inside to finally unlock the library
doors.
Principal Decker stood on the back
of the truck and addressed the
crowd. “Boerring Elementary
appreciates everyone’s hard work
today, but, unfortunately, there’s a
lot of paperwork to reopen a library.”
He pulled at his tie as he spoke. “It’s
going to take a few weeks before the
library can officially reopen.”
“WHAT?” Einstein said. “We can’t
wait that long.”
Ned and his friends weren’t happy
either. “Ms. Moreno donated all this
stuff,” Ned said. “We worked all day.”
“And don’t forget the money we
raised from the video,” Bonnie said.
“Plus, we dressed up like candy
corn!” Ricky added.
“I’m sorry,” Principal Decker said.
“I’ll get started on this first thing
Monday morning.”
No one in the crowd was happy.
“It looks like we need to implement
Plan B,” Einstein whispered.
“I thought Plan B was making the
video,” Marlon said.
“Okay, then it’s time for Plan C.
Or is it Plan D?”
“It’s too dangerous,” Marlon said.
“Sometimes if you want to
succeed, you have to take a risk.”
Einstein tiptoed out of his tank and
approached Twinkles.
“I need you to do something,”
Einstein told the python.
“Does it involve having a friend for
dinner?” Twinkles asked. “Namely
you?”
“It’s not for me—it’s for the school.”
When the python heard Einstein’s
plan, he looked at the hamster—not
in his usual “Can I eat you?” way, but
more thoughtfully.
“Count me in,” Twinkles said.
“I hope you’re not going to regret
this,” Marlon told Einstein.
“I hope so too,”
Einstein said as he
watched Twinkles
coil up next to him.
Now all Einstein
had to do was talk
to Ned.
“Are you sure?” Ned asked after he
heard the plan. “This could backfire.”
Einstein told Ned there was no
other choice if they wanted to open
the library today.
“Okay,” Ned said. “Here goes.” He
turned to the crowd of students and
parents. “Somebody help! Twinkles is
trapped inside the library!”
Principal Decker jumped off the
truck and raced between the tables.
“How did my Twinky get into the
library—it’s locked!”
“He looks scared,” Ned said. “You’ve
got to get him out!”
Principal Decker threw open the
school doors and ran inside. “I’M
COMING, TWINKLES!”
“Did Twinkles get in through the
window?” Bonnie pressed her face
against the library door. Inside,
Twinkles was slithering across the
shelves.
It DID seem like a mystery—unless
you knew about Einstein’s secret
tunnel.
“I hope this wasn’t a giant mistake,”
Marlon said.
Einstein agreed.
Principal Decker continued to yank
on the padlocked door. “TWINKLES!”
“Come on, Twinkles,” Einstein said.
“Let’s see those acting chops.”
“Don’t mention ‘Twinkles’ and ‘chops’
in the same sentence,” Marlon said.
Einstein watched as Twinkles
pretended to be lost and afraid. It
was the best python performance
he’d seen since watching old horror
movies at Ned’s house.
Ms. Moreno faced down the
principal as he yanked on the
padlocked doors. “You might have to
unlock these doors to save Twinkles.”
Principal Decker skidded down
the hall to his office. He rummaged
through his desk until he found
the key.
“PAPA’S COMING, TWINKLES!
PAPA’S COMING!” Principal Decker
cried.
Principal Decker was so nervous, Ms.
Remington had to take the key from
him to unlock the door. He ran inside
and scooped Twinkles into his arms.
“You owe me one,” Twinkles
whispered to Einstein when he came
out. “And I know just how you can
pay me back.”
But Einstein needed to focus on
the rest of his plan. As soon as
Principal Decker was about to lock
the door again, he nudged Ned forward.
Ned unfolded the piece of paper
Einstein had given him earlier. “Once a
town library is reopened,” Ned read.
“It must remain open.”
Principal Decker grabbed the paper
from Ned’s hand. “Where did you find
this?”
