Goldie Blox and the Best! Pet! Ever! (GoldieBlox)

by Stacy McAnulty

  Copyright © 2017 GoldieBlox, Inc. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, and in Canada by Penguin Random House Canada Limited, Toronto. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. GoldieBlox and all related titles, logos, and characters are trademarks of GoldieBlox, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  McAnulty, Stacy.

  Goldie Blox and the best! pet! ever! / written by Stacy McAnulty ;

  illustrated by Alan Batson.

  pages cm — (Goldie Blox and the Gearheads ; 3)

  Summary: Goldie Blox enters her dog, Nacho, in the Bloxtown Pet Talent Show.

  ISBN 978-1-5247-1789-6 (trade) — ISBN 978-1-5247-1790-2 (lib. bdg.) — ISBN 978-1-5247-1791-9 (ebook)

  [1. Juvenile Fiction—Media Tie-In. 2. Juvenile Fiction—Humorous Stories. 3. Juvenile Fiction—Science & Technology.] I. Title.

  PZ7.M47825255 Gnb 2017

  [Fic]—dc23

  2017001481

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v4.1

  a

  For Suzanne and all dog lovers —S.M.

  Contents

  Cover

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Title Page

  1. Press the Marshmallow Button

  2. Maybe a Baby Bonnet

  3. A Ruby Rails Red Carpet Original

  4. Something Furry or with Feathers

  5. Doggie See, Doggie Do

  6. A Giant Wooden Crate

  7. Hip-Hop Kitty

  8. Dognapped by Aliens

  9. Ace Aces Everything

  10. Eating? Napping? Slobbering?

  11. Operation Wipeout

  12. And the Winner Is…

  About the Author

  Goldie used her wrench to tighten one last hex nut. Then she jumped behind the steering wheel of her go-cart. She’d named it Blaze and had been working on it for weeks with the help of her best friends. The Gearheads, as she called them, had turned scrap metal and spare parts into a racing machine.

  “Good luck, Goldie,” Val Voltz cheered from the sidelines. “I’m going to close my eyes now. But I hope you win.” She crossed her fingers and covered her face.

  “You got this!” Li Zhang yelled. “There’s no way you can lose. We added a second gas pedal and took away the brake. That go-cart is made for speed.”

  “What?!” Val turned white.

  “Kidding,” Li said.

  Ruby Rails rolled her eyes. “Go get ’em, girl,” she told Goldie.

  “Thanks, Gearheads.” Goldie put on her goggles. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  As she turned the key and started Blaze, another go-cart pulled up next to hers. It was sleek and black and looked expensive.

  “You haven’t done anything yet,” said the driver, Zeek Zander. “And I’m about to embarrass you in front of your friends.”

  Goldie revved the engine. “We’ll see!”

  A race marshal walked onto the platform carrying a green flag in his right hand. He reminded the contestants of the rules, like no bumping. Goldie was pretty sure that Zeek wasn’t listening.

  Then the marshal raised the flag. “On your mark. Get set.”

  Zeek’s go-cart flew forward.

  “Go!” The flag dropped.

  Goldie mashed the gas pedal to the floor and gripped the steering wheel tight. She was right on Zeek’s tail as they headed down the street. He looked over his shoulder. She waved.

  Li had calculated that Blaze would finish the race in fourteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds. The record for the Bloxtown Go-Cart Race was fifteen minutes and three seconds.

  Zeek and Goldie approached the first corner. Goldie eased off the gas. She knew this turn was tricky. Zeek’s go-cart made it through easily. So did Goldie’s. But two go-carts lost control and sailed into a row of bushes.

  They raced down another street filled with hills. As Blaze zoomed over a bump, Goldie’s butt came off her seat.

  “Wahooooo!” she yelled.

  Zeek looked back again. She could see the shock on his face. They’d left all the other racers in the dust. But Goldie wasn’t like the rest. She’d built her go-cart, and she’d practiced. She knew her chance to pass Zeek and take the lead was coming.

