Disappearing Desmond
For Bruno
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
Copyright © 2010 by Anna Alter
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Alter, Anna.
Disappearing Desmond / Anna Alter.
p. cm.
Summary: Desmond is so skilled at disappearing that sometimes even his teacher cannot find him, but when he meets Gloria, a new student at school, his attitude slowly changes.
eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-98256-8 — Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-375-86684-5
[1. Bashfulness—Fiction. 2. Friendship—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.J4298715Di 2010
[E]—dc22
2009037607
The illustrations in this book were created using acrylic paint.
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.1
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright
First Page
About The Author
Desmond was very hard to spot in an art museum.
No one could find him at the beach
or on a snowy day.
Desmond liked to disappear.
His family was the same way.
At school, Desmond hid during library hour,
at lunchtime,
and at recess.
He was always prepared for field trips.
Sometimes, even his teacher could not find him.
Then one day someone new came to school.
Her name was Gloria and she liked to be noticed.
Before long, a strange thing happened.
Desmond froze. He couldn’t believe it. No one had ever seen him when he was hiding before.
After school, it happened again.
It happened over,
and over,
and over again.
Until one morning Gloria walked right up to him. “Hi, Desmond,” she said. “You are reading my favorite book. May I join you?”
Gloria and Desmond read together all morning long.
The next day, Gloria taught Desmond how to play King of the Castle.
Desmond taught Gloria how to hide from bandits.
They played together every day.
On Monday morning when he came to school, Desmond felt different. He looked different, too.
He couldn’t remember why he ever wanted to disappear in the first place.
Neither could his family.
Then one afternoon on the playground, Desmond heard a sound in the bushes.
He went to take a closer look.
The boy in the bushes couldn’t believe it. No one had ever seen him when he was hiding before.
Desmond, Gloria, and Harold spent the rest of the afternoon playing kickball on the playground. Soon everyone joined in the fun.
That is, almost everyone.
ANNA ALTER, like Desmond, was terrified of the spotlight when she was a child. She often sat behind bigger classmates to avoid being called on by her teacher (with little success—her teacher usually found her anyway). While she preferred to hide in her room reading a book, a small part of her always wanted the starring role in the school play.
Anna graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied illustration. Her books for children include What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe? and Abigail Spells, which Kirkus Reviews called “a winsome tale [that] demonstrates the value of friendship during the trials and travails of life.”
Originally from Virginia, Anna lives in western Massachusetts, where she visits schools to speak about her work. You can visit her on the Web at www.annaalter.com.
Anna Alter, Disappearing Desmond
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