Relax to the Max Read online

  Ms. Patel didn’t seem to notice. “That’s a lovely idea, Jeanie!”

  As class headed outside, Max caught up with Jeanie and Willow.

  “This is awesome,” he told Jeanie. “All these books were getting too stuffy for me.”

  “Right?” said Jeanie. “Who needs books anyway?”

  Willow gulped. Jeanie loved books. Like, more than anything in the world. Ugh. Ever since Jeanie made the wish, everything about her was wrong, wrong, wrong!

  How would Willow ever make things right?

  Chapter 7

  CHANGING COLORS

  Outside, Jeanie twirled a leaf in her hands.

  “The yellow ones are amazing,” said Max. “That tree looks like it’s glowing!”

  “I like the red leaves best,” said Jeanie. “Willow likes orange.”

  Willow smiled, then asked, “Hey, Jeanie. How do leaves know when to change color?”

  “That’s easy. Leaves have a green pigment in them that uses light to make food. When the days get shorter, they stop getting enough light, and their green color disappears,” Jeanie said.

  Then she blinked. Where had that come from?

  “I was going to tell a fall joke,” said Willow, “but hearing you tell fall facts is even better!” She hugged Jeanie.

  Jeanie yawned. She was suddenly extremely tired. But before she could doze off, Ms. Patel asked the class, “Can anyone tell us why trees change color in the fall?”

  No one raised their hand.

  Jeanie felt someone tapping her shoulder. She turned. Willow was motioning for her to talk. But Jeanie had no idea why.

  Finally, Willow spoke up. “Um, Jeanie was just talking about that.”

  “Would you like to share the answer with us?” Ms. Patel asked Jeanie.

  A fog settled in Jeanie’s brain. She was sure she knew the answer. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out was a yawn!

  Max looked at Jeanie with a confused expression on his face. Then he raised his hand.

  “Because they don’t get enough light,” he said. “The green part of a leaf needs light to make food. When they don’t get it, they turn yellow or orange or red or brown.”

  Jeanie knew that! But why couldn’t she say it? Something weird was going on.…

  When the class broke into groups to collect leaf samples, Jeanie pulled Willow aside.

  “What is wrong with me?” she demanded.

  Willow looked worried. But before she could say anything, Jeanie heard a birdsong from the tree. She spotted a robin hopping in the leaves. The next thing she knew, Jeanie was hopping along too, flapping and clapping and chirping a silly song.

  Jeanie’s bird dance made everyone crack up.

  Everyone except Ms. Patel. “Jeanie, you’ll have to wait for recess to get that energy out,” she scolded. “Now please focus.”

  Jeanie’s cheeks felt hot. She wasn’t used to getting in trouble!

  Willow took her by the shoulders and whispered in her ear. “Don’t be mad, but you made a wish… to be more relaxed… and it came true.”

  “No, no, no,” Jeanie whispered back. “We’ve got to do something to fix this.”

  “You could try making another wish,” suggested Willow.

  “That’s a good idea,” said Jeanie. She looked directly into Willow’s eyes and said, “I wish everything was back to normal!”

  But nothing happened. No flash. No magic. Nothing.

  “Oh no,” gasped Willow. “A wish only works if the person really wants it to come true. Maybe deep down you really like the new you.”

  Jeanie shook her head. She definitely did not like the new her.

  “Leave it to me,” said Willow. “I may be new to wish granting, but I’ve still got a few more tricks up my sleeve.”

  Chapter 8

  REVERSE THE CURSE

  The next day before PE, Willow told Jeanie her first idea: the anti-relax plan!

  “What is the least relaxing thing you can think of?” she whispered as they walked toward the gym. “Maybe if we do that, the spell will cancel itself out.”

  Jeanie was silent for a moment. Then she grimaced.

  “Dodgeball,” she replied. “I hate dodgeball.”

  Willow nodded. She was pretty sure that would do the trick!

  Once they got to gym class, Willow raised her hand right away. “Ms. Martinez, can we play dodgeball?” she asked.

  The Lee triplets cheered.

