Zeke Meeks vs the Super Stressful Talent Show
By D.L. Green
It started as an ordinary day at school. As usual, I doodled in my notebook and looked at the clock every minute. Then Mr. McNutty, my teacher, loudly cleared his throat. It sounded gross, like he was moving around a bunch of chewed up stuff inside his mouth. He said, “Now that I have your attention, I have something exciting to tell you.”
I groaned. My teacher’s idea of something exciting was a lot different than my idea of something exciting. Here are some things that he had said were exciting:
• My entire third grade class had to spend a week without TV, video games, and computers.
• The weather was bad, so we had to stay inside at recess.
• It was classroom cleanup day.
Now do you see why I wasn’t excited? I raised my hand and said, “We’ve already had the excitement of no TV, no recess, and no messy desks. What do we have to give up now? Food? Water? Breathing?”
“Don’t be silly,” Mr. McNutty said. “You won’t be giving up anything. You’re getting something: a class talent show. Isn’t that exciting?”
No one responded. A class talent show was better than a week without TV. But it sure didn’t seem exciting.
“The show will be in two weeks. You’ll perform in the school auditorium. And it will be in the evening so all of your families can come,” Mr. McNutty said.
I did not want to go to my school at night. Being in school all day was bad enough.
Rudy Morse asked the teacher, “What’s the prize for winning the talent show?”
“There’s no prize,” Mr. McNutty said.
“No prize? No thanks,” I said.
“It is a great opportunity to show your friends and family your talents,” the teacher said.
___
Adapted from Zeke Meeks vs the Super Stressful Talent Show, by D.L. Green, ©️ by Capstone. Reprinted with permission.
Scroll Down
Questions
How does the narrator’s feelings about the talent show differ from Mr. McNutty’s?
They both feel the same way because Mr. McNutty is the narrator.
They both feel excited about the talent show.
The narrator is not excited about the talent show, but Mr. McNutty is.
The narrator is looking forward to the talent show, but Mr. McNutty is not.