by Andrea Beaty
OTHER BOOKS BY ANDREA BEATY AND DAVID ROBERTS
Iggy Peck, Architect
Rosie Revere, Engineer
Ada Twist, Scientist
Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers
Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects
Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Beaty, Andrea, author. | Roberts, David, 1970- illustrator. Title: Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters / by Andrea Beaty; illustrated by David Roberts. Description: New York: Amulet Books, 2018. | Summary: When Rosie is unable to invent a contraption to help one of Aunt Rose’s Raucous Riveters friends, she calls on classmates Iggy Peck and Ada Twist to help. Identifiers: LCCN 2018009612 | ISBN 9781419733604 (hardcover pob) | eISBN 9781683354277 Subjects: | CYAC: Engineers—Fiction. | Inventions—Fiction | Failure (Psychology)—Fiction. | Perseverance (Ethics)—Fiction. Classification: LCC PZ7.B380547
Ros 2018 | DDC [E]—dc23
Text copyright © 2018 Andrea Beaty
Illustrations copyright © 2018 David Roberts
Book design by Chad W. Beckerman
Published in 2018 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
Amulet Books® is a registered trademark of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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CHAPTER 1
Rosie Revere put on her safety goggles.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“Ready!” said Ada Twist.
“Ready!” said Iggy Peck.
They signaled the thumbs-up from behind the kitchen counter.
“Here goes!” said Rosie.
She hit the big red button on the Count-o-meter. A scratchy computer voice blared from its speaker.
COUNTDOWN!
FIVE . . .
Rosie ducked into her safety booth.
FOUR . . .
She flipped open her notebook.
THREE . . .
She pulled her pencil from behind her ear.
TWO . . .
Suddenly, Gizmo flew into the kitchen and landed on the contraption.
“DUCK!” yelled Rosie.
Gizmo chirped angrily.
“I know you’re not a duck!” yelled Rosie.
ONE . . .
The three kids dived for Gizmo just as—
BOOM!
The contraption exploded.
SPLAT! SPLOP! SPLURP!
Sticky, red glops of ketchup flew everywhere! But Gizmo zoomed ahead of the storm. She soared up, up, and out of the way. She looped the loop and gently landed on the refrigerator.
“Zowie!” said Ada, wiping ketchup from her goggles.
“Yikes!” said Iggy, wiping ketchup from his sweater.
“Hmm,” said Rosie, tapping her pencil on her notebook.
Rosie looked at the mess and wrote a quick note:
CHAPTER 2
Ada and Iggy had been helping Rosie all morning. She was trying to invent something for her uncle, Zookeeper Fred. Uncle Fred had a big-snake problem . . . and a little-snake problem . . . and a green-snake problem . . . and a . . .
Uncle Fred had an EVERY-kind-of-snake problem. Every kind of snake in the zoo loved him.
They slithered out of the cages and into his office. They hid in his desk. In his pockets. Even in his lunch! One day, a smooth green snake named Vern hid in his sandwich. Uncle Fred thought that Vern was a wiggly pickle and almost took a bite!
After that, Uncle Fred called Rosie. She invented a contraption to scare away snakes. She called it the SnakeAway. It failed. She tried again. And again. And again. Rosie invented five models. They all failed, but she did not give up. Uncle Fred needed her help.
Rosie had hoped that the SnakeAway Model 5 would do the job. She looked at the mess. The fake snake on the table was covered in ketchup. It looked like a gigantic striped french fry with fangs. Uncle Fred would not like an invention that left ketchup all over his desk. He was a mustard kind of guy. And besides, it might attract ants. And possibly french fries.
Rosie added some notes about her testing:
The three friends cleaned up the mess. Then they shared peanut butter and honey sandwiches and talked about why the test failed.
After lunch, Ada and Iggy went home, and Rosie kept working. She looked at the contraption. A tube had exploded because a kink in the line blocked the ketchup. The pressure of the ketchup built up until—BOOM!
“Aha!” said Rosie.
She jotted down ideas to fix the problem. SnakeAway Model 6 would work better. She was sure of it. Well . . . she was almost sure. There was only one way to find out. She would make changes to the machine and test again.
Rosie was about to start when she heard a familiar whirring, purring, clanging, banging sound and looked out the window. It was Great-Great-Aunt Rose! Rosie stuck her pencil behind her ear, crammed her notebook into her pocket, and ran outside as Aunt Rose landed the heli-o-cheese-copter in the yard.
“Hey-hey!” called Aunt Rose. “How’s my favorite engineer?”
Aunt Rose hopped out of the aircraft and twirled Rosie around in a giant hug.
“My new invention is a disaster!” said Rosie.
“Brilliant!” said Aunt Rose. “Tell me about it on the way!”
“Are we going somewhere?” asked Rosie.
“You bet we are,” said Aunt Rose, “and there’s no time to lose. This is an emergency!”
CHAPTER 3
Rosie put on her helmet, and Aunt Rose hit the switch. The cheese-copter sputtered and twitched. It jumped and bumped. It shot into the air . . . and off they flew!
