Reader’s Theatre Full Class Play:Based on the Book: “How To Be Cool in the Third Grade”

Book Written By: Betsy DuffeyBook Illustrated By: Janet WilsonScript Adapted by: Paige Nelson

This script is created from the charming book, “How To Be Cool in the Third Grade” written by Betsey Duffey and illustrated by Janet Wilson. It has been adapted into a full class Reader’s Theatre Script that is broken into 6 short scenes (approx 5-7 min in length) that each have 4 characters, making this a full 30-40 min class play using 24 actors. Some roles can be male/female to accommodate and Narrator parts can be divided to allow for more actors if needed.

The full class can come together to tell the story of Robbie, a new third grader, on his journey to becoming “cool”. Robbie is determined to have a great school year and decides that he cannot go wrong if he makes a list on “How to Be Cool in Third Grade”. What he does not plan on is having to be in the same class as the meanest kid in school, how hard it would be to actually put his list into action, and what happens when he simply decides to be himself. Was it going to be a great year or a terrible year? This full class Reader’s Theatre script takes you on the journey to find out…. HOW TO BE COOL IN THE THIRD GRADE.

Scene 1: Starting the New School YearCharactersRobbieMomDadNarrator

Narrator: Some people are born cool. Others have to work for it. At least that’s what Robbie thought as he woke up on his first day of third grade.

Mom: Robbie!! Time to wake up! You are starting third grade today. Oh, my little baby is growing up.

Robbie: Uggg….third grade. What is cool in the third grade?

Mom: Robbie, all of your stuff is layed out in your room-make sure it gets into your bookbag!

Narrator: As Robbie looked at his stuff-he asked himself again…

Robbie: What is cool in the third grade?

Narrator: He decided right then and there—He would need to figure that out and he would need a plan.

Robbie: I need a plan for sure. I’ll make a list. That is how I can be cool.

Dad: Good morning buddy! Ready for third grade? I see mom got you a new backpack with your name on it and some new clothes!

Narrator: Robbie checked out his new stuff. He read…R.O.B.B.I.E on his new blue backpack. Robbie thought to himself…

Robbie: Is that cool? I do not know a single grown-up with a name like Robbie. A third grader should not have a baby name.

Dad: I see you have some new school supplies too! Nice notebooks. Hurry up and get going buddy. You don’t want to be late.

Robbie: Yeah. I don’t want to miss the bus. Doug will be saving me a seat.

Dad: It is great to have friends that save you seats. Ok. Let’s go.

Narrator: As his father went downstairs, Robbie thought about being cool again. He took out one of his notebooks. With his new idea of making a list, he began to write…

Robbie: (as he pretends to write) HOW TO BE COOL IN THE THIRD GRADE:Number 1. Get rid of the name Robbie

Narrator: He felt better already, now that his plan was being written down. He checked out the rest of his supplies and discovered….

Robbie: A Pony ruler!?! NOT COOL. Third grade boys DO NOT use pony rulers.

Narrator: He hid that under his bed. Phew---that was close. He looked at his clothes and began to get dressed…

Robbie: Oh man, a collar shirt again. And scratchy shorts. Are these cool?

Mom: Just checking on you. Good- you’re getting dressed. You know our rule: School clothes are different than play clothes and for school we always wear a collar shirt.

Robbie: I know mom. Be down in a minute.

Mom: Great! I’m getting the camera ready! I cannot believe you are starting third grade.

Narrator: Robbie knew his parents rule but did not like it. He wished he could tell his mom and dad that third grade boys wear T-shirts and jeans. He was the only boy in Danville that did not own a pair of jeans. Just then he thought about his plan…

Robbie: Where’s my notebook? (writing again) Number 2. Get Jeans. Jeans were cool. There. That should do it.

Mom: Almost ready? Gotta have a quick breakfast and I have the camera ready now!

Robbie: Oh NO! The camera. I forgot about the camera.

Dad: You know your mom…she has pictures for everything! And they are all labeled in each scrapbook!

Narrator: The only thing Robbie could think was…

Robbie: NOT COOL.

