1. A Merry Morning

Eerie Elementary The Hall Monitors Are FIRED! By Jack Chabert Illustrated by Matt Loveridge, based on the art of Sam Ricks

A MERRY MORNING 1 "I can't wait for tomorrow!" Sam Graves said to himself as he strolled through the Eerie Elementary school gate. Sam had a huge smile on his face. The sun was warm and the grass was green. Best of all, tomorrow was Sam's favorite day of the year: Kickball Showdown!

Sam spotted his best friends, Antonio and Lucy. They were on the front steps of the school, helping students line up. Today they had morning hall monitor duty. Sam was Eerie Elementary's head hall monitor, and Antonio and Lucy were assistant hall monitors. They did normal things, like make sure their classmates behaved in the hallways and help students line up before the morning bell. But they also did top-secret things... RING!!! The bell! Sam thought. I'd better hurry! Sam threw on his hall monitor sash as he sped across the playground.

Students funneled into the school. Sam was about to call out to Antonio and Lucy, but— SMACK! "Oof!" Sam exclaimed. He crashed to the ground! Thankfully, a bed of wood chips cushioned his fall. Sam looked to see what had made him trip. His shoelace was hooked on the merry-go-round. How did my shoelace get caught there? Sam wondered. He reached to unhook his shoelace. But then— YANK!

"Whoa!" Sam shouted. He was suddenly dragged across the ground. The rusty merry- go-round was turning. All by itself! With every squeak, it jerked Sam roughly across the dry wood chips. Sam's heart pounded. He hadn't tripped the merry-go-round had grabbed his shoelace. This was the work of Orson Eerie. Sam was one of the few people who knew the truth about Eerie Elementary: The school was alive!

Nearly 100 years ago, a mad scientist named Orson Eerie found a way to live forever— he became the school. Orson Eerie was the school, and the school was Orson Eerie! Eerie Elementary was a living, breathing thing that fed on students. And hall monitor Sam Graves was the protector of its students and teachers. Glancing up, Sam saw his third-grade teacher, Ms. Grinker, in the school doorway. Maybe I can get her attention! Sam thought. He tried to call her name, but he was spinning too fast to get the words out. He scraped and tore at the wood chips, but it was useless. The merry-go-round wasn't slowing down.