Robots Rule the School Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 The Future Is Now!

  Chapter 2 Robot Assistance

  Chapter 3 The Bunsen Stamp of Approval

  Chapter 4 Pal 1.0

  Chapter 5 Science Buddies

  Chapter 6 Robot Mayhem

  Chapter 7 It’s Munchin’ Time

  Chapter 8 Save the School!

  Chapter 9 Operation: Tag

  Chapter 10 The DATA Set 2.0

  ‘A Case of the Clones!’ Excerpt

  About Ada Hopper and Sam Ricks

  CHAPTER 1

  The Future Is Now!

  * * *

  Giant robotic planes did loop-the-loops in the sky! Fireworks burst in the air! Mechanical arms clapped and cheered while a little boy hugged a robot puppy.

  “Gee, Sprocket,” the boy said. “The future is awesome!”

  “Arf, arf!” said the robot puppy. “That’s right, Timmy,” said an announcer. “The future is awesome. And the future is . . . NOW! . . . now . . . now . . . now. . . .”

  The announcer’s voice faded out as the DATA Set’s science teacher, Mrs. Bell, turned off the Smart Board.

  “And that,” Mrs. Bell said, “leads us into our chapter on robotics.” She began passing out boxes to the class. “This week your assignment is to invent your own robots! These kits have the gears and motors to get you started. Your robot can do anything. They can tie shoelaces. They can clean your room. They can even do your homework.”

  The students laughed.

  “The only requirement is that it does something to make our lives better,” Mrs. Bell said.

  Gabe gave Laura and Cesar a big thumbs-up. As Newtonburg's resident whiz kids, this assignment was right up their alley!

  Suddenly, a girl with straight blond hair and glasses shuffled into the classroom. She handed Mrs. Bell a note.

  “Ah, yes, it’s so nice to meet you,” said Mrs. Bell. “Class, welcome Olive Thompson. She was from Teslaville Prep, but now she will be joining us as a new student.”

  The class said hello, and Olive slowly waved back. Mrs. Bell directed Olive to an empty desk next to Cesar.

  “Hi.” Cesar held out his hand. “I’m Cesar.”

  Olive didn’t answer.

  “Like the emperor,” Cesar joked about his name. “Or the salad.”

  Olive still didn’t answer.

  “Ooooooookay,” said Cesar.

  He handed Olive a robot box kit. “So, uh, you used to go to Teslaville Prep? That’s a tough school to get into. You must be pretty smart.”

  “Is that our assignment?” Olive asked abruptly. She pointed to an advanced mathematics problem on the whiteboard.

  “No,” said Cesar with a laugh. “That’s the curve-buster board. Mrs. Bell puts up a super-stumper problem from the National Science Academy Magazine each week. If you solve it, you get an extra ten points on your next quiz. No one ever solves it, though—well, except Gabe that one time. . . .”

  Before Cesar could finish, Olive walked over to the whiteboard. She erased a symbol in the equation and changed it to a new one before circling an answer.

  “Yes, Olive, do you have a question?” Mrs. Bell asked in surprise.

  Suddenly Olive saw that the entire classroom was staring at her. Her cheeks flushed. “No, ma’am.”

  “May I ask what you are doing?” Mrs. Bell followed up.

  “Solving the equation,” said Olive. “The symbol was incorrect.”

  Mrs. Bell shook her head. “I copied that problem exactly.” She pulled the magazine from her desk drawer. “I’m quite careful to . . .” The teacher trailed off. “Well, I’ll be. You’re right, Olive! The problem was incorrect—and you solved it. Gabe, it looks like you have a curve-buster buddy in class!”

  Everyone’s jaw dropped. Especially Gabe’s.

  “Wow,” said Cesar.

  Olive was pretty smart.

  Chapter 2

  Robot Assistance

  * * *

  “I’m just saying, she was showing off a little, that’s all,” Gabe said.

  He and his friends were walking home from school. They couldn’t stop talking about Olive.

  “You’re just jealous because she figured out the answer instead of you,” Laura teased.

