Einstein went back to his notes.
Not even Twinkles could distract him
today.
Principal Decker clapped his hands
to get the class’s attention. “Ms.
Moreno told me about the game
show audition next week. I think
trying out for KIDS KNOW STUFF is
a great idea. This could bring Boerring
Elementary national attention!” He
pointed to Twinkles’s terrarium on
the shelf. “Twinkles and I are behind
you 100 percent.”
“This has nothing to do with
Twinkles,” Einstein shouted. “I’M the
game show expert around here!”
“Not according to him,” Marlon said.
Twinkles gave Einstein a little wink,
which is difficult to do when you don’t
have eyelids.
Einstein buried himself deeper into
his shredded-paper hiding place. It
felt terrible not to be wanted.
Humans have been exploring caves since
the beginning of time. Mammoth Cave in
Kentucky is the world’s longest cave
system with 390 miles of passages.
Stalactites form when water drips in
limestone caves. Some of the mineral-
rich water falls on the floor of the cave,
building stalagmites from the ground up.
Because of this, stalactites and stalagmites
grow in pairs, sometimes reaching each
other and forming a column.
How can you remember the difference
between them? StalaCtites are on the
Ceiling; stalaGmites are on the Ground.
CHAPTER TEN
yOu wAnT uS tO
wHaT?
Ms. Moreno gathered her students
around her. “You just heard how
much this audition means to Principal
Decker—and to me. If any-
one wants to study over
the weekend, it might
really help our chances.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes;
Ricky muttered under
his breath.
On a
Saturday?
I don’t
think so...
Ned raised his hand. “Can I take
Einstein home for the weekend?”
Einstein peeked out from his hiding
place. NOW you’re talking.
Ms. Moreno looked at the sign-up
sheet and told Ned it was Bonnie’s turn.
When the bell rang, Ned approached
Bonnie and asked if he could take
Einstein home instead.
“What’s so important about this
weekend? Is Einstein going to help
you study for KIDS KNOW STUFF?”
Bonnie teased.
Ned couldn’t admit that was
EXACTLY why he wanted to take
Einstein home.
“Okay,” Bonnie relented. “I’ll take
him home another time.”
Ned thanked Bonnie and gathered
up his things.
For Einstein, helping Ned cram all
weekend was a dream come true.
“Have fun,” Marlon called. “See you
Monday.”
Einstein didn’t bother saying good-
bye to Twinkles.
This weekend was going to be so
much better than last weekend, when
none of the students volunteered to
take him and he had to go home with
Ms. Moreno. While Einstein’s classmates
were playing soccer and video games,
he was stuck watching infomercials
about pasta makers and weed whackers.
By the time he got back to school
that Monday, Einstein had sworn off
infomercials forever.
But this was a weekend playing
AnSwEr . . . thAt . . . QuEStiON
with Ned! Einstein vowed that Ned
would be the star student at next
week’s audition.
When Thomas Jefferson served as U.S.
ambassador to France, he was introduced
so much that he ordered a pasta machine
to be shipped back to the United States.
As the country’s third president, he was
the first to serve macaroni at the White
House. In his papers at the Library of
Congress, there’s a pasta recipe written
in Thomas Jefferson’s
own hand.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
eInStEiN’s
SEcReT tUnNeL
Einstein packed for his weekend with
Ned, making sure not to forget his
study guide.
Ned knew hamsters were great at
tunneling, but what he DIDN’T know
was that Einstein had a complex
system of passages running under-
neath the school. Mr. Wright had
almost caught Einstein several times,
but so far the security of Einstein’s
secret library hadn’t been breached.
Einstein headed to the small
opening under the water fountain,
then made his way over to his library
in the janitor’s closet. He pulled out
several volumes from his ancestors’
study, hidden for generations in the
insulation behind the wall. If he was
going to teach the class with Ned on
Monday morning, he’d need all the
information he could carry.
Einstein sharpened
his pencil, packed
up his pencil
case, then
stuffed all the
data into his
cheek pouches before
heading back to the classroom.
