The author gratefully acknowledges
Stephanie Calmenson
for her help
with this book.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
1 Exciting News
2 My Two Houses
3 Be Careful!
4 Hello, House
5 Settling In
6 Snow Bunnies
7 Feeling Grumpy
8 The Lodge
9 Keegan
10 Fun at Shadow Lake
11 Family Day Morning
12 Family Day Afternoon
13 Practicing
14 The Accident
15 Skiing
16 The First Contest
17 The Second Contest
18 The Phone Call
19 The Dance
20 Good-bye, Shadow Lake
About the Author
Also Available
Copyright
Exciting News
“Hello, Moosie. How have you been?” I asked. I gave Moosie a big hug.
Moosie is my stuffed cat. He lives at the big house where my daddy lives. I had not seen him in one whole month.
“Goosie asked me to say hello to you,” I said.
Goosie is my other stuffed cat. He lives at the little house where my mommy lives.
That is right. I have two houses. I will tell you more about them later. But first I will tell you about me.
My name is Karen Brewer. I am seven years old. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bunch of freckles. I wear glasses, too. I have two pairs. I have a blue pair for reading. I have a pink pair to wear the rest of the time. (I do not wear any glasses at all when I am in the bath or sleeping.)
Knock, Knock. Elizabeth was standing outside my room. Elizabeth is my stepmother.
“It is almost time for dinner,” she said. “Nannie is cooking.”
“I will be right there,” I replied.
I quickly put away my things. Then I washed up and went downstairs.
Sniff, sniff. I wiggled my nose in the air like a puppy. Sniff, sniff.
“Something smells good,” I said.
“I made one of your favorite dinners,” said Nannie. “It is lasagna.”
Yum! I love lasagna. Especially Nannie’s. (Nannie is Elizabeth’s mother. That makes her my stepgrandmother.)
“Would you like to help set the table?” asked Elizabeth.
“Sure,” I replied.
I did a gigundoly good job. I put everything where it belonged. I even remembered the napkins.
In no time my whole big-house family was sitting at the table. There are ten of us, including Andrew and me. Andrew is my little brother. He is four going on five. Then there are the grown-ups. They are Daddy, Elizabeth, and Nannie. The rest are my stepsister, stepbrothers, and adopted sister. There is Kristy, who is thirteen and the best stepsister ever; David Michael who is seven; Sam and Charlie, who are so old they are in high school; and Emily Michelle, my adopted sister, who is two and a half.
We had a lot to catch up on. We had a lot we had to eat, too. Lasagna, salad, green beans, and bread.
Clink, clink, clink!
“Attention, everyone,” said Daddy. “I have something to tell you.”
I could tell it was going to be something important. I sat up tall in my chair.
“Today is the first day of February,” said Daddy. “That means winter break is just a week away. Elizabeth and I have planned a special trip for the family.”
“Yes!” I cried.
“Where are we going?” asked Sam.
“We are going up to Shadow Lake,” said Elizabeth.
“I love Shadow Lake!” I said.
Shadow Lake is in western Massachusetts. Daddy has a cabin up there. Really it is more than a cabin. It is a house. We have been there in the summer. But we never have been there in the winter.
“Mitch has just finished winterizing the house for us,” said Daddy. (Mitch is the caretaker.) “So now we can use it in cold weather, too.”
“There will be lots for us to do,” said Elizabeth. “The lodge will be open. You can go skiing and do all kinds of winter sports.”
I had been at the big house only a few hours. Already there was exciting news!
My Two Houses
I promised to tell you about my two houses. So here is the story.
When I was little I lived in a big house in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. I lived there with Mommy, Daddy, and Andrew. Then Mommy and Daddy started to fight. Soon they were fighting more and more. They tried very hard to get along. But they just could not do it.
Mommy and Daddy explained to Andrew and me that they loved us very much. But they did not love each other anymore. So they got divorced.
After the divorce, Mommy moved with Andrew and me to a little house not too far away. Then she met a nice man named Seth. Seth and Mommy got married. Now Seth is my stepfather.
Daddy stayed in the big house after the divorce. (It is the house he grew up in.) He met a nice woman named Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Daddy got married. That is how Elizabeth became my stepmother.
So one month Andrew and I live at the little house. The next month we live at the big house. Every month we switch houses.
At the little house are me, Andrew, Mommy, Seth, Rocky (Seth’s cat), Midgie (Seth’s dog), Emily Junior (my pet rat), and Bob (Andrew’s hermit crab).
You already know the people at the big house. They are me, Andrew, Daddy, Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s children from her first marriage — Kristy, David Michael, Sam, and Charlie — Nannie, and Emily Michelle. (Emily Michelle was adopted from a faraway country called Vietnam.)
There are pets at the big house, too. They are Shannon (David Michael’s puppy), Boo-Boo (Daddy’s cat), Crystal Light the Second (my goldfish), Goldfishie (Andrew’s you-know-what), Emily Junior, and Bob. (Emily Junior and Bob go back and forth between the two houses with Andrew and me.)
