Chipwrecked

by Perdita Finn

  THE JUNIOR NOVEL

  Based upon the characters

  Alvin and the Chipmunks

  created by Ross Bagdasarian

  and Janice Karman

  Screenplay by Jonathan Aibel

  & Glenn Berger

  Adapted by Perdita Finn

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Photographic Insert

  Back Ad

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Chapter 1

  The Chipmunks scampered to the ramp of the cruise ship, singing. They were headed to the International Music Awards. But first they were going to enjoy a vacation together—at sea!

  “One, two, three … one, two…” Dave, their manager and father, was carrying the tickets, the passports, and the suitcases. And he was trying to keep track of all of his chipmunks. “Guys, freeze,” he ordered. They never seemed to stop dancing and moving.

  The Chipmunks and their favorite girl band and best friends, The Chipettes, struck a pose. After all, they were famous music stars now. But where was Alvin?

  At that exact moment a whiz of brown-and-white furry stripes slid down the railing of the cruise ship ramp—right into Dave’s arms! What an entrance!

  It was Alvin, of course. “Hey, Dave!” He leaned back, relaxed and cheerful as ever, and smiled up at him. “Where you been?”

  Dave looked like he was about to explode in anger. “Where have I been? Trying to board the ship!”

  “Already done that,” chirped Alvin, putting his arms behind his head. “Also checked out our room, dibbed the side of the bed closest to the window, ordered us a round of virgin piña coladas, checked out some superfine ladies on your behalf, and signed us up for parasailing. You’re welcome.” He gave Dave a wink.

  But Dave didn’t acknowledge what Alvin had said. He’d only heard one word. Parasailing. There was no way he was going to let his little chipmunks fly high up into the air attached to a giant sail, protected by nothing more than a tiny harness. No way. It was too dangerous.

  “There will be no parasailing. You’re too young,” Dave announced firmly. “I know you want to have some fun on this cruise. But we need to set some rules about how we’re going to behave on this ship.”

  Simon had been glaring at Alvin since he arrived. “Let’s start with you can’t call dibs on a bed until everyone’s in the room!”

  The Chipettes crowded around. “Yeah! Good rule! That’s right!”

  “Unfair!” added Theodore, nodding his head in agreement.

  “Okay, there’s rule number one,” sighed Dave. “Should we go over the rest of them?”

  “Don’t worry, Dave,” said Alvin sweetly. “Rules is my middle name.” His whiskers twitched as he held back a mischievous smile.

  Before Dave could say anything else, Alvin hopped out of his arms and led the other chipmunks up the ramp. Dave followed, shaking his head. This was going to be some trip. He could already tell. To top it all off, he thought he saw someone dressed as a giant pelican staring at him from across the deck. That was all he needed! More animals!

  Chapter 2

  Alvin was having a ball. There was so much a chipmunk could do on a cruise ship! He squirted sunscreen on the deck, and all the chipmunks slid across it—until Dave, carrying a tray of tropical drinks, accidentally slipped on it and wiped out.

  Alvin sneaked up into the captain’s bridge, the high-tech control room at the very top of the ship, and used the captain’s microphone to make a very important announcement. He let all the passengers know that kids were allowed in the grown-ups’ serenity pool. He managed to scurry away just as the captain burst into the room. Good thing he was small—and fast!

  But at the waterslide Alvin discovered he was too small. The top of his furry head wasn’t anywhere close to the line on the sign that said, YOU MUST BE THIS TALL. But that didn’t stop Alvin for long. He grabbed a shoe, hopped onto it, and surfed down the waterslide anyway. Gnarly! Only Dave, hopping on one foot because he was missing a shoe, was waiting for him at the poolside. He was not happy. But he couldn’t stop Alvin. Alvin used a line of fluttering flags across the deck as a zip line and sped away as Dave, swinging a pool net, tried to catch him.

