Freddie Ramos Zooms to the Rescue

For Alan, my husband and my superhero. —JJ

CONTENTS

1.  A Squirrel in School

2.  A Mystery Present at My Door

3.  Silver Goggles

4.  The Storm

5.  The Man in the Yellow Vest

6.  A Trip to the Principal's Office

7.  Stop the Train!

8.  A Hero (At Last)

1. A Squirrel in School

“Is that a new watch?” my friend Geraldo asked as we walked into class.

“No,” I said, looking down at my right arm. “Just a wristband.”

“The flashing lights are cool,” 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 weren't too many superhero jobs at Starwood Elementary. The last person who cried “Help!” 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.

“Look!” Maria shouted. “A squirrel!”

“EEEEEEE!”

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.

“STAY AWAY!” Mrs. Connor shouted. She put her hand up like a crossing guard. “SQUIRRELS CAN BE DANGEROUS!”

Dangerous? That word got my superhero radar going! I never thought I'd 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.

“SQUIRREL!” they shouted. “THAT WAY!”