Jeff Szpirglas - Somethings Fishy

SOMETHINGS FISHY

SOMETHINGS FISHY

Jeff Szpirglas AND Danielle Saint-Onge
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Dave Whamond

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

Text copyright 2011 Jeff Szpirglas and Danielle Saint-Onge
Illustrations copyright 2011 Dave Whamond

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be
invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Szpirglas, Jeff
Somethings fishy / Jeff Szpirglas and Danielle Saint-Onge ;
illustrated by Dave Whamond.

(Orca echoes)

Issued also in electronic format.
ISBN 978-1-55469-787-8

I. Saint-Onge, Danielle II. Whamond, Dave
III. Title. IV. Series: Orca echoes
PS8637.Z65S64 2011 JC813.6 C2010-907916-7

First published in the United States, 2011
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010941958

Summary: A rambunctious boy swallows the class pet
and has to find a way to make it up to his classmates.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs
provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund
and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia
through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed this book
on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Typesetting by Jasmine Devonshire
Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Dave Whamond
Author photo by Tim Basile

www.orcabook.com
Printed and bound in Canada.

14 13 12 11 4 3 2 1

To our students,
who inspire fiction daily.

Contents

The end of the school day had arrived. Mr. Claxtons grade-two class sat in a circle on the carpet. They were excited. Mr. Claxton had promised them a surprise.

Kamal raised his hand. Is the surprise that we dont have to write a math quiz tomorrow?

Mr. Claxton smiled. No, theres still a math quiz.

Eva raised her hand. Is it an extra-long recess?

Mr. Claxton shook his head.

I know! I know! Miles said. We are going to have a dance party!

Mr. Claxton shook his head again.

Its extra recess AND a dance party, said Kamal.

Mr. Claxton smiled. Nice try. The surprise is a class pet.

Twenty-one sets of eyes opened wide. Twenty-one mouths dropped open. Mr. Claxtons students gasped so loudly, they could be heard next door.

A pet! Woo-hoo! said Kamal. Is it a dog?

Mr. Claxton turned his rain stick over. The beads tinkled softly down the inside. He leaned back in his chair and waited for the class to quiet down. I havent decided what kind of pet were going to have. Maybe you have some ideas for me, said Mr. Claxton.

A dog! A dog! shouted Kamal. He had never had a dog before, and he really wanted one.

Lets get a teddy-bear hamster. Eva giggled. Theyre so cute!

How about a guinea pig? Miles asked.

At the back of the room, a hand went up. The class groaned. Oh, great, Miles said.

Jamie sat at the back, near the class library. He liked to flip through nature books about wild animals during circle time. Mr. Claxton took a deep breath. Yes, Jamie?

Jamie was so excited, he jumped to his feet. He kept jumping. I think we should get

A shark? Kamal asked.

Jamies eyes widened. How did you know?

Because thats all you ever talk about. Sharks this. Sharks that, said Kamal. Dont you think about anything else?

Jamie shrugged. I dont want our class to get just any shark, he said. I think we should get a great white shark. He held his hands as far apart as he could. Its the fiercest fish in the sea!

Jamie loved sharks. He owned three T-shirts with sharks on them. He slept in shark pajamas. He always checked shark books out of the library. Last summer his parents took him on a road trip to the ocean. Jamie found a sharks tooth on the beach. He had brought it to school for show-and-tell four times already.

Most of the kids in his class were tired of hearing about sharks. Jamies parents were too. But when Jamie got excited about something, he could not stop. He didnt mean to bother people. He just thought sharks were so cool.

He even started his own Shark Club. It was free to join, but Jamie was the only member.

Mr. Claxton scratched his head. He always did that when he was thinking. I dont believe theres enough space in here for a great white shark.

Jamie looked around the room. He looked at the library. He looked at the desks. He looked at his classmates. We could move the girls to another room, he said.

Were not getting a great white shark, said Mr. Claxton.

Jamie lowered his head, but only for a moment. What about a tiger shark? Or a bull shark? Theyre good too.

Enough with your sharks, Kamal said.

Does that mean you dont want to join my Shark Club? Jamie asked.

Up at the front of the class, Eva rolled her eyes. Jamie is so weird, she whispered to her friend. He cant think about anything but sharks. In gym, all he does is circle and chase us. He thinks he is a shark and we are little fish.

Once again, Mr. Claxton looked at Jamie and scratched his head. Then he smiled. Class, Ive decided on our pet. It will be here tomorrow morning.

The school bell rang. The class scrambled to leave. Everyone was excited to find out what the new pet might be.

I bet its a hamster, Miles said. Eva always gets what she wants.

No way, Kamal said. A dog. Its totally going to be a dog.

Jamie hung back. He tiptoed up to Mr. Claxtons desk. You know, Mr. Claxton, some sharks are really small. A spined pygmy shark is smaller than a ruler. And they dont eat people. Not even girls.

Mr. Claxton smiled. I know, Jamie. And I think youll really enjoy our pet when you meet it tomorrow.

Jamie could not believe what he was hearing. Was Mr. Claxton going to get a spined pygmy shark?

As he walked home, Jamie wondered if the shark would have razor-sharp teeth. Would it swim super-fast? How big of a tank would it need?

Jamie had never owned a pet. He had asked his parents for a shark. Maybe you can get a goldfish, Jamies dad had said. For your birthday. But Jamies birthday was a month away.

I think Mr. Claxton is going to bring in a pet shark, Jamie told his parents at breakfast the next day. I can feel it! He shoveled cereal into his mouth so fast, most of it fell onto the table.