Super Turbo vs. the Pencil Pointer Read online

  “Guys, what if this wasn’t some sinister plan crafted by the mysterious Pencil Pointer?”

  Super Turbo and the superpets knew what they had to do. They cleaned up the reading nook. Then they worked together to get the pencil sharpener up on Ms. Beasley’s desk so she’d see it first thing when she came in.

  Their job done, the superpets made their way to the vent so they could return to their respective classrooms.

  As he left, Boss Bunny turned back to Super Turbo. “Just one more thing,” he said. “If the Pencil Pointer isn’t real, then what is that map I showed you guys? And what does ‘trial in the cafeteria’ mean?”

  Super Turbo shook his head. “I don’t know, Boss Bunny. But right now, I think we all need some rest.” And with that, Super Turbo climbed into his cage and fell into a deep sleep.

  The next morning plain, old, typical Turbo looked out on his plain, old, typical classroom in plain, old Sunnyview Elementary School. He smiled.

  Earlier Ms. Beasley had arrived and found the pencil sharpener on her desk. Which had led her to look at where the pencil sharpener was supposed to be, on the shelf above Turbo’s cage. Which had led her to notice Turbo’s cage. Which had led her to realize that the pencil shavings from the pencil sharpener had been falling into Turbo’s cage!

  Ms. Beasley had the janitor come in and reinstall the pencil sharpener, this time on the corner of her own desk.

  RING-A-DING-DING!

  “Okay, class,” said Ms. Beasley when all the students were seated. “I have a few announcements this morning. First, I’m supposed to tell you that tomorrow we will be starting a trial in the cafeteria.”

  Turbo’s ears perked up at the sound of this. Trial? Cafeteria?

  “We’re doing a trial run of great new snacks such as organic fruits and vegetables, gluten-free bread, hummus, and all kinds of yummy stuff,” explained Ms. Beasley.

  A boy in the back of the room raised his hand. “You’re not getting rid of the old snacks too, are you?” he asked. “I’m on a very strict all-cheese diet.”

  Ms. Beasley laughed. “No, Charlie,” she told the boy. “After this trial, we’ll be stocking the cafeteria with all sorts of delicious and healthy snacks.”

  At this, the class gave a cheer.

  In his cage Turbo chuckled to himself. So that was the trial in the cafeteria! Mystery solved! Wait until he told the rest of the Superpet Superhero League!

  Then Ms. Beasley told the students about how the pencil sharpener had been raining pencil shavings on poor Turbo, and how she’d had it reinstalled on her desk.

  This time a different boy from the back of the room raised his hand. “Ms. Beasley, I feel really bad about making it rain pencil shavings on Turbo,” he said. “Do you think we could all make it up to him by drawing pictures of him? That might show Turbo how special he is to us!”

  “What a wonderful idea, Eugene!” Ms. Beasley exclaimed.

  In his cage Turbo beamed.

  At Ms. Beasley’s desk the students lined up to sharpen their pencils. For some reason, the sound wasn’t so bad this time!

  Then the kids spent the morning drawing pictures of their beloved classroom pet.

  Turbo sat back in his cage, surrounded by all the beautiful drawings made for him by the students of Classroom C.

  It was certainly hard work being the official pet of a second-grade classroom, and even more work being a superhero. But it sure was worth it.

  IF YOU LIKE SUPER TURBO, YOU’LL LOVE DOG DETECTIVE RIDER WOOFSON! HERE’S A PEEK AT THE FIRST BOOK:

  Rider Woofson stared out of his office window, looking over the city skyline. Buildings stretched out for miles in every direction. This was Pawston, the animal capital of the world. Every day, thousands of animals went about their business, behaving as good citizens should.

  But this city also had a darker side, known as the criminal underbelly. And it was not the kind of belly you wanted to scratch. Not unless you wanted to get bit!

  That was where Rider Woofson came in. Rider was no ordinary canine. He was the greatest dog detective in Pawston—maybe even the world. And with the help of his pals in the Pup Investigators Pack, criminals didn’t stand a chance.

  In fact, the only problem for the P.I. Pack was waiting for an actual crime to happen.

  “Well, it’s been a pretty quiet afternoon, huh, Boss?” said Westie Barker.

  “It is quiet,” Rider woofed. “Too quiet.” He fixed his crooked tie and adjusted his hat. “I don’t like it.”

  “A day off must be terrier-fying for a working dog like you,” the West Highland terrier said with a laugh. He was fiddling with a screwdriver and what used to be a vacuum cleaner. “Try to enjoy it. You could grab a dognap or buy a new collar. Maybe play a game of fetch?”

  “We’re not pups anymore,” Rider said, looking over his friend’s shoulder. “Say, what is that?”

  “It’s my new toy project . . . a jetpack!” Westie said as he wagged his tail. The white-furred terrier was a true gadget expert. He was always building something new. “With this strapped to my back, I’ll be able to solve crimes faster than a speeding greyhound.”

  “I bet that jetpack won’t get one foot off the ground,” Rora Gooddog said from across the room. She was the slickest poodle on the block, and twice as smart. She was sitting at her desk, writing up a crime report.

  “Flying is for the birds anyways,” said a floppy-haired mutt named Ziggy Fluffenscruff. “I like to keep my paws on the ground, thank you very much.” The young pup sniffed around the office. He followed his nose over to the file cabinet. After digging through a few papers, he pulled out a bone and hugged it. “Bow-wowza!” he yipped. “I knew you weren’t lost.”

  “So you’re the one who put bite marks on this,” Rora said as she grabbed the bone back and returned it to the file cabinet. “This is evidence, not dinner. Now, quit thinking with your stomach.”

  “Thinking with my stomach has helped solve lots of cases, you know,” Ziggy whispered to himself, curling up on the couch. “Like that one with the mean dog magician, Labra-cadabra-dor.”

  “Kid, you’ve got a real talent there,” Rider said. “And I bet your nose could smell trouble a mile away.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  LEE KIRBY has the proportionate strength and abilities of a man-size hamster. He spends his days chewing up cardboard and running in giant plastic bubbles throughout his very own fortress of solitude in Brooklyn, New York. And, no, he is not related to world-famous Captain Awesome author Stan Kirby. Or is he?

  GEORGE O’CONNOR is the creator of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series Olympians, in addition to serving as the illustrator of the Captain Awesome series. He is also the author and illustrator of the picture books Kapow!, Ker-splash, and If I Had a Triceratops. He resides in his secret Brooklyn, New York, hideout, where he uses his amazing artistic powers to strike fear in the hearts of bad guys everywhere!

  LITTLE SIMON

  SIMON & SCHUSTER · NEW YORK

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  authors.simonandschuster.com/Lee-Kirby

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division • 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 • www.SimonandSchuster.com • First Little Simon hardcover edition July 2017. Copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, plea
se contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected]. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by Jay Colvin. The text of this book was set in Little Simon Gazette.

  Jacket Design by Jay Colvin

  Jacket Illustrations by George O’Connor

  Jacket Illustrations Copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-4814-9439-7 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-9438-0 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-9440-3 (eBook)