The Prehistoric Planet Read online

  Zack set the focus on his camtram to the setting that made the images look extra-sharp. Then he put it into his carry bag and waited.

  Time passed super-slowly.

  Finally, Dad’s voice rang out from the commu-link speaker in the wall of Zack’s bedroom. “Ready to fly, Captain?”

  “You bet!” Zack yelled back.

  He dashed into the elevator with Luna right behind him. It traveled sideways through the house and arrived at the garage. Dad was waiting, along with Mom, Cathy, and Charlotte.

  “Permission to go to the Prehistoric Planet, Captain?” asked Dad, smiling.

  “Permission granted, Mr. Nelson,” Zack joked back at his dad.

  “Now have a safe trip, you two explorers,” said Mom.

  “And take . . . ”

  “. . . that baby dinosaur . . . ”

  “. . . home to its mother,” added Cathy and Charlotte.

  Dad climbed into his red Nebulonics car. He left the door open for Zack.

  “Forget something?” Dad asked.

  “Oh wow!” exclaimed Zack. “I’m so excited, I almost forgot my camtram. I’ll be right back.”

  Zack ran into the house, picked up his carry bag, and raced back out to the car. He climbed in and closed the door behind him.

  “What are you waiting for, Dad?” asked Zack. “We’ve got a dinosaur to take home!”

  Dad smiled and launched the car into the sky. A few minutes later they arrived at Nebulonics. Zack and his dad entered the huge building and headed to the shuttle bay. There, Zack met the other members of the crew.

  “Everyone, this is my son, Zack Nelson,” Dad began. “He’ll be joining us on the mission. Zack, this is Captain Zorflane. He’ll be our pilot.”

  “Good to have you aboard, Zack,” Captain Zorflane said.

  “And this is Raxite Yakko, our copilot,” Dad continued.

  “Hi, Zack. Welcome,” said a tall Nebulite. Both men were wearing the uniform of the Nebulon Navigators. “I remember you. You are the young man who found that giant gemmite on Juno.”

  “Yes, sir,” Zack said proudly. “I’m a new member of the Sprockets Academy Explorers Club.”

  It’s hard to believe I’m going on another trip with the Nebulon Navigators! Zack thought.

  Chapter 8

  A Stowaway

  Suddenly the hatch to the ultra-shuttle opened.

  WHOOOSH!

  This is so grape!

  Then a large shuttle-bay door slid open. In rolled a cage on wheels. Inside the cage sat the most amazing creature Zack had ever seen.

  Zack’s jaw dropped open. He pointed at the creature.

  “Wow!” said Zack. “A real live dinosaur from the past.”

  “Not from the past, Zack,” explained Captain Zorflane. “This pterosaur is right here, right now. And I think it is now ready to go home.”

  The pterosaur spread its wings and opened its mouth wide.

  Ka-caaaaw! Ka-caaaaw!

  The dinosaur’s cry echoed around the shuttle bay.

  “Captain Zorflane, I think you’re right!” said Zack, smiling.

  “Then what are we waiting for?” asked Dad. “Let’s go!”

  Zack and the rest of the crew climbed on board. Zack strapped himself into his seat. Then the pterosaur’s cage was loaded onto the ship. The ultra-shuttle’s hatch closed.

  “Three . . . two . . . one . . . BLAST OFF!”

  The ultra-shuttle’s engines roared. Within a few seconds Zack was in space. He immediately felt right at home.

  The ultra-shuttle was almost twenty times as big as the Nelson family’s space cruiser. That ship had carried the family from Earth to their new home on Nebulon.

  This spacecraft had seats for fifty passengers. It also had a huge cargo area. That’s where the pterosaur’s cage sat.

  I love space travel! thought Zack. He looked out the window as they whizzed by stars and planets.

  Ka-caaaaw! Ka-caaaaw!

  The pterosaur’s cry filled the ship.

  “It’s okay,” Zack called out. “We’re taking you home.”

  Zack looked over at the cage. The scared pterosaur spread its huge wings and opened its long beak.

  Ka-caaaaw! Ka-caaaaw! it cried again.

  Urrr—urrr, came a whining moan.

  “Wait a minute,” said Zack. “What’s that?”

  Urrr—urrr.

  “That’s not the pterosaur. . . . That sounds like Luna!”

  Just then Luna crawled out from under Zack’s seat.

  “What are you doing here, girl?”

  Yip! Yip! Luna barked.

  “How in the world did she end up on board the ultra-shuttle?” Dad asked.

  Zack thought for a moment.

  “Well, the door to the Nebulonics car was open while I ran back into the house to get my camtram,” Zack recalled. “And then the hatch to the shuttle was open while we were all looking at the pterosaur in the shuttle bay.”

  “She must have snuck into the car, then snuck on board the ultra-shuttle!” exclaimed Dad.

  “Luna, you sneaky girl. You’re coming with us after all!” Zack cried.

  “I guess you’re not the only one who’s excited about seeing dinosaurs,” Dad said to Zack. The crew chuckled.

