*babysitter's club member she is not, but she's real. 2002-03-22 2:28 p.m.*

She had gotten her Johnny Tremain test back, with a C+ on it. Anastasia always got A's in English, so a C+ was a real disappointment. Mr. Rafferty had met with her after school, to discuss it. But there was really nothing to discuss. She hadn't liked Johnny Tremain, so she hadn't read it very carefully, and she had been thinking about Gone with the Wind during the test.

She had tried to explain that to Mr. Rafferty. "I think you ought to assign Gone with the Wind instead," she suggested. "At least for the girls. Let the boys read Johnny Tremain."

Mr. Rafferty looked very startled. BHe was an ancient, elderly man, probably about sixty, Anastasia thought, with gray hair. The only interesting thing about Mr. Rafferty was that he wore colorless nail polish. Or at least Anastasia thought he did. Maybe his fingernails were naturally glistening -- but she was pretty certain he wore nail polish. She pictured him at home, at night, preparing English quizzes for the seventh grade -- making up sentences with misplaced modifiers -- and polishing his nails at the same time, holding them up to see how they looked, blowing on them so they would dry. It seemed very weird.

"Gone with the Wind?" Mr. Rafferty said, startled. "But, Anastasia, that book has some, will, unsuitable --"

"Sex?" she asked. "It doesn't, really. Not explicit."

Mr Rafferty began to shuffle the papers on his desk nervously, and Anastasia realized that she had made a terrible blunder, saying the word "sex" to someone so old. But now, having said it, she was stuck with completing her explanation.

She tried to describe it very tastefully. "When Rhett carries Scarlett up the stairs," she said, "and into the bedroom, the book doesn't tell a single thing after the door closes. They might have been playing Scrabble in the bedroom, Mr. Rafferty." (Secretly, Anastasia was absolutely certain that Rhett and Scarlett had never played Scrabble in their lives. Ashley and Melanie -- they played Scrabble, the wimps.)

~Anastasia Has the Answers by Lois Lowry

*listening to: *
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