The first thing I had to do at school was get permission to use my new invention. Luckily, Mrs. Romano thought it sounded like a great idea. So did Mr. Dalmati, the recess helper.
At recess all the kids came running out and got in line for the slide.
Josh, Molly, and I ran over with the two shopping bags.
"Pick a number for the slide!" called Josh. "Then grab a toy!"
"What are the numbers for?" asked one little girl.
"It's to hold your place in line for the slide," I explained.
"You can take a toy too," Molly added. "When your number is called, turn in your toy. Then you don't have to wait in line for the slide."
"Cool!" said a fifth-grade boy. "That sounds like fun!"
Josh handed out the numbers, and I gave out the toys. Pretty soon we were out of numbers and out of toys.
"Numbers one, two, and three, line up!" called Josh.
Three kids ran over to us. They handed in their numbers along with their toys. Then they climbed up to the slide.
You would not believe how great my invention worked! All the kids loved it. They traded toys and ran around, laughing and playing. Everyone stopped pushing and shoving in line. In fact, there was no line. We only called out three numbers at a time, so kids got to go on the slide without waiting for very long.
I felt proud to see my Pick-a-Number invention working so well. Mr. Dalmati was happy too.
"Great idea, Iggy," he told me. "You solved a big recess problem."
A first-grade girl ran over to me.
"This number game is so much fun!" she said. "Can we play it again tomorrow?"
"We can play it whenever we have outdoor recess," I said.
The kids loved the number game almost as much as they loved the slide!
After recess I wrote about my Pick-a-Number invention for Mr. Bright. Then I handed my paper to Mrs. Romano. She put it with the other ideas.
Everything was working out just the way I had hoped. But there was one thing that still bothered me—Jenny. She didn't take a turn calling out numbers. She said it wasn't any fun. Not only that, but she got a "D" on her math test that day. She told me about it on the way home from school.
"I studied really hard," she said with tears in her eyes. "I just don't know what's wrong! My dad is going to be so upset."
If only I could think of a way to help her!
"Sara is having trouble in school too," Jenny blurted out. She sighed. "At least I'm not the only one."
I looked at her. "How do you know that?" I asked. Sara was Jenny's friend, the one who had just moved to another neighborhood.
"I talked to Sara last night on the phone," Jenny explained. "She told me she failed a reading test. It was her first test at her new school. She's worried everyone will think she's dumb."
That night, when I went to bed, I was still thinking about Jenny's problem. I lay there, looking up through the skylight. Sometimes, if it's a clear night, I can see the stars. I imagine that they are winking just for me, Iggy. I pretend they're my friends, helping me to think of bright ideas.
That night the stars looked clear and sharp. They winked, as though they were trying to tell me something.
But what were they trying to tell me?