Hello, Nebulon! Page 2

  Chapter 6

  Ready?

  Set?

  School!

  Zack went to bed after dinner. He tossed and turned for most of the night.

  What if nobody at school likes me? he worried. What if they think that people from Earth are weird? I wish Bert were here.

  After staring at the ceiling for hours, Zack finally fell into a deep sleep.

  The next morning a strangely familiar voice woke him up.

  “Good morning, Master Just Zack. It is time to get ready for school.”

  Zack sat upright in bed. “Ira, is that you?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “Yes. It is six a.m. galactic standard time. You set the alarm for that time,” Ira said.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to wake me up,” Zack explained. “Back on Earth, my alarm clock played my favorite song to wake me up.”

  “What is your favorite song?” asked Ira.

  “Oh, Ira, I don’t think you’d know it,” Zack said. “It’s called ‘Rockin’ Round the Stars.’ It’s by an Earth band called—”

  “Retro Rocket,” Ira said. “It was released in 2117.”

  Suddenly the song came blasting into Zack’s room.

  “You know ‘Rockin’ Round the Stars’?” Zack cried.

  “Certainly. My memory banks contain more than six million songs from twenty-three different planets.”

  “Cool. Can you wake me up with that song from now on?”

  “Of course,” Ira replied. “Now hurry. You will be late for school.”

  Zack rushed into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. “Now what?”

  A blast of water startled Zack.

  “YA!” cried Zack. “It’s too cold!”

  “Adjusting,” said Ira.

  The water quickly became just the right temperature.

  “Shall I save that shower setting for you?” Ira asked.

  “You do everything, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do,” replied Ira.

  Zack got dressed and zoomed to the kitchen. He ate toast with boingoberry jam, which was made from a berry that grew on Venus.

  “Okay, everybody, have a great day!” Dad said. “I have an early meeting with Fred Stevens. I’ll be driving the red Nebulonics car. Bye!”

  After Dad left, Mom hurried Zack and the twins into the green car.

  “Are you sure you know how to work this thing, Mom?” asked Zack.

  “Dad showed me,” Mom replied. “I just push this button and say ‘Sprockets Academy.’ ”

  As soon as she did that, the car zoomed into the air.

  When they arrived at Sprockets Academy, a Nebulite man stepped up to the car to greet them. “Welcome to Sprockets Academy,” he said. “My name is Mr. Spudnik. I am the principal.”

  “Nice to meet you,” said Mom. “This is Zack, Cathy, and Charlotte.” The three kids got out of the car.

  “Cathy and Charlotte will be in phase five,” Mr. Spudnik explained. “And Zack will be in phase two. I will show you the way.”

  “Bye, kids!” Mom shouted as Zack and the twins followed Mr. Spudnik. “Have a great day!”

  They dropped off Charlotte and Cathy at their classroom. Then Mr. Spudnik and Zack reached Zack’s classroom.

  “Ms. Rudolph, this is Zack Nelson. His family just moved to Nebulon from Earth,” Mr. Spudnik said. “Zack, this is your teacher, Ms. Rudolph.”

  “Welcome, Zack,” Ms. Rudolph said. “You know, I’m from Earth too.”

  “You are?” Zack asked.

  “I moved to Nebulon about a year ago,” Ms. Rudolph explained. “At first I missed Earth terribly. But now I can’t imagine living anywhere but Nebulon. I think in time you’ll feel the same way.”

  Zack found a seat and sat down. Ms. Rudolph seems really nice, Zack thought. And Nebulites speak English. That’ll make things a little easier.

  “Class, I would like you all to meet Zack Nelson,” Ms. Rudolph said.

  The students turned to face Zack. Every eye in the room was staring right at him.

  Chapter 7

  Yippee Wah-Wah!

  “Hi!” said Zack. Then he raised his hand and moved it in a circle—just like his dad had done at the spaceport. The other students just stared.

  “Okay, class, let’s begin with today’s history lesson,” Ms. Rudolph said. She sat and then began typing.

  Zack stared at the small screen in front of him.

  How do I get this thing to work? he wondered.

  A Nebulite boy sitting next to Zack leaned over. “Just tap the center of the screen,” the boy whispered.

  “Thanks,” Zack whispered back. He tapped his screen and the lesson appeared.

  Zack enjoyed learning about the history of Nebulon. After history they studied math and science.

  Then the bell rang for lunch, and everyone dashed from the classroom.

  The students boarded a space bus to take them from the classroom to the cafeteria.

  Zack stepped onto the bus. He saw kids talking and laughing. Zack felt like he was all alone.

  What I am doing here? he thought. I want to go home.

  “Hey, Zack. There is a seat over here,” someone called out.

  Zack looked toward the back of the bus. He saw the Nebulite boy who sat next to him in class. Zack hurried down the aisle and sat next to the boy.

  “I am Drake Taylor,” the boy said, raising his hand and moving it in a circle.

  “Nice to meet you,” Zack said, doing the same hand movement.

