The Summer Vacation from the Black Lagoon (Black Lagoon Adventures series Book 17) Read online

  O

  #17

  BY

  MIKE THALER •

  ILL

  USTRATED BY

  JARED LEE

  17

  SUMMER VACATION

  BLACK LAGOON

  THE

  FROM THE

  ®

  ®

  Everybody loves the last day of school, but

  all this free time? His friends are away, Mom

  THE

  SUMMER VACATION

  FROM THE

  BLACK LAGOON

  ®

  Get more monster-sized laughs from

  The Black Lagoon®

  #1: The Class Trip from the Black Lagoon

  #2: The Talent Show from the Black Lagoon

  #3: The Class Election from the Black Lagoon

  #4: The Science Fair from the Black Lagoon

  #5: The Halloween Party from the Black Lagoon

  #6: The Field Day from the Black Lagoon

  #7: The School Carnival from the Black Lagoon

  #8: Valentine’s Day from the Black Lagoon

  #9: The Christmas Party from the Black Lagoon

  #10: The Little League Team from the Black Lagoon

  #11: The Snow Day from the Black Lagoon

  #12: April Fools’ Day from the Black Lagoon

  #13: Back-to-School Fright from the Black Lagoon

  #14: The New Year’s Eve Sleepover from the Black Lagoon

  #15: The Spring Dance from the Black Lagoon

  #16: The Thanksgiving Day from the Black Lagoon

  #17: The Summer Vacation from the Black Lagoon

  #18: The Author Visit from the Black Lagoon

  #19: St. Patrick’s Day from the Black Lagoon

  #20: The School Play from the Black Lagoon

  #21: The 100

  th

  Day of School from the Black Lagoon

  #22: The Class Picture Day from the Black Lagoon

  #23: Earth Day from the Black Lagoon

  #24: The Summer Camp from the Black Lagoon

  #25: Friday the 13

  th

  from the Black Lagoon

  by Mike Thaler

  Illustrated by Jared Lee

  SCHOLASTIC INC.

  THE

  SUMMER VACATION

  FROM THE

  BLACK LAGOON

  ®

  To Alex & Betty Wagner

  for bringing up Patty so well.

  —M.T.

  To Jody Greer.

  —J.L.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright

  Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,

  downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into

  any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means,

  whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without

  the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding

  permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557

  Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-37561-0

  Text copyright © 2010 by Mike Thaler

  Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Jared D. Lee Studio, Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

  SCHOLASTIC, LITTLE APPLE, and associated logos are trademarks and/or

  registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. BLACK LAGOON is a registered

  trademark of Mike Thaler and Jared D. Lee Studio, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Lexile is a registered trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc.

  First printing, May 2010

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Summer Bummer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

  Chapter 2: Summer Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

  Chapter 3: Time on My Hands . . . . . . . . . . . 12

  Chapter 4: Chores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

  Chapter 5: There’s No Place Like Foam . . . . . . 18

  Chapter 6: Odd Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

  Chapter 7: If Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade 24

  Chapter 8: A Sweet Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

  Chapter 9: Open For Business . . . . . . . . . . . 32

  Chapter 10: Mind Over Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

  Chapter 11: Bored Out of My Gourd . . . . . . . . . . 40

  Chapter 12: Call of the Wild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

  Chapter 13: Time-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

  Chapter 14: A Flightmare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

  Chapter 15: That’s Call, Folks . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 50

  Chapter 16: Waiting on a Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

  Chapter 17: A-musing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

  Chapter 18: On My Way! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

  Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

  CHAPTER 1

  Summer Bummer

  Well, it’s the first day of summer

  vacation. It is going to be the

  longest day of the year. I lie in

  bed thinking about what to do.

  Should I go right back to sleep?

  Should I get up?

  Should I brush my teeth, my

  hair, or my dog?

  Should I clean my hands, my

  face, or my room?

  6

  All of my friends are at camp.

  Eric went to baseball camp with

  Derek. Freddy went to chef camp,

  Randy went to space camp, Doris

  went to dance camp, and Penny

  is in boot camp. They all have

  plenty to do, and many to do it

  with.

