by Ben Zackheim
And if you like Fantasy books, try out The Camelot Kids! Here are a couple of reviews from Fantasy-lovers like you.
"If you've been waiting for a book that will take you back to the day when you first read Harry Potter, then your wait is over."
- A Chick Who Reads review (5 Stars)
"I don't think I have had such a fun time with a book since I read Percy Jackson."
- Belle's Beautiful Books review
The Camelot Kids: Book One
Now I hope you enjoy these 50 riddles from Shirley Link & The 100 Riddles Activity Book!
And here's another extra for you! Enjoy the first 50 riddles from the eBook, Shirley Link & The 100 Riddles...
#1
Wax for a body
And string for a head
When the lights go out
You use me instead
#2
I have a tongue
But never eat
That is, unless you
Count your feet
#3
I sit on your floor
I sit on a desk
I beam at your touch
I'm so statuesque!
#4
I can't save the whole world
But I do what I can
I climb walls like a bug
Yet I'm just a man
#5
I'm flatter than a pancake
My edge cuts a slice
But my tip can be scary
It can even take life
#6
Most folks judge me
By my face
But the fine words inside me
Reveal my grace
#7
You say that you are me
In the morning, noon and night
I won't just go away
Only food can make things right
#8
In three dimensions I have six sides
In two dimensions I have four
I promise to stand firmly
If you set me on the floor
#9
You use me to dry off
Or clean up a mess
But I prefer the first job
I must confess
#10
I have two hands
And a face, like you
It's tough to see time
If I'm too far askew
#11
I'm above your head
But you'll only spot me outside
I'm not the sky
I'm where the raindrops slide
#12
This room upstairs,
Rarely sees light
It holds secrets in boxes
And can give us a fright
#13
I never say a word
But I'm still really funny
I might be a monkey
But I'm friends with a bunny!
#14
You need me to see
But don't block me
Or a shadow on the wall
Will you be
#15
I run between mountains
Through forests and cities
I carry your goods
And my water is gritty
#16
"Tiny, cute and furry"
Are three words for me
But if I'm in your kitchen
I'm not fun to see
#17
I'm one color in Summer
And another in Fall
But my favorite time is Spring
(That's my curtain call)
#18
I walk around
Even though I'm dead
My favorite dish
Is in your head
#19
I'm an enemy of the bat
And a friend, too
(I'm chancy)
I'm just like a cat
I do what I fancy
#20
I look it, but I'm no lizard
You should know I hate wizards
I can put out their spell
With my fire from hell!
#21
I go up, up up
One after the other
When there are a hundred of me
Your lungs can't take another
#22
I can make kids cry
And animals hide
My roar is so loud
It can be heard from a cloud
#23
Even when we're giants
We manage to be cute
But give us a magic portal
And we'll fight like savage brutes
#24
I'm all around you
Strong, smooth and stout
I'm your largest organ
I keep your guts from falling out
#25
We're your foundation
At the bottom of you
We're the first ones to feel
That you probably grew
#26
Without me, you'd fall
And with me, you stand
When you wear your bare feet
Feel me, you can
#27
You peek through me
To see what's inside
Unless I'm blinded or draped,
Nothing within can hide
#28
Boo-hoo-hoo
Minus the hoo-hoo, to me
Is my favorite thing
To say to thee
#29
My hands are like yours
But they hide six sharp things
Watch me clench my fists
And you'll see them spring!
#30
I'm packed with riddles
They prove that you're smart
Look up from this book
And show me how sharp!
#31
What others cannot see,
touch, taste or hear
This detective finds obvious
He is without peer
#32
I grow on a tree
A deep color red
I'm not an apple
But taste great on bread
#33
I have a diver's breath
My presence means death
I thought darkness was strong
But my son proved me wrong
#34
We're part of your face
We never stop moving
Even when shut
We keep on grooving
#35
I can write books
I can take tests, too
I doodle during lessons
They call me number 2
#36
My name might be funny
(It only rhymes with "saga")
But my pop music is fun
My name is...
#37
The high seas are my home
I don't work alone
My mateys and me
Have an eye for prized stones
#38
Will you rub my tummy?
Bacon is yummy!
I wag my tail
Don't leave, or I'll wail!
