Today is Thursday.

Amelia Bedelia Shapes Up is the new book I am going to read. What does "shape up" means? It means to get someone into good physical shape or to make someone behave or perform better. Which is Amelia going to do in this book or both of them? Let me get the answer.

Amelia wanted to play kickball with her classmates, but both sides preferred the water fountain rather than her. Although at last the side choosing her won the game by her mistake, she felt very upset. When her dad came back, she asked him how the work was. He answered, "Another day, another dollar," which is a phrase referring to the uneventful course of one's working routine. Amelia said,"You need a raise." He said, "I bring home the bacon," which means to earn a salary or to bring home money earned at a job; "Keeping the wolf from our door," which means to maintain oneself at a minimal level or to keep from starving, freezing, etc." Amelia told her parents what had happened in school. And they talked about her coordination problem secretly. Will they have any plans?

Here are some expressions:

Little pitchers have big ears:Children like to listen to adult conversations and can understand a lot of what they hear. (Used to warn another adult not to talk about something because there is a child present.)

hit the sack:to get into bed

one's ears are burning: Said by or of someone who did not witness people talking about him or her, intuiting that this is the case.