One-of-a-Kind Mallie - Softcover

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker

Softcover

ISBN 10: 044041623X ISBN 13: 9780440416234

Publisher: Yearling, 2000

Synopsis

Mallie is so tired of being an identical twin, she could scream! To everyone in Cedarville, she's just the second half of Hallie and Mallie, the adorable pair. Mother sews them matching dresses, and now their teacher has even assigned them the same poem to recite together at the school picnic. It may look as if the twins are the same child twice, but inside, Mallie feels as different as the Gypsies who have set up camp nearby. If only her family and her best friend Ruthie understood.

Mallie's summer will be filled with more than its share of struggle and disappointment. But with the help of a surprising new friend and the joy of a secret hobby, it just may also bring its share of discovery and wonder. It just may be one-of-a-kind.

About this title

About the Author:

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a freelance writer and the mother of two young children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Chapter 4: Gypsies

"I want to be called Matilda," Mallie said on the way home. Mother and Mrs. Hawk were far ahead, discussing Mrs. Jenkins. Hallie, Mallie, and Ruthie walked side by side. Their farms were next to each other just outside Cedarville.

"You're starting again," Hallie said. "Stop it."

"You didn't have to talk to Miss Ellis," Mallie said. "Miss Lane didn't call you by the wrong name. I'm tired of being called Hallie. I'm tired of being called Mallie. I'm tired of always being second."

"You're not second," Hallie said.

"Say our names," Mallie shot back.

"Hallie and Mallie."

"See! I'm And Mallie. I'm not even second, I'm the second half! I hate it!"

Hallie looked stricken. "You're not And Mallie," she said. "You're Mallie."

"Then why doesn't anyone ever say, 'Here's Mallie and Hallie'? Whey do they always say, 'Hallie and Mallie'?"

"'Mallie and Hallie' sounds funny," Hallie said. "It's not my fault."

"I don't care," Mallie said. "I want to be called Matilda from now on, always." She looked at Ruthie. "Okay?"

Ruthie sniffed. "I wish I had a twin sister." She put her arm around Hallie. "I wouldn't mind being called And Ruthie." Ruthie had six brothers and no sisters.

"Then I'll call you And Ruthie," Mallie said. She kicked a stone in the road.

They were almost to the Hawks' land when they heard a shout. "Mother! Ruthie! Mother!"

Ruthie looked up. "It's Paul," she said.

Paul was Ruthie's next-oldest brother, the oldest still at home. He burst onto the road. "Mother!" Ruthie's four-year-old brother, Charlie, ran after him, sobbing.

Mrs. Hawk reached for Charlie. "What's wrong?"

"The Gypsies are here!" Paul said. He shook his hair out of his eyes and laughed. "Mother, the Gypsies have come."

"Is that all?" said Mrs. Hawk. She wiped Charlie's face.

"Gypsies?" asked Mrs. Graber.

Mrs. Hawk nodded. "They come through town every year, right about this time."

"Remember?" Hallie said. "We had chicken pox last year when they came. We didn't see them."

Mother nodded. "That's right. With all three of you ill, and Sarah so sick, I don't think I left the house for three weeks."

Before that, Hallie and Mallie had lived in Harlan. Mallie had never seen a Gypsy, but she knew what one was. The Gypsies had come from Europe long ago. They didn't have homes. They drove bright wagons and camped wherever they went. Now they were here, in Cedarville. Mallie's stomach gave an excited lurch.

Charlie burst into tears again. "I'm scared of the Gypsies," he said.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," his mother told him.

"The Gypsies will eat me!" Charlie howled. "Ted said!"

Ted was Ruthie's second-oldest brother. He and Joe, the oldest, were in Philadelphia, working in a factory making guns for the war. Joe had been gone for over a year. Ted had left only a month ago. He was fifteen. He had wanted to be part of the war effort. Mallie figured he had also wanted to be in Philadelphia. Ted liked excitement.

"The Gypsies won't eat you," Mrs. Hawk said. "Your father bought a horse from them once. He wouldn't buy a horse from someone who was going to eat you."

"They're nasty, dirty thieves," Ruthie said, "but they won't eat you."

"Ruthie, please," said Mrs. Hawk. She looked at Paul. "Are they camping at the creek bottom?"

Paul nodded. "Father said they could."

Mrs. Hawk looked at Mallie's mother. "He always lets them camp on our land. He thinks they're less likely to steal from us if he does. I still seem to lose half a dozen good hens a year."

""Gypsies are thieves," Ruthie said.

"Ruthie hates them," Paul said. "Gypsy girls ride horses, you know."

Mallie nodded. Ruthie's brothers all rode the farm horses sometimes. Ruthie couldn't, because she was a girl.

"Should I be worried?" Mrs. Graber asked Mrs. Hawk. "If they're camping by the creek, they're as close to my house as yours."

Mrs. Hawk shook her head. "They won't do more than steal hens or a sack of grain," she said. "I doubt you'll even catch them at that."

"Can we play with them?" Mallie asked.

"Mallie, no!" Mother said sharply.

"They're scandalous," Ruthie said. "They wear low-cut blouses. They hardly wear underwear. And all bright colors -- red, orange, everything."

"Just stay away from them," Mrs. Hawk said. "They'll move on soon enough."

Mallie looked at the dull green plaid of her school dress. She'd never wanted a scandalous blouse before. But wouldn't Hallie's eyes pop if she wore one! She would certainly look different from Hallie then. Mallie laughed.

"And," Paul said, puffing his chest importantly, "Mr. Jenkins has ordered himself a wife!"

"Oh, Paul," Ruthie said, "we already know all about that."

Mallie barely heard Ruthie say good-bye. She couldn't wait to see the Gypsies. They sounded interesting. Exciting. Different. Mallie knew that none of the Gypsy girls -- if indeed there were Gypsy girls -- would be twins.
From the Hardcover edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 044041623X
• ISBN 13: 9780440416234
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160