IT’S A NICE DAY. THE SUN IS SHINING. THE birds are singing. And I have my cape. Look at me, Brutus! I have my cape!
Elliot asks me if I want a stick. Yes, I want a stick! I really want a stick! He grabs a branch off Squirrel Tree and gives it to me. I’ve got a stick. You see this, Brutus? I got a new stick!
Mom brings my leash. She wants me to take her on a walk. Dad wants to walk. And Jackson wants to walk. And so does Elliot. And Jasmine wants to walk. What’s that in her pocket? Oh, it’s the Furry Potato. He wants to walk too. I sniff him all over. He grunts at me. He LOVES me. And I LOVE him. Come on, everyone. Let’s all go for a walk.
Super Wedgie’s on duty, day or night, night or day, to protect the pack, come what may!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
STORIES COME TO LIFE IN MANY DIFFERENT ways. In this particular case, an editor named Melissa Miller had a story idea about two odd little characters—a guinea pig named Gizmo and a corgi named Wedgie. But she needed a writer to bring them to life. So she called me, and over the course of a year, we brainstormed, and schemed, and wrote, but mostly, we laughed. And hence you now hold this book in your hands.
Thank you, Melissa, for the opportunity to tap into your imagination and play in this new world. And huge thanks for choosing Barbara to be the illustrator. Barbara, your drawings make me giddy with happiness. You are an equal partner in breathing life into this story. Thank you for getting my humor and for translating it in such a lovely way.
As with every book, there is a team of creative people who work behind the scenes. At Harper Collins/Katherine Tegen Books, that team includes my soccer-loving and adventure-seeking new editor, Maria Barbo. It also includes Kelsey Horton, Rebecca Aronson, David Curtis, Amy Ryan, Jessica Berg, Stephanie Hoover, and Meaghan Finnerty. Thank you everyone for your hard work, dedication, and support!
And on the home front, my personal team includes Michael Bourret, agent extraordinaire, Isabelle Ranson and Walker Ranson, my children and my first readers, and Bob, my rock, my cheerleader, my husband. Love you all!
EXCERPT FROM WEDGIE & GIZMO VS. THE TOOF
WAIT AN EVIL MINUTE. IF THORGI AND THE royal pig are working together, that can only mean one thing—the pig has become Thorgi’s sidekick. Of course! All superheroes have a sidekick. Thorgi and the Toof are in cahoots!
I rub my furry chin. So this is my archenemy’s plan. He got himself a sidekick. He believes that two against one will give him a better chance to defeat me. Like Batman and Robin. Or like Han Solo and Chewbacca. He is mistaken!
I shall vanquish them both!
I am about to concoct a new Evil Plan when two human hands reach down and scoop me up. They are wrinkled, spotted hands. I look into the watery eyes of the Elderly One. She smiles at me, then carries me to the living room, where she settles onto her throne. It is television-watching time. How lovely. The Elderly One presents me with a cheese puff. It is delicious.
New Evil Plan: I will get rid of Thorgi and the Toof later today. Right now, it’s time to nourish my Evil Brain.
I’M SO HAPPY BECAUSE FUNNY DOG IS HERE. She likes to go for walks. She likes to roll on smelly things. But most of all, she likes to dig, just like me. We are digging a hole. We are best friends. I LOVE Funny Dog!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR
Bestselling author SUZANNE SELFORS lives on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest, where she spends most of her time making up stories, which is her very favorite thing to do. She has a dog, a cat, and is seriously considering getting an Evil Genius guinea pig.
You can visit her at
www.suzanneselfors.com.
BARBARA FISINGER is an illustrator, character designer, and visual development artist.
You can visit her on Tumblr at
www.barbarafisinger.tumblr.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
CREDITS
Cover art by Barbara Fisinger
Cover design by David Curtis
COPYRIGHT
Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
WEDGIE & GIZMO. Copyright © 2017 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN 978-0-06-244763-0
EPub Edition © August 2017 ISBN 9780062447647
17 18 19 20 21 CG/LSCH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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