by Dee Romito
Welcome to ALADDIN QUIX!
If you are looking for fast, fun-to-read stories with colorful characters, lots of kid-friendly humor, easy-to-follow action, entertaining story lines, and lively illustrations, then ALADDIN QUIX is for you!
But wait, there’s more!
If you’re also looking for stories with tables of contents; word lists; about-the-book questions; 64, 80, or 96 pages; short chapters; short paragraphs; and large fonts, then ALADDIN QUIX is definitely for you!
ALADDIN QUIX: The next step between ready to reads and longer, more challenging chapter books, for readers five to eight years old.
For Bonnie, Jack, Linda, and Fred. What a wonderful family you’ve built. —D.R.
Cast of Characters
Jax Crawford: Part of the Fort Builders team
Amber & Dove Crawford: Jax’s twin sisters
Mr. & Mrs. Crawford: Jax’s parents
Caleb Rivers: Jax’s best friend
Kiara Pal: Part of the Fort Builders team
Eddie Bell: Part of the Fort Builders team
Miss Pordum: Librarian at local library
Mrs. Rivers: Caleb’s mom
Mrs. Newton: Runs Furry Friends pet rescue
Miss Berger: Owner of Veggie Bergers
Heidi: Owner of the bookstore
1 A Big Surprise
Jax Crawford could only stand the noise for so long.
His twin sisters were even louder than usual.
He went to see what they were so excited about.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Mommy said we can get a pet!” said Amber.
“Really?” Jax loved the idea.
“And Daddy said we could get a pet too!” said Dove.
“So that’s two pets!” added Amber.
Jax laughed. “You know it doesn’t work that way, right? That still only means one pet.”
The girls didn’t pay any attention to him. They ran through the kitchen screaming about the two pets they were getting.
Jax followed them into the backyard.
“Are we really getting a pet?” he asked his parents.
“Yes, we are,” said Mrs. Crawford with a smile. “We decided you’re all old enough to help take care of one.”
“The girls want a kitten,” said Mr. Crawford. “What do you think?”
Jax pictured running around the backyard with a dog. But a kitten would be great too.
“Kittens are cute,” he said. “That’ll be fun.”
“Your sisters are very excited to name it,” said his mom. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Sure,” said Jax. Although he was a little disappointed that they didn’t ask him. They’d never had a pet before. It was kind of a big deal.
“Can I go to Caleb’s?” he asked.
“Of course. Say hello to his mom for me,” said Mrs. Crawford.
Caleb Rivers was Jax’s best friend. He lived just two houses away. It didn’t take long to get there.
Caleb was sitting on the steps in his garage, tying his sneaker.
“Hey, Jax. I was heading to your house.”
“I have news,” said Jax. “We’re getting a kitten.”
Caleb had a houseful of animals. Two dogs, three cats, a bunny, a hamster, and five fish. Although the number of fish was always changing.
“Kittens are the best,” said Caleb. “But they’ll get into all kinds of stuff.”
“Like my sisters?” asked Jax.
The twins were always causing some kind of trouble.
“If your sisters climb up the curtains, knock things over, and chase each other around the house,” said Caleb.
Both boys laughed.
“Yeah, I guess like your sisters, then,” Caleb confirmed.
Just then, their friends Kiara Pal and Eddie Bell rode up the driveway on their bikes.
A few weeks ago, they had all started a fort building company together: Fort Builders Inc. Whenever Kiara was visiting her grandmother down the street, they had an official meeting.
“What are you guys talking about?” asked Kiara.
“We’re getting a kitten,” said Jax.
“Oooh!” Kiara exclaimed. “I love cats!”
“I have a really good kitten treat recipe,” added Eddie. “I can bake you some.”
Everything Eddie baked was delicious. Probably even cat treats!
“That would be great,” said Jax.
“Are you excited?” asked Kiara.
“Of course. I just feel a little left out,” said Jax. “The girls get to name it, and I’m sure it’ll sleep in their room. I’ll probably get stuck changing the litter box.”
“You could be in charge of brushing it,” said Caleb. “Especially if you get a long-haired cat.”
“You can pick out the toys,” said Eddie.
They were great ideas. But they weren’t big ideas.
“Thanks, but I’ll think of something,” said Jax. “Let’s start the meeting.”
Jax knew he’d figure it out. There’s always a solution if you look hard enough. But it was time to focus on Fort Builders.
Kiara and Eddie got off their bikes and hooked their helmets onto the handlebars.
Caleb stood up. “The Fort Builders Inc., team is all here. I call this meeting to order.”
2 The Plan
Their first job had been a box fort castle for a birthday party. The team had built three more forts since then. Which meant everyone had almost enough money to get what they’d been saving for. But they also wanted more of a challenge.
“Maybe we can make something different,” said Caleb. “Something that’s not your usual fort.”
Eddie leaned against a stack of boxes. Word about Fort Builders had spread quickly after their friend’s party. Neighbors started dropping off boxes whenever they had them.
