Small bug in t

h e s now
M itten s !
No !

I
am a
FOOL

WA F
ER
ER
WA F

o la
te
S Treats
ome

c s
ho
C isin
r a
WIT
T

More

chocolate
raisins
TOM G ATES
EXTRA
SPECIAL TREATS
(not)

By Liz Pichon
(wh o likes treats)

Treat

Not a treat
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2013 by Liz Pichon
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted,
or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means,
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and
recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First U.S. edition 2019
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2018963173
ISBN 978-1-5362-0775-0
19 20 21 22 23 24 BVG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Berryville, VA, U.S.A.
This book was typeset in Pichon.
The illustrations were done in mixed media.
Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
visit us at www.candlewick.com
 Obrigada A BIG TH AN K-
to all th e pu bli sh YO U
ers
th e wo rld wh o’ve ar ou nd
int ro du ce th e bo he lpe d
ok s,
wafe rs, an d do od ca ra me l
lin g to
kid s everyw he re !

Obrigada
Special
D a k uj e m thanks to
Mark xx
!

Ta kk fy ri r Th ank s to
An dre w
Merci

Thanks, Jason
and Jess

Da nkje wel Tesekkürler

Thanks, Zöe
and Corinne
diolch
Yeah!
Ha!
 Yeah!

W ha t!

Grrr
 THIS
STAR is a

P U PI L
BAD
MA
I t ’sGE n ot
min .
RCU e. I
S t b
I f ME elon
oun L DR gs
d E W to
and it u .
nde
pick r m
y d
ed esk
it u
p.

2
H
The
e ha s n ’t noti c ed it’s go ne y et.

BADGE must have fallen off

his sweater.

I am going to give it back to him (eventually).

M F r. ullerm an made Marcus a STAR PUPIL

b eca u s e h e’d do n e a l l h i s h o m ewo rk o n ti m e a n d
ap p are nt ly h e’s been m a k i n g a BIG
e f f o r t in cla s s .

M arc us h a s n ’t s topped BRAGGING ab out

his BADGE ever since he put it on.
Look
at my ’s h ad a STAR PUPIL
badge.
badge befo re b ut
I h aven ’t (YET).
M F r. u lle r m a n c h oo s es d ifferent STAR PUPILS
eve ry te r m. I ’ve noti c ed th at if y ou h ave a
STAR PUPIL BADGE TE AC H ER S a re NICER and s m i l e
a lot more at y ou. It’s TRUE!
Teac
h ers
smili
ng
A N D you g et to h a n g out i n th e lib rary
at lu nc ht im e (w h i c h w ould be excellent for
cat c hin g u p o n read i ng my co mics).

T he badge s th i s term l k EXCE LLE NT.

S o, j us t fo r a c h a ng e, I’m going to get

ALL my homework done on time too.

I REALLY
a
want
BADGE .

I n t he mea nti m e, h ere’s a pi ct ure of M arcus

when he thought he’d LOST h is badge.
AGH!
And here’s a picture of Marcus
when he got the badge back.

Grumpy
face
M a rcus d id n’t even
s ay th
t h ank y ou to me.
S o I did this doodle
of him for .
4
 t
I'm no
a BIG
head

I think
I deserve a

S TA R P U P IL B A D G E
for these drawings. IDIOT

OL
FO
T
TWI
 m uch
as as
p ut o r k
you ome
w
o m , i f
our
h
les,
T T into
y
o ur
do o d

EFFO
R
i n to y
e way
e th
u hav l l on
U P IL.
y o w e R P
l l be STA
u ’ a
yo min
g n
b e c o l l e rma
to Fu
Mr.

Ye s, Mr. Ful lerm a n , I W I LL.

(I ’ve said it now.)

I' m walk ing h o m e fro m sc h ool with D erek

(my friend and next-door neighbor). We’re
cha
t t i n g about all kinds of important STUFF like:
W hat we ’re goi ng to E AT wh en we get
home an d toast

w ho’s going to get a STAR PUPIL BADGE

t his t ime.

6
T he n we sp ot s o m eo n e i n front of us wh o
look s a b it l i ke my g rum py older sister, D elia.
Is th at Del ia ? De rek ask s me.