“With the town’s historical
documents,” Ned answered. “The rule
was written almost a hundred years
ago.”
Ned went to the historical research
section and pulled open the book
Einstein had told him about.
Ms. Moreno walked to the front of
the crowd carrying several sacks of
money. “And after today’s sale, I
think we CAN leave the library open.”
Principal Decker looked around the
room. He might have unlocked the
door to save Twinkles, but he was
keeping it unlocked for his students.
“The library is officially reopened!” he
shouted.
Einstein had to give credit where
credit was due. “We couldn’t have
done this without you,” he told
Twinkles.
“I know how you can pay me back,”
Twinkles repeated.
“If it involves digestion, I’m not
interested.”
“Now that I know how to get into
your secret tunnel,” Twinkles said,
“perhaps I can pay you a surprise
visit sometime. We can hang out.”
“I warned you,” Marlon said. “You’ll
never be safe from Twinkles again.”
As everyone celebrated, Ms.
Moreno asked Ned where he’d found
out about such an obscure town
ruling.
Ned looked over at Einstein and
smiled. “Where you find everything—
IN THE LIBRARY.”
Several of the body’s organs are used
in the digestive process: To digest even
a piece of fruit, the mouth, esophagus,
stomach, small and large intestines,
gallbladder, pancreas, and liver are all
involved.
The first step in the digestive process
is CHEWING. The average body makes
between one and three pints of saliva
each day to break down food. The
muscles in the esophagus contract in
waves to move food down, so even if you
are standing on your head, food will make
it into your stomach.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ThE LiBrArY
ReOpEnS
Monday morning, students and
teachers gathered in the hall outside
the library. Ned had Einstein tucked
inside his jacket pocket.
“I don’t want to miss anything!”
Einstein said. “Cut to the front of
the line!”
Ned told Einstein to settle down.
The other teachers were so
impressed by Ms. Moreno’s sacrifice,
they spent the weekend doing some
shopping of their own. The library
was now filled with upholstered
chairs, woven rugs, and well-placed
lamps. And books! Rows and rows
and rows of new books for all the
students to enjoy. Books about
anatomy and Native Americans and
crafts and music and art, and novels
and chapter books and picture books.
There were more books than Einstein
had ever seen.
Even though she’d parted with a lot
of her possessions, no one in the
room was happier than Ms. Moreno,
fast asleep on the new, comfy
window seat.
“She really is a hero,” Ned said.
“So are you,” Einstein added.
As if she knew someone was
talking about her, Ms. Moreno woke
with a start. She stretched and
yawned, then called Ned over.
“You seem quite fond of Einstein,”
Ms. Moreno said.
You don’t know the half of it, Ned
thought. He could feel Einstein
moving around in his pocket.
“It may sound funny, but I swear
that hamster inspired me to sell all
that stuff I didn’t need.”
“It doesn’t sound funny at all,” Ned
answered.
Ms. Moreno looked around the
room at the students reading and
enjoying books. “I DO miss my
rhinestone coffeemaker,” she said.
“But there’s an additional purchase I
couldn’t resist.”
She pulled a book from the shelf
and opened it. Affixed to the inside
front cover was the most beautiful
bookplate Ned had ever seen. It read:
EX LIBRIS—BOERRING ELEMENTARY.
“Ex libris is Latin and means ‘from
the library of.’” Ms. Moreno ran her
finger along the embossed lettering.
“It’s a way of saying that these books
belong to our school and that no one
can take them away.”
Einstein poked his head out from
Ned’s pocket. The bookplates from
the infomercial! Embossed! In Latin!
And gold!
Bonnie spied another box behind
Ms. Moreno. When she asked about
it, Ms. Moreno smiled sheepishly.
“Okay, I made TWO additional
purchases.” She reached behind her
and pulled out the box.
Einstein’s face lit up. “THE
SLUSHIE MAKER!”
“I thought we could enjoy some
slushies while we read,” Ms. Moreno
said.
“As long as they’re not turducken
slushies,” Ned whispered to Bonnie.
