by Ray O'Ryan
Zack looked up. The pile of goo was now in the shape of his shoe. Luna slowly approached the gooey green shoe and sniffed it. The goo shoe instantly changed into the shape of Luna!
Luna dashed behind the counter. She whined and moaned as she peeked out at the fake green dog.
“Looks like I stepped in it now,” said Zack. “Whatever this stuff is, maybe it can help me win the science fair!”
Chapter 6
Old Friends
The next month went by slowly for the students at Sprockets Academy. All anyone could think about was the upcoming science fair. Then finally the big day arrived.
Zack entered the Sprockets gym. The whole place was decorated with orbiting 3-D holo-banners, welcoming students from around the galaxy. Row after row of exhibits lined the gym.
“Hello, Zack,” said someone with a soft voice behind him.
Zack quickly spun around. A student with purple fur and five eyes towered over him.
“Al!” he shouted. “Great to see you again! Do you have a project in the fair?”
Zack and Al had become good friends when Al visited Sprockets and sat in on Zack’s class.
“I sure do, Zack,” said Al, smiling. His mouth was filled with big, sharp teeth. “I was selected to represent my home planet, Plexus.”
Zack followed Al over to his display table. A small round metal ball lifted into the air. It began orbiting around them. Then a green light flashed out of the ball onto Al’s body.
“This is my De-Stinky-Fier,” Al explained. “You don’t need to take a shower.”
“That’s great!” said Zack.
“Zack!” called someone from across the room. He turned around but didn’t see anyone. All of a sudden, a floating figure appeared right before his eyes.
“Hector!” shouted Zack. He had met Hector on a visit to his planet, Spektor. Everyone there could float and disappear.
“What’s your project, Hector?” Zack asked.
Hector held up a glowing stick. It pulsed and beeped as he moved it. “This Invisi-Wand can make anything disappear. You can even make embarrassing parents turn invisible,” explained Hector, “so your friends don’t have to see them.”
“Boy, that could come in handy no matter what planet you’re from,” said Zack.
Zack spotted his sisters at the table next to Hector’s.
“Listen to what . . .”
“. . . we learned . . .”
“. . . from our experiment, Zack,” said Charlotte and Cathy.
Charlotte waved her hand over a music module. “Rockin’ Round the Stars,” by Zack’s favorite band, Retro Rocket, blasted from the speakers.
“Isn’t this a little loud for a plant?” shouted Zack.
“We learned . . .”
“. . . that loud music . . .”
“. . . helps plants grow!”
And sure enough, several buds on the plant blossomed into awesome-looking flowers.
“Earth to Zack!” called someone at the table next to his.
“Bert!” cried Zack, recognizing his best friend’s voice. Zack rushed over to Bert’s table. “You made it! What’s your experiment?”
“I built a model volcano!” Bert said excitedly.
“It looks amazing!” said Zack. And it did! The rocky mountain, the glowing red lava, every detail of Bert’s model looked exactly like a real volcano! Still, Zack couldn’t help feeling a little bad for Bert. His own volcano idea had been nowhere close to good enough for the Intergalactic Science Fair. But he wanted to support his friend no matter what.
Zack saw the judges starting to move from table to table.
“Okay, I have to go get ready to present my experiment,” he said. “Good luck, Bert!”
“You too, Zack,” said Bert as Zack raced to his own table.
Chapter 7
Showtime!
On the way back to his table, Zack spotted the judges standing at Drake’s station. He watched as Drake demonstrated his experiment.
“How can you be in two places at once?” Drake asked the judges. “Easy. With my Holo-Double machine.”
Drake flipped a switch on a small box on the table. A second Drake appeared beside him. “I can be here . . . ,” said Drake. Then he pressed a button on the box. His holographic double vanished. It reappeared all the way on the other side of the room.
“And here at the same time!” the double shouted from across the gym.
A set of twins from the planet Mirer were standing next to Drake. Everyone and everything on Mirer had a double.
“What’s so cool . . . ,” said one of the Mirer Twins.
“. . . about that? Everyone . . .”
“. . . on our planet can do that!”
Nearby, Charlotte and Cathy also nodded in agreement.
Zack moved past Seth’s table.
“I have invented a new type of gum that will help prevent cavities,” Seth said to the judges proudly. “And it also blows huge bubbles.”
Seth started blowing a bubble. It got bigger and bigger. Soon it was so large that it lifted Seth into the air! He floated out through an open window. His parents ran outside in a panic to catch him.
Right then, Zack heard a rumbling. He glanced over at Bert’s table and saw that his small but real-looking volcano was erupting. Red lava exploded from the opening and ran down the sides of the volcano. Everyone, including Zack, started cheering. The judges smiled.