Mom: Robbie, I thought I would walk up to the bus stop with you and take a few pictures.

Narrator: Robbie stared at his pancakes. He DID NOT want to get his picture taken in front of the bus and what if his mom kisses him in front of everyone?

Mom: Oh, Robbie, your father and I are so proud of you riding the bus. I am just going to look for the tripod and I’ll be right there.

Dad: We are very proud of you and all of the work you do in school too, Robbie.

Narrator: Robbie grabbed his bag and headed to the bus stop as fast as he could. Maybe he would just jump on before his mom would get a chance to grab the camera?

Robbie: Thanks Dad. I’ll see you later.

Dad: Bye buddy! Have a great day!

Mom: Got it! Let’s go.

Narrator: They both left the house and walked the few blocks to the bus stop.

Robbie: (trying to go fast) I hear the bus mom!

Mom: (excited) I do too! Okay, turn your face this way (as she snaps pictures). Here is a big kiss goodbye (pretend kiss noise)…Have a great day honey!!

Narrator: Oh NO!! It was a direct hit. With red lipstick. Right on the side of Robbie’s cheek. He quickly ran up the bus stairs and in his mind he added Number 3 to his plan…

Robbie: Number 3. NO MORE KISSES AT THE BUS STOP.

Narrator: He saw his friend Doug waving at him and he knew, with his friends and his list…starting NOW--it was going to be a great year!

Scene 2: Meeting Bo HaneyCharacters RobbieDoug/DebBo HaneyNarrator

Narrator: The bus door closed behind him and Robbie walked down the aisle to find Doug and his seat. Just then the bus lurched…and IT…happened…

Robbie: Uggg. Woah.

Narrator: Robbie was not even sure HOW but he suddenly found himself sitting on the lap of Bo Haney. Bo Haney!! Bo was the meanest kid in the third grade or maybe even the whole school!

Bo Haney: (reading his bookbag) Hey Wobbie! Hey Baby Wobbie…THIS seat it taken!

Narrator: Robbie just looked at him still in shock with what was happening right now. How could this have happened?

Bo Haney: Heh, heh, heh (laughing) Can’t you talk, Baby Wobbie? Can’t the little baby say ‘goo, goo’?

Narrator: Some kids laughed. Robbie was still silent.

Bo Haney: (tough voice) Don’t let it happen again, Wobbie.

Robbie: Okay.

Doug: Man, what did you do that for!?!

Narrator: Doug asked as soon as Robbie got to their seat.

Doug: Don’t you know who that is? That is the same kid who tied Bradley Dugan’s shoelaces around a pole last year---in the girls bathroom.

Robbie: I know.

Doug: That is the same kid who unraveled the back of Sarah Jane’s new sweater last year and she had to wear her winter coat all day.

Robbie: I know! I didn’t mean to do it. It just kind of happened.

Doug: Well, don’t let that kind of thing happen again. It could be dangerous. Really dangerous.

Robbie: I know.

Narrator: Robbie thought of his list again. Maybe there was a big difference between writing something down and actually doing it. It might not be a great year after all.

Doug: C’mon coast is clear. We’re here and Bo’s gone already. Let’s go find out if we are in the same classroom. Man, I hope so.

Narrator: The boys hurried to the third grade classrooms.

Doug: Whatever you do, stay away from Bo. Don’t get him mad at you again.

Robbie: Right. Good plan.

Narrator: The boys stopped just outside of Mrs. Williams class and were trying to read the apples on her door. Each apple had a name of the students that were to be in her class.

Doug: There I am! Doug Daniels! I got her!

Robbie: Oh, please let me get Mrs. Williams, please let me get Mrs. Williams…

Doug: Here’s Matt Jones and Pat Gatrell and… Bo Haney.

Narrator: They looked at each other.

Doug and Robbie: Bo Haney!!

Narrator: Suddenly Robbie had a different prayer…

Robbie: Please DON’T let me get Mrs. Williams. Please DON’T let me get Mrs. Williams.