His notes were a bit soggy, but they’d
dry off soon enough. Lastly, he logged
on to the class computer to check a
few final facts on Hamsterpedia. (An
informative site that’s password
protected: hamsters only.)
By the time Ned was ready to leave,
Einstein was exhausted, but not too
tired to notice a slip of paper sticking
out of Ned’s book. “What’s that?”
“It’s nothing,” Ned answered.
Einstein could feel the envy growing
inside him. “It’s your permission slip
for the audition next week, isn’t it?”
Ned blushed with embarrassment.
“The whole class is taking a field
trip to a game show.” Einstein pouted.
“Everyone except me!”
Ned pressed his face against
Einstein’s tank. “We can study for
the audition all weekend, okay? It’ll
be fun.”
Ned didn’t need to remind Einstein
that sulking wouldn’t help the class
next week. It was time for Einstein
to stop feeling sorry for himself and
get to work.
Hamsters are usually solitary animals. In
the wild, they are nocturnal (active at
night) as opposed to diurnal (active during
the day). They can often run as fast
backward as they can forward. Hamsters’
teeth grow constantly, which means they
have to grind them down so they don’t get
too long. A hamster is able to carry half its
body weight in its cheek pouches. When
their cheek pouches are
; full, their head can
be two or three
times its normal size.
CHAPTER TWELVE
sLeEpOvEr aT
nEd’s
“Okay,” Ned said after dinner. (Meat
loaf for Ned, sunflower seeds for
Einstein.) “Let’s get started on your
notes.”
Einstein had never heard such
eloquent words. He outlined all the
subjects he had covered in his show
and pored through the notes his
parents and grandparents had left
him. He quizzed Ned for hours, barely
letting him take a dessert break.
When Ned went to bed, Einstein
stayed up to outline more fun facts
for tomorrow’s game of AnSwEr...
thAt...QuEStiON.
The next morning, Ned wanted to
play video games, but Einstein put his
hamster foot down. “What about the
audition?” Einstein asked. “There’s so
much material to cover.”
“I need a break,” Ned complained.
“I can’t study ALL the time.”
“Of course you can!” Einstein
shouted. “I do!”
“I’ll just play for a little while,”
Ned said.
“But yesterday you won a year’s
supply of chocolate chip cookies!”
Einstein said. “You’re my best
contestant!”
“I’m your ONLY contestant,” Ned
said.
“How about a Lightning Round? It’ll
be quick,” Einstein pleaded.
“That’s why it’s called a Lighting
Round.” Ned laughed. “I’ll be back soon.”
Einstein immediately jumped on his
wheel for some exercise. Didn’t Ned
know how important this audition was?
Half an hour later, Ned returned.
“Okay,” he said. “I’m ready.”
Yay! Einstein thought. My study
partner is back!
Ned and Einstein spent the rest
of the day playing AnSwEr...
thAt...QuEStiON.
“I have to admit,” Ned said, “this
game is pretty helpful.”
All the years of Einstein collecting
facts about science and nature and
geography and history were paying off.
“You need a reward for all your hard
work,” Ned said.
Don’t say it, Einstein thought. You
don’t mean—
Ned held up a strawberry.
“From the garden?” Einstein asked.
“From the garden,” Ned answered.
“With the green still on?” Einstein
asked.
“With the green still on,” Ned
answered.
Ned was the greatest kid on the
planet.
Exercise not only helps your body but
also your mind. When you exercise, your
brain releases endorphins, brain chemicals
called neurotransmitters. Endorphins
relieve stress, help you feel better, and
decrease feelings of pain in your body.
Another way to increase endorphins in
your body? Laughter—and lots of it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
tRaGeDy
sTrIkEs
After playing AnSwEr...thAt...
QuEStiON all weekend, Ned made
his way through the ivy on the school
entrance and put Einstein’s tank on
the shelf.
“So you’re sure I can teach today?”
Einstein asked. “You’re not too
embarrassed to translate?”
