by jeff brown
1. Duck Tour!
2. Rubber Ducky Rescue
3. Quincy Market
4. Strangers from the Past
5. Secret Mission
6. “Midnight” Ride
7. Fenway Park
What You Need to Know About Boston and Paul Revere!
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About the Authors and Artist
Books by Jeff Brown
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Duck Tour!
Ever since a bulletin board had fallen off the wall beside his bed—and made him as flat as a pancake—Stanley Lambchop had traveled all around the world. Sometimes he went on secret missions—as the world’s most famous flat person, there were some problems that only he could solve. And sometimes he went on vacation, just for fun. But even though Stanley had been on almost every continent—and visited many famous places—he had never, not once, been on a duck tour.
Actually, he didn’t even know what a duck tour was! But he was about to find out.
The Lambchops were visiting Boston for a long weekend getaway, and Boston, his mother told him, was famous for its duck tours. “This is the best way for us to get an overview of the whole city,” Mrs. Lambchop said as they hurried to get in line. “Once we see the whole city, then we can decide what else to do while we are here.”
That made sense to Stanley. The only problem was that his father and his younger brother, Arthur, already knew what they wanted to do . . . and it was not a duck tour at all.
Mr. Lambchop wanted to see Boston’s historic sites. “Boston is one of America’s oldest cities,” Mr. Lambchop told his sons. “It started as a town in the British colony of Massachusetts. Then, in the 1700s, some colonists took the first steps toward freeing our country from British rule. Without our Revolutionary War, we would not have the country that we live in today!”
“And we would not have the aquarium, or the science museum, or the Boston Red Sox either!” said Arthur. “Those are the things that I really want to see on this trip.” Arthur was more interested in new Boston than in old Boston. And he was a lot more excited about sports than history.
Stanley walked ahead of them a little. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in Boston. He only knew what he didn’t want to do. Something was bothering him. Right now he didn’t even want to think about it.
Stanley was the first to hand over his ticket and board the strangest vehicle he had ever seen. It looked a little like a boat, but it had wheels. With a flat top and rows of seats inside, it also reminded Stanley of a school bus. If a school bus had rainbow stripes!
“I don’t know why they call it a duck,” said Stanley to Arthur, who was walking up behind him. “It doesn’t look like a duck at all.”
Mrs. Lambchop pointed at the words on its side. “Look!” she said. “Its name is Fenway Franny!”
“Maybe it will take us to the game,” said Arthur. “Fenway Park is where the Red Sox play baseball.”
Just then, a woman in a lighthouse T-shirt walked off the boat to greet everyone. “Hello, visitors of Boston! I’m Beacon Jill,” she said, “and I’ll be your con-duck-tor today. I will show you all the city’s highlights!” She directed them to sit inside the strange vehicle.
“You folks can squeeze in right here,” said Beacon Jill to another family. She pointed to a spot next to Stanley. Being flat, he didn’t take up much room at all.
Two adults sat down with a tiny girl. “I know you,” she announced, her pigtails bouncing. “You’re Flat Stanley!”
“Shhh, Zoey,” said her dad. “Don’t bother the boy.”
But Stanley just smiled. He was used to being recognized wherever he went. “Yes,” he said politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The vehicle was moving now, and Beacon Jill was beginning her tour. “A duck tour is the best way to get to know the city of Boston,” she said into a microphone. Mrs. Lambchop nodded in agreement. “This vehicle is modeled after some amphibious trucks called DUKWs—or ducks—used during World War Two.”
“Amphibious?” Arthur whispered to Stanley. “What’s that?”
Stanley shrugged. He didn’t know, but he could guess. “Like an amphibian, maybe?” he said. Amphibians were creatures like frogs, which start their lives in the water but eventually move to land.
Arthur shook his head. “That can’t be it,” he said. “Ducks are birds.”
