In this story there is this boy named Clifford and he has to move out of his house. He has to change his name too. Also in this story there is a boy named Alex and his brother named Benjie. Benjie knows that they are getting new neighbors so every day after school he looks to see if they are home. But the thing is there are these two kids that go to Alex’s school named Duke and Henry. These two kids are really mean and hate Alex. When the new neighbor get to their new house Benjie runs over there right away and says hi. Alex’s and Benjie’s new neighbors are Clifford and his family. Of course since Alex and Clifford now go to the same school Duke and Henry will probably pick on them. When Clifford gets to school at lunch Duke stills Cliffords cookie and smashes if on the ground. When Duke smashes the cookie on the ground Clifford throws his spaghetti on Dukes head. Later that night someone lights Cliffords house on fire. But someone in Alex’s family knows who did it. Later in the story Alex gets trapped by the same person who lit the fire. The guy who lit the fire then tied Alex’s arms and legs up in a knot with a rope. Once he did that he threw Alex inside a vacant house and lit that house on fire. That was the second house he had lit on fire. Alex was trapped I there for a long time while the house was on fire. If you want to know if he got out safe or if he died read The Stranger Next Door By: Peg Kehret.  

Jack S.