  Luna jumped onto Zack’s lap. She stared out the window at the stars streaking past.

  Chapter 9

  The Prehistoric Planet

  Several hours later the Prehistoric Planet came into view.

  “Crew, please prepare for landing,” Captain Zorflane announced.

  I’m part of the crew, thought Zack. This is so grape!

  The ship dropped through the clouds. Zack watched as the planet came closer and closer. A few seconds later the ultra-shuttle landed.

  The hatch opened with a hiss. Zack and the other members of the crew stepped outside.

  A thick jungle spread out in every direction. Tall trees swayed gently in the hot, steamy breeze. Their big, broad leaves waved like fans.

  Zack pulled the camtram from his bag and began recording. “I can’t believe it!” cried Zack. “This planet looks exactly like the planet in my dream!”

  Suddenly the soft breeze whipped up into a huge gust of wind. The trees began to bend and shake.

  “There’s some strange weather on this planet,” said Zack. “It changes so quickly.”

  KA-CAAAAW! KA-CAAAAW!

  A deafening screech shattered the silence.

  “It’s the pterosaur!” cried Zack. But when he looked around, he didn’t see the pterosaur.

  “We have not taken the pterosaur out of the ship yet,” said one of the Nebulon Navigators.

  Then a much softer cry came from inside the ultra-shuttle.

  Ka-caaaaw! Ka-caaaaw!

  It sounded to Zack like the baby pterosaur was trying to answer the louder call.

  “We need to get our passenger out of the ship!” shouted Captain Zorflane.

  The Nebulon Navigators quickly rolled the cage out of the shuttle.

  Again a blast of wind swept through the jungle. Then came another ear-splitting shriek.

  KA-CAAAAW! KA-CAAAAW!

  The baby pterosaur in the cage spread its wings and let out a long, sad cry.

  Ka-caaaaaaaaaw! Ka-caaaaaaw!

  “Open the cage!” shouted Captain Zorflane.

  The Nebulon Navigators opened the latch and threw open the cage door.

  The pterosaur flapped its wings and took off into the sky.

  KA-CAAAAW! KA-CAAAAW! came the loud roar once again.

  The baby pterosaur flew off toward the sound of the roar. Luna dashed through the jungle trying to follow the pterosaur. She crashed through branches and leaves. Zack and the crew followed close behind.

  It’s weird that this is so much like my dream, thought Zack.

  When Zack and the others reached a clearing, the wind picked up again.

  KA-CAAAAW! KA-CAAAAW!

  This time the loud roar was directly overhead.
r />   Zack looked up and saw a pterosaur flapping its wings in the sky. Only this one was twice as big as the one they had brought on the shuttle!

  Ka-caaaaw! Ka-caaaaw!

  The baby pterosaur flew into view. It screeched happily.

  “We did it!” cried Zack. “We brought the baby pterosaur home to its mother!”

  The two pterosaurs flew around each other in a circle. Then they flew off over the jungle.

  “Let’s follow them!” suggested Zack. He pointed his camtram into the air to record the flying dinosaurs.

  Zack and the others plunged back into the jungle, following the pterosaurs overhead. As he walked, Zack recorded pictures of trees and plants. Luna walked along beside him sniffing at the ground.

  “Hey!” said Zack, stepping up to a plant with many layers. “I recognize this plant. I learned about it in my science class back on Earth. It’s called a horsetail, Luna.”

  Yip! Yip! Luna barked happily in response.

  Glancing overhead, Zack saw the two pterosaurs make a sharp turn.

  I wonder where they’re going, he thought.

  Zack walked along, looking up so he could keep an eye on the pterosaurs. Suddenly the ground under his feet changed from soft leaves to hard gravel. When he looked down again he was shocked to see that he was at the edge of a cliff!

  Zack immediately stopped, but he lost his footing. He started to slip over the edge of the cliff!

  Chapter 10

  Home—to Nebulon

  “YAAAA!” cried Zack as he felt his feet give way.

  “Zack!” yelled Dad, dashing toward his son.

  Luna latched on to Zack’s jacket with her teeth. She held him steady long enough for Dad to reach him.

  Dad grabbed Zack and pulled him back to safety.

  “Be careful, buddy,” Dad said to Zack. “Let’s all try to get back to Nebulon in one piece!”

  “Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Luna,” said Zack, scratching her head.

  Yip! Yip! Luna barked.

  The pterosaurs disappeared into the distance. Zack gazed across the valley below the cliff.

  “Dad! Look at that!” he cried, pointing.

  Across the valley he saw a huge waterfall, just like the one from his dream. Only this one was even bigger.

  “Wow!” Dad said. “That’s the biggest waterfall I’ve ever seen—on Earth or on Nebulon.”

  “And look at all the dinosaurs down at the bottom!” exclaimed Zack.

  A family of brachiosaurs drank peacefully from the lake at the bottom of the waterfall. Their long necks bent gracefully toward the water.

  Beside them, two baby triceratops splashed around in the lake. They gently nudged each other with the three huge horns on their heads.

  Suddenly the ground began to shake.

