Justine McKeen, Pooper Scooper by Sigmund Brouwer Page A

queen of green. And everybody except for Justine was afraid to disagree with Jimmy Blatzo.
    â€œHow many times do I have to tell you?” she said. “We are friends.”
    â€œMichael and I won’t call you Blatzo,” Safdar said.
    â€œWe know we are not your friends,” Michael said.
    Jimmy Blatzo looked at Michael and Safdar. “I didn’t give you permission to speak.”
    â€œI forgot,” Safdar said.
    â€œMe too,” Michael said.
    â€œYou are still speaking.” Jimmy Blatzo stopped and sniffed. “Hey, who stepped in dog poop?”

    Justine checked the bottom of her shoes. Michael checked his shoes. Safdar checked his shoes. Jimmy Blatzo checked his shoes.
    Nobody found dog poop on their shoes.
    Justine sniffed and sniffed.
    She walked behind Jimmy Blatzo. A big brown patch was smushed across Jimmy Blatzo’s butt.
    â€œI was afraid of that,” she said. “You were sitting in it on the grass.”
    Michael and Safdar were smart enough not to laugh.

Chapter Two
    At school the next morning, Justine walked down the hallway before the bell rang. Jimmy Blatzo tapped her on the shoulder. “You didn’t tell anybody about the dog poop on my pants, right?”
    â€œA promise is a promise,” Justine said. “But what’s the big deal if people find it funny?”
    â€œIt’s my job to scare people, not make them laugh.”
    Two boys walked past. Jimmy Blatzo raised his arms like a monster and growled. The boys jumped and ran away.
    â€œSee?” he said. “Like that.”
    â€œNice,” she said. “Now come to the library with me.”
    â€œYeah,” he said. “Right after I slam a door on my fingers. Do you think I want people to see me walking with you? You’re a couple of grades younger than me.”
    â€œI’m serious,” Justine said. “We need to do something about the dog poop in the park. Safdar told me that kids were making snowmen last winter and found little brown chocolate bars in the snow. Except they were not chocolate bars.”
    Jimmy Blatzo laughed. “One kid didn’t know what it was. He used it for the snowman’s nose. Some of the dog poop melted in his mittens. His mother freaked. It was great!”
    â€œNo,” she said. “The kid’s mother was right. Dog poop is unsafe, especially for little kids. And it’s not good for the environment.”
    Jimmy Blatzo frowned. “I see a problem here.”
    â€œThank you,” she said. “We’re going to write a letter to the paper about this.”
    â€œThat’s the problem,” Jimmy Blatzo said. “I knew you were going to make me help you with something.”

    â€œLet’s get to the library before the bell rings,” Justine said. “Mrs. Reynolds can help us with our research.”
    â€œJust google it,” Jimmy Blatzo said.
    â€œYou can’t believe everything you google.”
    â€œI don’t even know where the library is,” he said.
    â€œYou spell your name B-L-A-T-Z-O, right?”
    Justine said. “I won’t break my promise about telling anyone about the dog poop on your butt. But I can write a note. I don’t want to spell your name wrong.”
    Jimmy Blatzo groaned as loud as he did when she hit him in the stomach with the football.
    â€œFollow me,” she said. When they reached the library, it was locked and dark inside.
    â€œWeird,” Jimmy Blatzo said. “Mrs. Reynolds is always here early. Sometimes she makes me tea. She always helps me find great books. She knows exactly what I like to read.”
    â€œHa!” Justine said. “I knew you knew where the library was. Let me guess, your job is to scare kids, not love books?”
    Two girls walked past. Jimmy Blatzo raised his arms and growled. They giggled.
    â€œLast week in the library, those two girls made me move out of the comfy reading chair so they