Science Fair Disaster! Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 Science Time

  Chapter 2 The Perfect Idea

  Chapter 3 The Test

  Chapter 4 The Hall of Science

  Chapter 5 Goo on My Shoe

  Chapter 6 Old Friends

  Chapter 7 Showtime!

  Chapter 8 The Winner Is . . .

  Chapter 9 Science to the Rescue!

  Chapter 10 The Mimica

  ‘Space Camp’ Excerpt

  About Ray O’ryan and Jason Kraft

  Chapter 1

  Science Time

  Zack Nelson stood in front of his house on the planet Nebulon. He was waiting for the Sprockets Speedybus to pick him up to go to Sprockets Academy.

  Suddenly, a silver blur appeared in the distance.

  There’s the bus, he thought.

  The blur stopped right in front of Zack. The bus doors opened, and he climbed on board.

  The bus was filled with kids talking and laughing. As Zack headed toward the back, he overheard a bunch of conversations.

  “My idea is to build a robot that can play galactic blast with you and transform into a hover cruiser to take you anywhere you want to go,” said a boy in the front.

  “I am going to build a machine that takes garbage and recycles it into clean fuel,” said a girl. “Then I am going to put that fuel into my hyper-ener-verter to power my house.”

  “My radioactive Surge-a-Matron will shrink atoms even smaller,” said another boy as Zack walked past.

  Zack spotted his friend Drake Taylor. Zack and Drake had been best friends ever since Zack and his family moved to Nebulon from Earth. Drake was busy scribbling on his electro-note-screen with his finger.

  Zack sat down next to him.

  “What’s going on?” asked Zack. “When did kids at Sprockets Academy get so interested in science?”

  Drake looked up. “Ever since this morning when Sprockets was picked to host the forty-second Intergalactic Science Fair!” he said excitedly.

  “I remember hearing about the science fair when I first started at Sprockets,” said Zack. “But I didn’t realize it was such a big deal.”

  “It is always a big deal,” explained Drake. “But it is a really big deal when it is held at our school!”

  The intergalactic fair is held every four years. Students from all across the galaxy compete.

  “Last time it was really far away, on Zog-13. This year Nebulon was picked to host. And since kids from Sprockets have always done well, we were selected to have the fair at our school!”

  “Wow! That is pretty exciting,” said Zack.

  “Look at this,” said Drake, turning his electro-note-screen toward Zack. “I am working on a glove that has every tool built right in. But I have lots of other ideas too.”

  Zack turned to his twin sisters, who were sitting behind him.

  “Did you two know about the fair?” he asked.

  “Of course,” said Charlotte. “We are already . . .”

  “. . . working on an experiment to see . . . ,” continued Cathy.

  “. . . if music helps plants grow,” Charlotte finished.

  A few minutes later, the speedybus pulled up at the school. When Zack stepped off, he saw a 3-D holo-banner in the air. Giant letters leaped off the banner and read: PUT ON YOUR SCIENTIFIC THINKING CAPS, SPROCKETS STUDENTS! THE FORTY-SECOND INTERGALACTIC SCIENCE FAIR IS COMING!

  Zack got excited. Then he immediately grew nervous. Everyone else seems to know what his or her science project is going to be, he thought. I’d better come up with an idea!

  Chapter 2

  The Perfect Idea

  Zack hurried to his classroom and took his seat. His edu-screen blazed to life. Principal Spudnik’s face filled the monitor.

  “Hello, hello, my super science-minded Sprockets students!” he began.

  Mr. Spudnik was usually a pretty happy guy—for a principal, anyway. But Zack had never seen him this excited.

  “We are all thrilled that Sprockets Academy has been picked to host this year’s Intergalactic Science Fair! I am sure that with all of your great ideas, we are destined to win the trophy again, for the fourth consecutive victory in a row! Good luck!”

  Zack’s teacher, Ms. Rudolph, came into the classroom. “Good morning,” she began. Ms. Rudolph looked right at Zack. “For some of you, this will be your first science fair,” she said. “Well, luckily we’re in the same boat.”

  Zack felt better knowing that this competition was new for Ms. Rudolph, too. He remembered how relieved he was on his first day at Sprockets when he learned that she was also from Earth.

  “I’d like you to work in groups of four, so you can help one another plan your individual projects,” Ms. Rudolph said. She pressed a button on her desk-console. “I’m sending your group assignments to each of your edu-screens. Please use this time to meet with your group.”

  Zack’s classmates’ faces popped up on his screen. Underneath each face, it said: Zack Nelson, Drake Taylor, Sally Zerbin, Rachel Vortak.

  Drake shared his ideas first. “I have so many, and I don’t know where to start. One concept is a Tool-Glove that will have any gadget you’ll ever need.” The girls looked at him with blank faces. “Or maybe a Gravity Frisbee to use in space, or an Anti-Gravity Cup so you’ll never spill your drink again!”

  “Why would you want to play Frisbee in space?” asked Sally.

  “And if your cup is anti-gravity, how would you drink the water inside?” said Rachel.

  Sally nodded in agreement.

  “I like all of your ideas, Drake,” said Zack.

