Maya stood at the doorway of her new kindergarten classroom, one foot on the welcome mat.
She took one small step inside. Her sneaker let out a loud squeak on the shiny floor.
Every head turned. A paper airplane drifted down and landed on her shoe. A boy with a crooked paper crown pointed and said, "You're part of the game now!"
Maya looked around and saw an enormous cardboard castle filling half the room. The boy with the crown marched over and held out a wooden block. "We need more walls," he said.
Maya took the block. She climbed onto the bench and started handing blocks to the other children.
The tower wobbled and wobbled — then crashed right into a pile of red toy apples! They rolled everywhere!
Maya laughed first. Then the whole class laughed with her, chasing apples like bowling pins.
The bell rang. Maya walked back to her backpack, but her dress was smudged with crayon and a red apple sticker was stuck to her knee.
Maya didn't reach for her backpack. She sat cross-legged on the carpet and leaned against the castle. The boy with the crown climbed up beside her.
Leo rested his paper crown on her head. Maya whispered, "Tomorrow I'll bring more blocks."
The teacher watched from her chair and smiled.
Maya felt tomorrow was going to be wonderful.