What do Eric and Cody do to help the girl who was swimming?
What gift does Cody give the chief? Why is the chief so pleased with it? Can you think of anything else Cody could have given him?
The chief tells the kids they can go if the stones let them. But the wormhole doesn’t seem to work anymore. Why does Cody think the meteor shower won’t happen for another month?
What does Cody mean when he says “the pillars are like the departure board at an airport”?
What is the name of the story Cody makes up to entertain the Cree? Whom are the characters in this story based on?
Which band member helps Cody and Eric interpret the symbols on the stone? Who helps Anna come to the same conclusion?
What astronomical event do the symbols near the base of the stone describe?
What is engraved on the arrowhead given to the boys?
When Cody, Eric, and Anna race to the stones to find Rachel, they bump into Léon. He claims that Rachel already left through the wormhole. Why don’t they believe him?
How does Cody try and overpower Léon? Does it work?
Leon wants the kids to stay with him, in the past. What do you think he fears will happen if they travel back to their time?
When the real chief arrives at the pillars, Barks-Like-An-Otter says something to him. What do you imagine she said?
All four children travel safely back to the present, but as soon as they arrive they have a new problem. What is it? Why does it complicate matters?
Who saves Bruno when a reporter stumps him at the press conference? Why are some reporters suspicious of the whole story?
Back at the cemetery, Cody digs around one of the pillars. What does he find, and why is it significant?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ANDREAS OERTEL WAS born in Germany but has lived most of his life in Eastern Manitoba. He now lives with his wife Diane on the beautiful Lee River, near Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Canada.
Andreas has degrees from the University of Winnipeg and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and a lifelong passion for archaeology, ancient civilizations, and writing, especially for young people. In addition to creating fun books for tweens, Andreas enjoys travelling, reading, watching movies, and exploring the great outdoors.
Andreas is the tallest writer in Canada (194 centimetres, or 6 feet 4 inches) and can often be found exploring Manitoba beaches with his trusty metal detector, Lucky.
Visit andreasoertel.com to learn more about Andreas and the Shenanigans books.
A PREVIEW OF
Trouble at Impact Lake
Book Three in the Shenanigans Series
Mysterious strangers are exploring Sultana’s old military base. Can Cody, Eric, and Rachel discover what they’re up to?
Coming Fall 2015 from Wandering Fox Books
“HEY,” ERIC SAID suddenly, “is that a boat?”
I looked around Eric. Up ahead, pulled onto a gravelly beach, was a small overturned fishing boat. It was made of aluminum, about the size of a row boat, and it must have been there for years. Moss and other small plants were actually growing on the bottom, suggesting that the boat hadn’t been used in a while.
“Neat,” Rachel said, “it looks like someone forgot about it.”
“Or died,” Eric said, giving the boat a tap with his running shoe.
Rachel took a step back and looked around. “Huh.”
Eric laughed. “I don’t mean they died right here. I mean some old guy, who liked fishing here, might have died in the city. And maybe his relatives didn’t even know this boat existed.”
“Or,” I said, “it leaks like crazy and no one wants to get it fixed.”
Rachel examined the back of the boat, where an outboard motor might have hung decades ago. She bent over, wiped the grime away, and said, “It doesn’t have a name.”
Eric snickered. “It’s an old fishing boat, Rachel. It’s not a cruise ship.”
“I know that, smarty pants.” She stood up and readjusted the straps on her backpack. “But sometimes people name a boat just for fun.”
I nodded. “That’s true. Mr. Jelfs has a boat kinda like this one behind his garage. And he has Stinky painted on it.” I’d never seen him use it, but I always wondered why he’d call it that.
We left the boat-with-no-name and headed back into the forest. I took the lead and found the trail around the lake almost immediately—it was right behind the gravel beach. And that was where we encountered every hiker’s worst nightmare.
Rachel grabbed my backpack, stopping me dead in my tracks. Up ahead, a big black bear was working his – or her, I suppose—way toward us, eating the wild strawberries that grew along the trail.
