by Lee Kirby
1. A NORMAL HAMSTER . . . WITH A SECRET
2. SOUND THE ALARM!
3. THE SUPERPET SUPERPLAN
4. SO MANY WRONG TURNS
5. IT’S A LONG WAY DOWN
6. WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
7. RATS! THAT’S A GOOD IDEA
8. GO TIME!
9. SUPER TURBO SAVES THE DAY
10. ONE LAST MISSION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR
There’s the secret right now, just sitting there in Classroom C. No, not that second-grade student. Behind him, in the hamster cage. What’s that you say? A hamster cage is a strange place to find a secret? Not if the secret is, in fact, a hamster!
Turbo the hamster leaned back in his comfy cage, his arms crossed behind his head. One tiny hamster foot rested on the opposite tiny hamster knee. He whistled to himself, daydreaming about what a very lucky hamster he was. He had his own cage, all the food and water he could ever want, lots of fans, and a whole classroom to protect. That’s right: protect.
You see, the secret is that Turbo is no ordinary hamster. He is secretly the amazing, the incredible, the stupendous SUPER TURBO!
Suddenly Turbo got a strange tickly feeling up the back of his neck.
Finally, the bell rang. School was out for the day! The kids of Classroom C grabbed their coats and books and left the room.
Whew! thought Turbo. Pretending to be non-super is more work than actually being super! He went over to his water bottle to grab a drink.
Well, he tried to grab a drink. Nothing was coming out of the water bottle. Because it was empty!
Turbo had to act fast. Ms. Beasley, the second-grade teacher, was just getting ready to leave. If she went home, Turbo wouldn’t have any water until the next morning!
Turbo started squeaking, trying to get Ms. Beasley’s attention. “Yes, yes, good night, Turbo,” the teacher called out, closing the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! squeaked Turbo, hopping up and down and waving his little hamster paws in the air. But it was too late. The light turned off, the door shut, and Ms. Beasley was gone.
What was Turbo going to do now?
Turbo licked his dry lips. He was really thirsty. Like, really, really thirsty.
“I shouldn’t have run on my wheel so much when I was trying to act like a normal hamster,” he said aloud to no one in particular.
Turbo had to get water, and fast. Now, if he were just a normal hamster, he might be out of luck. But, remember, Turbo isn’t a normal hamster.
Turbo shimmied up the side of his cage and popped off the top. He leapt from his cage onto the bookcase, executing a perfect superhero landing.
Then he climbed down from the bookcase. He ran over to the vent that connected Classroom C to all of the other classrooms in Sunnyview Elementary. The superpets used the vents as their own personal highway, and also as a way to call emergency superpet meetings to order.
What’s that? You thought Super Turbo was the only superhero pet in Sunnyview Elementary? No way! There’s a whole league of superpet superheroes! It’s called . . . the Superpet Superhero League.
Super Turbo picked up a metal ruler. If he banged the vent one time with the ruler, it meant: All’s well.
Well, everything certainly isn’t all well, thought Super Turbo.
If he banged the vent two times with the ruler, it meant: Hey, I’m hungry. Who wants to go to the cafeteria?
Super Turbo thought about this for a second. It was close, but he was thirsty, not hungry. And he didn’t particularly want to go to the cafeteria.
If Super Turbo banged three times with the ruler, it meant: Emergency, come quick!
In almost no time flat, the superpets arrived in Classroom C.
“What’s going on, Super Turbo?” asked the Great Gecko, concerned. “Is there trouble?”
“Is it that rat Whiskerface and his no-good Rat Pack?” asked Wonder Pig, cracking her knuckles.
“It’s not another evil pencil sharpener, is it?” said the Green Winger.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” said Super Turbo, slightly embarrassed. “I’m all out of water.”
“No water, huh?” said Boss Bunny, paws on his utility belt.
“I’d offer you some of mine,” said Fantastic Fish, flapping her fins “but it might taste sort of fishy, and I don’t think you want that.”
Super Turbo had to agree. He loved Fantastic Fish, but he didn’t want to drink the water she was swimming in.
“Well, what should we do?” asked Captain Chameleon. “Where can we get Super Turbo a drink?”
“IIIII KNOOOW.”
The superpets all whirled to face the vent. A spooky voice echoed from the darkness.
“I KNOW JUST THE PLACE!”
The superpets all stared at the vent where the spooky voice had come from.
Boss Bunny jumped into Wonder Pig’s arms. “Is it a g-ghost?” he asked, teeth chattering.
The spooky voice continued from the darkness. “WE CAN GET . . . SUPER TURBO . . . A DRINK”—suddenly Professor Turtle stepped into view—“at the water fountain . . . in the hallway.”
“Professor Turtle!” exclaimed Super Turbo, letting out a sigh.
“Sorry, I forgot to mention,” said Captain Chameleon, turning a shade of pink, “when we heard the signal, I ran ahead of Professor Turtle to see what was so urgent.”
Professor Turtle smiled. “I’m . . . not . . . exactly . . . the . . . fastest . . . runner.”