They zoomed over the neighbor’s garden.
“Woo-hoo! That’s a doozy!” said Aunt Rose.
Indeed, Mrs. Lu’s garden was a doozy. She was a master gardener, and it showed.
Each year, she planted flowers and grasses to create a giant scene in her yard. This year, her plants looked like a giant goose. Daisies, asters, and marigolds painted the picture. Tall, fluffy pampas stalks completed the scene. They swayed in the breeze and made the goose come to life.
Rosie looked down just as someone ran into the garden shed wearing a long duster, a big hat, dark glasses, and rubber gloves.
It was Mrs. Lu.
Rosie knew two things about Mrs. Lu:
1. She was mysterious. Rosie never saw her outside during the day without her disguise.
2. She did not like Rosie.
Mrs. Lu never said that. But then, she never said anything to Rosie. They were neighbors, but Mrs. Lu never even waved at Rosie. Once, Rosie saw Mrs. Lu in the window and waved. Mrs. Lu closed the curtains.
Rosie had another clue. All the neighbors knew that Rosie was an engineer. They left recycling treasures on the curb for her. But not Mrs. Lu. She kept her recycling in wooden crates on her porch instead of the curb. She didn’t want Rosie getting into the crates.
Luckily, the recyclers, Bee and Beau, sneaked the crates to Rosie’s porch when she was at school.
Rosie was glad they did. The crates were full of gears and wire, tools, and broken
motors. Mrs. Lu didn’t like Rosie, but she sure had great recycling.
Aunt Rose steered the cheese-copter up, up, and away.
“Woo-hoo!” yelled Aunt Rose. “I do love a fancy garden!”
Rosie looked back at Mrs. Lu’s garden shed just as a pair of gloved hands snapped the curtains shut.
CHAPTER 4
The cheese-copter flew past the school and Iggy Peck Bridge to the edge of town. Aunt Rose pointed at an old, white house with a wide porch.
“That’s where we’re going!” she said.
They landed with a THUMP and climbed out of the cheese-copter. The house needed a new coat of paint, and the yard was wild compared to Mrs. Lu’s.
“We’re here!” said Aunt Rose.
“Where is here?” asked Rosie.
“I have a better question. ‘WHO is here?’” asked Aunt Rose.
Just then, the screen door flew open and a tall woman stepped onto the porch. She wore a red-and-white polka-dot headscarf. It was just like the one that Aunt Rose had given Rosie.
“About time you got here!” said the woman. “Boss is getting antsy.”
“What else is new?” asked Aunt Rose.
They went into the house. The living room was faded but cozy. A set of old photos rested on a pump organ in one corner. They were black-and-white pictures of women working on enormous airplanes. A familiar face caught Rosie’s eye. It was Aunt Rose. And she was young.
“Those are the Blue River Riveters,” said Aunt Rose. “The smartest, sassiest, toughest bunch of airplane builders you ever saw.”
“And the best dancers!” said the tall woman.
“And musicians!” yelled a woman’s voice from the kitchen.
“Stop yakking and get that girl in here!” shouted another voice.
Aunt Rose nudged Rosie toward the kitchen.
“Don’t keep Boss waiting!” she said.
They stepped into a large kitchen where five elderly women with coffee mugs sat around a well-worn wooden table.
As Rosie stepped into the room, they all cheered: “ROSIE!”
Suddenly, Rosie felt embarrassed and overwhelmed. Her cheeks got hot and she ducked behind Aunt Rose. Rosie didn’t like being the center of attention.
“It’s okay, kiddo,” said Aunt Rose. “They don’t bite. Except for Lettie. But she’s just trying out her new false teeth!”
Aunt Rose slapped her knee and laughed out loud. “Oh, that’s a good one!”
Aunt Rose laughed till she wheezed and her eyes filled with tears. Rosie relaxed and smiled.
The joke was not very funny, but Aunt Rose’s laughter was contagious. Soon, all the women were laughing. Like Aunt Rose, they were loud and full of joy. They were raucous. And Rosie Revere decided that she liked them very much.
The woman in the wheelchair cleared her throat, and the others immediately got quiet. Every eye turned toward Rosie, and a twisty feeling creeped into her stomach.
“Well?” asked the woman. “What are you going to do?”
Rosie looked around nervously.
“About what?” she asked.
“What are you going to do about the emergency?” asked the woman. “After all, that’s why you’re here.”
CHAPTER 5
“Give her a minute,” said the tall woman, winking at Rosie. “She doesn’t even know who we are!”
She shook Rosie’s hand.
“I’m Lettie McCallister!” she said. “And these are my sisters, Heddie and Betty. We are musicians."
Two women in red waved at Rosie.
The woman sitting next to Betty smiled. “Rosie and I are old friends,” she said.
Bernice was Ada’s great-aunt. She owned the archaeology shop on the town square. It was called Can You Dig It? The shop was full of ancient things from around the world.
“Rosie and Ada and their friend, Iggy, come visit me all the time. These kids are so full of ideas and questions that I gave them a nickname! I call them the Questioneers!”
