Authors: Ali Sparkes
Ant Attack
Books in the
S.W.I.T.C.H. series
#1 Spider Stampede
#2 Fly Frenzy
#3 Grasshopper Glitch
#4 Ant Attack
#5 Crane Fly Crash
#6 Beetle Blast
Text © Ali Sparkes 2011
Illustrations © Ross Collins 2011
“SWITCH: Ant Attack” was originally published in English in 2011. This edition is published by an arrangement with Oxford University Press.
Copyright © 2013 by Darby Creek
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
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Main body text set in ITC Goudy Sans Std. 14/19.
Typeface provided by Monotype Typography.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sparkes, Ali.
Ant attack / by Ali Sparkes ; illustrated by Ross Collins.
p. cm. â (S.W.I.T.C.H. ; #04)
Summary: During an unwelcome visit, neighbor Tarquin unwittingly uses SWITCH spray to turn twins Josh and Danny into ants, then sets out with a magnifying glass to fry some bugs.
ISBN: 978â0â7613â9202â6 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
[1. AntsâFiction. 2. BrothersâFiction. 3. TwinsâFiction. 4. Science
fiction.] I. Collins, Ross, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.S73712Ant 2013
[Fic]âdc23
2012026635
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 â SB â 12/31/12
eISBN: 978-1-4677-1124-1 (pdf)
eISBN: 978-1-4677-3110-2 (ePub)
eISBN: 978-1-4677-3111-9 (mobi)
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For Katie Ann
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“Guess what, boys?” Mom peered around the bedroom door with a grin.
Josh and Danny paused in their fight with rolled-up newspaper swords. They smiled innocently at her.
“What?” urged Danny.
The grin got stiffer. “Tarquin's here to play!” Mom gulped. The looks on her twin sons' faces were dark. It felt as if Halloween had arrived early.
“
Tarquin
,” said Josh.
“Here,” said Danny.
Piddle the dog whined and shot under the bunk bed.
Danny threw down his sword. He turned to Josh and opened out his arms. He commanded:
“Through the heart. And make it quick.”
“Oh, come on! It'll be
fun
!” said Mom. “Sshhh! He's coming up the stairs.”
They could clearly hear Tarquin approaching. He appeared to be singing opera.
“But we can't
stand
Tarquin!” hissed Danny, pushing his messy blond hair off his furrowed forehead. “And you don't even
like
his mom! Remember how snotty she was about you winning the best garden contest?”
Mom sighed. She said in a low voice, “I've let bygones be bygones! His mom needed help today. She's visiting a sick aunt. We have to look after each other. We're a
community
! Ohâhere he is now!”
Tarquin trailed past her into Josh and Danny's room. At seven and a half, he was nearly their age, but he looked about fifty-five. He was dressed in neatly ironed pants, a blue shirt, and a proper matching jacket. His hair was severely parted and combed flat to his head. His googly gray eyes narrowed as he examined their room. “It's rather a mess, isn't it?” he said, in his peculiar high-pitched voice.
“Well, duh!” said Danny. “It's a boys' room!”
“Yes,” said Tarquin. “And so is mine. But I still refrain from growing fungus in it.” He eyed a jar of something gooey on the windowsill. The jar had once been filled with tadpoles. Josh had set them free in the garden pond last week. It
had
gotten a little furry.