Professor Gargoyle Read Free Page B

Personally, I’m a little old-fashioned. I still prefer the feel of a real book with real pages. The best feeling in the world, if you ask me. But we have to embrace the future, don’t we, children?”
    Mr. Loomis cleared his throat. “Class, allow me to introduce Ms. Lavinia. She’s the head librarian.”
    Ms. Lavinia put down the e-reader and walked around the media center, handing each student a full-color map on glossy paper, with all the different sections of the library labeled: biography, history, science fiction, mystery, and so on. “We’ll spend today learning how to find library books and borrow them. You’ll see I’ve written the name of a different book on every map. To complete the assignment, you need to find your book and borrow it from the library. You’re allowed to help your classmates, so let’s work together, all right?”
    Robert looked at the top of his map. His title was:
    THE ADVENTURES OF FANGS DUNGAREE, TEENAGE VAMPIRE COWBOY DETECTIVE #1: THE CASE OF THE FLAMING HORSESHOE
    By M. J. Hetter
    Section: General Fiction – Mystery – Paranormal
    Robert raised his hand. “Could I get a different book?”
    “I’m sorry,” Ms. Lavinia said, “there’s only one per student.”
    Robert couldn’t believe his rotten luck. He liked books about kids with supernatural powers, but this was ridiculous.
The Adventures of Fangs Dungaree
sounded like the dumbest book in the world.
    “If you don’t like your selection,” Ms. Lavinia continued, “you’re welcome to choose more than one title. Students may borrow up to five books at any time.”
    The other students seemed happy with their assignments and everyone quickly spread out across the library. Robert decided he would find
Fangs Dungaree
first and then use the rest of his time to find books that he would actually enjoy.
    Using the map as a guide, Robert plunged into a maze of shelves labeled G ENERAL F ICTION , and the chatter of his classmates faded behind him. After three left turns and two right turns he arrived in G ENERAL F ICTION – M YSTERY and a few steps later found himself in G ENERAL F ICTION – M YSTERY – P ARANORMAL .
    When he finally looked up again, the shelvesseemed to have grown taller. It must have been a trick of the light—the tops of the shelves appeared to be leaning over him ever so slightly, like trees blocking out the sun.
    Tracing the spines of the books with his finger, he followed the alphabet along its erratic path, from
A
to
B
to
C
to
D
. The route was slow going and full of unexpected twists and turns; the library had many more books than he’d realized.
    By the time Robert arrived in the
H
section, he felt like he had walked the length of a football field. He found all seventeen
Fangs Dungaree
mysteries by M. J. Hetter, grabbed
The Case of the Flaming Horseshoe
, and stuffed it in his backpack. Then he turned to leave but realized he couldn’t remember which direction he’d come from.
    It was weird. He’d meant to follow the alphabet backward—
H
to
G
to
F
to
E
, until he was back where he started—but somehow he’d taken a wrong turn. The surrounding books were wholly unfamiliar. Robert turned left and right and left again. Booksblurred past him; all the corridors looked the same. He consulted the map but couldn’t orient himself; somehow, he’d managed to get completely lost.
    When Robert looked up again, he saw a flash of movement—a girl in a white T-shirt, darting around a corner.
    “Hello?” Robert called.
    She didn’t stop or turn around. Robert followed her. “Excuse me? Hello?”
    The girl moved faster, slipping around another corner, just out of sight. Robert began to run, heading deeper and deeper into the seemingly endless corridors.
    From out of nowhere, he sensed a pungent odor of moldy mothballs. The smell seemed out of character for Lovecraft Middle School, where everything was sparkling and polished and brand-new.
    “Wait up!” Robert called.
    He followed the girl around a