Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The 18th Emergency
    The 18th Emergency
    The 18th Emergency
    Ebook117 pages1 hour

    The 18th Emergency

    By Betsy Byars

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Benjie and his friend Ezzie have escape plans for every emergency, including lion attacks and quicksand, but no clue what to do about the class bully
    So what if Benjie “Mouse” Fawley likes practical jokes? He’s a good kid who never meant to harm anyone. The same cannot be said for Marv Hammerman, a boy in Benjie’s middle school who is as big as a high-schooler but has the temper of a two-year-old. When Benjie (in a fit of insanity) writes a joke about Marv for all to see, he soon realizes he’s stumbled into the biggest emergency he’s ever faced. Now Benjie must decide whether to stay at school and face a clobbering, or run off and live the rest of his life hiding in the woods. The 18th Emergency is a hilarious account of the trials of surviving the school bully. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9781453294178
    The 18th Emergency
    Author

    Betsy Byars

    Betsy Byars is the author of many award-winning books for children, including The Summer of the Swans, a Newbery Medal winner. The Pinballs was an ALA Notable Book. She is also the author of Goodbye, Chicken Little; The Two-Thousand-Pound Goldfish; and the popular Golly Sisters trilogy.

    Read more from Betsy Byars

    Related to The 18th Emergency

    Related ebooks

    Children's Social Themes For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      J.K. Rowling

      Nov 18, 2021

      J.K. Rowling
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Man In The Red Bandanna: A Story Of Heroism On 9/11

      Sep 11, 2017

      On Sept. 11, 2001, one young man led several people down the stairs to safety after a plane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Whoa! How Embarrassing!

      Jun 7, 2023

      It was a rainy day and I was running late. I was worried that I would miss the bus and have to walk to school, so I grabbed my bag and started running to the bus stop. I could see the bus approaching so I started running faster, but I didn’t see the

      3 min read

    • Article

      Joker

      Aug 23, 2019

      Joker
      10 min read

    • Article

      Whoa! How Embarrassing

      Dec 2, 2021

      Every Thursday I walk to school because my Mum starts work earlier than usual. One morning Mum told me to make sur e I took an umbrella with me because it might rain. I couldn’t find my umbr ella anywher e so I just left without it thinking I’ll be f

      2 min read

    • Article

      I Survived A SERIAL KILLER

      Jan 26, 2021

      It was a perfect autumn day, but my patience was wearing thin. ‘Half an hour and still no bus,’ I thought, frustrated, my mouth throbbing from the dental surgery I’d just had. Then a tan Volkswagen Beetle car pulled up, and the driver rolled down the

      4 min read

    • Article

      Eric Liddell 1902–45

      May 13, 2021

      Eric Liddell 1902–45
      2 min read

    • Article

      Laid Bare

      Jun 23, 2022

      Laid Bare
      4 min read

    • Article

      The First Hello

      Oct 28, 2020

      The First Hello
      4 min read

    • Article

      They Called Him Bilito

      Nov 24, 2020

      They Called Him Bilito
      11 min read

    • Article

      Whoa! How Embarrassing!

      Sep 5, 2019

      Whoa! How Embarrassing!
      3 min read

    • Article

      Escaping a Cult

      Nov 4, 2021

      Escaping a Cult
      5 min read

    • Article

      CELEBRITY Gossip

      Feb 2, 2022

      Ever since her music career has taken off fans have been wondering whether Olivia Rodrigo will return for season three of Disney’s High School Musical, The Muscial, The Series. Well, wonder no more because Olivia has confirmed that she will be back f

      2 min read

    • Article

      You’ve Got Blackmail

      Jul 21, 2022

      You’ve Got Blackmail
      4 min read

    • Article

      I Forgot My Children

      Dec 31, 2019

      I Forgot My Children
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ron & Clint Howard

      Sep 1, 2021

      Ron & Clint Howard
      4 min read

    • Article

      North Korea's Biggest Open Secret: Black Market Foreign DVDs

      Jul 5, 2017

      It's illegal to watch foreign media in North Korea. But according to defector interviews, nearly every segment of North Korean society consumes it.

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Cancer Celebrities

      Nov 1, 2021

      The Cancer Celebrities
      6 min read

    • Article

      Enough About Ken

      Aug 1, 2023

      Enough About Ken
      3 min read

    • Article

      Reba McEntire’s The Hammer

      Dec 29, 2022

      Reba McEntire’s The Hammer
      2 min read

    • Article

      How Long Does GRIEF LAST?

      Sep 23, 2021

      How Long Does GRIEF LAST?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Now Sisu That Walk

      Feb 24, 2021

      Now Sisu That Walk
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The 18th Emergency

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The 18th Emergency - Betsy Byars

      EARLY BIRD BOOKS

      FRESH EBOOK DEALS, DELIVERED DAILY

      LOVE TO READ?

      LOVE GREAT SALES?

      GET FANTASTIC DEALS ON BESTSELLING EBOOKS

      DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!

      The 18th Emergency

      Betsy Byars

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      A Biography of Betsy Byars

      THE PIGEONS FLEW OUT of the alley in one long swoop and settled on the awning of the grocery store. A dog ran out of the alley with a torn Cracker Jack box in his mouth. Then came the boy.

      The boy was running hard and fast. He stopped at the sidewalk, looked both ways, saw that the street was deserted and kept going. The dog caught the boy’s fear, and he started running with him.

