The Paper Route
Michael's Big Break
Michael had big dreams and an even bigger heart. One morning, his dad asked him to run to the store and grab a newspaper. "Sure thing, Dad!" Michael grinned, excited for the quick trip.
He hopped on his bike, feeling the wind tickle his cheeks as he pedaled down the street. The store wasn't far away, and he could practically smell the newspaper's fresh ink already. But as he rounded the corner, something caught his eye.
There, by the store, was a truck parked with a man loading newspapers into the paper rack. The man looked tired like he'd been working hard all morning. Michael's eyes widened with curiosity.
He zoomed closer on his bike, feeling the wind rush against his face. Just as he slid to a stop before the paper racks, he heard the man's voice: "Wow, that's some fancy riding, son; you’d be a great paper boy!"
Michael grinned, thinking the man was just being nice. He grabbed a newspaper from the rack and started to pedal away. But then, something made him pause. The man's voice floated after him, carrying words that sparked Michael's interest.
"It pays 10 cents per paper delivered! With your speed, you could deliver 200 in a morning!"
Michael slammed on his brakes, sending dust swirling around his bike. He turned around, his eyes shining with excitement. Maybe, just maybe, this was the chance he'd been waiting for to make some money and get that telescope he’d wanted for so long.
Michael's Early Morning Adventure
The next morning came faster than Michael expected. He had barely closed his eyes when a scary sound startled him awake. This wasn't the familiar sound of his alarm, which he had forgotten to set the night before; it was a deep, rumbling growl that sent shivers down his spine. With a yelp, Michael jumped out of bed and dashed into his parents' room, his heart racing.
"Bear, bear!" he shouted, his voice panicked.
His dad, still groggy from sleep but with a twinkle in his eye, chuckled. "That's your backup alarm, son. Don't worry; there are no bears here. Once you get your alarm working, you can turn that thing off before it scares the wits out of you again."
Relieved but slightly embarrassed, Michael thanked his dad for the wake-up call and hurried back to his room.
With a deep breath, Michael geared up for his first day on the job. He swung open the front door and was met with a surprising sight. There, piled neatly on the doorstep, were 180 newspapers waiting to be folded and delivered. Michael's eyes widened in disbelief. He had never seen so many papers in his life!
Undeterred by the daunting task ahead, Michael rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Folding each newspaper carefully, he glanced at the list of addresses in his neighborhood. It was a long list, but Michael was determined to tackle it head-on.
As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, Michael set off on his bike, a bundle of newspapers tucked securely in his basket. With a mixture of excitement and nerves, he began his route.
Michael's Speedy Saturday
Michael was buzzing with excitement after his first successful day on the job. As he folded each newspaper and pedaled through the neighborhood, he felt pride in having this cool job. When he finally finished delivering all 180 papers, he couldn't wait to figure out how long it had taken him.
Sitting down with a pencil and paper, Michael calculated the time it had taken him from start to finish. Three hours. He nodded to himself, feeling satisfied. That meant he had delivered one paper approximately every minute. Not bad for his first day, he thought.
But Michael wasn't one to settle for "not bad." He knew he could do better, especially since all the houses in his neighborhood were close together.
When the following Saturday rolled around, Michael was up with the sun, his alarm clock ringing cheerfully instead of growling like a bear. He quickly silenced his dad's backup alarm before it could startle him again and bounded out of bed with a grin.
When Michael opened the front door, he saw another stack of newspapers waiting to be folded and delivered. But this time, there was something extra—a little note from his manager thanking him for being so responsible. The note meant so much to Michael and supercharged his efforts.
Michael set to work. Folding each paper with practiced ease, he swiftly moved through the neighborhood, his bike weaving through the streets like a streak of lightning. When he finally completed his route and checked the time, he couldn't help but let out a whoop of joy.
He had beaten his previous record by a whole 15 minutes! “This is a great job,” he said out loud.
Coloring Exercise
Have students color this free image of a paperboy.
