Mindy Kim and the Birthday Puppy Read online

  “Ready… set… go!”

  I threw the ball. The two dogs burst into action, their paws skittering across the wooden floor as they ran after it. Theodore and Oliver were about the same size, but Theodore was much faster. He caught the ball! I was so proud.

  Oliver ran after Theodore and chased him across the house. Only this time Theodore didn’t look afraid. He was having fun!

  “It looks like they’re getting along!” Eunice said. “That’s a relief.”

  “Yay!”

  Eunice got out one of Oliver’s tug-of-war toys. “Let’s see if they’ll play with this!”

  She held the toy in front of Oliver, who immediately grabbed the other end. She then gave her end to Theodore. The two dogs growled and played with each other. It was so cute!

  We watched the dogs play together for a little while longer, until we got kind of hungry.

  “Hey, want some snacks?” Eunice asked. “My mom bought some shrimp crackers from the Korean market. We can snack on them while we continue watching the Korean drama we watched this weekend!”

  “Okay! Sounds fun!”

  While the dogs kept playing, Eunice and I curled up on her living room couch with the shrimp crackers and watched the Korean drama. While we were laughing at the show together, I thought about how—even though she’s my babysitter—Eunice was the first friend I made here in Florida. And until now, Theodore had had no friends, but now he was friends with Oliver!

  I was so grateful that Theodore and I had friends like Oliver and Eunice!

  Chapter 10

  The next day at school, we had to draw our family portrait during art class. At first I was nervous, because everyone at my table was drawing their mom and their dad. I was afraid Dad and I would look lonely.

  “What’s wrong, Mindy?” asked Sally when she saw that I wasn’t drawing anything.

  I looked over at her paper. She’d drawn her big, happy family, with her two older sisters, her mom, and her dad. My family would look so small compared to hers!

  I was a little sad. But then I got an idea.

  I raised my hand.

  “Yes, Mindy?” said Mr. Stephenson, the art teacher.

  “Can I include my dog in my family portrait? His name is Theodore, and he’s an important part of my family!”

  A few people in the class giggled. Mr. Stephenson smiled.

  “Well, of course, Mindy! Dogs and other pets are definitely important parts of our families. I encourage everyone to include their pets in their drawings!”

  The class cheered. Everyone around me started to add their pets into their drawings. There were lots of cute dogs, but also a bunch of other animals too, like cats, hamsters, bunnies, and turtles. Some people even drew their fish!

  I drew Theodore first, and then Dad and me. I decided to draw a picture of us in the bathtub, giving Theodore a bath! Getting all three of us in the bathtub was hard, but I made it work.

  For Dad and me, I drew smiley faces. I wasn’t sure if a smiley face would look good on a dog, so I made Theodore’s tongue stick out.

  Mr. Stephenson came over to look at my work.

  “A family portrait in the bathtub! How creative!” He laughed. “Everyone is so happy!”

  I looked down at my drawing and smiled. We did look happy! And we were.

  Dad, Theodore, and I were our own happy family!

  Chapter 11

  When Eunice and I got home from school, Theodore greeted us at the door. He jumped and barked. He was so happy to see me! He jumped so much that he knocked me over to the floor.

  “Hmm,” said Eunice. “It’s nice that he’s so friendly, but we really need to teach him to not jump on people like that. How about we teach him a few more tricks after we finish our homework?”

  “Sure!”

  I finished my homework as fast as I could. We were doing fractions and decimals. I liked fractions and decimals! They were much better compared to my greatest enemy: long division.

  After I was done, Eunice checked my answers for any silly mistakes.

  “Looks good!” she said. “I’m all set with my homework too. I’ll help you teach Theodore a few tricks before I go!”

  The first trick we wanted to teach Theodore was “down.” Eunice told me to give Theodore a little piece of a treat whenever he went down on all fours instead of jumping on me.

  I held a treat out so Theodore could see it. He got really excited and started jumping up and down, trying to get the treat.

  “No,” I said. “Down. Down!”

  “You have to say it more firmly,” Eunice said. “Say it like a scary teacher!”

  I tried my best to sound like Dr. Mortimer, our scary principal. “Down!”

  I softly brushed Theodore off my legs so he was sitting down on the floor.

  “Quick!” said Eunice. “Give him a treat now!”

  I gave Theodore the treat. But when I got out a new treat, he jumped again.

  “It’ll probably take a couple more tries,” Eunice said. “It’s okay, though. He’ll get it eventually!”

  Dad came home, and Eunice left. At the dinner table, I was so antsy. I wanted to go back to training Theodore so that Dad could see he was a good dog!

  “Hey, Mindy. Julie is going to come over for dinner on Friday. Would that be okay with you?”

  “Sure!”

  Now that Julie was coming over, I really wanted to teach Theodore to do a bunch of tricks. Then we could impress Dad and Julie at the same time! It was going to be tough, but I had faith in Theodore and me.

  “Dad, can I use your tablet?” I said. “I want to look up the best ways to train Theodore!”

  “Sure, but be careful not to feed him too many treats, Mindy,” said Dad. “We don’t want him to be overfed and get a stomachache.”

