“QUAAAAAACK!”
“Actually, I think it’s both!” shouted Didi.
“What are you telling me?”
“I can’t explain it,” said Didi. “But the quacking is coming from Queen Nefertiti! The Queen is the queen!”
“And she’s about to be squashed by a giant meatball!” I yelled.
“Not if me and my rocket pants can help it!” shouted Didi. “I have a brand-new daring pla—”
The rocket pants started beeping and a tiny little “low fuel” light started blinking.
“Oh no!”
“Oh no!”
QUAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
The queen and the meatball had just gone over the edge of the huge, scary, steep drop!
“Please, please, please tell me that you have a brand-new brand-new daring plan!” I said.
“I do,” said Didi. “Wait here. I’ve got to do this myself.”
She skated full speed toward Tarzan’s Bungee Jungle and grabbed a vine.
“HEY! I WUZ NECKST IN LINE!” yelled an angry yak, but it was too late, Didi was already swinging toward the waterslide.
In that last split second before the meatball smashed into the ground with a disgusting meaty crash, Didi swung through the air and grabbed the queen.
And in that very very last split split second, the bungee vine yanked them both back to where I was standing.
They were both covered in spaghetti sauce and waterslide water, but they were safe!
The cute baby chicks rode up on the baby zebra just in time to see Queen Nefertiti take her big mascot head off.
It really was the Queen inside.
“Quack,” she said.
“WHAT IS GOING ON?” asked EVERYBODY except the baby zebra.
“I can answer that,” said the baby zebra.
“How can YOU answer that?” asked EVERYBODY except the baby zebra.
“Because I’m not really an adorable, lost baby zebra,” said the baby zebra.
“What are you telling us?” asked EVERYBODY except the baby zebra.
“I’m not even a baby zebra,” said the baby zebra. “I’m actually Double-O Debra, head of the Secret Spy Agency.”
“I’ve never heard of you or that agency,” I said.
“That’s because we’re a secret agency and we’re really good at keeping secrets,” said Debra.
“Hmm,” said the baby chicks.
“I can promise you that the spy agency is as real as I am,” said the Queen.
“Real?” I asked. “Do you mean that you’re really . . .”
“Yes,” said the Queen. “I really am the Queen.”
“She really is,” said Double-O Debra. The tiny zebra pushed a button on her watch and a huge limousine rolled up. The doors opened and lots of guards, knights, royal advisors, and trumpet players jumped out. They all made a big fuss over the Queen.
“ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF WINGLAND!”
“Wingland?” I gasped. “I didn’t even know she was Winglish!”
No one answered me because they were all bowing to each other and yelling “hurrah” and throwing rose petals. Then they all got back in the limo and drove away . . . with the Queen!
“What just happened?” I yelled. “Why did the Queen kidnap herself and make Didi come up with all those daring plans all day and make me make all those cookie dogs and make the baby chicks . . .”
“I said I could answer that, and I will,” said the baby zebra, I mean, Double-O Debra. “It was a test.”
“What are you telling me about a test?” I yelled.
“We had to be sure that Didi was ready,” said Double-O Debra.
“Ready for what?”
“Ready to become a Secret Spy, of course,” said Double-O Debra. “And she is!”
Double-O Debra handed Didi a badge.
“Welcome to the Secret Spy Agency, Double-O Dodo,” she said.
Epilogue
I was very happy when Didi got her badge. But the next morning, when I unlocked my cookie shop and started baking cookies, I wasn’t happy.
I was lonely.
Without Didi and the Queen, baking cookies was going to be dull and boring.
I’d be stuck in my kitchen, while the Queen was having royal balls at the palace and Didi was out having daring plans to save the world.
Even sprinkling sprinkles on a batch of frosted sugar cookies didn’t make me feel better.
And then some of my tears fell into my brownie batter and I had to throw it out.
Just then, the door burst open!
Didi zoomed in on her roller skates and smashed right into the sugar cookies. Frosting and sprinkles went everywhere!
“What are you telling me?”
“I’m just making sure it’s safe for the Queen to come in and get to work,” said Didi, looking behind the counter and under the sink.
She pressed a button on her watch.
A huge limo pulled up outside.
The Queen hopped out and waddled in the door.
“What are you doing here, Your Majesty?” I asked.
“I’m here to work,” she quacked.
“What are you telling me about work?” I said. “You’re the Queen!”
“Yes,” she said. “And that means I can do anything I want. And I want to make cookies!”
“Actually,” I said, “today we’re baking a cake.”
“What are you telling us about a cake?” asked Didi and the Queen.
“We thought you only baked cakes on special occasions,” said the three baby chicks, walking in the door.
“This is a VERY special occasion!” I shouted, waving my wing and all that. “So it will be a VERY special cake!”
“Yum! What kind?” asked Double-O Debra, who had been hiding behind a big can of frosting.
“It’ll be a fish-flavored, corn-dog cookie cake with secret fudge sauce letters that say: Didi Dodo, Secret Spy!”
“That’s a very daring cake,” said Didi. “Do you dare to make it?”
“I do,” I said. “Do you?”
We did! And everyone baked happily ever after!
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR
TOM ANGLEBERGER is the New York Times bestselling author of the Origami Yoda series, as well as many other books for kids. He created Koko Dodo with his wife, Cece Bell, for the Inspector Flytrap series. When that series ended, he still wanted to send Koko on some bigger adventures . . . whether Koko wanted to go or not! Visit Tom at origamiyoda.com.
JARED CHAPMAN is the author-illustrator of the best-selling Vegetables in Underwear, as well as Fruits in Suits and Pirate, Viking & Scientist. He lives in Texas. Find out more about Jared at jaredchapman.com.
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