Vote for Suzanne Read online

  “I don’t understand why I would get all weird up there,” Suzanne groaned. “It was like I was two different people or something.”

  Katie sighed. That was exactly what it was like.

  But Katie didn’t say that. Instead, she told Suzanne, “You’ve kind of been like a different person this whole campaign. You’ve been really awful.”

  “I just want to win,” Suzanne explained. “Don’t you want to win?”

  Katie thought about that. She remembered how she’d felt when she had first switcherooed into Suzanne. She’d thought about making a speech telling everyone to vote for Katie. But she didn’t.

  “I want to win,” Katie told Suzanne quietly. “But not if it means hurting you or Andy.”

  Suzanne looked at the floor. “Oh.”

  The girls sat there for a minute, not saying anything. Finally, Suzanne turned to Katie. “I’m probably not going to win now, anyway,” she said quietly.

  Katie shrugged. Suzanne looked really sad.

  “If I can’t win, I guess I hope you do,” Suzanne continued.

  Wow. Katie was kind of surprised to hear Suzanne say something that nice.

  “Thanks,” Katie said. The girls walked back to the auditorium together.

  Andy’s speech was just ending when Suzanne and Katie arrived back at the auditorium. Katie could hear the kids applauding loudly.

  “It must have been a good speech,” Katie whispered to Suzanne as the girls climbed back up onto the stage.

  Suzanne shrugged.

  Ms. Sweet turned to Katie and Suzanne. “Oh, good, the girls are back,” she said. “Katie, we’re ready to hear from you.”

  Katie nodded. “Hi, there. I’m Katie Carew,” she began. “I want you to vote for me because I am your friend. Friends always try to help each other. And if I am your mayor, that’s what I promise to do for you.”

  Chapter 20

  After lunch, Katie and Suzanne walked out into the yard together. They were both really nervous. The fourth-graders had voted right after the speeches. But Mr. G. and Ms. Sweet weren’t going to announce the winner until after recess.

  Katie had voted for herself. She also knew Suzanne had voted for herself. But what about everyone else? Who had the other fourth-graders voted for?

  “I can’t believe no one will tell me,” Suzanne complained.

  “Mr. G. said our votes were supposed to be kept secret,” Katie explained. “Just like in real elections.”

  “I know, but it’s driving me crazy,” Suzanne said. “I think you won.”

  Katie shook her head. “No way. You won. People think of you as a leader.”

  “But they really like you,” Suzanne insisted.

  “They like you, too,” Katie replied.

  “But you…” Suzanne began. Then suddenly, the two girls began to giggle.

  “I can’t believe we’re arguing about this now,” Katie said.

  They both laughed.

  A few minutes later, the bell rang. Recess was over.

  It was time to find out who the new fourth-grade mayor was.

  Suddenly, Katie felt butterflies fluttering all around in her belly. No, not butterflies. This was much worse. Katie was so nervous, it felt as though she had kangaroos hopping up and down in her belly.

  Once again, the fourth grade piled into the school auditorium. Katie, Andy, and Suzanne all sat in the front row now.

  Nobody said a word as Mr. G. climbed the stairs and went up on the stage.

  “I want to say congratulations to all our candidates,” Mr. G. said. “It takes a lot of courage to run for public office. You are all winners in my book.”

  Katie smiled. She felt very proud of herself.

  “But there can be only one fourth-grade mayor,” Mr. G. continued. “And that person is…Andrew Epstein!”

  Andy stood up, turned around, and took a bow.

  The kids behind Katie began to cheer.

  “Yeah, Andy!” Kevin cheered.

  “Mayor Epstein!” Mandy howled.

  “Woo-hoo!” Manny shouted.

  Suzanne turned around in her seat. “Manny!” she shouted. “Why are you cheering? I thought you were on my team.”

  Manny shook his head. “I said I would help you make posters and stuff,” he told Suzanne. “I didn’t say I would vote for you.”

  “Why did you vote for Andy?” Katie asked Manny curiously.

  “He called me the other day and asked what I thought the school needed,” Manny explained. “I said a computer club. And he said he would talk to Principal Kane about it.”