The noise Eric had heard earlier made sense now. The bear hadn’t seen us yet, but he was heading right for us. In about a minute he would be sniffing our feet with his huge muzzle. My legs seemed glued to the ground, but I knew we had to do something.
I turned my head and as quietly as I could I said, “Back up … slowly.”
We each took several paces backward.
SNAP!
Eric or Rachel must have stepped on a fallen branch. Nuts!
The bear’s shaggy head shot up—his alert ears listened for signs of danger like tiny satellite dishes. Seconds passed by, and I thought he was going to go back to eating. But then his beady eyes settled on me, and I knew for certain we were in big trouble.
Now what? I thought.
The what-to-do advice we had always heard about bear encounters was never the same. Sometimes we were told to curl up into a ball and play dead, while other experts said to climb a tree or to yell and make lots of noise. In our case, I didn’t think he’d be fooled by us lying down on the ground. That would only make it easier for the bear to get his snack—three tasty kids. And would yelling really discourage an animal as large as a bear? I sure doubted it. I briefly considered climbing a tree, but there was no way all three of us could scramble up a tree fast enough to outrun the bear. So forget that.
The bear took a few cautious steps forward.
I matched him with three even more cautious steps backwards.
Think, Cody. You have to do something.
The bear snorted, sending a wave of goosebumps up my arms.
I took a few more steps backward, never taking my eyes off the approaching bear. I didn’t dare turn around to see where my friends were, but I sensed they were retreating too.
Maybe we could use the boat to escape, I thought. But there was no way we could drag it to the water and launch it successfully without being mauled first.
The bear waved his enormous head back and forth menacingly.
“Cody, the boat,” Rachel whispered. “We could use the boat.”
“I don’t think we have time,” I said quietly. “Plus, it might not even float.”
“No!” she said. “I mean, we could hide under it—it’s metal. We might be safe there.”
I took another step back. “Good thinking.” There were no other options available to us. We had to seek shelter somewhere, and the old boat was our best bet.
“Just keep walking backwards,” I said, “slowly. If he starts to run … then we’ll turn and—”
“RUN!” Rachel screamed. “RUN !”
The last thing I saw before I spun around was the bear charging toward us. Eric was already out of sight. Rachel was three paces ahead of me, tearing back to the boat. We both broke onto the beach to find Eric struggling to lift one side of the vessel.
Panting from exertion, Rachel and I grabbed the edge of the boat on either side of Eric. We wrestled and strained to raise it, but the stupid thing would barely budge. Weeds and small trees had latched onto the boat over the years and we fought against them to rip the side free. Suddenly the boat became a lot lighter, and we were able to lift it enough to get beneath it.
“Quick, Rachel,” I ordered. “Get under!”
She dove in the gap between the front of the boat and the first row of s
eats.
At the same time I heard the bear crashing through the undergrowth behind me.
“Go! Go! Go!” Eric screamed.
I tried to wedge myself in the rear of the boat, but I forgot I was wearing the bulky backpack. It got caught on the gunwale, leaving me half under the boat and half exposed.
“Hurry!” Eric cried. “He’s getting closer!”
I scrambled to free my bag and get back under the boat. I rolled onto my back and used my legs to keep the boat raised so that Eric could join us. “I got it!” I bellowed. “Get under!”
I saw the bear storming toward us as Eric fell to his knees and rolled under the mid-section of the boat. When Eric was safely under, I bent my knees and let the weight of the boat seal us in.
SLAM!
The bear thumped into the boat a second later. The boat shuddered violently but stayed put.
“Man, was that close!” I heard Eric say in the dark. His voice echoed eerily under our aluminum shelter.
I groped in the dark for my flashlight and flicked it on. “Is everyone okay?” I asked, waving the beam around.
Rachel said, “Yeah,” but her voice was pretty shaky.
“I think I have to pee,” Eric said, “but I’m all right.”
Through the gaps under the boat’s seats, I could see Eric and Rachel clearly. The deeper shape of the bow gave Rachel a lot more room at her end. She was leaning on one elbow, but she had enough space to crawl on her knees. Eric and I, on the other hand, were wedged in pretty tightly.
