Annie Barrows - Ivy and Bean Make the Rules

Girls are strong! Girls are great! sang Nancy, boinging into the kitchen. Girls have the power to cre-ate! She stomped her foot and put one arm in the air. At GIRL POWER FOREVER!

Stop singing that song, said Bean grumpily. She sucked the milk out of her spoon. Then she slurped down the cereal that was left behind.

Nancy watched. Thats got to be the slowest way to eat cereal in the entire world.

I know, said Bean, slurping. Thats why I do it. To make it last longer.

Well, cut it out, Nancy said. I have to get to camp. Todays the first day!

As if Bean didnt know that already. Camp, camp, camp. Nancy had been talking about it for weeks. And there it was, right on her T-shirt, in big letters: Girl Power 4-Ever! For spring break, Nancy was going to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp. Bean was too young for Girl Power 4-Ever Camp. You had to be eleven. If you were seven, like some people, the only camp you could go to was Puppet Fun! Bean would never in a million years go to Puppet Fun!

Nancy dropped her backpack on the kitchen table and opened one of its many pockets. Nancys backpack was a fancy zebra-striped kind. There was a tiny troll doll attached to one of its zippers. Beans backpack was dirty and orange, and she had tried to draw an eagle on the front, but it hadnt turned out right. It looked like a slug with wings.

Nancy pulled out her special folding brush and brushed her already-brushed hair. Without even looking, she made a ponytail and fixed it with a sparkly scrunchie. Hurry up, she said to Bean. Just eat it.

Bean took a long, slow slurp. I dont see why I have to hurry, she said. Im not going to your old camp.

You can go when youre eleven, Nancy said.

Bean scowled. No way! Camp? Ha! Not for me. She shook her head. Ive got too much other stuff to do.

Nancy smiled. What kind of stuff?

Bean shook her head like she had so much to do that she couldnt even begin to tell about it.

Nancy patted her shoulder sympathetically. Finish your cereal. You have to go with Mom to drop me off at camp.

Stop feeling sorry for me, snapped Bean. But Nancy had already left the room, her ponytail swishing, on her way to have secret, big-kid fun that Bean wasnt allowed to have. Bean pushed out her chair and stood up. Im not a baby, you know, she yelled.

Five million girls in pink Girl Power 4-Ever shirts were squirming around outside the Youth Center, waiting for camp to begin. They hugged each other and squealed. They showed each other their cell phones. They sang. They danced. They giggled. They were all bouncy and happy and busy.

Bean stood beside her mother. Unbouncy, unhappy, unbusy. She watched as Nancy rushed to her friend, Didi. Once they had hugged and squealed, they gave each other piggyback rides. Then they traded scrunchies and squealed some more. Then someone blew a whistle, and all five million girls swarmed into the Youth Center.

Bye, Mom! called Nancy, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. Bye, Beanie!

Beanie? Phooey. Bean turned and began to trudge home beside her mother. At least she didnt have to trudge far. The Youth Center was a big shed on the edge of Monkey Park, just a block and a half from Beans house.

Whats that camp about, anyway? Bean asked. Not that she cared.

Her mom stopped and rattled around in her purse. Ive got a brochure in here somewhere, she said. Oh. Here it is. She pulled out a pink sheet of paper with daisies on it.

Bean read:

Her mom smiled at her. You wish you were going to camp, too, dont you?

Bean was getting ding-dang tired of people looking at her sympathetically. No! And she didnt. Not really.

I can still get you into Puppet Fun! her mom said.

No! Bean yelled. Ive got too much to do. Ivy and I have important plans for this week.

Her mother stopped walking and crouched down to look in Beans eyes. Okay. Youre probably too grown-up for Puppet Fun! anyway. Youre getting to be a pretty big kid. Bean nodded. She was. Her mom went on, I think you might be old enough to do something new.

Youre going to get me a dirt bike?! Bean broke in.

Her mom laughed. No. I wasnt thinking of a dirt bike. I was thinking that maybe you were big enough to come here to Monkey Park by yourself, if you come with Ivy and if its okay with Katrine. Katrine was Ivys mom.

Bean sighed inside herself and turned to look at Monkey Park. Its real name was Mrs. Taylor Hopper Ansuch Memorial Park, but everybody called it Monkey Park because it had a fountain with a statue of a smiling monkey in the middle. The monkey was dressed in a shiny blue suit, and he held a big, shiny platter of oranges and grapes. The fountain water spurted out of his hat. Besides the fountain, Monkey Park had one big flat field and one not-so-flat field and a playground filled with babies. There were some trees and some bushes and some flowers.

Kids played soccer at Monkey Park. Families had picnics there. Babies crawled up the play structure. Nothing exciting had ever happened in Monkey Park. Going to Monkey Park was the opposite of going to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp. But Bean knew her mother was trying to be nice, so she nodded. Okay.

They walked home. As they climbed the front stairs, Beans mom said, You can always help with the dishes, if youre looking for something to do. Big kids help.

Sorry, said Bean. Im only seven.