Read The Space Mission Adventure Online
Authors: Sharon M. Draper
The Space Mission Adventure
R
ico looked at the object closely. “I think it's made of metal, but I can't really tell. It's not rock, eitherâat least, I don't think it is. Where did you find it, Ziggy?”
“I found it by the moonwalk simulator. I think it came from outer space!”
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T'S BACK TO THE FUTURE FOR
the Black Dinosaurs as they head off to Space Camp! They can't wait to find out how astronauts eat, sleep, and work in an actual spaceship.
Ziggyâalong with Jerome, Rashawn, and Ricoâsoon learn all about life in space. They even get to launch their very own mini-rockets! It looks like real-life space travel is just as exciting as any alien can be!
But Ziggy is still hoping he can meet an alien along the wayâjust like the kind in his Mega Mighty Martian Blasters game! When he finds a mysterious shiny stone, could his wish to meet an alien actually come true?
SHARON M. DRAPER,
author and professional educator, lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1997 she was named National Teacher of the Year. She is active with the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and several other professional education organizations. Her books include
Tears of a Tiger
(winner of the John Steptoe Award for New Talent);
Forged By Fire
and
Copper Sun
(winners of the Coretta Scott King Award); the Coretta Scott King Honor Book
The Battle of Jericho
; as well as
Out of My Mind
, winner of the 2011 Josette Frank Award.
Jacket designed by Karina Granda
Author photograph by Anna Navarro McCall
Jacket illustration copyright © 2012 by Vanessa Brantley Newton
ALADDIN
Simon & Schuster, New York
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THE SPACE MISSION
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Clubhouse Mysteries!
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The Buried Bones Mystery
Lost in the Tunnel of Time
Shadows of Caesar's Creek
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This Aladdin hardcover edition March 2012 Text Copyright © 2006 by Sharon M. Draper Illustrations copyright © 2006 by Jesse Joshua Watson Originally published as the series title
Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs
. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Also available in an Aladdin paperback edition.
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Designed by Karina Granda
The text of this book was set in Minion.
Library of Congress Control Number 2005037938
ISBN 978-1-4424-4225-2 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4424-4226-9 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-4259-7 (eBook)
This book is dedicated to
all young people who dream
of reaching the stars.
ZIGGY LOOKED UP AT THE NIGHT SKY IN AMAZEMENT.
The weather had been clear and cold, and thousands of stars decorated the inky blackness of the night. “Awesome, mon,” Ziggy whispered to his friend Rico, who stood shivering beside him. “They look like shiny pieces of hard candy floating up there, don't they?”
Rico stamped his feet and blew into his gloves. Even though he had on new, fur-lined boots and a down jacket, he felt chilled. “It's cold out here, Ziggy. Let's go look at the stars from inside your house.”
Ziggy stretched both his bare hands up to the
sky. He wore no gloves, but he rarely took off his favorite hat, a fuzzy black, green, and yellow cap his mother had knit for him. “I feel like I could almost reach up there and pull a star out of the sky and bite it,” Ziggy said with a laugh. “Let's go in, mon. You look like a chocolate Popsicle!”
The two friends hurried into the warmth of the house, where Ziggy's mom had mugs of hot chocolate waiting for them. “Thanks, Mrs. Colwin,” Rico said as he sipped the warm drink. He was glad they weren't having a meeting of their club, the Black Dinosaurs, in their backyard clubhouse tonight. Ziggy, even though he had been born in the tropical climate of Jamaica, seemed to love the winter weather of Cincinnati, Ohio. He had wanted to meet as they had done all summer, but the chilly winter winds had chased the boys inside.
The doorbell rang, and Ziggy jumped up to answer it. “What's up, dudes?” Ziggy said in greeting to the other two members of the club, Rashawn and Jerome. “You want some hot chocolate?”
Rashawn, tall, thin, and always ready to go one-on-one
at the basketball court, walked in wearing his favorite army boots and jacket. Jerome, shorter and stronger-looking, grinned at Ziggy, tossed off his leather jacket, and grabbed a mug of hot chocolate in each hand.
“It's really cold out there!” Jerome exclaimed as he sipped first from one mug, then the other.
“How you figure you get two cups of cocoa?” Rashawn asked.
“I'm tougher than the rest of you, so I need double the fuel!” he replied with a grin.
Rashawn took the last mug of chocolate, impressed that Ziggy's mom had known to make extra, and sipped it gratefully. “I just want to make sure I don't get the cup with the pickle in it!” He glanced at Ziggy, who, as usual, was stirring his chocolate with a thick green pickle.
“Why do you do that, man?” Rico asked, shaking his head.
“The pickle makes it taste better, mon. Besides, we were out of ketchup!” The other boys groaned, but they were used to Ziggy's strange food habits.
The four of them had been friends since first grade.
“Did you bring your Space Camp stuff?” Rashawn asked the other boys.
“It's right here in my backpack,” Rico answered, pulling out a folder of forms and instructions.
“This is going to be so cool!” Jerome and Ziggy pulled out their paperwork as well. “I can't wait to get to Space Camp, mon,” Ziggy exclaimed as he sucked the chocolate off the pickle. “Wouldn't
it be awesome to go into space for real?”
“Yeah,” Jerome said. “I wonder what you have to do to be an astronaut.”