The Great Escape Read online

  ALSO BY DR. KATE BIBERDORF

  Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments

  Kate the Chemist: Dragons vs. Unicorns

  Hi! My name is Dr. Kate Biberdorf, but most people call me Kate the Chemist. I perform explosive science experiments on national TV when I’m not in Austin, Texas, teaching chemistry classes. Besides being the best science in the entire world, chemistry is the study of energy and matter, and their interactions with each other. Like how I can use dry ice to make a Ghost or baking soda to make Moon Rocks! If you read The Great Escape carefully, you will see how Little Kate the Chemist uses chemistry to solve problems in her everyday life.

  But remember, none of the experiments in this book should be done without the supervision of a trained professional! If you are looking for some fun, safe, at-home experiments, check out my companion book, Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments. (I’ve included one experiment from that book in the back of this one—how to make magnetic slime!)

  And one more thing: Science is all about making predictions (or forming hypotheses), which you can do right now! Will Little Kate the Chemist and her friends make it out of the escape room in time? Let’s find out—it’s time for Kate the Chemist’s second adventure.

  PHILOMEL BOOKS

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

  First published in the United States of America by Philomel,

  an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 by Kate the Chemist, LLC.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  Philomel Books is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us online at penguinrandomhouse.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  Ebook ISBN 9780593116593

  Edited by Jill Santopolo.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  pid_prh_5.6.0_c0_r0

  This book is dedicated to my niece, Q.

  Escape the ordinary.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE: Getting Spooked

  CHAPTER TWO: Something Stinks!

  CHAPTER THREE: Getting Warm

  CHAPTER FOUR: The Ice Age

  CHAPTER FIVE: A Sour Moment

  CHAPTER SIX: Broken

  CHAPTER SEVEN: A Galaxy of Disappointment

  CHAPTER EIGHT: Colliding On and Off the Field

  CHAPTER NINE: Secrets to Keep

  CHAPTER TEN: Detention

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Survival Instructions

  CHAPTER TWELVE: The Clock Starts to Tick

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A Cool Setup

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Ladder to Somewhere

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN: On the Table

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Ghost Busters

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Light Will Set Us Free

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Slimed!

  CHAPTER NINETEEN: Time Is Up

  CHAPTER TWENTY: Vile Pumpkins!

  EXPERIMENT: Magnetic Slime

  CHAPTER ONE

  Getting Spooked

  Beaker (noun). A glass piece of equipment used to hold chemicals. It’s used to store and pour things and is heat, cold, and crack resistant. It’s made from a super-strong type of glass, almost like a superhero glass.

  “WHO’S READY TO UNLEASH some ghosts?” asked Ms. Daly.

  “I am!” My feet bounced, along with my ponytail. And every atom in my body. We weren’t going to release real ghosts though. Actual spooky stuff scares me.

  Instead, we were going to create ghosts in our science lab at school.

  Ms. Daly stood in the front of the class in her blue lab coat, safety goggles around her neck. “Don’t forget to put on your gloves,” she said. “This might be a competition, but safety comes first.”

  Ms. Daly was teaching a special week of science classes for our Fall Science Challenge. She’s a retired air force flight engineer. Normally, she’s in charge of the after-school chemistry club, which I never ever miss, but this week she was there during the school day, too.

  “It’s show time!” Ms. Daly pulled on her goggles, adjusting the strap around her short silver hair.

  Plucking a stopwatch out of her pocket, she peered out at the nine of us. Basically half of my fifth-grade class. While we were doing the Fall Science Challenge, the other half of my class was drumming with Mr. Graham. It would be our turn to drum tomorrow.

  “Okay, in your places,” said Ms. Daly. “We’re going to start in three minutes. All the materials are right here.” She pointed to a rectangular table next to her filled with things like plastic soda bottles, food coloring, baking soda, and lemons.

  Thrusting my chin forward, I checked out the supplies and wondered what to expect. I had to be prepared for anything. The Ghost was our first challenge, followed by something called Moon Rocks, and then Neon Brains.

  “Jeremy’s team already has their bottle,” called out Phoenix Altman, who was on my team. “That’s definitely not fair!”

  “I agree,” said Julia Yoon from the table diagonally across from ours.

  Everyone’s eyes zoomed in on Jeremy Rowe. He’s hard to miss, because he’s big with a purple streak in his blond hair. Arms folded, he stood next to his teammates, Memito Alvarez and Elijah Williams. The three blinked as if someone had taken a photo with a really bright flash.

  “Boys, I strongly suggest you put the bottle back,” said Ms. Daly in a firm voice.

  Brushing a curl off his forehead, Jeremy said extra sweetly, “I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to take it yet.” Sometimes he charms teachers, but luckily Ms. Daly doesn’t fall for stuff like that.

  “Cheating makes me so mad,” I said under my breath to my teammates, Birdie Bhatt and Phoenix.

  “I can’t believe he thought he could get away with it,” whispered Birdie, who happens to be my very best friend.

