“I used whambama because the juice of the banana, pineapple, and kiwi gave my glue the sticking power it needed,” I said.
The reporter seemed happy with my answer. She asked the cameraman to take a close-up of my feet. He pointed his camera down at the pavement, where my space shoes were surrounded by glue. Then he pointed the camera at my face.
Meanwhile, a huge crowd of people had gathered around me. They were taking pictures and asking questions. Other scientists had stopped to see me as well.
I heard someone say that there were more people outside the science center than there were inside.
Ceedus-Lupeedus! I had become the main attraction at the science fair!
Back on the space station, my parents had just finished dinner. They went into the living room to watch the Space Station 9 evening news.
The main story that night was from Earth. My mom and dad were very interested. After all, their daughter was on Earth with her class for a field trip.
What they did not expect was that their daughter was the main story.
“A young girl who traveled to Earth from Space Station 9 for the Thirty-Fourth Annual World Science Fair may not be coming home soon,” said the reporter. “It seems she is stuck on Earth.”
9
SCIENCE TRIUMPHS
My parents went supernova when my face suddenly appeared on their 3D-TV screen.
“Zenon!” cried my mother in surprise.
The reporter from WKYC explained what had happened to me. My parents sat in shock while they listened carefully to every word.
They didn’t know that I was traveling to Cleveland, Ohio. They didn’t know that I was entering a science fair. They didn’t even know that I had taken my Galaxy Glue with me on my field trip.
“What else didn’t she tell us?” asked my father, getting more flared-up by the minute.
When the news story was over, my parents flew out the door like two comets on fire. They raced to the departure port. Then they caught the next shuttle to Cleveland.
“That girl is going to drive me into hyperspace,” said my mother, shaking her head.
Back on Earth, the crowd around me had grown larger. I was surprised that so many people were interested in me. I was beginning to feel like a superstar.
I no longer cared about the science fair. I no longer cared about winning fifty thousand frackles. I had shown my Galaxy Glue to the world, and everybody loved it!
I didn’t stay quasar for long, however.
Over the heads of the crowd, I saw a scorchy face coming toward me. It was my teacher, Mr. Peres. His face was as red as a Pandorian sunset.
Mr. Peres and my class had just arrived on the hyperspeed train from New York. They had received Neb’s phone call as they were leaving for Washington, D.C. They had made a quick change of plans. And now here they were, in Cleveland.
At first, Mr. Peres stopped when he saw the crowd of people gathered around me. Then he lit up like a solar flare and pushed his way through.
When he reached me, I could tell that he was not about to cool his boosters.
“Zenon Kar, I am very disappointed in you,” he said sternly. “You left Shady Pines without my permission.”
I could hear my classmates snickering in the background. They had followed Mr. Peres through the crowd. Now they were standing behind him, laughing and pointing at my feet.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Peres,” I said, looking down. “I just wanted to enter my glue in the Thirty-Fourth Annual World Science Fair.”
Mr. Peres did not approve of my answer. He stared at me like the inky man on the train.
“I have half a mind to leave you stuck on Earth,” he said.
I thought I was going to be swallowed up by a black hole!
Stuck on Earth! I couldn’t think of an inkier fate!
I wanted to go home. I missed the brightly lit halls of my space station. I missed the sound of my space shoes on Zarkon metal floors. I missed the unchanging temperature and enclosed spaces.
Then, as if things weren’t scorchy enough, I saw my parents. They were pushing their way through the crowd. Mom was in global meltdown. And Dad was wearing his stress reducer.
I no longer felt like a stellar twenty-first-century inventor. Suddenly I felt like a big Pandorian Lootar. I was stuck in my Galaxy Glue for the entire universe to see.
“Ceedus-Lupeedus,” I muttered under my breath. “What next?”
My dad broke through the crowd in front of me. He opened his mouth to speak. Then, all of a sudden, a loud noise came from the science center. Someone was shouting.
Everyone turned to look.
