Never Grow Up

Dedicated to Donald, my Prince Charming.
I love you with all my heart. You are my best friend, my home sweet home, my forever and always. Also to my grandchildren, who will grow up loving these stories, and to my children, who were finding their way when I began writing about the Baxters. And to God Almighty, who continues to give me the most beautiful life with all of them.
—Karen
To the reader, wherever you are and whatever your age, may you always see the best in others, view the world with wonder, take hold of adventure, and choose in your heart to never grow up. Thank you for reading these stories. You are the best. To my family, thank you for supporting me, for keeping me young, and for being the best family ever (besides The Baxters, of course). And to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All I have and all I do is because of You and for You. Thank you for giving me stories to share. I pray I tell them well. Happy reading, friends.
—Tyler


Dear Reader,
Hello again! We are so happy that you loved our first two Baxter Family Children books—Best Family Ever and Finding Home! You made them both big hits, and you were sure to tell us just how much those books meant to you. Thank you for that! The letters, posts, colored pictures, and reviews were heartwarming to me and to Tyler. One of our favorite comments was from a third-grade boy who said, “I will watch every day to make sure you write what happens next.”
And so we bring you this third book in the Baxter Family Children collection—Never Grow Up. Now that the Baxter Children are settled in their new lives in Bloomington, Indiana, this book will give you a glimpse of how important it is to appreciate your days as a child. The days of being young.
Writing about the Baxter children and seeing them grow up in their loving and supportive family has been an incredible joy for us. I’ve been writing about the Baxters for many, many years—the years when Tyler was growing up! Now, though, these books take us back to a simpler time when the Baxters were children, when they were growing up and finding their way. Sort of like flipping through the pages of a family photo album.
Like with Best Family Ever and Finding Home, this third installment in the Baxter Family Children’s story will have you laughing and smiling and thinking about what matters most—faith, family, and figuring out life along the way.
In fact, we like writing about the Baxter children so much, there just might be more books in this collection somewhere down the road!
Enjoy… and always keep reading!
Love, Karen
and Tyler


BROOKE BAXTER—an eighth grader at Bloomington Middle School in Indiana. She is studious and smart and happy about her family’s move. Like before, she has her own room.
KARI BAXTER—a sixth grader at Bloomington Elementary School. She is pretty, kind, and ready to make new friends—even if that means starting a new sport. Out in their huge backyard, Kari and Ashley find the perfect meeting spot for the family.
ASHLEY BAXTER—a fifth grader at Bloomington Elementary. When life gets crazy, Ashley is right in the middle of the mess. Always. She is a dreamer and an artist, open to trying new things. She sees art in everything, and is easily the funniest Baxter child.
ERIN BAXTER—a third grader at Bloomington Elementary. She is quiet and soft-spoken, and she loves spending time with their mom. She has her own room in the new house.
LUKE BAXTER—a second grader at Bloomington Elementary. He’s good at sports, but sometimes he’s a little too risky. Most of all he’s happy and hyper. He loves God and his family—especially his sister Ashley.


1
Meteor Madness
KARI
Kari Baxter’s head was somewhere in the clouds.
Nothing very unusual about that. Kari was more of a dreamer than most kids in her sixth-grade class. Only this time being in the sky was the exact right place for Kari.
Her teacher, Ms. Nan, was talking to them about meteors. Not from a science fiction book. But actual balls of fire streaking through the real-life sky over their heads. Kari could hardly believe it.
Ms. Nan stood in front of the class. “Next month we’ll have a meteor shower over Bloomington, Indiana.” The teacher’s eyes lit up. She was a big fan of meteors, apparently. She looked down the rows of students. “We’ll do a countdown until then, and on that night each of you will spend an hour viewing the meteor shower from home.”
Excitement welled up in Kari. An in-person meteor shower! Right here in Bloomington! She couldn’t wait to tell her family. Her four siblings would also want to count down the days, Kari was sure.
She gazed out the window and imagined the night sky covered with streaking lights, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Kari liked school. She was good at all her classes. But this wonderful news took learning to an entirely new level. Kari turned her eyes back to Ms. Nan and listened to every word.
“Boys and girls, I assure you this will be an unforgettable cosmic event.” Ms. Nan sat on the edge of her desk. “Who has seen a meteor shower before and what do we know about them?”
Liza’s hand shot up first. Liza was one of Kari’s new friends, and her teammate on the school’s swim team.
“You’ve seen a meteor shower, Liza?” Ms. Nan looked impressed. “Was that here in Indiana?”
“Well, not exactly.” Liza enjoyed talking. “Last summer we went to Washington State for Fourth of July and my uncle set off a hundred fireworks.” She made a grand gesture with both arms over her head. “All across the whole sky.” Liza smiled and lowered her hands back to her sides. “And