“Now, Robin!” whispered Batman.

Robin nodded and crashed through the skylight into the building below. Batman followed, his cape flapping quietly as he fell through the air and landed by his partner’s side.

The two heroes were in the 4th Street Library. Together, they peered around the edge of a bookcase. Four criminals in black masks and costumes surrounded an elderly librarian. She was the only one left in the small library this late at night.

“This is a robbery!” shouted the tallest crook. “Put your hands down!”

The librarian looked at him, confused.

One of the other crooks tapped the tall one on the shoulder. “Wait, shouldn’t that be ‘put your hands up?’” he asked.

“Uh, right,” said the tall criminal sheepishly. “What he said.”

Robin gave Batman a look. There was something different about these crooks.

“Give us all the money,” the tall crook ordered the librarian.

“Money?” replied the librarian. “This is a library. We loan out books for free. The only money we have is from late fines.” The librarian opened a small box on the counter. Inside were four dimes and a nickel.

Robin shot Batman another look that said, What kind of crook would rob a place that doesn’t have any money?

There was no time to worry about that now, though. Batman gave Robin the signal. Time to go to work.

Robin’s bo-staff knocked the tall crook off of his feet and bounced him off a shelf of books. He hit the floor hard.

At the same time, Batman threw a Batarang. It pinned another crook to the wall by his shirt.

The last two crooks were standing near the rear exit. Robin knew that just beyond that door was a busy street. He had been in this library many times to study. When he wasn’t fighting crime with Batman, Robin was Tim Drake, a junior high student.

If the crooks made it out to the street, Batman and Robin might lose them in the traffic. Instead of running for it, though, the crooks charged right at Batman.

Robin couldn’t believe it. Unless you’re the Joker or Mr. Freeze, you’ve got no chance against Batman, thought Robin. That’s something every criminal in Gotham City knows, except these guys. They don’t seem to know the first thing about being crooks!

As Batman wrapped up the last of the crooks, Robin went back and checked on the one he had taken down with his bo-staff. He was out cold. Robin searched his pockets. Inside he found an application to a school . . . for future villains! The school didn’t have a name or an address. The flyer just read, “You email us. We’ll find you.”

No wonder these guys made so many mistakes! realized Robin. They weren’t real criminals at all. At least, not yet. They were students learning how to be crooks!

Robin ran up to Batman and showed him the flyer.

“A school for criminals?” said Batman as he read the pamphlet.

Robin nodded. “I guess these guys were here on some kind of field trip,” he said.

“They’re not the only ones,” Batman said. He pointed to his mask. There was an earpiece hidden inside that picked up the police radio. Other classes of student criminals were on “field trips” all over Gotham. One was robbing a medical supply company. Another was at the Jewelry Exchange.

“What are we waiting for?” cried Robin. “Let’s go teach these student crooks a lesson!”

Robin started for the door, but Batman stopped him.

“No,” said Batman. “The police are reporting classes popping up all over Gotham on ‘field trips.’ We can’t chase after them all. We have to be smarter than that.”

He’s right, thought Robin. No surprise there. He’s Batman. He’s pretty much always right.

“To shut down this school,” Batman continued, “we have to find out who is running it. And there’s only one way to do that.” Batman gave Robin a look. “I think it’s time for you to go to school.”