  “I can,” Phoenix said, fiddling with the macramé bracelet on her wrist. “Jeremy makes up his own rules.” Smoothing her tie-dye shirt, she sighed dramatically.

  “Boys,” said Ms. Daly. “If you don’t put back what you took, your grade will suffer.”

  Memito smacked the bottle into Jeremy’s hand. “Dude, hurry,” Memito whispered with a worried frown. But Jeremy just strolled back toward the equipment table. Meanwhile, his teammate Elijah peered up at a poster about molecules. He’s my other best friend, and I know he’d never purposefully cheat.

  “Mr. Rowe, you’re moving slower than pond water.” Ms. Daly waved her glove-covered hand. “You wouldn’t want to be the cause of your team being disqualified from winning the prize, would you?”

  All at once, Jeremy zipped across the floor. Then he banged down the bottle. “That prize is going to be ours,” he announced all matter-of-factly.

  “Sorry, but FYI, that’s going to be our team,” said Julia, crossing her arms. She is student council president and knows a thing or two about winning. She flicked her eyes knowingly at her teammates, Avery Cooper and Skyler Rumsky, the talles
t and also quietest boy in the fifth grade.

  “Actually, it’s going to be us.” I curled my arms around Birdie and Phoenix. I really wanted our team to win the prize—the chance to do the Vomiting Pumpkin demo at the Fall Festival this weekend. This year is our last Fall Festival at Franklin, since we’ll be in middle school next year. So it’s got to be epic.

  And yes, the demo is as cool and disgusting as it sounds. Green foaming goop oozes out of a jack-o’-lantern’s mouth. I’ve seen Dr. Caroline, my favorite chemist, do it on YouTube.

  I hoped that the Ghost we were about to make for the Fall Science Challenge would be just as awesome.

  I had been looking forward to the Science Challenge for weeks.

  All right, months.

  It was a tradition at Rosalind Franklin Elementary School. It came right before the Fall Festival, so in my opinion, it was the very best time of the year. Why?

  Well, some kids are into stuffed animal collections.

  Others are into certain video games. Or art, like my BFF Birdie.

  I—Kate Crawford—am all about science, especially chemistry. I was so ready to start that my mouth watered.

  You see, I wasn’t just ready to start the Science Challenge. I was ready to win it.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Something Stinks!

  Compound (noun). A compound is a substance made when two or more elements are bonded together. Like how hydrogen hitches with oxygen to form water or when besties hold hands and skip down the hallway. They become a united team—Best Friends Forever ♥

  “OKAY, YOU HAVE FIFTEEN SECONDS before the challenge begins,” said Ms. Daly. “Be prepared to read the directions on your index cards.”

  Kids snapped their goggles onto their heads. Mine were a little too tight, but I’d just have to deal with it.

  “Ready, set, you bet!” called out Ms. Daly.

  Everyone flipped over the index card with the directions for how to make the Ghost.

  “Why don’t you read it aloud,” I suggested to Phoenix. “Birdie and I will grab what we need.”

  After drawing in a deep breath, Phoenix read dramatically. “The goal is to make a spooky Ghost that reaches the finish line.”

  “What finish line?” I said, glancing around the science lab. “Where?”

  Birdie gazed up, and a smile grew on her face. “Up there!” she pointed.

  The other two teams focused on the ceiling, where yellow crepe paper hung from one side of the room to the other.

  “Aha!” I whispered. “Now I get it.”

  “In order to complete this challenge and go on to Moon Rocks,” continued Ms. Daly, “your Ghost must touch the yellow line. Remember to pick up your supplies here.”

  She pointed to the table next to a large potted cactus.

  “Our Ghost’s going to get a gold medal,” said Jeremy, twirling his pointer finger like he was number one.

  “Correction,” said Julia. “That would be ours.”

  “More like ours,” I said. “And ours is going to be like Casper, a very friendly ghost.”

  Elijah giggled, Memito shook his head, and Jeremy smirked.

  Phoenix plunked her hands on her hips. I could tell she was as serious as I was about the competition. And just as annoyed at Jeremy, too.

  Meanwhile Birdie kept on peering up at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. She’s an artist, so it didn’t faze me too much. I’m definitely used to the ways of my BFF.

  “Keep reading, please,” I urged Phoenix. “Hurry.”

  “Okay.” Phoenix shoved her long reddish-brown hair over her shoulder. “To make your spooky Ghost, you’ll first need: one empty soda bottle and a few drops of food coloring.”

  I sped to the equipment table with Birdie tagging right behind.

  “No running,” Ms. Daly called out.

  My cheeks warmed. I hate getting called out. First of all, I don’t like it when anyone’s upset with me. Second of all, I have a little more pressure than the average student at Franklin to behave. My mom just happens to be the principal.

  Believe me, it’s something I can never forget.

  Birdie and I wove around everyone as they grabbed what they needed off the materials table.

  “No pushing,” reminded Ms. Daly. “Follow our lab rules.”

