Mr. Peabody & Sherman Junior Novelization (Mr. Peabody & Sherman) (3 page)

Penny frowned and folded her arms across her chest. She wasn’t about to let Sherman upstage her. She would have to show this kid who was boss.

Sherman was having lunch in the cafeteria with his new friends, Mason and Carl, when Penny and her friends walked up to him.

“Whaddaya got there, Sherman? Kibbles or bits?” Penny asked with a fake smile.

“Actually, I’ve got baby carrots, organic apple juice, and a tuna sandwich,” Sherman said. “It’s super-high in omega-threes.”

“So you eat human food, huh?” Penny sneered.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” asked Sherman.

“Because
you
are a dog,” Penny taunted him.

“No, I’m not,” Sherman said stiffly.

“Sure, you are. Your dad’s a dog, so you are, too.” Penny smirked. “Here, I’ll show you.”

She snatched Sherman’s sandwich from his lunch tray and tossed it across the room. “Fetch!”

Sherman didn’t know what to do.

“Go on, doggy, go get your lunch!
Ruff, ruff!
” Penny barked.

The kids in the cafeteria started laughing. Sherman’s
friends tried to stick up for him, but Penny told them to mind their own business. Finally, Sherman stood and went to get his sandwich, hoping Penny would leave him alone. But as soon as he walked past her, she reached into his pocket and grabbed his dog whistle.

“What’s this?” she asked scornfully.

“It’s mine. Give it back,” Sherman said through clenched teeth. He was trying to put up with Penny, but now she was making him mad. He lunged for the whistle. Penny twirled away from him and held the whistle high above her head.

“Jump, doggy, jump!” she goaded him.

Furious, Sherman leapt for the whistle, but Penny was ready for him. She grabbed him around the neck and pulled him into a headlock.

Sherman twisted and tried to break free. “Let me go!” he growled.

“Not until you beg like a dog!” Penny said nastily. “Come on, Sherman, beg!”

That was the final straw. Sherman wasn’t about to beg. He elbowed Penny and wrestled her to the ground. Then he snarled and really let her have it.

T
o Principal Purdy’s surprise, Mr. Peabody was the happiest parent ever to be called into the principal’s office at Susan B. Anthony Elementary School.

“I fully expected this,” Mr. Peabody said, smiling, “and as with all things Sherman-related, I prepared for it!”

“You did?” Principal Purdy asked timidly. Most parents dreaded a visit to his office.

Mr. Peabody nodded enthusiastically. He popped open his briefcase and pulled out a folder containing a special curriculum just for Sherman. As the son of a Nobel Prize–winning scientist, the boy would of course be ready for advanced work.
Like father, like son,
he thought.

Principal Purdy shook his head. He
hadn’t called Mr. Peabody in to discuss Sherman’s academic achievements. “Sherman got into a fight today, in the lunchroom … with a girl,” he explained.

Mr. Peabody froze. The smile faded from his face. “Oh dear,” he gasped.

“Pictures were taken for insurance purposes,” Principal Purdy told him nervously. He showed several pictures to Mr. Peabody. They weren’t pretty. The last of them showed a huge bite mark on Penny’s arm.

“He
bit
her,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Mr. Peabody turned in his chair to see a large, imposing woman in a dark gray suit. She had stern features and a commanding presence as she scowled down at him.

“I am Miss Grunion from the Bureau of Child Safety and Protection,” she said. “Principal Purdy notified me about the situation regarding your adopted son, Sherman. I have a few standard questions.” Miss Grunion pulled out a clipboard and pencil and fixed Mr. Peabody with a hard stare. “Is the boy running roughshod over you back at the house?”

“No,” Mr. Peabody answered.

“Chewing on things?” she asked.

“No,” Mr. Peabody replied, offended. “Just what are you getting at?”

“In my opinion, a dog can never be a suitable parent to a little boy,” Miss Grunion said, sneering.

Mr. Peabody straightened in his chair. He was shocked. He’d worked so hard to be a good father. “I must point out, Miss Grunion, that I won the right to adopt Sherman in a court of law,” he said.