“The water fountain, though?” asked The Green Winger. “Why don’t we just get Super Turbo a drink at one of our cages? Wouldn’t that be easier?”
“Half of the fun of being a superpet is doing things school kids and teachers will never know about!” said the Great Gecko. “The other half is saving the school from evil, of course,” he added.
“I have always wanted to drink from the water fountain,” said Super Turbo. His mouth was getting really dry now.
The superpets flew into action. The Great Gecko thought it would be a good idea if a couple of superpets stayed behind to keep an eye out for evil. Fantastic Fish and Professor Turtle volunteered, since there was no way they were going to be able to get up and onto the water fountain anyway.
The rest of the superpets climbed into the vent.
“Okay, Wonder Pig!” yelled the Great Gecko. “Lead the way to adventure!”
“This doesn’t look like adventure. This looks like . . . the janitor’s closet.”
Super Turbo, the Great Gecko, Wonder Pig, the Green Winger, Boss Bunny, and Captain Chameleon stood looking down from the open vent Wonder Pig had led them to. All they could see were mops, buckets, and bottles of cleaning fluid.
“Hm . . . ,” said Wonder Pig, thoughtfully rubbing her chin. “Yeah, this is definitely the janitor’s closet.”
“What happened?” asked Super Turbo. “You’re normally so good at directions.”
“Well, I’ve never had any reason to go to the water fountain before,” Wonder Pig said, shrugging.
The superpets went back into the vent system.
“Are we . . . outside?” asked Captain Chameleon, blinking.
“We sure are!” said the Green Winger. “Hey, isn’t that the tree that Nutkin and her Flying Ninja Squirrels live in?”
“I think so!” said the Great Gecko.
“Should we wave to them?” asked Wonder Pig.
“Good idea!” said the Great Gecko. The superpets spent the next few minutes waving at the tree.
“Guys, I’m getting really thirsty,” said Super Turbo.
“Sorry, Super Turbo,” said Wonder Pig, heading ba
ck into the vent. “I think I know the way now.”
“Oh man!” said Wonder Pig, hitting her forehead. “We’re outside again.”
“Pee-yew!” said Boss Bunny, holding his nose. “It stinks!”
“It sure does!” said the Green Winger, covering her beak. “And look, that’s why! This is where they keep the garbage!”
“And that’s not all!” cried Super Turbo, pointing. “There’s Whiskerface and his Rat Pack!
“Hey, you rats!” the Great Gecko yelled down from the vent. “What are you doing?”
Whiskerface and the Rat Pack looked up at the superpets.
“We’re going through the garbage!” yelled Whiskerface. “A rat’s gotta eat! What are you guys doing?”
“Uh, we’re on patrol,” stammered the Great Gecko. “Yeah, that’s it. So, uh, just you rats watch out!
“Sorry about this, guys,” said Wonder Pig. “I definitely know the right path now.”
The superpets took a few more twists and turns until, finally, they came upon another vent exit. Wonder Pig and Captain Chameleon popped it open. The superpets all looked down. About three feet below them was the water fountain.
“Behold!” said the Great Gecko, throwing his arms wide. “We made it!”
Wonder Pig let out a whistle. “That’s a pretty long way down. I think maybe I should wait up here, and uh, keep an eye out for evil.”
The superpets had been perched on the ledge, looking at the water fountain down below, for about five minutes now. They were so close, and yet so far.
“Let me think about this,” said Boss Bunny. He pulled out the cool pebble he had found from his utility belt and dropped it over the edge. It took a surprisingly long time before the superpets heard it hit the ground below.
“Yeah, I’m definitely waiting up here,” said Wonder Pig.
“Maybe I should just try to wait until tomorrow for water,” said Super Turbo uncertainly.
“Guys! Guys!” exclaimed the Great Gecko. “We can’t quit now, not when we’re so close! We can do this!”
Now it was just Super Turbo and Wonder Pig. As unimpressive as Boss Bunny’s leap had been, he made it way farther than Super Turbo would be able to. How was he going to get there?
“Come on, Super Turbo, you can do it!” called the superpets from down below.
Can I? thought Super Turbo to himself. Then he had an idea. He whispered something in Wonder Pig’s ear.
“That’s totally crazy,” she said with a smile. “I love it.”
“Hey, guys!” Super Turbo yelled down. “I need you to turn on the water fountain and fill up the bowl!”
“Is he going to do what I think he is?” the Great Gecko asked Captain Chameleon.
“I think so!” she replied.
The Great Gecko and Captain Chameleon turned the knob on the water fountain. Water, beautiful water started spilling out of the bubbler. Up above, Super Turbo licked his lips. Boss Bunny stuck a chewed-up piece of gum into the drain of the fountain.
Soon enough, the bowl looked like a tiny swimming pool. Or, to any small animal, a regular-size swimming pool.
The superpets all cheered. That was the coolest thing they had seen in a long time.
“That was just incredible, Super Turbo!” said the Great Gecko.
“Wow! Amazing!” added Captain Chameleon.
“You were really flying, Super Turbo!” said the Green Winger.
“Eh, I could’ve done that,” said Boss Bunny.
