Newton’s first law of motion: A ball in motion stays in motion unless something slows it down or stops it.
For example, when LeBron throws the ball, air resistance and gravity slow it down, or another player catches it.
Newton’s second law of motion: The heavier a ball is, the more power it takes to give it speed.
LeBron works out so he has a lot of power to throw the ball fast.
Newton’s third law of motion: For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction.
When LeBron throws the ball, the ball is actually pushing back against him. He also has to deal with air resistance and gravity except none of it seems to bother him much. In fact, I bet whenever he zips that ball through the air for another three-pointer he’s thinking, “Ha! Take that, Mr. Newton!”
*Basketball!
ORION AND THE PYRAMIDS
Some people think that the three main pyramids at Giza were built to mirror the size and crookedness of the stars in Orion’s belt. It makes sense because Orion was important to the ancient Egyptians. So was the Dog Star. If an ancient civilization knew how important Sirius was, they had to be pretty smart.
People have been looking at Orion and Sirius for thousands of years, and thousands of years from now they’ll still be looking at them, and calling us an “ancient civilization.” Maybe by then we’ll know exactly how to get up to the Dog Star.
GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a bunch of trash in the Pacific Ocean, like plastic, and “Great” does not mean awesome, but huge. There are garbage patches in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, too. Fish and sea turtles eat the plastic instead of real food, and birds feed it to their chicks who then die.
Pookie says that if I want to worry about something, I should worry about all the trash in the ocean. It’s not that I want to worry, it’s just that I can’t help it. And I’m already worried about it. I wish I could help, like those scientists who are breaking down plastics with bacteria. Actually, there’s one thing I know I can do. NO plastic water or soda bottles. Or at least recycle them. A Labrador retriever in Wales collected over 26,000 plastic bottles for recycling. If a dog can do it, we can, too.
DOGS ARE MAGIC
Labrador retrievers make perfect companion and service dogs because they’re sweet, gentle, and loyal. And smart. They can even call 911. No, really. They can learn how to press a special button on the phone when there’s an emergency. They can also help people with diseases, like diabetes, because they smell chemical changes in the body. And they can sniff out cancer before anyone knows it’s there. See? Magic!
With supernova-sized thanks to my incredible agent, Linda Pratt, and the magical team at Scholastic, especially my editor, Andrea Pinkney. Also, thanks to the many people who helped with technical issues in this book, those who have helped me as a writer generally, and everyone who has supported me in my dreams. Bill, you are my guiding star, always.
Kathryn Erskine has always loved stargazing and wondering about parallel universes. As a nine-year-old she wandered out to explore the night sky and, when found, quickly learned that her fascination for stargazing was not appreciated. But she kept watching, through her bedroom window, and the back of the car, and outside with a grown-up. She also likes Italian, tree houses, and s’mores, and always wears a life jacket (only on boats). She still believes in the magic of the universe.
Copyright © 2017 by Kathryn Erskine
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBN 978-1-338-14851-0
First edition, October 2017
Jacket art and design by Maeve Norton
e-ISBN 978-1-338-14852-7
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