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  Jason was nodding and grinning. “I picked all nine of them. And I’m gonna see how many I can eat this year.”

  “Yay!” Everyone was clapping.

  The girls jumped up and down.

  The boys got up and gave each other high fives.

  “Jason’s real cool,” Stacy said. But nobody heard her. There was so much noise.

  “This is double dabble good!” Abby shouted.

  Finally they sat down again.

  All but Jason. He wasn’t finished talking. “I wanna thank somebody for all this fruity stuff,” he said. He was looking at Stacy.

  She ducked her head.

  “Stacy’s idea was never dumb. The fruity loop is a real cool idea,” Jason exclaimed.

  “It was God’s idea first. Don’t forget that,” Stacy reminded him.

  Carly raised her hand. “I prayed for you, Jason,” she said.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “And you got a new puppy out of the deal,” Eric pointed out.

  Jason scratched his head. “I can’t figure out why my parents let me keep Muffie.”

  “Because they saw kindness in you,” Stacy said.

  “And gentleness and joy,” added Abby.

  “Self-control,” said little Jimmy.

  “And faithfulness to feed and care for Muffie,” said Dunkum.

  “Don’t forget patience!” Dee Dee and Carly said together.

  “Peace, too,” said Eric.

  “And last, but not least—love,” said Stacy.

  Shawn was nodding his head. “Stacy’s right,” he said.

  Stacy looked at her watch. “Guess what? It’s the New Year!”

  “Happy New Year!” Jason was first to say.

  Stacy was quite sure that it would be happy. Very happy.

  With God’s help!

  THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS SERIES

  Don’t Miss #22!

  BIG BAD BEANS

  Jason Birchall is having bad dreams. Last night three giant carrots chased him to school! His mother’s health-food kick is the reason. And he doesn’t need the pressure. Jason’s trying to earn enough money to buy Eric Hagel’s flashy mountain bike. But he’s running out of time, and Muffie, his new dog, is no help.

  Couldn’t ten bucks just drop from heaven?

  About the Author

  When Beverly Lewis was a little girl, she and her family “adopted” an Eskimo spitz dog. Maxie was frisky and white. He pulled Beverly and her sister, Barbara, on a snow sled to the grocery store one winter. Maxie was also very big and as fluffy as a cloud. When he ran across the yard, his coat seemed to float in midair.

  The Fruit of the Spirit part of this book came from Beverly’s memories of Vacation Bible School. She and her church friends often had contests to see who could memorize Bible verses first.

  Collecting the Cul-de-sac Kids books is lots of fun. Why? Because you don’t want to miss a single book!

  Also by Beverly Lewis

  Amish Prayers

  The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook

  GIRLS ONLY (GO!)†

  Youth Fiction

  Girls Only! Volume One • Girls Only! Volume Two

  SUMMERHILL SECRETS ‡

  Youth Fiction

  SummerHill Secrets: Volume One • SummerHill Secrets: Volume Two

  HOLLY’S HEART

  Youth Fiction

  Holly’s Heart: Collection One ‡ • Holly’s Heart: Collection Two ‡

  Holly’s Heart: Collection Three†

  SEASONS OF GRACE

  Adult Fiction

  The Secret • The Missing • The Telling

  ABRAM’S DAUGHTERS

  Adult Fiction

  The Covenant • The Betrayal • The Sacrifice

  The Prodigal • The Revelation

  ANNIE’S PEOPLE

  Adult Fiction

  The Preacher’s Daughter • The Englisher • The Brethren

  THE ROSE TRILOGY

  Adult Fiction

  The Thorn • The Judgment

  COURTSHIP OF NELLIE FISHER

  Adult Fiction

  The Parting • The Forbidden • The Longing

  THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY

  Adult Fiction

  The Shunning • The Confession • The Reckoning

  OTHER ADULT FICTION

  The Postcard • The Crossroad • The Redemption of Sarah Cain

  October Song • Sanctuary (with David Lewis) • The Sunroom

  www.BeverlyLewis.com

  †4 books in each volume ‡5 books in each volume

  Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers

  PICTURE BOOKS

  In Jesse’s Shoes • Just Like Mama

  What Is God Like? • What Is Heaven Like?

  THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS

  The Double Dabble Surprise

  The Chicken Pox Panic

  The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery

  No Grown-ups Allowed

  Frog Power

  The Mystery of Case D. Luc

  The Stinky Sneakers Mystery

  Pickle Pizza

  Mailbox Mania

  The Mudhole Mystery

  Fiddlesticks

  The Crabby Cat Caper

  Tarantula Toes

  Green Gravy

  Backyard Bandit Mystery

  Tree House Trouble

  The Creepy Sleep-Over

  The Great TV Turn-Off

  Piggy Party

  The Granny Game

  Mystery Mutt

  Big Bad Beans

  The Upside-Down Day

  The Midnight Mystery

  Katie and Jake and the Haircut Mistake

  www.BeverlyLewis.com

  From Bethany House Publishers

  Fiction for Young Readers

  (ages 7-10)

  ASTROKIDS™

  by Robert Elmer

  Space scooters? Floating robots? Jupiter ice cream? Blast into the future for out-of-this-world, zero-gravity fun with the AstroKids on space station CLEO-7.

  THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS

  by Beverly Lewis

  Each story in this lighthearted series features the hilarious antics and predicaments of nine endearing boys and girls who live on Blossom Hill Lane.

  JANETTE OKE’S ANIMAL FRIENDS

  by Janette Oke

  Endearing creatures from the farm, forest, and zoo discover their place in God’s world through various struggles, mishaps, and adventures.