Some Penguin Problems

by Dr. Kate Biberdorf

  I turned to Memito. “It doesn’t have to be a parent, just an adult! What about your grandma? She’s retired, right?”

  Memito shrugged. “Sure. We can ask her. There’s a chance she’ll say no, but it can’t hurt.”

  “It’s still an awesome idea,” said Jeremy. I lifted my eyebrows. I couldn’t believe Jeremy thought something I said was awesome. That might be a first.

  “We should all go to my house together,” said Memito. “I think she would have a harder time saying no to all of us.”

  We cleaned up the chocolate mess and then ran to Memito’s house. It took us about ten minutes to get there, but it felt like ten hours. Normally, when there’s no snow anywhere, it’s faster. But we had to go slow on parts of the sidewalk that were a little icy.

  “Okay, everyone,” I said, “cross your fingers.” I lifted my hand to knock.

  “Um, Kate,” said Memito. “This my house. We don’t need to knock.”

  I laughed. “I sort of forgot,” I admitted. Memito led us into his house. We pulled off our boots and coats, and then we made our way to the family room, where Memito’s grandma was reading a mystery. We were not surprised to find her wrapped in one of her big quilts, completely focused on her novel.

  She jumped when she saw us. “Sorry. In the story the detective was hunting down a notorious group of jewelry thieves. And then I heard this crunch-crunching sound.”

  Memito explained that we were an organized group of high-tech jewelry thieves and that we needed a chaperone to go to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

  Chuckling, his grandmother put her reading glasses on the table. “I love that aquarium. Sign me up!”

  We all cheered. Sometimes things do go in your favor.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Present Your Point

  Scientific Presentation (noun). This is when scientists go to conferences and communicate their findings. Usually, this is done by giving a presentation with a visual slideshow. It’s always a good idea to know how to present or persuade others of your position. As a kid, sometimes you need to present the reasons why you absolutely need that new rock polisher or chemistry set.

  “YOU’RE GOING TO WORK on your presentations today in class,” said Mrs. Eberlin. It was Tuesday, three days before we were supposed to go on the field trip. “I want you all to have your research done before we even cross our state line. Think about how much better your experience will be when you finally meet your animal at the aquarium.”

  “You mean if we meet our animal at the aquarium,” said Memito. Earlier that morning he had shared the good news about his grandma being able to go. “We’re still one chaperone short though.”

  “After school, I’m going to talk to the principal and figure this out,” said Mrs. Eberlin.

  I could feel eyes on me. And my face became beet red. You’d think I’d get used to hearing teachers and kids mention the principal. But I never do. It always makes me feel a little awkward and uncomfortable.

  “We can solve this,” said Mrs. Eberlin. “Now let’s focus back on your presentations. You’ve all been working so hard on your research, I can’t wait to hear all of the information you’ve gathered.”

  I tried to be happy about focusing on my sea lion talk. After all, it’s important for me to practice giving oral presentations. Since that’s what scientists often do when they go to conferences. I tried to focus on how lucky I was to get to work on my very own presentation.

  But as Mrs. Eberlin passed out our Chromebooks, I kept on worrying about the field trip.

  Usually, everyone gets really excited whenever we get to work on something cool like slides. But today, everyone was sluggish and slow. I guess they were as worried as me.

  “Oh, I wanted to say something about the photographs for your presentations,” said Mrs. Eberlin. “It’s okay to cut and paste them on your slides. But you can only use Creative Commons images. I’ll show you how to do that in a moment. However, I would encourage all of you to consider making original drawings as well.”

  “I’m definitely making drawings,” said Birdie.

  “Same with me,” said Julia. “I want to make my penguins magenta. I think that will look cute.”

  Magenta. There were no such things as magenta penguins.

  “Violet would be good too,” Julia said.

  “Penguins are black and white,” I said quietly. “It helps disguise them from predators when they’re swimming. Although some also have yellow, orange, and slate blue colors. But not magenta.”

