“Geeger…,” Ms. Bork says.
Geeger looks down at the door to his stomach.
But before he can open it, Tillie climbs to her feet and comes to his side.
“Geeger loves Fudge,” she tells the class. “He would never do a thing to hurt him. The fact that he brought Fudge those two old, mushy, brown bananas this morning proves that. He saved them for Fudge, because he—”
BZZZZZT!
The light bulb atop Geeger’s head illuminates. It’s glowing as brightly as it ever has before.
Geeger has got an IDEA!
Noticing the glow over his head, Tillie says, “What is it, Geeger?! What is it?!”
“I BROUGHT twooo BAN-AN-aaas THIS MOR-niiing,” he says. “BUT I ON-leee GAVE FUDGE ONE.”
Tillie grins, then aims her eyes over toward Geeger’s backpack, tucked in his cubby on the other side of the room.
7 Squeeeeeak
Geeger leads the way across the room and over to his backpack. Tillie is right on his heels. Just a moment after they arrive at Geeger’s cubby, the rest of the class is there too, with Ms. Bork at the front of the group. They gather around to get a look at Geeger and Tillie.
“What’s going on?” asks Raul.
“Why did we just run over here?” wonders Roxy.
“I think I lost my eraser again,” says Gabe.
Then Tillie says, “Shhh! Listen!”
Everyone quiets down, and the sound they hear is unmistakable.
“SQUEEEEEAK! SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK-SQUEAK SQUEEEEEEEAK!”
Slowly, carefully, Geeger pulls his backpack out from his cubby. And slowly, carefully, Tillie reaches a hand into the backpack’s biggest pocket.
Then she giggles.
“That tickles, Fudge!” she cries.
She pulls her hand out of the backpack, and there, sitting in her palm, is Fudge, bits of old, mushy, brown banana caught in his thin little whiskers.
Ms. Bork breathes a sigh of relief. Then she takes Fudge from Tillie and carries him to his case.
Turning back to Geeger, she says, “I’m sorry, Geeger. For a moment there, I doubted you. I was worried about Fudge, and anxious to find him. And so I thought you might’ve done something that, when I’m thinking clearly, I know you’d never do. I shouldn’t have done that. I know you better by now.”
“Yeah,” says Suzie. “I’m sorry too, Geeger.”
“So am I,” says Gabe.
Before anyone else can apologize, Geeger says, “IT’S OH-kaaay. I DOUBT-ED MY-SELF tooo.”
Tillie puffs out her chest and jabs a finger at herself.
“I didn’t,” she says. “And that’s why it’s a good thing you’ve got me around.”
Across the room, Fudge rises up onto his back legs and says, “SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK!”
8 Lost and Found
Ms. Bork decides that the class’s lesson on weather can wait a little bit. She declares the next ten minutes Fudge Time!
Sidney and Suzie shove aside all the desks.
Roxy and Raul grab the floor mats from the cabinet, and then Arjun, Olivia, and Mac help them place the mats in a big circle in the center of the room.
Ms. Bork helps Gabe look for the eraser that he lost, then found, then lost again.
And Geeger and Tillie are in charge of getting Fudge.
Carefully, Tillie lifts the hamster out of his case. Meanwhile, Geeger reaches high onto the shelf above and grabs some of Fudge’s favorite toys.
Once everyone is on their mats, Ms. Bork gives Tillie a thumbs-up.
Tillie lowers her hands toward the floor, and Fudge leaps off her fingertips and instantly begins zipping about.
He:
• zigzags
• darts in circles
• climbs over legs and feet and into laps
• even, at one point, ventures all the way up on top of Ms. Bork’s head!
It’s a very exciting ten minutes.
And the whole rest of the day is pretty exciting too.
Just like every day, Geeger learns LOTS.
For instance, did you know that clouds are made up of trillions of little drops of water, or that some clouds can weigh more than one million pounds?
Geeger learns tons of other interesting things about clouds and storms and the climate. But as he’s walking home from school with Tillie, Geeger decides that the coolest thing he learned all day was about her, Tillie, his best friend.
He learned that she believes in him just as much as he believes in himself—and sometimes, even more! And when you’re lucky enough to have a friend like that, it makes every day a little bit brighter.
Word List
anxious (ANK•shuss): Very worried or nervous
chaos (KAY•oss): Extreme craziness and confusion
constructed (con•STRUCK•ted): Built, made, or put together
declare (dee•CLAYR): To say something strongly
examines (ehk•ZAM•ins): Looks at very, very closely
exceptional (ehk•SEP•shun•ull): Very good
exquisite (eck•SQUIZ•it): Very, very good
expired (eck•SPY•erd): No longer fresh or good for eating
extraordinary (eck•STRAWR• din•air•ee): Very, very, very good
galaxy (GAL•eck•see): Any of the large groups of stars and other matter found throughout the universe
grateful (GRAYT•full): Happy and thankful for something or someone
illuminates (ih•LOOM•ihn•ates): Lights up
jutting (JUT•ing): Poking out at an angle
logical (LAH•jih•kull): Clear; makes sense
mutant (MYOO•tint): A plant or animal that is much different from the usual way of being
scans (SKANZ): Looks over or reads quickly
scurries (SKUR•eez): Hurries or moves quickly
sensation (sen•SAY•shun): A feeling your body experiences with its senses
staking out (STAY•king OWT): Claiming as one’s own
ventures (VEN•churs): Goes somewhere difficult
Questions
1. Geeger is excited about all he’s learned at school. What’s one of the coolest things that you’ve learned at school?
2. What does Geeger put in his backpack to bring to school for Fudge?
3. Ms. Bork tells her students that they should be logical in their search for Fudge. What does she mean by that?
4. There are times when Tillie believes in Geeger even more than he believes in himself. Do you have someone who believes in you? Does having them believe in you help you believe in yourself?
5. There are several kids in Geeger’s class. List as many of their names as you can.
6. At the end of the story, Geeger feels very grateful to have a friend as good as Tillie. Who or what are you grateful for?
More from this Series
Aphrodite & the Magical…
Battle of the Blanket…
Mitzy's Homecoming
Our Principal Is a…
Our Principal Is a…
Persephone & the Evil…
About the Author
JARRETT LERNER the author-illustrator once had a pet hamster named Fudge. (Jarrett often lost track of Fudge, but he always found him in the end.) Jarrett’s other books include EngiNerds, Revenge of the EngiNerds, The EngiNerds Strike Back, Geeger the Robot Goes to School, and Give This Book a Title. He lives with his family in Medford, Massachusetts.
You can visit him online at jarrettlerner.com and find him on Twitter and Instagram @Jarrett_Lerner.
Aladdin Quix
Simon & Schuster, New York
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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.
ALADDIN QUIX
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin QUIX hardcover edition January 2021
Text copyright © 2021 by Jarrett Lerner
Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Serge Seidlitz
Also available in an Aladdin QUIX paperback edition.
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Book designed by Karin Paprocki
The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.
Author illustration by Annabelle Kolidas
Jacket designed by Karin Paprocki
Library of Congress Control Number 2020947426
ISBN 978-1-5344-5220-6 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-5344-5219-0 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-5344-5221-3 (eBook)
Lost and Found Page 2