Mindy Kim, Class President Read online

  “Me?” she asked. Her voice sounded quiet and scared.

  “Do you want to sit with me and my friend Sally?” I asked. “You can try some of my snacks!”

  Lindsey’s eyes widened, but then she slowly smiled.

  “Okay!” she said.

  Lindsey sat at our table. She didn’t say anything at first. But Sally and I asked her questions to get her talking.

  “What’s your favorite color?” Sally wanted to know.

  “And what’s your favorite animal?” I asked.

  “I really like blue,” she said. “And I love horses! I used to have a pony at my old house. I miss her so much. Her name is Betsy!”

  Lindsey showed us a picture of her pony. It was a brown pony with really cute eyes!

  “Wow, you had a pony?” Sally asked. “That’s so cool!”

  “Sorry you don’t have her anymore, though,” I said.

  “Oh, it’s okay. She’s with my grandparents now. We’re going to visit them back in Minnesota on Thanksgiving!”

  “That’s good,” I replied. “Sally and I both love dogs. I have a puppy named Theodore the Mutt!”

  By the end of lunch, Sally, Lindsey, and I had talked a lot about everything and anything. We were all friends now!

  Even though I hadn’t won the election, I was really glad I could help Lindsey. Being the class president is important, but so is being a good friend and being kind to other people. And I was so happy that I now had a new friend!

  It looked like my platform of friends, kindness, and snacks had worked after all.

  Acknowledgments

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you, Reader. Thank you for reading this book, and the previous Mindy Kim books, if you’ve read them. Thank you especially to those of you who’ve told me (either directly or through an adult) how you enjoyed reading about Mindy’s adventures. The year 2020 was my first year as a published author, and it hasn’t always been easy, but what makes everything worth it is hearing from readers like you. Keep reading! There are so many different worlds and stories out there. I hope you never lose your love of books.

  Next, I’d like to thank my parents, who supported me when I ran for class president in elementary school. Thank you also for listening to my class presentations, choir recital practices, and whatever else I needed help with when I was in school. Even though you weren’t always able to help me with what I learned in school and didn’t always understand English, I still appreciate how you did your best to help me through everything.

  I’d like to also thank my friends, as always. Whether you’re in Asia, Europe, Australia, or elsewhere in North America, I am so grateful for all of you. Thank you for being there for however long we were and/or are friends. Just like Mindy is lucky to have a friend like Sally, I am so fortunate to have friends like you.

  To all the teachers, booksellers, parents, and librarians who encourage kids to read every day: thank you. I am the writer I am today because of the teachers, booksellers, librarians, et cetera, I met while growing up, so I know you’re having an equally big impact on these children’s lives. And to the parents who do their best for their children like my parents did for me: you’re all rock stars. You inspire me daily with what you do, especially in the bumpy and uncertain year we’ve had.

  Finally, I would like to thank everyone who is involved in the process of making the Mindy Kim books into a reality. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined having a children’s book series of my own, and yet here we are now, releasing a fourth book of this series. What a wild and exciting journey it’s been! Thank you for helping make my childhood dream into a reality. Fourth-grader Lyla would be so happy to know that dreams come true after all.

  More from this Series

  Mindy Kim and the Yummy…

  Book 1

  Mindy Kim and the Lunar…

  Book 2

  Mindy Kim and the…

  Book 3

  About the Author and Illustrator

  LYLA LEE is the author of the Mindy Kim series as well as the 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.

  DUNG HO was born and raised in Hue, Vietnam, where she studied graphic design at the Arts University. After graduating, she worked in the design and advertising industry for a short while, but then she found a great passion for illustration and making picture books. Now she is a freelance illustrator and currently lives and works in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Lyla-Lee

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Dung-Ho

  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

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  First Aladdin paperback edition September 2020

  Text copyright © 2020 by Lyla Lee

  Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Dung Ho

  Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau

  at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Cover designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  Cover illustration copyright © 2020 by Dung Ho

  Designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2020934962

  ISBN 978-1-5344-4017-3 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-4016-6 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-4018-0 (eBook)