Text Leveling System

Amelia Bedelia Means Business

RDQ:	804	Max Word/Sent	38	Total Words	3090		Diff Words	841
Lex	700	Ave Word/.Sent	8	Hi Freq occurs	2165	70.1%	Hi freq	367	43.6%
AR	3.3	Long Sentences	7.5	Low Freq occurs	85	2.8%	Low freq	70	8.3%

Chapter 1
Money is the Route
Amelia Bedelia never meant to lead
a pack of dogs on a wild-goose chase.
She never meant to steal something and
then sell it. She never meant to make
someone look bad (very bad) or lead a
parade astray or even stomp on a piece
of perfectly delicious cherry pie. But all that and more actually happened.]]
Amelia Bedelia needed to earn some money. The truth was, Amelia Bedelia
needed to earn a lot of money. Maybe that was the real problem. Earning
some money would have been easy.]]
Amelia Bedelia could have planted
petunias for a neighbor or fed a cat while
its owner was on vacation. But such
small jobs would never have earned the
wheelbarrows full of money Amelia
Bedelia needed to make.
It all started innocently enough
when Amelia Bedelia decided that she
wanted a new bike. But then one thing
led to another until the mayor of Amelia
Bedelia's town finally said, "That Amelia
Bedelia-she means business!" Here's
what happened .]]
Chapter 2
The Bike
Amelia Bedelia adored her bike. It was a
great bike. It was fast and dependable and
she had learned to ride on it. She could
tell you how it had gotten every dent.
She could tell you what had chipped each
fragment of paint from the frame and
what had made those rusty scratches on
the chrome. She could match each insult ]]
to her bike to an injury on her
body: scabs on her knees, scrapes
to her elbows, bruises on her shins,
and a tiny sliver of a scar under her chin.
Amelia Bedelia had parked her bike at
the bike rack. She was about to go into
school when she saw some kids buzzing
around Suzanne Scroggins.
Suzanne was a new girl this year. She
told all her friends to call her Suzi. Amelia
Bedelia still called her Suzanne,
even though Amelia Bedelia sat right behind her. Amelia Bedelia had 
never figured out
why Suzanne was
so crabby and bossy.]]
every day. Every day except for today, of
course, since it was the last day of school
before vacation.
Amelia Bedelia noticed the difference
right away. Suzanne was smiling from
ear to ear! Then Amelia Bedelia saw
why. Suzanne had a new bike. It was 
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BIKE IN 
 THE WORLD. Amelia Bedelia was 
speechless, but she did make a sound. It
was the takes-your-breath-away inhaling
sound that you can't control when you
see something amazing.
T.H.E. BIKE was painted a rich emerald
green, with metal flakes that sparkled 
like diamonds floating just beneath the ..
smooth enamel surface. Gleaming chrome ]]
reflected the morning sun, dazzling Amelia  
Bedelia's eyes. She tried to look away, but
she could not take her eyes off the bike. It
hurt to look. It hurt more not to look.
Every inch of the bike was so
streamlined that it looked as though it
was still moving, even after Suzanne had
 parked it .
From the back of her throat, Amelia
 Bedelia managed to croak, "Nice bike.
"Thank you," said Suzanne. "But bikes
are bikes."
"That's true," said Amelia Bedelia.
"Just two wheels with spokes."
And lots of gears," said Suzanne.
"I don't have any gears," said Amelia.
Bedelia.]]
"Two tires, definitely," said Suzanne.
"Not really," said Amelia Bedelia. "I
don't get too tired without gears."
"Brakes?" said Suzanne.
"Sometimes my bike breaks," said
Amelia Bedelia. "Then my dad fixes it."
The bell rang. It was time to go inside.
As Suzanne locked her bike at the rack,
she said, "Don't forget to lock up your
bike, Amelia Bedelia." That's when the
truth hit Amelia Bedelia. She had never
locked up her bike. She didn't have to,
because it wasn't worth stealing. Who
would want it, after seeing T.H.E. BIKE?
Amelia Bedelia didn't, that's for sure.
Everyone followed Suzanne into school,
leaving Amelia Bedelia to ponder the]]
difference between the
two bikes. She felt bad
for her bike. She felt bad
about feeling bad about
her bike. She felt bad,
period. Finding out that
life is unfair was no way
to start the day, and it was
certainly no way to start school vacation.
That afternoon after school, Amelia
Bedelia avoided everyone, even her
friends. She hid behind the Dumpster,
listening to the laughter and the jokes and
the cries of "Have a good break!" Finally
Amelia Bedelia got on her bike and rode
home. She took the back way so no one
would see her.]]
Chapter 3
There but for the grace
And please," said Amelia Bedelia,