Kiara walked back and forth from one side of the garage to the other. “You’re getting a kitten?” she asked Jax.
Jax’s eyebrows arched down. “Yeah.”
“You’re getting a kitten,” she said as a statement instead of a question.
“I’m getting a kitten,” Jax repeated. “Kiara, are you okay?”
Kiara stopped pacing. “And you want to do something to be part of it,” Kira said.
Jax nodded slowly.
“It’ll need a place to sleep,” she said. “And play.”
Eddie and Caleb looked confused too.
“Like a pet fort?” said Kiara.
“Like a pet fort!” yelled Jax. “Kiara that’s brilliant!”
“We could totally build a pet fort,” said Eddie. “What do you think, Caleb? You have a gazillion pets.”
Caleb laughed. “My animals would love that,” he said. “Well, maybe not the fish.”
Kiara got out her sketch pad. “Okay, so what are we thinking? What would a pet fort look like?”
“Maybe like a cat climber?” Caleb said. “Those tall things covered in carpet?”
They turned to Jax, their master builder.
“We’d have to keep it simple,” he said. “And make sure it isn’t too expensive.”
“My rabbit loves hiding inside things,” said Eddie. “I think we could use boxes.”
Caleb got up and dug around on a shelf. He pulled out a carpet square.
“What about these?” he said. “You peel the paper off the back and stick it. It’s super easy!”
They passed around the carpet square.
“I have so many ideas now!” said Kiara. She sat down and sketched.
“Me too!” said Jax. He went over to the stack of boxes and searched through them.
“I could paint such fun things!” said Eddie.
Caleb loved seeing all of them excited about their new pr
oject. He was too!
Jax pulled a couple boxes from the pile. “Hey, Caleb. We might need to do some research.”
Caleb opened the door and shouted inside. “Hey, Mom? Can you give us a ride to the library?”
* * *
The librarian at their local library helped the Fort Builders team find what they needed.
“This will get you started,” said Miss Pordum. She set a stack of books and magazines on the table.
Caleb sorted them one at a time by topic.
“Here are a few websites that should help.” Miss Pordum handed Jax a list.
“Thanks!” said Jax. He was excited to get started.
While Caleb and Eddie searched through the books, Kiara read pet blogs.
Jax watched step-by-step tutorials online.
* * *
By the time they got back to Caleb’s house, they had a ton of ideas.
Kiara finished her sketch, and they made a plan.
They got the boxes they’d need.
They gathered up some carpet squares.
They carefully drew lines where the boxes had to be cut. But they needed a little help from an adult.
“You want me to cut along here?” asked Caleb’s mom. She had her tools ready.
“Oh, yes, please!” said Kiara. “Here’s our plan.” She showed her the sketches.
As Mrs. Rivers did the cutting, the kids got the rest of their supplies together.
Jax supervised.
Mrs. Rivers moved on to the pieces for the ladder. Eddie heated up the hot glue gun.
Once they had the parts, Kiara and Eddie added each rung of the ladder. They stuck it together with the hot glue.
Caleb taped boxes together.
Jax added the curved pieces.
But of course, they couldn’t have work time without the twins bursting in!
“What are you guys doing?” asked Dove.
“Can we help?” asked Amber.
After five years, Jax had gotten pretty good at telling them apart. But they were as identical as twins get. It helped that Amber usually wore her hair back and Dove wore hers down. Plus, Amber always wore something amber (a yellowish orange) and Dove wore white.
But sometimes they switched it up on purpose. They thought it was super funny. Jax thought it was super annoying.
“Dove, you can hold the sides of the ladder while Kiara and Eddie glue the steps on.” Jax handed her two pieces. “And Amber, you can help Caleb with the tape.”
The girls giggled.
“Okay, Dove. Go hold the sides of the ladder.”
“Yeah, Amber. Go help with the tape.”
Jax checked their hair. He checked their sock colors. But something was off.
He studied their faces. Their freckles. Their eyelashes.
“Let me see your toes,” said Jax. The one thing Jax could always count on was the birthmark on Amber’s big toe.
He looked right at the twin he was sure was Amber. “Go help with the tape, Amber.” He turned to Dove. “Go help with the ladder, Dove.” He didn’t really care who did what, but he wasn’t about to let them pull one over on him.
3 Testing It Out
The twins left long before the fort was finished. Once they saw how much work there was to do, they took off to play.
Which meant they had no idea the fort was really for the new kitten.
“The pet fort looks great!” said Caleb.
“Yeah, the kitten is going to love it,” said Eddie. “Now we just need a name.”
“For the kitten?” asked Jax.
“No, for the fort,” said Eddie. “Something fun I can put on a sign for the front.”
The four of them thought for a minute.
“I’ve got it!” shouted Kiara. “How about Happy Tails Lodge? Get it? Instead of happy trails, it’s happy tails.”
Jax loved that idea. “Happy Tails Lodge it is,” he said with a big smile.
Caleb stood up. “We should test the fort. We can do it here,” he said.