  “Actually, we haven’t played that in a while,” Ms. Martinez said. She blew her whistle. “Dodgeball it is!”

  But when they started playing, Willow realized her plan was doomed.

  Instead of freezing up, the relaxed Jeanie danced and leaped across the gym like an acrobat, dodging every ball.

  And worse, Jeanie was doing it with a smile. Even her least favorite sport couldn’t ruin her relaxed vibe.

  Willow would have to think of something else—fast.

  Since fighting the spell hadn’t worked, Willow decided that after school they should try idea number two: Relax to the max!

  * * *

  “Let’s do all the calming things we can think of, all at one time. It might get the spell out of your system!” she told Jeanie. “What are the best ways to relax?”

  “When my dad wants to relax, he naps in a hammock,” Jeanie replied. “Mom cooks. And Jake reads comic books.”

  “Coloring makes me feel peaceful,” added Willow. “And my mom spins a distant star on its side. But I’m not sure we should try that without adult genie supervision.”

  “I like yoga,” Jeanie said. “Silently practicing for the spelling bee between oms clears my head.”

  “Let’s do it!” said Willow.

  They searched through the house, gathering a pot and wooden spoon, comics, and a coloring book and crayons, along with a couple of cucumber slices from the fridge. Then they headed outside.

  Jeanie lay in the hammock. Soon she was stirring a pot of crayons, trying to read a comic book from underneath two cucumber slices, and chanting, “Om!”

  “Are you relaxed yet?” Willow whispered.

  Jeanie was about to answer when Jake stormed through the back door with Bear.

  “Hey! That’s my comic book!” he yelled. “Give it back!”

  Jake grabbed the comic just as Bear jumped into the hammock and licked the cucumber slices that were over Jeanie’s eyes.

  “Wow, I’m actually totally cool with all this happening to me,” said Jeanie breezily.

  Willow slumped down, defeated. If Jeanie was still relaxed after that, it meant the relax-to-the-max plan was a bust.

  What else could Willow do? She dragged Jeanie upstairs, found the clay and poster board, and got to work. Willow couldn’t break the spell, but at least she could finish their solar system project.

  When Willow was done, she asked, “Do you think we should practice your presentation for tomorrow?”

  “Relax,” said Jeanie, smiling serenely. “Things will work out. They always do.”

  Willow hoped her friend was right.

  Chapter 9

  ECLIPSED

  When Jeanie’s alarm clock went off Friday morning, she hit the snooze button.

  She hit it again a few minutes later. And a few minutes after that. It felt good to take it easy. After all, what was the rush?

  Finally, she stretched lazily and got out of bed, slipping a comfy hoodie on over her pajamas.

  Downstairs, she ate a few bites of pancake and played slingshot with her blueberries.

  Then she slung her empty backpack over her shoulder. Jeanie felt like she was forgetting something, but she couldn’t think what.

  “Oh well,” she said to herself as she headed for the door.

  “Hey!” yelled Jake. “Isn’t your science presentation today?”

  He held up her model of the solar system. She’d almost left it behind!

  “What? Oh yeah,” said Jeanie. “Thanks, Jake. That’s so sweet of you to remind me.
” She ruffled her brother’s hair.

  Jake’s jaw dropped. Jeanie was never that nice to him, especially first thing in the morning.

  Jeanie’s good mood continued all the way to school. She was peaceful during morning announcements, serene during roll call, and totally trouble free as Ms. Patel asked the class to get their presentations ready.

  She didn’t even flinch when Max’s group gave a practically perfect demonstration of a solar eclipse.

  Then it was her turn. Normally, Jeanie was nervous about speaking in front of the class, but this time was different. She calmly explained the solar system… along with a few surprise jokes.

  “Why did Mickey Mouse name his dog Pluto?” she asked the class. “Because he’s not a planet!”

  Once everyone stopped laughing, Jeanie continued.

  “That’s right—Pluto used to be the ninth planet,” she explained, showing off the necklace Willow had made. “But it got bumped. That’s why we made it an accessory!”

  Jeanie could see Willow smiling.

