Heidi Heckelbeck Lights! Camera! Awesome! Read online

On the way back to the classroom, Heidi’s classmates swarmed around her.

  “Your video was just the BEST!” said Bruce.

  “Oh, I loved your idea for the school library!” Lucy said.

  “Wow! Your video should totally WIN!” added Stanley.

  Heidi just couldn’t believe it. And the weirdest thing of all was that nobody was congratulating Melanie—even though her video had been amazing too.

  Principal Pennypacker returned to the classroom to announce the winner. He walked to the front of the room and cleared his throat.

  “Your videos were wonderful,” he said. “And believe it or not, we have a tie.”

  The students gasped. Principal Pennypacker held up his hands to quiet the class.

  “This means Brewster’s school news program will have cohosts! Now let’s congratulate our very own Heidi Heckelbeck and Melanie Maplethorpe!”

  The whole class cheered. Heidi’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

  Wow, she thought. I’m a real SUPERSTAR!

  THE IT GIRL

  The next day Heidi got off the school bus and found a big surprise. Her adoring fans were all waiting for her.

  “There she is!” Laurel Lambert shouted.

  “I saw her FIRST!” Natalie Newman cried.

  Everyone ran to greet her. Some kids even asked her for an autograph. Heidi didn’t mind. She signed their notebooks and binders. This is so cool, she thought. Then Heidi noticed everyone in her class was wearing headbands just like hers—even the boys.

  Lucy pulled Heidi by the arm. “Follow me!” she said.

  Lucy led Heidi inside the school and down a red carpet that went all the way to Heidi’s desk. It was not a real carpet, it was a pathway of red construction paper taped to the floor to make it look like a red carpet. Cameras flashed as Heidi walked along.

  “Let’s get a picture of our cohosts together!” said Mrs. Welli, the teacher, as Heidi entered the classroom. Melanie posed next to Heidi. She put one hand on her hip and the other one in the air.

  Click! Click! Click!

  Finally Heidi sat down at her desk, which was covered with candy, flowers, and a cute teddy bear holding a microphone. The class thought up names for the new show. Mrs. Welli wrote them on the board.

  Then they voted.

  “And the winning name is . . . The Brewster Buzz!” Mrs. Welli announced, which was, of course, Heidi’s idea.

  Heidi got the same star treatment in the library, too. Mrs. Williams, the librarian, hung a banner in Heidi’s honor. It said HOORAY FOR HEIDI! THE STAR OF THE LIBRARY!

  “Our library has already received five new books!” Mrs. Williams said. “All thanks to your great idea, Heidi.”

  Every class was the same. In science the class got to drink Bruce’s homemade root beer in honor of Heidi.

  In art Mr. Doodlebee had everyone make a mural about Heidi’s video.

  And at lunch everyone wanted to sit next to the class star. So this is what it feels like to be FAMOUS, Heidi thought.

  After lunch Heidi needed to be alone to learn her lines—much to the disappointment of her fans. She heard people talking about her as she walked away.

  “Isn’t Heidi awesome?”

  “She’s the coolest!”

  “We’re so lucky we go to the SAME school as HEIDI HECKELBECK!”

  Heidi had a swing in her step. Swag on! she said to herself.

  FALLING STAR

  Heidi and Melanie met in the auditorium to record the first episode of The Brewster Buzz. A backdrop had been set up on the stage, which had special lights and a microphone overhead. Bruce had been chosen to run the video camera.

  Principal Pennypacker clapped his hands. “Okay, let’s get started,” he said. “Heidi, please begin with this week’s cafeteria menu.”

  Heidi walked in front of the backdrop. Bruce held up his video camera and made a few adjustments.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  Heidi nodded, but she didn’t feel ready at all. Her mouth was so dry that it felt like it was filled with cotton.

  The principal lifted the bar on his clapboard. “School menu, take one!” he said. “And ACTION!” He snapped the clapboard.

  Heidi looked uncertainly at the camera. “Hi . . . I’m Heidi . . . and this is the cafeteria menu . . . for Monday.” Heidi sounded like a scared robot, but she kept going.

  “Today we’ll be having dot hogs. I mean, not dogs! Oops, make that hot dots!”

  The principal waved his hands. “Cut! Cut! Cut!” he said. “Melanie, would you please get our star some water?”

  Melanie ran and got Heidi a bottle of water. Heidi unscrewed the cap top and pressed the cool drink against her lips.

