The Fix-It Friends--Have No Fear! Read online

  Even though Pearl was too little to come with us, she insisted on putting on her spider costume. Nana had made a black fur suit, and Dad had made the legs out of cardboard covered with black electrical tape. The problem was, her legs stuck out so much, they kept knocking stuff over when she walked. She knocked over two glasses of milk, one vase of flowers, a picture frame, and the sculpture Jude had made of a great horned owl, in just about two minutes. Dad said it was going to be a long Halloween.

  When we got to the zoo, the room with the spiders was dark. To be honest, it kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies. I could tell Jude felt creeped out, too. Maya’s eyes were round and big, but she gritted her teeth like she meant business.

  Ezra and Cora ran right into the spider room and were oohing and aahing and stuff. The rest of us just stood in the doorway with Maya’s mom, holding hands.

  “Well, should we go in?” I asked Maya. I was secretly hoping she would say no.

  She took a big gulp of air, and then she said in a whisper, “I can do it. I am brave,” to herself. Then she nodded, and we walked in a few steps.

  “This is far enough,” she said.

  “Totally,” Jude said.

  We could see the spiders crawling around behind the glass, but they were far away, so we didn’t have to see their faces. Maya was breathing really fast like a dog who’s been running around. Her hand was kind of sweaty.

  Then Cora came running over to tell us about her favorite spider. “It’s called a red-kneed tarantula. It has stripes all over its legs, and it’s one of the biggest kinds of tarantula in the world! It can be up to seven inches! And it’s from Mexico.”

  Guess who will never be going to Mexico? Me! Oh, and probably not Maya, either.

  Then Ezra ran over, cracking his knuckles. “I saw the coolest spider! It’s called a Chilean rose hair tarantula, and it’s from Chile and it’s got little red hairs all over its body!”

  Guess who will never be going to Chile, either?

  “And it can flick the hairs off its belly if it’s being attacked to distract its predator. And they make really good pets. I’m going to ask my mom if we can get one! I think Ziggy would love some company.”

  Maya squeezed my hand. I squeezed back.

  “Isn’t it time for ice cream?” I asked.

  Maya’s mom said it certainly was. She gave Maya the biggest hug I’ve ever seen, and she said, “I’m so proud of you.”

  Back at Maya’s house, we ate the mochi ice cream. It comes in a ball! And it was green! I’m not even kidding. The flavor was green tea. It was de-lish! I had seconds … and thirds.

  When we were all done, Ezra took out his laptop and opened up the Super Maya chart. He made Super Maya jump up on the very last step, which said, “Go see a spider in real life.” That put her on the top of the mountain. When she jumped on it, rainbows started to spread behind her in the sky, and lollipops popped up out of the grass, and little white kittens jumped up and down and said, “Meow! Hooray! Meow!”

  We all danced around and said, “Meow! Hooray! Meow!” and we laughed our faces off.

  “I’m still a little scared of spiders,” Maya said shyly.

  “I’m still a little scared of getting sucked down the bathtub drain,” I admitted.

  Then Mom came to pick us up, and we went home. Mom was feeling really happy and proud of us, so when Jude and I asked if Cora and Ezra could sleep over, she said sure.

  Chapter 15

  Dad always calls sleepovers “sleepless-overs” because we stay up really late and hardly get any sleep.

  Jude slept in his bed on the top bunk, and Ezra slept in my bed on the bottom. Me and Cora made a big comfy floor-bed with tons of blankets and pillows and all my stuffed dogs.

  Mom and Dad let us stay up late watching Singin’ in the Rain, which was Ezra’s pick. He always chooses old movies to watch, and I don’t mind them as long as they are not black-and-white. Nothing is more boring than a movie with no colors in it.

  As soon as the movie was over, Mom and Dad said it was Lights-Out. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to go to sleep; it just means you have to whisper.

  I was thinking about Maya and how cool it was that she’d faced her fear and could enjoy the good things in life again, like recess.

  “Hey, guys,” I whispered, “thanks for helping me help Maya.”

  “No big deal,” said Jude. “I actually kind of liked doing it.”

  “Totally,” said Ezra.

  “Me, too,” squeaked Cora.

  “Me, too,” said a mysterious voice next to me. I pulled down the blanket and saw Pearl in her favorite pj’s, with purple unicorns all over them. She calls them “uni-corn-on-the-cobs,” which totally cracks us up. She was holding Ricardo and sucking on her pacifier.

