{"product_id":"sky-high-isbn-9780307977014","title":"Sky High","description":"Charlie has lots of ideas. Need something to go sky high? Ah-ha! The \u003ci\u003ezinger-winger\u003c\/i\u003e! Need to launch a cheese popper into soup? The amazing \u003ci\u003epopper-upper\u003c\/i\u003e! But the zinger-winger zings more than wings and the popper-upper plops. Charlie isn't allowed to invent for a week. Meanwhile, the afterschool invention fair is coming up. He needs time to make something special. Good thing he has his friends and Mr. Redfern, another inventor, to help him out.PATRICIA REILLY GIFF is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books. Her novels for older readers include the Newbery Honor books\u003ci\u003e Lily's Crossing\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePictures of Hollis Woods\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWillow Run\u003c\/i\u003e, a companion to \u003ci\u003eLily's Crossing. Her most recent books are the novels R My Name Is Rachel, Storyteller, and Wild Girl\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Zigzag titles, \u003ci\u003eNumber One Kid\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBig Whopper\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFlying Feet\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eStar Time\u003c\/i\u003e.Chapter 1\u003cbr\u003eFriday\u003cbr\u003eIt was time for the Zigzag Afternoon Center. Charlie couldn’t wait.\u003cbr\u003eIt was the first time for him this week. He’d been home sick with double earaches.\u003cbr\u003eBorrrring!\u003cbr\u003eNana stayed home with him while Mom went to work. Nana vacuumed all day.\u003cbr\u003e“Hoo-hoo,” she said. “Borrrring!”\u003cbr\u003eNana wanted to be an inventor. Just like Charlie.\u003cbr\u003eAnd that was the one thing good about being home. Charlie could invent all day.\u003cbr\u003eHe liked to invent all kinds of things.\u003cbr\u003eBut most of all, he wanted to invent something that would fly.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d look out at the clouds. He could almost see himself up there.\u003cbr\u003eSky-high!\u003cbr\u003eNana wanted to be sky-high, too. “Someday, we’ll rocket ourselves right into space, Charlie,” she said. “Hoo-hoo.”\u003cbr\u003eAnd right now he had two minutes to try his new invention: the Zinger-Winger.\u003cbr\u003eOn the way out to the school yard, he counted ceiling tiles. Maybe he could invent something with them.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d sit on one. There’d be a rocket underneath. Zoom!\u003cbr\u003eOof!\u003cbr\u003eHe bumped into someone. Someone he’d never seen before.\u003cbr\u003eThe man had a whoosh of tan hair.\u003cbr\u003eIt looked like a pigeon’s nest.\u003cbr\u003e“Counting ceiling tiles?” The man rubbed his elbow.\u003cbr\u003e“It’s for an invention,” Charlie said. “I just don’t know what yet.”\u003cbr\u003e“I count ceiling tiles, too,” the man said. “I’m an inventor.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie looked up at him. That whoosh of hair. A plaid tie with a gravy stain. Huge teeth, like a beaver’s.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie felt his own teeth. He was glad they were a decent size.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie and the man walked along the hall together.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m Mr. Redfern,” said the man. “Everyone else has met me.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie nodded. “I’ve been home sick.” He rubbed his nose. He hoped he hadn’t broken it when he bumped into Mr. Redfern.\u003cbr\u003e“We’re having an inventing fair at the Afternoon Center,” Mr. Redfern said. “And not only that. There’ll be something exciting. I call it a Great Happening!”\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern nodded. “I can’t tell everyone about it yet.” He grinned and showed his beaver teeth. “But believe me. It’s exciting.”\u003cbr\u003eWhat could it be? Charlie wondered.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern waved his arms around. His hair waved, too.\u003cbr\u003e“I’ll be here for a week,” he said. “We’ll set up a lab. We’ll work on ideas! Projects all over the place!”\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern stopped short.