I, for one, was getting interested. Project Work sounded as if it could be fun. As I said, I've often thought I'd like to run a store — maybe this was my chance to see what it was like.

"The good news," Mr. Schubert said next, "is that there won't be any homework assignments or tests." A cheer went up. "You'll have to keep a journal, and Mr. Withum, your next teacher, will tell you more about that."

I started to think about what kind of work I might be able to do. I knew my mom would have some good ideas. She's a buyer at Bellair's, a department store in downtown Stoneybrook. She took the job after my parents got divorced. That was a hard time for me, the divorce. Here's how it happened. I had grown up in New York, but then my dad was transferred to Stoneybrook, so we moved here. I made friends right away and joined this great dub called the BSC — the Baby-sitters dub. But then my dad was transferred back to New York, and I had to say good-bye to all my new friends. Bummer. But an even bigger bummer was coming my way.

Soon after we moved back to the city, my parents started to fight a lot. Now, a lot of parents fight, and it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to get a divorce. But in my parents' case, it did. When they decided to split up, my mom told me she planned to move back to Stoneybrook. My dad was staying in New York. And guess what? I had to choose which one of them I wanted to live with. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Obviously, I chose to come back to Stoneybrook with my mom, and I have never regretted the decision. I visit my dad as often as possible, and I still feel dose to him. But Stoneybrook is my home now. It may not have Bloomingdale's or Carnegie Hall, but I love it anyway.

The bell rang, and Mr. Schubert smiled at

us. "Enjoy Project Work!" he said. "I know you'll have a great time."