A n d I say, I’m not sure, it might be?

“ D E E E E E L L L L L IA !
D EE E E E L L L L L IA! ”
I s hout — but s h e IG NOR E S me.
“ S he c a n ’t h ea r m e,” I say .

" Let ’s s hout L O U DER ,”

D
Derek
erek s ugg es ts .
“ And get a bit closer
too,” I say.

So we do. . . .
F lrom t he k D on el ia ’s face, I th ink
she heard us th at ti m e.

I was goi n g to s ay h el lo — b ut I ch anged

Uh-o h
my m i nndd . . . qui c kly .

I’m not s ure Del ia wa s

THAT plea s ed to s ee us.

Grrrrr
r

W e run a l l th e way h ome instead.

Y
“ ou r s is te r wa s n ’t very h a ppy , was sh e? ”

D e re k s ay s a s h e go es i nto h is h ouse.
“ D o n ’t w o rry ,” I tell h im.
“ D e lia ’s N E V ER h a ppy ; s h e ALWAYS look s
l i k e t hat .” ( Wh ich is true.)

9
 De lia in Del ia i n Delia in
t he mor n ing . the afternoon. th e evening.

The n we b oth s ay BYE and See y ou later.

And I go inside.

A s s oo n a s I c lo s e th e door,
I forget a ll about Del ia a nd h ead

GIANT
st ra ight fo r th e kitc h en, bec a use I’ve j ust
remembered that Mom bought a
bag of
Chocolate
Raisins th e other day .

m.)
mm
m,
mm
m,
(Mm

10
The t rou b le i s, M o m often
hides t he rea l ly good TREATS.
This is b e c a us e:
1. TR EAT S g et eaten R IGHT AWAY Cho cola te
i n our h ouse. Rais ins

2. M om l i kes to keep s o m e TREATS

JUST for guests Biscuits? (which is annoying).

3. I NOT
’m s uppo s ed to h elp my self.

LUCKILY I’ve b ecome an

EX P ERT at fi nding th em.

(M mmmmm, let m e s ee. ) Th at did n’t tak e long.

The t r ic k i s to O P E N th e raisins
ca refu lly with out R I P PI NG the bag so it
doe s n ’t loo k l i ke a ny o ne’s tou ch ed th em.
(Ea sy do e s it.)

I’m S O busy del i c ately tipping th e raisins

into my hand that I don’t HEAR Mom coming
dow
nst
air
s — until she’s outside the kitchen door.

THEN I
The re ’s jus t enough ti m e to SHOVE
the bag of ra i s i ns bac k i n s ide th e
teap ot a n d SLAM down th e lid b efore
Mom comes in.
“HELLO, TOM, you’re home early,” Mom says.

(I ’m try i ng not to look guilty .)

12
I te ll Mom , “Derek a n d I ran
A L L t he way h o m e EXTRA FAST in a race.
PHEW! I feel R E A LLY TIRED
now .”
(The b it ab out bei n g “TIRED” I’ve added
in for a VERY good rea s o n . )
I’m s ti l l h old i ng th e c h ocolate raisins in
my hand and they’re beginning to

I do a

YA W
MAS S I VE
an d p ut my h a nd UP to my m outh .
N
T he n I SHOVE I N a s m a ny of th e raisins
as I c a n w ith out M o m noti c i ng.

(Turns out th ere’s a LOT more

th a n I th ought — G U LP.)

13
 This pla n w ould h ave w ork ed, b ut M om
k e e p s a s k in g m e ques ti o ns . Sh e say s, “You
k now Gra n ny M av i s a n d G randdad B ob
are comin g a round to n ight to k eep an ey e
on t hin gs ? ”
I c a n’t s pea k bec a us e my mouth is
S T U F FED ful l of c h ocolate raisins.

So I NOD i ns tead .
“ We ’ re goin g out fo r d i n n er with someone Dad
works with.” I smile and nod some more.
“
I’ve got th i s new d ress especially
ight — o h — AND G ranny
fo r to nnight

Mavis doesn’t need to cook; there’s

food i n th e oven .” ( Wh ich is a
rel i ef bec a us e y ou never k now
w h at G ra n ny w i l l mak e.)

and e?
ta
P a s , a ny o n
ches
pea
I’m t ryin g REALLY h a rd to ch ew th e W LY
ra is in s w it h out M o m noti c i ng . S LO
Y
S LO W L

W h at a re y ou eating, Tom?
(Th at d id n ’t w o rk, th en.)