“I AM embarrassed, but I know
how important it is to you.” Ned almost
slipped on the puddle Ms. Moreno left
when she watered her plants.
Wait until Marlon hears about my
weekend, Einstein thought. He’s not
going to believe it!
Einstein looked around the turtle tank
but couldn’t spot his friend. Was he
hiding behind the plastic palm tree?
Einstein waited until no one was
looking, then climbed out of his tank.
“Marlon!” he cried. “I’ve got so much
to tell you.” He still couldn’t find
Marlon anywhere.
“Looking for someone?” Twinkles
asked.
“What have you done with Marlon?”
Einstein shouted. “Cough him up now!”
“That’s not going
to happen,” Twinkles
said. “But perhaps
you’d like to say
hello to your little
friend.” When Twinkles
opened his mouth,
Einstein thought
he saw the top
of Marlon’s head.
While Einstein was having the
greatest weekend of his life playing
AnSwEr...thAt...QuEStiON
with Ned, poor Marlon was playing
the part of Twinkles’s midnight snack.
“What’s the matter?” Ned asked
as he ran over. “I could hear you
screaming from outside.”
Einstein pointed to the python.
“Twinkles ate Marlon?” Ned shook
his head. “Boy, that shell is going to
hurt on the way out.”
“He was my friend,” Einstein said
sadly.
“Friends are important,” Ned said.
“You want me to help?”
“No,” Einstein answered. “I’ve got
this.” He crept across the shelf toward
Twinkles’s tank.
“I don’t feel so good,” Twinkles said
as he coiled himself in the corner.
Einstein climbed into Twinkles’s tank.
Was the python really sick or was this
another trap?
“Be careful!” Ned cried.
Einstein approached the groaning
python and cautiously pried open
Twinkles’s mouth.
“Marlon!” Einstein called. “Are you in
here? Come out! I can’t hold open his
mouth much longer!”
Marlon hurried as fast as a turtle
inside a python can hurry.
Suddenly Twinkles sat up with a
smile. “Einstein,” he hissed. “I see
you’ve joined us for dessert.”
Einstein felt the python grab him
and slowly start to squeeze.
“There we are,” Twinkles whispered.
“Just relax.”
The python’s grip tightened around
Einstein.
“I DO feel a bit sleepy,” Einstein said.
Suddenly the python’s grip loosened.
Ned had grabbed Twinkles and was
unwinding him with both hands.
“Come on!” Ned said.
Einstein struggled to free himself
from Twinkles’s deadly grip.
“Let’s get you out of here,” Ned
said.
“Not without Marlon.” Einstein
gathered his strength and pried open
Twinkles’s jaw one more time.
“Marlon! Hurry up!”
There was nothing worse than
sitting around waiting for one reptile
to cough up another one.
“He’s stuck!” Einstein shouted.
Ned grabbed Twinkles from behind.
He’d learned the Heimlich maneuver
at the Y’s first-aid class last summer
and still remembered how to do it.
Marlon flew out of Twinkles’s mouth
like a soggy bullet and landed in Ms.
Moreno’s fern. As soon as he made
sure Marlon was okay, Ned hurried
to put Twinkles back in his tank. He
couldn’t imagine what kind of
detention Principal Decker would
give him if he caught him harming his
beloved python.
“Ouch,” Twinkles moaned. “That
really hurt.”
“That’s what you get for eating
a schoolmate,” Einstein answered.
“Remember when I said ‘nobody
wants help from a hamster’?” Marlon
asked. “I was totally, 100 percent
wrong. Thank you, Einstein.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Ned. He
saved my life too.” Ned was a hero!
Now the other kids would DEFINITELY
see what a great kid he was.
But the other kids were back
from recess, listening to Tommy
tell yet another story about his
new bike. None of them had noticed
Ned’s bravery. Einstein could see
the disappointment on Ned’s face.
Einstein turned his attention to
Marlon, who was still a bit stunned.
“I never should’ve left you alone
with Twinkles.”
Marlon tried to smile. “Did you and
Ned study this weekend? Is he ready