Free Thumb and the Bad Guys by Ken Roberts

initiation rite?”
asked Ms. Weatherly, turning to look at the entire audience. People had stopped
laughing and just looked at her. I could tell by their faces that they didn’t want
her to be hurt or embarrassed. They liked her.
    â€œIt’s exactly like an initiation rite,” I said softly.
    â€œAnd did I pass?” she asked, starting to smile.
    â€œDefinitely.”
    â€œAre there any more surprises?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œSo, I belong now?”
    â€œBelong to what?”
    â€œTo the village.”
    â€œYeah. You do.”
    â€œThen I’ll stop wearing this stupid wig,” Ms. Weatherly said as she
pulled the bathing cap off her head. She had very short, very white hair. “Since
I’ve passed your initiation rite, can I stay?” she asked loudly.
    â€œYes,” everyone said together.
    She bowed to the audience and said, loudly enough for everyone to
hear, “Then you’ve got me.”
    People clapped and cheered more loudly than they had when she’d merely
been introduced as a teacher who’d discovered something amazing.
    Ms. Weatherly smiled, and I knew that she’d be our teacher for the
rest of that year and for years to come and that, after she finally retired, she
would stay.
    She couldn’t possibly leave.
    She belonged.

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    KEN ROBERTS is
the author of several popular books for young readers, including Hiccup Champion of the World, Crazy Ideas, Pop Bottles, Nothing
Wright, Past Tense (shortlisted for a Governor General’s Award) and two
highly praised previous Thumb books – The Thumb in the
Box and Thumb on a Diamond . Ken is chief
librarian of the Hamilton Public Library and is currently president of the Canadian
Library Association. He lives with his family near Brantford, Ontario.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
    GROUNDWOOD BOOKS , established in 1978, is dedicated to the production of children's books for all ages, including fiction, picture books and non-fiction. We publish in Canada, the United States and Latin America. Our books aim to be of the highest possible quality in both language and illustration. Our primary focus has been on works by Canadians, though we sometimes also buy outstanding books from other countries.
    Many of our books tell the stories of people whose voices are not always heard in this age of global publishing by media conglomerates. Books by the First Peoples of this hemisphere have always been a special interest, as have those of others who through circumstance have been marginalized and whose contribution to our society is not always visible. Since 1998 we have been publishing works by people of Latin American origin living in the Americas both in English and in Spanish under our Libros Tigrillo imprint.
    We believe that by reflecting intensely individual experiences, our books are of universal interest. The fact that our authors are published around the world attests to this and to their quality. Even more important, our books are read and loved by children all over the globe.