Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World by Candice Ransom

and opened to the first page. The Book of Great Discoveries Made by Iva Honeysuckle . What great discoveries? She hadn’t found Braddock’s gold. Her great discovery summer was a total flop. She hadn’t gotten her picture in The Uncertain Star. And…she had let her great-grandfather down.
    â€œIn here! Hurry!”
    Lily Pearl shoved through the tent flap. Howard scuttled in behind her with Lily Pearl’s Halloween trick-or-treat pail.
    â€œWhat are you brats doing?” Iva said, crowded against Sweetlips.
    â€œWe had pork chops for supper,” Lily Pearl said, as if she’d endured a hideous crime. “Time and again I told Mama how much I hate pork chops, but she will not listen . So I’m leaving home.”
    â€œWhat about you?” Iva asked Howard. “You like pork chops.”
    â€œHe goes where I go,” Lily Pearl stated. She took the pumpkin pail and unpacked five men’s handkerchiefs, her mother’s rhinestone bracelet, and one Blue Green crayon.
    Iva pounced on it. “ You stole my crayon! And what’re you doing with Daddy’s handkerchiefs?”
    â€œThey pack nice,” Lily Pearl said. “We can hide in here, can’t we?”
    â€œNo. Howard, get off my National Geographic magazine. It’s very old.”
    Outside, something screeched, like two cats fighting on a back fence.
    â€œ Found a peanut, found a peanut, found a peanut just now. Just now I found a peanut, found a peanut just now. ”
    The tent flap flipped back. Arden and Hunter poked their heads in, singing, “ It was rotten, it was rotten, it was rot-ten just now. Just now it was rotten, it was rot-ten just now. ”
    â€œGo away !” Iva exclaimed.
    â€œWe’re joining your little campout,” Arden said. “We even brought marshmallows.”
    â€œTake them back,” Iva said. “You’re not invited.”
    â€œWill you tell ghost stories?” Lily Pearl asked. “Howard and me love to be scared.”
    â€œ Ate it anyway, ate it anyway, ate it a-nyway just now. Just now I ate it anyway, ate it a-nyway just now. ”
    â€œShut up that stupid song!” Iva said, pushing Arden’s face.
    Arden slapped Iva’s hand away. “It’s a camp-out song.”

    â€œAnd we sing it real good,” said Hunter.
    â€œ Got a stomachache, got a stomachache, got a sto-machache just now. Just now I got a stomachache, got a sto-machache just now. ”
    Iva had a stomachache listening to them. “Get out just now!”
    â€œYou should be glad Mama even let you camp out,” Arden said. “You left Daddy’s tools all over town. Cazy Sparkle found them and sold them at her yard sale. Mama had to buy back our own tools.”
    â€œI spent the whole day cleaning the shed,” Iva said. “My punishment is over.”
    But it wasn’t.
    Arden and Hunter continued to sing. “ Called the doctor, called the doctor, called the doc-tor just now. Just now I called the doctor, called the doc-tor just now.”
    â€œIf you don’t get out, you’re going to need a doctor!” Iva felt like running away herself. Why couldn’t she have five minutes’ peace?
    â€œI want a marshmallow,” Howard said.
    Arden stopped caterwauling. “Hunt, you know that girl in our class, Burgin Clatterbuck? Her mother makes marshmallows from scratch. She uses Knox gelatin.”
    Hunter wrinkled her nose. “Ewww.” Then she joined Arden in the next chorus.
    â€œ Died anyway, died anyway —”
    Iva stuffed the handkerchiefs and rhinestone bracelet back in Lily Pearl’s pumpkin pail, and thrust it at her. “Get out, everybody. Right now !”
    Arden and Hunter backed out, laughing. Lily Pearl crawled out in a huff, Howard crabbing behind her.
    â€œI’m never running away to your house again,” Lily Pearl flung at Iva.
    â€œMe neither!” Howard ran to catch up