by Ali Sparkes
“Yeah—it’s great,” he said.
“I like you!” beamed Poppy. “You’re thutch fun!
Here—you can have thith!” And she dug her hand in her pocket and pulled out a little plastic bag. “I found thith on your street yethterday. You can have it!”
Danny undid the plastic bag. He stared in wonder at the thing in his hand.
“Thankth … I mean, thanks, Poppy,” he said. He wandered out of the wildlife center with Josh at his side trying to look into his palm.
Danny gazed around. There was no sign of Petty or—of course—Victor. He opened his hand and showed Josh. It was a cube. A shiny, glass cube, with a hologram of a chameleon twinkling inside it.
The very last cube, containing the last vital part of the code for Petty’s REPTOSWITCH spray.
Josh and Danny looked at each other. After all their adventures as creepy-crawlies, after all the times they’d nearly been squashed or eaten, after all the amazing things they’d done, like fly and leap and walk upside down and swim under water … NOW, they could move on to being something else even more amazing.
REPTILES.
“But we’ve just seen Petty try to squash a man dead under her heel,” said Josh. “I don’t think we should give her this. I don’t think we should have anything more to do with her.”
“Yes,” said Danny. “I think you’re right.” He shoved the cube deep into his pocket. “Come on, Mom should be waiting for us in the parking lot now.”
“Yeah,” said Josh, trying to sound normal. “Yeah, we can see her new car! We can have a ride in it and forget everything that’s just happened. And pretend it never did happen. That’s the best thing!”
They walked around to the parking lot at the front of the Blackthorn Wildlife Center. There was Mom, tooting her horn and waving from her new, shiny green car.
“Look! Look, boys!” she grinned. “Come and get in! I’ve got a Beetle!”
BOOKS
Want to brush up on your bug knowledge? Here’s a list of books dedicated to creepy-crawlies.
Glaser, Linda. Not a Buzz to Be Found. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2012.
Heos, Bridget. What to Expect When You’re Expecting Larvae: A Guide for Insect Parents (and Curious Kids). Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2011.
Markle, Sandra. Insect World series. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2008.
WEBSITES
Find out more about nature and wildlife using the websites below.
BioKids
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/
The University of Michigan’s Critter Catalog has a ton of pictures of different kinds of bugs and information on where they live, how they behave, and their predators.
National Geographic Kids
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/bugs-kids
Go to this fun website to watch clips from National Geographic about all sorts of creepy-crawlies.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/letsgooutside/kids.html
This website has lots of activities for when you’re outside playing and looking for wildlife.
CHECK OUT ALL OF THE TITLES
# 1 Spider Stampede
Eight-year-olds Josh and Danny discover that their neighbor Miss Potts has a secret formula that can change people into bugs. Soon enough, they find themselves with six extra legs. Can the boys survive in the world as spiders long enough to make it home in time for dinner?
#2 Fly Frenzy
Danny and Josh are avoiding their neighbor because she “accidentally” turned them into bugs. But when their mom’s garden is ruined the day before a big competition, the twins turn into bluebottle houseflies to discover the culprits. Will they find who’s responsible before it’s too late?
#3 Grasshopper Glitch
Danny and Josh are having a normal day at school … until they turn into grasshoppers in the middle of class! Can they avoid being eaten during their whirlwind search to find the antidote? And will they be able to change back before getting a week of detention?
#4 Ant Attack
Danny and Josh are being forced to play with Tarquin, the most annoying boy in the neighborhood. But things get dangerous when the twins accidentally turn into ants and discover that Tarquin kills bugs for fun…. Can they find a safe place to hide until they turn human again?
#5 Crane Fly Crash
When Petty Potts leaves town, she puts Danny and Josh in charge of some of her S.W.I.T.C.H. spray. Unfortunately, their sister, Jenny, mistakes it for hair spray and ends up as a crane fly. Now it’s up to the twins to keep Jenny from being eaten alive.
#6 Beetle Blast
Danny is forced to go with his brother, Josh, to his nature group, but neither of them thought they would turn into the nature they were studying! Both brothers become beetles just in time to learn about pond dipping … from the bug’s perspective. Can they avoid getting caught by the other kids?
Ali Sparkes grew up in the woods of Hampshire, England. Actually, strictly speaking, she grew up in a house in Hampshire. The woods were great but lacked basic facilities like sofas and a well stocked fridge. Nevertheless, the woods were where she and her friends spent much of their time, and so Ali grew up with a deep and abiding love of wildlife. If you ever see Ali with a large garden spider on her shoulder, she will most likely be screeching, “AAAARRRGHGETITOFFME!”
Ali lives in Southampton with her husband and sons. She would never kill a creepy-crawly of any kind. They are more scared of her than she is of them. (Creepy-crawlies, not her husband and sons.)
Ross Collins’s more than eighty picture books and books for young readers have appeared in print around the world. He lives in Scotland and, in his spare time, enjoys leaning backward precariously in his chair.