  “He called me, too,” Mandy piped up. “I said we needed better gym equipment. Andy suggested some ways to raise money to buy more balls and jump ropes and stuff.”

  “Wow,” Katie said.

  “I didn’t know Andy was calling people to see what was important to them,” Suzanne said. “Is he allowed to do that?”

  “Of course he is.” Katie sighed. While she and Suzanne were busy fighting with each other, Andy was acting like a real candidate. “I guess the best person really did win.”

  Suzanne didn’t answer. Instead, she walked over to where Andy and a few of the boys were standing.

  “Where are you going?” Katie called after her.

  “To talk to Andy,” Suzanne replied. “I have some great ideas about how to make me…I mean, my school…I mean, our school more famous.”

  Katie giggled. Well, at least she’d gotten that part of Suzanne’s speech right!

  Katie followed Suzanne. She didn’t want to tell Andy what he should do. She just wanted to congratulate him on winning the election.

  But before Katie could walk two steps, she felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck.

  A chill went up her spine.

  Oh, no! Not the magic wind! She didn’t want to switcheroo here, in front of everyone!

  “George, please close that door,” Ms. Sweet called toward the back of the auditorium. “It’s cold outside. Don’t you feel that wind?”

  Phew. It wasn’t the magic wind. It was just a regular old November wind.

  Twenty-five Fun Facts about the Presidents!

  Katie and Suzanne definitely have Election Day fever! Lately, they’ve been amazing the rest of the fourth grade with really cool facts they’ve found about U.S. presidents. Now they’re sharing those facts with you, so you can amaze your friends, too!

  George Washington is the only president to have been inaugurated in two cities—New York and Philadelphia.

  John Adams was the first president to live in the White House.

  Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird that sometimes flew around the White House.

  The first president to be photographed was John Quincy Adams.

  President Andrew Jackson was the only president to kill a man in a duel.

  William H. Harrison was only president for thirty-two days. He got pneumonia after staying outside in the cold for too long during his inauguration and died.

  President Zachary Taylor let his horse graze on the White House lawn.

  The White House didn’t have a bathtub until President Franklin Pierce ordered one put into one of the bathrooms.

  James Buchanan was the only president who never married.

  At 6' 4", Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president so far.

  President Andrew Johnson’s parents were too poor to send him to school. That’s why he didn’t learn to read until he was almost seventeen!

  President Ulysses S. Grant was given a ticket for speeding while driving a horse and buggy through the streets of Washington, D.C.

  Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to have a telephone installed in the White House. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, personally taught him how to use it.

  The teddy bear was named after President Teddy Roosevelt.

  Woodrow Wilson wasn’t only president of the United States. He was also president of Princeton University.

  Warren G. Harding was
the first president to give a speech on the radio.

  President Franklin Roosevelt was related by blood or marriage to eleven former presidents.

  President Harry Truman’s middle name was the letter S. He was named for both of his grandfathers.

  President Dwight Eisenhower liked golf so much, he made sure a putting green was on the White House lawn, so he could practice while he was in office.

  President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, had her own pony. His name was Macaroni.

  President Richard M. Nixon was the only president to resign from office.

  Before he became president, Ronald Reagan was a sports announcer for the Chicago Cubs as well as a movie and TV actor.

  President George H.W. Bush hated broccoli so much that he banned the vegetable from the Air Force One menu!

  When President Bill Clinton was a boy, he visited the White House and got to shake hands with another president—John F. Kennedy.

  President George W. Bush once was an owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, and he has a collection of more than two hundred and fifty signed baseballs.

  About the Author

  Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 150 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times bestsellers. She lives in New York City with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, their children, Amanda and Ian, and Pepper, a chocolate and white spaniel mix. When she’s not busy writing the Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo series, Nancy loves swimming, reading, and going to the movies.

  About the Illustrators

  John & Wendy have illustrated all of the Katie Kazoo books, but when they’re not busy drawing Katie and her friends, they like to paint, take photographs, travel, and play music in their rock ’n’ roll band. They live and work in Brooklyn, New York.