Remember? Now, that’s a real hero.”
“Yeah, that’s a real hero,” Lily echoed.
Sophie remembered the story their second-grade teacher, Mrs. Cruz, had read to them the year before. It was a true story about a stray cat who saved the lives of all her kittens. When the building they lived in caught fire, she carried them out, one by one.
Okay. Yes. Sophie knew that the cat was a real hero. But she was, too!
Before Sophie could say anything, Toby Myers spoke up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told Mindy.
Sophie’s mouth dropped open. She could not believe it. Was Toby
standing up
for her?
Until the year before, this would not have surprised Sophie. Until the year before, she and Toby had been best friends. But things changed in second grade. Toby started hanging out with yucky Archie Dolan, and Kate moved to town. Now Sophie and Kate were best friends. And Sophie and Toby could not look at each other.
If they did, they had to stick out their tongues.
But maybe things were changing….
Sophie thought of the day before, when Toby had actually done something
nice
for her. He had not made fun of her name that day—Sophie the Awesome—at all.
Was it possible? Could Toby be coming to his senses?
“Real
heroes save the world from evil aliens and giant asteroids and killer robots!” Toby said. Then he looked at Sophie and stuck out his tongue.
No. Sophie sighed. She guessed he had not changed after all.
“Yeah!” said Archie. “And heroes have a mutant power.” He pointed at Sophie with a sticky, stubby finger. “What’s your mutant power, Sophie?” he asked.
Toby held his nose. “Super B.O.!” He laughed. “Not funny,” Kate said.
But Sophie rolled her eyes—and secretly sniffed her armpit, just to be sure.
No, she did not have B.O. And yes, no matter what Toby or Archie or Mindy said, Sophie was a hero.
She stuck her own tongue out at Toby. So there!
S ophie told her hero story so many times that day she was sure everyone had heard it. But she was ready to tell it again the next day as soon as she got to school. After all, it was such a great story! Or maybe she would let other people tell it. She liked that a lot, too.
The only thing was nobody seemed to want to hear her story anymore.
And there was something worse. No one seemed to want to call her Sophie the Hero, either.
Sophie did not understand it!
One day, she was a hero and everyone wastalking about her. The next day, they were talking about stuff like Dean’s new haircut. And Eve’s lost tooth. And Sophie A.’s fish, who just had babies. And Ben’s mom, who just had her baby, too.
Okay. So maybe Dean’s haircut was pretty funny-looking. And maybe a fish having babies was cool. But all kids lost their teeth. And all moms had babies.
At least one,
Sophie thought.
But not everyone was a hero!
How could they have forgotten about her already? Even after she’d drawn a big
H
for “hero” on her shirt with a marker that very morning.
Even Sophie’s sidekick, Kate, was joking with Dean about his hair.
“You look like a giant toothbrush!” Kate said.
Oh, well,
Sophie thought, trying to make herself feel better. Maybe they’d talk about her again once Dean’s hair grew back.
She sure hoped so. She really, really liked being Sophie the Hero. And she really, really did not want to be Sophie the Nothing again.
Then the bell rang and their teacher, Ms. Moffly,wrote two big words on the blackboard. As soon as Sophie read them, the day got brighter again.
LOCAL HEROES
Sophie could not believe it. Ms. Moffly was going to teach about
her
! And Sophie had not even told her hero story to the teacher yet. Wow! But of course Ms. Moffly had heard it. In fact, it was probably all they talked about in the teachers’ lounge, Sophie bet.
“We have two very special guests today,” Ms. Moffly said.
Hmm …,
Sophie wondered. Who was number two? Ella? Mrs. Dixon? They weren’t exactly heroes, like her. But
“Yeah, that’s a real hero,” Lily echoed.
Sophie remembered the story their second-grade teacher, Mrs. Cruz, had read to them the year before. It was a true story about a stray cat who saved the lives of all her kittens. When the building they lived in caught fire, she carried them out, one by one.
Okay. Yes. Sophie knew that the cat was a real hero. But she was, too!
Before Sophie could say anything, Toby Myers spoke up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told Mindy.
Sophie’s mouth dropped open. She could not believe it. Was Toby
standing up
for her?
Until the year before, this would not have surprised Sophie. Until the year before, she and Toby had been best friends. But things changed in second grade. Toby started hanging out with yucky Archie Dolan, and Kate moved to town. Now Sophie and Kate were best friends. And Sophie and Toby could not look at each other.
If they did, they had to stick out their tongues.
But maybe things were changing….
Sophie thought of the day before, when Toby had actually done something
nice
for her. He had not made fun of her name that day—Sophie the Awesome—at all.
Was it possible? Could Toby be coming to his senses?
“Real
heroes save the world from evil aliens and giant asteroids and killer robots!” Toby said. Then he looked at Sophie and stuck out his tongue.
No. Sophie sighed. She guessed he had not changed after all.
“Yeah!” said Archie. “And heroes have a mutant power.” He pointed at Sophie with a sticky, stubby finger. “What’s your mutant power, Sophie?” he asked.
Toby held his nose. “Super B.O.!” He laughed. “Not funny,” Kate said.
But Sophie rolled her eyes—and secretly sniffed her armpit, just to be sure.
No, she did not have B.O. And yes, no matter what Toby or Archie or Mindy said, Sophie was a hero.
She stuck her own tongue out at Toby. So there!
S ophie told her hero story so many times that day she was sure everyone had heard it. But she was ready to tell it again the next day as soon as she got to school. After all, it was such a great story! Or maybe she would let other people tell it. She liked that a lot, too.
The only thing was nobody seemed to want to hear her story anymore.
And there was something worse. No one seemed to want to call her Sophie the Hero, either.
Sophie did not understand it!
One day, she was a hero and everyone wastalking about her. The next day, they were talking about stuff like Dean’s new haircut. And Eve’s lost tooth. And Sophie A.’s fish, who just had babies. And Ben’s mom, who just had her baby, too.
Okay. So maybe Dean’s haircut was pretty funny-looking. And maybe a fish having babies was cool. But all kids lost their teeth. And all moms had babies.
At least one,
Sophie thought.
But not everyone was a hero!
How could they have forgotten about her already? Even after she’d drawn a big
H
for “hero” on her shirt with a marker that very morning.
Even Sophie’s sidekick, Kate, was joking with Dean about his hair.
“You look like a giant toothbrush!” Kate said.
Oh, well,
Sophie thought, trying to make herself feel better. Maybe they’d talk about her again once Dean’s hair grew back.
She sure hoped so. She really, really liked being Sophie the Hero. And she really, really did not want to be Sophie the Nothing again.
Then the bell rang and their teacher, Ms. Moffly,wrote two big words on the blackboard. As soon as Sophie read them, the day got brighter again.
LOCAL HEROES
Sophie could not believe it. Ms. Moffly was going to teach about
her
! And Sophie had not even told her hero story to the teacher yet. Wow! But of course Ms. Moffly had heard it. In fact, it was probably all they talked about in the teachers’ lounge, Sophie bet.
“We have two very special guests today,” Ms. Moffly said.
Hmm …,
Sophie wondered. Who was number two? Ella? Mrs. Dixon? They weren’t exactly heroes, like her. But
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