Doug: Justin Lewis, Scott Nelson, Robbie York! Right here!! You got her too! C’mon. Let’s get seats together.

Robbie: Bo’s in there. I don’t want to go in.

Doug: Awww. He’s already forgotten about the bus. He won’t remember you.

Narrator: Robbie was now praying Doug was right. He swallowed hard and followed Doug through the door.

Robbie: I hope you’re right.

Bo Haney: (noticing Robbie) Hey, it’s Wobbie! Yoo-hoo Wobbie!

Narrator: Bo had not forgotten anything. Each time Bo called him Wobbie, Robbie felt a little smaller. When Bo Haney gave you a nickname-it was permanent. Robbie’s prayer changed again…

Robbie: PLEASE, PLEASE do not let that name stick all year or worse, for the rest of my life.

Bo Haney: Psssst. Wobbie….

Narrator: While he tried to ignore Bo, he grabbed his notebook and took out his pencil. He looked at Number 1 on his list—GET RID OF THE NAME ROBBIE—and wrote beside it…

Robbie: GET RID OF THE NAME WOBBIE.

Narrator: It was going to be harder to be cool in the third grade than he thought.

Scene 3: Super Hero Underwear and a BullyCharactersRobbieDoug/DebBo HaneyNarrator

Narrator: The day had not started off well and seemed to be getting worse…especially during lunch break when Bo Haney told the whole class that Robbie wore Super Heroes underwear.

Bo Haney: Hey Wobbie, what is that on your underwear?

Narrator: That’s what Bo asked Robbie in the boy’s bathroom when Robbie was tucking in his shirt.

Robbie: Nothing.

Bo Haney: Yes, there i-i-is!

Narrator: Robbie looked down at his underwear and hurried to tuck in his shirt. Robbie did not want this kind of attention especially when Bo’s voice made that snickering tone.

Bo Haney: Does Baby Wobbie have widdle Super Heroes on his undies?

Narrator: Robbie thought to himself…

Robbie: What is wrong with Super Heroes? All of my underwear has something on it. Always has. Uggg….I am just glad I didn’t wear the ones with the Cartoon Pals.

Narrator: Robbie hurried out of the bathroom to the safety of his seat. He looked across the classroom…

Robbie: Phew. Safe.

Narrator: Not so fast. Robbie saw Bo sit down at his desk and scribble something on a piece of paper.

Bo Haney: Pssst. Pass it on…

Robbie: What is Bo doing now?

Narrator: Robbie wondered to himself as he watched Bo pass a folded paper to Tom. Doug was watching the action too and asked Robbie…

Doug: What did Bo just pass to Tom? It must be funny because he laughed and then Sue laughed again when he passed it to her…

Robbie: I don’t know but whatever it is can’t be good.

Narrator: The paper reached Doug and Robbie leaned over to see. It was worse than he imagined. Bo whispered loudly…

Bo Haney: Baby Wobbie wears Super Heroes underwear! It’s a bird, It’s a plane! It’s Super Wobbie!

Narrator: Robbie sank into his seat and slipped out his notebook. He looked at his list and crossed out GET JEANS. Beside it he wrote…

Robbie: GET NEW UNDERWEAR.

Doug: What did you say?

Robbie: Nothing….just that this may be the worst year ever.

Doug: At least we get to find out who made Book Buddy. I think Mrs. Williams is about to announce the list.

Narrator: Robbie was excited to hear if he made Book Buddy. It was a select group that got to help other students with their reading and you had to have all A’s the year before to be chosen.

Doug: You had all A’s last year. You might be on the list!

Narrator: Robbie thought to himself…

Robbie: Now that would be COOL.

Narrator: He looked up just in time to hear Mrs. Williams say, “ Robbie York” !

Doug: That’s you! She called your name. Cool. I wonder who you’ll be paired with!

Narrator: Mrs. Williams then asked everyone to stay after class just for a minute to assign their Book Buddy partners.

Robbie: I’ll tell ya on the bus. Meet you there in a minute. Save me a seat as far away from Bo as you can.

Narrator: It was only about 5 minutes later that Robbie ran onto the bus and threw his bookbag down next to Doug.

