Free Kristy Power! by Ann M. Martin Page B

Their glances were cool, and some of them even looked angry. I had a feeling they thought kids shouldn't have any say in matters like these.
    I met Mrs. Dow's eyes just briefly, but then she turned away to whisper something to the woman sitting next to her. Probably something about me, about the way my classmates and I were corrupting her little girl.
    That walk down the aisle seemed to take forever. Finally, though, I reached the steps to the stage. I climbed them carefully, since I didn't especially want to trip and fall on my face in front of all those people. As I stepped onto the stage, I found myself in front of Ted. He met my eyes and gave me the tiniest smile. It was almost as if he were saying, "Don't sweat it, Kristy." Seeing Ted up close seemed to blast energy into my body. I felt ready to take on that whole auditorium of people. Shoot, I could have spoken in front of the U.S. Congress at that moment.
    I strode to the podium and thanked Mr. Taylor. I pulled a folded piece of paper out of my back pocket and flattened it out on the podium. I'd finally written up a few notes for myself in study hall that afternoon. But when I glanced at them, I realized I didn't need them. It would be easier just to speak from the heart.
    Breathe, I reminded myself. I looked out at the sea of faces staring at me and took a long, deep breath. Then I glanced at Ted again, smiled at him, and began to speak. "Did any of you ever have a really good teacher?" I asked the audience. "The kind who inspires you to do your best? The kind who helps you learn to think in new ways and helps you enjoy learning?" I paused. "Ted Morley is that kind of teacher. He is one of the best teachers I've ever had, and I know that many of my classmates feel the same way. He respects his students as people, and he makes us excited about using our minds." I stopped to take a breath. The auditorium was very quiet. People were listening to me.
    "All I want to say is that I - and my classmates - think it would be a real shame to lose a teacher like Mr. Morley. And in our opinion, he hasn't done anything wrong. None of us felt pres-sured in any way to read a particular book on that list. He made it very clear that we had a choice. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with any of those books, but if I did, or if my parents did, I could have chosen not to read them." Suddenly, a voice rang out from the audience. "This girl does not speak for all the children in Mr. Morley's classes!" a woman shouted.
    It was Bertha Dow.
    I swallowed hard. I glanced at Mr. Taylor, but before he could do anything, somebody else spoke up.
    "Yes, she does." It was Merrie. She was standing, and she spoke clearly and firmly. She faced the stage, not her mother.
    Awesome. Merrie was full of surprises.
    Next to her, Jeremy began to clap. Then Claudia joined him, then Alan. Soon everybody in our row was applauding, and then the applause spread throughout the auditorium* I heard a few whistles and cheers as well.
    Mrs. Dow sat in her seat, facing forward. She did not glance back at Merrie or even show that she had heard her daughter's statement. Stony-faced, she ignored the applause.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Taylor begin to stand up. I nodded to him. It was time to wrap things up.
    "I just want to say one more thing," I went on. "I would like to ask the administration to consider the feelings of Mr. Morley's students. We don't want to lose him as our teacher!" I stepped back from the podium. After a second, I heard Claudia shout, "Go, Kristy!" And someone began to clap. Soon the auditorium was again filled with cheers and applause. I heard a few boos in the mix, but what could I expect? It wasn't as if I were going to change the protesters' minds. (Not that I wouldn't have liked to.) I walked off the stage, smiling at Ted as I passed him. He grinned at me. "Thanks," he mouthed.
    I was