Guess what. I have special nicknames for Andrew and me. I call us Andrew Two-Two and Karen Two-Two. (I got that name from a book my teacher read to our class. The book was called Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.) I call us those names because we have two of so many things. That makes going back and forth easier. We have two sets of clothes and books and toys, one at each house. I have my two stuffed cats, Moosie and Goosie. I have two pieces of Tickly, my special blanket. I even have two best friends. Nancy Dawes lives next door to the little house. Hannie Papadakis lives across the street from the big house. (We are in Ms. Colman’s second-grade class together. We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.)
Did I leave anything out? I do not think so. Now you know the story of my two houses.
Be Careful!
“Have a good vacation, everyone,” said Ms. Colman.
It was Friday. It was the last day of school before our winter break.
“You have a good vacation, too!” I said.
I waved good-bye to Ms. Colman. I love my teacher. I was sorry I would not see her for a whole week.
Starting the next day I was not going to see Hannie and Nancy for a whole week either. I was leaving for Shadow Lake first thing in the morning.
The Three Musketeers walked outside together.
Beep beep! Nannie and Emily were waving to us from the Pink Clinker. (That is the name of Nannie’s car.)
Instead of riding the school bus, Nannie was driving me, Hannie, and Nancy to the big house. It was going to be a Three Musketeers afternoon.
First Nannie helped us make a very good snack. We had melted cheese on crackers and homemade lemonade. We took our snack upstairs to the playroom. We were going to make-believe we were Lovely Ladies having tea.
“I am in such a tizzy,” I said. “There is so much to do before my trip.
”
“Did you say you were going to the Swiss Alps?” asked Hannie.
“Why, yes,” I replied. “I go with my family every winter.”
“Have you ever run into Heidi? I hear she lives there,” said Nancy.
(Ms. Colman had just read a very wonderful book to our class. It was called Heidi. Heidi was a girl who lived in the Alps with her grandfather.)
We finished our snack. Then Hannie and Nancy came into my room to help me pack for my trip.
“Socks. I will need lots of socks,” I said. I carried an armful from my drawer and dumped them into my suitcase.
“Sweaters. I will need lots of sweaters,” I said. I found four big ones. As soon as they were in my suitcase, there was not much room for anything else.
“You are not going to go skiing, are you?” said Hannie. “I hear it can be pretty dangerous.”
“That is true,” said Nancy. “A man at my father’s office broke his leg. And he was a really good skier.”
“He must not have been such a good skier. If he was he would not have broken his leg,” I replied.
“I do not know about that,” said Hannie. “I hear about a lot of accidents when people go skiing.”
“I am not going to have any accidents,” I said. “I am very good at ice skating. I am very good at gymnastics. I am sure I will be very good at skiing, too.”
“What about Andrew. Is he going to ski?” asked Hannie.
“He says he wants to try,” I replied. “Only Andrew is just a little kid. He might have some trouble. But not me. I am going to whiz down the hills.”
“I hope you are right,” said Hannie.
Ding-dong.
“Nancy, your mom is here to take you home,” called Elizabeth.
“I should go, too,” said Hannie.
“Have a very good time,” said Nancy.
“Thank you. I will,” I replied.
We walked downstairs together. Hannie and Nancy were almost out the door when they both turned around. They had worried looks on their faces. At the exact same time they said, “Be careful!”
“You do not have to worry about me,” I said. I went back to my room to figure out how to get one more sweater into my suitcase.
Hello, House
“Would you like me to help you carry your things downstairs?” asked Daddy.
“No, thank you. I can do it myself,” I replied.
I had two bags. I had my knapsack. It was filled with books and crayons and paper. And I had my suitcase. Elizabeth helped me finish packing the night before. It is amazing how much you can fit in when you fold things or roll them up. (I just threw everything inside in a jumble.)
With my knapsack on my back and my suitcase in my hand, I wobbled out to the driveway.
Andrew tugged at my sleeve. “Karen, will you ride in the van with me?” he asked.
“Sure,” I replied. I knew Andrew liked having me with him on long trips. Daddy said our trip to Shadow Lake would take a couple of hours.
My bags were tossed in the back of the van. I sat in the middle. Andrew was on one side of me. David Michael was on the other side. Sam and Charlie sat up front with Daddy. Daddy and Charlie were going to take turns driving.
Elizabeth, Nannie, Kristy, and Emily climbed into the station wagon. (We were leaving our pets behind for the week. Shannon and Boo-Boo were staying at the vet’s. Mommy and Seth were taking care of Emily Junior and Bob. And Kristy’s friend, Shannon, promised to feed Crystal Light and Goldfishie.)
“Everyone buckle up,” said Daddy. “We are on our way!”
We buckled our seat belts. Then Daddy backed out of the driveway and headed for the highway. I waved to all the houses we passed by.
“Good-bye, everyone! Have a nice week,” I called.
When we reached the main road, Sam said, “Radio or singing?”
“Singing!” I replied. I began singing “A Hundred Bottles of Pop.” I like that song because it takes a really long time. David Michael and Andrew sang it with me.
