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For that answer to make more sense, might you give us a quick description oF the story you wrote?

mom is baking a cake for John — John is my cousin who also goes to st. patrick. mom goes out to the store and while she’s gone, the cat really wants the cake and keeps trying not to think about the cake, but he can’t stop thinking about the cake. [spoiler alert] cat gets into the cake. he tries to clean it up, and he feels bad.

so, is there a lesson For kids in this story?

yes. even if you do something bad, your family still loves you.

what does mrs. suter think oF you turning the assignment into a book? she didn’t even know until this year that it was because of her.

i heard your book was helping animals, how’s that?

every book i sell donates $1 to the spca i am also selling uh oh! cat wristbands for $4 and giving $1 of that to the spca what made you want to give your money to them? i saw this really sad commercial [yep, we know the one — that heart-wrenching spot featuring singer sarah mclachlan], and it made me want to give some of the money to help animals have clean cages and food. i also have asked for my birthday gifts for the past three years to be donations to the spca so you’ve gone without birthday giF ts For the past three years? well, people sometimes still give me presents. sometimes they give presents and the money [to the spca]. what was it like to read your book in Front oF the whole school? weird, scary. my cousin John says, “why’d you put my name in it?” do you plan to keep being a writer as you grow up?

[shrugs] i really want to be an architect, because i like to draw. i have another book coming out soon called “uh-oh! giraffe”, so we’ll see how well that does.

—CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

Purchase “uh-Oh! cat” at The Store in Lake Highlands, or through Courtney’s website, uhohanimals.com, where you can also play the UH-OH video game. You can also follow Courtney Roberts on Facebook.

a guide through the maze oF city-related questions the city of dallas has a program specifically designed to allow residents to petition for road humps (also known as road bumps) on a street, but it’s not a simple process, and depending on the average speed of cars on your street, it may cost you. if money is not a stop sign for you on the road to safer streets, here’s how it works:

?cars are always speeding down my street. how can i get road humps installed to make them slow down?

214.670.4020. t hey will instigate a review of the location by dallas Firerescue to confirm eligibility.

2. if your street qualifies for the program, you must petition for signatures from two-thirds of the households on the proposed stretch of road in order to install road humps. once complete, the petition can be sent to: road hump coordinator, department of p ublic works and transportation, city hall, room l1/ bn, dallas, t X 75201.

3. a pproximately three weeks after the petition is received, the city will perform a traffic study to determine the average speed of vehicles on the street. t his will determine how much of the total cost the residents must pay.

1. several requirements must be met for your street to be deemed eligible for the program, so first you need to see if yours qualifies. t he four main criteria are that your street must:

• be at least 1,000 feet long and provide access to “adjoining lowdensity residential properties” (meaning single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes — not apartment complexes)

• have only one traffic lane in each direction

• not be listed as an emergency response route by dallas Firerescue

• Have a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less to find out if your street qualifies, contact the city of dallas p ublic works and transportation department at

4. b ased on the findings, residents will have to decide whether they are willing to pay for their share of the road humps, each of which measure 12 feet long and 3 inches high, and cost $1,100. if the city finds that traffic violators are traveling at an average speed of 35 mph, residents are responsible for 100 percent of the cost. a n average speed of 36 mph, however, reduces residents’ share to 80 percent; 37 mph reduces it to 60 percent; 38 to 40 percent; and if violators are driving at average speeds of 39+ mph, the city will foot the entire bill.

For more information, contact the p ublic works and transportation department at 214.670.4020.

—ELIZABETH ELLIOTT

GOt a maze yOu caN’t fiNd yOur way thrOuGh? email howitworks@advocatemag.com with your question.