“Oh, I like that!” said Aunt Rose.
The other women nodded.
Rosie liked it, too. Visiting the Can You Dig It? shop was always an adventure, and Bernice was full of ideas and questions. She was one of Rosie’s favorite people.
“I have new treasures in the shop,” Bernice said. “Bring Ada and Iggy to see them!”
“I will!” said Rosie.
“We have another singer in the group!” said Betty McCallister. “This is Marian, and she sings opera. Wait until you hear her!”
“A pleasure to meet you,” said Marian.
She was formal and elegant, with silvery hair, a strand of pearls, and a twinkle in her eyes. She smiled at Rosie.
Rosie smiled back.
“And lastly,” said the woman in the wheelchair, “I’m Eleanor. But you can call me Boss. Everybody does.”
“Because you’re bossy!” joked Lettie.
“I speak plain and I get things done,” said Boss. “If that makes me bossy, then good! I am too busy getting things done to care!”
The Riveters cheered.
Boss smiled.
“We are the Blue River Riveters,” she said. “We worked together at the B-29 factory during World War II. We built more airplanes than you could imagine. We made a difference back when it was needed the most. And we still do our part!”
“You’re the women in the photo!” said Rosie. “But where are the others?”
“It was a long time ago, dear,” said Marian. “We’ve lost many friends.”
Her voice grew quiet.
“So many,” said Lettie.
The Riveters raised their coffee mugs with one hand and slapped the table with the other.
“To friends!” they cheered.
CHAPTER 6
After a moment, Boss slapped the table again.
“The McCallister sisters let us use their house as our own home,” she said.
“It’s your home, too!” said Betty. “We’ve all known one another so long, we’re family!”
Rosie liked that. She lived with all her aunts and uncles and knew that families came in all shapes and sizes.
“We always help one another in an emergency,” said Lettie.
“And sometimes, we get together and just dance,” said Aunt Rose.
“Yeah, we do!” said Heddie.
She tapped out a beat on her coffee mug. Lettie and Betty broke into a zippy song about doing the boogie-woogie and jumping the jive. The Riveters swayed and clapped along.
WHACK!
Boss slapped the table hard and the room went silent.
“Riveters! Have you forgotten our emergency?” said Boss. “We have to help June!”
“Sorry, Boss,” said Heddie, not looking very sorry at all. “I got carried away there.”
“Then get carried right back here!” said Boss. “You can start by telling Rosie what’s going on.”
Heddie and the Riveters told Rosie about June, the artist of the bunch. During the war, June painted the pictures on the noses of the airplanes. Each year since, June painted in the art contest at the Blue River Creek Festival. It was the most important event of the year for her.
A few months ago, June wrecked her motor-scooter and broke both her wrists. Her wrists were very weak, so she still wore casts.
“How can she paint with casts?” asked Rosie.
Boss stared hard at Rosie.
“That,” she said, “is up to you.”
Aunt Rose handed Rosie a flyer.
“June is having a hard time,” said Aunt Rose. “So we are going to surprise her. It’s top secret! We will take turns keeping June busy. Then we’ll sneak her to the contest without her suspecting anything at all.”
“We’ll all do our part,” said Boss.
Boss’s smile faded and she looked squarely at Rosie.
“What about you, Rosie,” she asked. “Will you do your part?”
CHAPTER 7
Rosie nodded.
She read the
flyer again.
“The artists have to create the art by themselves,” she said. “If I can’t help June paint, what can I do?”
“You’re an engineer!” said Lettie. “Invent something!”
“June’s art comes from her heart,” said Marian. “She just needs the tools to help her hands.”
“But the contest is only two days from now!” said Rosie.
“Better get thinking!” said Boss.
She spoke too late. Rosie was already thinking. She had so many questions: How could she build a painting machine? How would it load paint? What kind of paint? How many colors? How would June control the brushes without using her hands? How . . .
Rosie flipped open her notebook. She jotted furiously to catch the ideas exploding in her mind. As she did, the sounds of the chattering Riveters faded away, and Rosie was pulled into her own world of engineering.
Rosie loved engineering. It made her happier than just about anything. And her very favorite part was right at the start.
She jotted down her ideas. Then she noticed that everything was silent. She stopped scribbling and looked up. Seven smiling Riveters stood watching her.
They raised their coffee mugs in a silent toast to Rosie.
“I told you she was up to it,” said Aunt Rose.
“Indeed she is,” said Boss. “Indeed she is.”
Rosie felt her cheeks turn red, but this time, she did not duck behind Aunt Rose.
Rosie Revere looked at the smiling Riveters and smiled back.
CHAPTER 8
Two days!
Rosie had less than two days to invent a contraption to help June. The task was almost too great to imagine. But that didn’t stop Rosie from trying.
When she got home, she went straight to her attic room. She felt a storm approaching. A brainstorm!
Rosie loved brainstorming. Anything was possible. Even crazy, weird ideas. Sometimes, Rosie’s weirdest ideas made her think in a new way or solved tiny bits of a big problem. She wrote all her ideas in her notebook.