  The water dribbled down the front of her shirt. She brushed herself off and set the bottle on a table, but it tipped over and spilled right onto Melanie’s script.

  Melanie squealed. “Be careful!”

  Heidi wiped the water off the script. Uh-oh, she thought. I think my spell must have worn off.

  “Take two!” Principal Pennypacker called out. “And ACTION.”

  Heidi jumped to attention. “Hi, I’m Heidi, and this is the cough-a-teria. I mean cer-for-tar-ia. Oh no! Coffee-teer-ee-a.”

  “Cut!” cried Principal Pennypacker. “Heidi, maybe you need a short break. Melanie can do her part, and then we’ll get back to you.”

  Heidi nodded in relief.

  Melanie pranced in front of the backdrop and pulled out a compact mirror.

  “This is great lighting, Principal Pennypacker,” she said. “It gives my skin just the right glow.”

  “Well, I’m very glad you approve, Melanie,” Principal Pennypacker said. “Are you ready?”

  Melanie nodded. The principal stepped back. “ACTION!”

  Melanie smiled at the camera as if it were her best friend.

  “Hello, everyone,” she said. “I’m Melanie Maplethorpe for The Brewster Buzz. Next week is our annual Fund Run—and you know what that means?!”

  Melanie winked.

  “It means next week is Spirit Week! And we’ll have Crazy Hair Day on Monday! Silly Hat Tuesday! Wacky Tacky Wednesday! Superhero Thursday! And Friday we’ll RUN to raise money for our school! Don’t forget your pledge forms and TTFN!”

  “And . . . cut!” cheered Principal Pennypacker. “Well done, Melanie! Not a single mistake.”

  Melanie curtsied. “I just LOVE the camera,” she said dreamily. “And the camera loves ME.”

  Heidi agreed. Melanie was a true natural. Now Heidi felt like a big fat fraud. She had looked so good in her video, but she knew that wasn’t really her—it had been the spell.

  I’m not an awesome celebrity star after all, she owned up to herself. I’m more like a falling star.

  BEHIND THE SCENES

  Heidi crept off the stage while Principal Pennypacker and Melanie were talking. She hid behind one of the sets—a cluster of trees. Nobody will notice me back here, she thought. But Heidi was wrong.

  Someone did notice.

  “Heidi?”

  It was Melanie. Heidi wanted to run, but she was trapped between the set and the wall. She braced herself for Melanie’s wisecracks.

  “Hey, Heidi,” Melanie said, but her voice didn’t sound mean this time. It actually sounded nice. “I know exactly how it feels to be shy in front of a camera.”

  Heidi looked up. “You DO?”

  Melanie nodded. “I used to feel that way too,” she said. “But my acting coach taught me some tricks to keep the jitters away. Want to hear some?”

  Heidi felt her shoulders relax. “Sure, I’d really like that.”

  Melanie smiled. “First, you have to stand up straight with your head up and your shoulders back.”

  Heidi stood up tall.

  “Now take a deep breath in slowly through your nose and then exhale slowly through your mouth,” Melanie continued. “This will relax you.”

  Heidi breathed slowly in and out.

  “That’s good,” praised Me
lanie. “Now, believe it or not, tongue twisters will help you speak more clearly. Try this one: Do drop in at the Dew Drop Inn.”

  Heidi repeated the phrase.

  “Perfect!” Melanie said. “Now try another one: Silly Sara sold soggy sushi by the seashore.”

  Heidi giggled as she repeated the phrase.

  “Now—and this is really, REALLY important—pretend the camera is your very best friend, and you’ll be able to talk naturally,” Melanie said. “Got it?”

  Heidi nodded, and the girls walked back to the set.

  “Ready?” Principal Pennypacker asked. Heidi got in position.

  “Just have FUN with it,” Melanie said.

  This time Heidi pretended that the camera was her best friend Lucy.

  “Hey, I’m Heidi, and I’m here to tell you about Monday’s school cafeteria lunch. We’re going to have hot dogs—one of my personal favorites—baked barbecue potato chips, and strawberry yogurt for dessert. Yum!”

  Heidi got through the whole thing without one mistake. She wasn’t as smooth as Melanie, but she did okay.

  “Way to go!” Melanie cheered.

  Heidi smiled. Then she walked over to the principal and tapped him on the arm.

  “What is it, Heidi?”

  Heidi took a deep breath. “I think Melanie should host the show all by herself,” she said. “She’s the right one for the job—not both of us.”