  The bus zoomed off from its dock outside the classroom building.

  “How long has your family been living on Nebulon, Zack?” asked Drake.

  Zack looked down at his Galactic Standard watch. “Hmm . . . about eighteen hours,” Zack replied, smiling.

  “How do you like it so far?” Drake asked.

  “Parts of it are cool,” said Zack. The last thing Zack wanted to do was to tell Drake how much he missed home.

  The space bus slowed to a stop. The doors slid open, and everyone ran into the cafeteria.

  Zack took a seat next to Drake and looked around.

  “Hey—where’s the lunch line?” Zack asked. “Where’s all the food?”

  “You will see,” Drake replied.

  Just then a line of robots came marching through the door. They were tall, skinny, and metal. Each of them pushed a cart filled with food.

  A robot walked over to Zack and Drake. Zack read the choices. “I’ll have super mac and cheese,” he said.

  The robot picked up a steaming plate of food. It set the plate down right in front of Zack.

  “And I will have the jammin’ jelly sandwich, please,” Drake said. After Drake got his food, the boys began to eat.

  “So, Zack, what did you do for fun on Earth?”

  “I really liked going bike riding with my friend Bert,” Zack replied.

  “I, too, like to ride my bike,” Drake said. “Maybe we could ride our bikes together.”

  “Yeah . . . okay,” Zack said.

  “How about we ride together today after school?” Drake asked.

  “Um . . . all right.”

  When lunch was over, the space bus arrived to take everyone back to class. Zack and Drake took their seats.

  “Yippee wah-wah,” Drake said. “My favorite class is next.”

  Zack stared at his new friend. “I have two questions, Drake,” said Zack. “What’s your favorite class? And what does ‘yippee wah-wah’ mean?”

  Drake laughed. Zack started laughing too.

  “Planetology is my favorite class,” Drake replied. “And ‘yippee wah-wah’ is what Nebulite kids say when they are happy.”

  “I love studying planets and stars too,” said Zack. He was happy that he met Drake. Looks like I made a new friend, he thought.

  Chapter 8

  Zoom!

  Zoom!

  The rest of Zack’s school day flew right by. He really liked planetology. He learned about planets a
nd stars he had never even heard of on Earth.

  When school was over, Zack’s mom arrived to pick him up. Zack walked over to the car with Drake. Charlotte and Cathy were already inside.

  “Mom, this is my new friend, Drake,” Zack said.

  “Hello, Drake,” Mom said. “Very nice to meet you.”

  “And these are my sisters, Charlotte and Cathy,” Zack said.

  “Hello,” Drake said.

  “Hi . . .”

  “. . . Drake. . . .”

  “Nice to . . .”

  “. . . meet you,” the twins said.

  “Do they talk like that all the time?” Drake whispered.

  “All the time,” Zack whispered back.

  Zack got into the car. “Drake’s coming over later to go bike riding,” he said.

  “That sounds like fun,” Mom said. “We’ll see you later, Drake.”

  “We’re home!” Mom announced as the car pulled into the garage.

  Zack was so excited about going bike riding. He jumped out of the car and pulled his bike out from a corner of the garage.

  As he got onto his bike, Zack saw something speeding toward the house.

  “That looks like Drake, but what’s he riding?” Zack wondered aloud.

  Drake rode up to Zack. He was riding a bike. But Zack had never seen a bike like this one. Drake’s bike flew just above the ground, and it went faster than any bike Zack had ever ridden.

  “Wow!” Zack cried. “What kind of bike is that?”

  Drake looked puzzled. “It is just a regular Nebulon bike,” he said. “Wow, you have a really old bike, Zack.”

  “No, it’s not old,” Zack said. “I got it for my birthday last year.”

  Drake just shrugged. “Come on. Time to ride.”

  Drake sped off on his bike. Zack pedaled hard. He tried to keep up, but his bike was not fast enough. Drake saw how far behind Zack was and hurried back.

  “Would you like to try my bike?” Drake asked.

  “Sure!” Zack said.

  Zack climbed onto Drake’s bike. It felt just like a regular bike.

  “Just hold on tight and press that button on the handlebars,” explained Drake. “I will ride your bike.”

  Zack pressed the button. He sped along just above the ground.

  “This is so cool!” Zack shouted. “I have to get one of these!”

  Zack looked back and saw Drake. He was pedaling Zack’s bike and smiling. Drake was far away, so Zack turned around and rode back to his friend. As they rode back to the house, Zack daydreamed about zooming around on his own Nebulon bike.

  Chapter 9

  Surprise!

  Dad arrived home as Zack pulled up in front of the house. Dad reached into the back of the car and took out a big box with a bright green bow.

  “Have I got a surprise for you, buddy,” said Dad.

  “Hi, Dad. This is my friend Drake.”

  “Hello, Drake. I think you’ll like this too,” Dad said.

  Maybe Dad got me a Nebulon bike! thought Zack.

  But then Zack heard barking from inside the box. He quickly pulled the lid off. Out jumped Zack’s dog, Luna.

