Free Miss Small Is off the Wall! by Dan Gutman Page A

“Hello!…Hello!…Hello!…Hello!…Hello!”
    â€œEcho!” yelled Michael.
    â€œEcho…echo…echo…echo,” yelled the gym.
    â€œA.J. is stupid!” yelled Ryan.

    â€œA.J. is stupid!…A.J. is stupid!…A.J. is stupid!…A.J. is stupid!” yelled the gym.
    I was gonna yell, “Ryan is a dumbhead,” but instead Miss Daisy yelled, “Stop that, boys!”
    â€œStop that, boys!…Stop that, boys!…Stop that, boys!” yelled the gym.
    It was cool.
    At that very moment, somebody came running out of the office at the other end of the gym. It was the most amazing thing any of us had ever seen.
    It was Miss Small.

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Fun, Fun, Fun with Miss Small
    Miss Small was carrying a basketball, a football, a soccer ball, a kickball, and just about every other kind of ball you could name. She ran out and climbed up on the bleachers. Then she jumped off the bleachers and jumped on one of those little trampolines on the floor.
    She did a flip, went flying through the air, and tried to dunk all those balls in the basketball hoop. One or two of them went in, but mostly they went flying all over the place.
    So did Miss Small. She landed in a heap on the floor.

    Miss Small is off the wall!
    â€œAre you okay?” we all asked as we gathered around her. I was afraid she might have broken something, because she was just lying there without moving.
    â€œI’m fit as a fiddle!” Miss Small replied. “I just wanted to show you how you’re not supposed to behave in the gym. In Fizz Ed, safety is our biggest concern.”
    Miss Daisy said she had to go back to class, and she left. Miss Small stood up slowly. It was amazing! Nobody could do anything except stare at her with their mouth open.
    â€œWow!” we all said.
    The amazing thing was that Miss Smallwas really tall ! Like, she was a million inches big. Her head just about reached the basketball hoop. It was like a giant had walked into the room. She must be the tallest person in the history of the world!

    Miss Small was the opposite of her name. It was like a fat guy was named Mr. Thin or a dumb guy was named Mr. Smart or a really handsome guy wasnamed Mr. Ugly or…well, you get the idea.
    Miss Small blew into the shiny silver whistle that was hanging around her neck.
    â€œHey, kids! Are you ready to have some fun?”
    â€œYeah!” we all hollered.
    â€œWe’re going to have lots of fun in Fizz Ed!” she said. “Fun fun fun, all the time! That’s my motto.”
    â€œWhat’s a motto?” asked Ryan.
    â€œI don’t know,” Miss Small said. “What’s a motto with you?”
    Then she laughed.
    â€œDo you like to play games?” Miss Small asked. “I love playing games!”
    â€œI like to play video games,” one of the boys said.
    â€œThose aren’t the kind of games I’m talking about,” said Miss Small. “ Real games are even more fun. I’m talking about running and jumping and chasing games. We’re going to play Red Light Green Light, Red Rover, Spud, Mother May I, Duck Duck Goose….”
    â€œThose games are lame,” Ryan whispered in my ear.
    â€œKids can get hurt when they run and jump and chase each other,” said Andrea. “My mother told me to always be careful so I don’t get hurt.”
    â€œCan you possibly be any moreboring?” I asked Andrea.
    She is gonna make a great grown-up when she grows up. She’s only eight, and she’s already mature, which is a fancy way to say boring.
    â€œDo we have to play games where somebody loses?” asked that crybaby Emily. “I think the team that loses should win too. My dad told me I’m a winner whether I win or lose.”
    â€œYour dad is weird,” I said, even though Emily looked like she might cry again. “If everybody wins, what’s the point of playing the game? That’s why you play.