This is so fun! she thought. The course was even better than she remembered. She began to get into a groove.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two Mendoza girls crash into one another! She hoped they were okay.
Just as she was trying to find her groove again, a flash of brown caught her eye. A dog had run onto the course. Valeria almost lost it, but she made a quick move to avoid the dog. Haley’s attempt to dodge the dog brought her too close to the curb. She ditched, rolling off her board into the grass.
Just Chloe and me! thought Valeria.
Suddenly, Valeria lost her balance. She wobbled on the board and fell. Her board went rolling down the hill. She raced after it, finally grabbing it just before it toppled over a steep section.
As she ran back to the road, a blur of gorilla fur passed her. Chloe!
Valeria got back on her board. She tried to catch Chloe, but Chloe was really flying. As they entered the final stretch, Valeria was gaining on Chloe, but it was not enough. Chloe raced over the finish line a second in front of Valeria.
“Gorilla Girl wins!” said the announcer.
“Congratulations, Gorilla Girl!” shouted Valeria, hugging Chloe as they got off their boards at the finish area. Valeria felt great. She couldn’t stop smiling.
“I can’t believe it!” said Chloe. “I really won? I thought we tied. My extra gorilla suit weight must have given me an edge!”
Valeria was happy for Chloe. And she couldn’t believe how happy she was with second place. Not only had she finally raced again, but she had owned that course. Even with the fall, she knew it was one of the best runs she’d ever had.
Just then, the announcer yelled. Mateo’s group was starting.
The girls moved off the course. It’s funny, Valeria thought as she and Chloe began clapping and yelling. In a way, getting second place today feels more important than all of my first-place wins. I never would have expected that!
She smiled, thinking about how strange life could be sometimes. Then she patted Chloe on the back and whooped as loud as she could. She hoped they could cheer Mateo on to a first-place finish.
Author Bio
Cari Meister has written more than 200 books for children. She lives in Colorado with her husband, four sons, a dog named Koki, and an Arabian horse named Sir William. She loves to visit schools and libraries. Find out more at carimeister.com.
Illustrator Bio
Katie Wood fell in love with drawing when she was very small. Since graduating from Loughborough University School of Art and Design in 2004, she has been living her dream working as a freelance illustrator. From her studio in Leicester, England, she creates bright and lively illustrations for books and magazines all over the world.
Spanish Phrase Guide
chido
(CHEE-doh)
—
cool
gatita
(gah-TEE-tah)
—
little kitten
llegamos
(yea-GAH-mos)
—
let’s go
qué padre
(KAY PAH-dray)
—
that’s tight
Glossary
adopt
(uh-DAHPT)
—
