"My fact is about the richie queen of Spain," she said. "The richie queen of Spain was named Isabella. And she gave Chris the money for the trip. So I am going to be richie Queen Isabella in the play. Because if there's one thing I know, it's how to be rich."
Jose raised his hand.
"You shouldn't call him Chris Chris, Lucille," he said. "In Spain, they called him Cristobal Colon. Cristobal Colon."
Lucille made squinty eyes at him.
"Chris ... Crystal Ball ... whatever," she said. "A queen can call you whatever she wants to."
She fluffed her hair and sat down.
That's when I springed up. And I waved my paper all around.
"Eighteen facts! I have eighteen facts!" I said real happy. "And so listen to this, people! The Nina Nina was the was the smallest smallest ship. And the ship. And the Pinta Pinta was the was the fastest fastest ship. And the ship. And the Santa Maria Santa Maria was a big old tub." was a big old tub."
Mr. Scary winked at me.
"Those are outstanding ship facts, Junie B.," said Mr. Scary. "Great job."
He printed them on the board.
And guess what?
After that, Shirley told him even more more ship facts. ship facts.
And so that's how the whole rest of the morning kept going.
Room One kept on telling him facts. And Mr. Scary kept on writing them down. Until finally, we'd told him every fact in the book!
Then ha! That's when the funnest part of all happened.
'Cause Mr. Scary walked around the room. And he counted how many facts each of us had listed on our papers.
And wait till you hear this!
He said, "We have a tie tie!"
Because me and my friend Jose both both had EIGHTEEN FACTS! had EIGHTEEN FACTS!
We jumped out of our seats and gave each other a high five!
Then I skipped around my desk very joyful. Plus also, I skipped to the pencil sharpener and back.
Mr. Scary came back and shook our hands.
He said we would choose our play parts when we come back from lunch. And so meanwhile we should be thinking about what parts we want.
"Yeah, only I already know know what part I want!" I said real thrilled. "And it is the bestest part I can think of. Only I'm going to keep it a secret till after lunch. And so nobody ask me. And I what part I want!" I said real thrilled. "And it is the bestest part I can think of. Only I'm going to keep it a secret till after lunch. And so nobody ask me. And I mean mean it." it."
After that, I pretended to lock my lips with a make-believe key.
Herb turned around. "You mean you're not even going to tell me?" he said kind of disappointed.
I got out my key and unlocked my lips.
"Okay ... except for I will just tell Herb, and that's all," I said.
I locked my lips again.
Jose frowned at me.
I unlocked my lips one more time.
"Plus also, I will tell Jose. But that is my final offer. And I mean it."
Just then, Shirley did a big huffy.
"Okay, fine ... and Shirley," I said.
That's when Sheldon raised his hand and pointed to himself.
Then all of the other children pointed to theirselves, too.
And so that day at lunch, I whispered my secret to everybody in Room One.
But that was all.
After we got back from recess, Mr. Scary went back to the board.
"Okay, everyone. It's time for the big event," he said. "We're going to begin choosing our play parts now. We'll start with Junie B. and Jose. Are you two ready to go?"
"Ready!" hollered Jose.
"Ready!" I hollered. "And guess what else else, Mr. Scary? I'm even going to let Jose go first. 'Cause that will be very polite of me. Plus Jose already told me that he wants to be Columbus. And I don't. So being polite will work out beautifully this time."
I pointed at Jose.
"Okay, go," I said.
Jose looked annoyed at me. "But you already told told him, Junie B. I want to be Columbus." him, Junie B. I want to be Columbus."
I clapped my hands real delighted.
"I knew it!" I said. "I knew being polite would work out good this time! On account of I want to be the Pinta Pinta! 'Cause the Pinta Pinta was the fastest ship! And the fastest ship is the winner ship. And the winner ship is the was the fastest ship! And the fastest ship is the winner ship. And the winner ship is the star star ship!" ship!"