  “Pearly, what are you doing in here?” I asked her.

  “Wanna sweep over!” Pearl said. She covered herself and Ricardo with my blanket.

  “Okay, but shhhhhh or Mom and Dad will hear you!” I told her.

  Everything was quiet for a minute, and then I whispered, “I feel kind of bummed that we’re done helping Maya. Because it just feels so great. Like, Maya was miserable and now she’s not, and part of the reason is us!”

  “Well, she’s not the only kid in the world who has a problem,” Jude said.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I mean, if it feels so great, you could always help someone else.”

  That is when I got my big idea. I had a “Eureka! moment,” as Mom would say.

  “GUYS!” I shouted. “I’ve GOT it!”

  “Shhhhhh!” they all said, even Pearl.

  I was so excited, I jumped up. “We should find someone else and help them!”

  “That’s exactly what I just said,” Jude grumbled.

  “We’ll be a group of problem solvers! Friends that fix problems! We’ll be the Fix-It Friends!” I shrieked.

  Cora squeaked, “That would be wonderful.”

  And Ezra said, “Cool.”

  Jude tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes like he was thinking reeeeeally hard about it. “Why not?” he said.

  “Yippee-ki-yay!” I shouted. I was so excited, I did a cartwheel right there on the spot. It was almost a perfect cartwheel … until my foot knocked over the plastic tub of marbles on Jude’s desk.

  The sound of four billion marbles hitting the floor is even louder than the sound of four billion pennies hitting the floor.

  “Oopsy daisy,” I said.

  “Oopsy daisy,” giggled Pearl.

  Dad came in, looking tired and grumpy. He told us to pick up all those marbles or we were going to eat rocks for breakfast. Then he said something about how this is exactly why he hates sleepless-overs. Then he took Pearl and put her back in her bedroom.

  “Well, it didn’t take long to find another problem to solve,” giggled Cora as she scooped up marbles.

  “Yeah, I have a feeling that Ronny will make sure we always have plenty of problems,” Jude said.

  I was going to clobber him, but I had to admit, it was pretty funny.

  “The Fix-It Friends,” I shouted, “to the rescue!”

  Take the Fix-It Friends Pledge!

  I, (say your full name), do solemnly vow to help kids with their problems. I promise to be kind with my words and actions. I will try to help very annoying brothers even though they probably won’t ever need help because they’re soooooo perfect. Cross my heart, hope to cry, eat a gross old garbage fly.

  When Worry Weighs You Down …

  Do you sometimes get really worried? Maybe you’re scared of tarantulas … or tornadoes … or throw-up. Maybe you’re scared, and you don’t know why exactly. No matter what you worry about or how much you worry, one thing’s for sure: You’re not the only one! Tons of other kids feel exactly the same way.

  What does worry feel like?

  “I want to hide.”

  —Liam, age seven

  “It feels like a weight you’re
carrying around.”

  —Harper, age eleven

  “My heart pounds, and I just want to run away.”

  —Annie, age eight

  “It feels like there’s a gate in my brain, and whenever I’m afraid, that gate opens and all my fears run through and have a battle with my common sense.”

  —Giovanni, age ten

  What helps?

  “Taking deep breaths makes me feel better. I say, ‘Roses in,’ and inhale and then, ‘Sharp thorns out,’ and breathe out.”

  —Stella, age eight

  “I hug my doll, Jessie. She takes care of everything for me—even bad dreams and thunder.”

  —Hannah, age eight

  “I just remember that it will go away and that everybody has a little anxiety, even grown-ups.”

  —Frank, age nine

  “You can’t push worry away until you actually do what you’re worried about. Then you feel like you accomplished something, and it feels good.”

  —Emma, age nine

  What to Do When You Worry

  Worry is like an alarm going off in your head. Sometimes, it’s a real alarm that protects you from danger, like when it stops you from touching a steaming pot on the stove or petting a wild grizzly bear. But sometimes it’s a false alarm, blaring really loudly even though you’re perfectly safe. It doesn’t protect you—in fact, it keeps you from doing cool stuff you really want to do, like playing at recess or swimming in a lake or talking to a new friend.

  Good news! Even though you didn’t turn the Worry Alarm on, you can turn it off. No, not all at once, but slowly and steadily. Here’s how:

  1.  Tell a grown-up.

  Sometimes just talking to someone about how you’re feeling makes you feel better. Plus, a grown-up you trust can help you with these next steps!