Doug: Whew. You look bad. What is going on? Did you find out who your Book Buddy is?

Robbie: Yup. You know, I might not want to be a Book Buddy afterall.

Doug: What are you talking about? You wanted that really bad!

Robbie: Not any more. It’s not good.

Narrator: Doug tried to think about what it could be that was so ‘not good’.

Doug: Wait. What could be that bad that you’d quit? Who did you get as a Buddy?

Robbie: Bo Haney. I got Bo Haney.

Doug: (shocked) You are Book Buddies with Bo Haney? Oh man, you gotta get that changed.

Narrator: Robbie thought for a minute. How could this have happened?

Robbie: (sad) I know. I gotta quit or I’m dead tomorrow.

Doug: Don’t worry we’ll think of something.

Narrator: The bus stopped and Robbie saw his mom waving from the sidewalk. With her red lipstick.

Robbie: Oh no.

Bo Haney: Bye Super Wobbie!

Narrator: Bo yelled as Robbie passed him to get off the bus. Robbie thought about his list. He would have to change the third step to being cool as well….

Robbie: Number 3. PUT UP WITH KISSES AT THE BUS STOP. Man, this is going to be the worst year ever.

Scene 4: Finding His VoiceCharactersMomRobbieMrs. HinesNarrator

Mom: Hi Honey!! How was your day??

Narrator: Robbie’s mom asked him after giving him a big hug and kiss. Direct hit again.

Robbie: Fine

Narrator: He did not want to worry her.

Mom: How do you like your class?

Robbie: It’s okay

Narrator: Maybe short answers would be enough for her? Maybe she would stop asking questions if she could tell he was fine.

Mom: Do you know anyone is your class?

Narrator: Robbie thought of Bo and he answered with little enthusiasm.

Robbie: Yes.

Mom: Good!

Narrator: She seemed satisfied and she changed the subject…

Mom: Oh (remembering something) Robbie, there’s a sale at Harkins. I thought I’d run over there this afternoon. Mrs. Hines will watch you while I’m gone. It will only be for about an hour. I need to get a few more things for school.

Narrator: Hearing this Robbie quickly thought to himself in panic…

Robbie: Oh NO! What would she buy this time? Pretty Pony underwear?

Narrator: Robbie WANTED to say the words…

Robbie: Would you mind picking up a pair of jeans for me? Hey, while you’re there would you see if they have any white underwear on sale?

Narrator: BUT-- his mouth stayed shut. He did not say anything. He only sighed. He knew for sure now…there was a big difference between making a plan and doing the plan.

Mom: I’ll just run in and grab my purse and see you soon. Okay?

Robbie: Okay mom.

Narrator: He headed for Mrs. Hines’ house. If only he could become COOL before tomorrow, before he had to be Book Buddies with Bo. Robbie thought to himself while he walked…

Robbie: Coolness was like an armor. It was protection from teasing and bullies. Coolness is the only way to survive third grade. I need to know the answer to --How to be cool in third grade?

Narrator: Robbie was soon at Mrs. Hines’ house and she was just coming out the door with Tobey, who was enjoying his white pacifier, in the stroller.

Mrs. Hines: Robbie! Come and take a walk with us. How was school?

Narrator: Robbie began to give another short answer but Mrs. Hines cut him off. Streams of words seemed to pour out of her mouth with no effort at all.

Mrs. Hines: I remember how much I used to like the first day of school. It was always on a warm fall day and I got to wear new clothes and the smell of new school supplies was always so good and then you got to find out who your teacher was and who was in your class and….

Narrator: Robbie watched Tobey as Mrs. Hines kept talking. He noticed his face started looking sad and he began to cry. Then he started to wail.

Robbie: What is wrong with Tobey? Is he hurt?

Mrs. Hines: Oh, no. He does that about a hundred times a day. That’s just a baby’s way of telling you he needs something.

Narrator: This immediately made Robbie think.

Mrs. Hines: Oh, look. He lost his pacifier again. I spend more time putting that pacifier BACK into his mouth than I do anything else these days.

