Silver and Gold

by Cathy Hapka

  PENGUIN WORKSHOP

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

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  Text copyright © 2021 by Catherine Hapka and Ellen Vandenberg. Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. PENGUIN and PENGUIN WORKSHOP are trademarks of Penguin Books Ltd, and the W colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us online at www.penguinrandomhouse.com.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 9780593095775 (paperback)

  ISBN 9780593095782 (library binding)

  ISBN 9780593095799 (ebook)

  pid_prh_5.6.1_c0_r0

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: Town Fair

  Chapter 2: Asteroid Attack!

  Chapter 3: Fool’s Gold

  Chapter 4: Three’s a Crowd

  Chapter 5: The Asteroid Belt

  Chapter 6: Rubble Pile

  Chapter 7: Asteroid Mining

  Chapter 8: A Solid-Gold Idea

  Chapter 9: Collision Course

  Chapter 10: Silver and Gold

  About the Author and Illustrator

  For Renee Kelly, Anu Ohioma, Jay Emmanuel, and the rest of the Penguin Workshop team—we couldn’t ask for a better Mission Control!—CH & EV

  For Nicola, for being my best friend no matter how far apart in the Universe we are—GR

  Chapter 1

  TOWN FAIR

  “I see the top of the Ferris wheel!” I cried. I pointed out the car window. “We’re almost to the fair!”

  Mom was driving. Daddy turned around from the front seat and tickled my baby brother, who was in his car seat next to me. “Hey, Val,” Daddy said. “I bet you can’t wait to show Wallace all your favorite things at the fair.”

  Wallace moved in next door a few weeks ago. He was supposed to meet me by the petting zoo.

  “Daddy, this won’t be all fun and games,” I said. “Wallace and I still have lots of work to do on our TV script. And the deadline is Monday—that’s the day after tomorrow!”

  Wallace loved the show Comet Jumpers. The show was having a contest for people to send in ideas for future episodes. Wallace and I were doing better than that. We were writing a whole script!

  Mom chuckled. “So today will be more of a working playdate, huh?”

  “Exactly.” I looked out the window again. “Hey, Mom, you just passed the parking lot!”

  “Mom is judging the gardening exhibits, remember?” Daddy said. “We get to park in the VIP lot!”

  “Cool,” I said. Mom is a botanist. That’s a scientist who works with plants. She knows everything about vegetables and flowers.

  After we parked, Daddy picked up the Baby. I picked up my backpack. It was heavy because my favorite book, The Universe, was in there.

  Mom waved and hurried off toward the gardening tent. “I’ll walk you to the petting zoo and make sure you find Wallace,” Daddy told me. “The Baby will want to pet the pigs.”

  The Baby gurgled. He doesn’t understand many words yet, but he knows the word pig! He also knows the word rocket, since I taught it to him.

  The fair was bursting with people, music, animals, bright colors, and interesting smells. Daddy waved to some neighbors as we headed toward the petting zoo. We were almost there when someone called my name. It was Principal Bosko.

  “Hello, Val,” she said with a smile. “Are you looking forward to school starting on Monday?”

  “Of course,” I said. “Especially science class.”

  Principal Bosko started chatting with Daddy. Just then I spotted Wallace. He was leaning over the fence petting a baby goat.

  “There’s Wallace,” I told Daddy.

  “Okay, have fun, and you kids stick together,” Daddy said. “We’ll meet back here at three o’clock.”

  Wallace was standing with a kid I didn’t know. That was a surprise. I thought I knew everyone my age in town.

  “Hi, Val,” Wallace said. “Carlos came for a visit before school starts. Isn’t that great?”

  Now I was even more surprised. Carlos was Wallace’s friend from his old town. He talked about him a lot.

  Carlos grinned. “Yep, it’s me, the one and only Carlos!”

  Both boys laughed so loudly, it scared away the baby goat. They didn’t notice. Instead, they did a weird, complicated handshake.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Wallace said. “Carlos, this is Val. She lives next door. You can call her Astronaut Girl if you want.”

  “Is she the one you told me about?” Carlos asked. “The one who’s helping you write the script?”

  I frowned. “I’m not just helping him. We’re partners.” I turned to Wallace. “Speaking of the script, we still have a lot to do. We need to figure out a scientifically accurate way for Zixtar to harness the sun’s energy to destroy the ice aliens.”

  Wallace pulled out a homemade action figure. Zixtar was an alien who was the hero of our story. “Zixtar’s tentacles can do anything!” Wallace said. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “Okay, but let’s eat first,” Carlos said. “I’m starving.”

  I was hungry, too. And every scientist knows that the human brain works better when it’s well nourished.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ve been looking forward to my favorite food all year. Follow me.”

  I led the way to one of the food booths. The boys wanted to stop at the hot-dog stand and the funnel cakes, but I knew what I wanted.

  We stopped in front of a green-painted booth. Carlos stared at the sign and made a face. “What’s a pickle pop?” he asked.