(Sam, Charlie, and Daddy did not sing. In fact, Charlie was holding his ears most of the time.)
When we finished “A Hundred Bottles of Pop,” we sang “The Bear Went Over the Mountain.” When we finished “The Bear Went Over the Mountain,” we sang “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” We were ready to sing “On Top of Spaghetti” when Andrew announced that he had to go to the bathroom.
“No problem,” said Daddy. “There is a rest stop up ahead. My ears could use a little rest anyway.”
“My throat could use a chocolate shake,” I said.
We all got gigundoly delicious refreshments. While we were eating them, the station wagon pulled in. We had a great big party at the rest stop.
“Next stop, Shadow Lake!” said Daddy.
We piled back into our cars. In no time we were pulling into town and heading for the house.
Shadow Lake looked a lot different in the winter than it did in the summer. Now it was all covered with snow. It was very beautiful.
We drove through the town and into the woods. Soon I could see our driveway. Then I saw our house.
“Hello, house!” I called. “We missed you.”
I was the first one out of the van and inside. It felt nice and toasty. There was a pretty bowl of pine cones on the table. A note was taped to the bowl. It said:
Welcome back to Shadow Lake!
Mitch
Settling In
“Knock knock. Anyone home?” called Mitch.
“Hi, Mitch. Come on in,” replied Daddy. “The house looks great. Thank you for getting it ready for us.”
“And thank you for these pine cones,” I added. “They make excellent moose ears.”
I had attached two of them to a wire I had found. I was wearing them on my head. (I promised Andrew I would make a set for him later.)
“I just wanted to make sure you were settling in okay,” said Mitch. “You might want to go over to the lodge this afternoon. They have a list of the week’s activities posted there. And you can rent all kinds of equipment.”
“Great,” said Sam. “Do you think they have snowboards? I want to try snowboarding while I’m here.”
“They probably have them. They have just about everything you could think of,” said Mitch.
“Can we go right now?” I asked, pulling off my moose ears.
“Well, we have not finished unpacking yet,” said Elizabeth. “But it would be nice to take a walk after our long drive.”
We walked over to the lodge together. Really I did not walk. I ran!
I headed straight for the bulletin board. I wanted to see what activities were planned for the week. The two I liked best were going to be held the next Saturday. They were:
Valentine’s Day Dance
Bring a friend and dance the night away
Winter Carnival
A fun-filled day of ski races, skating contests, a snow sculpture contest, and more!
“Cool!” I said. “I definitely want to go to the dance.” (Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays.) “But first I will enter lots of contests. Saturday is going to be a very busy day.”
“Hey, look,” called Sam. He pointed to a sign at the rental desk. “They have them. They have the snowboards. I wonder if I can rent one right now.”
“Maybe we can rent skis now, too,” said Kristy.
“Oh, boy! Let’s go skiing!” I cried.
Daddy checked at the rental desk. But we were too late. The desk was closing for the afternoon.
“Try us again first thing tomorrow,” said the woman behind the desk.
“Sorry, kids. We will have to wait to go skiing,” said Daddy.
“But we do not have to wait to have hot chocolate,” said Nannie. “Look. They are serving some by the fire.”
Yum. Hot chocolate. I headed for the table where it was being served.
“Ten cups of hot chocolate, please,” I said to the waiter.
The waiter gave me a funny look.
“Oh, they are not all for me,” I explained. “I have a very big family.”
I pointed to my family. They were standing across the room. The man smiled. “Ten cups of hot chocolate coming right up,” he said.
I could tell this was going to be a good vacation.
Snow Bunnies
First thing on Sunday morning, Daddy said, “Is everybody ready?”
“Ready!” we answered.
We had taken a vote to decide whether to eat at the lodge or in the house. The lodge won by a landslide.
We got a great big table all to ourselves. We ordered everything on the menu. There was bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, cereal, juice, coffee for the grown-ups, and hot chocolate for the kids.
“Okay,” I said when we finished. “I am ready for skiing!”
My whole family was going. Well, almost my whole family. Sam was going to try snowboarding. And Nannie said she thought she was too old and Emily was too young to ski.
“We will be fine here at the lodge,” she said.
It took forever to get onto the slopes. First we had to wait on line to rent our skis. Then we had to wait on line to get fitted. Then we had to wait on line to sign up for the right group. (Andrew and I were going to be in the snow bunny class.)
Finally we were heading for the ski lift with our class.
“This is going to be so great!” I said. “I am going to fly down the mountain.”
“Me, too,” said Andrew.
I thought about telling him not to get his hopes up too high. But he would find out soon enough that skiing is not so easy for a little kid like him.
Andrew and I had to wait on one more line to get on the ski lift. The next thing we knew we were being carried up the mountain. The snow bunnies’ mountain was not very high. But the ride was still fun.
I could hardly wait to get to the top. I could hardly wait to start skiing.
The ski lift slowed and I stepped off. Plompff. I fell down and got a face full of snow. Boy, was I surprised. I quickly got up and brushed myself off.
“Are you okay, Karen?” asked Andrew. “What happened?”
“My skis got tangled up. Or something,” I said.