Lesson 8:A Girl Named Amira

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

By Susan Lau
Illustrated by Dave Erickson
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02674-9
ISBN-10: 0-547-02674-9
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Table of Contents
Our School Lunchroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Her Name Is Amira. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
A Friendly Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
A Surprising Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Soccer Tryouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 7 United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Our School Lunchroom
There are two things I want to tell you about our school
lunchroom. One, Mrs. Grayson was the first cook to work
there. Students remembered her lunches because the food
tasted terrible. Two, the student leaders at our school had an
odd sense of humor. They decided to name the lunchroom after
Mrs. Grayson.
Mrs. Grayson also had a strange idea. Her idea was to tell
students where to sit in the lunchroom. So, at the start of each
school year, every student gets a number. The number matches
a number on a lunchroom table. Students have to sit at the
same table for the entire school year. Mrs. Grayson’s idea was
to help students make new friends.
On the first day of school, I saw Jack Lloyd walking
toward me. He’s my friend. He’s also the tallest player on our
basketball team. Jack smiled. Then, he raised up his hand to
slap mine — to give me a high-five. “Darion! How was your
summer, man” Jack missed my hand. He banged the locker
behind me and put a big dent in it.
“Great,” I answered, grinning back at him. “You”
Jack talked about how hard he worked at basketball camp.
As I listened, I searched for the paper with my lunchroom
table number on it. I finally found it and showed Jack: lucky
number seven.
3

4
Jack and Darion will sit at table number
seven in the lunchroom this year.

Jack reached in his pocket. He pulled out a folded piece
of paper. He opened it. The paper showed the number seven.
Jack grinned and said, “I think we’re going to have a good year,
Darion! I can feel it!”
I shoved my backpack into my locker and closed it. Then
Jack and I walked to the lunchroom.
Table 7
As I entered the lunchroom, I smelled chicken. Then I
remembered that I left my lunch at home. I had to buy one of
the school’s awful lunches. “Tough break, buddy,” Jack said.
Then, he went over to Table 7. He tripped over a chair on the
way. I tried to see who else was at our table, but I couldn’t see
that far. You’ll know soon enough, I said to myself.
I waited in line to buy my lunch. Then I sat down next to
Jack. There was now only one seat left at the table. Liam was
sitting on Jack’s other side. Jack looked carefully at a piece of
shriveled lunchmeat in his sandwich. It was very dried out.
“Hey, Jack, are you eating that Or, are you just
inspecting it” Liam joked. “That meat looks like it’s from a
science experiment!”
5

Three girls — Helen, Lisa, and Vanessa — sat across the
table. I knew them from last year. The girls whispered to each
other and giggled. They did not notice anybody else. One
empty chair remained — the one between Vanessa and me.
Only one piece of food on my lunch tray looked good to
eat — an apple. I picked it up and cleaned it with my shirt. I
bit into the apple just as a girl sat in the empty chair beside
me. I didn’t know her name, but I remembered her from last
year. She always wore a black head scarf to school. The other
kids at the table stopped talking as the girl started to unpack
her lunch.
Helen, Lisa, and Vanessa looked over at the girl. Even Jack
stopped eating to watch her. He seemed to think she was going
to do something unusual. The girl unwrapped her sandwich
and bit into it. She didn’t say a word to anyone.
Jack poked me with his elbow and whispered, “What’s
with the scarf” I frowned at him, to warn him to be quiet. I
was sure the girl heard him. She didn’t look up, though.
Twenty minutes later, the bell rang. Everybody
rushed to clear their trays and go to their next class.
I saw the girl from our lunch table walking away.
It was easy to see her black head scarf in the
crowd of students going down the hall.
The students at Table 7 eat lunch
together for the first time.
6

Her Name Is Amira
The next day, I was the first person to sit at Table 7. I
was glad I remembered to bring my lunch. Helen, Lisa, and
Vanessa sat down next. Then, Jack and Liam walked in and sat
in the same seats as yesterday. A few minutes later, Jack said,
“Here comes the girl with the scarf again. I wonder why she’s
always late.”
She sat down next to me and started to take out her lunch.
Once again, she seemed very detached, like she was separated
from the rest of us. But she didn’t seem to mind. Jack stared at
her. He didn’t know he was being rude. I just ate my sandwich
and hoped someone would say something. Everyone seemed
uncomfortable by the silence.
7

