chuckled again. âSo thatâs how you saw me on the roof.â
I nodded my head. âI still shouldnât have taken the wristband without asking.â
âTrue! But my new invention helped you save me.â
He handed me the purple wristband. I held it in my hands, watching the light flash in the one clear button. With the wristband I could control my super bounce, but not my super speed. I handed it back to Mr. Vaslov.
âDo you think you could add one extra button?â
Freddie Ramos Takes Off
One day Freddie Ramos comes home from school and finds a strange box just for him. Whatâs inside? ZAPATO POWER âshoes that change Freddieâs life by giving him super speed!
Here is a sneak peek at Freddieâs next adventure!
Freddie Ramos Zooms to the Rescue
1. A Squirrel in School
âIs that a new watch?â my friend Geraldo asked as we walked into class.
âNo,â I said, looking down at my right arm. âJust a wristband.â
âThe flashing lights are cool,â Geraldo said.
I covered my wrist with my left hand. Geraldo had no idea what those clear flashing buttons could do. If I pressed one, I could zoom out of the classroom in a cloud of smoke. My wristband controlled my Zapato Power, the purple sneakers I wore to school every day, ready to be a hero.
Except there werenât too many superhero jobs at Starwood Elementary. The last person who cried âHelp!â was my friend Maria, when she dropped her pencil box. Most days were filled with math, social studies, art, and other normal stuff.
Luckily, that day was different, thanks to a gray squirrel with a long bushy tail.
We saw him, coming in from recess. He dashed right by our teacher, Mrs. Lane, as she was holding open the door.
âLook!â Maria shouted. âA squirrel!â
âEEEEEEE!â
A squirrel running in the school sure got people excited. My class chased after it. Everyone rushed out of their classrooms to watch. The principal, Mrs. Connor, came out of her office. I smiled. This was NOT going to be another boring, quiet day at Starwood Elementary.
âSTAY AWAY!â Mrs. Connor shouted. She put her hand up like a crossing guard. âSQUIRRELS CAN BE DANGEROUS!â
Dangerous? That word got my superhero radar going! I never thought Iâd need to save my school from a squirrel, but any hero job was a job for me.
A long gray tail dashed around the corner. I tapped my wristband and took off.
My purple zapatos give me super speed. I can run faster than a squirrel. I can run faster than a train. And best of all, you only see a puff of smoke when I pass.
I heard more screaming and followed the noise to the music room, where kids were jumping.
âSQUIRREL!â they shouted. âTHAT WAY!â
With super speed, I could search the whole building in two blinks. The problem was finding the squirrel. Squirrels are not just fast, theyâre small. They can hide.
I ran through the school three times, listening for screams. No luck! I was just about to give up when I saw a flash of gray run into the kindergarten hall. The kindergartners only go half day, so the rooms were quiet. I tiptoed through an open door. Bingo! Something gray and fluffy was sitting on the windowsill, with his paws raised, like he was begging to go outside. Poor squirrel!
I opened a window for him on the other side of the room. Now all I had to do was get him moving.
âBOO!â I stamped my foot. The squirrel ran, but towards the open door, not the window. OOPS! I should have thought of that.
I slammed the door. The squirrel spun around, saw the open window, and escaped.
Freddie, the superhero, saved Starwood Elementary from a squirrel! I was happy until the principal charged into the room.
âFreddie Ramos,â Mrs. Connor asked, âdid you slam that door?â
Superheroes are supposed to work in secret. Thatâs why so many of them have masks. I