Read Trouble According to Humphrey for Free Online

list of jobs I’d never even heard of before.
    “Are you paying attention, Og?” I squeaked to my neighbor. “We’re going to have new jobs!”
    There was such a loud buzz in the room, Mrs. Brisbane had to say, “Shush,” then “Class!” and “Quiet now!” before everyone calmed down.
    “Listen carefully, please,” she said. “The jobs will rotate on a weekly basis. So whatever your job is the first week, you’ll have a different job next week. If you don’t get the job you want the first time, you’ll have another chance at it. You’ll be graded on a point system. You’ll get ten points for doing a good job. I will add extra points for doing an especially good job and subtract points if you don’t do a good job. Understand?”
    Heads nodded yes around the room and a few hands shot up. Mrs. Brisbane called on Mandy.
    “If we like our jobs, why can’t we keep them?” Mandy asked in her whiniest voice.
    “Because I think you’ll learn more by switching around.”
    Mrs. Brisbane turned and began filling in names next to the jobs listed.
    Pencil Patrol—Heidi Hopper
    Paper Monitor—A.J. Thomas
    Door Monitor—Kirk Chen
    Chalkboard Eraser—Gail Morgenstern
    Energy Monitor—Art Patel
    Line Monitor—Sayeh Nasiri
    Plant Technician—Richie Rinaldi
    Table Inspector—Mandy Payne
    Animal Keeper—Miranda Golden
    Teacher Assistant—Seth Stevenson
    Homework Monitor—Tabitha Clark
    Name after name, job after job, each one sounding more interesting than the next! Imagine erasing the chalkboard at the end of every day. Or being Mrs. Brisbane’s actual assistant!
    I was especially thrilled that Golden-Miranda was going to be in charge of Og and me because she takes such good care of us.
    But not everyone was happy. Hands were raised. Kirk thought being the Door Monitor sounded boring. Heidi wanted to know what a Pencil Patrol Person did. When she heard she had to make sure the students had sharp pencils when they needed them, she didn’t complain.
    Mandy, on the other hand, did complain when she found out the Table Monitor was supposed to make sure everybody’s work space was neat. “I don’t want to clean up somebody else’s mess.” Mrs. Brisbane explained that she didn’t have to clean up the mess. She just had to give a student a written notice stating that their work space needs straightening. If someone’s table didn’t get straightened, she was to report that student to Mrs. Brisbane.
    “It’s an important job,” the teacher explained. Mandy seemed satisfied.
    “Any more questions?” Mrs. Brisbane asked.
    Art slowly raised his hand. “What’s that Energy Monitor job?”
    “At recess, lunch and the end of school, you make sure the lights are turned off to save electricity. When everybody comes back, you turn the lights on.”
    “That sounds easier than being a Table Monitor,” Mandy argued.
    “Don’t worry,” the teacher replied. “You’ll all switch jobs at the end of the week. Okay, we’ll start this afternoon.”

    When it was time for recess, my friends put on their coats and rushed outside. Pay-Attention-Art stayed behind as Mrs. Brisbane had requested. Once my classmates had cleared out, she went over and sat down next to him. In her hand was Art’s spelling test.
    “Art, about this F …”
    My heart pounded. Art got an F! F as in Failure! F as in Flunking! F as in Family-being-really-mad if you bring home one of those on your report card!
    “Art, I know math can be a problem for you, but you’ve always done better with your spelling. What happened?”
    Art stared down at the table and shrugged his shoulders. “I goofed up.”
    “Did you study?”
    “I forgot.”
    F as in Forgot-to-study!
    “You’ve been forgetting a lot lately. What’s on your mind?”
    Art shrugged his shoulders again. “I don’t know. I just think about stuff I like.”
    Mrs. Brisbane examined the elaborate house that Art had built, the one with the train tracks going through it. “Stuff