They drove through the city, past a giant library and a glass skyscraper called the John Hancock Tower, which was one of Boston’s tallest buildings. Then they turned into a big green park. “Here in the Boston Public Garden, there are some statues that I think the children would like to see,” said Beacon Jill. “Follow me, and don’t forget your cameras!” The whole tour group climbed out for a stroll.
Right on the edge of a path, there was a statue of a mother duck. Eight little duckling statues trailed behind her. “Does anyone know what these are?” Beacon Jill asked the group.
Zoey called out, “Make Way for Ducklings!” Stanley remembered that was the title of a book he loved when he was little. It was about the Mallard family, looking for a place in Boston to raise their babies. Now he saw that it took place right here in the Public Garden!
“That must be why it’s called a duck tour,” Arthur said.
Back on the truck, Beacon Jill pointed out the gold-domed State House, in the middle of an old neighborhood called Beacon Hill, and Stanley figured out how she got her name. She also told the group when they were entering the city’s North End, which was famous for its Italian restaurants. There is certainly a lot to see in Boston! Stanley thought.
They passed a long brick building perched above a river. “Look, it’s the science museum!” Arthur told Mrs. Lambchop. “Let’s go there as soon as this tour is over.”
Before his mother could answer, Beacon Jill yelled out, “Okay now, get ready for . . . splashdown!”
All of a sudden, the truck drove right up to the edge of the water—and plunged right in!
It wasn’t a truck anymore—it was a boat!
Mr. Lambchop wiped his face dry and said, “I think this is why it’s called a duck tour.”
“And an amphibious vehicle,” Stanley added. Like an amphibian, it could go on land and water.
“Welcome to the Charles River,” said Beacon Jill. Stanley and the others looked around. The river was lined with trees and dotted with boats. The duck boat sailed under a stone bridge, and it seemed like they were in a whole different city now. There were no traffic jams on the river, and the John Hancock Tower seemed far away. “Breathe in the salt air, boys,” said Mrs. Lambchop. “We’re not too far from the ocean!” A seagull soared on the breeze.
The tour stopped for a little while, as Beacon Jill answered some questions. Mr. Lambchop pointed to some buildings on the other side of the river. “There’s Cambridge, home to some of the country’s best universities,” he told Stanley. “That’s where the doctors’ conference is. That’s where you’ll be speaking, Stanley!”
That was the thing that Stanley didn’t want to think about.
On this trip, the Lambchops would be meeting up with one of their good friends from home—Dr. Dan, who was visiting Boston at the same time as they were!
Normally, Stanley loved to see Dr. Dan. He was the nicest doctor ever! But Stanley was nervous about seeing him here.
Dr. Dan was in Boston to talk to a group of doctors about an exciting new scientific discovery. New research had shown him different ways to help people who wanted to lose weight, people who wanted to gain weight, or other people who wanted to change their size or shape . . . even people who were flat!
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In a big speech at the end of the conference, Dr. Dan would tell the other doctors what he had learned and what it could mean. He had also invited Stanley to give a speech of his own. “This discovery could help you, Stanley!” Dr. Dan had said. “One of these days, we’ll be able to get you back to normal. Will you tell the doctors how that would change your life?”
Stanley didn’t want to give a speech in the middle of his family vacation. And he felt pretty normal already. He had made a huge mistake, though. When Dr. Dan asked him to speak, Stanley had not exactly said no. Dr. Dan was his friend, and Stanley didn’t know how to tell him the truth.
In Boston, then, Stanley would have to do one of two hard things. He could disappoint Dr. Dan at the last minute, which would be terrible. Or he could make a big speech to a group of strangers, which might be worse.
And he didn’t know which one he would do. Was there a way to avoid either of these bad choices?
Rubber Ducky Rescue
Beacon Jill started the boat again, and asked for a volunteer driver. Zoey jumped up and drove for a few minutes, and then came back to her seat with a rubber ducky souvenir. She was all smiles as Beacon Jill started speaking. “If you look right there,” she said, pointing to something in the distance, “you can see the very top of the Old North Church. When British soldiers arrived in Boston in 1775, Paul Revere put signals there to warn the colonists. The very next day, the Revolutionary War broke out!”
