8 The Plastic Problem

Chapter 8 The Plastic Problem All seven kids pushed together, leaning against the whale's rubbery skin. I hope we don't hurt it! thought Sofia. The whale rocked sideways, but then slowly rolled back. "Again!" hollered Max. "One, two... three!" This time, Sofia pushed as hard as she could. Her feet slipped in the sand, but she dug her heels in and pushed harder. Finally, the whale rolled and splashed into the water- filled channel.

"Yes!" cried Max. He pumped his fist and held his hand up for a high five. But Sofia wasn't quite ready to celebrate. "The channel looks so narrow," she said. "Is there room for the whale to swim?" "Give it a moment," said the vet in a reassuring voice. Sofia held her breath. Go! she wanted to cry. Swim! The whale shifted slightly in the channel. It rolled once and lifted its head above the waves. Then, with a chirp and a flip of its tail, it darted toward the rolling surf. "We did it!" whooped Max. He slapped Gunnar's palm, and Sofia threw her arms around Agnes and Lana. "Well done!" said the vet. "It sounds like you saved the beluga." Sofia sighed. "I wish we could save every beached whale. And every hungry puffling." She suddenly remembered something that had been nagging at her. "That plastic bag isn't the only litter we saw today. We

saw a puffin trying to feed a piece of plastic to its chick! Why would it mistake plastic for food?" The vet sighed. "Puffins hunt using their sense of smell," she explained. "Plastic that's been floating in seawater can smell like fish, so puffins think they're bringing fish back to their babies." "That's so sad," said Sofia. "I wish we could do something about it." "You've certainly done your part today," the vet reassured her. But as the kids said goodbye to the vet and hung up the phone, Gefn cocked her head. "This plastic problem— maybe we should have a Puffin Patrol meeting about it at the ice cream parlor." Max's stomach grumbled. "Did someone say ice cream?" he said, wringing out a towel. "Sign me up!" "Good!" said Lana. "It'll be our treat, and we can fit seven people in the boat. C'mon!" As they all climbed into the motorboat, Sofia let the Puffin Patrol members take the chairs, and she and Max shared the padded seat at the back. Benny started the engine and steered them out of the fjord. As the boat hummed along through the waves, Sofia craned her neck, searching the cliffs for signs of puffins. But a mist rolled in, and she lost sight of the cliffs

altogether. "Almost there," said Benny. They hugged the coast, the black sand giving way to a green valley dotted with colorful houses. He set a course for a pier and then drifted up alongside it and cut the motor. "This way!" said Gefn. "Ice cream, here we come!" Sofia followed her up the pier and toward the cluster of houses. Each one seemed to be a different shade of bright: royal blue, sunny yellow, leafy green, and candy red. "Even the roof is red!" said Sofia. As the sun disappeared behind a cloud, Max shivered. "Are you sure the ice cream shop will be open?" he said. "Or will it have turned into a hot chocolate shop?" Gunnar laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "We eat ice cream all year round." When they reached the shop, he led them through the door. Tubs of ice cream beckoned from behind a glass counter. Max read the labels one by one: "Chocolate, strawberry, banana, licorice... wait, licorice?" "My favorite!" said Gunnar. Sofia bounced on her toes. "My favorite is chocolate." When it was her turn to order, she asked for a large scoop of chocolate dipped in a chocolate shell and topped with chocolate sprinkles. As she slid into a booth with her cone, Gunnar called

the Puffin Patrol meeting to order. "All right, gang," he said, "we've got work to do!" "And puffins to save," said Max. But as he bit into his cone, the caramel shell cracked and toppings spilled across the table. "Oops," he said, scooping them up. "First, I've got to save my ice cream." Sofia giggled and handed him a napkin. "So what can we do about the plastic pollution?" asked Agnes. She opened her notebook. Sofia sighed. "Well, you said Iceland cut down on its plastic. But it still floats here from other countries and ends up in the water and on beaches." Max wiped his chin. "Maybe we could clean up the beach," he said. Sofia's eyes widened. "Yes," she said. "Good idea!" "And all we'll need is some recycling bags," said Gefn.

Max patted his backpack. "We've got some in our trusty backpacks," he said. "They're biodegradable," Sofia added, remembering the word she'd seen printed on the lime-green bags. "Hey, maybe we can clean up the area around the puffin burrows, too!" "Yes!" said Agnes. "We should do that first, to protect the pufflings." Sofia could hardly wait to get started. But as she finished her ice cream and slid out of the booth, Agnes reached for her hand. "Wait," said Agnes. "There's one more order of business. I think we should make Sofia and Max honorary members of the Puffin Patrol. All in favor?" Six hands shot up. Then Sofia realized she was raising her own. "Oops!" she said, lowering it. When Agnes pinned a blue puffin badge to her parka, Sofia felt as if her whole body were floating sky-high. She could tell Max was excited, too, because for once, he had actually beaten her out the door.