Read more
Informationen zum Autor Kelly Starling Lyons; Illustrated by Wayne Spencer Klappentext From the award-winning author of the Jada Jones chapter books comes an illustrated spinoff series perfect for STEM fans! Valentine's Day is approaching, and Miles Lewis doesn't really like all the mush that comes with it. He is excited about the candy experiments they're doing in science class, though. And when his teacher asks for adult volunteers to help out, Miles and his friend Jada share that they're both planning on inviting their grandparents. That's when they realize that Miles's Nana and Jada's Pop Pop have a lot in common--could they be a perfect match? Leseprobe Chapter One Hearts and Flowers I’d know that Valentine’s Day was coming even if I forgot what month it was. Seems like every shop I visited with my mom, dad, or nana had a row of treats and cards decorated with hearts and flowers. At the grocery store, I turned down an aisle and got a weird feeling when I saw pink and red packages crowding the shelves like people packed into a stadium. It was like you could hear them chanting, “Buy me! Buy me!” Mom and I walked past the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, candy necklaces, and special snack bags of pretzels and chips. She stopped our cart at the valentines. Uh-oh. “Aren’t these cool?” she said, smiling as she picked up a pack with superheroes on the front. “You like these, Miles? Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it.” I took the box and flipped it over to see what was inside. Superheroes were cool, but these valentines came with sticky-sweet sayings. Ugh. “Don’t look so excited,” Mom said, laughing at my frown. “We don’t have to get anything today. But you should pick some soon before the good ones are gone.” I quickly slid the box back on the shelf and let out a big breath when we turned the corner. Whew. Mom grinned at me but didn’t say anything. When we got home, I helped her bring in the groceries. “Get anything good?” Dad asked when we came in. He unpacked the bags and started putting the food away. “Well, I tried to get Miles to buy some valentines,” Mom said, winking at me. “He wasn’t having any of that.” “Valentine’s Day isn’t that bad, is it, son?” Dad teased. “You get notes and treats from friends. Sounds like a sweet deal to me.” I tried to smile, but the flip-flop feeling in my stomach was back. My friends were the best, but something about all the Valentine’s Day hearts and cupids made me want to stay away. I was over the holiday and it wasn’t even here yet. “Leave my grandson alone,” Nana said playfully as she came into the kitchen. She hugged me around my shoulder. “Valentine’s should be about more than chocolate. Your granddad and I used to volunteer together to celebrate,” she told me. “We’d serve food to people in need, clean up the highway, send cards to service members. Nothing makes you feel better than helping others.” “You’re right, Mom,” Dad said. “I was just messing with him. You know February is all about Black History Month for me.” I liked when Nana talked about Granddad. He passed away when I was little, so I didn’t get a chance to really know him. He sounded like a cool guy. Nana always shared the fun things they’d done together. I wondered if she ever got lonely. She had us, but maybe she missed hanging out with someone her age. *** The next morning at school, Miss Taylor said she had lots of activities planned for Valentine’s Day. I looked at my best friend RJ and my classmates gathered with me on the orange-and-blue carpet. Everyone was grinning. Was I the only one who wasn’t really feeling it? “We’re going to write an ode to our favorite activity,” Miss Taylor said, the silver bracelets on her arm tinkling as she talked. “Any...