Mr. Lambchop’s eyes lit up. He raised his hand to ask a question. “Is the Old North Church a part of the Freedom Trail?”
Beacon Jill nodded. “The Freedom Trail is a pathway that connects all of Boston’s important historic sites,” she explained. “You can walk easily from one to the other.”
“Sounds like the perfect way to start exploring Boston’s history,” Mr. Lambchop said.
Arthur didn’t look very happy. “What about the science museum?” he complained. “When can we do what I want to do?”
Mr. Lambchop sighed, too. “Everyone will get to do what they want to do in Boston, Arthur,” he said. “You just need to be patient.”
“The Freedom Trail is wonderful,” Beacon Jill told Arthur. “You’ll learn how the colonists fought for freedom. They wanted to be able to make the rules for themselves!”
“I know just how they felt,” Arthur grumbled. “I would like to be in charge for once!” Before anyone could reply, Zoey shrieked. “No! My ducky!”
One minute, the rubber ducky was in Zoey’s hands. The next minute, he was floating in the Charles River.
Zoey started to cry. “I just came up with a name for him,” she said through her tears. “I was going to call him Lucky.” He bounced along on the little waves made by a passing sailboat.
A man in a blue kayak called up to her. “Is that your duck?” he said.
Zoey’s dad yelled back, “Yes! Can you get him?”
The kayaker stuck the paddle way out of his boat. But when he tried to scoop up the ducky, he only dropped him back into the water. Lucky got up a little burst of speed, and it looked like he was swimming away.
Zoey covered her eyes with her hands. Her shoulders were shaking, even when her mom put her arm around her. “It’s okay,” she said. “We’ll find a way to get him.”
“What if I try to get a little closer?” Beacon Jill said, helpfully.
“Yes, please. Whatever you can do to bring back Lucky,” Zoey cried.
“Zoey has such nice manners,” whispered Mrs. Lambchop. “I hope she can get Lucky back.”
But moving the tour duck only made the rubber duck float off in the other direction. And even if they got right next to the ducky, nobody could reach into the river.
Well, nobody except Flat Stanley. He didn’t know anything about giving a speech at a medical conference. But he did know how to help out in an emergency.
All he had to do was look at his brother. They had a whole conversation with their eyes. “We can do it!” Arthur’s look said.
“I think we can help,” Stanley told Beacon Jill. “We can be the lifeguards for Lucky!”
“I can’t let you dive in,” said Beacon Jill. “I’m sorry, but swimming is not allowed on the duck tour.”
Zoey let out another sob.
“I don’t need to go swimming,” Stanley explained. “All you need to do is lower me into the water.”
“Sorry. There is a rule against that, too,” said Beacon Jill. “We can’t use the life preservers for any reason other than saving lives.”
“We will be saving Lucky’s life,” Arthur pointed out.
Stanley wasn’t sure if that counted. He said, “You don’t even need to use the life preservers. I’m so flat that I can be a life preserver!” He stretched his body into an O for a minute, just to show her the possibilities. “I’ll be able to reach Lucky. All we need is a rope for you to keep me connected. Are there any rules against that?”
“I don’t think that anyone has thought up that rule yet.” Beacon Jill smiled. “I’m the captain today, and I say it’s okay for us to try!”
She glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop for permission, and they both nodded.
Beacon Jill went to a storage area near her steering wheel. Inside, there were brooms and trash bags and a couple of lengths of rope. “How’s this?” she said, handing one to Stanley.
“Hurry!” said Zoey. “Look!” A powerboat was zipping down the river, heading toward Lucky!
Quickly, Arthur wrapped the rope around Stanley’s waist like a belt.
He stood on the edge of the duck boat. “One, two, three!” said Arthur, as he picked up Stanley and threw him into the Charles River, just a few feet away from Lucky.