  “I won’t. I promise!”

  There were lots of videos on YouTube on how to train a dog. It was pretty confusing, but I decided to give it a shot!

  At first Theodore was really confused too. When I held a treat above him, he jumped and bit my hand!

  “Ow!” I said. “No! Bad dog.”

  Theodore flattened his ears and looked really sorry.

  I petted him. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”

  Theodore and I went over “down” a few more times. It took him fifteen tries, but at the end he went down when I told him to!

  “Good boy!” I said. I was so proud of him! It took him a while, but he got it in the end.

  I wanted to teach Theodore a few more tricks, but I was tired. I’d had enough of dog training for today.

  At that moment, Dad popped his head into the living room.

  “It’s time for bed, Mindy,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said.

  I looked down at Theodore, who was looking at me with expectant eyes.

  “We’ll just have to try again tomorrow, Theodore,” I said. “I’ll teach you how to shake hands and all sorts of other cool stuff by Friday!”

  Theodore wagged his tail.

  The truth was, after today, I wasn’t sure Theodore could learn all those things in time. But as Dad liked to say, “Hope for the best and it’ll all work out.”

  I told Theodore this, and he wagged his tail again.

  Chapter 12

  The next day, I finished my homework fast so I could have lots of time to train Theodore.

  Training Theodore was harder than I thought it would be, but it was still worth it. He tried so hard, and even though it sometimes took him a lot of times to get something right, I loved him so much for trying his best.

  On Friday, Dad came home early to prepare dinner. We were making bulgogi and bibimbap! Bulgogi is a yummy Korean barbecue beef dish, while bibimbap is rice mixed with egg, vegetables, and gochujang, a spicy pepper paste.

  The bibimbap was easy because all Dad had to do was mix in the sliced vegetables from the Korean market with the spicy pepper paste, eggs, and rice. And Dad had already marinated the meat for the bulg
ogi, so he just had to cook it.

  While Dad heated up the meat on the stove, I helped by putting all the ingredients of the bibimbap into three separate bowls. And Theodore? Well, Theodore couldn’t really help, but he walked around following everybody!

  He sniffed the air and looked really happy.

  “Can we give Theodore some of the meat?” I asked Dad.

  “I don’t think we should,” he replied. “Marinated meat is really bad for dogs.”

  I couldn’t meet Theodore’s eyes after that. I felt so bad that he couldn’t have any of the meat!

  After the meat was done cooking, Dad fried the eggs on the stove and placed them on the bibimbap with some sesame seeds and sesame oil as a finishing touch.

  Then we put the bowls of bibimbap and the plate of bulgogi on the dining room table and gave each other a high five. Dad and I were master chefs!

  When Julie came, she sniffed the air appreciatively.

  “Wow! The food smells so good!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were such a good cook, Brian!”

  Dad blushed. “I couldn’t have done it without Mindy. She helped a lot.”

  “I sure did!” I said. “But Dad is getting better every day. When we first moved here, he couldn’t even reheat dumplings without hurting himself!”

  Julie laughed.

  Dad looked embarrassed, but he still said, “Aw, thank you, Mindy.”

  Dinner was so tasty that everyone was in a good mood. Theodore rested his head on my knees while I ate. I wanted to sneak him some food so bad! But I didn’t want to hurt him, so I didn’t. I hoped he wouldn’t hate me for it.

  When we were done eating, Dad said, “Mindy and Theodore have something to show us. Right, Mindy?”

  I nodded as I got out of my seat and tried not to look nervous. “Yup! Come here, Theodore!”

  Theodore got up, his ears perked and head cocked to the side with attention.

  I got some dog treats and went to the living room with Theodore. Dad and Julie sat on the couch to give us their undivided attention.

  “First,” I said, “the easy-peasy part.”

  I held a treat in front of me and touched my shoulder with the other hand. “Theodore, sit!”

  Theodore blinked up at me, wagging his tail slightly. He sat down.

  Dad and Julie clapped.

  “Woo-hoo! Go, Theodore!” I cheered.

  Theodore’s tail went faster, like he knew they were cheering for him. I gave him a treat.

  “Okay. Next: Theodore, down.”

  I pointed at the floor.

  Theodore got down flat against the floor.

  “Good boy!” I gave him another treat.

  “Wow, what a smart dog!” Julie said.

  I grinned. “We’re only halfway there!”

  I turned back to Theodore, who’d gotten back up on his feet. “Okay, Theodore.”

  I rested a hand in front of him. “Paw!”

  Theodore stared at my hand and then at the treat. I held my breath.

  Come on boy, I thought. You can do it!

  He put his paw on my hand.

  “Outstanding!” hooted Dad.

  “Last but not least…” After Theodore had gotten back up on his feet, I bounced the treat up and down above his head. “Dance!”

  But instead of dancing, Theodore jumped up.

  “No, boy,” I said. “Not jump. Dance!”

  I tried again.

  This time Theodore stared up at my hand. He looked really confused.

  “It’s okay, Mindy,” Dad said. “Maybe that trick is too hard for Theodore.”

  I shook my head. “No, he can do it. Watch!”

