Louis Sachar - Why Pick on Me?

Marvin felt terrible. In fifty years theyll dig up the time capsule. And theyll find out a boy named Marvin Redpost picked his nose. And everyone will laugh at him. Maybe in fifty years hed be president! But then theyd dig up the time capsule and say, You cant be president anymore. You picked your nose.

It wasnt fair. The Marvin Redpost series by Louis Sachar Marvin Redpost #1 Kidnapped at Birth?
Marvin Redpost #2 Why Pick on Me?
Marvin Redpost #3 Is He a Girl?
Marvin Redpost #4 Alone in His Teachers House
Marvin Redpost #5 Class President
Marvin Redpost #6 A Flying Birthday Cake?
Marvin Redpost #7 Super Fast, Out of Control!
Marvin Redpost #8 A Magic Crystal? More books by Louis Sachar! The Boy Who Lost His Face
Dogs Dont Tell Jokes
Holes
Stanley Yelnats Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake
Theres a Boy in the Girls Bathroom

Text copyright 1993 by Louis Sachar.
Illustrations copyright 1993 by Barbara Sullivan.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by Random House Childrens Books, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House
of Canada Limited, Toronto. www.randomhouse.com/kids Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sachar, Louis. Marvin Redpost : why pick on me? / by Louis Sachar;
illustrated by Barbara Sullivan.
p. cm. A stepping stone book.
SUMMARY : A small incident during recess threatens to turn nine-year-old Marvin
into the outcast of his third-grade class.
eISBN: 978-0-307-79715-5
[1.

SchoolsFiction. 2. PopularityFiction.]
I. Sullivan, Barbara, ill. II. III. III.

Title: Why pick on me?
PZ7.S1185Mar 1993 [Fic]dc20 92-50666 Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. v3.1 Thanks to John WagnerDedicated to Judy and Paul

Whats your favorite vegetable? asked Casey. Marvin Redpost looked up. Potatoes. No, carrots, he said.

It was very important he told the truth. Casey Happleton wrote it down. She sat at the desk next to Marvin. She had a ponytail that stuck out of the side of her head. Instead of the back. Casey! whispered Melanie.

Whats your favorite bug? Melanie sat in front of Casey. A stink bug, said Casey. Casey Happleton was a weird girl. Whats yours, Marvin? asked Melanie. Uh, black widow, answered Marvin. Ooooooh, said Casey.

Whos jabbering? asked Mrs. North. Marvin? I wasnt jabbering, said Marvin. Melanie asked me her survey question. Oh. North. North.

This is silent reading time. Marvin returned to his book. He was nine years old. He was in the third grade. Mrs. North was his teacher.

He liked Mrs. North. He liked the third grade. He liked being nine. Have you picked your survey question yet? Stuart Albright asked him on the way out to recess. No, said Marvin.

I cant think of a good one. Everyone in his class had to choose a survey question. Marvin was supposed to ask everyone a question and write down the answers. Then he would have to do a report on it. The results would be buried in a time capsule. It would be dug up in fifty years.

Thats why Marvin wanted to think of a real good question. What was your favorite vegetable? asked Stuart. Carrots. Stuart nodded. Its weird when you think about it, he said. You have red hair.

So? said Marvin. They call a person with red hair Carrot Top. But really, carrots are green on top. So they should call a person with green hair Carrot Top. Stuart was Marvins best friend. Marvin was the only one who understood him.

They got on line to play wall-ball. Hi, Marvin, said Nick, getting in line behind him. Hi, Nick, said Marvin. Nick Tuffle was Marvins other best friend. Whats your favorite dinosaur? asked Nick. Marvin thought a moment.

He didnt have a favorite dinosaur. Stuart made a noise with his nose. Thats a stupid question, he said. Marvin looked at his two best friends. He was afraid theyd get into another fight. Nick and Stuart were always fighting.

Whats stupid about it? Nick demanded. Because, said Stuart, the results are going to be buried in a time capsule. In fifty years people are going to dig up the time capsule. And then theyre going to think there were dinosaurs around when we went to school. Thats stupid, said Nick. Your turn, Stuart, said Marvin.

What? Oh, said Stuart. Marvin watched Stuart play wall-ball. He was up against Clarence, the toughest kid in the third grade. Stuart lost. Nick laughed when Stuart lost. Marvin stepped up.

Even though Clarence was bigger and stronger, Marvin felt he could beat him at wall-ball. Clarence served. He bounced the red ball once on the ground, then hit it hard, with both hands together. The ball hit the ground, then the wall, then bounced back to Marvin. Marvin hit it with both hands. The ball hit the ground, the wall, then back toward Clarence.

Clarence smashed it. But too hard. The ball bounced off the wall and over the line. Marvin caught it. I won! Clarence declared. You did not, said Marvin.

The ball was over the line. Youre crazy, said Clarence. I saw it, said Marvin. You did not, said Clarence. You werent even watching. You were picking your nose! Several of the kids on line laughed.

It was over the line, said Marvin. Go pick your nose, said Clarence. The kids on line laughed again, even Nick. Cmon, Marvin. Get off the court, said Ryan. Youre wasting time.

Marvin didnt move. The ball was over the line, he said. I saw it. You were picking your nose! Clarence said. I was not! said Marvin. You were snot? asked Clarence.

He just said he was snot. Everyone, except Stuart, laughed. Thats not what I said, said Marvin. Thats snot what I said, said Clarence. Just go to the end of the line, Marvin, said Travis. Marvin didnt move.

Clarence grabbed the ball from him. Oh, gross! he exclaimed. His boogers are on the ball! Even Stuart laughed. Im not playing with this ball! said Clarence. He threw it to Marvin. Marvin held up the ball.

Look, theres nothing on it, he said. Now theyre on his hands! said Clarence. Everyone backed away from Marvin. The bell rang. The other kids hurried back to class, leaving Marvin holding the ball.

It got worse.

After school Marvin walked home with Nick and Stuart. He was still upset. The ball was over the line, he said. Just forget about it, said Nick. It was over the line, said Marvin. We know, said Stuart.

Then why didnt you say anything? I dont know, said Stuart. It was funny. Boogers on the ball! said Nick, then he and Stuart cracked up. Marvin didnt think it was funny. It was unfair! Clarence was just being a bad sport. I didnt pick my nose, he said for the millionth time.