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie bumped into him again.\u003cbr\u003e“What’s your name?” Mr. Redfern asked. He rubbed his other elbow.\u003cbr\u003e“It’s Charlie.”\u003cbr\u003eThey reached the end of the hall.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie started up the stairs. Mr. Redfern started down.\u003cbr\u003e“Good to meet you, Chuck,” Mr. Redfern called after him.\u003cbr\u003e“My name’s Charlie.”\u003cbr\u003eBut Mr. Redfern had disappeared.\u003cbr\u003e“Things are looking up, Chuck,” Charlie told himself. “The Zinger-Winger. An inventing fair. A Great Happening.”\u003cbr\u003eHe thought about it. He’d try out the Zinger this afternoon. He’d work on it all week.\u003cbr\u003eRight now, it had a few problems.\u003cbr\u003eIt didn’t really fly straight.\u003cbr\u003eIt didn’t really fly far.\u003cbr\u003eBut somehow, he’d change all that.\u003cbr\u003eWhat an invention it would be.\u003cbr\u003eNot quite a plane.\u003cbr\u003eNot quite a rocket.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie jumped up.\u003cbr\u003eOne of these days, he’d even touch the ceiling.\u003cbr\u003eHe headed out to the school yard.\u003cbr\u003e“Hoo-hoo!” he yelled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 2\u003cbr\u003eStill Friday\u003cbr\u003eCharlie spotted Mitchell at the door. “Hey,” he called.\u003cbr\u003eMrs. Farelli, the toughest teacher at the Center, was right behind him. “Do I hear a hyena?” she asked.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie ducked his head. “Come on outside,” he whispered to Mitchell. “Watch my Zinger-Winger in action.”\u003cbr\u003eMitchell looked back toward the lunchroom. “We have to hurry,” he said. “It’s almost time for snack.”\u003cbr\u003eThey rushed out the door.\u003cbr\u003eOutside it was warm and sunny.\u003cbr\u003eJake the Sweeper was growing a garden in one corner of the yard. The vegetables were half as tall as Charlie.\u003cbr\u003eRows of beans twirled on sticks.\u003cbr\u003eCabbages poked up their heads.\u003cbr\u003eClifton, a kindergarten kid, was crawling around in the tomatoes. He held up a jar.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m getting bugs for the new science lab,” he called.\u003cbr\u003e“Want to watch my Zinger-Winger?” Charlie called back.\u003cbr\u003eClifton put the bottle down on a rock. “Sure.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie looked around.\u003cbr\u003eA couple of kids stood near him. Yolanda, the artist. Gina, who wanted to be an opera singer. Peter Petway, who wrote the Afternoon Center newspaper.\u003cbr\u003eWait until they saw the Zinger-Winger in action!\u003cbr\u003e“Stand back,” Charlie said. “Who knows what this thing will do?”\u003cbr\u003eAt home, he’d had the first trial run.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d jumped on the back of the couch.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d wound up.\u003cbr\u003e“Go, Charlie!” Nana had yelled.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d thrown the Zinger.\u003cbr\u003eNana had ducked before it hit her in the head.\u003cbr\u003e“Hoo-hoo!” she’d said.\u003cbr\u003eNow Charlie gave the Zinger-Winger a pat.\u003cbr\u003eEverything was in place. The paper cup nose. The paper clip propellers.\u003cbr\u003eHe held it up over his head.\u003cbr\u003eHe began to run . . . \u003cbr\u003e. . . across the yard.\u003cbr\u003eIt was hard to see where he was going.\u003cbr\u003eUh-oh.\u003cbr\u003eThrough Jake’s garden.\u003cbr\u003eInto Clifton’s bug jar.\u003cbr\u003e“Oh, no!” Clifton yelled.\u003cbr\u003e“Watch out for the tomatoes!” Mitchell shouted.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie took a leap.\u003cbr\u003eIt was time to let go of the Zinger.\u003cbr\u003eHe threw it as hard as he could.\u003cbr\u003eUp it went.\u003cbr\u003eThere was a zinger of a noise.\u003cbr\u003e“Sky-high!” Charlie yelled.\u003cbr\u003eThe Zinger-Winger went straight into a tree.\u003cbr\u003eIt teetered on a branch.\u003cbr\u003e“Oh, no!” Charlie said.\u003cbr\u003eHe felt something under one foot.\u003cbr\u003eA squashed tomato.\u003cbr\u003eClifton was yelling. “My bugs escaped! They’re crawling away as fast as their legs can carry them.”