"bring me a new bike. Amen."
After she finished saying grace, Amelia
Bedelia dove into her supper.
Her parents did not begin
to eat. They just looked
at her, then at each other.
. Her mom arched]]
an eyebrow as high as it would go. Her dad
opened his eyes super wide for a couple of
seconds, as if someone had stepped on his
stomach.
Had Amelia Bedelia been paying
attention instead of twirling her spaghetti
and dreaming about bikes, she would
have seen this secret "eye talk" that all
parents use to communicate with each
other when their kids are present.
Amelia Bedelia's father unfolded his
napkin, spread it on his lap, and then
asked, "So, has anyone seen any nice
bikes lately?"]]
Amelia Bedelia sat up straight, without
having to be told, and exclaimed, "You
wouldn't believe the bike I saw today!"
She spent the next ten minutes giving
her parents an inch-by-inch description
of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BIKE IN
THE WORLD, down to the last spoke.
"Goodness," said Amelia Bedelia's
mother. "A bike that special must cost an
arm and a leg."]]
Amelia Bedelia shook her head. "I
would never pay that much," she said.
"You need both your arms to steer a bike
like that, and both legs to pedal it."
"That's a good point," said her father.
"You certainly need to be big and strong
to ride a bike like that."
"Yes," said her mother. "So take a bite
of your broccoli before it gets cold."
Amelia Bedelia took an extra-large bite.
"How far away is Christmas?" she asked.
A long way away," said her mother.
Amelia Bedelia took a much smaller
bite of her broccoli. "How far away is my
birthday?"]]
"Even farther," said her father.
"Did I get all of my allowance this
week?"
"Every penny," said her father. "But
remember, you'll have to pay me if you
talk with your mouth full."
Amelia Bedelia closed her mouth.
She chewed and chewed. Then  she
swallowed and said, "Could I get an early
Christmas present and an early birthday
present? A new bike is the only thing you 
have to give me, ever, for years and years."
"Well," said her mother, "I think it
would be better if a bike wasn't just given
to you. "
Amelia Bedelia looked down at her
plate. Her stomach hurt. Now she wished ]]
she had not eaten any broccoli at all. Since
she was looking at her plate, she once
again missed the eye talk between her
parents. This time, her mom's eyes grew
wider while both of her dad's eyebrows
arched high enough to graze the ceiling.
"I agree," said her dad. "You should
work for a new bike and earn the money
for at least half of it."
Amelia Bedelia smiled and looked at
her parents. "Which half costs more?"
she said. "The front half or the back
half?"]]
"They don't sell bikes that way, honey, " said her mother.
Then her father said, I'll tell you what."
"What?" asked Amelia Bedelia. "What
about what? What do you have to tell me
about what? Can we please keep talking
about my bike instead of what?"
Amelia Bedelia's father patiently
refilled his water glass. "We can't afford
to buy a fancy bike like that," he said.
"But I can meet you halfway."
Amelia Bedelia slid off her chair. She
walked exactly halfway around the table
and stood there. Her mom and dad stared
at each other, then back at her.
"Okay," said Amelia Bedelia.]]
"Here I am. Are you going to meet me
halfway or not?"
Amelia Bedelia's dad stood up and
walked halfway around the table to meet
her. He said, "We will pay for half the
cost of a new bike, but you will have to
pay for the other half."
He held out his right hand. Amelia
Bedelia looked at it.
"I can't pay you my half tonight," she
said.
"Of course not," said her father.
"Tonight we'll make an agreement.
In business, when you agree to do
something, you shake the other person's
hand."
Amelia Bedelia grabbed his ,wrist and]]
shook his hand as hard as she could, up
and down, up and.
"Ow!" said her father.
"Not like that, sweetie," said her
mother. "This is how you shake hands."
Her mother showed her how to shake
hands with her father.]]
"Make it a firm handshake," she said. r;;,
"Your hand shouldn't feel like a dead fish
or a wet noodle." Then her parents gave
each other a hug.
"You should probably leave out the
hug part, sweetie," said her mother.
"Why?" asked Amelia Bedelia. "I love
Dad."
She shook her father's hand and then
her mother's hand. Then Amelia Bedelia
hugged both of them together.
"Family hug!" she hollered.
When they were all hugged out,
Amelia Bedelia's father said, "Now,
Amelia Bedelia, let's have dessert and
talk about how you're going to earn your
half of that bike."]]
Chapter 4
You're Hired
