CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1 THE UNEXPECTED LETTER

  CHAPTER 2 MY SUPERFAMILY

  CHAPTER 3 STUCK UP A TREE

  CHAPTER 4 LIVING IN A NORMAL WORLD

  CHAPTER 5 SPILLING THE BEANS

  CHAPTER 6 WELCOME TO THE PITS!

  CHAPTER 7 THE TOUR

  CHAPTER 8 PROFESSOR WINGUM’S FLYING CLASS

  CHAPTER 9 THE WEIRDEST TEST EVER

  CHAPTER 10 MAYHEM ARRIVES!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

  CHAPTER 1

  THE UNEXPECTED LETTER

  Okay, I know this doesn’t look good. It definitely seems like a tornado just blew through my house. I spilled a whole bag of flour, broke a window, ran through the screen door, was licked by a bunch of dogs, and even got my shoe stuck in a tree.

  But I have an excuse. Really, I do.

  It’s been a super-exciting day.

  Seriously super. Why?

  Well, hold on to your socks. . . .

  Here’s the deal:

  You ready?

  I. Mia Macarooney. Am. A. Superhero!

  For. Real. Yours truly has superpowers!

  And believe it or not, I just found out myself. In fact, my life was completely ordinary . . . until this afternoon.

  I had a normal, uneventful day at school, and my best friend, Eddie, and I walked home, just like every other single day ever. At my driveway, I checked the mailbox like I always did. Except today, there was a tattered letter covered in stamps . . . addressed to me!

  It said:

  Uhh . . . the program for in training what? This couldn’t be real.

  I wasn’t super. How could I be? I don’t have superpowers! I’d definitely know if I did, right? Plus, I have a bit of a reputation for causing chaos and mayhem wherever I go.

  I never mean to . . . but the truth is, I’m a total disaster-machine! Like one time I kicked a soccer ball that broke a steel goalpost in half. Another time, I flooded the hallways after using the water fountain.

  So, you see what I mean? This couldn’t be real.

  I flipped over the letter to see if it said “GOTCHA!” on the back.

  Nope. Nothing.

  So I ran inside and triple-checked.

  “You read that right. It’s true, honey!” my mom exclaimed when I showed her the letter. “We’ve been waiting forever. We went to the PITS too!”

  I looked up at her in total shock.

  “This letter sure traveled a long way. We’re thrilled for you, honey! You won’t be too far behind,” she said.

  “Behind?” I asked.

  “Well, you see, most kids start their training in kindergarten,” Dad said.

  I grabbed the piece of paper and read it again.

  “No way! My letter is three years late?” I exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll catch up as fast as lightning!” my dad said with a wink.

  So just like that, I got the biggest, most unbelievable, best news ever! Can you believe it? All this time I thought I was a super-klutz . . . but turns out, I’m just super! And I always have been!

  CHAPTER 2

  MY SUPERFAMILY

  “You might want to sit down for this,” Mom said with a huge grin on her face.

  I nervously backed into a chair as my cat, Chaos, jumped onto my lap.

  “We’re so happy we can finally tell you the Macarooney super-secret,” Mom began slowly. “We’re a family of superheroes!”

  My jaw dropped to the floor.

  “No way! So you’re not really a flight attendant?” I asked.

  “Of course I am!” she said, “But truth is, I can fly without a plane.”

  Okay, hold on. Did you just hear that?

  This day has officially gone from really normal to really cool superfast.

  “Wait a minute! Then are you really a veterinarian?” I asked my dad.

  “Sure am! And I can talk to animals, too,” he said. “Here, let me show you.”

  My dad looked straight into Chaos’s eyes and started meowing . . . just like her!

  And believe it or not, my cat stood up and did a triple backflip onto the ground!

  “Atta girl!” my dad said as they fist-bumped each other.

  I sat back in shock, trying to take it all in. I couldn’t believe it. I still had so many questions. But here’s what I just learned: My cat is way smarter than I thought, my parents are real superheroes . . . and SO. AM. I!

  “This is AWESOME!” I finally yelled out.

  “Oh, Mia. We’re thrilled for you!” my mom exclaimed. “We have to celebrate!”

  “I know we already made cookies, but this news calls for more dessert!” my dad said.

  I nodded excitedly. My dad always had good ideas.

  Well, it was a good idea . . . until I plopped the bag of flour down on the counter. POOF!

  Flour got all over my face and even up my nose! Then Chaos started to run in circles, making the mess EVEN BIGGER!

  I tried really hard to ignore the tickle in my nose, which turned out to be another not-so-good idea . . . because I sneezed so loudly that the big kitchen window CRACKED!

  I swear I didn’t mean to make things worse.

  But it was too late. The noise made Chaos run off in an absolute frenzy.

  I quickly wiped my eyes and ran after her. But as I rounded the corner, I tripped and fell . . . and my sneaky cat ran off with my shoe!

  So obviously, I chased after her as fast as I could.