Narrator: How simple that seemed to Robbie…cry and you get whatever you want.

Mrs. Hines: Babies can’t talk like you and me. They can’t say, ‘I’m hungry,’ or ‘I’m wet, ‘ or ‘I’m tired’. But they sure can let you know when they want something.

Narrator: Mrs. Hines kept talking but Robbie was now thinking about something else…You know, he had never asked for what he wanted…he never said….

Robbie: ‘I want jeans’ or ‘Don’t call me names’ or ‘Don’t kiss me at the bus stop’

Narrator: He had just expected everyone to automatically KNOW what he wanted. He thought of his list and how to be cool and knew…

Robbie: Writing things down is not enough. Mrs. Hines! I’ll be right back. I’ve got to tell my mom something before she leaves for the store…Mom! Wait!

Narrator: Robbie ran back to his house and caught his mom as she was getting into the car.

Mom: What is it, Robbie?

Narrator: With all the courage he could muster Robbie found his voice to ask for what he wanted…

Robbie: Mom, I need some jeans.

Narrator: His mother looked at him with a kind smile.

Mom: Do the other kids wear jeans to school?

Robbie: Yes, ALL of the other kids wear JEANS to school.

Narrator: His mom could tell this was important to him.

Mom: Well, I guess you need some jeans, too. Anything else?

Narrator: What!?! ANYTHING ELSE? Robbie couldn’t believe how EASY it had been. He let his voice come out even more…

Robbie: Underwear. Plain WHITE underwear.

Mom: Plain white underwear. O. K... My baby is growing up. (smiling)

Narrator: Robbie knew he had to run or he’d get kissed again. He waved to his mom and ran back to join Mrs. Hines.

Robbie: Thanks mom.

Narrator: About an hour later Robbie saw his mom pull into the driveway and ran to meet her. He grabbed the bags quickly to search them.

Robbie: Three pairs of jeans! Two packages of underwear—plain white!

Mom: You should have seen the mother’s at Harkin’s buying underwear! Why, I saw three mothers from your third grade class alone!

Narrator: Robbie smiled. He must not have been the only boy with Super Heroes underwear. He quickly ran upstairs to try on his jeans and grab his list.

Robbie: Number 2. GET JEANS. AND UNDERWEAR…..CHECK.

Narrator: He drew a huge red check mark on his list. He had actually done one of his steps! He still had two more to go. He had to be cool by tomorrow.

Scene 5: Becoming Cool CharactersRobbieMom Mrs. WilliamsNarrator

Narrator: Robbie woke up the next day and jumped out of bed. His new jeans were by his dresser and he quickly put them on. They even looked great with a collar shirt.

Robbie: One down. Two to go! I’ve got 15 minutes to convince my mom NOT to come to the bus stop.

Narrator: Mission Impossible? Robbie was learning that nothing is impossible until you try it.

Robbie: Mom? Are you downstairs?

Mom: I’ll be there in a minute honey. I put your oatmeal on the table! I’m just going to grab my jacket so I can walk with you to the bus stop!

Robbie: Maybe I should forget it. (quickly remembering yesterday) Nah-I’m just scared. She was great yesterday. I can do this.

Narrator: He kept his focus on his oatmeal but his determination in his heart as his mom came into the kitchen.

Robbie: Mom? I’m in third grade now…do you think I could walk up to the bus stop by myself?

Narrator: There was silence. Robbie held his breath.

Mom: (trying to be understanding) Well…

Robbie: I would watch both ways before crossing the street.

Mom: (seeing how much it means to him) Well…

Robbie: I would look for cars…

Mom: (deciding) Okay.

Robbie: I would NOT speak to strangers…

Mom: Okay.

Robbie: Not go out into the stree….

Mom: (laughing) I said ‘OKAY’! You may walk to the bus stop by yourself. After all, you are in third grade now.

Narrator: Robbie stopped talking and looked at his mother’s smile. He couldn’t believe it! TWO steps were complete!

Robbie: Thanks mom.

