Shipshape

By E. E. Dowd

Fifth grade for Ben Turner was supposed to start off like any other year at Riverside Elementary School. But with a puzzling scandal, a mysterious new principal who no one has ever seen, and robots that look an awful lot like people, Ben soon discovers that this is a year like no other. His rule-bending teacher, Ms. B., has done what she can to

• Language: English
• Publisher: EduMatch
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781953852984

Book preview

PROLOGUE

The barbed wire surrounding the neglected factory reached up to the sky, coiling viciously into the stormy sunset. Piles of old tires and debris were scattered all around, and the metal siding on the buildings had begun to rust. The yard was packed down—not a sprig of green in sight. Inside, the machines grumbled and sighed well past regular business hours, as if they knew they weren't supposed to be working.

A group of students walked past this desolate space, searching to salvage materials for a camp project. The old factory appeared to be the perfect place. Most of the windows were boarded up, and rusted machine parts were stacked high near the barbed wire fence. Nuts and bolts littered the yard, waiting for a new purpose. It was getting late, but the kids were determined. They crawled through a small opening in the bottom of the fence, away from the road where no one would see them. They would only stay for a couple of minutes. The kids split up in pairs with their backpacks open, ready to gather as much as they could carry. A girl with bouncing curls led the way.

Despite the smoke floating from the pipes and the specks of light filtering through the dirty windows, the factory seemed deserted. At first, the kids didn't notice any movement around the building or shadows in the windows. Upon further examination, they found trucks idling in the back of the warehouse and shadowy figures rolling carts full of coffin-sized boxes with colorful labels into the cargo area. The machines were efficiently churning out a new product. The kids couldn't tell what they were making, but they didn't want to stick around to find out.

While her campmates crawled back through the opening in the fence, grabbing what they could on the way, the girl with the bouncing curls decided to get a closer look inside the building. She hid behind an empty plastic barrel next to the warehouse, holding her breath as she noticed a dark figure creeping toward the window directly above her. Before she could make out a face, a rat ran over her foot. She shrieked and jumped up. Fearing the shadowy figure had seen her, the girl ran across the yard and dove through the hole in the fence, frantically sprinting back to camp with her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She didn't bother to look back.

CHAPTER 1

THE SCANDAL

Ben couldn't believe his eyes. There, on the TV screen, was a photo of Mrs. Haines, his former first-grade teacher.

Beloved teacher of Riverside Elementary resigns due to mysterious circumstances: Mrs. Haines was not available to comment regarding the events. No one else from Riverside Elementary was available for comment either. With a new principal and many policy changes ahead, I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come. I'm Mitzy Stork. Back to you in the studio.

What mysterious thing could have caused her to resign? Did she move to another state? Is something wrong at school? Ben wondered out loud.

Ben sat in his living room, staring at the screen and ignoring his dad calling him from the kitchen. Just then, the doorbell rang. It was his best friend, Nate.

A shade of pink had emerged beneath brown, freckled cheeks, and his face was dripping with sweat. His brown eyes practically bulged out of his head as he put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

The two boys couldn’t have been more different in appearance. Ben was average height and lanky with light tan skin, floppy fawn-brown hair, and hazel eyes, while Nate was much shorter and egg-shaped, with brown skin, and short, coarse hair the color of a raven.

Was running….wanted to…tell you…about...notification…on my…phone…did you see, breathed Nate. Huffing and puffing, he collapsed on the couch.

I just saw it on the news. What do you think about the 'mysterious circumstances'? replied Ben excitedly.

I have no idea, puff, but my mom said puff, that she heard that Mrs. Haines was puff, missing or going to jail.

Missing? Jail! There is no way that Mrs. Haines is going to jail. She was always a stickler for the rules. A parking ticket, maybe, but jail? No way!

I don't know, that's what my mom was saying on the phone to one of her friends. I'm not really sure, puff, I couldn't hear the whole conversation, puff, it's probably nothing. Nate inhaled sharply.

Let me just catch my breath, and we can enjoy our last day of freedom before I have to start preparing for the Academic Bowl! Nate breathed in heavily as he pulled himself up straight on the couch. And Junior Archeologists’ Club this year is going to be amazing! We are setting up a real dig site at one of the local parks, and you should really join. Oh, and did your dad make any of his delicious chocolate chip cookies today by any chance? Nate babbled.

Right, last day of freedom, Ben said, distracted. He was still thinking about the news report. Huh? Cookies, yeah, sure, in the kitchen. I think he's working on a new batch right now.

He wasn't convinced the resignation was nothing. Something didn't feel right, and though he was curious to find out the answer, he still wanted to enjoy the last day of summer before the start of fifth grade.

CHAPTER 2

E2

Ben and Nate sprinted to the park to meet up with their other good friend, Ellie. She was tall for her age, taller than the boys, and she had wild curly blonde hair with purple streaks that bounced like a pogo stick whenever she walked. Her bright eyes sparkled whenever she thought of a new idea or solved a complex problem.

All she wanted to do was build things. It didn't matter what it was as long as it could be constructed. She spent hours in her bedroom designing buildings and coding on her computer. Then, she would walk around the neighborhood, collecting materials to bring her ideas to life: sticks, moss, rocks, old tires, discarded materials, and anything else she could find. Ellie was nothing short of a creative genius.

