You Better Not Cry

Why can’t Jeremy, a rambunctious fifth grader, get Hans angry enough to retaliate when he’s bullied? What’s the secret to Hans’s smile, even when his nose has been bloodied by Jeremy? Jeremy “The Boss” Bucks scoffs at the idea of retribution for his juvenile misdeeds, just as he ridicules Hans for his unfashionable, patched clothes…and just being “different” to the rest of the kids in their class. Read about how all that comes to a head on the night of December 5th. Discover with Jeremy just how real the unreal can become. Discover how spur-of-the-moment choices…and sheer luck…can mean a young boy’s life or death in a snowstorm which hits suburban Philadelphia. Careful, though, lest you kids hear this popular chorus as Christmas approaches—“You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I’m telling you why…”—and it ends with the line, “Krampus-nacht is coming to town.” If you dare, read on to find out just what Ms. Polly Hardknuckle might have meant when she admonished her class decades ago, “Kids, be good!” (A spooky tale for 7- to 10-year-olds just getting into chapter books. Ideal for a cold winter’s night or a campfire. Length: About 16,300 words.)

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