01 The Bamboo Book

Day of the Dragon King

Chapter 01 The Bamboo Book Annie peeked into Jack’s room. “ Ready to go to China?” she asked. Jack took a deep breath. “ Sure, ” he answered. “ Bring your secret library card, ” Annie said. “ I have mine in my pocket. ” “ Yep, ” said Jack. He opened his top dresser drawer and took out a thin wooden card. The letters M L on it shimmered in the light. Jack dropped the card into his backpack. Then he threw in his notebook and a pencil.

“ Let’s go, ” said Annie. Jack pulled on his pack and followed her. What are we in for today? he wondered. “ Bye, Mom! ” said Annie as they passed their mom in the kitchen. “ Where are you going?” she asked. “ China! ” said Annie. “ Great, ” said their mom. She winked at them. “ Have fun. ” Fun? thought Jack. He was afraid that fun wasn’t quite the right word. “ Just wish us luck, ” he said as he and Annie headed out the front door. “ Good luck! ” their mother called. “ If only she knew we aren’t pretending, ” Jack whispered to Annie.

“ Yeah, ” said Annie, grinning. Outside, the sun shone brightly. Birds sang. Crickets chirped. Jack and Annie walked up their street toward the Frog Creek woods. “ I wonder if the weather will be this nice in China, ” Annie said. “ I don’t know. Remember, Morgan said this would be a very scary adventure, ” said Jack. “ They’re always scary, ” said Annie. “ But we always meet animals who help us, or people. ” “ True, ” said Jack. “ I bet we meet someone great today, ” said Annie. Jack smiled. He was starting to feel excited now instead of scared.

“ Let’s hurry! ” he said. They ran into the Frog Creek woods. They slipped between the tall trees until they came to a huge oak. “ Hello! ” came a soft voice they knew well. They looked up. Morgan was peering down from the magic tree house. “ Ready for your next mission as Master Librarians?” she asked. “ Yes! ” said Jack and Annie. They grabbed the rope ladder and started up. “ Are we still going to China?” asked Annie when they had climbed into the tree house. “ Indeed, ” said Morgan. “ You’re going to ancient China. Here is the title of the story you must find. ”