  “I want to build a machine that can turn my drawings into 3-D movies,” said Sally.

  “Wow,” said Zack, “that’s pretty grape.”

  “My project is a necklace that helps you talk to animals,” said Rachel. “We could finally know why dogs chase their tails, or why cats scratch furniture, or why gnorps love gwazznurffles so much.”

  “What about you, Zack?” asked Sally.

  Zack got very nervous. He looked around the classroom. The walls were covered with pictures of some of Nebulon’s natural wonders. Then Zack spotted a photo of the Topar Volcano. It was located at Nebulon’s south pole.

  “Maybe I’ll make a volcano,” Zack said. He had watched a science show on his sonic cell monitor where someone mixed a few household items together to create a fake volcano. How hard could it be? he thought.

  “Yippee wah-wah!” Drake, Sally, and Rachel all shouted.

  “That is a great idea, Zack!” said Rachel.

  Zack felt relieved. “You really like it?” he asked.

  “You would definitely win if you built a volcano that spewed lava everywhere,” said Drake. “But where would you build it?”

  “I was thinking about building it in my room, I guess,” Zack said.

  “Your parents will let you?” asked Drake.

  “They won’t mind,” replied Zack.

  “This I have to see!” exclaimed Drake.

  “Come over after school, and I’ll show you,” said Zack.

  Drake agreed. Zack suddenly felt confident. Who knows? Maybe I’ll win the science fair!

  Chapter 3

  The Test

  As soon as he got home from school, Zack hurried into the kitchen.

  “Ira, I need your help,” he said.

  “Certainly, Master Just Zack,” said Ira, the Nelsons’ Indoor Robotic Assistant. “What can I help you with?”

  “I need to make a volcano for a science project,” Zack explained. “Not a real one. Just something that will bubble over and look like an eruption.”

  “Of course,” said Ira.

  A few seconds later a small panel on the kitchen wall slid open. Out came a
tray. It held one cup of water, one cup of vinegar, a bottle of red food coloring, and two small bowls each with baking soda and dish detergent.

  “Great, Ira,” said Zack. “Thanks!”

  The doorbell rang just as Zack picked up the tray.

  “Master Drake is here,” said Ira, “and so is Seth Stevens.”

  “Hmm . . . I wasn’t expecting Seth,” said Zack. He shrugged. “Thanks, Ira.”

  Ira activated a code, and the front door swung open. Drake walked in, followed by their friend, Seth.

  “Drake tells me you are going to make a volcano,” said Seth. “No way I am missing this. It is going to be epic!”

  I hope so, thought Zack.

  A few minutes later, the three boys were in Zack’s room.

  “Protective force field, please, Ira,” said Zack.

  “Certainly,” replied Ira.

  A blue glow appeared. It covered a small square area on the floor.

  “Just in case there’s a mess,” said Zack.

  Zack placed a tall plastic container in the middle of the force field. “If this works like I hope, I’ll build the mountain part of the volcano next,” he explained.

  Zack poured the water, vinegar, and food coloring into the container.

  Seth and Drake looked at each other nervously.

  Then in went the dish detergent.

  Seth flinched. Drake squeezed his eyes shut tight.

  “What are you guys so nervous about?” asked Zack.

  “We are not nervous,” Seth said quickly.

  “We are . . . uh, just excited about the volcano,” added Drake.

  “Okay, now here goes the final ingredient to make this volcano erupt!” said Zack excitedly.

  The boys jumped back, and Drake hid behind Seth.

  “Wait! Stop!” cried Drake.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Zack.

  “Please don’t build a real volcano,” said Seth. “We could all get hurt.”

  “It could destroy your entire house!” added Drake.

  “It could destroy our entire city!” cried Seth.

  “A real volcano?” asked Zack. “What are you talking about?” Zack poured in the baking soda. “This is just a model that imitates a real volcano.”

  The plastic container started to bubble. A tiny amount of sizzling goo dripped over the edge.

  “That is it? That was not very exciting, Zack,” said Seth disappointedly.

  “No,” Zack admitted. “It wasn’t. This idea isn’t good enough for the science fair. How will I come up with something that has a chance of winning?”

  “I know!” said Drake. “We should go to the Nebulon Hall of Science. I am sure you will get grape ideas there.”

  Zack smiled. “Yeah! Let’s go this weekend!”

  Chapter 4

  The Hall of Science

  On Saturday morning, Zack jumped on his bike and hurried to the Nebulon Hall of Science. Drake and Seth were waiting for him out front.

  “I cannot believe that you have never been here,” said Seth.

  “It is one of the grape-est places on Nebulon,” added Drake excitedly.

  Zack looked up. The words HALL OF SCIENCE floated over the entrance to the building. The letters flashed in sparkling silver and gold lights. Above the letters a sonic cell monitor showed scenes of distant galaxies spinning in space.

  “This is amazing!” exclaimed Zack.

  “And that is only the entrance,” said Drake.

  The three friends entered the main gallery as a security camera scanned their faces.

  “This museum has all the winning projects from past Intergalactic Science Fairs,” said Seth. “Mine will be here soon to join the others!”