  As Dave pursued Alvin, the person dressed as a pelican appeared out of nowhere and put out a large webbed foot, blocking him.

  And Alvin kept on running.

  The chipmunk heard music, and Alvin could never resist a good song. He headed to the outdoor stage, and there, in front of the band shell by the pool, The Chipettes were singing one of their Top 40 hits. Swimmers in the water were bobbing their heads to the catchy tune, and Alvin hopped right across them, like they were stepping-stones. Alvin looked over his shoulder. Dave was still following him, and he was really mad. Alvin knew there was only one thing to do when he was in trouble—run! There was nowhere else to go. He had to jump onstage!

  Brittany was annoyed as he began singing along with her. He was stealing her spotlight! The crowd went crazy. It was international singing sensation Alvin! They were clapping and cheering, and Alvin was bowing. He waved to the passengers and headed for the wings. Then he saw Dave there, waiting for him. Alvin turned right around and took a dive off the stage, into the arms of his enthusiastic fans.

  “Alvinnnn!” screamed Dave. How was he going to tame this out-of-control chipmunk?

  Chapter 3

  Alvin was sitting on the edge of his bed in the cabin in his pajamas. Dave was lecturing him. Theodore and Simon were eavesdropping while they got ready for bed.

  “We talked about setting rules, Alvin,” said Dave sternly.

  Alvin was pouting. “I didn’t know one of the rules was ‘no fun allowed.’ ”

  “When are you going to stop acting like a child?”

  “When are you going to stop treating me like a child?” Alvin snapped.

  “I’ll stop treating you like a child when you start acting like a grown-up!” Dave was yelling again.

  “I’ll start acting like a grown-up when you—” Alvin stopped as The Chipettes emerged from the bathroom, singing.

  Dave sighed, frustrated. “Not now, girls!” He checked his watch. It was later than he’d thought. “I have to get ready for dinner with the captain,” he said. He wasn’t looking forward to apologizing for Alvin’s antics.

  “We’re having dinner with the captain!” Brittany was excited.

  “No, I am.” Dave sighed. “All the chipmunks are staying here tonight.” And with that announcement he went into the bathroom to get ready, shutting the door behind him.

  Brittany plopped down beside Alvin. “This is so unfair!” She wanted to have fun on her vacation, too. She didn’t want to be stuck inside the cabin all night. “It’s not fair to us, it’s not fair to Dave, and it’s not fair to the captain, who I’m sure was really looking forward to dining with me.” After all, she thou
ght, how often did he get to entertain a real-live diva?

  Simon approached Brittany. He hated to see her so upset. “Why don’t I speak with Dave? See if I can smooth things over.”

  Alvin shrugged his shoulders, skeptical that it would make any difference. He knew how Dave got when he was mad. All he seemed to care about was following the rules.

  Simon knocked on the door to the bathroom and chirped as cheerfully as he could, “Knock, knock.”

  “What is it, Simon?” Dave sighed, opening the door. He was wearing a tuxedo and clearly struggling to knot his bow tie correctly. These cruise ship dinners were very fancy, much fancier than Dave was used to.

  Simon whispered confidentially to Dave, “Well, I would never say this to Alvin—goodness knows he can be totally irresponsible—but I have a suggestion.”

  “You have a suggestion for me?”

  “Alvin’s been driving me crazy a lot longer than he’s been driving you crazy,” explained Simon.

  Simon had a point. “All right, what is it?”

  Simon cleared his throat. He was kind of an expert on Alvin. “Imagine Alvin is a spirited racehorse,” he began.

  “That’s your advice?” Dave was not impressed.

  “I’m not done yet, Dave,” said Simon.

  “Sorry. Alvin’s a racehorse…” He glanced in the bathroom mirror and tucked one end of the bow tie into the knot he’d made and watched it come undone. He could not remember how to tie it properly.