#39
The letter after "J"
And the number after "8"
Spell what I am
I think bones are great!
#40
Once a month
The full moon glares from on high
And changes me, horribly
I howl at the sky
#41
If you were smaller than me
I'd probably eat you
My favorite dish is lasagna,
My favorite food is FOOD!
#42
I float through the air
So that you can hear
I can soothe and excite
And sing to your ear
#43
I'll grant your wish
Or clean your house
I'll turn your enemy
Into a mouse
#44
I'm creepy-crawly
But you
won't see me move
I'll climb all your walls
Get in every groove
#45
Be good, or you'll end up
Inside my sad shell
Your home will be nothing
But hallways and cells
#46
We have tough backs
Colorful masks
And sharp weapons to boot
We may be mutant dudes
But we're still really cute!
#47
I look at you
with one shiny, black eye
And you look at me
Until your eyes dry
#48
The more of me
You have in your pocket
The more likely it is
You can buy that gold locket
#49
For such a small thing
I scare a lot of people
Maybe it's my eight legs
(That climb up the steeple)
#50
I'm fast as lightning
It's even in my name!
I'm red as a fire truck
I make other racers look lame
1. Candle
2. Shoe
3. Lamp (or cat, if you define "beam" as "grin")
4. Spider-Man
5. Knife
6. Book
7. Hunger or hungry
8. Box
9. Towel
10. Clock
11. Roof
12. Attic
13. Curious George
14. Light
15. River
16. Mouse
17. Trees or flowers
18. Zombies
19. Catwoman
20. Dragon
21. Steps or stairs
22. Thunder
23. Skylanders
24. Skin
25. Feet
26. Floor or ground
27. Window
28. Ghost
29. Wolverine
30. This book!
31. Sherlock Holmes
32. Cherry
33. Darth Vader
34. Eyes
35. Pencil
36. Lady Gaga
37. Pirate
38. Dog
39. K9 or dog (yes, again!)
40. Werewolf
41. Garfield
42. Music
43. Magic or genie
44. Vine
45. Prison
46. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
47. Television or monitor
48. Money
49. Spider
50. Lightning McQueen
Shirley Link & The Hot Comic
Ben Zackheim
Illustrations and cover by Robin Hoffman
Chapter One: Awful Assumptions
My dad hates assumptions. He says, "Assuming is just laziness disguised as wisdom."
It's true, right? Like my friend Wylie, for instance. He ate the fries off my plate at lunch the other day. He always does. He assumed I was okay with it because I've hated potatoes forever. But I changed my mind after an awesome potato salad lunch at Mr. and Mrs. Stark's farm. So I smacked his hand with my Algebra book.
Here's another example of how assumptions suck. My dad took the family to the Adirondacks last summer. He always takes the same route. It never fails.
Well, until it did. A four-hour trip took seven hours, thanks to construction. A simple check on Google Maps would have prevented that disaster.
The point is, we make bad decisions all the time based on old knowledge. We do things just because it's always been that way. But we shouldn't. We should always question, always pry, and never, ever get so bored with life that we miss the unusual.
I've known this for as long as I can remember. In fact, I've trained myself never to assume anything. I've done a good job at it, too. Up until now.
I had no reason to believe today would be different than any other day. Consequently, I saw with yesterday's eyes--stale, even incurious. I assumed nothing out of the ordinary would happen.
As I dangle thirty feet over the street below, I have no choice but to assume that, well, I assumed wrong.
Last night is a blur now. I need to review everything in my head. It may be the only way out of my current predicament.
Last week, I was hired for my detective skills by my principal, Mr. Reese. Wow, when I think about it, he's hired me five times already this year. Anyway, Mr. Reese was worried about an upcoming event at the library. A valuable copy of The Avengers #1 comic book was scheduled to be displayed for the whole month of October.
Why would a school library show an old comic book from 1963? It's all part of an effort by Ms. Conway, the school librarian, to get students to read more. I think it's working, too. One of my best friends, Wylie, likes to hang out in the Graphic Novel section every chance he gets.
Wylie is a comic book superfan. He knows everything about every hero and villain. I let him blab on sometimes because I like comics too, but he can be really boring about it. During a one-hour monologue about how lame Thor's new costume was, he informed me that The Avengers #1 in mint condition was worth more than one hundred thousand dollars.