\u003cbr\u003e“And that’s a lot of legs,” Mitchell said.\u003cbr\u003eJake came outside. “That was my best tomato.” He held his head.\u003cbr\u003eClifton looked as if he might cry. “I’ll have to start over,” he said. “I’ll never be ready for the Great Happening.”\u003cbr\u003e“What went wrong?” Charlie whispered.\u003cbr\u003e“Everything,” Mitchell said.\u003cbr\u003e“Sorry, Jake. Sorry, Clifton,” Charlie said.\u003cbr\u003ePeter Petway called over. “I’ll write this up in the Zigzag News--Read All About It. ‘Rocket-plane crashes! Also bugs and tomatoes.’ ”\u003cbr\u003e“Maybe it’s snack time,” Mitchell said.\u003cbr\u003e“I’ll come, too,” Clifton said.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m going to do something good for you,” Charlie told Clifton.\u003cbr\u003e“What?” Clifton asked.\u003cbr\u003e“I don’t know yet,” Charlie said. “But something.”\u003cbr\u003eHe went over to Jake. “I’ll make up for the tomato,” he said. “Somehow.”\u003cbr\u003eHe looked at the tree.\u003cbr\u003eThe Zinger-Winger was too high to reach.\u003cbr\u003eThere went his invention.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d be the only inventor at the fair without an invention.\u003cbr\u003eHe walked backward into the school.\u003cbr\u003eHe was still looking at his poor Zinger-Winger.\u003cbr\u003eThe nose was dented.\u003cbr\u003eOne wing was on the ground.\u003cbr\u003eThe other was covered with leaves.\u003cbr\u003eHe went downstairs to the lunchroom.\u003cbr\u003eWhat else could go wrong?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 3\u003cbr\u003eStill Friday\u003cbr\u003eCharlie was the last one in the lunchroom.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern was up in front. He was standing on a box. “Don’t forget next week is inventing week,” he called.\u003cbr\u003e“I used to be the bug guy,” Clifton said.\u003cbr\u003e“Pick a project,” Mr. Redfern said. “Write about it on a poster.”\u003cbr\u003e“My poster will be better than my invention,” Yolanda said.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern was still talking. “Next Saturday, we’ll invite the world to see our work.”\u003cbr\u003e“The whole world will see my Super-Fast Jump Rope,” Sumiko said.\u003cbr\u003e“Maybe just the neighborhood,” Mr. Redfern said, and grinned.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m making a Rainbow Gooper-Upper,” Destiny said. “It will turn hair a million colors.”\u003cbr\u003e“I’ll do a singing project,” Gina said. “La-la-de-la.”\u003cbr\u003e“I’ll do something with juggling.” Habib frowned. “But I don’t know what.”\u003cbr\u003eIf only he hadn’t ruined his Zinger-Winger, Charlie thought.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern jumped off the box. “Don’t forget about the Great Happening,” he called.\u003cbr\u003eHe went out the door.\u003cbr\u003e“Line up,” said Destiny, the lunchroom helper.\u003cbr\u003eEveryone raced to the front.\u003cbr\u003eToday was carrot cupcake day.\u003cbr\u003e“Hey, Charlie,” Destiny said. “Too bad you were sick all week. But you’re in luck. I have something for you.”\u003cbr\u003e“Hoo-hoo,” Charlie said.\u003cbr\u003e“Calm down, young man,” the lunch lady said. She was stirring a bunch of tomatoes.\u003cbr\u003eShe was probably going to cook them into tomato soup with lumps.\u003cbr\u003eYuck.\u003cbr\u003eDestiny pulled something out of a cabinet. She dusted it off with her sleeve.\u003cbr\u003eShe held it out to Charlie.\u003cbr\u003eA leftover cheese popper from Monday!\u003cbr\u003eCharlie turned it over in his hand.\u003cbr\u003eIt was round and tan.\u003cbr\u003eIt looked harder than Nana’s homemade cookies.\u003cbr\u003eIt probably tasted just as strange.\u003cbr\u003e“I know poppers are your favorite,” Destiny said. “Better than cupcakes, right?”\u003cbr\u003e“Thanks,” Charlie told her. “You’re the best.”\u003cbr\u003eNo one would eat that popper in a million years.\u003cbr\u003eClifton walked over. He was shaking his head. “I had all those ants,” he said through a mouthful of cupcake. “I had a beetle mother and father and two beetle kids.”\u003cbr\u003e“How do you know they were a family?” Charlie asked.\u003cbr\u003eNext to him, Mitchell was trying not to laugh.\u003cbr\u003eBut Charlie could see Clifton was ready to cry.