  They raced up one street and down the next. People cheered and shouted along the sides of the road. Goldie would have waved her thanks, but she decided to save it for her victory lap.

  When they got to Newton Avenue, Goldie swerved to the right side of the road. Blaze leaned hard on two wheels. She pressed the gas to the floor and darted by Zeek. She smiled, not caring if bugs flew into her mouth. The race was almost over, and she was in the lead.

  They took the last turn. Goldie saw the finish line. She could imagine her mom and dad and the Gearheads waving banners. They’d go to the smoothie shop afterward to celebrate her victory. No, their victory.

  But suddenly, something knocked into the back of Blaze. Zeek had bumped her. Blaze shook hard and weaved. Goldie straightened out her go-cart. But in that moment, Zeek passed her.

  “It’s not over yet. Come on, Blaze.” Goldie shifted the go-cart into its fastest gear. Blaze rumbled as the tires spun.

  Zeek and Goldie were neck and neck. This was it. She leaned forward in her seat as they flew across the finish line.

  It was a tie!

  Goldie held up her arms in victory. So did Zeek. Then she pressed the marshmallow button. A cannon on the back of the go-cart shot hundreds of mini-marshmallows into the air.

  “Good race, Zeek,” she said as their go-carts came to a stop.

  “For me it was,” he said. “I won.”

  Goldie caught a mini-marshmallow in her mouth. “It’s a tie.”

  “No.” Zeek shook his head. “Butler Phone! Show her.” Zeek’s state-of-the-art phone, which always hovered nearby, projected a picture for Goldie. It showed Zeek’s go-cart winning by less than an inch.

  “Oh. I guess you did win,” Goldie said, shrugging.

  “Why aren’t you upset?” Zeek asked.

  Goldie didn’t get a chance to answer. She was surrounded by her friends and her parents. They high-fived and hugged.

  “That was amazing,” Ruby said. “We saw every second of it from my computer. Even Zeek’s illegal bump.” She gave him a hard stare.

  “Goldie, you beat the record. You even beat my estimate by more than ten seconds. Totally awesome!” Li slapped her on the back.

  “And I beat her!” Zeek stomped his foot like a two-year-old.

  “We’re proud of you,” her mom said. “How about we get smoothies to celebrate? Dad and I will meet you at the car.”

  “To celebrate what?” Zeek demanded. “You lost.”

  “No,” Goldie said. “We built an awesome go-cart and had an amazing race. It was so much fun!”

  “Yeah,” Val said. “You probably bought your go-cart online.”

  “Stop. I could beat you at anything. Anything!” Zeek pointed at a community bulletin board. “I could beat you at a 5K run or a chili cook-off.”

  “I prefer waffles,” Goldie said.

  Zeek kept pointing. “I could even beat you at the Bloxtown Pet Pageant.”

  “Do you even have a pet?” Val asked.

  “Whatever,” Zeek said. “I know I could beat Goldie and her slobbery dog.”

 
; “No way!” Goldie yelled. “Nacho is the best.” Her basset hound did slobber. A lot. It just meant he was really good at slobbering.

  Zeek smiled. “I guess we’ll have to see about that. Oh, and look at the prize.” He read from the sign. “ ‘The winner gets to name the new Bloxtown animal shelter.’ ”

  “Really?” Li asked.

  “I think I’ll call it Zeek Zander’s Home for Unwanted Pests.”

  Li ignored him. “G, we have to win this.”

  “Why? What’s going on?” Ruby asked, looking confused.

  “I want the new animal shelter named after my mom,” Li explained. “I’ve been writing to the town council for months asking them to call it the Dr. Zhang Animal Shelter.”

  “Dr. Zhang was the greatest vet Bloxtown ever had,” Goldie said. “She did all the regular vet stuff, but she was also a famous scientist. She created new medicines and ways for pets to stay healthy. And she helped stray dogs and cats find homes.”

  “Wow,” Val said.

  “She was the one who brought me Nacho when he was abandoned as a puppy. She just knew we belonged together.”