  “But magenta is cheerful,” said Julia, “and it sounds good too. Purple penguins.” She smiled.

  “It’s not scientifically accurate,” I explained. Was she serious? Yes, they have orange beaks and cute yellow tufts on their heads, but nowhere on planet Earth are there magenta penguins.

  “Kate,” said Mrs. Eberlin in her perfectly mastered teacher voice. “We’re now working on putting headings on our slides in the seven different sections of our reports. Do you remember what order to put them in?”

  “Um, kind of.” I shrugged.

  “I don’t think you do, because you weren’t paying attention.” She glanced across the room. “Avery, can you tell Kate what they are?”

  “Sure,” said Avery. “Overview. Description. Habitat. Diet and behavior. Plus, present status.”

  “Okay, I knew that,” I said in a quiet voice. “And the three super-duper facts we learn at the aquarium.”

  “I hope I find out that magenta penguins are real,” said Julia. “At the aquarium, that is.”

  I started twitching in my seat. And gritting my teeth. Birdie gave me a warning look.

  I wanted to yell at Julia that if she had already done her research, she would know that there are no purple penguins at the Shedd Aquarium.

  But I knew that wouldn’t be a smart choice.

  Instead, I remembered what my dad taught me to do when trying to make wise choices. I closed my eyes and took three very slow, very deep breaths. That always made me feel better.

  I started working on my slides, along with everyone else. I looked up more facts about sea lions for my behavior section and found out that sea lions can dive and stay underwater. Sometimes for up to twenty minutes! They just have to exhale first before they dive below the water’s surface. I thought about how cool it would be to swim around the bottom of the ocean for twenty beautiful, uninterrupted minutes.

  Mom says she always gets fresh new thoughts whenever she’s around the water. That’s why we go to Lake Michigan whenever she has free time in the summer.

  But my thoughts weren’t refreshing. They were just staying on the same worry that I’d had for the past two weeks.

  “How will we find our three super-duper facts from the aquarium if we don’t go?” I asked Mrs. Eberlin. “What if we don’t get our chaperones?”

  “Well, Kate,” said Mrs. Eberlin. “I have confidence that we’ll figure out the chaperone issue.”

  “Couldn’t we just go with three chaperones?” asked Avery.

  “I’m afraid not,” said Mrs. Eberlin. “Those are our school rules.”

  “A lot of good it does to have the principal’s daughter in our class,” moaned Jeremy.

  “Wait. It’s just about lunchtime. I could ask my mom right now.” Everyone turned to look at me. “Maybe I could ask my mom to get a staff person who doesn’t need a substitute. Like one of our library clerks or office assistants?”

  “Yes, that was my plan,” said Mrs. Eberlin. “Great minds think alike.”

  “Let me ask her now,” I said. “I know exactly where she takes her lunch. I’m sure she will say yes.”

  Everyone looked at me with hopeful eyes. When Mrs. Eberlin handed me a pass to go to the office, I crossed my fingers and said a silent prayer.

  Hurrying down the hall to the office, I thought very po
sitive thoughts. Then as I rounded the corner, I smacked into something very solid.

  Well, not something.

  Someone. An official-looking somebody with a walkie-talkie crackling on her hip. That somebody was the principal, Terri Crawford.

  My mother.

  “Mom!” I said, glancing up at her. “Oh, I’m sorry for bumping into you. I wasn’t looking and—what are you doing here?” Not that I really should have been surprised. After all, she runs Rosalind Franklin Elementary School.

  “Honey,” she said. “I just was going to see you.”

  “That’s funny. I was just going to find you.” Immediately, I asked if our class could have three chaperones instead of four. And she immediately responded that it “wouldn’t work.”

  Then I told her about my idea of using a staff member who didn’t need a sub. And how Mrs. Eberlin had the same idea. “Say yes, please, Mom. I think it makes a lot of sense.”