\u003cbr\u003e“Don’t worry,” Charlie said. “I’ll think of something to help.”\u003cbr\u003eHe tried not to breathe too hard. The whole room smelled like tomatoes.\u003cbr\u003eDestiny was waiting.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie took a bite out of the popper.\u003cbr\u003eA small bite.\u003cbr\u003eYes, it was hard as a rock.\u003cbr\u003eHis tooth might even be broken.\u003cbr\u003e“How does it taste?” Destiny asked.\u003cbr\u003e“Good,” he told her.\u003cbr\u003eDestiny smiled. She went to the front of the room.\u003cbr\u003eShe held out the tray of cupcakes to the line of kids.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie’s mouth watered for a cupcake. But he couldn’t hurt Destiny’s feelings.\u003cbr\u003eMitchell leaned over. “Careful. You don’t want that popper to fall on your foot. You’ll break your toes.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie watched Mitchell eat.\u003cbr\u003eHe tried not to think about cupcakes. Instead, he thought about inventing.\u003cbr\u003eHe looked down at the popper. Maybe he could make it fly.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d call it the Amazing Popper-Upper.\u003cbr\u003eThere was a ruler in his backpack, and an apple left over from lunch.\u003cbr\u003eHe put the apple on the table.\u003cbr\u003eHe balanced the ruler on top of it.\u003cbr\u003e“A seesaw,” Mitchell said.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie put the popper on one end of the ruler.\u003cbr\u003e“Take cover!” Mitchell yelled. “Cheese popper blasting through!”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie slammed the other end of the ruler with his fist.\u003cbr\u003eThe popper flew.\u003cbr\u003eIt didn’t go very high.\u003cbr\u003eAnd it came down fast.\u003cbr\u003ePlunk!\u003cbr\u003eRight into the pot of tomatoes.\u003cbr\u003eTomato mush flew all over the place. . . .\u003cbr\u003eOnto the lunch lady’s hat, which looked like a shower cap.\u003cbr\u003eOnto the carrot cupcakes.\u003cbr\u003eFor a moment, no one made a sound.\u003cbr\u003eMitchell’s mouth was wide open.\u003cbr\u003e“That Charlie,” Clifton said. “He lost my bug family. And now he’s ruining the snacks.”\u003cbr\u003eThe lunch lady beckoned to Charlie. “I think we should have a talk.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie followed her into the kitchen.\u003cbr\u003eHe walked as slowly as he could.\u003cbr\u003eToo bad he wasn’t still home sick.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 4\u003cbr\u003eMonday\u003cbr\u003eCharlie started down the stairs.\u003cbr\u003eHe was on his way to the lunchroom.\u003cbr\u003eHe was in a zinger of trouble.\u003cbr\u003eFriday, the lunch lady had put her hands on her hips.\u003cbr\u003eRed polka-dots had covered her shirt.\u003cbr\u003e“No more inventing for you, Charlie,” she’d said.\u003cbr\u003e“Forever?” he’d asked.\u003cbr\u003eShe’d looked up at the ceiling. “For at least a week.”\u003cbr\u003eA week!\u003cbr\u003e“You might help out here,” the lunch lady said. “I have no time to keep this place clean and invent new snacks.”\u003cbr\u003e“I guess so,” Charlie had said.\u003cbr\u003e“Start Monday,” she’d said. “There’s plenty to do.”\u003cbr\u003eNow it was Monday.\u003cbr\u003eHe hoped the lunch lady didn’t want him to cook.\u003cbr\u003e“Hey, Chip,” said a voice behind him.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie turned.\u003cbr\u003e“I’ve been looking for you,” Mr. Redfern said.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie swallowed.\u003cbr\u003eThe Inventing Fair and the Great Happening would be over before he even began.\u003cbr\u003e“Come down to the new lab,” Mr. Redfern said. “You can see what’s going on.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie looked toward the lunchroom.\u003cbr\u003eHe shook his head.\u003cbr\u003e“You can have snack anytime,” Mr. Redfern said.\u003cbr\u003e“I guess so,” Charlie said.\u003cbr\u003eThey walked down the hall together.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern threw open the door to the lab.\u003cbr\u003e“Whew!” Charlie said.\u003cbr\u003eChairs were upside down.\u003cbr\u003eDust covered the tables.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie sneezed about eight times.