  I’m all alone, I’m bored, and it’s

  only the first day of summer.

  I think I’ll go back to sleep.

  8

  CHAPTER 2

  Summer DREAM

  I’m crossing a very big desert.

  I wish I had another “s”—then it

  would be a dessert.

  9

  There are no signs, so I don’t

  know where I am, or where I’m

  going. Actually, it doesn’t matter;

  it’s the same in every direction—

  lots of sand, space, and sun. I wish

  I had a big lemonade and a little

  shade. Maybe my own parade.

  I’d still be hot . . . but I wouldn’t

  be alone.

  10

  11

  CHAPTER 3

  TIME ON MY HANDS

  I wake up again. It’s only eight

  o’clock. I could get up and brush

  my teeth. That won’t take all day.

  I could go have breakfast, then

  brush my teeth.

  12

  I think I need a more significant

  project. I could make something:

  a car, a boat, a plane, a mess.

  I could build the model I got for

  Christmas. But I think I lost some

  of the parts.

  13

  I could exercise. I think I have

  all of the parts—arms, legs, and

  feet.

  I could keep a diary, but then I

  still have to think of something to

  do so I can write about it.
r />   Being on vacation is hard—it

  was easier going to school.

  14

  15

  CHAPTER 4

  CHORES

  I go ask Mom for something to

  do. Big mistake!

  She has lots for me to do. Clean

  my room, wash the dog, wax the

  car, take out the trash, mow the

  lawn, etc., etc., etc.

  16

  Come on, Mom—this is my

  vacation!

  Besides, I’m busy trying to think

  of something to do. Wow, that was

  close.

  17

  CHAPTER 5

  THERE’S NO PLACE

  LIKE FOAM

  I know—I’ll shine my bike.

  I’ll wash and wax it. It will be

  beautiful.

  18

  I fill a bucket with water and

  look for soap. Mom’s got all kinds

  of soap: dish soap, laundry soap,

  face soap, bath soap, but no bike

  soap. Well, I guess bath soap will

  do—they both begin with “b.” I

  pour it in . . . boy, there are lots of

  bubbles! Uh-oh, it’s foaming out

  of the bucket.

  19

  I’ve created the bubble monster

  from the Black Lagoon. Well,

  now I have one thing to write in

  my diary.

  CHAPTER 6

  ODD JOBS

  I guess I could get a summer

  job.

  But summer better than others.

  I could be a lifeguard . . . but I

  can’t swim.

  I could deliver pizzas . . . but I

  don’t drive.

  21

  I could be an astronaut . . . but

  I’m afraid of heights. I have a very

  short résumé and no degree,

  even though it’s very hot today.

  My only skills are picking my

  nose and crossing my eyes. These

  are not big in the job market.

  22

  CHAPTER 7

  IF LIFE HANDS

  YOU LEMONS,

  MAKE LEMONADE

  I could go into business for

  myself and become a captain of

  industry.

  24

  Let’s see . . . I could cut lawns—

  nope—too hot; wash cars—I’ve

  got the bubbles; open a lemonade

  stand—you’ve got to stand for

  something.

  25

  That’s it! I’ll start with one

  stand—then open another, and

  another, and another. I’ll have an

  empire! I’ll be Julius Squeezer,

  the lemon king.

  26

  27

  CHAPTER 8

  A Sweet Spot

  What do I need for my stand?

  Lemons. Yes, I’ll need lemons for

  sure.

  I ask Mom if she has any. She

  points to her car.

  28

  “No, Mom—the fruit kind.”

  She looks in the fridge. In the

  very back of the fruit bin are two

  shriveled lemons. They look like

  little shrunken heads. Well, it’s a

  start.

  29

  I get a pitcher (not a catcher)

  and squeeze the lemons. Then

  I add water. Lots of water. Mom

  says to put in some sugar. So I

  pour in a whole bag.

  Then I stir it all up. Time to

  taste it. I pour a little in Tailspin’s

  bowl.

  He comes over, sniffs it, and

  walks away.

