Pretty Pickle

If you like pickles, you can probably thank extraterrestrials…

The first pickle showed up around the same time as the first pyramid.

Just sayin’.

If you've ever found yourself in a pickle, well, then you can thank Shakespeare.

That phrase shows up for the first time in The Tempest.

And if you've ever found yourself hankering fried pickles, blame it on Elvis.

Apparently he loved them.

Yes, today we are celebrating the snack food that was ruled to be a “fruit” by the (apparently intoxicated) US Supreme Court back in 1883.

And what better way to celebrate National Pickle Day than with a great book?

Pickle by Kim Baker is a fun-filled novel about a group of middle school pranksters who've figured out how to get PTA funding by becoming an “official” club — The League of Pickle Makers.

The book was a finalist in the 2013 Children’s Choice Book Awards as well as a Texas Bluebonnet Award 2014-2015 nominee. Obviously, Kim knows her stuff.

One of her secrets?

In a 2012 interview, she said she spends a LOT of time thinking, “What if?”

For Pickle, she thought…

“What if there was a secret society for kids?” Then…

“What if they did entertaining and absurd pranks, not the victimizing kind?” And…

“What if there was an authoritarian principal who didn't really appreciate fun?” Then things just went from there.

They certainly did.

Way to go, Kim!

PROMPT: Get your character into a pickle today with some serious pranking. Ask those Kim Baker “What ifs” and put your answers on the page. Then get yourself into a Pickle by picking up three copies of her book.