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welcome to storyline online brought to
you by the sag-aftra foundation I'm
Oprah Winfrey and today I'm going to be
reading the hula hooping Queen written
by Felmy Lynn go Dan and illustrated by
Vanessa Brantley Newton today is a day
I'm gonna beat Jamar Johnson at hooping
then I'll be the hula hoop and queen of
139th Street Gemara says she's going to
be the Queen forever but last week I
almost beat her I sort through my hoops
and then I picked out my favorite and
then I feel it comment on the itch a
hula hoop and itch my fingers start
snapping and my feet start tap in my
hips start swing in and I'm just
reaching for a hoop when mama says girl
don't you even think about it you know
today is Miss Adaline's birthday then
heat washes up over me and I stamp my
foot don't get me wrong I love miss
adaleen she lives right next door
this Adaline took care mama when she was
little and then she took care of me too
she's like my very own grandmama but
mama I burst out I can't help with Miss
Adaline's party I'm supposed to meet you
Mara today's the day
mama stands still as water in a puddle
she gives me her look and then she hands
me a broom I sigh loudly then I start
sweeping but when mom is not watching I
push my favorite hoop a little closer to
the door with my toe
mom and I dust every room and scrub down
the floors we polish each window till we
can see clear new jersey after that I
peeled potatoes while momma starts
mixing up a special double fudge
chocolate cake kaamika set that oven to
350 degrees
mom
as she empties the last of the sugar
into the mixing bowl and add sugar to
the grocery list
well I push the button on the oven and I
look out the window it's already getting
late I bet your Mara's telling everybody
I'm too scared to poop her while the
cake bakes we make up plates of fancy
sandwiches then mama slices strawberries
and shows me how to make whipped cream
when the timer rings mama opens the oven
kaamika mama yells as she checks the
oven temperature you only set it to 250
degrees this Adaline's birthday cake
looks like someone sat on it mama says
we'll have to start over mama sends me
to the store to buy more sugar on my way
out the door I grab a hoop like I
usually do when I get outside I remember
that I'm on a mission
miss Adaline's party will be starting in
a couple of hours mama has to finish the
potato salad and we still have to make
another cake I don't even twirl my hope
is a hurry down the street I don't stop
to blow kisses to miss Evelyn or wave to
mr. John and the bakery I'm coming out
of the store when I see Gemara
and Porsha hoping on the corner of 139th
and Broadway we thought you weren't
coming kaamika says Gemara with a smirk
I need to get the sugar back to mama but
Gemara sounds so smug I can't stand it
well you thought wrong I tell her you
ready she asks I was born ready
and then I feel it coming on the itch
the hula-hooping itch whoever hoops the
longest is the winner Porsha says as
soon as she shouts go my fingers start
snapping I'm a feedstock tap in my hips
start swinging and I just know I'm gonna
be Jamar today
neighborhood kids crowd around as Jamar
and I hoop
cars honking slow down trucks roar pass
grown-up heat and dust from the pavement
sweet
Jamar frowns you've been practicing some
she says that's right girl a grand
greater than the Brooklyn Bridge
stretches across my face son moves
between the buildings and the sidewalk
starts cooling down but Jamar and me
keep on whooping I got doughnuts the
Miss Outlands party mr. Jon calls out as
he closes up the bakery so schwinkle
swoosh wiggle this Adaline's
cake I shout my hoop clatters to the
sidewalk I grab it and sugar and race up
the block I can hear Gemara just
laughing behind me by the time I reach
our apartment
mama is madder than a hornet kaamika
haze she skulls I'm sorry mama
I saw Jamar and girl I don't want to
hear that whoo looping nonsense it's too
late now
miss Adaline's already here you take
yourself on into the living room explain
to miss adaleen why she won't have a
cake for her birthday miss adaleen
brought her own music and she's got it
turned up she's sitting and she's
listening to it jazz blues tune she
nodded her head like a spring Robin
