My Brother Made Me Do It

by Peg Kehret

Overview

Oh, BRRRRROTHER!
Hi. I'm Julie Welsh. My nine-year-old brother is always cooking up schemes...and I get blamed. Because I'm older. Eleven, to be exact. But Frankie has his good points too, as I told Mrs. Kaplan, my 89-year-ald pen pal, who lives in Kansas. I write Mrs. Kaplan about everything. Even my secrets. She was the first one I told about my juvenile arthritis. Mrs. Kaplan understands everything. She has arthritis too. I was feeling tired and achy all the time, and discouraged. Then Mrs. Kaplan gave me ideas about running for student council, and though I could barely lift my legs, Frankie made me want to compete in a fun run. Just when I thought my life was a permanent time-out, you'll never believe what happened....

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780671034191
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	09/01/2001
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	982,604
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

PEG KEHRET's popular novels for young people are regularly nominated for state awards. She has received the Young Hoosier Award, the Golden Sower Award, the Iowa Children's Choice Award, the Celebrate Literacy Award, the Sequoyah Award, the Land of Enchantment Award, the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, and the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award. She lives with her husband, Carl, and their animal friends in Washington State, where she is a volunteer at the Humane Society and SPCA. Her two grown children and four grandchildren live in Washington, too.

Peg's Minstrel titles include Nightmare Mountain: Sisters, Long Ago; Cages; Terror at the Zoo; Horror at the Haunted House; and the Frightmares series.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

September 12

Dear Mrs. Kaplan,

Hi. My name is Julie Welsh. My teacher, Mrs. Lumbard, assigned me to be your pen pal.

Here is what I know about you:

1. You are eighty-nine years old.

2. You live in Kansas at the Shady Villa Care Center.

3. You never get any mail, which is why you are in our fifth-grade pen pal project.

You will probably be sorry that I got assigned to you because I am not a very good letter writer. Mostly I like to read, do crafts, and play with my cat, Itty Bitty Kitty. I used to roller-skate a lot, but lately my legs have been achy, so I don't skate much anymore. Mom says I have growing pains.

Oh, yes, I also hide from my little brother, Frankie.

Now, don't jump to conclusions and tell me I should not hide from people. You don't know Frankie. He is the sneakiest, most devious boy in the world, and if I do not stay away from him I end up in a heap of trouble and get blamed for tons of things that are not my fault. Any time I am in hot water with my parents, you can bet it's because Frankie made me do something wrong.

My dad is an engineer. My mom works part-time as a dental technician. Yuck. I would not want to scrape tartar off people's teeth, but Mom says she likes to meet new people and help them stay healthy.

We are supposed to ask questions in these letters, so here goes. What is your favorite food? Where did you live when you were my age (eleven)? Do you have any kids?

Mrs. Lumbard said you never get mail. Does that include junk mail? If so my mother would like to know how you manage that. Every day she gets a bunch of letters that go straight in the recycle bin, and every day she complains that they are a waste of time and trees.

Please write back. I never get any mail, either.

Your new pen pal,

Julie

Copyright © 2000 by Peg Kehret

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-6-Fifth-grader Julie writes a series of letters to her pen pal, an elderly woman in a convalescent home, as part of a class project. Shortly after the correspondence begins, the child is diagnosed with pediatric rheumatoid arthritis, yet is committed to running in a fund-raising race and getting on with her life. Through her letters, readers glean information about Mrs. Kaplan, learning that the lonely 89-year-old has terminal cancer. Although the outcomes are predictable, the incidents are treated with humor and sensitivity. This popular and prolific author has crafted a well-written examination of courage, dignity, and determination at both ends of the age spectrum. The antics of Julie and her mischievous younger brother add enough lightness to make this a quick, but meaningful read.-Sharon McNeil, Los Angeles County Office of Education Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

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