That Saturday the craft clubhouse came to life—loudly—as all four friends sawed, sanded, painted, and decorated their race cars.
Emily, the master builder, was in charge of wheel alignment. She carefully inspected each car to ensure a smooth ride. When she finished, the friends lined up their cars to admire them.
Sam’s was, of course, beautifully painted with bright swirls of color. He had named his Rainbow Racer.
Maddie’s car was purple and paisley and had a sequined fabric racing skirt around the bottom. Hers was called the Fast and the Fabulous.
Emily’s car was called Solid Gold since it was definitely solid and Emily had spray-painted nuts and bolts gold and applied them to her car.
Bella called her car the Dream Machine.
“What are all those doodads you’ve got on there?” asked Maddie.
“My Dream Machine doesn’t have ‘doodads,’ ” said Bella. “Those are sensors that can measure the amount of air left in its tank, plus compressed air and also a hose to reinflate it!”
“I think it’s race time!” Emily said excitedly.
The four friends carried their cars out to Bella’s driveway. Using chalk, they marked a starting line, race track, and finish line. Maddie brought along a checkered starting flag she had made too.
With balloons inflated, they positioned the four cars next to one another. Together they chanted, “On your marks, get set . . . GO!”
Everyone let go of their balloons and jumped back.
Three cars blasted off.
But the Dream Machine sputtered. Then scooted. Then stopped only an inch from the starting line.
Bella picked it up while her friends chased after their speeding cars. She felt a rush of the same embarrassment.
If she couldn’t make a simple balloon-powered car, how would she be able to make it on the robotics team?