Outside we heard the bear snorting and grunting in frustration.
BAM!
The bear slammed a giant paw on the boat. I looked above me at the ceiling—which was actually the floor of the boat—and saw a dinner-plate-sized dent appear.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The noise under the aluminum was deafening.
“Leave us alone!” Rachel yelled. “Go away!”
For a minute, I thought that would work. But then, without warning, the entire boat shifted a few inches. Light spilled from outside and I caught a flash of black fur—lots of black fur.
“Oh, no!” Eric said. “He’s trying to do what he saw us do. He’s trying to flip the boat!”
Wandering Fox Books
Contemporary Canadian classics reimagined for today’s young readers
WANDERING FOX BOOKS is an imprint of Heritage House Publishing, catering to young readers ages eight to sixteen. Wandering Fox titles are timeless Canadian stories by bestselling, award-winning authors who count kids, parents, librarians, and educators among their loyal fans. The name Wandering Fox encompasses the curiosity, mischief, and adventure of young readers on the journey to adulthood.
All books are suitable for classroom use and come with discussion and/or comprehension questions and author interviews.
For more information, or to order books in the series, see wanderingfoxbooks.com, heritagehouse.ca, or hgdistribution.com.
Also from Wandering Fox Books
History in the Faking
The Shenanigans Series—Book One
by Andreas Oertel
Ancient Egyptians in North America? Well, not really. But that’s what Cody and his friends want people to believe. The tiny town of Sultana needs tourists, and it needs them badly. So Cody, his best friend Eric, and Eric’s twin sister Rachel concoct an elaborate hoax to transform sleepy Sultana into a hotbed of activity. But when their prank starts working too well, and the shenanigans get out of control, the kids have to make some tough decisions.
Who knew that faking history could be so tricky?
Ontario Library Association Silver Birch Award nominee
Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award finalist
New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award nominee
New from Wandering Fox Books
City Pictures
by Shirlee Smith Matheson
Ancient Egyptians in North America? Well, not really. But that’s what Cody and his friends want people to believe. The tiny town of Sultana needs tourists, and it needs them badly. So Cody, his best friend Eric, and Eric’s twin sister Rachel concoct an elaborate hoax to transform sleepy Sultana into a hotbed of activity. But when their prank starts working too well, and the shenanigans get out of control, the kids have to make some tough decisions.
Who knew that faking history could be so tricky?
“Real, believable and likeable.”
Calgary Herald
If You Live Like Me
by Lori Weber
Before her plane even touches down in Newfoundland, Cheryl is already plotting her escape. She knows life on this rock will be no better than it was in the other places she’s been forced to live ever since her parents launched their cross-Canada tour. The unwilling spectator of her father’s morbid fascination with “dying cultures,” Cheryl has seen more than her fair share of towns so depressing they could haunt your dreams. His decision to study the defunct fishing industry in St. John’s is Cheryl’s breaking point—this city girl is more determined than ever to get back to the concrete, the buzz, and the bright lights of Montreal. Will Cheryl’s cold, goth exterior and her refusal to embrace a new life cut her off from those who love her?
“An entertaining story.”
Kirkus Reviews
Forthcoming from Wandering Fox Books
The Flags of War
Fields of Conflict—The American Civil War, Part One
by John Wilson
The Secret of Grim Hill
by Linda DeMeulemeester
Trouble at Impact Lake
The Shenanigans Series—Book Three
by Andreas Oertel
Copyright © 2015 Andreas Oertel
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, audio recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher or a licence from Access Copyright, Toronto, Canada.
Wandering Fox Books
An imprint of Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.
heritagehouse.ca
wanderingfoxbooks.com
Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada
ISBN 978-1-77203-058-7 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-77203-059-4 (html)
ISBN 978-1-77203-060-0 (epdf)
Series Editor: Lynn Duncan
Proofread by Lesley Cameron
Cover design by Jacqui Thomas
Cover photographs:
Liz Bryan
two boys—Jorgen McLeman/shutterstock.com
girl—Nowik Sylwia/shutterstock.com
Heritage House acknowledges the financial support for its publishing program from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF), Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
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