Dream On, Charlie! (Paperback)

Fourth grader Charlie Osgood is a daydreamer in class, and not working up to his potential. A discussion with his teacher, Mrs. Polatski, reveals that he is bored by doing the same thing repeatedly. Once he's mastered the basic knowledge or techniques, he is interested in creativity. Charlie imagines himself as a secret agent or an action hero, involved in missions at sea, on land, and in the air. Some of his ideas are shared with his classmates, who appreciate his sometimes wild, unbridled imagination. One boy, Andy, is jealous of Charlie's popularity and vows to make him look bad by any means possible. When Mrs. Polatski tells the class that they have a chance to spend three days at Camp Indian Head in May, if they can raise the money for the trip, and asks the students to think of ways to raise money--Charlie is turned on. He listens to classmates suggest the usual car wash and bake sale. Then, he excites the class with his plans for a Christmas store. As Christmas approaches, supplies for the project--called "Santa's Workshop"--line the classroom walls. But Andy has been smuggling out little toys and other sales items for days. He plans to return them after the failure of Charlie's project. A week into the sale, Charlie estimates that even if they sell all their merchandise, the kids will still come up short of their goal. He cannot figure out why. Then guilt-ridden Andy confesses his misdeeds to Charlie, after the bully Tyler Stubbs tells Andy that he is not getting beaten up only because Charlie has interceded. With the stock back and one final marketing push by all the children selling together, the kids reach their goal. And Andy is back in the gang for holiday fun. Aftervacation, the class returns to find exciting changes in their classroom, including a hands-on science center. Loving the change, Charlie believes that he too can change: stop daydreaming, stay on task, and on the textbook page. He might even win an award. He can picture it now...