  “No,” Gabe insisted. He paused. “Okay, well, maybe a little. I figured I’d have a chance to copy the problem down and work on it at home. I didn’t realize she would solve it on the spot.”

  The friends looked across the street. There was Olive, walking home alone. She pushed her long hair behind her ears and clutched her notebooks tightly.

  “You sat next to her, Cesar,” said Gabe. “What was she like?”

  Cesar watched Olive turn a corner and shuffle out of sight. “Pretty,” he said, distracted.

  “Huh?” asked Gabe.

  “Uh, pretty quiet,” Cesar corrected himself. “But nice.”

  Gabe and Laura exchanged a glance.

  “Annnnyway,” said Laura. “Let’s talk about robots. What are you guys making?”

  At that, Cesar perked up. “I’m going to build a robot that stirs cake batter,” he said excitedly.

  Laura giggled. “That already exists. It’s called a mixer.”

  “Yeah, but my robot is going to stir the batter and bake the cake at the same time! Super-fluffy never-burned cake with no mess! I’ll name it the Mix-and-Munch Bot. Patent pending.”

  “Cool!” said Gabe. “What about you, Laura?”

  Laura thought for a moment. “Well, Mrs. Bell said the robots should make our lives better.”

  “Like the Mix-and-Munch Bot. Patent pending,” Cesar said.

  “Well, I’m always searching for my tools when I’m working in the tree house,” Laura continued. “So I’m going to build a Swiss-Army-Tool Bot that can store my tools and hand them to me when I need them.”

  “Sweet!” Gabe grinned.

  “No, my idea is sweet,” Cesar pointed out. “Her idea is more handy-dandy.”

  Gabe smiled. “Well, I’m going all-out artificial intelligence. I’m building a robotic classroom assistant! It will respond to voice commands and be able to learn so it can anticipate your next request. I think Mrs. Bell will be really impressed!”

  “Did you say ‘assistance’?” A strange person suddenly popped out of the bushes right in front of the DATA Set. It was Dr. Bunsen, holding a metal detector.

  “Ahh!” cried the kids.

  “Dr. B.!” Gabe was startled. “You really, really have to stop surprising us like that.”

  “Yes, quite!” agreed the doctor. “But until then, I believe I have just the robot assistance you three need. Follow me!”

  Chapter 3

  The Bunsen Stamp of Approval

  * * *

  “Mmmm-hmmm. Mmmm-hmmm.” Dr. Bunsen studied Gabe’s, Laura’s, and Cesar’s handiwork. The friends were in his lab, using spare parts to work on their robots.

  “Impressive.” The doctor stopped in front of Cesar’s Mix-and-Munch Bot. It had a huge mixing bowl, two robotic arms, and an oven for a head.

  “It certainly looks like it can mix it up,” observed the doctor. “But can it stand the heat in the kitchen?”

  “Wait until you see it in action!” cried Cesar. He pressed a green button on the machine.

  “It’s munchin’ time!” the robot announced. It used its robotic arms to plop ingredients into the bowl. Eggs, sugar, flour. Everything went in!

  Whiiiirrrrrrrrrrr.

  The mixer started spinning. It spun faster and faster. Cake batter flew everywhere!

  “Whoa! That’s not right,” exclaimed Cesar.

  He adjusted the dial. The mixer slowed . . . but the robot started flinging eggs instead!


  “Bad Mix-and-Munch Bot!” Cesar furiously tried to shut it down.

  Finally, the robot stopped.

  Ding. Its oven timer went off. A sizzling black thing popped out, completely burned.

  Cesar rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess it needs some adjustments.”

  “That’s okay,” Laura called from across the lab. She was chasing her Swiss-Army-Tool Bot. “I’m not doing any better!”

  Her robot was supposed to hand her tools, but it kept trying to use them instead!

  “Stop, Bot!” Laura cried as it hammered yet another hole in the lab wall.

  Meanwhile, every time Gabe gave his Classroom-Assistant Bot a command, it just kept hugging everything in sight.

  “I—don’t—get it,” Gabe said as he wriggled free from its long arms. “It’s built correctly, so why does it keep hugging me so much?”