Ms. Moreno clapped her hands and
called her students over to the
window seat. “Who wants to hear a
story?” she asked.
It was the greatest question in the
world—a question no one could ever
say no to. Einstein settled in with his
classmates as Ms. Moreno began to
read.
ONCE
UPON A
TIME . . .
AnSwEr . . .
ThAt . . .
QuEsTiOn!
LIGHTNING ROUND
Let’s see how well you remember your
facts!
1. What is the largest library in the world?
2. What are the puffy types of clouds
called?
3. A giraffe’s tongue is so long it can clean
its own ears—true or false?
4. Some living things in a food chain are
producers—the others are called what?
5. What was the original name for cotton
candy?
6. Ostriches bury their heads in the sand—
true or false?
7. What was probably used as the oldest
form of money?
8. George Washington Carver discovered
300 uses for which legume?
9. The streets in the game Monopoly are
named after streets in what city?
10. What caused dodo birds to become
extinct?
11. Albert Einstein thought in pictures—
true or false?
12. A ten-gallon hat holds ten gallons of
water—true or false?
13. An omnivore eats only plants—true
or false?
14. What is the study of maps called?
15. What is the first step in the digestive
process?
16. The first movie Thomas Edison made
was of a man pretending to do what?
17. Who wrote the lyrics to “The Star-
Spangled Banner”?
18. Which two U.S. presidents were peanut
farmers?
19. The virgin rain forest discovered with
Google Earth is now called what?
20. What was Pablo Picasso’s first word?
How did you do?
1. THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS
2. CUMULUS CLOUDS
3. TRUE
4. CONSUMERS
5. FAIRY FLOSS
6. FALSE
7. CATTLE
8. THE PEANUT
9. ATLANTIC CITY
10. HUMANS
11. TRUE
12. FALSE
13. FALSE
14. CARTOGRAPHY
15. CHEWING
16. SNEEZE
17. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY
18. THOMAS JEFFERSON
AND JIMMY CARTER
19. GOOGLE FOREST
20. PENCIL
SpEcIaL
FeAtUrEs
BLOOPERS AND DELETED SCENES
WORST
BRAIN FREEZE
EVER!
Marlon, you realize you
were lovestruck, right?
I can’t
help it.
That’s my
favorite
book.
Wait,
this hamster
really talks?
This
cavity’s
killing me!
How
do YOU
like it?
This is
awkward.
Ummmm . . .
You’re not dead yet?
No, but you’re
gonna be.
I hate it when
I can’t fall
asleep.
Dude, candy corn fangs
are NOT scary.
FiNd OuT MoRe
Want to find out more information about
my Tasty Tidbits? Explore your local library
or check out these online sites:
CLOUDS:
sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/weather/clouds.html
LIBRARIES:
loc.gov/about/fascinating-facts
against-the-grain.com/2011/06/five-fun-facts-you-may-not-know-about-
libraries
COTTON CANDY:
yurtopic.com/food/cooking/cotton-candy-facts.html
TASTY TIDBITS ON PAGES 30-31:
tealdragon.net/humor/facts/facts.htm
monopoly:
hasbro.com/monopoly/en_US/discover/about.cfm
cartography:
academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm
peanuts:
nationalpeanutboard.org/classroom-funfacts.php
nationalpeanutboard.org/classroom-carver.php
thomas edison:
inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bledison.htm
ostriches:
funshun.com/amazing-facts/ostrich-birds-facts.html
kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/animalsnature/animal-myths-busted
tomatoes:
healthdiaries.com/eatthis/15-fun-facts-about-tomatoes.html
food chain:
kidskonnect.com/subjectindex/15-educational/science/77-food-chain.html
pablo picasso:
pablopicasso.org/picasso-facts.jsp
Albert einstein:
alberteinsteinsite.com/einsteinfunfacts.html
currency:
Einstein the Class Hamster Saves the Library (Einstein the Class Hamster Series) Page 5