  2.  Trash worry thoughts.

  Worry sends your brain lots of scary messages that usually start with a what-if, like, What if that spider is poisonous? What if everyone laughs at me? What if the bus is too bumpy and I get sick? Whenever a what-if message gets delivered to your brain, picture yourself sticking a big neon label on it that says, WARNING! THIS MESSAGE IS FROM WORRY! DO NOT OPEN! Then toss that worry thought in the trash.

  3.  Talk back to your worry.

  Use the facts and your super-smart brain to correct Worry’s messed-up thinking. If you’re nervous about a poisonous spider, remind yourself, “Those are really rare. This spider’s probably harmless. Anyway, it won’t bother me if I just leave it alone.” Worry can be a big bully, but you can talk back and show him who’s the boss by telling yourself, “I’m brave! I can do this!”

  4.  Do stuff that scares you, a little at a time.

  If you’re scared of riding the bus, and you don’t get on it, the next time you see that bus, it’s going to seem scarier, and the time after that, it’ll be even scarier. But if you get on the bus the first time, it will seem less and less terrifying. So it’s really important to face your fear … but you don’t have to do it all at once. You can take as long as you need and conquer your fear in little steps. For example, maybe you ride the bus for only one stop the first time. Do what works for you; just keep on being brave.

  Remember, you’re stronger than you think! You can totally kick Worry’s booty. And when you do, you should treat yourself to your favorite ice cream … with a big ol’ pile of whipped cream on top.

  Want more tips or fixes for other problems? Just want to check out some Fix-It Friends games and activities? Go to fixitfriendsbooks.com!

  Resources for Parents

  If your child is struggling with anxiety, here are some resources that may be helpful.

  Books for Kids

  Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz, Tanglewood Press, 2005

  Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes, Greenwillow Books, 2010

  What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner, Magination Press, 2006

  Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook, National Center for Youth Issues, 2012

  Books for Parents

  Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome Your Child’s Fears, Worries, and Phobias by Tamar Chansky, PhD, Harmony, 2004

  Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents by Ronald Rapee, PhD; Ann Wignall, DPsych; Susan Spence, PhD; Heidi Lyneham, PhD; Vanessa Cobham, PhD, New Harbinger Publications, 2008

  Websites

  Worrywise

  www.worrywisekids.org

  NYU Child Study Center

  www.aboutourkids.org

  Anxiety and Depression Association of America

  www.adaa.org

  Coping Cat Parents

  www.copingcatparents.com

  FIND A COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPIST: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

  www.abctcentral.org

  Praise for

  The Fix-It Friends: Have No Fear!

  “Fears are scary! But don’t worry: the Fix-It Friends know how to vanquish all kinds of fears, with humor and step-by-step help. Nicole C. Kear has written a funny and helpful series.”

  —Fran Manushkin, author of the Katie Woo series

  “Full of heart and more than a little spunk, this book teaches kids that fear stands no chance against friendship and courage. Where were the Fix-It Friends when I was seven years old?”

  —Kathleen Lane, author of The Best Worst Thing

  “I love the Fix-It Friends as a resource to give to the families I work with. The books help kids see their own power to overcome challenges—and they’re just plain fun to read.”

  —Lauren Knickerbocker, PhD, Co-Director, Early Childhood Clinical Service, NYU Child Study Center

  About the Author

  Nicole C. Kear grew up in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, three firecracker kids, and a ridiculously fluffy hamster. She’s written lots of essays and a memoir, Now I See You, for grown-ups, and she’s thrilled to be writing for kids, who make her think hard and laugh harder. She has a bunch of fancy, boring diplomas and one red clown nose from circus school. Seriously.

  Visit her online at nicolekear.com, or sign up for email updates here.

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  The Fix-It Friends Pledge

  Just for Kids!

  Resources for Parents

  Praise

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2017 by Imprint

  A part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC

  175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010

  mackids.com

  All rights reserved.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].

  Imprint logo designed by Amanda Spielman

  First hardcover edition 2017

  First paperback edition 2017

  eBook edition May
2017

  9781250085856 (ebook)

  You know what I hate more than broccoli casserole and missing recess and know-it-all brothers? Book thieves!

  They are a big problem. Humongous.

  Of course I know just how to fix them. Want to find out how I do it?

  Just try to steal this book. Go ahead! Just you try and you will regret it … or my name isn’t Veronica L. Conti!