  “Maybe it thinks the assistance you need is a hug!” the doctor said. “Hmmm, perhaps a fresh battery will help.” He popped one of his specially designed Bunsen Infinity Batteries into the robot’s power pack. Then the doctor swiveled the bot back around. “Now all will be in order with a brand-new perspective!”

  The robot turned and focused on a messy pile of paper. “Organization program activated,” it said, stacking the papers neatly.

  Gabe smiled. “Wow! Thanks, Dr. B.!”

  “Say, a new perspective,” Laura said thoughtfully. “That gives me an idea.” Quickly, she rewired her bot so it thought the tools would work only if she used them. Instead of using the hammer itself, it finally handed it to Laura.

  “It worked!” she cheered.

  “And maybe my bot is going into overdrive because I programmed it to make cakes in half the time,” said Cesar. “But really, all it needs to do is mix and bake simultaneously.”

  With a few adjustments, Cesar’s robot finally worked!

  “Excellent!” Dr. Bunsen clapped his hands. “I couldn’t be prouder of you three. Your inventions each receive my Bunsen stamp of approval!”

  Chapter 4

  Pal 1.0

  * * *

  That Friday all of the students presented their robots. Some had built simple inventions, like Cole’s lever that could lift things. Others had built crazy contraptions, like a robot toilet flusher!

  “Very good work, everyone,” Mrs. Bell said. “Last but not least, we have Gabe, Laura, and Cesar.”

  The DATA Set went to the front of the classroom. It was kind of an unspoken rule that they always presented last. Everyone was eager to see what they had cooked up this time!

  Laura went first. “Need a hand around the house? Swiss-Army-Tool Bot is your guy!” With a tap of Laura’s remote control, Swiss-Army-Tool Bot opened a panel on the front of its body, revealing dozens of gadgets tucked inside.

  “Ooooh,” said the class.

  “Or how about help tidying up the classroom?” Gabe said proudly. “Classroom-Assistant Bot, activate program ‘Teacher’s Aide.’ ”

  Gabe’s bot whirred to life! It stacked papers and wiped the Smart Board clean before handing Mrs. Bell a cup of coffee.

  “You know what goes good with coffee?” Cesar piped up. “Cake!”

  In no time flat, his Mix-and-Munch Bot mixed and baked cupcakes for the entire class!

  “Cake for you! Cake for me! Cake for everyone!” cried Cesar.

  “Hooray!” cheered the class.

  “Nicely done,” said Mrs. Bell. “I’m very impressed. I’d say you’ve all earned a relaxing homework-free weekend.”

  The kids were so excited, no one noticed the shy hand raised at the back of the class.

  “Um, Mrs. Bell,” said Olive. “I still have my robot to present.”

  “Oh my goodness!” Mrs. Bell gasped. “I’m so sorry, Olive. Please, come on up!”

  Cesar watched Olive head to the front of the classroom. He felt bad that she had to go after the DATA Set’s high-tech robots.

  Olive cleared her throat. She held up what looked like an alarm clock with a speaker.

  “Did you make a clock?” Cesar asked helpfully.

  Suddenly, two robotic eyes popped up from the top of her bot!

  “Hello,” the robot announced. “I am PAL 1.0, a virtual friend. I am programmed to play more than one hundred games and learn as I go.”

  “Wow,” said the class.

  “You made an AI robot, too?” Gabe asked, stunned.

  Olive nodded with a small smile.

  “Cool!” exclaimed Cesar. “Do you know any jokes, Pal 1.0?”

  “What did the computer like to eat? Microchips and dip.”

  Everyone laughed!

  “How about trivia?” asked Laura. “Who invented windshield wipers?”

  “Mary Anderson in 1905.”

  Olive’s robot was really cool!

  “Oh, I’ve got one,” said Cole. “Can you play tag?”

  Pal 1.0 paused and whirred. “Recalculating, recalculating.”

  Olive frowned. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bell. My robot seems to be broken.”

  “That’s perfectly all right,” said Mrs. Bell. “Your virtual friend would make many people’s lives better. Great work!”