Narrator: Robbie hugged his mom and grabbed his bag. While he waited for the bus, without his mom, he pulled out his list…

Robbie: Number 3 -NO KISSES AT THE BUS STOP…. CHECK.

Narrator: Doug waved to Robbie and watched him make his way past Bo, VERY CAREFULLY, to the seat he saved for them. He had Bo and Book Buddies on his mind.

Robbie: Hi. Thanks. I still do not know what I’m going to do. I can’t be Book Buddies with Bo. No one has ever been Book Buddies with Bo before.

Narrator: Never. Everyone was afraid of Bo. Robbie thought his only choice was to tell Mrs. Williams he can’t do it and Doug agreed.

Robbie: Would that be as easy as talking to my mom? Can I just tell Mrs. Williams that I can’t be a Book Buddy?

Narrator: He took the ‘you better unless you want to get killed’ expression on Doug’s face as a YES.

Robbie: Ok. I’ll tell her before class. Gotta run. See ya.

Narrator: Robbie was the first one off the bus and ran straight to class…

Mrs. Williams: (surprised to see his so early) Robbie? Good morning.

Robbie: Good morning Mrs. Williams.

Narrator: Oh this would not be easy. Mrs. Williams started talking to him before he could spit out what he planned to say…

Mrs. Williams: I’m so pleased to have you in my classroom this year!

Narrator: Robbie took a breath of courage and started to speak…

Robbie: Mrs. Williams, I can’t be a B….

Mrs. Williams: (interrupting him before he could say it) And…I’m glad that you will be a Book Buddy this year, especially with Bo Haney.

Narrator: Robbie stopped and blinked. What? What did she just say?

Mrs. Williams: Your last year’s teacher and I chose you for a special reason.

Narrator: This was NOT the plan but Robbie was intrigued. Him? Special?

Robbie: Why?

Mrs. Williams: Well, you are smart… and funny… and nice.

Robbie: I am?

Mrs. Williams: You are. And Bo needs someone special to be his Book Buddy. Someone who won’t make fun of him. It is always hard for the children who are held back.

Narrator: She spoke about Bo with such care and concern. Usually when Robbie heard Bo’s name it was with fear and dislike. Robbie was speechless and filled with thought.

Robbie: Oh!

Narrator: Was all that came out of Robbie’s mouth. Questions filled his thoughts as he started wondering to himself…

Robbie: How can I NOT be a Book Buddy now? This isn’t like asking for jeans or to walk to the bus stop. Is Bo really having a “hard time” like Mrs. Williams said?

Mrs. Williams: We’ll start Book Buddies in about 15 minutes. Okay? Did you want to ASK me something, Robbie?

Narrator: Robbie was not going to let down Mrs. Williams. He couldn’t avoid Bo now. He just responded…

Robbie: No. It was nothing. Thanks Mrs. Williams.

Narrator: He walked to his seat. His plan had not worked. Whether he was special or not, he would be Book Buddies with Bo in fifteen minutes.

Scene 6: The List is CompleteCharactersRobbieBo HaneyDoug/DebNarrator

Narrator: This was it. Mrs. Williams called his name and he walked towards the door as slowly as he could to get his Book Buddy red folder.

Doug: (whispering) Nice knowing you.

Narrator: Doug whispered while Robbie stalled at his desk…

Robbie: (whispering back) If I die, I leave my baseball card collection and my throw yo-yo to you, Doug…

Doug: Thanks. I’ll take good care of it.

Robbie: And can you give my stuffed animals to my neighbor, Tobey?

Doug: Sure thing buddy. Good luck, you’re going to need it.

Narrator: He could hear the snickers from his classmates as Bo also got up to meet at the door. Bo tried to walk as tough as he could while inside he was thinking….

Bo Haney: (sad) Oh man, here we go again...I’m always the one who needs extra help in reading….

Narrator: Mrs. Williams explained what they would do and handed them the red folder with the words on flashcards that Robbie would help Bo practice.

Bo Haney: (defeated) I remember what to do.

