Beetle Blast
Authors: Ali Sparkes
Books in the
S.W.I.T.C.H. series
#1 Spider Stampede
#2 Fly Frenzy
#3 Grasshopper Glitch
#4 Ant Attack
#5 Crane Fly Crash
#6 Beetle Blast
Text © Ali Sparkes 2011
Illustrations © Ross Collins 2011
“SWITCH: Beetle Blast” was originally published in English in 2011. This edition is published by an arrangement with Oxford University Press.
Copyright © 2013 by Darby Creek
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Darby Creek
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address:
www.lernerbooks.com
Main body text set in ITC Goudy Sans Std. 14/19.
Typeface provided by Monotype Typography.
Â
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sparkes, Ali.
Beetle blast / by Ali Sparkes ; illustrated by Ross Collins.
p. cm. â (S.W.I.T.C.H. ; #06)
Summary: On a trip to a pond with a local nature group, twins Josh and Danny accidentally eat a muffin laced with Petty Potts' SWITCH spray and are transformed into very stinky beetles.
ISBN: 978â0â7613â9204â0 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
[1. BeetlesâFiction. 2. BrothersâFiction. 3. TwinsâFiction. 4. Science
fiction.] I. Collins, Ross, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.S73712Ant 2013
[Fic]âdc23
2012026637
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 â SB â 12/31/12
eISBN: 978-1-4677-1126-5 (pdf)
eISBN: 978-1-4677-3114-0 (ePub)
eISBN: 978-1-4677-3115-7 (mobi)
Â
For Freddie (junior)
Â
By the time the toxic cloud reached him it was already too late. Josh went cross-eyed. He grabbed his throat and gurgled. He slumped onto the bed. His face went purple.
“Mmmâmmmâmoâ” he rasped. His poisoner stood over him, smirking. He was immune to the gas.
“Moâ” gasped Josh, falling off the bed and crawling toward the door. “MOM! Danny's farting at me again!”
Danny grinned proudly. His twin brother fell out onto the landing, sucking in grateful breaths of clean air.
Mom was less amused. She put her head around their bedroom door. She withdrew again quickly.
“Danny! That's revolting! Go to the bathroom at once!” she called from the other side of the door. “Good grief! What is going on in your innards?”
“You feed me,” pointed out Danny.
“Don't be smart!” snapped Mom.
“It's OKâI've stopped now,” said Danny. He stepped out to see his twin slumped against the banister. Josh flapped a hand in front of his face.
“Well, I hope so!” said Mom. “I don't want you embarrassing Josh at the Wild Things meeting.”
Danny blinked in surprise. “Wild Things? I don't go to Wild Things!
I'm
not the freaky little bug geek. That's just Josh!”
Josh was identical to Danny on the outside (although a lot less fluffy on the hair front and without the skater-boy clothes). But on the inside, the brothers couldn't have been more different. Danny loved loud music, skateboarding, and kicking soccer balls around. Josh loved peering at nature through a magnifying glass. That's why Josh had signed up for Wild Things. He went every week with a bunch of other freaky little bug geeks. Danny had no intention of joining him!
“I'm sorry, but you
have
to go,” said Mom. She took some towels into the bathroom. “Your soccer coach called to say practice is canceled. I'm going to pick up my new car. There's nobody to look after you. You're going with Josh.”