  “It does. I really like how much thought you’ve put into this. But the answer is, again, no. I’m not going to have a staff member go on the trip.”

  I swallowed hard. “Mom, please. C’mon, I—”

  Mom held up her hand and smiled. “Stop right there. The reason that a staff member isn’t going is because I’m going on the field trip on Friday.”

  “What? You . . . but . . . who’s going to run the school?”

  “I’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks. Since, as you know, I don’t have an assistant principal. But there are larger schools in the district that do. And one of them across town is going to come and help run things on Friday. We just had to get it all cleared at the district level. I wanted to tell you sooner. Much sooner. But I was worried that it might not work out. You see, I came up with the idea that night when you asked Dad. I almost told you about it then. But I had to figure it out first and . . .” She sighed. “Anyway, I’m just so happy it all worked out!”

  “Me too, Mom. That’s awesome.” And then in the middle of the hallway, next to the water fountain, I gave her the most giant hug. Because right in that moment she wasn’t Mrs. Crawford, principal. She was just my loving mom. I couldn’t wait to race back to the class to tell everyone the amazing news!

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Chances Are . . .

  Statistics (noun). This is the science of data. Data is the info you get from gathering, observing, and testing an experiment. Data allows scientists to analyze their findings and come up with new conclusions. This is what people mean when they say run the numbers. They don’t actually mean that numbers need to sprint down a field.

  “YOU GUYS! We can go to the aquarium,” I shouted as soon as I was back in the classroom. My mom didn’t come with me—she had gotten called away on some principal business.

  “That’s just fantastic,” said Mrs. Eberlin. “Is she going to send a library aide?”

  I shook my head. “She’s coming herself,” I said. I’d been so excited that we could go on the field trip that I’d forgotten the principal was going to go with us. Just what the kids in my class didn’t want. I swallowed hard.

  “Wait a minute, that means the principal is coming?” Jeremy rolled his eyes. “So we can’t do anything wrong.” He moaned.

  “I don’t think it matters if the principal is there or not,” said Julia. “You should never be doing things wrong.”

  “It will be kind of different,” admitted Rory Workman.

  “Will she wear her name tag?” asked Jeremy.

  “Has she ever gone on a field trip before?” asked someone from the back. I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. I knew for a fact she definitely hadn’t.

  It felt like all of my excitement had deflated like a balloon with a hole in it.

  “Hey, you guys,” said Birdie. “It’s awesome that Kate’s mom is going. It’s seriously way better than not going to the aquarium at all. Anyway, she’s really nice.”

  “Yeah,” said Elijah. “She’s honestly a lot of fun. You should have seen the scavenger hunt she came up with this summer or the time she made dry ice bubbles with Kate.”

  “We should feel lucky,” said Phoenix. “Because now we’re definitely going to the aquarium on Friday.”

  “Unless it snows,” said Memito. “There’s a thirty percent chance.”

  “Well, it sounds like the chance is in our favor,” said Elijah.

  “What if there’s bad weather?” asked Julia, which was suddenly what I was thinking too. “You know, on the day of the aquarium.”

  “If there’s a really bad storm and the school district closes schools, we obviously can’t go,” said Mrs. Eberlin.

  There was a groan. I took a big gulp of air and thought about how the chances were in our favor. Scientists always look at statistics—numbers that communicate their findings—in order to come to the best conclusion.

  “But this is Michigan,” continued Mrs. Eberlin. “We know how to clear up snow, so let’s not worry about that.” She peered around the classroom with a serious expression. “Okay, over the next few nights, I want everyone to get some good sleep. And keep working on your projects. So you can be prepared to meet your sea creature in three days.”

  And then suddenly everyone was cheering, me loudest of all.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Something Stinks

  Bacteria (noun). These are one-celled organisms that are also called germs. They exchange chemical signals in order to communicate and attack healthy cells. So next time you use soap, you might be interrupting bacteria having a conversation.

