My Pen Pal, Pat Electronic book published by ipicturebooks.com24 W. 25th St. New York, NY 10011 www.ipicturebooks.comAll rights reserved. Copyright 1998 by The Millbrook Press, Inc.Real Kids Readers and the Real Kids Readers logo are trademarks of The Millbrook Press, Inc.No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For my loving Omi L. P.Special thanks to Lands End, Dodgeville, WI, for providing clothing; to East End Sporting Goods, Mattituck, NY, and to Supreme Skateboard, NYC, for providing sports equipment; and to James Adams and Julianna Carlson.e-ISBN 1-58824-483-0 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataPapademetriou, Lisa.My pen pal, Pat / Lisa Papademetriou ; photographs by Dorothy Handelman.p. cm.Summary: Pat has a pen pal who shares her name and many of the same interests, but when the two Pats meet they are both in for a big surprise.ISBN 0-7613-2023-7 (lib. bdg.). ISBN 0-7613-2048-2 (pbk.) 1. Pen pals Fiction. 2. Sex role Fiction. 3. Letters Fiction I. Handelman, Dorthy, ill. II. Title. PZ7.P1954My 1998 Edc21My Pen Pal, PatBy Lisa PapademetriouPhotographs by Dorothy Handelman“Listen up, class!” Mr. Davis said on Monday. “I have a surprise for you.”Patricia Scott sat up very straight at her desk. Her teachers surprises were always good.“Who knows what a pen pal is?” asked Mr. Davis.Pat raised her hand high.4“Yes, Pat?” said Mr. Davis.“A pen pal is someone you write letters to, but youve never met,” said Pat.5“Thats right,” said Mr. Davis, “and thats my surprise. Each of you gets to be pen pals with someone from Ms. Corbetts class in Boston!”Pat and the other kids cheered.Mr. Davis held up some cards like a fan. “Each of these cards has a pen pals name and address on it,” he said. “You can come up one by one to pick a card. Then you can start writing your letter to your new pen pal.”6“I wonder what the person I choose will be like,” thought Pat. “I hope shes nice, and I hope she likes the same things I do!”Finally it was her turn to pick a card. She took one look at the name on the back and blinked in surprise.“Hey!” she said. “I picked Pat Glenn. My pen pal and I have the same first name!”8“Thats great,” said Mr. Davis. “You have something in common already.910Pat spent a lot of time on her letter. She tried hard, but her writing was kind of messy. At least she spelled everything correctly.“Being a pen pal is cool,” she thought. She hoped her new pen pal, Pat, would think so too.When everyone was finished writing, Mr. Davis collected the letters. At the end of the school day, he put them in the mailbox.11On Wednesday, Patrick Glenn hurried home from school. His teacher, Ms. Corbett, had told the class that their pen pal letters would arrive soon. He couldnt wait to check the mail.Sure enough, there it wasa letter with his name on it! Pat looked at the envelope. The writing on the front was kind of messy. But there was a really cool picture drawn on the back.1213Pat tore open the envelope and read the letter.1415“I cant believe it. My pen pals name is Pat too!” thought Pat.He tried to picture what Pat looked like. Was he tall or short, fat or thin?“Maybe he looks a little like me,” thought Pat.Pat imagined playing baseball with his pen pal. If only they could meet in person. Pat was sure that they would be best friends.17Pat went upstairs to his room. He sat down at his desk and started writing to his pen pal. He wanted to finish the letter before dinner, so he had to start right away! He wondered how long it would take to get another letter from Pat.18Three days later, Pat got her first letter from her pen pal.Pat smiled. Her pen pals letter was funny. It was also very neat.“Maybe she could teach me to write the way she does,” Pat thought. “Then Mr. Davis wouldnt bug me about my messy writing.”She tired to imagine what her pan pal looked like. “I bet she looks something like me,” she decided. She pictured the two of them making pizza. That would be fun! Too bad they didnt live in the same city.23Pat cleared a spot at the kitchen table. She got out a pencil and some paper. Then she sat down to write another letter to her pen pal.But what should she say? She tapped her pencil on the table. She scratched an itch on her knee. Ouch! Shed scraped that spot the day before, and it still hurt. But at least now she knew what to write about.24As Pat finished her letter, her stomach started to rumble. “Hey, Dad!” she called. “Can we have pizza for dinner?”Pat opened the second letter from his pen pal. It was a little bit longer than the first one but not any neater.2627Pat folded up the letter. “Too bad Pat fell off his skateboard,” he thought. “He must have been trying out a new trick.”Pat wished they lived in the same city. Th