Smells Like Pirates by Suzanne Selfors

Author:Suzanne Selfors [Selfors, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯), Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories, Myths, Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues - Friendship, Fables - General, Juvenile Fiction / Animals - Dogs, Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure - General
ISBN: 9780316215756
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2012-11-05T13:00:00+00:00

“Rhinoceroses are harmless beasts. Let’s go pet one.”

—Sir Bellamy Whistle, debonair adventurer

“These berries are too delicious to be poisonous…. Ackkkkkkk.”

—Princess Agatha of Russia, amateur anthropologist

Homer hoped that a new edition would not be printed to include:

“Flame on, we float. Flame off, we sink. This shouldn’t be too complicated.”

—Homer W. Pudding, big dummy

“We’ll keep the flame going until we’re past the skyscrapers,” he said. “Then we’ll turn it off and drift to the ground.” He was trying to keep his voice steady, not only for himself but for Hercules, whose eyes were as wide as teacups. With a nod, Homer and Lorelei unhooked the bungee cords.

As the basket rose, Dog pushed between Homer’s shins. A rush of fear took Homer’s breath for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by amazement. This wasn’t anything like flying in the cloudcopter, which vibrated and tilted upon liftoff. This ride was as smooth as a sigh escaping from someone’s body.

Far above the skyscraper roofs, Homer turned off the flame. On the horizon, the faintest tint of pink heralded the arrival of Tuesday morning. The kids peered over the basket’s edge. The bird’s-eye view revealed The City’s mazelike construction. It reminded Homer of something his little brother might build with blocks on the kitchen floor.

“Watch out!” Hercules cried. Homer whipped around. A building rushed toward them. Correction—they rushed toward a building. How had they lost height that quickly? Behind one of the apartment windows, a man stood in his bathrobe at his kitchen counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee, too sleepy to notice what was going on outside. Lorelei lunged for the red button and pushed it. Whoosh! They rose but not quite fast enough. The basket bumped into a balcony, upsetting a pot of geraniums.

“That was close,” Homer said as they rose above the building.

“Too close,” Hercules said.

“Hey, there’s the speedboat.” Lorelei pointed as the balloon drifted toward the edge of City Park. The park was much bigger than Homer had realized. The lake was the central focus, with the Museum of Natural History at one end and a channel at the other. The channel led to a river, which led to the sea, which led to Rumpold’s treasure.

“Couldn’t we land here?” Hercules asked.

“I don’t know.” Lorelei circled around the basket, getting a full view. “There are trees everywhere. We’d get tangled for sure.”

“Does this thing float?” Hercules asked. “If it does, we could land in the lake.”

“That would ruin Lulu Bell’s balloon,” Homer said. The balloon was a precious piece of mapmaking history. He didn’t want to be responsible for its destruction.

“And I can’t swim,” Lorelei said.

“You can’t swim?” Hercules yanked his notebook from Dog’s mouth. “Really?”

“Yeah. Really.” She pouted at him. “You got a problem with that?”

“No, I don’t have a problem with that. I’m just surprised. I mean, it seems like you can do all sorts of things. Swimming isn’t hard. Are you afraid of the water? That’s called aquaphobia.”

“No, I’m not afraid of the water,” Lorelei snapped. “I just never learned.

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