Chapters (68)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Chapter One
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Chapter Two
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Chapter Three
- Ten
- Eleven
- Chapter Four
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Chapter Five
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Chapter Six
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Chapter Seven
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Chapter Eight
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Chapter Nine
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Ten
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Chapter Eleven
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Chapter Twelve
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Chapter Thirteen
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Chapter Fourteen
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Chapter Fifteen
- The Following Summer
- About the Author
- About the Publisher
- It would be nice if the dog in your house wasn’t your father.
- Wild animals belong OUTDOORS.
- Eating insects is GROSS DON’T DO IT!
Digger grinned.
“You are impossible!”
“Impossible or amazing?”
“Both.”
The whole way to school, Ali practiced what she’d say to Alfie when she met him. There was the cool approach: “Oh, hey, Alfie, it’s me, Ali, your long-lost cousin.” The enthusiastic approach: “I’m your cousin Ali and I’ve waited my whole life to meet you!” Neither sounded quite right.
It wasn’t just the introduction that worried her. There was the sticky problem of how to raise the subject of the Sloane Family Feud and her plan to somehow reunite the family.
She needn’t have worried. There was no sign of Alfie or interstellar boy and girl in the cafeteria at lunch, and no opportunity to ask them about debate team during class. It was the same thing the next day. Ali was sure they were eating lunch with Alfie in some wonderful secret place while she was stuck eating her peanut-butter sandwich by herself in the crowded cafeteria. Even worse, she didn’t know when debate team started. What if she’d missed it? She vowed to ask interstellar boy and girl before science class that afternoon.
It was awkward to position herself outside the classroom door like she was standing guard, but Ali pretended not to care when her classmates gawked at her on their way inside.
“Two minutes, Ali,” said Mr. Corby, the science teacher, as he entered the classroom.
Another minute passed, and still they didn’t come. Had something happened to them? She was about to give up and go inside when they came around the corner, deep in conversation. They’d almost passed her before she got up the courage to speak.
“Excuse me,” she whispered. Her voice was so low it was a surprise when interstellar girl stopped. She was almost as tall as interstellar boy, which meant she towered over Ali, though her freckled pink skin was a stark contrast to her friend’s dark skin.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know when the first debate team meeting is?”
She was rewarded with a smile. “Are you going to join?”
Ali nodded. Interstellar boy and girl traded delighted grins.
“The first meeting is Monday after school in Ms. Ryder’s classroom,” said interstellar boy.
“Thanks,” she managed as she followed them inside.
Four more days until she met Alfie. Ninety-six hours until she could put her plan in action. Five thousand, seven hundred and sixty minutes until the beginning of the end of the Sloane Family Feud.