  “Are we having an earthquake?” Dad asked.

  “No, look!” said Zack, pointing down to a ridge just below.

  There, two big Tyrannosaurus rex wrestled with each other. Their size and power made the ground shake.

  “Wow! They’re huge!” exclaimed Zack. “I studied the Tyrannosaurus rex back on Earth. The name means ‘King of the Thunder Lizard.’ They’re called ‘T. rex’ for short.”

  The ground rumbled beneath their feet.

  Luna ran to the edge of the cliff. She looked down and barked at the T. rex.

  Yip! Yip!

  The T. rex looked up. It stared right at Luna.

  GRRRRRRRRROOOOAAAARRRR! it growled, then roared at Luna.

  The frightened dog jumped up into Zack’s arms and began to whimper.

  “Oh! It’s okay, girl,” Zack said, scratching behind her ear. “I think you should stick to barking at squirrels.”

  “Okay, everyone,” Captain Zorflane announced. “We have completed our mission. It is time to go home.”

  “I can’t wait to get back to Nebulon and tell everyone all about our adventure,” Zack told his dad. Then he suddenly realized that, for the first time since he moved from Earth, Zack thought of Nebulon as his home.

  Back on the ultra-shuttle Zack settled into his seat. Luna curled up on his lap.

  “Three . . . two . . . one . . . BLAST OFF!”

  Soon Zack and the rest of the crew were zooming through space. They were on their way back home—to Nebulon.

  Zack gazed out the window. “That was some adventure, huh, Luna?” he said.

  Suddenly Zack’s hyperphone began to buzz. He pulled it out from of his carry bag.

  “It’s Bert,” Zack said. “He’s calling from Earth.”

  “Hey, Zack,” said Bert over the hyperphone. “I heard that a dinosaur landed on Nebulon. It was all over the news here on Earth. Did you get to see it?”

  “Not only did I get to see it,” began Zack, “but I was part of the team that brought it back to its home planet—a planet where dinosaurs still live! I’m on the ultra-shuttle that my dad helped design! It’s soooooo grape!”

  “Okay, first,” said Bert, “I’m still going to have to get used to that saying. And second . . . how COOL is that? I wish I was there!”

  “Don’t worry,” said Zack. “I have it all in my camtram. I’ll z-mail you the videos as soon as I get home.”

  Nebulon really is starting to feel like home, Zack thought. Now THAT’S pretty grape!

  CHECK OUT THE NEXT

  ADVENTURE!

  HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK!

  Zack had dozed off that morning after his alarm played. Breakfast took longer than usual, and his dog, Luna, had insisted on a last-minute walk.

  Zack dashed across the wide lobby, and he ran into a round opening in the wall. A door hissed shut and he took off. The clear round elevator looked more like a giant plastic ball. It sped through a tube going sideways. A few seconds later it stopped.

  The door whooshed open, and Zack burst into his classroom. Everyone was already in his or her usual seat. Zack ran toward his seat and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

  There’s someone in my seat! Zack thought.

  He looked closely. No! Not someone, some-THING! A monster!

  A huge purple monster sat in his seat. The monster was at least four times as big as Zack. It was furry with green patches, and it had five eyes. Its pointy ears stuck out from its face.

  I’ve got to save my class before the monster does something terrible, Zack thought. But how?

  Zack spotted Drake Taylor. Ever since Zack and his family moved from Earth to Nebulon, Drake had been his best new friend. Zack hurried to Drake’s side.

  “Drake! What is that thing doing here?” Zack whispered, pointing at the monster.

  The monster yawned. Its mouth was filled with long, sharp teeth.

  “What’s it going to do to us?”

  Drake gave Zack a puzzled look. Before Drake could say anything, their teacher, Ms. Rudolph, stepped into the room.

  “Okay, class, let’s begin,” she said. “Please turn on your edu-screens. Today we are going to continue our study of the second age of Nebulon history.”

  Zack stared at Ms. Rudolph in disbelief.

  Doesn’t she see it? he wondered. Isn’t she afraid of the monster?

  Ms. Rudolph began her lesson.

  Zack looked around at his classmates. They were all paying attention. No one seemed bothered by the fact that a big purple monster was right there in the room.

  Zack slipped into an empty seat.

  Ms. Rudolph continued the lesson.

  What’s wrong with everyone? Zack wondered. Why aren’t they scared?

  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 c
haracter designer and lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two sons.

  GalaxyZackBooks.com

  Meet the author and illustrator and get activities at

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  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.

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  Copyright © 2013 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  Designed by Nicholas Sciacca

  Jacket design by Nicholas Sciacca

  Jacket illustration copyright © 2013

  by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  First Edition

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  O’Ryan, Ray. The Prehistoric Planet / by Ray O’Ryan ; illustrated by Colin Jack. — First edition. pages cm — (Galaxy Zack ; 3) Summary: Zack and his father are invited to join the Nebulon Navigators as they set out to return a lost baby pterosaur to the Prehistoric Planet, where Zack sees animals and plants he had only read about in books.