  Everyone’s a critic. I guess

  it needs more sugar. I pour in

  another bag. When I try to stir

  it, the spoon sticks. It’s almost

  solid now. Maybe I should make

  Popsicles instead.

  31

  CHAPTER 9

  OPEN FOR BUSINESS

  Well I’m in business—almost.

  I get a box and make a sign:

  POPSOCLES 25¢. I put it on the

  sidewalk in front of my house,

  get a folding chair, and I’m in

  business. All I need now are

  customers. It’s a little slow

  this morning. Nobody’s out on

  the street. Maybe the whole

  neighborhood has gone to

  camp. Maybe I should move my

  location.

  32

  Location is everything. I

  relocate to the corner. Now I’ve

  got four streets. Four empty

  streets. Where is everyone?

  I’ve also got eight Popsicles

  that are beginning to sweat. I’m

  beginning to sweat, too. Business

  is harder than I thought. I change

  the sign.

  34

  There’s not a rush. A garbage

  truck drives by. Mr. Debris, the

  garbage man, waves as he turns

  the corner.

  The sun is hot. The Popsicles

  are wet. I change the sign.

  POPSICLES 15¢

  One car drives by.

  The Popsicles are melting.

  POPSICLES 5¢

  They’re dissolving.

  They’re puddles . . . victims of

  global warming.

  I change the sign.

  LEMONADE 25¢

  36

  CHAPTER 10

  MIND OVER MATTER

  Well, so much for business. I

  know what I’ll do—I’ll get a book

  and improve my mind.

  37

  I close shop and clean up. It’s

  not a toxic waste site, but it’s

  very sticky. I get on my bright

  bike and pedal to the library. Uh-

  oh—it’s closed. There’s a sign

  on the door. I hope it doesn’t say

  LEMONADE 5¢. No, it says SUMMER

  HOURS –CLOSED MONDAY. Today is

  Monday.

  The first day of summer

  vacation.

  Eight weeks to go. I hate

  summer.

  39

  CHAPTER 11

  BORED OUT OF

  MY GOURD

  Well, I’m back to square one.

  It’s a big square.

  An empty square.

  A square square.

  40

  I go back to my room and lie

  down. I guess I’m on rectangle

  one. I need to think. Ideas just

  aren’t coming. My mind has

  gone on vacation, too. Maybe it’s

  at camp. I hope it’s having a good

  time.

  I hope it sends me a postcard

  with an idea on it.

  41

  CHAPTER 12

  CALL OF THE WILD

  The phone rings. Maybe it’s my

  mind calling.

  “Hello?”

  “Who’s this?”

  “Hubie.”

  “Hubie who?”

  “Hubie cool.”

  “Is Gladys there?”

  “Gladys who?”

  “Gladys Pinbottom.”

  42

  “No, I think you have the wrong

  number.”

  “If I got the wrong number,

  why did you answer the phone?”

  Click!

  You know, this just proves that

  however bad things are, they can

  always get worse.

  43

  CHAPTER 13

  TIME-OUT

  I think I’ll take a nap. A summer

  nap. A siesta.

  At school y
ou can’t take naps,

  unless you’re sick and go to the

  nurse’s office. But the bed in there

  44

  is too hard. It’s more like a board.

  I guess that’s what they mean by

  room and board. And the pillow—

  forget it. It’s a pill that is too hard

  to swallow.

  Well, my bed is soft and my

  pillow is fluffy. I guess life’s not

  so bad after all.

  45

  CHAPTER 14

  A FLIGHTMARE

  During my nap I have a dream.

  I’m in a rocket ship. It looks like

  a lemon. It is a lemon.

  I guess I’m an astronaut, or a

  lemonaut.

  46

  Anyway, we’re headed straight

  for the sun. My lemon is melting.

  It’s getting smaller and smaller.

  47

  It’s gone and I’m falling through

  space. I land in my room, right

  on my own bed. I wake up. Well,

  here I am—maybe it really

  happened.

  I know what I’ll do—I’ll write

  a story about my summer

  vacation.

  48

  I’ll get some paper and a pencil,

  so at least there’ll be a record in

  case I die of boredom.

  49

  CHAPTER 15