  “The town said they’d think about it. I really thought they’d name it after her.” Li shook his head. “And now…”

  “And now,” Goldie said, “it will definitely be named after your mom. Because Nacho is going to win. I promise!”

  Zeek laughed. “We’ll just see about that.”

  The Gearheads celebrated their almost win at Frothy Formulas Smoothie Shop. But the entire time they sipped their drinks, Li didn’t say a word.

  “I think he’s really worried,” Val whispered to Goldie as they rode home.

  “He doesn’t need to be. Nacho is the best.”

  When they got to Goldie’s house, they went right to her workshop. The BloxShop was Goldie’s favorite place on earth.

  “Nacho!” Goldie shouted. “We have news.”

  Nacho stopped licking his butt and looked at her. He yawned and rolled onto his back, his tail thumping slowly.

  “You’re going to be a champion. You’ll be named the best pet in Bloxtown.”

  Nacho farted. The noise scared him, and he jumped.

  Val laughed. Ruby held her nose. And Li shook his head.

  “What exactly does Nacho have to do to win?” Val asked.

  “Ruby will find out,” Goldie said.

  “On it.” Ruby took out her minicomputer to look up the pageant rules. “Okay. There are three categories that each pet must compete in. First, there’s an obstacle course.”

  Goldie nodded. Nacho had never officially run through an obstacle course, but he lived in the Blox house, which was full of ladders and slides, secret passages and hidden tunnels.

  “This will be easy, you’ll see.” Goldie grabbed a Hula-Hoop. “Nacho, jump through here, then crawl under that workbench. And circle the whiteboard three times after that.”

  Nacho wagged his tail but didn’t move.

  Li groaned. But Goldie wasn’t discouraged.

  “Hold this.” She gave the hoop to Val, then grabbed a maple-flavored doggie treat from a box. That got Nacho’s attention.

  He sniffed the treat and followed it as Goldie pulled it away. She tried to lure him through the Hula-Hoop. He went around it. When she tried to get him to go under the workbench, he got stuck and she had to pull him out. And when she ran around the whiteboard three times, Nacho dropped out on the first lap.

  “Is he napping?” Val asked.

  “I think so,” Goldie said. “We’ll try again later. What else does he need to do?”

  “The second part,” Ruby continued, “is obedience.”

  “Like commands?” Goldie asked.

  “Yes,” Ruby said. “He needs to follow directions.”

  Goldie gave her a thumbs-up. Nacho could do that. Maybe. She placed the maple-flavored dog treat in front of his nose.

  “Nacho,” she said in a deep, clear voice that woke him up. “Eat.” He gobbled up the treat right away. Goldie cheered and clapped.

  “I don’t think that’s what they mean,” Val said. “It’s more like sit, stay, and roll over.”

  Goldie tilted her head and looked at her dog, who was now snoring. He could certainly fall asleep quickly.

  “Nacho, sit.”

  Nacho didn’t move.

  “Nacho, speak.”

  Nothing.

  “Nacho, lie down.”

  Nacho continued to sleep. Lying down.

  “Good dog.” She rubbed his back and kissed his head.

  “Well, that was amazing,” Val said.

  “He needs his rest,” Goldie said. “What else does Nacho have to do to win this thing?”

  “The final category is talent,” Ruby said.

  “Nacho has oodles of talent. He’s the most talented dog in Bloxtown. Maybe even the world.” Goldie just couldn’t think of anything off the top of her head.

  “What talent does he have?” Val asked.

  “Umm.” Goldie scratched her chin. “It’s not like he sings or dances or does gymnastics. But he’s way talented.”

  “G, think about it.” Li spoke for the first time since they’d left the go-cart race. “There are dogs that can help the blind and others that can find missing hikers. Nacho is only good at eating waffles really, really fast.”

  “Yes, he does eat waffles really, really fast. Maybe we’ll do that as his talent.” Goldie smiled at Li.

