by Ray O’Ryan
Zack and Bert sat next to each other. Drake sat in the seat behind Zack.
“What an amazing way to learn your lessons,” Bert said. “It’s like history, science, and everything else comes alive right before your eyes.”
A few minutes later, the space bus arrived at the cafeteria. Zack, Bert, and Drake hurried in, along with all the other kids.
“Let’s grab a table,” said Zack. The three boys sat down at a small round table.
Bert looked around.
“Hey, where’s the lunch line?” he asked. “Where’s all the food?”
Drake smiled. “I think you asked me the same thing on your first day, Zack,” he said.
“There’s no lunch line,” said Zack. “Check this out!”
A long line of robots came walking into the cafeteria. They had metal bodies of all shapes and sizes. Each robot pushed a cart filled with food.
“Do you have galactic patties and crispy fritters?” Bert asked a robot.
The robot handed Bert a plate with exactly what he had asked for.
“This is so grape!” he said.
As the boys ate their lunch, Zack and Bert continued to talk about Earth.
“Remember the first baseball game we ever went to?” Bert asked Zack.
“Sure,” replied Zack. “We saw seven home runs in one game!”
“Baseball,” said Drake. “That’s like Galactic Blast except that people—not robots—play. Right, Zack?”
“Yup,” said Zack. Then he turned back to Bert.
“Remember that time in gym back on Earth?” Zack asked Bert.
Both boys started laughing. Bert knew exactly what Zack was talking about.
“You mean when Percy Lewis kicked the ball so hard that he fell back and landed on his behind?” Bert asked.
“Yup,” replied Zack, laughing. “You should have seen it, Drake. And to top it off—Bert caught the ball, so Percy was out of the game anyway!”
Zack and Bert fell into a giggling fit.
“Sounds pretty funny,” said Drake. But he wasn’t laughing.
Zack and Bert talked and laughed about their days together on Earth. But Drake stayed quiet. He felt lost in their conversation.
Then the bell rang, ending lunch. All three boys got back on the space bus.
When Zack and Bert sat down in a seat together, Drake didn’t try to sit near them.
“Hey, Drake!” Zack called. “Where are you going?”
Drake didn’t answer.
That’s strange, Zack thought. Maybe he doesn’t feel well after that lunch. Zack shrugged and turned his attention back to Bert.
Chapter 8
A New Adventure!
That night at dinner, Dad had a big surprise for Zack and Bert.
“How would you like to go to the planet Cisnos tomorrow?” he asked. “I figured since Bert is visiting we would do something special on Saturday.”
“Oh wow! Isn’t that where the Lollyland Amusement Park is?” Zack asked excitedly.
“You bet!” said Dad.
“What’s that?” Bert asked.
“I haven’t been there yet,” Zack explained. “But Drake has, and he told me it was awesome!”
“And I’ve already spoken with Drake’s parents,” Dad continued. “He’s coming with us!”
“That’s great!” cried Zack. “Bert, you and I are going to go on every ride there!”
“And we can play games,” added Bert. “Maybe even win a prize!”
“We’re going to have the best time,” said Zack. “Thanks, Dad!”
“Don’t forget to include Drake in your fun tomorrow, Zack,” said Mom.
“I know, Mom,” said Zack. Then he turned back to Bert.
“Maybe they’ll have a super-long slide!” said Zack.
“And bumper cars!” added Bert. “This is going to be great!”
Zack and Bert hardly slept that night. They were so excited about their trip to Lollyland, they talked and talked through most of the night.
Zack, Bert, and Dad headed to the Creston City Spaceport the next morning. There they met Drake.
“Okay then, let’s get on board the Cisnos shuttle!” said Dad.
A few minutes later they were all buckled into their seats on the shuttle. There were several Cisnosians on the same shuttle. They were all short and a lot wider than humans or Nebulites. They had orange hair and their skin was slightly orange in color too! The ship took off with a loud roar. Then, once again, Zack was in space.
“I love space travel,” Zack said. He looked out the window. “Check out all those stars!”
“I love space travel too,” said Bert. “And I’m so excited about seeing another planet! That’ll make two new planets in just a few days.”
“The planet Cisnos is very interesting,” said Drake. “Did you know that the people who live there are all less than four feet tall?”
“Really?” said Dad.
“Yes, and their favorite food is called cisnosi,” Drake continued. “It’s a mix between pizza and pasta.”
“I can’t wait to get to Lollyland!” cried Bert.
“Me too!” said Zack, not hearing the fun facts Drake was sharing.
“Actually, Lollyland has more than twenty-five rides,” Drake said. “I have been on ten of them. My favorite is the—”
“I hope they have a roller coaster!” Zack said, interrupting Drake.