Stanley landed with a light splash. The water was cold and murky. He couldn’t see anything underneath him. The water was moving a lot, because it was such a busy river. This was definitely a part of Boston he hadn’t expected to see!
Carefully, Stanley stretched out on the surface of the water. Any motion could send the ducky in the wrong direction. Floating was easy for Stanley, but steering was tricky.
Lucky was still bobbing happily in the water. He did not seem to mind being the smallest craft on the river. Every once in a while, a wave splashed over him. He changed course, but he never went under. And Stanley didn’t let Lucky out of his sight.
The powerboat would pass very soon. It wasn’t on track to hit Lucky, but it left a long trail of water behind it, and the ripple could send Lucky farther than the rope would reach.
With only a little shaking, Stanley made a ripple in the water himself! Suddenly he saw he could use that to his advantage. When Stanley’s ripple reached Lucky, the ducky popped out of the water a little. Lucky flew through the air and landed right in the middle of the Stanley life preserver!
“I’ve got him!” Stanley called.
Arthur yanked the rope and handed a length of it to Beacon Jill. Then he yanked again and again until Stanley was right at the edge of the boat. He climbed the last section of rope with Lucky in his hand, until he was back on board, dripping wet. Mrs. Lambchop wrapped him in a blanket.
Zoey flung her arms around him. “Thank you, Flat Stanley!” she said.
Her mom shook Stanley’s hand over and over.
For some reason, the hand-shaking reminded Stanley of the doctors. He’d probably have to shake hands at the conference, too. Everyone would want to meet him and greet him because he was famously flat.
But then he would talk about not being flat, Stanley realized. That’s what Dr. Dan meant by getting back to normal. New advances in science could make Stanley just like everyone else. Just the way he used to be.
But that wasn’t normal for Stanley anymore. He didn’t want to do that at all! He was used to being flat. He liked all the special things it allowed him to do, like diving into the Charles River and helping a sad little girl. He wanted to stay just the way he was.
Stanley sighed. Somehow, he was going to have to be honest with Dr. Dan.
The Lambchop family didn’t see Dr. Dan until the next day, when they planned to meet for lunch at a place called Quincy Market. Settling on what to eat was as hard as deciding what to see in Boston!
Quincy Market was not one restaurant. It was many restaurants, all at once! There was a long hallway lined with booths. Each booth had a different kind of food, like pizza or hamburgers or tacos. Stanley wondered what was in the tacos. When he was in Mexico, he had discovered a secret ingredient that made all tacos muy bueno! Now that he thought about it, if he wasn’t flat, he wouldn’t have been able to mail himself there or track it down.
Arthur pointed to two booths. “I think we should go here and here,” he said.
Mrs. Lambchop frowned. “Arthur, cupcakes and ice cream do not make a well-balanced meal!” she said. She was a big believer in good nutrition.
Arthur groaned, but he and Stanley got sandwiches and lemonades instead. They carried their trays into a big room full of tables and chairs. It was much more crowded than the lunchroom at school.
“Over here!” called Dr. Dan, waving. He was at a large round table. Now Stanley knew why he had not noticed him sooner. Dr. Dan was in his regular clothes, not his white doctor coat. Here in Boston, he looked just like everybody else!
“How wonderful to see the Lambchop family!” Dr. Dan said as they all sat down. “Have you had a good trip so far? I’ve seen the whole city from the top of the Hancock Tower!”
Arthur told him about their adventure on the duck tour.
“And how is the conference?” Mrs. Lambchop asked their friend.
Dr. Dan looked over his glasses. “Very interesting,” he said. “I have met doctors from all over the world.”
He looked right at Stanley. “One of them, Dr. Deb, can’t wait to meet you.”
“Oh,” said Stanley. He put down his sandwich. Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore.
Dr. Dan continued. “Dr. Deb is very nice,” he said, “and she knows more than anyone in the world about flatness. She will be helping me take my research to the next level.”