Since the next day was Saturday, Amelia
Bedelia and her parents did what they
always did on Saturdays. After Amelia
Bedelia's swimming lesson, they had
lunch at Pete's Diner.
Pete's was mobbed. They had to sit
at the counter instead of their favorite
booth. Amelia Bedelia loved sitting at]]
the counter. She loved being close to
the action, hearing the orders called
out, watching them get filled, and seeing
everyone working together to make the
diner run smoothly.
While they waited for their food,
Amelia Bedelia asked her parents what
kinds of jobs they had when they were
growing up.
"I did all sorts of odd jobs," said her
dad.
"My job doesn't have to be odd," said
Amelia Bedelia. "I don't have to be a lion
tamer or something unusual. It can be a
normal, regular job, so long as it pays me
a lot."
"When I was young," said her mother, ]]
"I worked as a waitress.
I made buckets of money. My customers
always gave me big tips."
"That sounds kinda fun," said Amelia Bedelia. "Did they
ever tip you so much that you fell over?"
Before her mother could answer, the food arrived. Their usual waitress was so
busy that the owner of the diner, Pete served them.
"Sorry, folks," he said as he put down their plates. "I am very  shorthanded today."
Amelia Bedelia looked closely at his hands.]]
They looked like they were the regular
length. Not too short, not too long. Then
she looked at the French fries in front of her.
"Yum!" she said, and she gave the
ketchup bottle an extra-hard squeeze.
The ketchup squirted
 right over the top of the fries and onto
 Pete's clean white apron.
"Hey!" shouted Pete. "Look out!  Ketchup on the loose!"
Amelia Bedelia thought she was in trouble until Pete chuckled and asked,
Do I look like a french fry to you?"
"No," said Amelia Bedelia. "But you 
do look like you need some help.:'
Do you have a job for me?"
Pete looked at Amelia Bedelia's parents.]]
They both smiled and shrugged .
"We come here every Saturday," said
her father. "She knows your routine ."
Her mother added, "She's a good
worker. Amelia Bedelia will do exactly
what you tell her to do. And she's on
vacation now, so she has spare time."
Pete leaned forward to take a good look
at Amelia Bedelia. "I wonder," he said.
"Can you cut the mustard?"
"I've never tried that,"
said Amelia Bedelia. "But I
sure can squirt the ketchup ."]]
Pete laughed . "You sure can ! Okay , I'll
give it a try . You're hired. You can be an official Pete's Diner waitress in training."
Amelia Bedelia reached out and gave Pete a firm handshake. Was that his short
 hand, she wondered? Honestly, she felt like hugging him, too. Instead, she hugged
her parents.
"Congratulations, sweetie!" said her
mom .
"That's my girl! " said her dad. "You landed your very first job."
You're hired!" Those were magic words to Amelia Bedelia. Those words
 meant that her dream bike would soon be a reality. She gobbled down her fries, said good-bye to her pa rents, then slid off her]]
stool and skipped into the kitchen. Doris,
their regular waitress, found her a uniform.
"This is the smallest size we've got, honey," Doris said.
Doris slipped the uniform over Amelia Bedelia's clothes. She tucked here and
folded there. Finally, after half a dozen safety pins had been pinned and a bunch
of twisty ties had been twisted and tied, Amelia Bedelia was ready for action.
"You look nervous," said Doris. "Don't worry, I 'II show you the ropes. Follow me!"
How cool, thought Amelia Bedelia. What kind of ropes would Doris show her? Cowboy lassos? Mountain climbing ropes? Those thick lines that tie ships up
 to the pier? Maybe this would turn out to be an odd job, after all.
"Well, well," said Pete when Amelia Bedelia and Doris came out of the kitchen.
 Look at you.]]
"I can't," said Amelia Bedelia. "There's no mirror.
"Well, believe me," he said. "You look like a real waitress. Now, I have only one
rule. Can you read that?" He pointed at a sign over the cash register.
Amelia Bedelia read the sign out loud: "The customer is always right!" Someone
(probably Pete) had underlined the word "always" in red.
"Just remember that the customer is always right," said Pete, "and you'll never
go wrong around here."
Wrong? thought Amelia Bedelia. What could possibly go wrong?]]
chapter 5
When right was wrong
Amelia Bedelia went right to work. She did all the little things that Doris usually
 did but didn't have time to do on such a busy day. Amelia Bedelia refilled ketchup
bottles, poured more salt and pepper into the shakers, folded napkins, and got more
sugar and sweetener packets. Most of all, she had fun.]]