Zack was happy for Bert. But now it was his turn. The judges gathered around his table. One of the judges was Dr. Zelstrum, the scientist from the Hall of Science.
“I present to you—the Anything!” Zack announced. He held out his hand. The glob of green goo sat in his palm. He placed the goo next to a book. It instantly changed into the shape of the book.
He moved the goo next to his hyperphone, and it changed again. Zack moved the goo from object to object, big and small—a shoe, a bike, a galactic sandwich, and a tiny boingoberry. Each time the goo magically took on the shape of the object.
Everyone near Zack cheered wildly. The Anything was a hit!
The judges made their marks and smiled, but Dr. Zelstrum had a puzzled look on her face. She stared at the Anything and scratched her head as she walked on to the next table.
Chapter 8
The Winner Is . . .
After the judges had seen every experiment, they huddled in private and compared their notes. A few minutes later, they had come to a decision.
“First, I want to thank the students who came from all over the galaxy to take part in the Intergalactic Science Fair,” Mr. Spudnik began. “There are some amazing projects this year. Your work makes all of us very proud. Let’s give a round of applause for our young scientists!”
The entire gym burst into loud applause. When the cheering died down, Mr. Spudnik continued, “And now, for the winners:
“In third place, we have Al from Plexus with his De-Stinky-Fier. In second place, we have Bert from Earth with his volcano. And in first place, we have Zack from Sprockets Academy with the Anything!”
Again, the room burst into clapping and cheering.
I can’t believe I won! thought Zack. My project will go into the Hall of Science. I’ll be famous!
The three winners walked to the front of the gym with their experiments.
“Can you all please demonstrate your experiments for everyone?” asked Mr. Spudnik.
Bert set off his volcano and red lava started overflowing from the top, while Al’s De-Stinky-Fier orbited around him. Zack placed the Anything on the floor.
The small pile of green goo began to grow . . . and grow . . . and grow! Something had gone horribly wrong. The goo changed into a big green goopy monster that looked like Al with five eyes and big, sharp teeth. Then the creature began spitting out green lava all over the floor, just like Bert’s volcano!
“A monster!” Mr. Spudnik shrieked. “Ruuuuuuuunnn!”
Panicked shouts filled the room as everyone ran for the doors.
Zack looked around in shock, but then it suddenly hit him. The Anything has become the EVERYTHING, and it is now part Al and part volcano! I need a plan, and I need it fast!
Chapter 9
Science to the Rescue!
“Drake! Al! Hector! Bert! I need your help!” shouted Zack. His friends gathered around him. “First things first. We need to get everyone out of here safely.”
“I can use my experiment to confuse the monster,” said Drake. He switched on his Holo-Double machine. A duplicate of Drake appeared on the other side of the gym, away from the exits.
“Hey, Slimy!” the Drake double shouted. “Try to catch me!”
The green slime monster reached its tentacles toward Drake’s double. It left a trail of green goo. The monster cornered the fake Drake and roared.
But when the monster reached out to grab him, Drake’s double vanished. The monster crashed into the wall, covering it in slimy green goo.
While the monster was on the other side of the room, Zack led the students, teachers, and parents outside. When everyone was safe, Zack hurried back into the gym.
“I know how to stop the Everything,” he said.
“Al and Bert, keep the monster distracted.”
Bert and Al waved their arms.
“Hey, you!” Al shouted. “This gym is only big enough for one five-eyed huge guy. Me!”
The Everything turned and started toward Al.
With the Everything busy chasing Al and Bert, Zack found his sisters’ experiment. He grabbed the music module and the plant, then waved his arms to get the monster’s attention.
“Hector!” Zack shouted as the monster came after him. “We need to use your experiment! The Everything turns into any shape it sees, so we need the whole room to disappear!”
Hector smiled and grabbed his Invisi-Wand. He knew exactly what Zack had in mind. “All ready, Zack,” he replied.
The monster slid toward Zack. It grabbed him and the plant.
“Now, Hector!” Zack shouted.
Hector turned on his Invisi-Wand. All the kids and all the experiments in the gym turned invisible—except for the plant in the monster’s tentacles. Zack lifted the music module up to the monster’s face. The creature was surprised.
“Let’s see what you think of this!” said Zack. He waved his hand over the music module. A nighttime lullaby played softly in the gym. The gooey monster transformed into a calm, little, harmless plant.
“Yippee-wah-wah! You did it, Zack!” Al shouted.
“You saved the Science Fair!” added Drake.
Chapter 10
The Mimica
With the Everything under control, Hector reversed his Invisi-Wand and everything became visible again. The parents, teachers, judges, and students filed back into the gym. Dr. Zelstrum rushed toward Zack. She carried a glass case with a small force field generator attached to it.