  Simon leaped up to his shoulder and reached around, taking the two ends of the bow tie in his paws. As he expertly began passing one end over the other, he continued speaking. “And imagine you are his incredibly helpful jockey, who’s there to guide him down the racetrack of life. But if you hold the reins too tight, that racehorse is going to fight and buck, which is no fun for anyone. On the other hand, if you loosen the reins just a little—”

  “He’ll run right off the track and crash into the fence,” interrupted Dave.

  “I know you want to protect Alvin,” said Simon, “but sometimes kids will rise to the occasion if you just show them a little trust.” He gave the bow tie a last pull.

  Dave looked in the mirror. His tie was perfect. He was impressed. Maybe Simon had a point about Alvin after all. “Okay, guys,” he said, coming back into the suite. “Room service is on its way. Lights out by nine o’clock.”

  Eleanor, startled, shared a look of surprise with Brittany and Jeanette. “Um, Dave, if we’re going to be stuck in the room—”

  “Because of Alvin!” interrupted Brittany, still furious.

  Even Theodore chimed in. “Can we at least watch a movie?” His plump face was filled with disappointment.

  “Well … sure, guys, let me see what’s on,” said Dave, and then he took a look at Simon’s face. Maybe the chipmunks really were old enough to make some of their own decisions. His eyes met Alvin’s. “You know what? Why don’t you pick the movie?”

  “You mean it, Dave?” Alvin brightened up at once.

  “Absolutely.” Dave glanced over at Simon, who gave him a big thumbs-up. The girls immediately began scrolling through movie titles on the television.

  Dave took a last look at his tie in the mirror and headed to the door. He stopped when he noticed Theodore holding out something toward him in his little paws.

  “Wait, Dave, before you go, I made something for you.” He held up a necklace of twisted multicolor pipe cleaners and dried macaroni. Theodore was beaming with pride, but the necklace was hideous.

  “Whoa! That’s really…” Dave gulped, uncertain of what to say. It didn’t really go with his tuxedo. “That’s really nice of you.”

  Theodore blushed. “I made it soft so you can sleep in it, and I put all the colors in it, so it will go with everything! You never have to take it off!” He was still holding it out for Dave to take.

  “I’ll put it on as soon as I get back from dinner,” said Dave, patting Theodore on the head.

  “Or you could put it on now, so everyone at the captain’s table can see it!” Theodore was looking at Dave with big, loving eyes.

  Dave had no choice. He had to put on the necklace. Reluctantly, he took it from Theodore and dropped it around his neck. He knew he looked ridiculous, but if he had any last doubts, Alvin put them to rest.

  “Nice. A real chick magnet,” chuckled Alvin.

  Theodore beamed with delight, not catching the sarcasm in Alvin’s voice.

  Dave took a deep breath. “All right, guys, have fun.” And then he remembered that he was speaking to the chipmunks, and he caught himself. “But not too much fun, because I’m still very disappointed in you, Alvin.”

  Alvin nodded in agreement, very serious. But the moment the door was shut and he heard Dave’s footsteps disappearing down the corridor, he gave a little wave to the door. “Good-bye, Dave,” he whispered, and then he whirled around to face The Chipettes. “Hello, ladies!”

  Alvin whipped off his pajamas, revealing beneath them a perfect white dinner jacket. Alvin was ready for action.

  Chapter 4

  Simon couldn’t believe it; he was panic-stricken. What would Dave say? “Where are you going?”

  Alvin rubbed his paws together, a gleam in his eyes. “The casino! I’m feeling lucky.”

  “Oh no. No, no, no. Dave said…” Simon was desperate. For all his talk of racehorses with Dave, he had no idea how to handle Alvin when he decided to take off.

  “Dave said we were old enough to make our own decisions,” said Alvin.

  “He meant we were old enough to choose a movie!”

  Alvin laughed as he looked at the television screen. “We’re clearly not. Check out what Theodore just picked.”

  Theodore’s little face fell. “What’s wrong with this?” The opening credits had just started to roll across the screen, and Theodore couldn’t wait to watch one of his favorite movies.