  Birdie scooped up little bottles of red, yellow, green, and blue food coloring. “I can make purple and other colors,” she cried enthusiastically as I snagged an empty plastic soda bottle.

  Together, we speed-walked back to Phoenix.

  “What’s next?” I asked, trying to keep my impatience in check. Only I couldn’t help bobbing up and down in excitement.

  “You have to add water to the soda bottle,” said Phoenix, reading the card extra slowly. She over-enunciated as if she were giving a speech. It irked me, but I tried not to let it show. Glancing over at the other teams, I noticed they were all reading together silently. I zipped around to glance over Phoenix’s shoulder.

  “Next, add the food coloring and stir,” continued Phoenix. “Oh, and then add dry ice.”

  “I’m on it,” I said. “The getting water part, that is.”

  At the table in front of us, Jeremy frantically motioned to Elijah. “Hurry,” shouted Jeremy and Memito at the same time. We were obviously on the very same step of the Make-a-Ghost challenge.

  This wasn’t good.

  Elijah rushed ahead of me toward the sink. “I’m on it!”

  I huffed in frustration. There was no way I could beat him without sprinting, and I wasn’t about to do that again.

  “Hello, I’m just walking over here,” I said, smiling and waving at Ms. Daly, who stood in front of the dry ice cart. I beat Julia to the sink but was too slow to catch up to Elijah.

  “Sorry, Kate. Maybe you’ll beat me next time,” he said, grinning. “Then again, there might not be a next time.”

  “Oh, there’s always a next time!” I said in my most light-hearted voice. But I was feeling as rotten as a sulfuric compound. That’s the stuff that makes skunks reek.

  In dismay, I watched Elijah turn on the faucet full blast. As water rushed out, he hooted with happiness. Then over by Julia’s table, there was a burst of cheering.

  I whipped around to see that Julia wasn’t in line behind me after all. Instead, she gloated as she filled up the soda bottle with the water from her insulated blue drinking bottle. Avery and Skyler clapped and whooped.

  Biting my lip, I studied the speckled tile floor of the science lab. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

  Of course, my water bottle sat in the very bottom of my backpack, in the very back of the classroom. There was no way I could use Julia’s water bottle trick to pull ahead.

  “Tra la la! I don’t need to go to the sink,” Julia sang out, taunting me. As she shook the soda bottle, I could hear the ice clinking.

  “Nice and cold!” Avery called out, while Skyler smiled in his shy way.

  Wait a minute—something was off. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

  And then, faster than a speeding electron, it came to me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Getting Warm

  Temperature (noun). Most people understand that temperature indicates hot or cold. Chemically speaking, it can help us predict which way energy flows. So when the temperature is high—like in steaming hot chocolate—there are more molecules in a state of high energy (dancing around) than there are in a cool glass of milk. Energy flow sure can be tasty!

  I FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. It all had to do with dry ice. Right when we first entered the science lab, Ms. Daly had said, “If you think a glacier is cold, then try touching dry ice. Actually don’t. Never ever touch dry ice, because it’s so cold it can burn you.”

  That meant if I wanted the chemical reaction to work quickly and make the
best Ghost, one that would hit the finish line, we would need to use warm water. It would turn the dry ice into a gas way faster.

  I flipped on the faucet and water gushed out. It was sooooo cold.

  Then I waited.

  I waved my fingers through the stream, but it was still cold.

  “What’s taking you so long?” cried Phoenix. “Jeremy’s group is about to put in their dry ice. And Julia’s group already did.”

  As Ms. Daly pushed the cart with the tub of dry ice over to Jeremy’s table, the wheels rumbled over the floor. With her silver tongs, she plopped in the pellets of dry ice.

  Meanwhile, I tested the water again.

  Still lukewarm. What was wrong with the pipes at this school?

  “What are you doing?” cried out Phoenix. Birdie’s eyebrows arched in concern.

  “I’ll explain later,” I mumbled.

  “We can’t wait.” Phoenix’s mouth gaped open as she frantically pointed to the other groups. “Look at them!” I tried not to let the hiss of bubbles in the other bottles bother me.

  Jeremy, Elijah, and Memito hunched over their bottle, screaming, “Boooooooooo!” Waving their arms, they were glowing and grinning like jack-o’-lanterns.

  Meanwhile Julia, Avery, and Skyler stared in wide-eyed wonder at their experiment.

  Everyone was getting ahead. But I couldn’t let that stop us. “Don’t worry!” I called out. “We can catch up.”

  Finally, at long last, the water gushed out warm. I filled the bottle up halfway, had Birdie add in the food coloring, and then speed-walked over to the cart.

  I smiled up at Ms. Daly. “Ten pieces of dry ice please,” I said. But not in that fake innocent way that Jeremy uses. Just in my regular voice.

  “You got it, Kate,” Ms. Daly said, dropping the dry ice into my bottle. It landed in the bottle with a satisfying plunk, plunk, plunk.