Hayley Ranson takes a bite of her apple. Autumn scoots over and Hayley sits on the edge of Autumn’s chair.
“What about us?” Todd asks.
“Yeah,” Manga Girl says, folding her arms tightly. “Are you inviting us to your next sleepover, or are we still on the ‘DO NOT invite’ list?”
I laugh. “From now on, there’s only one list. I promise.” Then I introduce Hayley to the group. “Do you know Tanisha and Autumn? I know you already know Todd. He’s my cousin.”
“Hi,” she says. And we spend the rest of lunch listening to Autumn tell us all about the human brain exhibit at the Pacific Science Center.
We make plans to meet there on Saturday and see it together.
25
The Magic of Friendship
At four o’clock that afternoon, Mom walks into the kitchen. It’s her day off, so she’s wearing sweatpants. “Whatcha doing?” she asks.
I’m at the sink. “I’m giving the fake plant a bath.”
“Oh. That’s … nice.”
Using a sponge and dish soap, I scrub off all the dust and cobwebs. I grabbed the plant when I got home from school. I waited in the lobby, hoping William might ride the elevator with me. But he never showed.
“What’s this?” Mom picks up the recipe card.
“Oh, Tutu gave me that.” Using a dish towel, I start drying the long plastic leaves. They turn glossy and bright green. “She said she used to make it when she was a kid.”
Mom reads the card. “Sleepover soup?”
“Did you ever make it?”
“No.”
“That’s weird, because Tutu said it was a tradition, handed down from mother to daughter. You sure you never made it?”
“I’m sure I’d remember something like this. The moon goddess?” She laughs, then sets the card aside. “Sounds like one of Tutu’s stories.”
“Yeah.” I already figured that out. Especially because, while the other recipe cards have stains and smudges from being used so many times, this card looks brand-new, as if Tutu wrote it only a few days ago. I’m also beginning to suspect that Tutu mailed the invitations to the “DO NOT invite” list on purpose. “Mom, do you believe in magic?”
“Well, not exactly. I mean, there are things that happen that we can’t explain, but I’m not sure that’s magic. But there are other things that can make your life magical. Like love. When you love someone, your life changes in all sorts of ways, and that can feel like magic.” She kisses my forehead, then grabs her coat. “I’m going to the store. How about ravioli for dinner?”
“Can we eat something Hawaiian tonight?” I ask. “I’d like to eat more Hawaiian stuff. You know, like real Hawaiian food. Like taro root.”
Mom shudders. “Oh, I don’t like taro root.”
“You don’t?”
She leans close to me and whispers, “Leilani, just because something grows on a beautiful island and is filled with mana, that doesn’t mean it’s tasty. No matter what Tutu tells you.” She smiles. “How about I get some coconut ice cream for dessert?”
“Yeah, that’s sounds good.”
“Aloha au iā ‘oe,” she says after kissing me again.
“Aloha au iā ‘oe.”
I finish drying the plant. Tutu’s on the couch, watching Name That Tune. “Tutu?” I call.
“Don’t bother me. I’m busy.”
I walk into the living room. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m going downstairs and I’ll be right back.” Then I pause, because there’s something else I want to say. “I know what you did, with those invitations.”
She peers over her cat-eye glasses at me.
“Thank you,” I say.
She grunts, then turns up the TV volume. But even though she’s frowning, I can tell that she’s working hard to hold back a smile.
I stop at the third floor and knoc
k on William’s apartment. No one answers, so I head downstairs. When I get to the lobby, I set the plant on its stand. The green is too fluorescent to look real, but at least the plant looks new. The rest of the lobby still needs help, but this is a start. I open our mailbox. As I toss out the junk mail, a taxi pulls up to the curb and William gets out. He has the cat carrier. I rush outside. My heart starts pounding.
William sets the carrier on the sidewalk, then pays the driver. As the cab drives away, I kneel next to the carrier. Is it empty? My legs feel like Jell-O. I peer through the metal bars. Two yellow eyes stare back at me. “Hi, Belle,” I say. She didn’t die! She survived the chemotherapy. The doctor said that if she survived the night, she had a good chance! And that was two nights ago!
When I look up at William, he’s holding the plastic shield in front of his face.
“Belle is better.”
I dart to my feet. I’m so happy I hug the boy from the third floor. And he hugs me back.
Maybe Hina did hear us—I’ll never know. But what I do know is that, in her funny Tutu way, my great-grandmother helped turn the worst sleepover in the history of the world into the best sleepover in the history of the world.
And that the true magic of the sleepover soup is friendship.
Author’s Note
Mythology is a huge part of almost all my books. Celtic myths inspired To Catch a Mermaid, and the Greek and Roman stories of Hermes and of Cupid inspired Coffeehouse Angel and Mad Love. The Greek myth of King Midas influenced my YA novel The Sweetest Spell. When I wrote about mythological creatures in my Imaginary Veterinary series, I borrowed those creatures from all sorts of traditions, including Chinese and Japanese. So it was no surprise to me that when a new story started floating around in my head, it was based on a myth—Stone Soup. And that’s when an interesting thing happened.
