by Lee Kirby
But at the same time, the tide had turned against the classroom pets. A group of Rat Packers was rolling the Turbomobile back and forth. Inside the bubble, Fantastic Fish looked like she was seasick.
Professor Turtle had retreated inside his own shell, and a couple of laughing Rat Packers were playing catch with his visor.
Boss Bunny had been tied up with the string from his own utility belt.
A swarm of Rat Packers had cornered the Green Winger and prevented her from flying.
The Great Gecko had almost escaped by running up a wall, but a Rat Packer got lucky and caught the tip of his tail.
Even Wonder Pig, with her super-pig strength, was captured and down for the count.
Super Turbo suddenly realized that he was the only classroom pet left standing. The fate of his new friends, his school, and perhaps the entire WORLD depended on him!
Super Turbo had to come up with a plan. And fast! He scanned the pantry. The Rat Pack was distracted trying to keep his new friends from escaping. Meanwhile, Whiskerface was escaping. And that’s when Super Turbo saw it.
Now, you know that a hamster cannot fly. Maybe if you put a hamster in a catapult or something, you could call that flying. But that’s not very nice. But on this day, against these enemies, well . . . guess what? Super Turbo flew!
With a thud, Super Turbo landed atop the table in the pantry. How long before the Rat Pack noticed him? The answer was . . . not long. Already they were racing after him.
Suddenly a lightbulb went on over Super Turbo’s head. Well, it didn’t go on, but it was there. And there was a long string hanging from it.
Super Turbo took a deep breath. He adjusted his goggles. He fluffed up his cape. And then with all the hamster speed he could muster, he ran as fast as he could to the edge of the table, leaped into the air, and caught the string that hung from the lightbulb.
The sound was unbearably loud. Especially if you happened to be a tiny little rodent with giant ears. Everyone knows rats hate loud noises! The evil Rat Packers fell down, clutching their ears.
Whiskerface, who was trapped in the bagel tutu, ordered his Rat Pack to cover his ears. But because of the fire alarm, the Rat Pack couldn’t hear him. Instead they started crawling back through the hole in the wall. Seeing that he was deserted, Whiskerface turned and ran as well.
As he did, Super Turbo was pretty sure he heard Whiskerface yell, “I’ll get you, Super Turbo! This isn’t the last you’ll see of me!”
Later on, in the reading nook in the corner of Classroom C, the new friends gathered to talk about their exciting day.
Angelina turned to Frank. “And I have to say, Frank, you definitely sniffed out that evil before any of us could. It’s a good thing we have your super-smelling bunny nose to use from now on.”
“Sunnyview is in good hands, thanks to us,” said Warren, proudly.
All the pets smiled, content with themselves. All the pets but Leo. He frowned.
“Super!” shouted Clever.
“Pet!” yelled Nell.
“Superhero League!” cried Frank.
“And I propose that Classroom C, right here, be our meeting place,” added Angelina.
All the animals agreed it was the perfect place for a team of superhero pets.
That night, Turbo returned to his comfy cage in the corner of Classroom C. He carefully folded up his Super Turbo gear and returned it to his secret hiding spot. He looked at his hamster wheel, his hamster pellets, his water bottle.
Tomorrow, school would be back in session. For all the students, all the teachers, and even Principal Brickford, it would be no different from any other day. But it would be different. Because tomorrow, and forever after, Sunnyview Elementary was under the protection of . . .
HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK AT SUPER TURBO’S NEXT ADVENTURE!
Normally, Sunnyview Elementary was filled with kids and teachers and all the things that make up a school. But it was after hours. Everyone was at home or asleep. And not a creature was stirring, except for a—what is that? A mouse?
“Fellow rats!” a small, fuzzy creature with huge ears and long whiskers addressed a crowd of other creatures just like him. Although he was a bit smaller than the rest, his whiskers were longer. This is why he was called. . . Whiskerface!
“I suppose you’re all wondering why I called you here tonight!” he continued.
There was a chorus of whispers. “Uh, was today Taco Tuesday?” asked a tiny voice from the back.
“No!” roared back Whiskerface. “It’s not even Tuesday, it’s Friday!”
“As you all know, the Rat Pack recently suffered a defeat at the paws of the Pampered Pets of Sunnyview Elementary.”
Whiskerface stroked his whiskers as he reminded his Rat Pack what had happened.
A team of classroom pets had showed up in his cafeteria and halted his plan to take over Sunnyview Elementary and, eventually, the world!
“But as your fearless leader, I have taken steps to make sure that the Rat Pack will never be defeated again!” Whiskerface cried.
Lee Kirby has the proportionate strength and abilities of a man-size hamster. He spends his days chewing up cardboard and running in giant plastic bubbles throughout his very own fortress of solitude in Brooklyn, New York. And, no, he is not related to world-famous Captain Awesome author, Stan Kirby. Or is he?
GEORGE O’CONNOR’S cover—as a mild-mannered clerk in one of Gotham’s most beloved children’s bookstores—was completely blown when his first picture book, KAPOW!, exploded onto the scene. Forced to leave the bookselling world behind, he now spends even more time in his secret Brooklyn, New York, hideout—where he uses his amazing artistic powers to strike fear in the hearts of bad guys everywhere!
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster · New York
Visit us at
simonandschuster.com/kids
authors.simonandschuster.com/Lee-Kirby
authors.simonandschuster.com/George-O'Connor
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.
LITTLE SIMON
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division • 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 • www.SimonandSchuster.com • First Little Simon hardcover edition December 2016 • Copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected]. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by Jay Colvin. The text of this book was set in Little Simon Gazette.
Jacket Illustrations by George O’Connor.
Jacket Illustrations Copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4814-8885-3 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-8884-6 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-8886-0 (eBook)