Running toward us was the group of scientists I had met earlier in the day—the best scientists on Earth. One of them was carrying a large jar.
“We’ve got it!” he called, to everyone’s amazement. “We’ve got the mixture that will dissolve your glue, Zenon Kar!”
10
A MICROBE MOMENT
Everyone stepped back. The scientists formed a circle around me. They all took one last look at the glue that had hardened around my feet. Then they opened their mixture and poured it over my Galaxy Glue.
My glue began to bubble and foam. It turned purple, then blue.
Everyone watched in silence.
Slowly, I picked up one of my feet and set it down outside the puddle. Then I lifted my other foot and walked a few steps away.
“I’m free!” I cried.
The crowd burst into cheers!
It was stellar beyond belief!
“Thank you!” I said to the scientists with all my heart. “Now I can go home.”
Mom and Dad blasted over and hugged me. They were no longer flared-up now that I was in their arms. But I still felt like a Pandorian Lootar.
“I’m so sorry,” I said with tears in my eyes. “I know I did an inky thing.”
Mom and Dad agreed. They were very disappointed in me. But they thought I’d learned my lesson.
“Being stuck on Earth is almost punishment enough,” said my mom.
“Almost,” added my dad. “But we’ll discuss that when we get home.”
Albert Geezle and all the judges from the science fair had arrived just in time to see me unglued. They were very proud of the scientists. They shook their hands and congratulated them.
Then Albert Geezle made an important announcement.
“We have chosen the winner of the Thirty-Fourth Annual World Science Fair!” he said. “Or should I say winners?”
The crowd gasped in surprise.
The judges did something they had never done before. They gave the first-place award of fifty thousand frackles to more than one person. They gave it to all the scientists who had created the mixture to dissolve Galaxy Glue.
“Advances in science are not always made by one person working alone,” said Albert Geezle. “If it had not been for these scientists working together, this young girl might have been stuck on Earth forever.”
At that, everyone turned and looked at me.
Then they began to applaud.
I didn’t know if they were clapping for me or for the scientists. But I didn’t care. I was going home.
“Are you ready?” asked my dad, putting his arm around me.
I couldn’t wait to get back to Space Station 9. But there was one thing I had to do first.
I spotted Benny Gonzalez in the crowd. He was talking to some of my classmates. I excused myself. I walked over to Benny, took his hand, and led him over to my parents.
“Mom and Dad,” I said, “I want you to meet my new friend, Benny Gonzalez. If it weren’t for him, we’d still be lost in the woods in New York.”
I could tell from the looks on my parents’ faces that this was a story for another time. They had been shivered-out enough for one day.
Just as we had promised, Neb and I took Benny to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was next door to the science center. Mom and Dad talked to Mr. Peres while we blasted off.
The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame was thermo beyond belief! We saw exhibits about all our favorite rock groups through the ages.
But the Microbe exhibit was the most stellar of all.
Proto Zoa looked so real, I went quasar with excitement! One of my favorite songs was playing. So Neb, Benny, and I danced to the music.
It was truly a Microbe moment.
It had been a thermo trip to Earth. I may not have won the Thirty-Fourth Annual World Science Fair. But my Galaxy Glue had played an important part. And for that, I was proud.
Mom and Dad did punish me when we got back to Space Station 9. No 3D-TV or trips to the Mars Malt for an entire month!
11
ZENON’S GUIDE TO
SPACE STATION
SLANG
These are some of the terms you’ll hear when you visit me on Space Station 9:
Alfred Geezle
He is a 21st-century designer of everything from the clocks on our walls to the treads on our shoes.
blabberbabbles
This is what my friends and I call people who talk too much. This can be an inky thing if it’s something you don’t want your parents to know about.
Blotozoid Zombie
This is a character from one of the scariest movies I have ever seen, The Night of the Blotozoid Zombies! It is a very pale creature that slumps forward when it walks. Yuck!