I researched Stone Soup and discovered that it’s one of those stories that has traveled the globe and can be found, in one shape or another, in most cultures. My daughter was waiting tables at the time, and one day she was talking to a young woman named Amy who had grown up in Hawaii. Amy told her a story that her Hawaiian grandmother had often told and, lo and behold, it was about Stone Soup.
Hawaii? I didn’t know much about Hawaiian myths, and I was intrigued, especially because I’ve spent a lot of time on those beautiful islands. I wanted to learn more, so I decided to weave Hawaiian mythology and culture into my story.
If you’d like to learn more about the legends of the Hawaiian people, the most complete resource I found is a book called Hawaiian Mythology, by author Martha Warren Beckwith.
Hau’oli reading!
Acknowledgments
As is always true, there are many people who helped turn my idea into a story and then into a book. I offer my humble thanks to them.
I’m very grateful to my sister-in-law’s sister, Jackie Benner Christel, for sharing all sorts of wonderful stories with me about her mother’s childhood on Kauai, living on a sugarcane plantation. Those stories brought Tutu to life.
I’m grateful to still have two amazing people on my team who started with me way back when I was writing my Smells Like Dog series. Thanks to Julie Scheina for reading my early drafts before and after having a baby! And to Christine Ma for continuing to be my most beloved copyeditor.
This book brought me to a new publisher, which is always an exciting adventure. At Imprint, thanks to Nicole Otto, Natalie Sousa, Raymond Ernesto Colón, and Melinda Ackell for their dedication to turning my story into a book. And to the big kahuna herself, Erin Stein, hugs and kisses!
Michael, once again, you offered advice and guidance when I needed it. I admire your professionalism and honesty. Thank you.
A special thank-you to Sloane Leong and Rebecca Rialon Berry, PhD, for reviewing the book and sharing their thoughts with me.
Bob, Isabelle, and Walker, it’s time for us to take another trip to Hawaii. Let’s go!
Praise for
WISH UPON A SLEEPOVER
“I’m so charmed by the lovable oddballs in this story and their quest for friendship. Wish Upon a Sleepover is bighearted, fast-paced, and funny.”
—Kim Baker, Crystal Kite Award–winning author of Pickle
“Suzanne Selfors offers a wonderful new take on the beloved classic ‘Stone Soup’ that is equal parts heartbreaking, hopeful, and hilarious. It’s impossible not to cheer for these unlikely heroes. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Sara Nickerson, author of The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me
“Anyone who’s ever felt different from the crowd will relish this story of kids who find the magic of being their own unique selves—together.”
—Sundee T. Frazier, author of the Coretta Scott King Award–winner Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It and the Cleo Edison Oliver series
“Huzzah for Suzanne Selfors! By turns humorous and poignant, this terrific book was impossible to put down.”
—Suzanne Williams, coauthor of the Goddess Girls series
“This new spin on the classic tale of ‘Stone Soup’ with a Hawaiian twist is heartwarming and important. A beautiful story.”
—Madison Duckworth, bookseller at Liberty Bay Books
About the Author
Suzanne Selfors is a national bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. She’s received five Junior Library Guild awards, appeared on a dozen state lists, and earned starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. The Sasquatch Escape won the Washington State Book Award and was Amazon’s Best Children’s Book of 2013. She lives on a northerly island where rain falls like music, which is why she gets so much writing done. suzanneselfors.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1. The Boy Who Is So Very Rude
2. Autumn, Not Fall
3. Tutu On Board
4. The Planning Committee
5. The Boy Who Is Still So Very Rude
6. Helmet Head
7. Manga Girl
8. The Story of Soup
9. The Wrong List
10. Cancellation Policy
11. Friday Night
12. Waiting Is the Hardest Part
13. The Most Unwanted Guests Ever
14. A Soup Mutiny
15. Elbow Macaroni
16. Basketball Dreams
17. Go, Todd, Go
18. Uncle Galaxy
19. A Supreme Ordeal
20. Beautiful Belle
21. First Fight
22. Squirrels Like Nuts
23. Moonlight Wishes
24. A New League
25. The Magic of Friendship
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Praise for Wish Upon a Sleepover
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Suzanne Selfors
A part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
mackids.com
All rights reserved.
Steal time, steal looks, but never ever steal books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Selfors, Suzanne, author.
Title: Wish upon a sleepover / Suzanne Selfors.
Description: First edition. | New York: Imprint, 2018. | Summary: A group
of misfits has a sleepover that involves a scavenger hunt and slightly magical soup in this story of newfound friendship in unexpected places. |
Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016035864 (print) | LCCN 2017011051 (ebook) | ISBN 9781250109736 (Ebook) | ISBN 9781250109743 (hardcover)
Subjects: | CYAC: Friendship—Fiction. | Sleepovers—Fiction. | Treasure hunt
(Game)—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.S456922 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.S456922 Sl 2017 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016035864
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
Imprint logo designed by Amanda Spielman
First hardcover edition, 2018
eBook edition, August 2018
eISBN 9781250109736