  “It’s the best thing ever!” I exclaimed. “It’s a pickle-flavored Popsicle!”

  Wallace looked intrigued. “I guess I’ll try one,” he said. “I like pickles.”

  “Yuck, not me!” Carlos declared. “I’ll be right back with my hot dog.”

  I stared at him. Hadn’t he heard me say that pickle pops were my favorite food?

  “Don’t yuck my yum,” I called after him.

  Soon we were walking and eating. The rides were up ahead.

  “Hey, Val,” Wallace said. “Weren’t you telling me there’s a cool space-themed ride here? What’s it called again?”

  “Asteroid Attack,” I said. “It’s my favorite! Let’s go on it now before it gets too crowded.”

  Wallace ate the last bite of his pop. “Delicious!”

  I grinned. “I knew you’d love it! And you’ll love Asteroid Attack even more. Come on, let’s go!”

  Chapter 2

  ASTEROID ATTACK!

  Halfway to Asteroid Attack, Carlos suddenly stopped short. “Whoa, check out that haunted house!” he cried. “It looks awesome! Let’s do that first!”

  “I thought we were going on Asteroid Attack,” I said.

  Wallace looked from Carlos to me and back again. “We did say that,” he said. “We can do the haunted house afterward, okay?”

  He stuck out his hand. The two of them
did their special handshake again. I rolled my eyes and continued toward the ride.

  When we got there, lots of people were in line outside the tent that contained the ride. “There are tons of little kids here,” Wallace commented.

  “A ton would be two thousand pounds,” I said with a laugh. “I don’t think there are that many little kids here!”

  Up ahead, I saw my old babysitter, Tenley, with her baby. One of my neighbors was holding his twin four-year-olds by their hands.

  I waved. “Hi, Mr. Marino. Hi, Tenley.”

  They both waved back. When I looked at the boys again, they seemed doubtful. “Is this a little kids’ ride?” Carlos asked.

  “It’s for everyone,” I said. “Even better, it’s scientifically accurate. It’s based on the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.”

  While we waited, I told them more about the asteroid belt. I explained that it’s made up of around a million asteroids at least, ranging in size from a dwarf planet down to a pebble. Many contain valuable minerals like gold, silver, and titanium—and some even contain water!

  “I wish we could see the ride,” Carlos interrupted after a while. “I want to know if it’s worth the wait.”

  “I already told you, it’s great,” I said. “You’ll see.”

  Finally we made it inside the tent. Now we could see the little red rocket ships moving along the track, letting people on and off.

  “There are only two seats per row,” Carlos said. “First dibs!”

  “Second dibs!” Wallace shouted quickly.

  I was confused until they explained. First dibs was a game they played. Whoever called out first dibs got first choice of whatever they were doing.

  “I want to sit in the first row,” Carlos said.

  “I got second dibs, so I choose to sit there with you,” Wallace said with a grin.

  I frowned, realizing what that meant. I would be sitting by myself.

  I climbed into the seat behind the boys, feeling a little annoyed. But then the music started, and I smiled.

  “Here we go!” I cried as the rocket ship moved along the track. “Look, you can see the asteroids now!” I pointed toward the shapes swirling overhead. “There’s Ceres! And I think that’s Vesta!”

  The boys didn’t seem to hear me. They kept whispering and laughing. They weren’t paying much attention to the ride.

  I poked Wallace on the shoulder. “Check it out, right up there is a famous asteroid called Psyche!”

  Both boys looked back at me. “Did you say you want to ride your bikey?” Carlos said.

  Wallace laughed. “I likey to ride my bikey!”

  Why was Wallace acting so silly? Usually he liked talking about outer space.

  When we got off the ride, I asked what they thought. Carlos shrugged. “I bet little kids love it,” he said. “As for me, I’d rather go on the Super Laser Space Monster roller coaster at the theme park back home.”

  “I love that ride!” Wallace exclaimed. “Val, it’s awesome!”

  They kept talking about all their favorite rides. I didn’t say anything. I really thought they’d love Asteroid Attack like I did.

  That gave me an idea. “I know something you guys will like,” I said. “Follow me!”

  Chapter 3

  FOOL’S GOLD

  I led the way through crowds of fairgoers to Sideshow Alley. My favorite game had the biggest sign. It said “FOOL’S GOLD” in huge sparkly letters.

  “This is the best game at the fair,” I said. “Look! This year the prize is a gold light stick!”

  Carlos laughed. “Are you sure about that?” he said. “Maybe it’s an iron pyrite light stick. That’s what fool’s gold is, you know.”

  Wallace looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Technically, he’s right,” I said. “I did a school project on this last year. Iron pyrite, which most people call fool’s gold, is a mineral that looks sort of like gold, but it’s really made of iron and sulfur. In the past people used it to start fires, and these days scientists think it could be used to make solar panels.” I pulled The Universe out of my backpack to show them the page about it.

  “Why are you carrying that huge book around?” Carlos asked.

