1 Move Over, Saturn

Stink Solar System Superhero Megan McDonald illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Move Over Saturn

Flub! Flop! Flunk! Stink Moody had to take a test. A super science test. A solar system test. He had to learn all the planets... by tomorrow! Stink went to find his big sister. He sure hoped Judy wasn't in a mood. If Judy was moody, Stink hoped it was a help-your-little-brother-study-for- his-test mood. There were nine whole planets, and Stink only knew about one. The one in the S encyclopedia: Saturn. You might even say Stink was a Super Saturn Expert.

Saturn had rings and moons and was made of gas (hardee-har-har). Saturn could float like an ice cube in a giant's bathtub (if you just happened to know any giants). Saturn could spin so fast, it looked flat as a silver-dollar pancake, Stink's favorite food on Earth-not-Saturn. One year on Saturn took 29 Earth years. If Stink was 7 on Saturn, that would make him 203 years old on Earth! Way older than Judy!

Stink found Judy in her room, on her top bunk, making a picture out of Already-Been-Chewed gum. "What's that?" Stink asked. "It's a Venus flytrap made out of ABC gum," said Judy. "You know what would be even cooler?" "What?" Judy asked. "A picture of Saturn made out of ABC gum," said Stink. "Who cares about Saturn?" "Me," said Stink. "But now I have to care about eight other planets, too." "Huh?" Judy looked up from her ABC-gum art.

Stink held up his science book. "I have a test tomorrow. A big fat test on the planets. Will you help me study?" "No way, Stinkerbell," said Judy. "Can't you see? I'm way busy." "But you're so smart," said Stink, buttering her up. "That's not what you said when I had to get a math tutor." "But you've been to second grade, right?" "Stink, I've been to college!"