Amy and the Missing Puppy Paperback - 2013

Spring Break Blues

Amy felt herself starting to blush. Her cheeks felt warm, then hot. Amy shook her short, light brown hair over her freckled face. She hoped it would hide her bright pink cheeks. At least IâÈçm not at school, Amy thought. I hate blushing in front of the whole class!

In fact Amy wouldnâÈçt be back at her school, Santa Vista Elementary, for one whole week. It was the Friday night before spring break. Amy was in her bedroom with her best friends, Marion, Ellie, and Liz. They had a sleepover almost every Friday. This week, it was AmyâÈçs turn to host.



The girls were finishing up a game of MASH. Amy held up the paper that had made her blush. She pointed to the name of her future husband.



Liz, Marion, and Ellie squealed.

âÈêYouâÈçre so lucky, Amy!âÈë Ellie said, shaking her hands to dry her newly painted nails. Stewart was LizâÈçs big brother. He was twelve. All the girls, except for Liz, thought he was the cutest.

âÈêLucky?âÈë said Liz. Marion was braiding LizâÈçs wavy blond hair in front of the mirror. Liz wrinkled her nose. âÈêWho would want to marry my brother? Ew.âÈë

âÈêI canâÈçt stay up too late tonight,âÈë Marion said. She wrapped a hair band around LizâÈçs braid. âÈêTomorrow my mom and I are taking Coco to a big horse show!âÈë

Coco was MarionâÈçs brown purebred horse. Marion was a great rider. Together, Marion and Coco had won tons of blue ribbons! âÈêWeâÈçll be out of town for most of the week,âÈë Marion added, her green eyes twinkling.



âÈêMe too,âÈë said Liz. Liz and her family were going to the beach. âÈêI canâÈçt wait! A whole week of sun, sand, and best of all, no homework!âÈë Liz flopped back onto AmyâÈçs bed. âÈêIâÈçm going to bring my easel and paint box. IâÈçll paint you each a sunset!âÈë Amy loved LizâÈçs paintings. She was such a good artist!

Ellie sighed and fluffed her red pillow. âÈêWell, IâÈçll be here in Santa Vista all week,âÈë she said, plopping down. Her tight black curls bounced over her headband. Ellie tossed her head dramatically. âÈêBOR-ing! But at least my Nana Gloria is coming to stay!âÈë

EllieâÈçs grandmother was moving in with her family. âÈêSheâÈçs bringing over some boxesâÈ'and her parrot, Lenny! I want to teach him a song. Then we can sing a duet!âÈë

Ellie grabbed a pink hairbrush. She flicked on AmyâÈçs MP3 player. Singing along with a pop song, Ellie belted into her hairbrush microphone. Ellie always sang loudly and with feeling, like an actress on a stage.



âÈêHow about you, Amy?âÈë Ellie said. âÈêWhat are you going to do this week?âÈë



AmyâÈçs heart sank a little. Her friends all had somewhere to go or something to do. She didnâÈçt.

AmyâÈçs parents were divorced and Amy lived with her mom in Santa Vista. Her dad lived in Orange Blossom, the next town over. Amy sighed as she remembered that she couldnâÈçt even go visit Dad this break because he was away on business.

Amy shrugged. âÈêRead?âÈë she said. âÈêI do have a brand-new Nancy Drew book. Count the change in my piggy bank? Dust my sticker collection?âÈë Her friends giggled, but Amy was only half joking. What was she going to do?



âÈêI guess IâÈçll help my mom at the clinic,âÈë Amy said. AmyâÈçs mom, Dr. Melanie Purvis, was a veterinarian. She ran a vet clinic in the house next door. Pets from all over Santa Vista came for their checkups. Other times, animals came when they were sick or hurt. Amy loved animals of all kinds. She also loved spending time at her momâÈçs clinic.

As if reading her mind, AmyâÈçs cat Milly crawled out from under the bed. She climbed into AmyâÈçs lap. âÈêMilly will keep me company. Right, Milly?âÈë

Only seven days until next FridayâÈ'their next sleepover. Then they would all be together again.

Oh, well, thought Amy. Spring break canâÈçt last forever.

Callie Barkley loves animals. As a young girl, she dreamed of getting a cat or dog of her own until she discovered she was allergic to most of them. It was around this time that she realized the world was full of all kinds of critters that could use some love. She now lives with her husband and two kids in Connecticut. They share their home with exactly ten fish and a very active ant farm.

Marsha Riti is an illustrator based in Austin, Texas. She likes to take long walks, stopping frequently to pet neighborhood kitties.