  “Luna!” Zack shouted. “I didn’t think I’d see you so soon!”

  Dad smiled. “I knew how much you missed her, so I put Luna on the next cruiser to Nebulon.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” said Zack.

  Luna jumped on Zack and licked his face. Then she jumped up on Drake. She almost knocked him over.

  “What is THAT?” Drake cried, backing away.

  “Don’t be scared,” Zack said. “It’s just my dog, Luna. She’s very friendly. Do you have a dog?”

  “I have never seen a real dog before,” Drake explained.

  “Don’t they have any dogs on Nebulon?” asked Zack.

  “No,” said Drake. “I think I saw a picture once, in a book.”

  “Well, here’s something else they don’t have on Nebulon,” Dad said. He reached into the big box and pulled out two candy bars.

  “Chocolate Nutty Crunchy Gooey Bars!” Zack said. “My favorite!”

  Dad handed one candy bar to Zack and one to Drake. Both boys started munching on the treat.

  “Yumzers!” Drake cried.

  Zack laughed.

  “That’s what we say on Nebulon when something tastes really, really, really good!” explained Drake.

  “Yumzers!” Zack repeated.

  At that moment Mom, Charlotte, and Cathy joined the others outside.

  “It’s official,” Mom announced. “I’ve decided to open a boutique. I’m going to sell Earth clothing to the women of Nebulon.”

  “Great idea, honey,” Dad said.

  “Yay!” Charlotte and Cathy both cheered.

  Then Zack’s hyperphone began to buzz. He pulled it from his pocket.

  “Hi, Bert!” Zack said when the video chat connected. Bert’s face popped up on the small screen. “Thanks for watching Luna. She just got here.”

  “Cool,” Bert said. “I wanted to make sure she got there okay.”

  “How’s life back on Earth?” Zack asked.

  “Pretty good,” Bert replied. “The Explorers Club went on a field trip to Calypso. It was fun.”

  “That’s so cool! I hope my new school has an Explorers Club too,” Zack said.

  “Do you like living on Nebulon?” Bert asked.

  Zack looked at his family. Then he looked at Drake and smiled. “I miss Earth,” he said to Bert. “But I think I’m going to like living on Nebulon.”

  Zack stood in front of Sprockets Academy. He wore his Sprockets Explorers Club T-shirt. Today he was going to Juno!

  The rest of the club was gathered outside the school. Zack spotted Seth Stevens. Seth was the last person Zack hoped would be on this trip. Then he saw Drake.

  “Drake, over here!” Zack called. Drake joined him.

  “I cannot believe we are really going to Juno,” said Drake. “Only a handful of people have ever seen it.”

  A man stepped to the front of the crowd. He was tall and had a skinny green head. He had six long fingers on each hand.

  On top of his head was a galactic blast cap that read DREXEL EXPLORERS CLUB. EARTH JOURNEY 2098. Clearly this man was neither a Nebulite nor a human.

  “Welcome, explorers!” he began. “I am Mr. Shecky, the adviser of the Sprockets Explorers Club. I’ll be your leader on your journey to Juno. Now please follow me onto the space cruiser.”

  Zack, Drake, and the rest of the explorers piled onto a small space cruiser. Mr. Shecky sat next to Zack.

  A few moments later they took off into space.

  Zack stared out the window and saw stars and comets streaking by.

  A short while later the cruiser began beeping. Everyone leaned forward.

  “Attention, please. Arrival on Juno in five minutes. Prepare for landing,” the cruiser said.

  Zack looked out the window. He saw a craggy-looking planet that sparkled. Juno looked as if it were covered in diamonds.

  This is it! Zack thought.

  The cruiser landed gently on the surface of Juno. The hatch opened and everyone stepped out. A sparkling crystal landscape stretched out before them.

  Zack saw lots of space cruisers from other schools. They came from different planets, such as Zorba, Neptune, Cylon, and more.

  Then Zack spotted the Nebulon Navigators team. They were already hard at work gathering samples.

  “Wow! I can’t believe I’m here with the Nebulon Navigators,” Zack said to Drake.

  “I’m going to break you into teams,” said Mr. Shecky. “Everyone will work with a partner.”

  I hope Drake and I can be partners! thought Zack.

  “You are to take notes, gather samples, and shoot video and photos with your team’s handheld camtrams,” Mr. Shecky continued.

  Mr. Shecky began reading aloud pairs of names. When he got to Zack’s name, Zack held his breath.

  “’Zack Nelson and Seth Stevens!’” Mr. Shecky ca
lled out.

  Oh no! Zack thought. Not him! He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  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.

  COLIN JACK is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and has illustrated several children’s books. He currently works at DreamWorks Animation as a story artist and character designer and lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two sons.

  GalaxyZackBooks.com

  Meet the author and illustrator and get activities at

  KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com

  Jacket design by Nicholas Sciacca

  Jacket illustration copyright © 2013

  by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster

  New York

  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.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division