Chapter 1 Chapter 1 My name is Mindy Kim. I'm seven and a half years old. That's old enough to ride a bike around our street, but not old enough to have my own puppy--or at least that's what my dad said. I don't really agree with him, but our old apartment in California wasn't big enough for a puppy anyway. I looked it up, and the experts on the Internet say that puppies need lots of room to run outdoors. Now that we've moved into a house with a big backyard, we can really get a puppy! I just have to convince my dad that it's a good idea first. So far, no such luck. Dad wants me to prove that I can be "responsible" enough for a puppy first... and then he'll "consider" getting me one. I decorated my own room to show Dad I'm "responsible." I'm trying to be more grown-up, so I only put three dog stuffed animals on my bed. There are ten more under my bed, but Dad doesn't need to know that. They'll just have to take turns. After I finished, I was looking through a website on huskies, one of my favorite kinds of dogs, when I heard Dad say, "Mindy? Can you help me with these boxes?" CRASH! "Dad!" I ran downstairs to see him standing over a box of broken dishes. "Oh no!" he said. "These were your mom's favorites." He looked so sad, like he was about to cry. I wished I'd brought one of my stuffed dogs with me. I'd even let him hug Snowball, my favorite white husky. I miss Mom, but I know Dad misses her a lot more. She died a few months ago because she was really sick for a long time. Excerpted from Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee 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.