Narrator: Robbie was a little surprised at the defeat he heard in Bo’s voice. What was that? They both walked out the door and Robbie followed Bo down the hall.

Narrator: They sat at the desks in the hall and Robbie noticed how Bo took up the whole chair like a grown-up. They both just looked at each other.

Robbie: Say something!

Narrator: Robbie was thinking to himself as he scrambled to think of WHAT to say.

Robbie: What do you say to a bully?

Narrator: His thoughts were racing and he was trying to think of something…anything…to say. He looked down at the folder in his hand…and finally said…

Robbie: (gently and with caution) Is this your name? Clyde Elmer?

Narrator: Bo suddenly sat up straight and got that tough look on his face again.

Bo Haney: Yeah. You wanna make something of it?

Robbie: No. (swallow hard) I hate my name too.

Bo Haney: What’s your name? I mean your real name.

Robbie: Robert. Robert Hayes York.

Bo Haney: Huh. That’s not bad. You talk about bad—Clyde Elmer. Now THAT’S bad.

Narrator: Wow. Robbie was actually having a conversation with Bo! Suddenly they both relaxed a little…

Robbie: It’s not my real name that I hate. It’s my nickname…Robbie. That’s what I HATE.

Bo Haney: Yeah. (understanding) I would hate that, too. Like Clydie. Ugg.

Robbie: (laughing) That is funny.

Bo Haney: (laughing too) Yeah. Clydie would be terrible. Right?

Narrator: Just then- something amazing happened in that hallway. The corners of Bo’s mouth turned up! Bo smiled at Robbie.

Robbie: (taking it in) Yeah. Right. Terrible.

Narrator: They had agreed on something and even laughed! The two new Book Buddies, a little more comfortable, got to work. Robbie was going to live.

Doug: Hey Robbie!

Narrator: They looked down the hall and saw Doug with a green library pass. He was checking on his friend.

Doug: Are you….okay?

Narrator: Robbie was just about to answer when Bo suddenly spoke up…

Bo Haney: Hey! His name’s ROB! And he’s fine. Get it? My friend here is fine.

Doug: (a little fearful) I get it! I get it!

Narrator: Doug kept moving and Robbie called after him.

Robbie: Hey! Thanks.

Narrator: Doug managed a tiny smile and Robbie looked back at Bo.

Robbie: Thanks Bo.

Narrator: Rob? Bo just changed his name! But not to a name like Wobbie…this time for the better! And when Bo changed a name, it stayed forever!

Bo Haney: Sure. Whatever. Next card.

Narrator: Robbie held up the next card. He couldn’t believe it. He had finished his list! He kept working with Bo and holding up card after card. Everything seemed to freeze as he thought to himself…

Robbie: Was I cool now? I can check off everything on my list…Number 1-GET RID OF THE NAME ROBBIE…

All: CHECK

Robbie: Thanks to my new friend Bo. Number 2- GET JEANS—

ALL: CHECK

Robbie: No one had even noticed his jeans yet. Number 3- NO KISSES AT THE BUS STOP…

ALL: CHECK

Robbie: That doesn’t even seem important anymore. Yesterday I thought coolness was an armor or protection against bullies. Maybe it is in a way, but not the way I thought.

Narrator: Robbie looked again at Bo working to learn the words on the cards…He thought about what Mrs. Williams had said and why she had chosen HIM to work with Bo…

Robbie: Am I smart? I HAD been chosen to be a Book Buddy…Am I funny? Well, Bo just thought so… Am I nice? I did just risk my life to help Bo.

Narrator: Suddenly Robbie realized something…

Robbie: Being Cool was not about how I look or avoiding bullies. It’s about being nice, working hard, and making people laugh…He could do that by being himself…Being himself is HOW TO BE COOL IN THE THIRD GRADE.

Bo Haney: Cool- I got that one! Let me see the next card!

Robbie: Cool! Yeah. COOL. Good work--How about this one, Bo?

Narrator: The two boys sat in the bright hallway and worked together. Robbie was now too busy to worry about being cool. His Buddy and him had work to do. It was going to be a GREAT YEAR!

THE END