How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills

Author:Claudia Mills
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published: 2011-10-03T04:00:00+00:00

8

Mrs. O’Neill always kept her promises. On Thursday, the same day their world-changing ideas were due, she brought to class a folder filled with articles about Pluto.

“Is Pluto a planet?” she wrote on the chalkboard.

The main problem with Pluto, she explained, wasn’t so much that Pluto was small but that its orbit was irregular, and it wasn’t significantly bigger than its own moon, Charon.

“The scientists said that a planet needs to ‘dominate its neighborhood.’ All the other planets are much bigger than their moons. But Pluto isn’t.”

Oliver could see Crystal ready to explode with indignation. J.P. was looking at her, too. The boys exchanged grins.

Mrs. O’Neill smiled. “Yes, Crystal?”

“That makes it sound like a real planet has to be some kind of bully! Like it has to be able to beat up all its moons.”

“I don’t think that’s what the scientists meant,” Mrs. O’Neill said. “According to them, if Pluto counts as a planet, then dozens of other objects, like dwarf planets Ceres and Eris, should also be counted.”

“Maybe they should be counted!” Crystal said. “Or maybe … maybe Pluto’s special, just because it already got to be a planet for so long.”

Mrs. O’Neill looked thoughtful. “Actually, some astronomers agree with you, Crystal. They think Pluto should still be considered a planet for historical and cultural reasons—because we are so used to thinking of Pluto that way.”

“Isn’t that a good reason?” Crystal demanded.

“I don’t know,” Mrs. O’Neill replied. “What do you think? Is that a good reason for doing something? Because we’ve always done it that way before?”

Now Crystal looked uncertain. Oliver felt uncertain, too. His parents had always done his dioramas for him; this time he was doing his own diorama. His parents had never let him go to a sleepover; now he wanted to go to one more than anything in the world. He didn’t want to keep on doing things for the rest of his life the same way he had always done them.

Crystal hesitated. Then she said, “I think it depends. On what kind of thing it is.”

Mrs. O’Neill smiled again. “That’s an excellent answer, Crystal.”

The class talked more about Pluto, with lots of kids for Pluto being a planet, including Crystal, Oliver, and Sylvie, and lots of kids against, including J.P. In the end, Mrs. O’Neill let the class vote. Pluto won, but it was close: 14–12.

“Now,” Mrs. O’Neill said, “I want you all to share your world-changing ideas before you hand them in. After school today I’m going to mail them to Senator Levitt.”

Oliver hoped he wouldn’t have to read his, but Mrs. O’Neill said, “We’ll just go around the room in order,” and he knew then that he wasn’t going to be able to avoid it.

The boy in the first seat, Scott Healy, read, “My idea is to make jet-powered skateboards that will go really fast.”

Then Angie Fettig read, “My idea is to give food to hungry people so that they don’t die, and if they do die, to go to their funerals.”

Tony Mungo’s idea was to build robots that could do homework for kids.

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