You Are Reading
Age: Middle School
Reading Level: 4.0
Chapter One
"Hi, I'm Sparkles."
She was not your typical circus clown. She spoke like a kindergarten teacher and her costume wasn't very flashy. Her naturally pale face was free of the expected oily paint. A small red paper heart was stuck to the end of her nose.
I smiled politely, even though I had never liked clowns very much.
I pulled out a blue polo and inspected it. No stains, no rips, and it was my size... the three musts for shopping at a thrift store. The tag said two dollars, which was about all my budget could handle. I could have asked my mom or dad for the money, and they gladly would have given it. My mom would have liked to take me shopping. But I wanted to handle this on my own.
In the dressing room, I saw the reflection of my sticker. It had a stupid little green frog on it and it said, 'I am special.'
I quickly pulled off my t-shirt and tried on the polo. I liked the color, and thought of how my mom would approve. She said royal blue looked good on me. I had to admit, it looked nice against my dark brown skin.
I had khakis at home to go with it, and dress shoes. My hair was cut neat and low so I would look the part of a professional. But would I sound the part?