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern sneezed, too. “What do you think, Chase?” he asked.\u003cbr\u003eSome science lab! But Charlie didn’t say that. “It’s going to be . . . ,” he began.\u003cbr\u003e“Yes, stupendous.” Mr. Redfern rubbed his hands together. “It takes imagination. We just have to add a lot of stuff.”\u003cbr\u003eCharlie nodded. It would take a lot of imagination to get this place going.\u003cbr\u003e“A boy’s collecting insects,” Mr. Redfern said. “Someone’s making a typhoon. And someone is flying a rocket all over the place.”\u003cbr\u003eDid he mean me? Charlie wondered.\u003cbr\u003e“The Great Happening is going to be . . .” Mr. Redfern raised his shoulders. “Spectacular.”\u003cbr\u003e“What--” Charlie began.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern rushed on. “Want to get this place set up with me?”\u003cbr\u003e“I’m on my way to the lunchroom,” Charlie said.\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern pulled a bag of pretzels out of his pocket.\u003cbr\u003e“Don’t worry,” he said. “You won’t starve to death, Calvin.”\u003cbr\u003eMr. Redfern rolled up his long sleeves.\u003cbr\u003eHe began to push tables around.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie didn’t have sleeves to roll up. But he began to push tables, too.\u003cbr\u003eMitchell stuck his head in the door. “Is this the new lab?”\u003cbr\u003eHe looked as if he didn’t believe it.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie didn’t believe it, either.\u003cbr\u003eNow Mr. Redfern jumped on his desk.\u003cbr\u003eHe waved a mop over his head.\u003cbr\u003e“Have to get rid of the cobwebs,” he said.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie and Mitchell put chairs around the tables.\u003cbr\u003e“Looking better already,” Mr. Redfern said.\u003cbr\u003eHabib came in the door. “The lunch lady wants to see you both,” he told Charlie and Mitchell.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie gave the table one more push.\u003cbr\u003e“See you tomorrow, Chris,” Mr. Redfern said.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie nodded.\u003cbr\u003eHe and Mitchell went down the hall.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m in trouble, too,” Mitchell said. “I was working on a typhoon thing. I spilled water all over the lunchroom.”\u003cbr\u003eA typhoon. What an idea!\u003cbr\u003e“I have to help the lunch lady for a week,” Mitchell said.\u003cbr\u003eAnd now the lunch lady was standing in the doorway.\u003cbr\u003eShe went to the closet door. “Stand back!”\u003cbr\u003eShe opened it slowly.\u003cbr\u003eA huge pile of junk clattered out.\u003cbr\u003e“You two could clean this,” she said. “Neaten up the whole thing.”\u003cbr\u003eIt would be worse than cooking.\u003cbr\u003eBut then Ramón, the college helper, blew his whistle.\u003cbr\u003eAfternoon Center was over for the day.\u003cbr\u003e“See you tomorrow,” the lunch lady said.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie and Mitchell rushed upstairs and out the door.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie made a list in his head.\u003cbr\u003eHelp with bugs.\u003cbr\u003eHelp with garden.\u003cbr\u003eHelp in lunchroom.\u003cbr\u003eIt was almost too much to think about.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 5\u003cbr\u003eTuesday\u003cbr\u003eCharlie slid along the walls.\u003cbr\u003eHe ducked behind doors.\u003cbr\u003eHe didn’t want to see Mr. Redfern.\u003cbr\u003eNo, he didn’t want Mr. Redfern to see him.\u003cbr\u003eHow could he tell Mr. Redfern that he couldn’t invent?\u003cbr\u003eHe’d have to say he had to help the lunch lady.\u003cbr\u003e“Hey, Charlie!” Clifton yelled. He was pushing a green box along in front of him. “I’ve been looking for you.”\u003cbr\u003eThe box looked as if it was falling apart.\u003cbr\u003eCharlie looked over his shoulder.\u003cbr\u003eNo Mr. Redfern.\u003cbr\u003eWhew!\u003cbr\u003e“Hi, Clifton,” he said.","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304362168549,"sku":"NP9780307977014","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780307977014.jpg?v=1767736735","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/sky-high-isbn-9780307977014","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}