“She’s a friend to all, even ants.”
Meet Cody one morning during her summer vacation. She comforts her mother, who is nervous about a potential job promotion. She worries about the ants she likes to play with. (Do they get the whim-whams, too?) She is surprised to see a baby skunk, which she longs to pet, but knows better not to. And she’s sentimental about her friend Spencer, who’s just recovered a long-lost set of pajamas. Her conclusion?
“In this life, so many things can twang your heart.”
That’s Cody, a girl in a family. Her brother Wyatt is besotted with the intriguing Payton Underwood. Her mother hopes to become Head of Shoes. Her trucker father gives magic hugs when she needs ‘em. When her summer camp mysteriously closes, she has a summer to spend, at home, in her neighborhood, with her friend Spencer, Spencer’s happening Grandma Grace (GG), and Spencer’s cat, Mew Mew.
Cody is a girl who is as happy teasing Wyatt about Payton Underwood…as she is learning dances (the Hustle and the Mashed Potato) from GG…as she is letting her ‘pet’ ants crawl on her toes. She is a curious girl open to all possibilities.
“Too bad humans didn’t have purring switches you could flip. In this life, animals are superior in so many ways.”
Cody is a helpful friend, absorbed in repeated efforts to locate and coax out Mew Mew when she is lost. She is a loving daughter, leaving helpful, informative notes around the house for her mother, father, and even Wyatt. She also talks up Wyatt’s charms and talents to Payton Underwood, making her a generous sister, too.
Cody is also enterprising. What’s the best way to stop Mew Mew from getting lost? Or convince Payton to like/love Wyatt? Cody claims she knows how to hypnotise both people and animals. And proceeds to show Spencer how!
Cody’s ebullient personality is epitomized by her frequent reference to a biological factoid she has picked up: “The lining of your gut replaces itself every three days.” “What’s that got to do with–” Spencer asks reasonably. Cody, who knows Spencer needs a burst of confidence, explains…
“Your body makes new cells around the clock. It throws the old ones out. Right this instant, you’re manufacturing new skin and toenails! You’re not the same Spencer you were five minutes ago. Part of you is brand-new and improved! You might have all-new, undiscovered talents!”
If your students, your school, your families are looking for someone with glass-half full, look-on-the-bright-side, Heracletian optimism, then invite them to spend the summer with Cody – sheltering ants, looking for Mew Mew, dancing with GG, teasing Wyatt – seeking (and finding) the fountain of happiness in their hearts.
