Free Alice-Miranda In New York 5 by Jacqueline Harvey Page A

–’ she pointed at a ballerina in the foreground – ‘she doesn’t look serene like she does up there. Mine looks like her ballet shoes are two sizes too small.’
    The man put his forefinger to his lip and nodded.
    â€˜But I do like your dog,’ he added.
    â€˜Oh, well, Mr Underwood said that we could add our own interpretations and I rather liked the idea of a fluffy white dog among the dancers. He sort of matches their tutus, don’t you think?’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘Perhaps I should put a bow around his neck.’
    â€˜Or you could move his head a little so it looks as though he’s about to dance as well,’ the man suggested.
    â€˜I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you.’ Alice-Miranda began to erase the dog’s head and reposition it. ‘I am sorry, it was rude of me not to introducemyself properly –’ Alice-Miranda spun around and was surprised that the man had disappeared.
    She stood up and searched the room but he had moved on.
    Alice-Miranda checked her watch. She could hardly believe that it was already twenty to one and she wasn’t nearly finished her work. Other girls from her class were beginning to stand and close their sketchbooks. She did the same, then picked up her folding stool and walked to the entrance. The galleries flowed from one to another. She caught sight of Ava in the next room and walked over to her.
    â€˜That was an hour of torture wasn’t it?’ Ava pulled a face. ‘What did you draw?’
    â€˜ The Dance Class by Mr Degas in the next room,’ Alice-Miranda replied.
    â€˜Well, come on, let me see,’ Ava insisted. She put her own sketchbook down on her chair and took Alice-Miranda’s from her. ‘That’s neat!’
    â€˜Do you think so?’ Alice-Miranda asked. ‘It’s not finished yet.’
    â€˜It’s way better than this.’ Ava flicked open her own sketchbook to reveal a rather square head.
    Alice-Miranda looked at the painting on thewall, then back to Ava’s interpretation.
    â€˜You know, I think you’ve drawn that like Picasso would have, in his cubist phase,’ the tiny child admired.
    â€˜Except that it was painted by Renoir,’ Ava observed, ‘and his people look like people and mine just look like they’re related to Spongebob Squarepants.’
    â€˜Mr Underwood said that it didn’t have to be exactly the same. I think it looks great,’ Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘We’d better go find Mr Underwood, hadn’t we?’ She turned to leave.
    â€˜Oh goodness, that’s an amazing painting.’ Alice-Miranda stared at a colourful medieval canvas on the wall near the doorway.
    Ava studied the myriad creatures. ‘Weird, I’d say.’
    â€˜No, I think it’s terribly clever. Can you see?’ She pointed. ‘There’s a bear and a lion. It’s one of those pictures that I’m sure the longer you look at it, the more secrets it will share.’ Alice-Miranda wished they had more time. ‘Come on, we’d better get moving.’ She picked up her things and headed for the exit.

The group tripped their way back to school just in time for lunch, and were greeted at the back door by Maisy.
    â€˜She thinks she’s a sniffer dog.’ Lucinda smiled as Maisy thrust her nose against the girls’ skirts looking for snacks.
    â€˜I think she’s adorable.’ Alice-Miranda reached down and gave her a friendly pat. ‘But going by the size of that tummy, I think she must have a very good sense of smell.’
    The girls raced upstairs to deposit their booksand pencils into their lockers. Ava and Quincy had to run an errand for Mr Underwood and said that they would meet Alice-Miranda and Lucinda in the cafeteria.
    Alice-Miranda and Lucinda were walking through the sixth grade corridor when Alice-Miranda spotted the girl from the bus with the pigtails and lilac bows.