“I hope they have a fun house!” said Bert.
Drake slumped down in his seat and stayed quiet for the rest of the trip.
Chapter 9
Lollyland!
The shuttle approached Cisnos. Zack and Bert were amazed because when they looked down, the entire surface of the planet looked orange.
“That is because of the orange mountains that cover most of the planet,” Drake explained.
Houses and towns came into view.
“The houses are round,” said Zack. “And they look like they are made of clay.”
“Actually they are made of crondike,” Drake added. “It is a substance found in the mountains. It is easy to build with and not expensive.”
The shuttle dropped down into the spaceport. Zack looked around at all the people. They looked like humans, except they were much shorter and they all had orange hair.
“Is that really the color of their hair?” Bert asked.
“It is,” replied Drake.
The shuttle finally landed. The boys and Mr. Nelson hopped into a space taxi, which brought them to Lollyland.
The amusement park spread out in front of them like a magical city. Brightly lit rides rose high into the sky.
“Look at this place!” exclaimed Bert. “It’s like something from another planet!”
“It is from another planet!” Zack pointed out. Then he and Bert cracked up.
“Okay, guys, which ride would you like to go on first?” Dad asked.
Zack looked around.
“That one!” he shouted. Zack pointed at a ride that looked like a giant flashing wheel with a round car attached to the end of each spoke. Each car also spun around in a circle.
“That is the Zeppler,” explained Drake. “It is one of my favorites.”
“Great,” said Dad. “You boys get in line. I’m going to grab something to eat.”
Zack, Bert, and Drake hurried over to the line for the Zeppler. After a short wait, they reached the front of the line.
“Okay, who’s next?” shouted the Cisnosian man who ran the ride. He was shorter than all the boys and appeared to be about three feet wide.
“Come on, Zack!” Bert shouted, racing toward one of the cars. “Let’s get in the green car—green is your favorite color!”
Zack and Drake ran over to the green car. But when they got there they discovered that each car only held two people. Zack looked at Drake. He was not sure what to do.
“Go ahead, Zack,” said Drake. “You go in the green car with Bert. I will get in the next car.”
“Thanks,
Drake!” said Zack. He scrambled into the green car. Drake climbed into a red car right behind them.
The ride began. All the cars lifted into the air. Then they began spinning.
“Wooooo!” Bert and Zack screamed together.
“This ride is the BEST!” Zack shouted as the world spun around and around.
After a few minutes the cars began to slow down. They lowered to the ground and stopped. Zack climbed out, slightly dizzy, followed by Bert. Drake got out of the car behind them.
Dad rejoined the boys. He munched on a cisnosi.
“How was that ride?” Dad asked through a mouthful of food.
“Awesome!” cried Bert.
“Oh yeah!” agreed Zack.
“I had fun too,” said Drake.
“What’s next?” Dad asked.
“Is there a fun house?” Zack asked Drake. “I love all those silly mirrors.”
“On Cisnos it’s called the Kaliwog,” explained Drake.
“Let’s go!” said Bert.
The boys rushed to the Kaliwog. It looked like an old run-down house. The outside was covered in painted clown faces.
“I’ll meet you back here when you finish going through the Kaliwog,” said Dad.
The boys entered the house. As they walked down a narrow hallway, the ceiling got lower and lower. By they time they reached the end of the hall they were crawling on their bellies.
“This is pretty cool,” said Bert.
“I love it!” cried Zack.
They walked into another room. The whole room was crooked. It tilted to one side. Zack took a step forward. He started sliding across the floor.
A silly Wooooooo sound rang out as all three boys slid across the crooked room and fell down.
The boys all got to their feet.
“Wait until you see the mirrors,” said Drake.
He pulled open a door.
Out popped a giant clown head that startled them all.
“This place is full of surprises,” said Bert.
The boys walked through the door. The room they were in was filled with mirrors that were curved in all different ways. Each one created a different weird image.
“This one makes me look like a pro football player!” said Zack.
“And this one makes me look like a skinny giant!” said Bert, standing up tall.
“Hey, guys. Look at my funny faces in this mirror,” said Drake. “This is great. Watch.”
Drake stuck his fingers into his mouth and pulled his cheeks open wide. He scrunched up his eyes. His image in the mirror made him look like a weird monster.
“How grape was that, Za—?”
When Drake turned around, Bert and Zack were gone. They had moved farther into the Kaliwog without him.
Drake wandered through the rest of the fun house alone.
When Drake stepped out of the fun house, he saw Bert and Zack laughing.
“Wasn’t that awesome, Drake?” asked Zack.
