CHAPTER 7
Logistics*
*A fancy word for having a plan
Charlie and I scarf down our lunches; then we book it to the library. Once Mister, Charlie and Amina are all around the table in the back of the library, I take a chapter book off the shelf and hold it out to them. Then to explain my idea, I pretend I’m pitching the invention to a group of investors.**
**Investors are people who have so much money that they actually like giving it away to help other people start companies.
“From the outside, this may look like an ordinary book,” I explain, showing them the cover. “But when you open it, you realize it has a secret compartment that’s been hollowed out. It’s the perfect way to keep something secret from getting into the wrong hands.”
“That’s so cool!” says Amina. Charlie and Mister agree.
Charlie gets out his graph paper and sketches an idea.
Then I pull out my clipboard to list the supplies we’ll need. I make a big title on a new piece of paper, and then I underline it twice.
“I have scissors and glue in my pencil case,” says Amina, “but where are we going to find the books we need?”
This is one of those times when the answer seems so obvious to me (hello … we’re sitting in the library) that it makes me wonder if it’s a “red flag” that other people don’t see it. But I don’t see any red flag here. So I continue.
“Library books,” I tell them. Charlie squirms in his seat. Mister’s eyes open wide, and Amina slides her book into her bag. I can tell they need convincing. As the leader, it’s my job to motivate everyone so they feel personally attached to the business. I read that in a magazine.
“What if we only use books that have stereotypes in them?” I ask them. “Ms. Gelson said stereotypes are bad, right? Charlie, are there any stereotypes you don’t like in books?”
“I hate how in a lot of books, the boys are only good at sports and nothing else,” he says. “Boys have more skills than just throwing a ball!”
“I hate that, too!” says Mister.
Amina tells us what kind of books she doesn’t like. “I hate it when girl characters need to be saved by boys. Why can’t the girl be the hero?”
Everyone agrees, and I let them know the opportunity we have at our fingertips. “How about we make Secret Keepers only out of the books that are filled with these stereotypes?”
The group looks a bit more hopeful. “And I will sign them all out on my library card.” They nod but don’t entirely agree. “And I will take the blame if anything goes wrong.”
That last point has everyone agreeing, so we get started, searching the shelves.
When we’re done collecting, we lay all the books out on the table. There are twenty-two in total.
“What if someone wants to check one of these out in the future?” asks Charlie, looking at the stack.
I hold up one called Rumor Rescue. It has a football player on the cover carrying a crying cheerleader. We all agree that no one would miss this book.
I have to tell you that I don’t sign out many books from the school library for two reasons:
- There aren’t any business books.
- Until this year, the library was usually closed because our school didn’t have enough money for a librarian (or new books).
I walk up to the circulation desk, where our new librarian, Ms. Eleanor, is frantically trying to sign in all of the returns before the bell rings, since she teaches in the afternoon.
“Wednesday Wilson,” she says, looking at my library card. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“That’s me,” I say, passing her the book. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Ms. Eleanor turns the book over in her hand and reads the back cover. “You know, I have never seen this book before,” she tells me. “Let me know how it goes,” she calls to me as I take the book and run back to our table. Lunchtime is going by fast, and we have to get this sample done.
Charlie opens the book and flips to page ten. Then he carefully cuts a rectangle out of the middle of the page. When we’re all satisfied with the result, he cuts the same-sized rectangle out of the next few pages, sometimes doubling up pages to work faster. When he has cut through about fifty pages, he hands the book to me.
I’m amazed at how perfect it looks! From the outside, you would think it’s just a cringy book that no one wants to read, but then when you open it, it’s really a Secret Keeper!
“Now all we need to do is glue the pages together, and voilà! A working prototype!” I say.
“What’s a prototype?” asks Amina.
“A prototype is a model of the thing you’re creating,” I tell everyone.
In the few minutes before the bell rings, I check out another book from our pile. Ms. Eleanor is so happy to see me again, she gives me a bookmark. She makes the library kind of fun, and I almost feel bad for using the books for something other than reading.
We decide to make two really good prototypes: one to give to the Emmas and one to show our classmates.
Once everyone sees our Secret Keepers, the orders will start pouring in, I’m sure of it. I’m excited but also nervous. We don’t have a ton of time to save me from the wrath of the Emmas. And I don’t want to imagine what will happen if I deliver their Secret Keeper a moment too late.