looking for a worm hi miss adaleen I say
Happy Birthday kaamika come here baby
come here and give me a kiss
so I come in close and I kiss miss
Adaline's salt cheek and then I whisper
in her ear
you don't really like take much
baby girl you know I sure do love cake
chocolate cake with strawberries and
real whipped cream on top she Pat's my
arm
oh yes that's my favorite cake miss
adaleen smiles at me I try to smile back
but my heart is racing as fast as the
roller coaster at Coney Island I can't
tell her about the cake just yet
pretty soon the neighbors start arriving
miss Evelyn's wearing her Sundy church
hat and mr. John's all spruced up in a
pinstripe suit Jamar and Portia sashay
in with their parents they're still
carrying their hoops from earlier today
girls I don't want to see any hoops says
mama firmly to Gemara and Portia okay
mrs. Hayes says Gemara she flashes her
big smirking smile at me
Tameka you're about done with hooping
after today aren't you I smile right
back at her don't you bet on it Gemara
most of the presents are still unopened
when miss adaleen says well I do believe
it's time for birthday cake I swallow
hard miss adaleen I say slowly we made a
cake but it didn't turn out right mm
then we needed more sugar to make
another one but I didn't get the sugar
back to mama in time cuz I was hoping I
was trying to be jabbar so I could be
the hoop and queen of a hundred thirty
ninth Street it's my fault there isn't
any cake
no cake says miss adaleen raising her
eyebrows I look over at Gemara she's
spinning one of mr. John's Donuts round
and round on her finger like it's a hula
hoop suddenly that gives me an idea I'll
be right back I yell as I race from the
room in the kitchen
set a chocolate donut on a pretty plate
I add whipped cream and strawberries
mama comes in to help I put a candle on
top and she lights it as I carry the
donut cake to miss adaleen mama starts
singing happy birthday and everyone
joins in the candle glows as bright as
the smile on this Adaline's face why
this is just about perfect as Adaline
says taking a bite of her donut birthday
cake
now Kimiko did you say you were whooping
when I was a girl I was the best hula
hoop on this block Adaline don't you
stop that nonsense miss Evelyn says as
she marches on over to us you know very
well I was the best miss adaleen looks
at me baby girl why don't you bring some
hoops on in here and let me show this
old girl what she forgot my eyes fine
momma's she shakes her head but miss
adaleen already pushing back chairs to
make room then she slips a hoop over her
head and right then I know this
Adaline's just like me she's got the
kitsch the hula hooping itch her fingers
starts snapping and a feet start tapping
her hip starts swinging and before we
know it that hoop is shin right around
this Adaline's waist and then she's got
it swinging around her neck my glance
over at mama and I see a smile pull in
at her lips
in spite of herself
this Adaline shimmies the hoop down past
her knees she spins it around her ankle
as she hops on one foot then the other
with the hoop still Shh round and around
miss adaleen heads for the door miss
Evelyn grabs one of my hoops and mr.
John grabs another even Mama's hips to
swing it as pole party spills out onto
the street everybody's got the itch the
hula hoop and itch
pretty soon poops are swishing and
swinging Oh
Kumiko this is the best birthday party I
have ever had miss adaleen Hollis Gemara
oops on over to me kaamika she says I
know who the real who hoop in queen of
139th Street is I do too I say jamar
settles her hoop around her waist
you ready kaamika I was born ready I say
the sidewalk is cooler than a spring
rain and the street lights shine like
stars
so she swagger especially the end well
the reason I wanted to read this story
to you all is because I love hula hoops
so much and it was one of my favorite
things to play with when I was a girl
and even now as a full fully full grown
adult I have my own hula hoop I have
actually several hula hoops and I have
an emoji that is an avatar of myself
with a hula hoop and whenever anything
fun or special or really fantastic
happens in my life I go out and I get my
hula hoops and I
thanks for watching storyline online
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