“I do not want to go on any more rides today,” Drake said. “You two go on alone.” Zack and Bert stood and watched as Drake walked away.
Chapter 10
Two Best Friends
Dad went over to Zack and Bert. He had seen Drake walk away.
“Drake doesn’t want to go on any more rides, Dad,” said Zack.
“Zack, I know it’s hard to juggle being friends with both Bert and Drake,” said Dad. “After all, you have different things in common with each of them. But maybe you can try harder to include Drake? Don’t forget, it was Drake who reached out to you when you first moved to Nebulon.”
Zack thought about all the ways he had not included Drake—in school, on the shuttle to Cisnos, on the Zeppler, and in the fun house.
“I didn’t even realize that I was leaving Drake out,” said Zack, “but now I see that I was wrong.” Zack saw Drake ahead, looking at people laughing and having fun on the Slosher ride. Zack ran after him. Bert followed.
“Drake, wait up!” Zack shouted.
Zack and Bert caught up to Drake.
“I’m really sorry I’ve been leaving you out,” said Zack. “It’s not fair.”
“I’m glad you came with us,” said Bert. “You know, Zack talks about you all the time. He’s told me all kinds of cool stuff. In fact, before I got to Nebulon, I was jealous of you, Drake!”
“Really?” Drake asked.
“Yeah,” replied Bert. “I thought you had replaced me as Zack’s best friend.”
“I didn’t know that’s what you thought, Bert,” said Zack. “I’m just lucky to have two great friends like you guys.”
Drake smiled. So did Bert.
“So, who wants to go on another ride?” Zack asked.
“I do!” Bert and Drake both shouted.
“How about the Slosher?” Drake suggested. “It can fit three people in a car!”
“Great!” said Zack.
The Slosher car ran along a track, twisting and turning. It sped through a series of tubes, then splashed through a pool of water.
“Yiiiiii!” all three boys cried out in joy as they zoomed along in the Slosher.
When the ride ended, the three boys rejoined Dad.
“I am so lucky to have two best friends,” said Zack.
“And now I have two friends on Nebulon!” added Bert. “Maybe you and Zack can both visit me on Earth some day.”
“I would like that, Bert,” said Drake. “Thank you.”
“So who’s ready for some cisnosi?” Dad asked.
“We are!” the boys shouted. Then they all headed to the cisnosi stand.
Zack had trouble sleeping that night. Every few minutes he checked to see if the storm had started.
He finally dozed off.
When Zack woke up, the sky was filled with dark gray clouds. He joined his family at the kitchen table.
“It’s kinda scary-looking out there,” said Zack.
“I was just watching the sonic cell,” said Dad. “They expect the storm to hit at any moment.”
After breakfast the Nelsons gathered in their living room. Mom and Dad sat on the couch. Cathy and Charlotte curled up on their cozy blanket on the rug. Zack sat in his favorite chair. Luna stretched out on the floor.
Suddenly the room got very dark. Zack looked out the big living room window. The sky had turned from gray to solid black.
A whistling noise screeched outside. The wind picked up.
“It’s starting,” Zack said softly.
The house began to shake. Windows rattled. Pictures on the wall swung back and forth. A wind-blown tree scraped against the side of the house. Luna yelped and jumped up into Zack’s lap.
“It’s okay, Luna,” said Zack.
But Zack was getting frightened too.
A few minutes later the wind died down. Things got weirdly quiet. Zack ran to the window and could not believe what he was seeing.
RAY O’RYAN has loved space stories ever since he watched the very first episode of Star Trek. He loves to imagine what traveling across the galaxy might be like, and is a bit jealous of Galaxy Zack in this regard. Ray lives in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with his wife and two lovable, zany cats named Stitch and The Way.
COLIN JACK is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and has illustrated several children’s books. He currently works at DreamWorks Animation as a story artist and character designer and lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two sons.
GalaxyZackBooks.com
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KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Ray-O’Ryan
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Colin-Jack
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual e
vents or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Initial interior sketches by Andrew Murray
Designed by Nicholas Sciacca
Jacket design by Nicholas Sciacca
Jacket illustration by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Ryan, Ray.
Three’s a crowd! / by Ray O’Ryan ; illustrated by Colin Jack. — First edition.
pages cm. — (Galaxy Zack ; 5)
Summary: “Zack is thrilled when his best friend on Earth, Bert Jones, visits for the weekend. But when Zack introduces Bert to Drake, his best friend on Nebulon, trouble begins!” — Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4424-8221-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4424-8222-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4424-8223-4 (ebook : alk. paper) [1. Science fiction. 2. Best friends—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction. 4. Human-alien encounters—Fiction.] I. Jack, Colin, illustrator. II. Title.
