6 Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Working on his library essay like he'd never worked on any essay in his whole essay-writing life, Kyle crafted a killer thesis sentence that compared libraries to his favorite games. "Using a library can make learning about anything (and everything) fun," he wrote. "When you're in a library, researching a topic, you're on a scavenger hunt, looking for clues and prizes in books instead of your attic or backyard." He put in points and sub-points.

Kyle正在写他的图书馆论文，就像他一生中从未写过任何一篇论文一样，他精心设计了一个杀手级的论文句子，将图书馆与他最喜欢的游戏相提并论。 他写道:“使用图书馆可以让学习任何事情(和所有事情)变得有趣。” “当你在图书馆里研究一个主题时，你就像是在玩寻宝游戏，在书中寻找线索和奖品，而不是在阁楼或后院。” 他提出了要点和子要点。

He wrapped everything up with a tidy conclusion. He even checked his spelling (twice). But Akimi had been right. "I'm sorry, Kyle," Mrs. Cameron said when he handed her his new paper at the end of the day. "This is very good and I am impressed by your extra effort. However, the deadline was this morning. Rules are rules. The same as they are in all the board games you mentioned in your essay." She'd basically handed Kyle a Go Back Five Hundred Spaces card. But Kyle refused to give up. He remembered how his mother had written to Mr. Lemoncello's Imagination Factory when he and his brothers needed a fresh set of clue cards for the Indoor-Outdoor Scavenger Hunt. Maybe he could send his essay directly to Mr. Lemoncello via email. Maybe, if the game maker wasn't judging the essays until later that night, Kyle still had a shot. A long shot, but, hey, sometimes the long ones were the only shots you got.

他以一个简洁的结论结束了一切。 他甚至检查了他的拼写(两次)。 但明美是对的。“对不起，凯尔，”一天结束时，他把新论文递给卡梅伦夫人时，她说。 “这很好，我对你的额外努力印象深刻。 然而，截止日期是今天上午。 规则就是规则。就像你在文章中提到的所有棋盘游戏一样。” 她基本上是给了凯尔一张往回走五百步的卡片。 但凯尔拒绝放弃。 他记得，当他和他的兄弟们需要一套新的室内外寻宝游戏线索卡时，母亲曾写信给莱蒙塞罗先生的想象工厂。 也许他可以直接把论文通过电子邮件发给莱蒙塞罗。 也许，如果游戏制作者直到那天晚上才开始评判论文，凯尔还有机会。 机会渺茫，但有时候机会渺茫是你唯一的机会。

The second he hit home he sat down at his mother's kitchen computer. He attached his essay file to a "high priority" email addressed to Mr. Lemoncello at the Imagination Factory. "What are you doing, Kyle?" his mom asked when she came into the room and found him typing on her computer. "Some extra-credit homework." "Extra credit? School's out at the end of the week." "So?" "You're not playing my Diner Dash game, are you?" "No, Mom. It's an essay. About Mr. Lemoncello's amazing new library downtown." "Oh. Sounds interesting. I heard on the radio that there's going to be a gala grand opening reception this Friday night at the Parker House Hotel, right across the street from the old bank building. I mean, the new library." Kyle typed in a P.S. to his email: "I hope at the party on Friday you have balloons." He hit send.

一回到家，他就坐在妈妈的厨房电脑前。 他把自己的论文文件附到了一封“高优先级”的电子邮件中，收件人是“想象工厂”的莱蒙切罗。 “你在做什么，凯尔?”他妈妈走进房间，发现他在她的电脑上打字时问道。 “一些课外作业。” “额外学分吗?周末学校就放假了。” “所以?”“你不是在玩我的《Diner Dash》吧?”“不,妈妈。 这是一篇散文。莱蒙塞罗先生在市中心新开的图书馆 “哦。听起来很有趣。我从收音机里听到这周五晚上在帕克大厦酒店有一个盛大的开幕招待会，就在老银行大楼对面。 我是说，新图书馆。”凯尔打了一句附言 回复他的邮件:“我希望周五的派对上你们有气球。” 他点击了发送。

"Who did you send your essay to?" his mother asked. "Your teacher?" "No. Mr. Lemoncello himself. It took some digging, but I found his email address on his game company's website." "Really? I'm impressed." His mom rubbed his hair. "You know, this morning, I said to your dad: 'Kyle can be just as smart as Curtis and just as focused as Mike—when he puts his mind to it.' " Kyle smiled. "Thanks, Mom." But his smile quickly disappeared when a BONG! alerted him to an incoming email. From Mr. Lemoncello. It was an auto-response form letter. Dear Lemoncello Game Lover: This is a no-reply mailbox. Your message did not go through. Do not try to resend it or you'll just hear another BONG! But thank you for playing our games.

“你把论文寄给谁了?”他妈妈问。 “你的老师吗?”“没有。莱蒙切罗先生本人。 经过一番挖掘，我终于在他的游戏公司网站上找到了他的电子邮件地址。” “真的吗?给我留下了深刻的印象。”妈妈揉了揉他的头发。 “你知道吗，今天早上，我对你爸爸说:‘凯尔可以像柯蒂斯一样聪明，像迈克一样专注——只要他用心去做。’”凯尔笑了。 “谢谢,妈妈。”但他的笑容很快消失了，当一个BONG!提醒他收到一封电子邮件。 莱蒙切罗先生的。那是一封自动回复的信件。 亲爱的柠檬大提琴游戏爱好者:这是一个不予回复的邮箱。 你的留言没有收到。 不要尝试重新发送它，否则你只会听到另一个BONG!但是谢谢你玩我们的游戏。