“We could, but… give me a second,” said Jax.
He ran home and was back a few minutes later.
“Well?” asked Kiara. “What’s your idea?”
“I spoke to Mrs. Newton,” said Jax. “She said we could try it out there!”
Kiara wasn’t in the neighborhood enough to know what Jax was talking about.
“That’s perfect!” said Eddie. He gave Jax a fist bump.
“Great idea!” said Caleb. He gave Eddie a high five.
The boys celebrated as Kiara tried to figure out what was going on.
“Hold on a minute.” She put a hand on her hip. “Who is Mrs. Newton and where is ‘there’?”
The boys laughed.
“Sorry,” said Jax. “I forgot you don’t know her. She runs the Furry Friends pet rescue.”
“Ah. That makes sense,” said Kiara. “I’m guessing there are kittens there?”
Jax nodded. “Yes. Lots of kittens. And no little sisters! My mom said she’d drive us over.”
They put the kitten fort in Mrs. Crawford’s trunk and piled into the car.
* * *
“Hello!” shouted Mrs. Newton from the doorway. A big blue FURRY FRIENDS sign welcomed them from above a green awning.
“Thanks for letting us try out our pet fort,” said Jax. “Our friend Kiara designed it.”
“Wow. Nice to meet you, Kiara,” said Mrs. Newton. “Let’s bring your fort to the cat area.”
The team carried the fort into a medium-size room in the back. There were kittens and older cats in roomy cages along the walls.
“The fort is a little small for the bigger cats,” said Caleb. “But the kittens can use it for sure.”
Mrs. Newton let out three of the kittens. Two black ones and an orange tabby.
They went for the fort right away. One of the black kittens hopped on top. The other two sniffed around the doorway.
Within a few minutes they were playing and even climbing up the ladder.
“I think they like it,” said Jax’s mom. “Great job, kids.”
The team sat on the floor with the kittens. The adults talked outside the glass door.
“Your new kitten is going to love it,” said Eddie.
But before they could stop the orange cat, it peed on the side!
“Um, Mrs. Newton?” Jax tried to get her attention by waving his hand and pointing.
She quickly opened the door and dashed inside.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, picking up the kitten and putting it in a litter box. She gave the kitten a reminder. “Sometimes they smell something they don’t like and mark their territory.”
They couldn’t give Jax’s kitten a fort that had been “marked” by another cat!
“It’s okay,” said Jax. “That was the point of testing it out.”
“But the design was good,” said Eddie. “They liked it.”
“We’ll just have to rebuild it,” said Caleb.
“We have boxes in the back,” said Mrs. Newton. “You can build it here if you’d like.”
The group huddled up and whispered a few things back and forth.
“We’d like to take you up on that offer,” said Kiara.
A volunteer carried the boxes outside for them. It was a beautiful day, and the awning was the perfect cover from the sun.
“Back to work, team,” said Jax.
And back to work they went.
4 Problem-Solving
The team built the same pet fort they had before. But this time, they wanted the big cats to be able to play on it too.
They added some tunnels.
They added another ladder.
They added a scratching post.
“We should give it some fun details,” said Kiara.
So they picked out cat toys to put inside the fort.
Eddie drew wood grain on the cardboard to make it look like real wood.
And Mrs. Newton gave them a soft round cushion to put on top.
<
br /> It was amazing!
“You know, this doesn’t have to be only for cats,” said Caleb.
Just then, a little girl and her dad walked up to their fort.
“This is so cool!” said the girl. “Bunny Foo Foo would love it!”
“Is it for sale?” asked the dad.
“Hold on a sec,” said Jax. He turned to his friends.
They huddled together again.
“Should we sell it?” asked Jax.
“But it’s for your kitten,” said Caleb.
“I know, but we can build another one,” said Jax.
“We’ve been wanting to grow the business,” said Kiara.
“We’re getting pretty good at these,” said Eddie. “It would be fun to make more.”
With four thumbs up, they all agreed.
“Yes, it’s for sale,” said Jax to the dad. “Twenty dollars.”
The girl jumped up and down while her father handed Jax a twenty-dollar bill.
“Great deal,” said the dad. “You kids do nice work.”
They helped him get it to his trunk, but there was a problem.
It was so big that it didn’t fit!
They pushed and they pulled. They turned and they flipped.
“I’m really sorry,” said the dad. “We can’t get this home.”
Everyone was disappointed. Plus, if he couldn’t get it home, how could they?
The group gathered inside the cat room for a meeting.
“We need a plan B,” said Kiara.
“What’s a plan B?” asked Eddie.
“It’s a backup plan,” she answered. “When plan A doesn’t work, you go to plan B.”
“What if plan B doesn’t work?” asked Jax.
“Then we’ll need a plan C,” answered Caleb.
All around them, the cats were sound asleep. Jax studied their cages.
“Our problem is that if it’s too small, bigger animals can’t use it,” said Kiara.
“But if it’s too big, no one can take it home,” added Eddie.