  The only problem is, my top speed is a little too fast, even in crazy cat emergencies like this, because I tore through the screen door . . . and now there’s a giant hole in it as big as me!

  CHAPTER 3

  STUCK UP A TREE

  Whoops!

  I swear I didn’t mean to burst through the door.

  But believe it or not, I’m pretty used to craziness like this. Me and my cat both are! That’s why I named her Chaos. She just loves messes!

  And unfortunately for me, she’s also really good at running away.

  “Chaos! Where are you?” I hollered as I looked around my backyard.

  I kept yelling until I heard a soft cry.

  From all the way up a tree!

  “Chaos! What are you doing up there?” I exclaimed. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she couldn’t get down. I started pacing back and forth nervously.

  You see, I know I can climb up . . . because I am pretty strong. The only problem is, I absolutely hate heights. So I stood still, thinking really hard about what to do, when all of a sudden, there was a loud noise.

  Oh no! Did I somehow break the fence just by thinking?

  I know it sounds crazy. But now that I’m a SUPERHERO, anything can happen, right?

  I held my breath, expecting the fence to break. But instead, a pack of dogs bounded over, circled me, and started barking.

  I froze with my hands over my ears until I heard someone call my name.

  “Don’t worry, Mia! They won’t hurt you,” my dad exclaimed. “They heard Chaos’s cry and came over to warn me!”

  Then my dad ran over and started barking at the dogs. Every single one of them immediately calmed down.

  “Ah, that’s better,” Dad said with a grin.

  “And don’t worry, Chaos!” Mom exclaimed. “I’ll be right there!”

  My mom then flew into the air as my jaw dropped to the ground.

  Whoa. Did you just see that? MY MOM CAN REALLY FLY!

  When she landed with Chaos safely in her arms, I ran over and gave them a huge hug.

  I can’t believe my parents just saved the day!

  CHAPTER 4

  LIVING IN A NORMAL WORLD

  “Wow, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to . . . ,” I began as we walked back into the house.

  “It’s okay, Mia. I’m just glad you and Chaos are safe,” my mom replied.

  “And luckily, we have some extra help!” Dad said, pointing to the dogs.

  Wait, hold on. Did I just not get into trouble?

  That’s not what I was expecting . . . but I could definitely get used to this!

  My dad then gave each dog a job. They immediately started cleaning food, books, and cushions off the ground.

  “This is amazing!” I cried. “With your powers, this mess will be gone in a flash!”

  “Oh, Mia, you’ll learn all kinds of super-skills at the PITS,” Mom said with a smile. “But it’s important to know that with great power comes great responsibility.”

  “Like protecting you and saving Chaos, for example,” Dad continued. “That’s what superheroes do!”

  “But since we live in a normal world, we also have to protect ourselves,” Mom explained, “by maintaining our secret identities.”

  “That’s why we hold everyday jobs, why you will still go to your regular school, and why we do most things the old-fashioned way . . . with a few special exceptions,” Dad added with a wink.

  Then he turned to the hole in the screen door and shot lasers out of his hands! And just like that it was repaired.

  “Wow. That’s awesome!” I exclaimed as I grabbed a regular old broom.

  Luckily, even without any special help, we finished cleaning in no time. Then we made brownies by hand, just like we had planned.

  But as I was washing up, I realized there was just one tiny problem.

  “Mom, how am I supposed to keep this super-secret from everyone?” I asked.

  “Oh, don’t wor ry. You can’t possibly keep it a secret from everyone,” Mom replied. “Even superheroes need people they can trust.”

  “Oh thank goodness!” I exclaimed.

  This was great news . . . because I am absolutely terrible at keeping secrets. Especially from Eddie.

  So as soon as the oven beeped, I grabbed some brownies, shoved the acceptance letter into my pocket, and ran out the door.

  CHAPTER 5

  SPILLING THE BEANS

  “These brownies look delicious, Mia!” Eddie’s mom exclaimed when she opened the door.

  “Oh yes! They’re yummy, Mrs. Stein!” I replied as I gave her one.

  Then I ran to Eddie’s room and burst open the door. I may have pushed a little too hard though because a gust of wind blew through the room!

  I lifted my hand to make it stop. And thankfully, it worked! The wind calmed down. The only problem was, everything else froze too!

  Oh man. I have no idea what I just did. But see that kid over there? The one who looks totally surprised? His name is Edison Stein, or Eddie for short, and he’s my best friend.

  He’s supersmart. And he always has my back. Even when I cause mayhem. In fact, remember how I broke the goalpost? Well, Eddie was the goalie. And he told our coach that the post was already broken . . . and our coach believed it!

  So I’m hoping Eddie won’t be too mad about this. It looks like he’s busy working on something super-important.

  All I need to do is figure out how to unfreeze him.

  “Umm . . . melt!” I commanded.

  Nothing.

  “Undo!”

  Nope.

  “Simon says?”

  I tried.

  After a dozen commands, I gave up and reached my hand out in front of me.

