1
Summer Sizzles
Two dogs were trotting side by side down the street. They both had collars with pink dog bones hanging down.
One dog was mostly white with tan spots, tan patches around her eyes, and dark brown ears.
The other dog was shaggy, with ginger-colored fur that hung down almost to her eyes.
The dogs' tongues were hanging way out the sides of their mouths. They were both hot, hot, hot.
As they passed Didi's Bakery, they heard a voice booming from the radio. The voice belonged to Amos-on-the-Airwaves. He was Tuckertown's favorite radio personality.
"Grab your ice cubes, listeners! It's going to be a sizzling summer day!" said Amos.
"I'd love an ice cube right now," said the white-spotted dog.
"Make mine chicken-flavored!" said the shaggy ginger-colored one.
The dogs weren't yipping or barking. They were talking in words. That's because these were no ordinary dogs.
The dogs kept walking. The voice on the radio kept talking. This time the voice was coming from Bubble-Up Wash & Dry. Everyone in town listened to Amos-on-the-Airwaves.
"Remember, Bark-in-the-Park is coming soon," said Amos. "There'll be woofs, wags, and goody bags!"
The dogs stopped short. They looked at each other.
"Did he say goody bags?" said the spotted dog.
"He did," said the shaggy one. "Do you think they'll be for the dogs or for the kids?"
"It doesn't matter to us," said the first dog. "We can be either."
The dogs were just coming up to the Lucky Find Thrift Shop.
"Want to go in and look around?" said the spotted dog.
"Sure!" said the shaggy one. "But we know the rule."
A big sign in the window said NO DOGS ALLOWED. The dogs knew what they had to do.
"Let's go around to the back," said the spotted dog.
They trotted behind the shop. A minute later, two girls were standing where the dogs had been.
One girl was Kate Farber. She had freckles that were like the white dog's tan spots. She was wearing glasses that looked a lot like the patches around the dog's eyes. Her dark brown pigtails looked like the dog's ears.
The other girl was Lucie Lopez. She had ginger-colored hair with bangs that almost covered her eyes. Her hair looked a lot like the shaggy coat of the ginger-colored dog.
The girls were both wearing I ? DOGS T-shirts and matching necklaces with pink dog bones. Their necklaces were a lot like the dogs' collars.
Each girl wanted a real dog of her own but couldn't have one. The girls lived next door to each other in garden apartments that had the same rule as the thrift shop: NO DOGS ALLOWED. But something amazing had happened. Instead of having dogs, Kate and Lucie had found a way to be dogs.
It had happened one day right in the Lucky Find Thrift Shop. The girls found two great-looking necklaces with pink dog bones and went into the dressing room to try them on.
They helped each other with the clasps and turned to admire themselves.
"These look great on us!" said Lucie.
"Let's buy them!" said Kate.
"Woofa-woof!" they said together, and gave each other high fives.
Woofa-wow! Just as their hands touched, the necklaces lit up. There was a pop and a whoosh in the dressing room, and two dogs were staring back at them from the mirror. The girls had turned into dogs!
After a few tries, they learned how to change back and forth whenever they wanted to.
Now that they were girls again, Kate and Lucie walked to the front door of the Lucky Find.
"I saw a big box of hats delivered the other day," said Lucie. "There were even some with pink ribbons!"
"Uh-oh," said Kate, rolling her eyes. "You and ribbons are a dangerous combination."
Lucie loved ribbons and everything pink.
"Hi, Mrs. Bingly!" Kate called to the store's owner as they walked inside.
Lucie took a quick look around the shop.
"Where are the new hats with ribbons?" she asked.
"They sold really fast," said Mrs. Bingly. "Everyone loved them."
"I did, too," said Lucie, looking disappointed.
Then she saw a basket of mini stuffed dogs.
"Look how cute these are!" she said. "I like the pink one best."
Since Kate and Lucie couldn't have real dogs, they had dog pj's and slippers, dog sheets and pillowcases, dog pictures, and even dog lamps.
Lucie's room was overflowing with stuffed dogs. She also had her own library of dog books. They were everywhere. She had read every one and knew a lot about dogs.
Kate's room was neat as a pin. All her things were carefully arranged. Her collection of little glass dogs was lined up in size order.
Kate was excited when she spotted a shelf with some glass dogs on it.
"I want one of those. I like the Yorkie," she said.
"You get that, and I'll get the pink dog," said Lucie.
"Wait, we have to see if we have enough money," said Kate, being her sensible self.
The girls checked their pockets. Things at the thrift shop usually didn't cost much, and they were happy knowing the money they spent went to charity.
"I've got enough and money left over," said Lucie.
"Me too," said Kate.
"We're lucky dogs!" said Lucie.
The girls tried to keep straight faces as they went to pay Mrs. Bingly for their treasures.
Text copyright © 2015 by Stephanie Calmenson and Joanna Cole
Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Heather Ross
