Breaking the Piggy Bank

CHAPTER 1

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Empty Shelves

It was hot out. And it was even hotter in the craft clubhouse, which was in Bella Diaz's backyard. Bella and her three best friends were there working on all sorts of different craft projects. They'd propped the doors open to catch the occasional breeze.



Despite the heat, the four friends were having fun. Sam Sharma was pinning up his latest sketches and planning his next painting. Maddie Wilson was sewing sequins onto the sleeves of a dress she was making. Bella was writing code for a new video game. And Emily Adams had just finished sawing a piece of wood.

"Hey, are we out of sandpaper?" asked Emily after she checked the supply shelves.

Bella shrugged. "I don't usually use sandpaper when I'm coding." She laughed. "So I don't know. Are we out of it?"



"Looks like it. I need to sand the puppy stepladder I'm making." Emily showed her new project to her friends. "See? Otherwise, Woody will try to climb onto my bed and end up with splinters in all four paws!"

"Woof!" said Sam. "I guess we need to pick up some sandpaper. In the meantime, want to grab a paintbrush and help me?"

"Sure," said Emily. But when she looked in the paint supply area, she called out, "We're out of paint, too."



"You guys can always sew with me," called Maddie. "Check it out! This is the dress I'm going to wear to my cousin's wedding!"

"Did you say dress?" asked Bella. "I think you mean shirt."



Sure enough, the garment looked way too short to be a dress!

"It's fine," said Maddie, rummaging through the sewing supplies. "I'll just piece together some more fabric and . . . Oh no! I thought we had plenty of this fabric. I can't go to the wedding with half a dress!"

"Want me to start a shopping list?" suggested Bella, opening a new window on her computer. "Paint, sandpaper, fabric . . . Anything else?"



"Yes," said Emily, looking at the craft clubhouse's mostly empty storage shelves. "We're running low on almost everything."

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Excerpted from Breaking the Piggy Bank by Martha Maker
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.