      The two of them ran together for a block. The dog’s legs were so short he appeared to be on wheels. His Cracker Jack box was hitting the sidewalk. He kept glancing at the boy because he didn’t know why they were running. The boy knew. He did not even notice the dog beside him or the trail of spilled Cracker Jacks behind.

      Suddenly the boy slowed down, went up some stairs and entered an apartment building. The dog stopped. He sensed that the danger had passed, but he stood for a moment at the bottom of the stairs. Then he went back to eat the Cracker Jacks scattered on the sidewalk and to snarl at the pigeons who had flown down to get some.

      Inside the building the boy was still running. He went up the stairs three at a time, stumbled, pulled himself up by the banister and kept going until he was safely inside his own apartment. Then he sagged against the door.

      His mother was sitting on the sofa, going over some papers. The boy waited for her to look up and ask him what had happened. He thought she should be able to hear something was wrong just from the terrible way he was breathing. Mom, he said.

      Just a minute. I’ve got to get these orders straight. When she went over her cosmetic orders she had a dedicated, scientific look. He waited until she came to the end of the sheet.

      Mom. Without looking up, she turned to the next page. He said again, Mom.

      I’m almost through. There’s a mistake some—

      He said, Never mind. He walked heavily through the living room and into the hall. He threw himself down on the day bed.

      His mother said, I’m almost through with this, Benjie.

      I said, ‘Never mind.’ He looked up at the ceiling. In a blur he saw a long cobweb hanging by the light fixture. A month ago he had climbed on a chair, written UNSAFE FOR PUBLIC SWINGING and drawn an arrow to the cobweb. It was still there.

      He closed his eyes. He was breathing so hard his throat hurt.

      Benjie, come back, his mother called. I’m through.

      "Never mind."

      Come on, Benjie, I want to talk to you.

      He got up slowly and walked into the living room. She had put her order books on the coffee table. Sit down. Tell me what’s wrong. He hesitated and then sat beside her on the sofa. She waited and then said again, What’s wrong?

      He did not answer for a moment. He looked out the window, and he could see the apartment across the street. A yellow cat was sitting in the window watching the pigeons. He said in a low voice, Some boys are going to kill me.

      "Not kill you, Benjie, she said. No one is—"

      He glanced quickly at her. Well, how do I know what they’re going to do? he said, suddenly angry. "They’re chasing me, that’s all I know. When you see somebody chasing you, and when it’s Marv Hammerman and Tony Lionni and a boy in a black sweat shirt you don’t stop and say, ‘Now, what exactly are you guys planning to do—kill me or just break a few arms and legs?’"

      What did you do to these boys?

      "What did I do? I didn’t do anything. You think I would do something to Marv Hammerman who is the biggest boy in my school? He is bigger than the eighth graders. He should be in high school."

      I know you did something. I can always tell. Now, what happened?

      Nothing, Mom. I didn’t do anything. He looked down at his shoes. With his foot he began to kick at the rug. A little mound of red lint piled up in front of his tennis shoe.

      They wouldn’t be after you for nothing.

      Well, they are. He paused. He knew he had to give an explanation, but he could not give the right one. He said, Maybe Hammerman just doesn’t like me. I don’t know. I’m not a mind reader.

      Look at me, Benjie.

      Without looking up he said, Mom, just listen to what Hammerman did to this boy in my room one time. This boy was in line in the cafeteria and Hammerman came up to him and—

      "What I want to hear is what happened today, Benjie."

      "Just listen. And this boy in the cafeteria was standing in line, Mom, doing absolutely nothing, and Hammerman comes up to him and—"

      "Benjie, what happened today?"

      He hesitated. He looked down at his tennis shoe. There was a frayed hole in the toe, and he had taken a ballpoint pen and written AIR VENT and drawn a little arrow pointing to the hole.

      What happened? she asked again.

      Nothing. He did not look at her.

      Benjie—

      Nothing happened.

      She sighed, then abruptly she looked up. The beans! She walked to the kitchen, and he lay back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

      Benjie? He looked up. His mother was leaning around the door, looking at him. Why don’t you watch television? Get your mind off yourself. That always helps me.

      No, it won’t help.

      Well, let’s just see what’s on. She came back in, turned on the television and waited for the set to warm up. He closed his eyes. He knew there was nothing on television that could interest him.

      Tarzan! his mother said. You always have loved Tarzan.

      He opened his eyes and glanced at the screen. In the depths of the jungle, a hunter had stumbled into quicksand, and Tarzan was swinging to the rescue.

      All the hunter has to do, he said with a disgusted sigh, is lie down on the quicksand and not struggle and he won’t sink.

      That wouldn’t leave anything for Tarzan to do though, would it? his mother said, smiling a little.

      Oh, I don’t know. He closed his eyes and shifted on the sofa. After a minute he heard his mother go back into the kitchen. He opened his eyes. On the screen the hunter was still struggling. Cheetah was beginning to turn nervous somersaults. Tarzan was getting closer.

      Once he and his friend Ezzie had made a list of all the ways they knew to stay alive. Ezzie had claimed he could stay alive in the jungle forever. Ezzie said every jungle emergency had a simple solution.

      Lying on the sofa, he tried to remember some of those old emergencies.

      A second one came into his mind. Emergency Two—Attack by an Unfriendly Lion. Lion attack, Ezzie claimed, was an everyday occurrence in the jungle. What you had to

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1