  Chapter 5

  Science Buddies

  * * *

  After science class, it was time for lunch. Cesar joined his friends at their usual table.

  Suddenly, something caught his eye. Olive was sitting all by herself.

  “Hey, guys,” Cesar asked. “Should we go sit with Olive?”

  Gabe frowned. “Really? She keeps stealing my thunder.”

  “You mean because she built an AI robot?” Laura asked. “She didn’t know that you made one too.”

  “Still.” Gabe seemed uncertain. He actually did feel a little jealous of her robot and of how quickly she’d answered the curve-buster math question. “I don't know. Do you guys want to sit with her?”

  Cesar took a bite of his sandwich and glanced over at Olive. “She just seems lonely. And we’re the DATA Set. Don’t we help people?”

  Gabe sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

  Olive looked up in surprise when the friends approached her.

  “Can we join you?” Cesar asked.

  “Sure!” Olive scooched over so they could sit. “You’re Cesar, right? Like the salad.”

  “Yeah!” Cesar couldn’t believe she remembered the joke.

  “And Gabe and Laura?” Olive said. “I really liked your robots.”

  “Thanks!” said Laura.

  “We’re pretty into science,” Cesar added. “Kids around school call us the DATA Set.”

  “That’s cool.” Olive smiled. “Your robots were programmed really well. Not like mine, which was all buggy.”

  Gabe raised his eyebrows. “That’s not true. Your robot was super advanced.”

  “Besides, our bots had loads of problems in the beginning,” added Cesar.

  “Like what?” asked Olive.

  “Well, for starters,” said Gabe, “mine kept hugging everything.”

  “And mine threw eggs everywhere!” Cesar exclaimed.

  Olive giggled. “I used to joke with my friends in Teslaville about invention mistakes all the time.” She looked down. “I miss them. I don’t know anyone here, and I get so nervous.”

  “We’ll be your new friends,” Cesar offered eagerly. “You can hang out with us.”

  “Really?” Olive asked.

  Cesar and Laura looked to Gabe. He nodded. “Of course.”

  The four kids chatted while they ate their lunch. It was nice having a new science buddy!

  Suddenly, a voice came over the loudspeaker.

  “All students report back to your classrooms.”

  Everyone filed out of the cafeteria. But when the kids reached their classroom, Mrs. Bell wasn’t there.

  “That’s weird.” Laura looked around. Something felt . . . off.

  “Yeah,” said Gabe. “Did you guys see any teachers as we came back?”

  “And where did al
l our robots go?” Cesar asked, suddenly alarmed. “My Mix-and-Munch Bot is missing!”

  In fact, all the robots had disappeared!

  Just then the classroom door opened.

  Whirrrr! Bzzzzzt! Bzzzzzrrrrrr!

  It was Gabe’s robot . . . but it had been modified! New parts stuck out all over the place, and Olive’s Pal 1.0 was on top as its head!

  Chapter 6

  Robot Mayhem

  * * *

  More robots piled in through the classroom door! Kids scattered in every direction to avoid getting caught!

  “Yikes!” Cesar cried. “Let’s get out of here!” He led Olive and the DATA Set out a side door and into the music wing of the school. They fled down the hall and came face-to-face with Cole’s Lever-Bot!

  It had been modified, too, and now had a trombone as a head!

  “Doo dee doo!” the Trombone-Lever-Bot sounded.

  “It’s calling for backup!” Laura realized.

  “Not if I can help it!” Cesar grabbed a cymbal from the music rack and used it as a shield to power past the robot. Its trombone head spun around!

  “Wahhh, wahhh, wahhhhhh.” It played a sad slapstick tune as the kids escaped.

  “Quick! Let’s go in here!” Laura cried. The friends dashed inside the empty library.

  “I think we’ve lost them.” Gabe panted.

  “How did the robots come to life?” Cesar asked.

  “And why are they all modified?” Laura added.

  “Shhhhh.”

  The shushing noise had come from behind them! The friends whipped around and saw the librarian, Mr. Paige, sitting at the front desk. His back was to them, but his Einsteinish-gray hair stuck out from over his typical argyle sweater.