As the boys approached Ella Baker Park, they saw Ellie rolling a little red wagon containing something lumpy covered with a ratty purple patchwork blanket. Rolled up white paper peeked out from under the blanket. She always carried these planning sheets as she called them, never knowing when inspiration for a new project would strike. The park was one of many in town, but this was where the kids met when they had very important business. They did their best thinking there.

Ellie, finally, you're home! It feels like I haven't seen you in months! shouted Ben as he and Nate ran up to her and the wagon.

"Oh please, it wasn't that long. It barely felt like any time at all," Ellie replied breezily.

Let's have it, why all the secrets? And what's under that ratty blanket? Ben said as he started to pull at one of the corners.

Patience! Ellie laughed as she swatted Ben's hand away. What are you calling ratty? I've had that blanket since I was a baby. It's my favorite color, and I love it.

What could have been so interesting or important that we barely heard from you all summer? Nate asked.

Seriously, Ellie, what is that? The suspense is killing me, Ben said with a smile.

Ah, I'm glad you asked, Ellie exclaimed as Nate rolled his eyes. This, my friends, is my greatest creation! It's a work of art and science, Ellie said as she moved the wagon closer. With a flourish, she quickly tossed the blanket to the ground.

Ta-Dah!

"Ta-Dah, what? What is that thing?" asked Ben, confused.

In the little red wagon sat a kid-sized, almost human-like metal contraption. It had arms and legs, a body made of sleek silver metal, a head with curly hair, and a face with eyes that looked human. This metal thing was wearing a purple T-shirt and jeans with brand-new Nike sneakers. It looked just like Ellie.

Boys, this is E ². She's a robot, and she is going to change how we do things from now on! She motioned for them to come closer and dropped her voice down to a whisper.

My summer robotics camp was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Something strange happened too, but I don't want to get into that now. The coolest thing was that each kid at the camp made a robot and collaborated with a real company to create some pretty cool cutting-edge technology.

What was the strange thing that happened? Ben prodded.

No, no, you're missing the point completely! The important thing is this, her voice rose as she pointed to the robot.

I think it's great that you built this, Ellie, really. It's big and kind of looks like you. I can tell you did a lot of work, but aren't robots just a lot of trouble? Ben inquired.

Yeah, I mean, when I was at the science center a couple weeks ago, they had an exhibit, and they were always breaking down. They don't do what they're told either, Nate added.

And remember in that movie when they took over that whole town and everything got set on fire? I don't really want that to happen in Riverside, Ben giggled. But sometimes they save the world, I guess.

I can tell you're not convinced. What you need is a demonstration, Ellie replied, ignoring the boys and their comments.

She pushed a button on a control panel on the back of the robot, and it came alive. Its eyes opened, its mouth formed into a smile, and it carefully got up out of the wagon, one leg at a time. It walked toward the boys and then did something even more remarkable.

You must be Ben, and you must be Nate. I'm E ², and I'm so glad to meet you.

The boys were dumbfounded.

E ² can recognize your faces because I created a program that could scan old photos and add the images to an internal database, Ellie added proudly. And I don't even have to tell her what to say or how to move. It's all part of the programming.

E-squared? I don't get it. What's up with the name? Ben asked.

When you multiply a number by itself, you get a square or power of two. Ellie times Ellie is a powerful two! Ellie exclaimed, and Ben still looked confused, his head cocked to the side like a Labrador.

"Ellie, it's a clever name, but how exactly is this 'invention' of yours going to help us?" Nate asked.

E ² is a genius, mainly because she has a computer for a brain. She can do things like help with homework, solve complex problems, teach us Spanish—pretty much anything you can think of, she can do it.

Did you really just say this robot can do our homework? Ben asked, growing more interested.

Yep, it's all because of the A.I., also known as artificial intelligence. She can learn! Ellie answered.

Artificial what? Like in the movies when the robots start to think for themselves? Ben was having a hard time following what Ellie was saying.

Exactly! Well, no, not exactly like the movies. There's a lot involved. Her brain is a collection of computer programs that tell her to do different things. But when you add A.I., she can collect a lot of data and make decisions based on patterns. It's amazing!

Ok, now I'm even more confused, Ben said with his face scrunched.

Not to worry, you'll be able to see for yourself. And besides, don't you think we needed another girl in this group of ours?

I liked our group just fine, and I wasn't planning on learning Spanish until middle school. But I think it will be fun to see what E ² can really do. Come on! Ben took off like a flash through the woods and over to the river. Ellie and Nate ran after him, followed by E ². The group played all afternoon with E ² acting just like them. They even began to forget that she was a robot, except when they got too close to the water.

CHAPTER 3

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

The bell rang as Ben, Nate, and Ellie walked through the front door of Riverside Elementary School, ready to begin their fifth-grade year. Immediately they noticed something was different. The painted murals of the world's ecosystems that once covered the hallway walls were gone, replaced with an institutional, light green paint. It wasn't bright, but it wasn't dull either. It was just the right amount of drab to elicit no feeling whatsoever. There was a smell of antiseptic and cardboard boxes in the air as they walked through the halls. Pairs of adults with expressionless