Chapter 1

THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS Squirrelnapped From the co-creator of VeggieTales Mike Nawrocki Illustrated by Luke Seguin-Magee

CHAPTER 1 "Michael, can you please explain to me why you were dancing with squirrels?" Michael's mom stood just inside the door with her arms crossed. She'd been waiting for Michael to get home from the roller rink. He was wearing his backpack, with Merle and Pearl Squirrel huddled quietly inside, listening through the canvas. Earlier that evening, Mrs. Gomez had entered Michael's room to discover him celebrating the almost- acing of his math test with Merle and Pearl. Pearl, who

was quite the whiz with numbers, had tutored Michael for his test. However, before Michael could offer an explanation to his shocked mother, Justin and Sadie had showed up to take Michael roller-skating. Now he was back home, and it was time to come clean. "You promise not to tell Dad?" Michael asked timidly. "I will do no such thing," Mrs. Gomez said. "You know they could have fleas?! I may have to fumigate your room." "I do not have fl—" Pearl cut off Merle's protest with a paw over her husband's mouth. "Shhhhh, she'll hear you!" "Well..." Michael hesitated. His dad finding out about the squirrels was Michael's biggest fear. If Dr. Gomez knew Michael had smuggled them home to Tennessee with him from the Dead Sea, he might make them go back— something neither Michael nor the squirrels wanted. "I was dancing with them because Pearl helped me pass my math test." "Who is Pearl?" Mrs. Gomez questioned. "One of the squirrels." Mrs. Gomez raised her eyebrows. "A squirrel helped you with math?" "Yup," Michael replied.

"Michael Karl Gomez," Michael's mom began sternly, "if you expect me to believe for one mo—" ZIIIIIP! She stopped as the top of Michael's backpack unzipped itself. Pearl popped her head out. "AHHHHH!" Mrs. Gomez shouted. "What are you doing?!" Michael tried to crane his head around to see. "Please allow me to explain," Pearl said calmly. Mrs. Gomez's face went as white as a sheet, and her knees weakened. Michael reached out to stop her from falling. "Maybe you'd better sit down," Pearl offered. The squirrels and Michael then told her the whole story of how Merle and Pearl ended up in 21st-century Tennessee.