No wonder Mr. Reese was nervous.
So the comic book's owner, Mr. Jelly, and Ms. Conway set up the show in the library last night with a whole posse of police officers. Mr. Reese hired me to make sure the security was Shirley-proof. He assumed that if I couldn't steal it, no one could. I headed to school bright and early this morning to give them my recommendations.
But let's start at the beginning. My current predicament started last night.
I was researching Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the guys who created a bunch of comic book characters, including The Avengers and X-Men. Wikipedia said that The Avengers super team was created to take advantage of a new comics trend back in the 1960s, when loner heroes joined together to fight mega super villains. It was a bold, new idea at the time.
I studied an image of the cover of Fantastic Four #1 when the cursor on my computer's monitor flickered.
I looked at the computer control panel, which I always have running, and I noticed that some data had been sent over the Internet without my permission.
Uh-oh.
I checked to see if anything evil had installed itself on my hard drive.
I was bummed to find that a small file named xpyt!mni!qbH.mt had mysteriously appeared on my system.
It was a virus. I can spot one from a thousand pixels away.
A virus is a computer program that reproduces itself and then spreads to other computers. It can destroy everything on your drive, or it can just throw up stupid messages. While I'm very careful about security, I need to use a USB storage key sometimes. The problem is, a key can be insecure. If you use it on an infected computer, a USB key can pass the virus around.
Yup, the key had the file too.
I thought it was weird that my anti-virus software didn't catch it, but when I searched online I found no mention of xpyt!mni!qbH.mt. That likely meant it was so new it hadn't even been reported yet.
I stared at my wall. It's what I do when I need to think--clears the brain, no distractions. Something about the name of the virus file rang a bell. It worried me.
A lot.
My gut told me there was trouble, but I had a long night ahead of me. If I wanted to do my job well, then I had to get going.
I yanked the computer off of the Internet and tried to put it out of my mind.
That didn't last very long.
Chapter Two: Avengers Assemble!
So, early this morning, I caught a ride with Wylie and his dad, Mr. Jay. Wylie wanted to join me for the first glimpse at the comic book that's worth as much as his house.
"I wish Ms. Conway chose X-Men #1 instead," Wylie said. "Cyclops is way cooler than Thor."
"The guy who lent The Avengers to your school also owns Action Comics #1," Wylie's dad said. "That's the first appearance of Superman. I heard it's worth a
million bucks. That would be cool to see, wouldn't it?" Clearly, Mr. Jay is the guy who sparked Wylie's interest in super people in tights.
"Dad, don't say cool when I say cool. It doesn't make you cool," Wylie drawled.
"So you've told me about a thousand times," Mr. Jay shot back. I like him. He and I take turns keeping Wylie humble.
"What's wrong with you, Shirley?" Wylie asked.
"What? I didn't say anything."
"You don't need to. You have that expression on your face, like you need to go to the bathroom."
"That expression is called thinking, Wylie. You should try it some time," I said. Mr. Jay laughed.
Did I already say I like him?
"Fine, genius. What are you thinking now?"
"Xpyt, mni, qbH, mt"
They looked at each other, hoping the other one knew what the heck I was talking about.
"It's the name of a shiny new virus I found on my computer last night. There's something about the name that I don't like, but I can't..."
Apparently, I got lost in my thoughts. A common problem. People tell me I frown and squint until my face scrunches up into a ball. It does sound terrifying.
"Sorry," I said, catching myself.
Wylie rolled his eyes. "No, no. Never mind us mortals," he moaned. "We're just picking our noses over here. We'll catch up in a few years."
"Funny," I said.
Then it hit me. This is how it happens sometimes.
Mortals.
Noses!
Wylie didn't mean to give me a clue, but...
"Wylie, you're brilliant!" I yelled. He practically jumped in his seat.
"What'd I do?"
"Mortal and nose. That has me thinking. The Egyptians pulled the brain out through the nose during the mummification process. The body was preserved to respect the dead and prepare it for a second life. The ancient Egyptians perceived mortality very differently than we do."
"Ooookay. Gross. So?"
"So xpyt is the phonetic spelling for an ancient Egyptian word. It means death. I'll have to check on the other words too, but it's a start."
Neither of the Jays had a clue what to say next. I helped things along.