  And that actually worked!

  “Uh, Mia?” Eddie called out. “Is that you?”

  “Sorry! I got a little too excited,” I replied.

  “To bring me brownies?” he asked doubtfully as he grabbed one.

  “Oh yeah, these brownies are so good,” I replied as I took a deep breath. “But I’ve got something to tell you . . . and you have to promise you won’t tell a soul.”

  So we did our secret handshake.

  “Okay. This is crazy, but . . . I just found out that I’m not a super-klutz. I’m actually super!”

  “Of course you are. You’re great!” Eddie replied.

  “No, like for real! I just found out I have . . . superpowers!”

  He took a bite of his brownie and looked at me, clearly confused.

  “Here, I have proof,” I continued, pulling out the letter.

  I filled him in on the mess that I made at my house, and then I waited patiently.

  He flipped over the paper just like I had and read it again.

  Still nothing. So I waited some more.

  Then, after what felt like forever, he looked up at me with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.

  CHAPTER 6

  WELCOME TO THE PITS!

  The next day, after the longest English class ever, my parents came to pick me up early. We were going to the PITS together for the first time . . . and I couldn’t wait!

  When we finally left, I expected to see a jet. Or a hovercraft. Or even a submarine! Because after all, we were going top secret superhero training academy, so it would only make sense to arrive in style, right?

  So obviously, I couldn’t believe it when we simply walked to an empty, abandoned warehouse . . . that was right next to my school!

  “Umm . . . is the jet inside here?” I asked.

  “The what?” my mom asked with a laugh. “No, honey. We’re here!”

  Wait. This must be a mistake. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?

  This is an empty warehouse. This can’t possibly be it!

  There’s even a crooked DO NOT ENTER sign dangling on the side.

  I was about to tell her that we were definitely in the wrong place, when she reached out and straightened the sign.

  Then guess what happened?

  The concrete bricks shifted around . . . until a hidden screen popped up!

  My parents knew exactly what to do. My mom and dad stood still. Then they opened their eyes wide as a red light carefully scanned their faces.

  When the light turned green, a secret entrance appeared . . . out of nowhere!

  A tall, elegant woman in a sleek, black skintight suit was waiting for us as soon as we walked in.

  “Ah, it’s so great to see you!” she said as she gave my parents a hug.

  “Oh wow, and you must be Mia!” she exclaimed happily. “Welcome to the PITS! My name is Dr. Sue Perb.”

  When we arrived at the main lobby, I couldn’t believe my eyes! From the outside this building looked like a boring, old warehouse. But on the inside, there were floor-to-ceiling windows and huge forty-foot-tall screens everywhere!

  “Welcome to the Compass!” Dr. Perb exclaimed. “If you ever get lost, all you need to do is come back to the heart of the PITS.”

  I looked around in awe as we stood in the middle of a gigantic compass that was in the marble floor.

  The crazy thing is, this wasn’t even the coolest part!

  Because there were actual real-life superheroes everywhere!

  Dr. Perb must have seen my mouth hanging open because she turned to me and said, “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? We have the best superheroes teaching here. You’re in good hands, Mia.”

  Wait. Did you hear that? That man with the winged suit is going to be my teacher!

  And just when I thought things couldn’t get any cooler, she led us into the fanciest headmistress’s office EVER.

  “First, we need to scan and secure your identity,” Dr. Sue Perb said as she offered us seats. “So that you can enter the building!”

  She typed away on her computer as a drone camera scanned my entire body.

  “You are now in the PITS Superhero Database!” she exclaimed minutes later. “You will get a full tour tomorrow, but I called you in before any students arrive because today is the first and last day you will come as Mia Macarooney. Starting tomorrow, you are to come in your supersuit. You’ll also be registered into our database under your very own superhero name! It’s our top priority to protect your secret identity.”

  “But . . . I don’t have a supersuit or a name!” I replied.

  “Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of the supersuit,” she said. “But your superhero name is up to you. You’ll know exactly when you find it . . . but until then, simply going as ‘Mia’ is just fine.”

  Then she pulled a green leaf on her desk plant, and she spoke into it. “Professor Stu Pendus, please come in.”

  A wall panel opened up, and a man burst out, shimmering in green.

  “Mia, meet Professor Stu Pendus! He’s the mastermind behind everyone’s supersuit . . . including yours!”

  Professor Stu Pendus led me into a huge room stocked with colorful fabrics, took my measurements, and started pulling things off the shelf.

  A lot of them were supercrazy.

  And weird.

  And totally not me.

  Until finally, we found it: the perfect suit.

  CHAPTER 7

  THE TOUR

  At school the next day, the morning passed by incredibly slowly. I was so nervous that I couldn’t sit still! But can you blame me? Today was my first day at the PITS, and I couldn’t wait to meet other superheroes just like me!

  I tapped my pencil on my desk as I watched the clock. When the bell rang, I jumped up as Eddie came over.

 

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