  Principal Pennypacker gave a quick wink. “Okay, Heidi. I understand. It’s possible that not everyone is meant to be Lights! Camera! Awesome!”

  Heidi’s eyes grew round.

  That’s weird, she thought. He just said the exact name of the spell!

  FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME

  Heidi sat between Lucy and Bruce in the auditorium. The Brewster Buzz was about to air for the first time. The whole school was there.

  The show opened with clips of Melanie reporting from the library, on the playground, and in the cafeteria. The crowd clapped and cheered. Then Melanie reported on the upcoming Fund Run, along with the school play, which was The Sound of Music, and an art exhibit that Mr. Doodlebee had set up in the learning center.

  “And NOW,” Melanie said excitedly, “here to present the instructions for the game that’s sweeping the Brewster playground is our on-the-spot reporter, Heidi Heckelbeck!”

  The crowd whistled and hollered as the screen went black.

  The new scene zoomed in on Heidi. She held a microphone and stood on the playground beside Stanley.

  “Hi, everyone,” Heidi said. Then she jerked her thumb at Stanley. “THIS is a dinosaur.”

  Stanley raised his hands like they were the claws of a T. rex. “ROAR!” he snarled, and the audience shrieked with laughter.

  “And OVER HERE,” Heidi said, pointing to a group of students, including Lucy and Bruce, “we have some CHEESE.”

  The kids who were the cheese all waved to the camera.

  “Now, the object of the game is for the dinosaur to grab some cheese. Does anyone know WHY?”

  Heidi held the microphone out to the playground and everyone shouted, “Because dinosaurs LOVE cheese!”

  Then Heidi turned back to Stanley and cried, “Go get ’em, dinosaur!”

  Then the kids who were cheese screamed and scattered on the playground. Stanley chased after them.

  “And that’s how you play Cheese Dinosaur Tag,” Heidi said, pumping her eyebrows. Then she turned her head to one side.

  Someone off camera said, “I spy some SWISS CHEESE! Swiss is my FAVORITE kind! ROAR!”

  Heidi looked at the camera, screamed, and ran across the playground. Stanley the Dinosaur chased after her as the video faded to black.

  Everyone in the auditorium howled with laughter.

  The Brewster Buzz was a big hit. Melanie may have been the true star of the show, but Heidi had become a Cheese Dinosaur Tag legend.

  ROAR!

  Keep reading for a preview of

  Heidi Heckelbeck Lends a Helping Hand

  by

  Wanda Coven

  Splurt!

  Splurt!

  Splurt!

  Heidi Heckelbeck squeezed a glob of craft glue into a mixing bowl. Then she squirted some shaving cream on top. Next she sprinkled some contact lens solution into the mix. Finally, she added the special liquid activator.

  Heidi swirled the ingredients together like a magic potion—only this wasn’t actually a potion.

  Today, in her art class, she was making a huge bowl of slime. Fluffy slime, to be exact.

  She stirred until the slime pulled away from the bowl and became a big fluff-o-luscious blob. Then she poked the slime with all ten fingers.

  “It’s so squishable!” she said, squeezing it with her hands.

  Lucy Lancaster, who was sitting next to Heidi, peeked into Heidi’s bowl.

  “Oooh!” she exclaimed, stirring her own mix faster to catch up. “Your slime looks so marshmallowy!”

  Heidi grabbed her slime and kneaded it like bread dough. The slime spoke a language all its own: Skloop! Sklorp! Skleep!

  “Time to add some color!” Heidi announced. She plopped the slime back into the bowl and opened a package of neon-green powdered food coloring. She dumped the whole package of dye into the bowl. Then she slapped the slime with her hand. POOF!

  About the Author and Illustrator

  WANDA COVEN has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she’s able to visit other worlds through writing. Wanda lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.

  PRISCILLA BURRIS has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents, and teachers. She enjoys painting cakes and creating art for products, which include murals, greeting cards, and rubber stamps! Priscilla lives with her family in Southern California.

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Wanda-Coven

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Priscilla-Burris

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  HeidiHeckelbeckBooks.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

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  First Little Simon paperback edition December 2018

  Copyright © 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Also available in a Little Simon hardcover edition.

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  Designed by Ciara Gay

  Jacket design by Ciara Gay

  Jacket illustrations by Priscilla Burris

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-5344-2648-1 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-2647-4 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-2649-8 (eBook)

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