“Young man,” she said to Zack, “I thought you looked familiar when I first saw you. You were at the Hall of Science the day I lost the Mimica.”
“The Mimica?” asked Zack. “What’s that?”
“It is a new life form I discovered with my fellow scientists at the museum,” she explained. “It can take the shape of anything. But before today it had never come into contact with any living thing outside of my lab. In this crowded room, full of living beings . . . well, let us just say that I am glad you acted quickly. Thank you for finding it.”
Dr. Zelstrum slipped the glass case over the Mimica. Then she activated the force field, locking it inside. “Now I can bring the Mimica back to my lab,” she said. “We have so much more we need to learn about it.”
Mr. Spudnik soon stepped up to the microphone. He was surrounded by all the judges. “Zack, please come here,” he announced.
Am I in trouble? Zack worried.
“We have a problem, Zack. Without an experiment, you cannot win first prize,” Mr. Spudnik explained.
“I agree, Mr. Spudnik,” Zack said. “Bert should win. He won second place with a really grape volcano!”
“That is very science fair of you, Zack,” said Mr. Spudnik with a wink. “Bert, I am happy to award you first place! Please come up and accept your victory trophy,” he announced.
Bert walked onstage. Everyone cheered wildly.
“Thank you, Mr. Spudnik and the rest of the judges,” Bert said. “And thanks to Zack as well. I am honored that my volcano will be on display in the Nebulon Hall of Science. That’s one more reason for me to visit Nebulon. That, and to see my best friend, Zack!”
“Now, who’s up for some galactic patties, crispy fritters, and a few games of Asteroid Blast at the Starcade?” Zack asked.
Hector, Drake, Bert, and Al followed Zack out of the gym. When they got outside, Seth was still floating above the ground, dangling beneath his giant bubble. His parents were frantically jumping up and down, desperately trying to grab his feet.
“And I thought I had the craziest day ever!” said Zack.
All his friends burst into laughter as they walked away.
CHECK OUT THE NEXT
ADVENTURE!
HERE'S A SNEAK PEEK!
Zack Nelson had a huge smile on his face as he waited in line for the lunchtime Sprockets Academy space bus. It was super-hot outside, but he didn’t mind. Nothing could ruin his mood today. It was the last day of school before summer vacation! Finally, when the bus arrived, all the kids climbed on board.
As Zack made his way to the back of the bus, he overheard kids talking about their summer plans.
“My family is going on vacation to Cisnos,” said Seth Stevens, one of Zack’s friends. “My dad got us passes to Lollyland amusement park.”
“We are going to Araxie, the water planet,” said Sally Zerbin, one of his classmates. “I am going to spend all summer swimming at the beach.”
“I am staying on Nebulon,” said another boy. “But that is okay because my parents gave me permission to go to the Starcade every day!”
Zack loved playing the games at the Starcade. Normally he would be jealous, but he had exciting summer plans of his own.
When he reached the back of the bus, Zack slipped into a seat next to Drake Taylor. Ever since Zack and his family moved to Nebulon from Earth, Drake had been his best friend.
“Are you ready for Camp Stellar, Zack?” asked Drake.
“Yeah, I can’t wait!” said Zack.
RAY O’RYAN has loved space stories ever since he watched the very first episode of Star Trek. He loves to imagine what traveling across the galaxy might be like, and is a bit jealous of Galaxy Zack in this regard. Ray lives in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with his wife and two lovable, zany cats named Stitch and The Way.
JASON KRAFT grew up with a passion for drawing. He has developed that passion into a humble career that has allowed him to work in all facets of the entertainment field all over the globe—from toy design to feature animation. He has now settled in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife, Christina, and their daughter, Ivy.
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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.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: O’Ryan, Ray. | Kraft, Jason (Jason E.) illustrator. Title: Science fair disaster! / by Ray O’Ryan ; illustrated by Jason Kraft. Description: First edition. | New York : Little Simon, [2016] | Series: Galaxy Zack ; #13 | Summary: When his project malfunctions during the Intergalactic Science Fair, will Zack, a boy from Earth living on the planet Nebulon, be able get things under control before disaster erupts? Identifiers: LCCN 2015030940| ISBN 9781481458771 (hc) | ISBN 9781481458764 (pbk) | ISBN 9781481458788 (eBook) Subjects: | CYAC: Science fiction. | Science fairs—Fiction. | Science projects—Fiction. | Humanalien encounters—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | JUVENILE FICTION / Science Fiction. | JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General.Classification: LCC PZ7.O7843 Sc 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015030940