I skipped to the pencil sharpener and back again.
Mr. Scary said please stop doing that please stop doing that.
"Being the Pinta Pinta is fine, Junie B.," he said. "But you is fine, Junie B.," he said. "But you do do understand that our ships will not be understand that our ships will not be racing racing, right? All three of our ships will be arriving together. together."
I did a little frown.
"Yeah, only that's not how I actually had it pictured in my head," I said. "'Cause a race will be more exciting, I think. And so maybe I will just arrive a little bit little bit first. Like by an inch, or a foot ... or half an hour, possibly." first. Like by an inch, or a foot ... or half an hour, possibly."
Mr. Scary shook his head no.
"This play is not about stars or winners. It's about teamwork teamwork," he said. "You are more than welcome to be the Pinta Pinta, Junie B. But you can't arrive before the other ships. Got it?"
I did a big sigh.
"Got it," I said kind of glum.
Mr. Scary wrote my name next to the Pinta. Pinta.
Then he called on the other children to choose their play parts, too.
Lucille chose richie Queen Isabella.
And Camille and Chenille chose the Atlantic Ocean.
Then my bestest friend Herbert chose to be Land. And that is the importantest role of all, almost. 'Cause without Land, you can't actually land, probably.
After Herb, lots of other children picked their parts, too.
Then finally, it was May's turn.
May had to go last because all her facts were about the dumb Mayflower Mayflower, and not about Columbus.
She stood up very grouchy. "All the good roles are already taken. So I guess I'll have to be the tubby old Santa Maria Santa Maria," she grumped.
Mr. Scary wrote her name on the board.
"The Santa Maria Santa Maria is an excellent choice, May," he said. "The is an excellent choice, May," he said. "The Santa Maria Santa Maria was the biggest ship. And it carried Columbus, you know." was the biggest ship. And it carried Columbus, you know."
May sat up a little straighter.
"It did did?" she said. "It really did did? It carried Columbus? Nobody told me that before."
She reached over and tapped on me.
"I bet you you didn't know that, either. Did you, Junie Jones? If you knew that, I bet didn't know that, either. Did you, Junie Jones? If you knew that, I bet you'd you'd be the be the Santa Maria Santa Maria," she said.
I rolled my eyeballs at her.
"Of course course I knew that, you silly-head May," I said. "The whole entire world knew that except for you, probably." I knew that, you silly-head May," I said. "The whole entire world knew that except for you, probably."
May looked disappointed.
She turned her head back around.
I waited for a second to make sure she wasn't looking.
Then I slumped down in my chair. And tapped my fingers very annoyed.
'Cause guess what?
I didn't know that.
Just then, the bell rang for school to start. And so I quick put away my journal. And I got ready to work on the play some more!
'Cause hurray, hurray!
Today we were making our costumes!
Mr. Scary got out costume supplies from boxes he brought from home.
He gave me and May cardboard to make our ships. Plus also, he gave us ship patterns!
He gave Sheldon a ship pattern, too.
Because guess what?
Sheldon was going to be the Nina Nina!
He said he didn't even care that the Nina Nina was the smallest ship. On account of he liked the little squiggle over the was the smallest ship. On account of he liked the little squiggle over the n n!
"The little squiggle makes the Nina look special," he said. "It looks like a little bird."
Mr. Scary smiled at that comment.
Then he told us how to tape our ship pieces together. Plus he showed us how to make banners and sails.
"I'm going to color my ship banner red. 'Cause red is my favorite color," I said.
May looked down her nose at me.
"I'm going to color my my ship banner ship banner gold gold," she said. "'Cause gold means you're the golden best. And the Santa Maria Santa Maria had to be the best. Or else why would Columbus choose it?" had to be the best. Or else why would Columbus choose it?"
I tapped on my chin very thinking. Then I did a little grin.
"Maybe he liked big old tubs," I said.
After that, I laughed and laughed at my own joke.