  Wallace laughed. “Astronaut Girl never leaves home without The Universe.”

  “We might need it for reference,” I told him. “At least, we will if we ever actually get to work on that script!” I looked at Carlos. “How do you know what fool’s gold really is?”

  “I know a ton about rocks and minerals because my mom works with them. She’s a jewelry designer,” Carlos said. “Now, how do you play this game?”

  I explained how it worked. The game’s theme was the California gold rush of the 1800s. Players had to toss a Ping-Pong ball into a shallow pan that looked exactly like the ones prospectors used when panning for gold.

  “That looks super easy,” Carlos said.

  “It’s a lot harder than it looks,” I warned him. “I’ll go first and show you. I’ve been winning at this game for years.”

  I had just won my first light stick when I heard someone calling my name. It was my friend Ling from school. Our friend Abby was with her.

  “Hi, Val,” Ling said. “We figured we’d find you here.”

  “And winning already, of course,” Abby added with a grin.

  Ling noticed Wallace and Carlos. “Hi, I’m Ling,” she said, sticking out her hand to shake like a grown-up. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Wallace,” Wallace said.

  “He’s my new neighbor,” I told my friends. “That’s his friend Carlos. He’s just visiting, but Wallace will be in our class when school starts on Monday.”

  “Awesome!” Ling exclaimed. “On behalf of the student council of Green Leaf Elementary School, welcome!”

  Abby laughed. “Don’t mind Ling,” she told the boys. “She’s practicing to run for class president when school starts.”

  Then she looked at Carlos’s belt buckle. It was silver with a large striped brown stone.

  “I’ve never seen a buckle like that,” she said. “Did you make it?”

  “No, my mom did,” Carlos said proudly. “She makes jewelry and other stuff with rocks and minerals. This buckle is made with a kind of quartz called tiger’s eye.”

  “She’s an artist? So is Abby,” Ling said. “She sculpts really cute animals out of polymer clay.”

  “Just like Zixtar!” I said.

  Wallace showed them his action figure. Abby looked impressed. “Can I see him?” she asked.

  She grabbed Zixtar by one tentacle for a closer look. But then the tentacle broke off!

  “Oh no!” Abby cried. “I’m so sorry!”

  Wallace took Zixtar back and shrugged. “It’s okay. I was thinking about replacing that tentacle anyway.”

  Carlos glanced at the Fool’s Gold booth. “Hey, maybe Zixtar’s new tentacle should be solid gold!”

  “Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” I said. “Gold is a very good conductor of heat and electricity, and it doesn’t tarnish like copper or silver.”

  “Cool,” Wallace said. “He could totally battle the ice aliens with a gold tentacle!”

  “What ice aliens?” Ling asked.

  I explained to my friends about the contest and the ice aliens. “The script is due Monday. And this could actually work! Zixtar could use the gold tentacle to harness the sun’s power!”

  Carlos grinned. “I knew my idea was solid gold! I guess now I’m your cowriter, too.”

  I frowned. He wasn’t a cowriter just because of one tiny idea!

  Abby looked at her watch. “Oops, we should go,” she told Ling. “We’re supposed to meet my big sister in five minutes.”

  After they left, I returned to playing Fool’s Gold. Wallace and Carlos pl
ayed, too, but their balls kept bouncing out of the pans. I won another light stick.

  “Oh, man,” Wallace said. “I’m never going to win. Can I have one of your light sticks, Val?”

  “No way,” I said. “I’m going to make them into a toy for Astro Cat.”

  “Your cat’s name is Astro Cat?” Carlos asked.

  Wallace laughed. “I told you, she’s Astronaut Girl!”

  “Okay,” Carlos said. “I give up on this game. Who’s ready for the haunted house?”

  Chapter 4

  THREE’S A CROWD

  We stayed at the fair for a few more hours. When it was time to meet Daddy, we went back to the petting zoo. He and the Baby were getting their picture taken with Princess Pinky, the biggest pig in the county.

  “Ready to go, Val?” Daddy asked. He smiled at the boys. “Do you two need a ride home?”

  “Sure, thanks,” Wallace said.

  We all piled into the car. Mom was getting a ride from a friend later because she was still judging.

  “Hey, Wallace, want to go swimming when we get back to your house?” Carlos asked.

  “No swimming!” I blurted out. “We have work to do. The contest deadline is the day after tomorrow!”

  Carlos grinned. “Yeah, you’d better write down my solid-gold idea before you forget it.”

  Wallace balanced Zixtar on his knee. “Too bad your house isn’t closer, Carlos. I bet your mom has extra gold in her studio to fix Zixtar’s tentacle.”

  The two of them spent the rest of the ride talking about Carlos’s mom’s studio and everything else about their old hometown. I couldn’t get a word in, even when I tried to change the subject back to our script.

  “Here we are!” Daddy said when we got home. “Val, can you take the Baby for a while? I need to start dinner.”

  “Sure.” I picked up the Baby and looked at Wallace. “Where should we work on the script?”