Sophie and the New Girl (Faithgirlz!: The Sophie Series #8) by Nancy N. Rue | eBook

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www.zonderkidz.com Sophie Tracks a Thief Copyright © 2005 by Nancy Rue This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Requests for information should be addressed to: Zonderkidz, 5300 Patterson Ave. SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rue, Nancy N. Sophie tracks a thief / Nancy Rue. p. cm. -- (Faithgirlz) Summary: As the Corn Flakes and other members of the Film Club work on a school project about Cuban refugees in the 1980s, a newcomer's prejudices hurt Maggie and challenge Sophie's ability to understand and practice Jesus' teachings. ISBN-10: 0-310-71023-5 (softcover) ISBN-13: 978-0310-71023-3 [1. Prejudices---Fiction. 2. Cuban Americans---Fiction. 3. Friendship ---Fiction. 4. Imagination---Fiction. 5. Christian life---Fiction. 6. Family life---Virginia---Fiction. 7. Virginia---Fiction.] I. Title. II. Series. PZ7.R88515Sjt 2005 [Fic]--dc22 2005008538 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means---electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other---except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan. Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Photography: Synergy Photographic/Brad Lampe Illustrations: Grace Chen Design& Illustration Art direction: Merit Alderink Interior design: Susan Ambs Interior composition: Susan Ambs Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09/DCI/5 4 3 2 1 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ---2 Corinthians 4:18 First we'll go to the cheerleaders' booth,' said Sophie LaCroix's best friend, Fiona Bunting. The breeze loosened a strand of her golden-brown hair, and she tucked it behind her ear. 'They've got corn dogs. And then we'll hit the Film Club---they're selling flan over there. And then we can stop off at the Round Table booth for kabobs---' Sophie squinted at Fiona from behind her glasses while Fiona sucked in a breath. She hadn't taken one for a while. 'We're supposed to be filming the booths.' Sophie nodded at the video camera in their friend Darbie O'Grady's hand. 'Not pigging out at them.' Fiona grabbed a handful of candy corn from the chorus booth. 'Who says we can't film and eat at the same time?' Darbie O'Grady grinned, dark eyes dancing beneath her fringe of reddish bangs. 'You're foostering about,' she said. Although Darbie had lived in the United States long enough for her Irish accent to fade some, she still used her Northern Ireland expressions. So did Sophie. 'I guess I don't blame you for foostering,' Sophie said. 'Documentaries are boring.' 'It's all about facts,' Fiona said, her mouth stuffed. 'Facts aren't very creative.' Sophie pushed her glasses upward on her nose. 'I wish we were working on a real movie again.' 'Uh-oh,' Darbie said to Fiona. 'She's got that look in her eye.' 'You know it,' Fiona said. Her own gray eyes were shining. Sophie didn't need to see her own brown ones to know what 'look' they meant. She could feel it from the inside: that dreamy thing that happened when her mind started to wrap itself around a new character. If she still had her long hair, she would this very minute pull a strand of it under her nose like a mustache. That always helped her sort her thoughts. But it was impossible now that her hair was two inches high in fuzziness---although it was long compared to two months ago when she'd first shaved it off. Sophie ran her hand over her fuzzy head. Closing her eyes, she saw herself as the tall, statuesque (that was one of Fiona's many impressive words) Liberty Lawhead, swinging her briefcase as she marched briskly up the courthouse steps, heels clicking on the marble--- 'Hel-lo-o, So-o-phie.' Darbie tugged playfully at Sophie's earlobe. 'Miss Imes will eat the heads off us if we don't get this film done for Film Club.' 'Then we'll tell her how we really want to do movies,' Fiona said. 'Corn Flakes Production--style.' Sophie nodded as she followed Fiona and Darbie and the smell of corn dogs across the field to the cheerleaders' booth. There Willoughby Wiley was practically doing a handspring waiting for them. 'The Corn Flakes' was what the four of them, plus Maggie LaQuita and Kitty Munford, had called themselves ever since the Corn Pops, the popular girls in sixth grade last year, had told them they were 'flakes.' That means we aren't afraid to be just who we are, the Corn Flakes had decided. So it only made sense that the movies they created from their amazingly intense daydreams were called Corn Flakes Productions. But making a documentary about Great Marsh Middle School's Fall Festival for the new Film Club wasn't anything like making their own 'flicks,' as Darbie called them. Sophie sighed as she caught up to Darbie, who was already setting up the shot, and Fiona, who was already munching on a corn dog. Willoughby's short mane of wavy, almost-dark hair trembled as she let out a shriek that always sounded to Sophie like a poodle yipping. 'Where have ya'll been?' Willoughby said. 'I've been waiting all day!' She waved her arms in what Sophie figured was a new cheerleading routine. She'd been to enough Corn Flake sleepovers to know Willoughby did cheers in her sleep. 'Be still, Willoughby,' Darbie said. 'Sophie has to interview you.' As Darbie started filming, Willoughby snatched up a corn dog in each hand and shook them like pom-poms. Two other cheerleaders posed beside her. 'What's the cheerleading booth up to?' Sophie said. 'We're selling corn dogs!' they all shouted together. 'Why?' Sophie said. 'Because they're good!' Willoughby said. 'No, eejit,' Darbie said---using her Irish word for 'idiot.' 'What are you going to use the money for?' It's a good thing Mr. Stires has editing equipment back at school, Sophie thought. 'To go to cheerleading camp this summer!' they all screamed. 'Thanks, girls,' Fiona said, voice dry. 'We'll call you if we can use you.' 'Okay!' the squad cried out. Willoughby's going to be great in our Liberty Lawhead film, Sophie thought. She can lead the crowds of protesters in yelling . . . while the majestic Liberty Lawhead goes into battle for people whose rights are being tromped on. That was what made her a civil rights leader--- 'Beam yourself back down, Soph,' Fiona said. 'Let's hit the Film Club booth before all Senora's flan is gone.' Sophie pulled herself out of the 1960s, where she'd spent a lot of dream-time ever since they'd started studying the Civil Rights Movement in English/history block. When she got to the booth, Fiona was drooling over Senora LaQuita's shiny squares of sweet flan. 'I save you some, Fiona,' the senora said. Maggie's mom was from Cuba, and Sophie loved her special way of speaking English. Fiona pulled the plastic spoon out between her lips and closed her eyes. 'It is muy bueno,' she said. 'That means 'very good,'' Maggie informed them. Maggie's words always fell like thuds, as if each one were a fact you couldn't argue with. With her steady dark eyes and solid squareness, the Corn Flakes usually didn't argue with her. Right now Maggie nodded toward the camera, her black bob splashing against her cheeks. 'Are you going to interview me?' she said. 'I wish Kitty was here. She's better at this than me.' Kitty was the sixth Corn Flake, and Maggie's best friend. She had leukemia and was in the hospital in another town getting more chemotherapy, which, among o

Sophie and the New Girl (Faithgirlz!: The Sophie Series #8)

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