CHAPTER 1

Super Hamster Helper

It was just another day in the city of Winkopolis. Duckies quacked. Toddlers babbled. Mommies cooed. Everyone was doing the same old ordinary things. Everyone, mind you, but the girl who lived at 8 Louise Lane.

That girl was Ellie Ultra. She was cleaning up her classroom at Winkopolis Elementary School, faster than a falcon with rocket-powered wings. It was extraordinary.

Ellie raced across the floor like a roller coaster. She picked up puzzle pieces and building blocks at indoor recess. Outside the window, rain fell on the playground.

“Hamster coming through!” Ellie announced as a fast-moving ball rolled behind her.

Running inside was Squeak, the third grade’s new pet hamster. Squeak had fuzzy hair and puffy cheeks and twitchy whiskers. When he talked it sounded like, “Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Every day, one lucky third grader from Miss Little’s class got to be Squeak’s official Hamster Helper. That meant feeding him and giving him fresh water. It also meant making sure he got exercise.

Ellie had been waiting forever to be Hamster Helper. Finally, it was her turn. It was different than her usual superhero work. But it was still as important as busting bad guys. More than anything, she wanted to do a good job.

Ellie cleared the way as Squeak ran around in his ball. She swept up knights that had been left over from Joshua and Owen’s chess game. She pushed aside sponge blocks, which Payton and Amanda were using to build a scale model of the Gateway Arch.

On the class comfy chair, Ellie’s best friend, Hannah, was reading a comic book from her favorite series, Dance Cat Academy. The hamster raced happily toward her. “Squeak, squeak!”

Ellie quickly flexed her muscle power. She lifted the chair — with Hannah still in it — over her head.

“Cuckoo bananas, Ellie!” Hannah cried. She looked down as the ball rolled right under her. “Maybe next time, Squeak could go around the chair?”

Ellie carefully lowered her friend to the ground. “Sorry, Hannah,” she replied. “But it’s my job to look after Squeak. That means I need to stop him from running into things, like chairs or kids. Or chairs with kids in them.”

At last, the ball rolled to a stop in the corner of the room.

“Whew!” Ellie sighed. “Taking care of Squeak is tiring. Even more tiring than battling a super-villain!” She bent over to pick up the ball and accidentally bumped the desk behind her.

“Hey! Watch it, Goof Girl!” a voice snapped.

Ellie turned and saw Dex Diggs, the official class villain. Dex wasn’t a real villain. At least not like the smelly, spiky, snorty ones Ellie usually faced. But he was never up to any good.

Sure enough, Dex stuck out his tongue. Then he opened his math folder and took out an old worksheet. He folded the paper in half, expertly creasing it.

“What are you making?” Ellie asked.

“Duh!” Dex’s eyes rolled toward the ceiling. “It’s a paper airplane.”

“Miss Little said paper airplanes aren’t allowed in the classroom,” Ellie said “She doesn’t want anything flying around. Well, except superheroes.”

“I’m going to fly it after school,” Dex replied. “If you’re in the sky, you should probably watch out.” He aimed the airplane in Ellie’s direction and smiled wickedly.

Ellie held Squeak’s ball close. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe from that troublemaker,” she whispered to the hamster.

Just then their teacher, Miss Little, jingled her wind chime. Recess was over. While everyone cleaned up, Ellie walked over to Squeak’s habitat. She opened the ball and let him crawl inside, then sat down with the rest of the class.

“Girls and boys, I have a very special announcement,” Miss Little said. “It’s about our pet hamster.”

The class leaned forward eagerly.

“You have all been great Hamster Helpers during the school day,” the teacher said. “But, as it turns out, I need someone to watch Squeak this weekend. I won’t be able to bring him home like usual.” She smiled. “Do I have any volunteers?”

Hands shot up around the room.

“I’ll take care of Squeak!” Amanda offered.

“Pick me!” said Owen. “I can show Squeak my new collection of bow ties. I have a striped bow tie and a bow tie that plays music. There’s even one that lights up!”

As more kids volunteered, Ellie sat quietly. Squeak was small, but watching him for two whole days would be a big job. She didn’t want to make any mistakes.

Still, Miss Little needed someone to save her. And Ellie was a superhero, after all! After a moment, her hand went up with the rest.

“Wow, it looks like everyone wants to help,” Miss Little said. “To be fair, I’ll draw a name from our class jar.” She took out the jar, which contained the names of all her students, and shook it around. Then she pulled out a name. “Ellie Ultra.”

“Ellie?” Dex’s face soured. “She’s going to give Squeak super cooties.”

“I’ll take good care of Squeak,” Ellie promised, ignoring the villain. “I’ll feed him and give him fresh water. And I’ll protect him from space invaders.”

“I’m sure you will,” Miss Little said with a wink. “But first, ask your parents for their permission. If they’re OK with it, you can bring Squeak home on Friday.” She patted Squeak’s habitat. “Thank you for taking on the job.”

“Super Hamster Helper, at your service!” Ellie said.