Free Don't Tap-Dance on Your Teacher by Katherine Applegate

4
Mr. Megaphone
    The first time I heard Emma’s tapping shoes was during show-and-tell.
    Ms. Diz, my teacher, lets us bring all kinds of weird stuff to share with the class.
    She is a brand-new teacher, so she likes to experiment on us.
    Once Dewan brought a ferret. Which islike a stretched-out guinea pig.
    After that, Ms. Diz made up the No Show-and-Tells that Can Bite rule.
    Maya brought her grandpa’s artificial leg to another show-and-tell.
    After that, Ms. Diz made up the No Show-and-Tells Without Permission of the Owner rule.
    The same day Emma brought her new tap shoes to school, I brought something from my Noisy Stuff collection.
    I always bring noisy stuff for show-and-tell.
    I LOVE noise!
    Weird noise.
    Funny noise.
    And of course, best of all, LOUD noise.
    Here’s what I’ve collected so far:
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    #1 BIRTHDAY-PARTY HORN
    HONK!
    #2 WHOOPEE CUSHION
    PFFFT!
    #3 TOY FIRE ENGINE
    WHEE-OO-WHEE-OO!
    #4 BONGO DRUMS
    BUM-BA-BUM-BA-BUM!
    #5 JUNIOR ROCK STAR ELECTRIC GUITAR
    SCREEEECH!
    #6 COWBELL
    DONG!
    #7 OLIVER, MY STUFFED ELEPHANT
    ELEPHANT HELLO (HARD TO DESCRIBE, BUT IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE MY GRANDPA WHEN HE BLOWS HIS NOSE)
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    The newest addition to my Noisy Stuff collection is my Mr. Megaphone.

    It looks like a giant ice-cream cone made of plastic.
    When you talk into the mouth hole, it changes your voice so you sound like a megamonster.
    A loud megamonster with a bad cold.
    When it was my turn for show-and-tell, I yelled, “Take me to your leader, first graders of the Earth!” into the megaphone.
    Half the class covered their ears.
    The other half went “WHOA!”
    â€œRoscoe, that’s a fine addition to your Noisy Stuff collection,” Ms. Diz said. “Thank you for sharing it.”
    â€œI can pass it around,” I offered.
    â€œPlease, NO!” Ms. Diz said. “I mean, we have other people who want to share this morning. Speaking of things that make noise, Emma, you have something specialto show us today, don’t you?”
    Emma held up two black shoes with metal tappers on the bottom.
    â€œThese are my tap shoes,” she said. “They make noise when you step.”
    Shoes with built-in noise? I thought. What will they think of next?
    And that’s how it all began.

5
The Amazing Coolness of Noisy Shoes
    â€œI just had my first tap dance lesson yesterday,” Emma said.
    She put on the shoes. When she walked on the carpet, they just sounded like plain old everyday shoes.
    But on the hard floor, an amazing thing happened!
    Emma’s feet went click! click! click!
    Those tappers made some serious noise.
    Emma tapped and twirled, and we all clapped for her.
    â€œAmazing tapping, Earth girl,” I said into my Mr. Megaphone.

    â€œVery nice, Emma,” said Ms. Diz. “And that’s probably enough Mr. Megaphone for today, Roscoe. For the year, actually.”
    I put down the megaphone and raised my hand. “Can boys do tap dancing?” I asked.
    Wyatt laughed. “Guys don’t tap-dance,” he said. “Guys do football and soccer.”
    â€œGirls can do soccer,” Emma said.
    Coco stood up. She put her hands on her hips. “Also, I would like to point out that girls rule and boys drool.”
    â€œCoco, please watch your words,” Ms.
    Diz said.
    Gus raised his hand. “Ms. Diz?” he said. “Dogs drool. Cats not so much.”
    â€œThank you for that, Gus,” said Ms. Diz.
    She took a deep breath.
    She breathes a lot, actually.
    â€œAs it happens, Wyatt, there are many famous male tap dancers,” said Ms. Diz. “And Emma is right. Some of the best soccer players in the world are girls.”
    She thought for a second. Then she snapped her fingers.
    â€œThere’s something I want you all to see,” Ms. Diz said. “I’ll give Ms. Bunelli a quick call right now!”
    Ms. Bunelli is the school media center specialist.
    But she says just call her the Library