Justin loses his treasured hat. But can he face the scary custodian to get it back?
“Where’s your hat, Justin?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
It was my favorite hat— blue and white with orange stars all the way around. It used to have a fuzzy red ball on top, but it fell off.
“Your grandmother made you that hat.”
“I know.”
“What’ll we tell her when she comes to visit this weekend?”
“I don’t know.”
“The minute you get to school tomorrow, go look in the Lost and Found.”
“OK,” I said.
Looking for the Hat
But the next morning, I didn’t go to the Lost and Found. I decided to find the hat myself. At recess, I asked Devaun if he had seen it.
“Nope,” he said. “Did you look in the Lost and Found?”
I made a face.
“I know,” Devaun said. “I lost my baseball jacket last month, but I was too afraid to go see Mr. Rumkowsky.”
“Can’t you just get another hat?” asked Jessica.
I shook my head. “Gran made that one for me, and I have to find it—even if it means asking Mr. Rumkowsky.”
“Uh-oh,” they said.
After recess, I looked for my hat in my desk. I asked Tamara if she’d seen it.
“No,” she said. “Did you ask Mr. Rumkowsky?”
I made a face.
“I know,” said Tamara. “I lost my sparkly purple scarf last month, but I was too afraid to ask him.”
Getting the Courage
The next day, my friends asked me if I’d found my hat.
“No,” I said. “I have to go to the Lost and Found.”
“But that means talking to Mr. Rumkowsky,” said Jimmy.
“Uh-oh,” said the others.
“I know,” I gulped. “He’s so old that he was the custodian when my mom went to this school. He is ancient!”
“Yeah,” said Jessica. “He’s always frowning. And his office is way down at the end of that scary hallway.”
When I finished my lunch, everyone wished me good luck.
I took a deep breath and gathered my courage. I would be brave. Then I went down the hall and knocked on Mr. Rumkowsky’s door.
Mr. Rumkowsky
“What do you want?” a rumbly voice asked.
“I lost something,” I said.
“Well, come in then.”
I slowly opened the door. The office was filled with mops and buckets and cans of that powdery stuff Mr. Rumkowsky spreads on the floor when someone throws up.
“What are you looking for?” said the voice.
“Um . . . my . . . my blue-and-white hat with orange stars all around. It had a fuzzy red ball on top, but it fell off.”
“What’s so important about it?” Mr. Rumkowsky growled.
“It . . . um, I mean my grandmother made it,” I said.
Mr. Rumkowsky scratched his head. “I think I recall seeing a hat like that. Follow me.”
That’s when I saw the enormous box.
“I’ll get the ladder,” he said.
I peered down into the box and picked through the things on top. I didn’t see my hat. But I saw Devaun’s baseball jacket. I saw Tamara’s sparkly purple scarf too.
When lunch period was over, I grabbed the jacket and the scarf and climbed back down the ladder.
“I didn’t find it,” I told Mr. Rumkowsky. “But I’ll take these things to my friends.”
“Come back sometime and look again,” he said.
Devaun was delighted to get his jacket back. He was so happy! Tamara put on her scarf and twirled around.
“Did you find your hat?” Mom asked after supper.
“Not yet,” I said.
One Last Try
The next day, I went back to Mr. Rumkowsky. He dragged the ladder out again, and I looked deep into the box. I dug down deeper and found all sorts of weird stuff. But no hat.
On Friday, my mom dropped me off at school early. “This afternoon when I pick you up, I’ll have your grandmother with me.”
I didn’t say anything. I knew that already. I went straight to Mr. Rumkowsky’s office.
“Keep digging,” he said. It seemed like he was as desperate for me to find the hat as I was. He really wanted me to find it.
But I was about ready to give up. Everything I was finding now was really ancient.
Finally, I got to the bottom of the box.
“Do you see it?” Mr. Rumkowsky called down.
“It’s not here,” I said.
“Just this dumb old pink sweater.”
“Hmmm,” he said. “Try looking under it.”
I lifted it up.
“My hat!” I yelled. “Blue and white, with orange stars all the way around.”
Mr. Rumkowsky helped me out of the box. “Are you sure it’s yours?”
“It’s mine, all right,” I said. Then I noticed that it had a fuzzy red ball on top—just like the one that had fallen off my hat. I turned it inside out. The tag said “Sally.”
“Wait—that’s my mom’s name!” I said. “This must have been her hat when she was a kid!”
Mr. Rumkowsky smiled. “Come back anytime,” he said.
I put the hat on and went to class. I wore it all day.
Grandma’s Visit
When Mom picked me up, my grandmother gave me a big hug.
“I see you’re wearing your hat,” she said.
“Yes.” I hugged her back.
“I made your mother a hat exactly like that when she was a little girl,” Gran told me.
“I know,” I said. My mom had a funny look on her face. I grinned but didn’t say anything.
Gran looked at my mom, then at me. “I wonder what ever happened to the hat I made for your mother.”
“Maybe you should ask Mr. Rumkowsky,” I said.
“Rumkowsky?” Gran said. “Is he still at this school? Your mother was always afraid of him, but he’s really a kindhearted man.”
I nodded. I knew that already.
First published in the United States under the title LOST AND FOUND by Bill Harley, illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Text Copyright © 2012 by Bill Harley. Illustrations Copyright © 2012 by Adam Gustavson. Published by arrangement with Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Story
Social-emotional Learning Focus
Friendship
Implementation
Pairings and Text Connections
Before-Reading Resources
Suggested Reading Focus
Comprehension, nonfiction text features (30 minutes)
After-Reading: Skills Practice
(15 minutes for each activity)
