Free Three Cheers for...Who? by Nancy Krulik Page A

a cage. She was really glad the magic wind returned to switch her back into her own body before her friends realized it was Katie on that hamster wheel, wearing nothing but hamster fur!
    The magic wind came back again and again after that. It turned Katie into lots of people and animals. And every time Katie switcherooed, she really made a mess of things.
    Like the time the magic wind switcherooed Katie into a hairdresser named Sparkle. Katie didn’t know the first thing about cutting hair, so just turning into a hairdresser would have been bad enough. What made it worse was that Katie’s best friend, Suzanne Lock, was the person getting her hair cut. Boy, did Katie make a mess out of Suzanne’s head!
    Sometimes Katie’s switcheroos could be pretty gross. Once she turned into a reindeer with big, hairy lips. Another time she became her class snake, Slinky, just as he was shedding his skin.
    The magic wind was the reason Katie didn’t make wishes anymore. She knew what kinds of weird things could happen if they came true.
    But Matthew didn’t know that. And Katie wasn’t going to tell him. He wouldn’t believe her, anyway. So instead, Katie just said, “You don’t really wish that, Matthew.”
    â€œKatie’s right,” Emma W. added. “Cheerleading makes Lacey happy. We want her to be happy.”
    â€œI guess,” Matthew agreed. “But why can’t she be quieter while she’s being happy?”
    Emma W. laughed. “Hey, let’s see if Mom got peanut butter crackers,” she said.
    â€œMom!” Matthew called out. “Do we have any crackers?”
    Mrs. Weber came running out from the laundry room. “Matthew, you know not to yell when the twins are taking a nap,” she scolded.
    â€œSorry,” Matthew apologized. “I’m very hungry.”
    â€œSchool can do that to you,” Mrs. Weber said with a smile. “Hi, Katie,” she added. “I didn’t even hear you kids come in.”
    â€œYou can’t hear anything with Lacey cheering so loudly,” Matthew complained.
    Mrs. Weber laughed and handed out peanut butter crackers to each of the kids.

    Just then, Katie heard some loud crying coming from upstairs.
    Emma W. frowned. “I guess Tyler and Timmy are done with their naps.”
    Mrs. Weber sighed. “I’d better go change them.”
    â€œWah! Wah!” the twins cried.
    â€œI’m coming, boys,” Mrs. Weber shouted.
    â€œD-D-D-Defense, take that ball away!” Lacey and Rachel cheered from the backyard.
    Wow. It sure was noisy at Emma W.’s house. It was never like this at Katie’s house. Katie didn’t have brothers or sisters. It was just her, her parents, and her dog, Pepper. It was usually pretty quiet at the Carews’ house, and most of the time that was nice. In fact, it was pretty great being Katie Carew—when the magic wind let her stay that way.

Chapter 3
    â€œEverybody on your feet! Cherrydale High can’t be beat. Dribble it. Pass it. We scored a basket! Go Cherrydale High!”
    Katie leaped up into the air and bent her right knee, sort of like the jump Rachel had done the day before. Emma W. spun around and shook her hands in the air, pretending she was waving pom-poms.
    â€œYou guys are so cool,” Miriam Chan said.
    A bunch of girls were in the school yard, watching Katie and Emma W. before school began.
    â€œGood jump, Katie Kazoo,” Mandy Banks said, using the way-cool nickname Katie’s friend George had given her back in third grade.

    Katie nodded. “It’s hard doing that.”
    Zoe Canter jumped up in the air and gave it a try. Oomph. Instead of landing on her feet, she landed on her rear end. “I see what you mean.”
    â€œYou almost had it,” Emma W. assured Zoe.
    Just then, Suzanne walked over to where the girls were all standing.
    â€œI’m so glad everyone is here,” Suzanne said.