CHAPTER 1

Extraordinary Ellie

It was just another day in the city of Winkopolis. Doggies napped. Babies drooled. Neighbors chatted. Everyone was busy doing the same old ordinary things. Everyone except for the girl who lived at 8 Louise Lane.

That girl was Ellie Ultra. She was getting ready for school, quicker than a cheetah in a turbocharged rocket. It was extraordinary.

In a blink, Ellie bolted out of bed. “Oops!” she said, skidding to a stop. Her hot heels left burn marks on the rug. “I almost forgot!”

Ellie circled back around, fast as lightning. Flump! went her blanket. Plunk! went her pillow. She made her bed in two seconds flat. That way her parents wouldn’t remind her — again. Then she turned to X-ray her room.

“Super Fluffy!” Ellie cheered, spotting her stuffed dog behind the bookshelf. “I thought a super-villain had gotten you.” She plucked him out of his hiding spot, gave him a quick cuddle, and then left him on her bed.

At her closet, beams shot out of Ellie’s eyes like mini-flashlights. She X-rayed the doors, revealing her clothes behind them. The beams scanned left to right and top to bottom. Finally, they stopped and flickered — perfect outfit located!

Reaching inside, Ellie took out her Princess Power shirt and some striped leggings. In a blur, she was dressed.

After sweeping a headband into her dark curls to hold her hair out of her face, Ellie shot into the air and rocketed downstairs.

In the kitchen, Dad had just plunked down a bowl of blueberries-and-cream oatmeal. “Here’s your super-delicious breakfast,” he said as Ellie swooped into her seat. “Eat up, third grader.”

“Are you ready to start school?” Mom asked, taking milk out of the fridge.

“Yes!” Ellie answered. “I’ve been waiting for three years, one month, nine days, and six seconds . . .” She paused, checking her watch. “Seven seconds, actually.”

She had been counting the minutes until she could attend Winkopolis Elementary School for as long as she could remember. But first, she’d had some important things to learn at home, with her parents as her teachers.

In kindergarten, they’d taught her death-ray safety. In first grade, she’d learned how to stump an evil mastermind. And in second grade? That year they’d quizzed her on every super-villain in Winkopolis. Naming their weaknesses had counted for extra credit.

It hadn’t been ordinary school, but Ellie’s parents weren’t exactly ordinary. They were super-genius scientists who worked for a special group called B.R.A.I.N. Ellie wasn’t sure what B.R.A.I.N. stood for — only the actual members knew that — but she knew the group squashed super-villains, just like she did. After all, Ellie was a superhero!

But even superheroes needed to eat breakfast. Ellie tried a scoop of oatmeal. It had cooled off, so she heated it up. Cupping the bowl, her hands glowed red-hot and warmed the oatmeal all the way through.

“Two hundred and twelve degrees,” Ellie said as steam swirled in berry-sweet loop-de-loops. “Perfect!”

Mom handed her the milk, and in one gulp, Ellie emptied the carton. Then she let out a deafening BURP! that sent rumblings through the house.

Dad scrunched his forehead. “It sounds like somebody needs a super helping of manners,” he said, catching a bite of egg before Ellie’s burp could send it jiggling off his plate.

Ellie smiled weakly. “Excuse me.”

“You’re going to love Winkopolis Elementary School,” Mom said. “You’ll be able to meet lots of new friends. And the school year just started last week, so you won’t have missed much.”

Friends! Ellie thought. All her super life, she had been busy thwarting evildoers and rescuing the good citizens of Winkopolis. She never had time to play with other kids — this was her chance!

Ellie wiped her milk mustache. “The kids are probably still talking about what they did during summer break. Maybe I can tell everyone how I foiled the Winkopolis Bank robbery! Or maybe how Dad turned my room into my own secret hideout? Or . . . I know! Maybe I can talk about how I stopped that meteor from crashing into the moon? That was fun!”

“Why don’t you talk about our trip to the zoo?” Mom suggested.

“That time I saved the baby hippo?” Ellie said, her eyes brightening with excitement. Everyone in town already knew about Ellie’s superpowers. But she was sure the other kids would be extra impressed when they heard about all she’d done.

Her mom winked. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“Better get a move on,” Dad said, glancing at the clock. “You don’t want to be late for your first day.”

Ellie quickly finished her oatmeal. She also ate two-dozen eggs, a stack of pancakes, and enough bananas to feed a family of gorillas. It was an out-of-the-ordinary breakfast, but it was just right for Ellie. After all, she was an extraordinary girl.

“One more thing,” Mom said before Ellie left the table. She pulled out a shiny pink cloth. “Ta-da!”

“A cape!” Ellie squealed. She’d been begging her parents for one for months! Every honest-to-goodness superhero had a cape. And given that she was an honest-to-goodness superhero, Ellie had to have one.

Ellie fastened the cape around her shoulders and grabbed her backpack. “Now all I need is a superhero name.”

“Hmm . . . how about Super Student?” Dad replied. “But that will only work if you have the power of being punctual. Off you go!”