09 Bookworms vs. Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders

Bookworms VS. Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders The Fake-Mustache Defenders won the coin toss. They got to go first. "In the book by Andrea Beaty," said Mr. Todd, "young scientist Ada Twist tries to figure out the source of a bad smell. Where does she write down her scientific thoughts?" Mighty Fantaskey buzzed in. "The Great Thinking Hall." "Correct," said Mr. Todd. "For the Bookworms," said Ms. de la Cruz. "What book by author Liz Kessler begins with the line, 'Can you keep a secret?'" Sophie buzzed in. "The Tail of Emily Windsnap." "Correct. Ten points." "Okay, Fake-Mustache Defenders. From Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White, please name one of the words

that Charlotte the spider spins in her web." Mighty buzzed in again. "Terrific. Radiant. Some pig." "That's three words," said Mr. Todd. "But you are correct on all counts. Ten points." "Bookworms. In Muggie Maggie, by Beverly Cleary, what earns Maggie the nickname Muggie?" Bzzz. "Judy Moody?" "She doesn't want to learn to write in cursive." "That is correct. Ten points." The questions went back and forth, back and forth for several rounds. No one got a single question wrong until the Bookworms could not remember that Posada was the Mexican artist in Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh. Then the Fake-Mustache Defenders forgot why Stuart Little left home in the book by E. B. White. Phew! After that, Stink said the giant peach landed on the Eiffel Tower, instead of the Empire State Building, in James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

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"Next question," said Mr. Todd. "In Lola Levine Is Not Mean!, by Monica Brown, what is the name of Lola Levine's soccer team?" The boy to the left of Mighty buzzed in. "Orange Crush!" he cried. "I'm sorry," said Mr. Todd. "The correct answer is the Orange Smoothies." The audience groaned. Judy's palms began to sweat. Her fake freckles itched. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "In Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo," said Ms. de la Cruz, "what is Opal's dog afraid of?" Every single Bookworm buzzed in. "Jessica Finch?" "Thunderstorms," said Jessica. "Another correct answer for the Bookworms. Add ten points." "Woo-hoo," yelled Webster from the crowd. Rocky called, "Go, Bookworms!" The score was tied! The air in the room crackled with electricity. The Fake-Mustache Defenders knew that a pen was called a frindle in a book by Andrew Clements about a boy who invents a new word. Ten more

points. "In the Lowriders graphic novels by Cathy Camper, three friends— Lupe, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria— love working on cars. What kind of creatures are they?" Frank buzzed in. "An impala, an octopus, and a mosquito!"

Before they knew it, it was halftime, and the score was eighty to eighty. The two teams were well matched. "What a game!" said Amy Namey. "The Bookworms and the Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders are neck and neck. Will the Bookworms take a bite out of the Bloodsuckers? Or will the Bloodsuckers sink their fangs into the Bookworms on their way to the finish and take home the trophy?" In the second half, the questions got harder. Judy's mouth felt as dry as the desert in The Three Little Javelinas. She took a gulp of water. She rubbed the lucky penny in her pocket. She clicked the heels of her lucky high-tops together. "In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl," said Mr. Todd, "what happens to Violet Beauregarde when she chews gum against Willy Wonka's wishes?" Bzzz. "She turns into a giant blueberry," said a Fake-Mustache Defender. The audience cracked up. "In Grace Lin's novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, who helps Minli on her journey to find the Old Man of the Moon?"