Calzon glass
Although this glass is clear, it has flecks of stardust in it. When you shine a light on it, the stardust glitters and glows.
Ceedus-Lupeedus!
This is our favorite thing to say when we are surprised by something we see or hear.
chill chamber
This is a place, like the Mars Malt, where we go to relax.
cool your boosters
This means you need to calm down and take it easy. I have a hard time with this one.
cosmic
This is when something is out of this world.
data pads
These are our portable computers.
Fenebula
This is the most distant galaxy our scientists have been able to identify.
flared-up
You’re flared-up when you’re upset and angry. Sometimes your face can turn as red as a solar flare, too.
Flooton plastic
This is the toughest plastic in the universe. It was invented in 2029 by Everett Flooton.
frackles
This is what we call our money. Dad has a hard time parting with his.
geezle bumps
Although these are like goose bumps, we call them geezle bumps.
They look like the treads on the bottoms of the shoes we wear, which were designed by Alfred Geezle.
global meltdown
You go into this when you get upset and lose control of yourself.
inked-out or inky
This is when you’re spooked or scared.
jet-packs
Jet-packs are fastened behind your back like backpacks. They are filled with fuel and are operated by hand controls so that you can fly around in a zero-gravity bubble when you are playing spaceball.
Jupiter Jell-O
I love this Jell-O! It has a ring around it like Jupiter. The ring is made up of whambama pudding.
Lootar
See Pandorian Lootar.
lunar
(as in “going lunar”)
This is the same as going crazy.
Martian mist
When your mind is kind of foggy and confused, you’re in a Martian mist.
Microbe moment
This is a really wonderful moment in time.
Pandorian Lootar
This is a huge monster in a 3-D video game that we love to play.
Pandorian sunset
This is the most brilliant red sunset in the universe.
Plutar Blanchy
This is a character from one of my favorite children’s books, It’s Not Easy Being a Plutar Blanchy. It is a goofy, easily frightened creature that walks around grinning from ear to ear.
Pluto Punch
This is a purple punch as dark as deep space.
quasar
When someone goes quasar, like my dad, it means that he is very excited because something has made him happy.
scorch
When something is a scorch or scorchy, it’s a bad, bad thing.
shivered-out or shiver me out
You get this way when something or someone really gives you the creeps.
spaceball
This is a team game played by hitting a ball back and forth over a net with your hands. It is played in a zero-gravity bubble.
stellar
If something is stellar, it is the most wonderful thing you can imagine!
supernova
(as in “going supernova”)
If you go supernova, you become very upset. It’s kind of like going into global meltdown.
swallowed up by a black hole
You can feel like you’ve been swallowed up by a black hole when you feel really bad about something.
thermo
This is something hot, hip, and stellarly cool!
3D-CD & 3D-TV
Not only can we hear our music, but we can see it as well. Our musical groups and TV appear in three-dimensional holograms.
whambama
This is a yummy berry that our scientists have created. It is a combination of banana, pineapple, and kiwi fruit—and you can only get it on Space Station 9!
Whambama Smoothie
No one loves this milk shake more than I do! It’s made from whambama berries and ice cream.
Zarkon metal
This is a heavy, dark metal that was discovered by a scientist named Bud Zarkon. It’s used in making robots. It can also be used in making clothing, jewelry, and even dog collars.
ABOUT THE CREATORS
MARILYN SADLER and ROGER BOLLEN have been creating children’s books for over twenty years. Their best-selling titles include the Alistair series of books and the P. J. Funny-bunny books, published as Beginner Books by Random House. Their many awards include the International Reading Association Classroom Choice Award and a Parents’ Choice Award.
Marilyn and Roger originally created Zenon for a hardcover picture book. Then, in January 1999, Disney Channel produced Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century as a ninety-minute live-action film. It became the #1 most popular original television movie that year for the channel. This has led Disney to create a second Zenon television movie, Zenon: The Zequel, which debuted in January 2001 and was the highest-rated movie in Disney Channel’s history.
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