But Super Turbo didn’t say anything back to any of them. He was too busy drinking that sweet, sweet water.
After Super Turbo was done drinking, he, Boss Bunny, the Great Gecko, Captain Chameleon, and the Green Winger splashed around in the water fountain. They floated on their backs, they swam laps, and Boss Bunny performed some sort of weird water show.
The superpets all turned to look at the bubbler. A steady stream of water was still pouring out.
“I thought it was getting pretty deep in here,” said Captain Chameleon.
“Hmm,” said Super Turbo. “I thought the water fountain was supposed to turn off by itself.”
“Me too,” said the Great Gecko, leaping onto the knob of the water fountain. He pulled it back and forth several times. “Oh no. I think we turned it too far. I think it’s broken!”
“Hey, guys!” Wonder Pig yelled from above. “Take a look!”
The superpets rushed to the edge of the bowl to see where she was pointing. They looked down. The water was now overflowing, and a puddle had started to form on the floor below.
“Oh no!” yelled the Great Gecko. “We’re going to flood the whole school! This is not the adventure I imagined!”
Super Turbo knew they had to act fast. “If we can’t stop the water, maybe we can unplug the drain? Boss Bunny, can you pull out your gum?”
Boss Bunny dove into the water. Only his bunny feet were visible now. After a few seconds, he came up. “It’s no good!” he said, spitting out water. “The gum’s been sucked too far into the drain. I can’t get it out!”
The water was spilling over the side of the fountain like a waterfall now. The puddle had gotten so big it was beginning to seep under the doors of nearby classrooms.
“I’ll go to the janitor’s closet to get sponges and mops!” Wonder Pig announced. “Now that I’ve been there once, I know how to get back.” She disappeared into the vents.
“I’ll go get Fantastic Fish and Professor Turtle,” said the Green Winger, taking flight. “I have a feeling we’re going to need all the superpets for this one.”
“In the meantime, we have to see if there’s anything we can do here,” said Super Turbo.
Captain Chameleon, Super Turbo, and the Great Gecko ran to look over the side. To their relief, Boss Bunny was fine. What was not fine was that he was now practically swimming in the water down below.
“Now what?” Super Turbo asked the others.
The superpets who were still at the fountain decided they couldn’t just wait up there. They had to get down.
Soon after they got to the ground, Wonder Pig returned from the janitor’s closet with a bunch of sponges. The superpets were now making a kind of dam with them, but it was a big, soggy, mushy dam. It held back some of the water, but not enough.
Fantastic Fish was using her Fish Tank like a bulldozer, pushing the heavy, soggy sponges into place. “A few more inches of water and I won’t even need my Fish Tank to get around!” she said, joking. None of the other superpets laughed.
This all started because I selfishly wanted a drink! thought Super Turbo.
As a superpet, it was his job to protect Sunnyview Elementary! Now he was worried that, because of his actions, Sunnyview Elementary might end up completely underwater! And after that, maybe the whole world would!
Super Turbo was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a squeaking voice. “What are you superpests doing?!”
The superpets all stopped what they were doing to face . . .
“Whiskerface!” yelled the Great Gecko. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Well, yeah, I would,” said Whiskerface. “Are you stuporpets trying to flood the school?!”
“Well, we weren’t trying to,” Boss Bunny said quietly to himself.
“Obviously we’re trying to save the school from a flood!” said the Great Gecko, scoffing.
“The water fountain won’t turn off!” yelled Captain Chameleon.
“And the drain’s clogged!” cried the Green Winger.
“And there doesn’t seem to be an off switch!” added Fantastic Fish.
“Eek! Water! I hate water!” Whiskerface squeaked and jumped back as a drop of water touched his foot. “I’m getting out of here before the whole hallway floods!”
He shook his little rat fist at the superpets. “I don’t know what you guys did, but you better fix this!” And with that, Whiskerface disappeared into a hole in the wall.
The superpets all looked at each other. Whiskerface wa
s right. It was up to them to fix this flood!
Super Turbo turned to the rest of the superpets. “Okay, team. It’s go time. We better split up our forces. Half of us will stay here to hold back the flood. The other half will go to the basement to turn off the water. Who’s with me?”
“We are!” cried all the superpets.
“Excellent!” said the Great Gecko. “Super Turbo, you can be in charge of the Boiler Room Mission! I’ll stay here and help stop this flood from spreading!”
“You’re sure you know the way, Wonder Pig?” asked Super Turbo, running beside her in the vents.
“Oh yeah, for sure!” said Wonder Pig. “Because I know that we just need to find a vent that points down! In fact, here’s one now.”
Wonder Pig stood in front of a deep, dark hole that stretched down into . . . well, the boiler room, Super Turbo guessed. Though all he could see was darkness.
“D-down there?” he asked.
Wonder Pig nodded. “Yeah, this should take us right to the boiler room. We just jump into it and zip down like it’s a giant slide.”
“But what if there’s nothing to stop us at the end and we just slide . . . into the boiler?!” Super Turbo said, his teeth now chattering slightly.
“I’ll go down first,” offered the Green Winger. “That way, if it’s open on the other end, I can just fly out.”