“Why do you always wear that scarf” Jack asked. I almost
choked on my sandwich. The three other girls stopped talking
and looked at us.
“Leave her alone,” I said. I was not sure why I said that. I
wanted to know the answer, too.
“Is it because of your religion” Jack asked. I gave him a
look that said to talk about something else. But Jack ignored me.
The girl looked at him for a moment. Then, she nodded
yes and returned to eating her lunch. “So, are you from the
Middle East or something”
She seemed reluctant — unwilling — to answer him. I
turned to her and said, “You don’t have to explain anything to
him.” I expected her to thank me. Instead, she ignored me. She
looked at Jack and said, “I’m Muslim. And I’m an American,
just like you. I was born in the United States. My parents and
my grandparents were born here, too.”
“Cool,” Jack said simply. Then, he went back to looking at
his lunch again. It seemed that they were done talking to each
other. When the lunch bell rang, the girl quickly walked out of
the lunchroom.
“Well, at least we know ‘the scarf’ can talk,” Jack said.
“Don’t call her that,” I scolded. “She has a name,
you know.”
“What is it” Jack asked.
I didn’t know. “Her name is Amira,” Vanessa answered
for me. The three of us walked out of the lunchroom together.
8

A Friendly Talk
As I walked home from school that day, I saw three girls
ahead of me. All three wore head scarves. One was Amira. I
didn’t know the other girls. When I reached Amira, I didn’t
know what I was going to say. But I rushed over to where she
and her friends were standing.
Jack asks Amira some
questions at lunch.
9

“Amira” I called out. The girls turned around and smiled
shyly at me. “See you later, Amira,” one girl said. Then, they
left, giggling.
I felt nervous. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry
about lunch today. I hope Jack didn’t upset you by asking you
those questions.”
“He’s not the first,” she answered. “But there’s no reason
for you to say you’re sorry. People just seem to be curious
about me.”
“Well, I guess they just don’t know how to act around
someone who’s so different from them,” I said. I felt
embarrassed by what I said. “Look, I’m just glad you weren’t
upset.” I turned to walk away.
“Wait,” Amira said. “I’m not so different from everyone
else, you know. I mean, I dress differently from other people.
But I’m still just a sixth-grade American girl.”
“Right, I’m sorry,” I said quickly. Then, I stopped to think
about what she just said. “I know this sounds dumb. I never
really thought of you as just another kid.” I looked up at her
and stared at her head scarf.
Amira looked back at me. “I know what you’re thinking,”
she said. “I wear a scarf because one principle of Islam is that
women dress in a modest way. So, I wear a scarf in public
places, like school. I don’t wear it all the time.”
10

Amira seemed to know what I wanted to ask next. She
continued, “I’m late to lunch every day because I go to pray
first. That’s part of my religion, too. The school principal lets us
use an empty classroom for prayer time.”
“Cool. I had no idea students did that!”
“It’s not that unusual,” Amira said with a smile.
After school, Darion sees
Amira and her friends.
11

“Cool, I mean — well,” I stammered. “I just didn’t know
that was going on at school. Sorry.”
“You don’t need to keep saying you’re sorry!
I’m proud of my religion,” Amira said sincerely. “I
just wish people at school would treat me like a
normal person.”
“I know. Maybe the scarf kind of confuses
people,” I said. “You’re kind of quiet, so people aren’t
really sure what you’re like, I guess.”
Amira smiled shyly. “Well, I am a little shy with
people I don’t know well.”
She added, “I knew that wearing the head scarf to
school might change how people looked at me. For a
while, I didn’t want to wear it anymore. Then, I talked
to my parents. They agreed to a compromise. My
parents didn’t make me wear the scarf. In fact, they
said I had to make my own choice. Once I knew it was
my choice, it was easy for me to decide.”
I nodded. “I know a lot of people have a hard time
understanding other people’s cultures. I mean, to be honest, I
think Jack is a total mystery!” We both laughed at my joke.
“Well, I have to go home,” Amira said.
“Me, too. See you tomorrow at lunch!” As I walked home,
I thought about how easy it was to talk to Amira. I wondered
what tomorrow’s lunch would be like.
12

A Surprising Request
Amira and Darion talk like good friends.
The next day, Jack sat next to me at lunch as usual. He
stared at my sandwich and potato chips. I knew he wanted
them. Liam described the frog specimens he studied in biology
class. Helen, Lisa, and Vanessa ignored Liam. They talked to
each other about soccer tryouts. When Amira sat down a few
minutes later, everyone stopped talking.
13