  Zack and his friends stepped onto the moving walkway that carried visitors from exhibit to exhibit.

  “You can climb on and off the walkway wherever you like,” explained Drake.

  The boys stepped off at an exhibit showing the first Nebulon space cruiser.

  “There’s the first sketch of the cruiser,” said Zack. “It was drawn on an early version of the edu-screens we use today!”

  “And there is a small scale model of the cruiser,” added Drake. He pointed to a small metal model sitting on a stand.

  Next to the model sat a full-size shuttle with the side opened. They were able to look at the engine compartment, the cockpit, and the passenger area.

  “It looks different from today’s cruiser,” Zack pointed out, “but not that different.”

  The boys jumped back onto the moving walkway, and then they stopped at the next exhibit. This room had early versions of the Nebulon hyperphone on display.

  “That first one looks like an old phone I had on Earth,” said Zack. “I used to think it was the coolest phone. But then I came to Nebulon and got a hyperphone.”

  The second phone model had a much bigger screen. The third one had a small satellite orbiting around the phone sending signals back and forth.

  Zack pulled his hyperphone out of his backpack. It was smaller and thinner and had several buttons.

  “Look at all the extra buttons on the earliest model,” he said. “Vid-chats and everything else are now done by voice command.”

  The next exhibit showed the history of bikes on Nebulon. Each version was mounted on a stand. Zack noticed that the first bike looked like an old-timey version of a bike on Earth.

  “Each progressive model has a sleeker look,” he said. “The engines are much stronger and faster, too.”

  The last model was Torkus Magnus, a hyper-powered bike invented by Fred Stevens, Seth’s dad. He worked at Nebulonics with Zack’s dad.

  “I have one of those,” Seth said proudly.

  As the boys continued through the hall, they saw all kinds of grape science-fair-winning projects. There was Oxy-Gum, a gum that helped you breath underwater as you chewed it; the Mini-Micro Jet, a tiny but powerful engine that could move a vehicle a thousand times its size; and the Owie-Stabilizer, a first-aid invention that could heal a cut or a scrape immediately.

  “These are all fantastic!” said Zack. He felt overwhelmed, but he also started to get excited at the challenge of creating something that might win at the fair. “The only question is—what will I make?”

  Chapter 5

  Goo on My Shoe

  The friends had been at the museum all day when an announcement blared out over the loudspeakers.

  “The Hall of Science will be closing in ten minutes,” said an Indoor Robotic Assistant. “Please make your way to the exit. Thank you for coming, and please visit us again soon.”

  “That sounds like Ira,” Zack said.

  “Who do you think invented Ira?” asked Seth. “A science fair winner, of course!”

  Zack took one step toward the exit when he suddenly slipped. His feet shot up into the air and he landed on his back.

  As soon as he hit the ground, a scientist in a long white lab coat came rushing around the corner. She had to stop short to keep from tripping over Zack.

  “That is an odd place to sit down, young man,” said the scientist. She looked at the floor. Then she looked left and right. She seemed very worried.

  “I fell,” said Zack as the scientist helped him to his feet.

  “I am Dr. Zelstrum,” she said. “I work here at the museum. Have you boys seen . . . um . . . anything out of the ordinary?”

  “Lots of things,” said Seth. “That’s why Nebulites come to the Hall of Science.”

  “I suppose you are right, young man,” said Dr. Zelstrum still looking around anxiously. Her eyes scanned the floor as she hurried away.

  “Are you okay, Zack?” asked Drake.

  “Yeah, I am,” said Zack, looking down. “I must have slipped on something. But I don’t see anything on the floor.”

  “Is it just me, or was that Dr. Zelstrum acting kind of weird?” asked Seth.

  “It did seem like she had lost something,” said Drake.

  “Yeah, she lost her scientif
ic marbles,” joked Seth.

  “Well, that was fun!” said Zack as the boys left the hall. “But I still don’t know what I’m going to make for the science fair.”

  “Don’t worry. You will think of something grape,” said Drake.

  Zack was still trying to think of a science fair project when he came home that evening.

  “Did you enjoy the Hall of Science, Master Just Zack?” asked Ira as Zack came into the kitchen.

  “It was grape,” Zack replied. “I even learned that the first Ira was invented by a Intergalactic Science Fair winner.”

  “That is correct,” said Ira. “The first Ira was created by Gragnix Volmed of the planet Questab in the year 2093.”

  Zack’s dog, Luna, came bounding into the room. She jumped up and licked his face. Then she started sniffing around his shoes.

  Yip! Yip! barked Luna.

  “What’d you find, girl?” asked Zack. He lifted his foot and found a big glob of green goo on the bottom of his shoe. He touched it. It felt smooth but sticky. He pressed it, and it bounced back like a sponge.

  Before Zack could put his foot back down, Luna grabbed the goo between her teeth and began pulling. The gross green glob stretched like taffy.

  “Come on, Luna. Let go,” begged Zack.

  But Luna held on tightly, tugging, and growling. The goo suddenly popped off and sent Zack and Luna flying across the kitchen in opposite directions.