  I tried for a third time.

  Theodore got up on his hind legs and bounced up and down like he was supposed to!

  Dad and Julie got to their feet and clapped while they cheered. It was a standing ovation!

  “Amazing!” said Dad.

  “What a good boy!” said Julie.

  I gave Theodore a treat and then hugged him. I was so proud of him! It wasn’t easy, but we did it!

  Chapter 13

  That night, Dad tucked Theodore and me into bed. Theodore was pretty good with potty training now, so Dad said he could finally sleep with me in my room!

  “You did such a wonderful job training Theodore, Mindy,” said Dad. “You’ve just turned eight, but you’re so much more responsible already!”

  “I wanted to prove to you that Theodore was a good dog!” I said. “The Internet says that all dogs can be trained, even rescues! People just don’t give them a chance.”

  Dad nodded. “You are so right, Mindy. I see that now. I’m sorry I doubted you and Theodore.”

  He reached over to give Theodore a pat on the head.

  Just then, I remembered my drawing. Mr. Stephenson had given me a gold star for it, but I’d forgotten to take it out of my backpack until now.

  “Appa, I want to show you something.”

  “Oh? What is it, Mindy?”

  I got up from my bed and gently pulled my drawing from my backpack. It was a little wrinkly, but that was okay.

  “We had to draw a family portrait for art class,” I said. “And this is what I drew!”

  Dad’s eyes went wide as he looked at his portrait. “We look so happy!”

  “That’s what Mr. Stephenson said too! And I agree.”

  Dad carefully took the drawing from me like it was the most expensive drawing in the entire world. He held it in front of his face and stared even more closely at it. “I’m going to frame this and hang it up. This is a really nice drawing, Mindy. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  I beamed with pride. “You’re welcome!”

  “The three of us really are a happy family, aren’t we?” Dad said, sounding thoughtful. His eyes looked a little shiny as he smiled.

  “Yup!”

  “I’m so grateful for you, Mindy,” Dad said. “And you too, Theodore.”

  He gave Theodore another pat on the head. Theodore wagged his tail.

  “I love you, Dad,” I said.

  “I love you too, Mindy. And… yes, you too, Theodore. Now good night, you two.”

  Dad turned off the lights and left my room, still carefully holding the drawing.

  I petted Theodore.

  “You hear that, Theodore? Dad said he loves you. And I love you even more! You are so loved!”

  Theodore licked my hand, and I giggled.

  This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

  Acknowledgments

  First and foremost, I’d like to thank my parents, who got me a puppy for my tenth birthday and made my childhood dream come true. This book is largely based on that experience, even though Mindy is only eight when she gets her dog. (Lucky duck!)

  I would next like to thank all the teachers, librarians, booksellers, and students I met while I was on tour over the past year. Thank you so much for loving Mindy and for accepting her into your hearts. Mindy is really lucky to have friends like you!

  Thank you also to all the parents who bought the Mindy Kim books and/or reached out to me over social media to tell me how much their kids are loving Mindy. Your messages always brighten my world, even on my worst days. Thank you for sharing the Mindy Kim series and other books with your kids to foster their love of reading. You’re all rock stars.

  Like any book I write, this book wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my friends, who remind me to take care of myself and have fun whenever life gets stressful. Thank you for hanging out with me and for making my last couple of months a little bit brighter. I already mentioned most of them in my previous books, but here’s a special shout-out to Chelsea Chang, Shiyun Sun, Luke Chou, Bernice Yau, Alice Zhu, Steven Bell, Sherry Yang, Kelly Huang, Kaiti Liu, and Stephanie Liu. A whole other separate mention goes to Aneeqah Naeem, who’s once again sitting across the table from me as I write this. I consider myself really fortunate to have friends like you.

  Lastly, thank you a
lways to Alyson Heller, Penny Moore, Cassie Malmo, and Jenny Lu. Thank you for all that you do to support Mindy and me. We’re so lucky to have a team like you! And of course, thank you to Dung Ho for her always spot-on illustrations that bring Mindy and her adventures to life.

  More from this Series

  Mindy Kim, Class…

  Book 4

  Mindy Kim and the Yummy…

  Book 1

  Mindy Kim and the Lunar…

  Book 2

  Don’t miss Mindy’s next adventure!

  About the Author

  Lyla Lee is the author of the Mindy Kim series as well as the upcoming YA novel I’ll Be the One. Although she was born in a small town in South Korea, she’s since then lived in various parts of the United States, including California, Florida, and Texas. Inspired by her English teacher, she started writing her own stories in fourth grade and finished her first novel at the age of fourteen. After working various jobs in Hollywood and studying psychology and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, she now lives in Dallas, Texas. When she is not writing, she is teaching kids, petting cute dogs, and searching for the perfect bowl of shaved ice. You can visit her online at lylaleebooks.com.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Lyla-Lee

  Don’t miss more fun adventures with Mindy Kim!

  BOOK 1:

  Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business

  BOOK 2:

  Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade

  BOOK 3:

  Mindy Kim and the Birthday Puppy

  Coming soon:

  BOOK 4:

  Mindy Kim, Class President