Whe n I t ry to s ay NOTH I NG
a ra is in n ea rly P O P S out of my mouth .

Instead, I do the ON LY thing I can think

of to get m e out of th i s

V ERY
TRICKY
S ITUATION.
H ere goes . . .

15
 I
GREAT
give M om a

BI G
.

“ T hat ’s a n i c e h ug , To m . . . . Wh at’s th at for? ”

Mom s ays, h ugg i n g m e bac k.
A ll t he t im e I ’m c h ew i n g ra i s ins and TRYING
to t hin k of a good a n s wer.

16
T he n D elia comes
STOR MI NG I N TO th e h ous e a nd slams
t he front doo r beh i nd h er.

“Where’s Tom?”
Sh e s oun d s a b it cross.
“ W h at’s w ro ng , Del ia ?”
M o m a s ks h er.

“
THIS i s w h at’s

WRONG! ”
Delia holds up her
cell ph one.

“I T’S a l l YOUR FAULT!”

s h e s ay s, poi nti ng at me.

17
 “ W h at h ave I do n e?” I say , try ing to
fin is h off th e la s t ra i s i n.
(I k e e p c lo s e to M o m i n c a s e D elia goes even
more .)

Mom s ays, “H ow could To m b reak y our

p hon e ? H e ’s been h ere w ith m e.”

D e li a is S T I
G ood point, M om.
L L lo o k in g
.

“I’ ll tel l y ou
nerdy fr ie n d of h i s
how.
snea k e d
Tom and th at
right up b eh ind
me a n d
SCREAMED MY NAM E so

loud ly t he SHOCK made me d

rop
NOW loo k at it! ”
my
PH
ON

(Who knew
that would
E.

happen?)
 I te ll Del ia :

1. D erek i s n ’t NER DY.

(Derek
N T b e in
O g

2. B
N E R D Y.)

reaking her phone was an accident.

Then I do an EXTRA- s ad face to mak e

t he p oint a bit m o re.
“ We on ly wa nted to s ay h el lo ! ”
I te ll Mom.
D e lia is SC OW LI NG at m e.
Sh e s ays,
Do m e a favo r — if y ou E V ER see
me wa l ki ng i n fro nt of y ou again —
DON’T co m e a ny w h ere NE AR me or
even S P E A K to m e!

“ C a l m dow n, Del ia ,” M om say s,

w h i c h ups ets h er even more.
“ I ’m s u re T o m d id n ’t mean to b reak y our
p hon e . D id y ou, To m ?”
( I sh ak e my h ead.)
 “ We could g et it fi x ed? ” M om adds.

D e lia
SLAMS
h er ph o ne down on th e tab le
a n d s ay s, “ Good luck with th at, ”
th en STORMS off in a h uff.

L ki n g at th e c rack ed ph one on
th e table, I tel l M om,

“It’s definitely now.”

“Oh,
“O h, dear,” Mom says. Then she notices the time.
“ To m , w ould y ou please go and
te ll y our dad to hurry up . We
mu s t n ’t b e late to night. I bet h e’s still
w or k in g in h i s s h ed ! ”
Da d in hi s sh ed
zzzzzzz

(H e’s not. )

20
“Yes , Mom,” I say while trying NOT TO STARE
at t he teapot.

“I don ’t wa nt Del ia bei n g in such a

M OOD w h en B ob and M avis
get he re . S h e c a n us e my ph o n e until we get
her a NEW o ne. O r g et h ers fixed.”
(We ll, t hat ’s not goi n g to h a ppen, is it? )
If you as k M E , it s eem s a b it unfair th at
D e lia get s a new P H O NE . If I b reak someth ing,
t hat NEVER h a ppens to ME.
NOW might be a
good t ime to a s k
r
Neve d.
about my BRO K E N Mom , my wat ch min
is brok en.

b ik e ?
Mmm mmm m
If D e l ia ’s g etti ng a
n ew p ho ne, c a n I h ave
a NE W bi ke? (T ha t’l l be
a NO th en .)
Sig h.
De lia is a n EXPERT at blaming ME
for t hin gs s h e’s do n e. Sh e d id it ALL th e time
whe n I wa s l ittle. Wa s n 't
. me.
H e d id it
Huh?

Her favorite tri c k wa s s tealing my food

whe n I wa s n’t l king. ESPECIALLY ice cream.

De lia w ou ld stare at s o m eth ing

i n t he a ir a n d s ay ,
“What’s th at, Tom? ”
A n d I ’d g la nc e up and say ,
“I c a n’t s ee any th ing.”

Then Delia would GASP

and say ,

22
“Look up THERE!
it’s
Ca n ’t you s ee it . . . a or
somet hin g! ”
I loved B U G S, so
th at would mak e me
STARE even more.

“Over there, QUICKLY, LOOK!

”
W hile I was busy loo ki ng at NOTH ING, D elia
w ou ld b e s n ea ki ly LEANING over and tak ing
GIANT LIC K S of my i c e cream. Th en sh e’d
say, “ D id n ’t y ou s ee it? N ever mind — it’s gone
now , Tom.” Ha!
Ha!
(Alon g w it h h a lf my
i c e c rea m us ua l ly . )

23
I was rea l ly y oung , s o it took me a wh ile to
w or k out w h at s h e wa s doi ng.
An d if I tri ed th e s a m e tri ck on Delia sh e’d
jus t s ay, “ Do n ’t both er, To m ,
e re !
Lo o k u p t h
I ’m not an id i ot . . . l i ke y ou. ”
Sh e a lways wa s a ni c e s i s ter.

( Not.)

While Mo m i s g i v i n g h er ph o ne to D elia, I’m

sitt in g he re STILL STAR I NG at th e
tea p ot filled w ith
Chocolate Chocolate
Raisins.
Raisins.

I s hou ld b e s ens i ble a nd s tay away from th e

ra is in s . ES P E C I A LLY after s uch a
.
 So I ..
’m thinking .

W ill Mo m be go n e fo r very long? ( YE S)

Have I got ti m e to G R A B anoth er h andful

of ra is in s ? (YE S )

A s t he a n s wer to BOTH ques tions is YE S!

I lift t he tea pot l id a nd scoop out anoth er
ha n dfu l of Chocolate Raisins.

T h en a noth er . . .
Th en o n e more for luck!
I don ’t hea r Dad co m i n g i n
fro m th e s h ed until h e say s,
25
 "A H A ! JUMP!
" w h i c h m a ke s me
“ TH AT’S w h ere th e raisins
are. I’ve been looking for them everywhere.
You have n ’t eaten th em a l l , have y ou, ” Tom?
Dad t ak es th e bag fro m m e to
s e e fo r h i m s elf. (S urpri s ingly ,
Chocolate
Raisins.
I ’ ve eaten quite a few . )

“I’m gue s s i n g y our m o m d id n’t say y ou could

help yourself, did she?” (I’ve been found out.)

I te ll Dad, “It wa s a s m a l l bag, I h aven’t

eate n THAT m a ny . ”
(I th i nk I ’m i n troub le.)

Th en Dad say s,
It was a
tiny bag
of raisins.

26
 “
I
Chocisins.
olate
c a n buy a noth er bag to

Ra
replac e th i s o ne.” s
r e s t o f t h e r a is in
s the uth.
A n d h e t ip s m o
hi
T i nto
RIGH

. ins
te
cola
Rais
MMMMM, I love raisins,” he says while

Cho
“

tilting his h ead bac k to fi ni s h th em off.

M om come s i n jus t i n ti m e to see th e
la s t o n e bei ng eaten.

A n d y ou w o nder W H Y I H ID E th e
treats i n th i s house?
Dad c an ’t a ns wer bec a us e h i s mouth is GULP
s tuffed ful l of raisins.
“ You know we’re goi ng out for d inner? ”

“I’m still hungry, don’t worry!” Dad tells her.

“ T he bag i s go n e? ” M om say s.

Choco
late
Raisins .
(Dad doesn’t mention that I helped him out.)

27