Then the unthinkable happened. Suzanne and three girls from Amelia Bedelia's class walked through the door. Amelia Bedelia sank down behind the counter like the Titanic. What should she do? She was excited to tell them about her new job, but she also felt super embarrassed in her waitress uniform.
Amelia Bedelia inched up to take a peek. The girls had chosen a booth where they couldn't see her. Whew! Now if she just stayed out of sight  stayed quiet .
Amelia Bedelia!"
Amelia Bedelia nearly jumped out of her skin. Luckily, it was only Doris.
"Calm down, honey," Doris said.]]
"Your mom was right. You are a good worker. Here's a treat-you deserve it!"
She handed Amelia Bedelia a strawberry milkshake in a tall, frosty glass.
"Thanks, Doris!" said Amelia Bedelia.
As she took her first sip, a big man walked in and sat down at the counter.
He was wearing a bright orange baseball cap and a patch on his shirt that said MIKE. Amelia Bedelia offered him a menu.
"No, thanks," he said. "I know what I want "
. "Good," said Doris. "That's as easy as pie.
And I'm in a big hurry,"]]
he added. "My truck's still running."
"No problem," said Doris.At Pete's Diner, fast service is a piece of cake."
I'm sure glad to hear that," he said.
"Please bring me a big piece of cherry pie.
Doris turned to Amelia Bedelia and
said, "This is a simple one. You can fill his
order while I go talk to the cook. I'll be
 back in a few."
Amelia Bedelia smiled and nodded to the man. Then she went to the dessert case.]]
As she stood there gazing at all of the
yummy desserts, she realized that she
had completely forgotten what the man
had ordered. She turned her brain inside
out. Was it "easy as pie" or was it "a
piece of cake"? Was it easier to bake a
pie than--a cake? You don't have to frost
a pie, that's easier. But you don't have to
roll out dough for a cake. Then again ...
"Hello, there," Mike called. "Did you
forget me? I'm really in a hurry!"
Fast, said Amelia Bedelia to herself
That's a piece of cake. That's it!
She brought him a piece of cake.
"Cake?" he said. "I ordered pie!"
"Sorry," said Amelia Bedelia. I'm just
learning."]]
"I can tell," said Mike. And I'm late.
Just bring me a piece of cherry pie-and
step on it!"
Amelia Bedelia dashed off to get his
pie. But now she was more confused than
ever. Why did he want her to step on it?
She remembered Pete's rule. The
customer is always right! She dashed back
to Mike and put his pie on the counter.
at last," he said, sighing happily. As he
lifted his fork to take the first bite, Amelia
Bedelia climbed up onto the counter.
"What are you doing?" asked Mike.
"Hey! Hey! Get off the counter!"
Just then, Pete came out of the
kitchen. "What's all the commotion?" he asked. Amelia Bedelia, what are you-"]]
Amelia Bedelia raised
her foot and stepped on that
tasty slice of pie with all her might. Gooey
cherry pie filling spurted all over the
counter, all over Mike, and all over Pete.
Mike leaped to his feet. "That does it!"
he yelled. I'm out of here!"
"Wait!" Pete called. He got an entire]]
cherry pie from the dessert case and
raced out to the parking lot after him.
By the time Pete came back in, Doris
had returned, and she and Amelia Bedelia
had wiped off the counter. Amelia Bedelia
felt awful. It didn't help that she could
hear giggles from a certain booth. She'd
recognize Suzanne's laugh anywhere.
I'm sorry about the mess on your
apron," Amelia Bedelia said to Pete.
Pete looked at his apron. Then he said,
"At least it matches that ketchup stain."
Doris laughed. Amelia Bedelia smiled.
Pete sighed and shook his head. "I
don't know what to say, Amelia Bedelia,
except that I have to let you go."
"Go where?" asked Amelia Bedelia.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: No support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Chapters

Headings

Features

Character traits

Simple Plot

Topic

Work

Wants/Needs

*Feelings, Behaviors

Low Frequency Words

allowance	amen	arched	astray	bedelia's
broccoli	chrome	commotion	communicate	congratulations
customers	delicious	dependable	deserve	diamonds
dumpster	embarrassed	emerald	enamel	fragment
gazing	gobbled	gooey	handshake	hollered
honestly	inched	injury	insult	kinda
lassos	laughter	luckily	milkshake	mobbed
mustard	neighbor	official	packets	patiently
petunias	pier	ponder	reality	recognize
reflected	register	route	routine	scroggins
service	shakers	shins	shorthanded	shrugged
sliver	smoothly	speechless	suzanne	suzanne's
swallowed	sweetener	sweetie	titanic	twirling
underlined	unfolded	unthinkable	wheelbarrows	worth
wrist