Chestnut Page 18

  “Julian.”

  He looked up. The classroom was empty, and Ms. Hollin had that expression his parents sometimes got, like couldn’t he just try a little harder? Like it was somehow harder on them than it was on him. It was usually followed by a sigh of disappointment that his dyslexia hadn’t magically disappeared.

  Julian pulled himself out of his seat, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and went to the front of the room.

  “Do you have your signed reading log?” his teacher asked.

  Julian’s heart dropped. Every week he was supposed to track how much time he spent reading at home and have it signed by his parents so he could turn it in for credit. He pictured the school library book sitting on his bedroom floor, a rumpled T-shirt thrown over it so he didn’t have to keep looking at the cover. He’d started reading it. But even after a whole summer at reading camp, it took him forever to get through the first page.

  His parents tried to help him after dinner every night, but by then they were both exhausted from long days at work and distracted by everything they needed to do the next day. Every night, as they yawned their way through the lesson with him, he had to ignore the sounds of his brother’s video games in the next room. Henry blew through his homework in no time at all and had the whole evening to do whatever he wanted. Julian usually wound up pretending that he understood and telling them he would finish reading on his own, just to let them off the hook. Once they went to bed, he was left alone, staring at the page until he gave up.

  Julian had known from the first day back at school that this year was going to be another failure. Just like last year.

  “Are you sure I didn’t turn it in?” Julian couldn’t bring himself to admit that he hadn’t even gotten through the first chapter. Some of the other kids were already checking out their second book. He couldn’t admit out loud that he was a quitter.

  Ms. Hollin tapped the stack of papers. “I don’t have it.”

  “I . . . I’m sure it’s here somewhere.” Julian began rummaging through his backpack. As he dug through the jumble of books and papers inside the dark mouth of his black canvas bag, his chest filled with frustration, tightening like a balloon ready to pop.

  Julian had let everyone down. Again. He wished his brain was as good as everyone else’s. He swore to himself that he was going to do better . . . somehow.

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  ★ About the Author ★

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  Bianca Alexis Photo

  JENNIFER LI SHOTZ is the author of Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine and the Hero and Scout series, about brave dogs and their humans. Jen was a cat person until she and her family adopted a sweet, stubborn, adorable rescue pup, who occasionally lets Jen sit on the couch. Jen lives with her family in Brooklyn, loves chocolate chip cookies with very few chips, and still secretly loves cats. Please don’t tell the dog.

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