  “Maybe we could dress him up,” Val suggested. “He looks really good in hats. Maybe a baby bonnet.”

  “Dressing up is not a talent,” Li said.

  “We’ll think of something,” Goldie said.

  “Well, you better think fast. The pageant is next Saturday,” Ruby said.

  Li groaned.

  “Are there any other rules?” Val asked.

  Ruby looked down at her computer. “ ‘The contest is open to any non-human member of the family, and only one entry per house is allowed. The winner gets to name the new Bloxtown animal shelter.’ That’s all. Should I register Nacho?”

  “Yes!” Goldie answered.

  Li collapsed onto a beanbag chair.

  “We’re going to win,” Goldie told Li.

  “I don’t know, G. I love Nacho, but what if he can’t beat Zeek? This is important.”

  “I know it is. And Nacho knows it, too.” At least, she’d be sure to explain it to him when he woke up.

  Li pushed himself off the beanbag. “I’m going home. I need to tell my grandfather.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll see you later.” Li went out the BloxShop door. He didn’t take the zip line that connected the two houses. Goldie and Li had been neighbors their whole lives. Goldie couldn’t remember the last time Li left by going out the regular, old door.

  “He’s really feeling down,” Val said. “If we don’t win…”

  “We will,” Goldie assured her.

  “And if Zeek wins—”

  “He won’t!” Goldie said. “It might not be easy. But we will win. We just need a plan.”

  The next day after school, the Gearheads met at the BloxShop. Goldie stood at the whiteboard.

  “Okay, Gearheads,” she began. “We need a plan to make Nacho a winner!”

  Nacho hurried over at the sound of his name. Val let him sit in her lap.

  “Let’s hear your best ideas,” Goldie said.

  “I have an idea for a costume,” Ruby said. “It’s the latest fashion and highly functional.”

  “Great.” Goldie wrote Ruby’s name next to talent on the board. “What about you, Val? Maybe you can help with the obstacle course.”

  “No,” Li said. “I’ll do that.”

  “You will?” Goldie asked, hopeful. She was worried Li might not be up to helping.

  “I was sketching some ideas during lunch. If Nacho is going to win, he’ll need an epic obstacle course to practice on. Right?”

  “I think he’s just got to run around some cones and jum
p through a hoop,” Val said. “What do you have in mind?”

  “You’ll see. It’s not going to be like that one-person roller coaster I built last week. Try to imagine a ropes course and a carnival fun house mixed together.” Li pulled out a tape measure and took Nacho’s measurements.

  “Sounds epic and a bit terrifying.” Val shuddered. “I’ll…um…give Nacho a bath and a belly rub. We need our champion well rested and groomed.”

  Nacho panicked when he heard the word bath. He jumped off Val’s lap and tried to escape into the backyard. But Val grabbed him.

  “Great. We got this!” Goldie slapped the cap on her marker.

  “What about the commands? How’s Nacho going to learn all the commands, like speak and heel?” Ruby asked.

  “Don’t worry, Ruby. I can engineer that.” Goldie reached into her messy hair and pulled out a screwdriver. “Let’s get to work!”

  Li went outside to construct the obstacle course while Ruby set up at a desk in the corner. Val dragged Nacho into the house for a bath, and Goldie went to her workbench. She used parts from an old toaster, a not-so-old vacuum, and a broken computer. They each worked through the evening.

  Finally, they finished as the sun was setting and it was almost time to go home.

  “G, Val, Rubes!” Li yelled from outside. “Come check out my obstacle course.”

  The three friends ran into the backyard. Nacho chased behind them.

  “Whoa!” Ruby said.

  “Epic for sure!” Goldie exclaimed.

  “That’s not even possible,” Val said.

  They were staring at an obstacle course that was forty feet high and ran through both the Zhangs’ and the Bloxes’ backyards.

  “Watch as I demonstrate,” Li said.

  “Can I try?” Goldie asked.

  “Sure.” Li handed her a helmet. “I’ve already done it a dozen times. I’ll time you.”