Claudia's got to decide: either the Babysitters Club or the new girl-one of them's got to go.

"Mm-hmm." Mrs. hall looked slightly disappointed. "And have you read The Yearling? Or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?" I could tell she was thinking of transferring Ashley to one of the other English classes.

Ashley nodded. "I read them over the summer. But I don't mind doing the Newbery books again. I mean, we didn't read all of then=m. There are too many. Maybe I could do a special project on some of the older ones. The ones from the nineteen-thirties, if that's okay."

Mrs. Hall looked impressed. I was pretty impressed myself. What kind of kid got away with suggesting work to a teacher?

When class was over, Ashley and I looked at each other again. Then Ashley said quietly, "Um, hi. do you know where room two-sixteen is?" It sounded as if it were killing her to have to talk to me. She certainly wasn't the friendliest person I'd ever met.

"Sure," I answered. "It's on the way to my math class. I'll take you."

"Oh, okay....Thanks."

Ashley and I edged into the crowded hallway and headed for a staircase.

"My name's Claudia," I told her. "Claudia Kishi. Umm, I was wondering. I know this sounds funny, but are you related to Andrew Wyeth?"

"No," replied Ashley. She paused, as if deciding whether to say anything else. Then she added," I wish I were, though."

so she knew who I meant!

"Boy so do I," I told her.

"Do you like his work?" Asked Ashley. She glanced at me, then quickly away.

"Like it? I love it! I take all kinds of art classes. I want to be a painter some day. Or a sculptor. Or maybe a potter."

"You do?" said Ashley. "So do I. I mean, I want to be a sculptor."

She was going to say something more then, but the warning bell rang and we had to duck into our classrooms. Before I did, though, I glanced once more at Ashley's retreating figure. I knew that somebody very ... different had walked into my life.

Claudia and the New Girl
Published by Scholastic Inc. 1996
ISBN: 0590437216