Dive into Danger
By Kelly Milner Halls and Phil Parks
()
About this ebook
Pudge's dad might love being on the ocean and taking care of wildlife, but Pudge would rather be playing World of Warcraft. When he meets an intriguing girl through the game and gets caught playing WoW during school, Pudge is suspended. Now he's forced to join his dad at work surveying whales. When they spot a mother whale tangled in a fishing net, Pudge has to put his real-world survival skills to the test.
Kelly Milner Halls
Kelly Milner Halls is a full-time children's writer, specializing in quirky topics for reluctant readers. Kelly lives in Washington with her two daughters, one dog, too many cats, and a four-foot rock iguana.
Read more from Kelly Milner Halls
Alien Investigation: Searching for the Truth about UFOs and Aliens Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Blazing Courage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDive into Danger Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Dive into Danger
Related ebooks
Newer Testaments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFree Five Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNightmare Magazine, Issue 128 (May 2023): Nightmare Magazine, #128 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vampire from Hell (Parts 1-3): The Volume Series #1 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The World of Henry Orient: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Savage Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRiot: The Fowl of the Crimson Dawn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Moon Draw Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What You Wish For: Traveler Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShattered Beginnings: No Longer Broken Duet, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClouds and Darkness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemoirs of My Body Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJazz at the End of the Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRunes (A Runes Novel) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lunanity Love Life Cult Love Letter for Luna Book 22 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo One Else Can Have You Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Monsters of Ice Cream: Uncollected Anthology - Beasties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnder My Skin: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stealing The Show Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Honey And Salt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImpregnation of Evil Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMerry Friggin' Christmas: An Edgy Christmas Comedy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Monster in Lulu's Head: The Tale of Two Spoons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRise of the Blood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Falling in Love with Everything: A Memoir, but Mostly Made Up Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chaos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inside My Nightmares Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSacrifice: The Bluesman, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSkip Tracer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBobbie Mendoza Saves the World (Again) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Children's Sports & Recreation For You
Big Nate: Revenge of the Cream Puffs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Prepared Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Campfire Cooking: Wild Eats for Outdoor Adventures Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Nate: Game On! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Day My Fart Followed Me To Soccer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Top Softball Tips Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Curious George Gymnastics Fun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curious George Plays Mini Golf Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tacky and the Winter Games Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Booked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spy Ski School Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Day My Fart Followed Me To Hockey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCharlie Brown: POW!: A PEANUTS Collection Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Float Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Magic Pinata/Piñata mágica: Bilingual Spanish-English Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lost on a Mountain in Maine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Jason Hanson's Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Good Kind of Trouble Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rock Collecting for Kids: An Introduction to Geology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legacy and the Queen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Choose Your Own Way: Camping Trip Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wizenard Series: Training Camp Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patina Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down the Rabbit Hole Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Throw Like a Girl: How to Dream Big & Believe in Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jim & Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Dive into Danger
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Dive into Danger - Kelly Milner Halls
CHAPTER ONE
Once a Pudge, Always a Pudge
Sunday
In my dreams, I swim like an orca. Sleek. Powerful. Fearless. Then I wake up.
It’s not that I can’t swim. I do okay in a pool. But toss me into the Pacific Ocean and I panic. There’s no way to tell what’s swimming next to you. A dolphin and a shark look alike until it’s too late to escape. Most people get that, but my dad? Not so much.
There’s a world beyond that basement,
he says again and again. And he’s a biologist for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. He could literally write a book about the world beyond my world. You could be so much more than you are,
he says. But all I can hear is, You’re not good enough.
And all I can think is, He’s right.
It’s not his fault. He was born to be a tan, aquatic giant with both brawn and brain. I was born to be Pudge. That’s what he calls me. It started as my mom’s nickname for a fat little toddler, and it stuck—even after she left us. I doubt Dad even remembers my name is Austin.
Most days, I push past his disappointment. He lives upstairs. I live in the basement. He leaves for work at six a.m. I wake up at seven for school. We only chat at dinner—small talk.
How was your day?
Did we get any mail?
If my weight comes up, the peace is shattered, so it doesn’t come up. Silence takes its place.
Better hit the books,
he says when things get awkward. So I head down for the night. He thinks homework is hard for me, but it’s not. I may be fat, but I’m not stupid. Forty minutes and all the assignments I didn’t finish at school are done. Then I’m free to play World of Warcraft, my favorite video game—as long as he doesn’t know about it.
Video games are a waste of energy,
he says, illusions to distract you from real life.
He said the same thing about my art and my mother’s dream of being a singer. I respectfully disagree. Drawing keeps me focused. Every doodle helps me learn. And RPGs—role-playing games—are my life. When I play WoW, I’m the guy he wants me to be.
I haven’t been playing WoW long, but when I sign on to the game from my laptop, I am transformed. I am Hippocrates, an undead zombie priest and healer, reanimated by the power of a banshee queen. And while I’m a beginner now, I have a goal. I want to level up and earn a spot in one of the most prestigious guilds in the game—the Dead Druid Society. I am committed.
I check my friend list and see my best friend Duffy is already logged in. His handsome blood elf character Cyrano is bounding across a tropical landscape, flirting with any player he thinks is a girl.
As I watch, a conversation bubble appears on the colorful play screen.
Cyrano greets Briarrose.
Briarrose runs from my friend. Your loss,
he types.
Another bubble opens.
Cyrano greets Silverstar.
Silverstar waves and then mounts her skeletal horse to gallop away.
Not getting much play,
I type in a private message. Did you brush those elfin teeth before you hit the game, or are you rocking corn chips?
Duffy types LOL and then Skypes me so we can talk. I gargled with vodka,
he says. Does that count, Pudge?
Duffy is only fourteen. He doesn’t drink and neither do I. There’s no way he’s gargled with alcohol.