  At the end of science class, Ms. Patel came around to give each group feedback.

  “Well done,” Ms. Patel told the girls. “That was very creative. And, Jeanie, your presentation skills have come a long way. You both get an A!”

  Jeanie gave Willow a high five. They’d done it!

  But then Jeanie spotted the A-plus on Max’s project.

  All of a sudden she felt… well… eclipsed. Could it be that she wasn’t the best student in classroom 2B?

  No! That wasn’t right. A bolt of energy burst inside Jeanie like her own personal big bang. Millions of questions sprang to her mind, and she wanted to know the answers to all of them.

  Jeanie leaned over to Willow and whispered, “Hey, I wonder how big the universe is. And why the sky is blue. And how constellations get their names. Or what the difference between an asteroid and a comet and a meteor is. Or what star is closest to the sun. But mostly I wonder how in the world Max got an A-plus, and we got a lousy A!”

  Willow smiled as a golden beam flashed and Jeanie returned back to normal.

  Chapter 10

  OUT OF THIS WORLD

  At recess later that day, Willow found Jeanie under her favorite oak tree.

  “Jeanie, are you okay?” she asked cautiously.

  Jeanie shrugged. “I’m wearing pajamas… at school! My hair’s a mess, my backpack is empty, and I definitely haven’t done my math homework,” she said. “So not exactly okay. But I do feel more like my old self. And I’m really glad you’re here.”

  Willow felt a warm glow, and she launched herself at Jeanie, giving her best friend a giant hug.

  “Okay, okay,” said Jeanie. “Best-friend hugs have a thirty-second time limit.”

  Willow stepped back. “You really are back to normal, huh?” she joked.

  Jeanie winked. “Just kidding,” she said, pulling Willow back into a hug.

  Then Jeanie said seriously, “Thank you for finishing our project. The poster looked so great!”

  “Thanks,” said Willow. “But the presentation part was all you. You were fantastic!”

  “Well, I guess it wasn’t so bad that I was a little more relaxed than usual,” Jeanie said with a smile. “But we’ve still got a lot of work to do on your wish-granting!”

  Willow nodded. “I’m just glad you didn’t wish you could chill out,” she joked. “I might have sent you to the North Pole!”

  The two girls burst into giggles.

  But then Jeanie stopped. “Wait. You’re kidding right? Please tell me you’re just kidding, Willow.”

  “Totally kidding,” Willow said. Then she thought for a minute. “I mean, I’d never do that on purpose. But I could definitely use a little more practice. If I promise to work on spell control, will you promise to work on balancing schoolwork with relaxing?”

  “Deal!” said Jeanie.

  Willow smiled. “Hey, want to go spend the rest of recess in the library?”

  Jeanie nodded and stood up. “I am suddenly curious about how to build an igloo and avoid frostbite,” she said. “You know… just in case.”

  Willow laughed. “You are as practical as ever,” she said.

  Willow was the happiest she’d been all week. Having her friend back felt out of this world!

  More from this Series

  Follow Your Art

  Book 3

  Not-So-Happy Camper

  Book 4

  The First Wish

  Book 1

  About the Author and Illustrator

  TRISH GRANTED is not a genie, but she does believe in magic—especially the kind that can be found between the pages of a good book. When she’s not wishing on shooting stars or hunting for lucky pennies, she’s a children’s book editor who helps other authors sprinkle a little magic into stories of their own. Trish lives, reads, and roller skates in Brooklyn, New York.

  MANUELA LÓPEZ always wanted to be an illustrator. Luckily, her wish was granted! She has now illustrated many children’s books. She lives surrounded by colored pencils in a tiny but charming flat in Terrassa, a small city in the northeast of Spain. If you ever make a wish, she can’t grant it, but she can draw it!

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Trish-Granted

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Manuela-López

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division · 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 · First Little Simon hardcover edition January 2021

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  Copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Designed by Brittany Fetcho

  Jacket design by Brittany Fetcho

  Jacket illustrations by Manuela López

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-5344-7469-7 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-7468-0 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-7470-3 (eBook)