  “It’s for babies,” sneered Alvin dismissively. “Which is why Dave treats us like babies. Munk up, Theodore.” He grabbed the remote out of Theodore’s hand and changed the movie. “There, that’s better,” he said with a smile. He tossed the remote onto the bed and headed for the door.

  Simon sighed and took off down the narrow cruise ship corridor after Alvin. The girls looked at each other, pleased.

  “Who’s up for salsa night?” asked Brittany. “But what to wear … what to wear…” Dave and Alvin were dressed up, after all. The girls needed something fancy.

  Eleanor jumped up onto the stateroom desk, her green eyes sparkling. “I know!” She reached into the welcome basket and poured a little tin of fruit candies out onto some sparkly fabric. It was time to party!

  Chapter 5

  The casino was hopping. The slot machines were spinning, dealers were passing out cards at lightning speed, and the dice were rolling. Alvin, standing on the edge of a green felt table, looked very suave in his dinner jacket. He was watching the dice carefully.

  An attractive woman in a long gown and jewels threw a pair of dice, which landed right near Alvin. The dots on them added up to seven, and everybody cheered. The casino dealer pushed a large stack of chips over to the woman. Alvin had conveniently climbed on top. “We have a winner,” Alvin said, winking at the woman. She laughed flirtatiously.

  Simon, still wearing his pajamas, was looking all over the casino for Alvin. He scurried between tuxedo pants and the shimmery pleats of evening gowns, but he couldn’t see over the heads of the people. Finally, he scrambled up on top of one of the slot machines and peered around. Nothing. Not a sign of Alvin anywhere! Using the slot machine handle as a springboard, he leaped onto the tray of a passing waitress. The slot machine’s dials started spinning, lights started flashing, bells were ringing! The machine was spitting out hundreds of dollars in quarters! Simon was a winner. But he didn’t know it. He had to find Alvin before he got into any trouble.

  Meanwhile The Chipettes had taken over the dance floor. Not a lot of people could see them, but the girls
were letting loose and having fun. Until Eleanor accidentally stepped on some lady’s toe.

  “Ow!” she screamed.

  “Sorry!” squeaked Eleanor.

  The young woman, with an attitude as big as her hair, looked down and saw a chipmunk dancing around by her ankles. “Ew!” she screamed again. Was it a rat? But it was covered in sequins. And tiny fruit. And it was talking. “What are you?”

  The woman’s voice was loud, and everyone was listening. The music screeched to a halt.

  “We are The Chipettes,” said Brittany, posing. How could anyone not know who she was? She was on her way to the International Music Awards.

  “I’m Eleanor!” said Eleanor, being friendly.

  “And my sister was just trying to apologize,” added Brittany, noticing how mad the young woman looked.

  A friend of the young woman stepped forward. “What’s she sorry for? Stepping on my friend’s toe? Or for her busted, tired dance moves?”

  Brittany didn’t let anyone insult her sisters. “Oh no you didn’t!”

  The crowd leaned in, eager for a fight. Another girl, with long fake fingernails, stepped forward, egging them on. “Oh yes she did!” She wagged one of her fake fingernails in Brittany’s face.

  Brittany’s paws were on her hips. “Get those press-on nails outta my face unless you wanna meet my claws.” When she needed to, Brittany could get tough. She held up her claws at the woman. “And yeah, baby, they are real!”

  “Ooooh!” said the crowd.

  “Oh, you wanna go?” said the young woman Eleanor had stepped on. She took off her hoop earrings and handed them to a friend.

  The Chipettes were staring down the woman and her two friends, their paws on their hips.

  Brittany snapped her fingers at the DJ. “Hit it!”

  The music blasted through the speakers, and The Chipettes began strutting their stuff. They danced their hearts out, and the crowd was amazed. At first, the other women tried to keep up, but they knew they were no good. These Chipettes had star power!