  “SEA LIONS SURE KNOW how to have fun,” I said. “For one, they like to bodysurf.”

  On Thursday, at the dinner table, I was reporting some of my sea lion research to my family. I guess it was a way to practice my presentation, which was just about done. Well, all except for the three super-duper facts I’d find at the aquarium tomorrow. I could hardly wait.

  “I want to learn to surf,” declared Liam.

  “Me too,” said Mom.

  Dad set down his water glass. “Not for me, thank you. I remember one summer during college my buddy and I took a trip out to California. And we saw sea lions swimming not too far from the surfers.” He scratched his head. “I wonder if I still have those photos somewhere.”

  “I want to see the photos,” said Liam. He hopped out of his chair and spread out his arms like he was riding a huge wave. “I’m a surfing seal.”

  “Sea lion,” I corrected. “Seals and sea lions are different. Sea lions have ear flaps. Plus, their flippers can rotate under them and they can walk on land. Seals can only sort of slither.”

  “See, Kate, you really are learning quite a bit about sea lions,” said Dad.

  “Arfff!” said Liam. He clapped his flippers together. “Arrf.”

  “Okay, Mr. Sea Lion,” said Mom. “It’s dinnertime. Come and eat your salmon.” She glanced at his empty seat.

  Liam climbed back into his seat. “Yuck,” he said, staring at the pink fillet. “I guess I can’t be a sea lion after all. Fish is yucky.”

  “You like salmon, you just forgot,” said Mom. “And you love fish sticks.”

  Dad grabbed the ketchup bottle and poured a blob next to his potatoes and on top of his salmon. “This will disguise the fish taste.”

  “Not you too.” Mom shook her head.

  “Just don’t want to have fish breath for my panel and talk tomorrow,” joked Dad. “Ketchup breath is better.”

  Both Liam and I giggled as Mom calmly explained how there was no way to have fish breath overnight. Then I remembered how I once watched a Dr. Caroline video on bad breath. When you wake up in the morning, you have billions of bacteria in your mouth. They take in food and excrete waste. The waste—some of it in the form of gas—is what makes your breath stinky. “Just remember to brush your teeth tonight, Dad. Extra long. Good luck at
your conference tomorrow,” I said.

  “And have fun on your trip to the aquarium,” said Dad.

  Liam stared down at his food. “I still don’t see why I can’t come with you.”

  “Because you can’t miss school, silly,” I said. “But you’ll have a chance to go.” I looked anxiously up at my parents. “Right?”

  Dad popped a potato in his mouth. “Definitely. It will be a whole family thing.”

  “This summer,” added Mom.

  “That’s a hundred million months away,” said Liam.

  “Six months, kiddo,” said Mom.

  “We’ll have to work on your math skills,” I added. And then reminded him that there was ice cream for dessert. Liam started to smile a little.

  And I knew what would get him to smile even more.

  After dinner, I counted the money in my atom bank. Yup, I still had my forty dollars. Then I went on the computer to recheck prices at the aquarium gift shop. It looked like I had just enough for a shirt for me and a stuffed animal for Liam. I couldn’t wait to surprise him with the gift.

  But at that very moment, Liam popped into the family room. He peered right over my shoulder. “Hey,” he said. “What’s that?” And he pointed at a group of stuffed animals on the screen.

  “They’re cephalopods,” I explained. “The first one is a squid, which you can tell by its elongated body with eight arms and two tentacles. The one in the middle that looks like an underwater elephant is called a cuttlefish. Ms. Daly, our chemistry club advisor, calls them cuttles. And you already know the last one, the octopus. It looks kind of like a squid, with eight arms, but it doesn’t have any tentacles. Plus, the octopus’s arms are way more flexible. They all belong to the cephalopod family because they have three hearts and squirt ink to defend themselves against predators.”

  “That’s cool.” Liam grabbed the pen next to my notebook and uncapped it. “But the arms and the tentacles look the same.”