“And the court can take it away from you,” Miss Grunion said, her voice full of menace as she glared at him. “I’ll be coming to your home tomorrow evening to conduct an investigation. If I discover that you are in any way an unfit parent, I will see to it that Sherman is removed from your custody.
Permanently.
Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” Mr. Peabody gulped. Miss Grunion was a formidable opponent … and the stakes were high.

In the Manhattan penthouse that Mr. Peabody and Sherman called home, it was time for bed. After brushing his teeth and putting on his pajamas, Sherman apologized for biting Penny.

“That kind of wanton violence is totally
unacceptable,” Mr. Peabody scolded Sherman, tucking him into bed. “And uncharacteristic, given how you feel about Mr. Gandhi. What on earth provoked it?”

“She called me a dog,” Sherman muttered, embarrassed.

Mr. Peabody’s ears drooped. If there was one thing he hadn’t prepared for in all his research, it was how Sherman might feel about having a dog for a dad.

For once in his life, Mr. Peabody didn’t know what to say. “Well, all right, then,” he mumbled uncomfortably. “Try to get some sleep.”

He switched off the light in Sherman’s bedroom and walked toward the door.

“I love you, Mr. Peabody,” Sherman called.

Mr. Peabody stopped and looked at him. There was so much he wanted to say, but he found that he could only reply stiffly, “I have a deep regard for you as well, Sherman.”

Then he quickly shut the door, leaving Sherman in the dark.

Later that night, Mr. Peabody paced anxiously. The situation with Miss Grunion was serious, and he was worried. If she proved he was an unfit parent, he could
lose Sherman forever! The idea was unthinkable.

Mr. Peabody remembered all the wonderful times he’d had with Sherman since he adopted him as a baby. Sherman’s first steps. Sherman’s first words. Sherman’s first trip in the WABAC. He wasn’t about to give the boy up without a fight.

Mr. Peabody scratched his chin in thought. After all, there was no situation he couldn’t think his way out of. His brow furrowed in concentration. Moments later, he had a brilliant idea!

It was the perfect plan.

T
he following evening, Sherman found Mr. Peabody bustling around the kitchen. He was busy cooking. Shiny silver pots full of delicious soups and sauces crowded the stove, and platter after platter of gourmet food covered the countertops.

“Wow! Is today some kind of special occasion?” Sherman asked.

“You could say that,” Mr. Peabody answered mysteriously.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Mr. Peabody pulled off his apron and chef’s hat and went to answer the door. Sherman followed, curious to see who was coming to dinner. He was shocked—a little freaked out, actually—when the door opened to reveal Penny and her parents, Paul and Patty Peterson.

“Welcome,” Mr. Peabody said, flashing the Petersons a charming smile.

Paul Peterson’s eyes widened in surprise. “So he’s
literally
a dog?” he asked his wife.

“Paul!” Patty shushed him.

“No, that’s all right. Although, I prefer ‘literate dog,’ ” Mr. Peabody replied graciously.

Patty Peterson chuckled, but Paul remained unimpressed. He looked at Mr. Peabody suspiciously.

“Say hello to Penny, Sherman,” Mr. Peabody prompted.

Sherman forced a smile and said hello. Penny was pretty much the last person he wanted to see. From the expression on her face, it was clear she felt the same way.

“Now why don’t you go show Penny your mineral collection, Sherman?” Mr. Peabody suggested. “I’m sure she’ll find those new geodes of yours fascinating.”

Reluctantly, Sherman took Penny off to his room, but not before he gave Mr. Peabody a wounded look.

Mr. Peabody led the Petersons into the living room. “I’m so glad you accepted my invitation. Now the kids can resolve their differences in a more civilized manner,” he said brightly. Mr. Peabody knew that smoothing
things over with Penny’s parents would be a good way to prevent Miss Grunion from taking Sherman away.

“I’m not here to be civilized,” Paul grumbled. “In fact, if it weren’t for Patty, I would have pressed charges already. And I have to tell you, Peabody, where my daughter is concerned, nothing is more important than her safety!”

Mr. Peabody sighed. Becoming friends with the Petersons wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought.