"Babysitters Club 007 Claudia And Mean Janine" - читать интересную книгу автора (Babysitters Club)

The next stop was the Barretts', but they weren't home, so we left a flier in their mailbox. The three Barretts are Buddy (eight, and a good friend of Nicky Pike), Suzi (four), and Marnie (one, but closer to two). Their parents are separated and Mr. Barrett has moved out, so the kids are having a rough time. Sometimes
they can be a handful, but basically they're nice.
We went on to the Prezziosos'. I'm sure Kristy, Stacey, and Dawn were praying that no one would be home there, either. I know I was. But when Mary Anne rang the bell, Mrs. Prezzioso answered it.
She was all dressed up, which wasn't unusual. She likes for her family to look as if they're getting ready to pose for a fashion magazine.
"Hello, girls. What may I do for you?" asked Mrs. P. primly. And then, before one of us could answer, she dropped her voice and whispered, "Our little angel is asleep, so we must keep our voices down." (The little angel is Jenny.)
Mary Anne stepped forward. .We had asked her to do all the talking at Jenny's house. "We wanted to let you know," she whispered, "that we're starting a play group."
"A what?" Mrs. P. leaned over, cupping a hand around one ear.
"A play group. And we think it would be perfect for Jenny."
"You think what?"
"We think it would be perfect for Jenny. Here, take a flier."
"A what?"
"A flier." Mary Anne handed her one.
Mrs. P. skimmed it. "I suppose the art projects would be a bit messy, wouldn't they?" Mrs. P. was holding the flier by one corner as if it were a wet painting that was going to leap onto her white suit and smudge it up.
"Well, some might be," I admitted, since I was in charge of art projects. "But. . . um - "
"But we provide smocks," Kristy broke in.
"That's right - smocks," I repeated.
"It sounds nice. I'll have to think about it," Mrs. P. said.
We couldn't wait to get out of there.
"Okay, call us if you have questions," said Kristy.
We went to a few more houses, and then we gathered in my room.
"You know," said Kristy, "I hadn't thought about things like smocks. I wonder if we're forgetting anything else."
"Let's see," said Mary Anne, flipping through the notes she'd been making. "Two picnic tables will be set up in Stacey's yard. We'll each bring our own Kid-Kit with us, so we'll have books and games and puzzles and stuff. Claudia, what kinds of art supplies do you have? Maybe we should buy some things."
"It might be a good idea," I said. "I don't want to use up all my materials. And I don't
have any construction paper or crayons right now. Just newsprint and pastels."
"Well," Stacey spoke up, "there's money in the treasury, and I guess that's what it's for."
"Right," agreed Kristy. "So if we buy some art supplies, Mary Anne, what shape are we in?"
"I think we're all set," she said.
And I couldn't help adding, "Ready to roll!"
Our play group would begin in just a few days.
Chapter 4.
On Sunday evening, the night before the first session of the Baby-sitters Club's play group, my parents went out to dinner. They left Mimi and Janine and me on our own, which we don't mind at all. Mimi usually fixes a special meal - not a Japanese meal, but one that we like and don't get to eat very often.
As soon as Mom and Dad had left, Mimi and I went into the kitchen.
"What shall I fix tonight, my Claudia?" Mimi asked.
"Mmm," I said thoughtfully. "We could have spaghetti and meatballs, or we could have breakfast-at-dinner, or - "
"Or I could prepare tiny pizzas."
I laughed. "Mini-pizzas, Mimi," I said. "They're called mini-pizzas."
"That I will never be able to say," replied Mimi, "for Minnie is the mouse. It does not make sense."
"Mouse pizzas!" I exclaimed.
It was Mimi's turn to laugh. "I have an idea," she said. "Would you like a special breakfast-at-dinner? I could prepare waffles in the waffle iron."
(Mimi pronounces iron the way it's spelled: eye-ron.)
"Oh, yum! We haven't done that in months! Do we have toppings?" I asked.
"We have butter and syrup and whipped cream and fresh strawberries."
"Oh, boy!"
"Would you please ask your sister if she wants waffles, my Claudia?"
"Okay," I replied. I knew Janine would want waffles. She always goes along with whatever the rest of us have decided.
I found Janine in her room. She was in front of her computer, naturally. A future physicist has to work hard.
"Do you want waffles for dinner?" I asked her abruptly. "That's what Mimi and I chose."
Janine looked up from the keyboard. "You already chose waffles?" she repeated. (I'd just said so, hadn't I?) "Sure. Waffles are fine. How come you didn't ask me what I wanted?"
"I'm asking you now."
"They're fine," Janine said again. Sighing, she turned back to the computer.