“Hi, Amira, “ I said cheerfully. I wanted everyone to relax
and act like friends. I felt Liam and Jack staring at me. I looked
at the other girls. They were whispering and pointing at Amira.
I felt angry as I watched them. I opened my mouth to
tell them how mad I was. I didn’t care what Jack and Liam
thought. But then, Lisa said something.
“Hey, Amira,” she said. “Are you planning to try out for
the soccer team We heard you were really good.”
My jaw dropped in surprise.
I saw Amira blush. She didn’t answer right away, but
then she said, “Yes, I am. I practiced with my older brother all
summer. The tryouts are Monday, aren’t they”
“Yes,” Vanessa answered. “Do you think you could give us
some tips” she asked Amira hopefully. “We really want to
make the team this year.”
The other girls ask Amira to
help them practice soccer.
14

Amira looked surprised. “Sure,” she said. “How about
meeting me after school tomorrow We can practice at the
soccer fields.”
The girls started making plans for the next day. Amira
glanced over at me. She gave me a friendly smile. I smiled
back at her. Now, I was in such a good mood that I gave my
bag of chips to Jack. He ate them happily. I rolled my eyes and
laughed. Then, I ate the rest of my lunch.
15

Soccer Tryouts
On Monday afternoon, Jack and I stayed after school to
watch the soccer tryouts. We cheered for the girls from Table 7
each time they touched the ball. Helen, Lisa, and Vanessa ran
the complex plays with ease. Their practice with Amira had
really helped them. Everyone noticed Amira. But it wasn’t
because of her head scarf. It was because she was the best
player on the field. Every now and then, Jack and I heard other
people talking about how well she played.
Part of the tryouts was a practice game. There was only a
minute left in the game when Helen passed the ball to Amira.
Twisting around, Amira kicked the ball past the goalie with an
elegant movement. She was as graceful as a dancer. Her kick
scored the winning goal. Jack and I cheered. So did the other
people sitting near us.
“Who is that girl” someone asked.
“Her name is Amira,” I said proudly.
16

Table 7 United
The next day at lunch, Liam poked at his food with a fork.
The bowl of stew on his tray looked like dog food in a state
of decomposition. It looked too rotten to eat. We watched in
wonder as Liam ate a big bite of it.
“Not bad!” he said, with his mouth full. Liam continued to
eat the stew. Lisa, Helen, and Vanessa looked disgusted.
Amira arrived a few minutes later. The other girls greeted
her warmly. Then, Jack surprised us all. He said, “Hey, Amira,
I was curious about Islam. So, I did some research last night.
I think how you practice religion is cool. You must be very
dedicated to your beliefs.”
Amira kicks a goal during
soccer tryouts.
17

All the students at Table 7
are now friends.
Everyone at Table 7 gasped at the same time. All of us
— Amira included — stared in wonder at Jack. Maybe he
wasn’t such a rude guy after all. “What I don’t get, though,
is how the month of fasting fits into the equation.” For the
rest of lunch period, Amira answered Jack’s questions. She
also explained her family’s religious practices. The rest of us
listened to every word. Then, we all talked about our family
cultures. Lunch period went too quickly.
Looking around the table, I smiled. Table 7 had come
together. We were all friends now. I think that Mrs. Grayson
had the right idea after all.
18

Responding
TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Think
about the order of events in this book. Copy the
chart below. In each box, write the events in the
order that they took place.
Darion and Jack learn they are at the
same lunch table.
Write About It
Text to Text Think about another book you
have read in which the characters learn that
they have a lot in common. Write a paragraph
that explains how the characters learned how
much they were alike.
19

TARGET VOCABULARY
complex
compromise
decomposition
detached
elegant
equations
principle
reluctant
shriveled
specimens
TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Identify the
time order in which events take place.
TARGET STRATEGY Infer/Predict Use text clues
to figure out what the author means or what might
happen in the future.
GENRE Realistic Fiction is a present-day story with
events that could take place in real life.
Write About It
In a famous quotation, Aung San Suu Kyi said,
“Please use your freedom to promote ours.”
What freedoms do you value most Why Write
a letter to the editor of a Burmese newspaper
explaining the freedoms you have and why they
are important to you.
20

Level: X
DRA: 60
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Strategy:
Infer/Predict
Skill:
Sequence of Events
Word Count: 2,450
6.2.8
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
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