Chapter 1
The Best Lunch Box

It was almost lunchtime, and Poppy Song could not wait. Lunch was her favorite part of the day, because her lunch box always had something special in it.

It was the same lunch box that her grandma, whom Poppy called Po Po, had used when she was a little girl living in Hong Kong. There were many dents in it, but that didn’t bother Poppy. Papa always said that each dent told a story. The lunch box had three small round trays stacked on top of one another, held together with metal clasps. Her grandmother always tucked something special into each one.

The bell finally rang. Poppy tapped the tips of her toes on the floor under her chair as she waited for Mrs. Z to dismiss each table to go to the lunchroom. When Mrs. Z finally called her table, Poppy fast-walked to the shelf where they kept their lunches.

As she reached for her lunch box, she saw Memo was there, even though his table was called second. He used crutches because he fell out of a tree in August. The crutches slowed him down.

“I can carry your lunch,” Poppy offered. “If you want.”

Memo looked at Poppy, and Poppy wondered what he thought about her. She had tried to make her pigtail buns extra neat this morning. And she was wearing her favorite overalls, the blue ones with a red heart on the right pocket. Po Po had embroidered that heart so Poppy would remember that Po Po loved her all the time, even when they weren’t together.

“Sure, thanks, Poppy,” Memo finally said, and Poppy glowed. It was the first time he had said her name, and wasn’t it so nice when someone said your name for the first time?

They headed to the lunchroom together. Because of his leg, Memo had an elevator pass. Theo usually accompanied Memo on the elevator, but Theo had been called to the office right before lunch and hadn’t returned. Poppy held her lunch box in one hand and Memo’s lunch bag in her other hand. Poppy thought she should make conversation, but she didn’t know what to say.

“You like baking, right?” Memo said, breaking their silence. “I watch The Great British Baking Show sometimes.”

Poppy smiled, relieved. Baking was something she could talk about! “I want to be on that show one day. My grandma, Po Po, is the best baker in the world, and she’s teaching me everything she knows. She’s going to be the Valued Visitor next Tuesday.”

“Lucky!” Memo said. “I can’t wait for my turn. Rohan’s mom was so cool.”

Poppy nodded. “It’s even more exciting because next Tuesday is Po Po’s birthday! I want to bake her something really special as a surprise.”

“Ooh, yes,” Memo said. “What’s your favorite thing to make?”

“Po Po and I make a lot of Chinese desserts,” Poppy said. “My favorite is cream buns, but we also make almond cookies, sponge cakes, egg tarts, Dragon’s Beard candy—”

“Wait a second,” Memo said, his eyes lighting up. “Dragon’s Beard candy sounds like the best dessert ever!”

“I’ve only made it with Po Po,” Poppy admitted. “She says it’s called that because it looks like the beard of a dragon. It’s really hard to make!”

When they got to Memo’s table, she put his lunch down next to Theo. Wyatt was sitting on Theo’s other side.

“Hi, Poppy!” the boys at the table said.

“For the next Valued Visitor Day, Poppy’s grandma is coming! And Poppy is going to make Dragon’s Beard candy!” Memo
said.

“I don’t know if I’m definitely making that—” Poppy said, but the boys didn’t hear her.

“That sounds amazing!” Theo said. “Perfect for dragons like us!”

Poppy wasn’t sure what to think about them being dragons. But she was new to Peppermint Falls, so she pretended to understand what they were talking about. “It’s made from spun sugar,” she explained.

“I love sugar!” Theo said.

“Want to sit with us?” Memo asked.

“I promised Olive I would sit with her,” Poppy said. “But thank you.”

Poppy said goodbye, then made her way to her usual table. It was true that Dragon’s Beard candy was super hard to make, but it was a good idea for Po Po’s birthday. The last time they made it together, a year ago, Po Po had told her it had been her favorite treat when she was growing up.

But could she make the candy by herself and keep it a surprise from Po Po? Poppy wasn’t so sure.