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  “Please accept this asteroid as a gift. It should provide adequate income as a tourist destination for many years to come.”

  “Additionally,” said the billionaire. “I plan to move a portion of my business here to your town. I’m building my space tourism business, and I’m opening an assembly plant right here in Shiny Desert. Construction of the new plant will begin as soon as possible and we will begin hiring tomorrow. We look forward to a bright future together!”

  The crowd cheered.

  “This was all your idea, wasn’t it?” Mom asked. “I don’t know what to say. Benji, you managed to solve the town’s problems and save the planet in one swoop. You’re my very own pint-sized hero!”

  I was kind of overwhelmed by it all. It had been a crazy couple of weeks. I knew my life would never be the same again, but I also knew I wanted to try to keep from changing as much as I could.

  That’s when I heard Sir Robert say, “Folks, I can’t stand up here and take all the credit for today. There’s a young man who was the brains behind this whole thing. He’s here somewhere…”

  “He’s talking about you, Benji,” Mom said. “Get ready to go up on the stage.”

  I took Mom by the hand and quickly led her out of the crowd. “What are we doing?” Mom asked.

  “The hero never sticks around for a thank-you,” I reminded her. “Besides, I have something I want to show you.”

  I led Mom over to the ship. “Get a load of this!” I exclaimed.

  “Benji, this is very pretty, but we should be getting back.”

  “I’d rather show you something else,” I said.

  Dad ran up to us. “I lost you guys back there. Benji, Sir Robert is looking for you.”

  “Let him take the credit. I’d rather take Mom for a spin.”

  “Great idea,” Dad said. He opened the door. “After you, my dear.”

  “Where are we going?” Mom asked.

  “Trust me,” I said. We all climbed in. I called Sir Robert’s phone. His face appeared on the screen. “Benji, where are you? These people want to thank you.”

  “You enjoy it. I’m going to take my Mom for a spin if that’s all right with you.”

  “By all means. Just don’t forget to swing by and pick me up when you’re done.”

  “Will do,” I said. I hung up and told Mom to get ready.

  “Benji, do you know how to control this thing?”

  “I don’t need to. It’s already programmed.”

  “Programmed to go where?”

  “To space,” I said, pressing the launch button. The ship lifted off the ground. Mom screamed and grabbed onto Dad.

  “Will I like it?” she asked, looking terrified.

  “You’ll love it,” I said, and the ship bolted up toward outer space.

  Mom let out another scream, and then she said, “Benji, you’re too much! What on Earth are you going to accomplish next!”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “But I can’t wait to find out!”

  Raymond Bean is the best-selling author of the Sweet Farts and School Is A Nightmare series. His books have ranked #1 in Children’s Humor, Humorous Series, and Fantasy and Adventure categories. He writes for kids that claim they don’t like reading.

  Mr. Bean is a fourth grade teacher with fifteen years of classroom experience. He lives with his wife and two children in New York.

  Glossary

  access (AK-ses) — a way to enter, or an approach to a place

  adequate (AD-i-kwit) — just enough, or good enough

  adrenaline (uh-DREN-uh-lin) — a chemical that your body produces when you need more energy or when you sense danger

  chauffeur (SHOH-fur) — a person who is hired to drive a car for somebody else

  collision (kuh-LIZH-uhn) — a crash in which two or more objects hit each other

  coordinates (koh-OR-duh-nits) — numbers used to show the position of a point on a map, graph, or line

  discretion (dis-KREH-shuhn) — individual choice or judgment

  remotely (ri-MOHT-lee) — from far away in space or time

  scenarios (suh-NAIR-ee-ohs) — outlines of series of events that might happen in particular situations

  skeptical (SKEP-ti-kuhl) — doubting that something is really true

  Million-Dollar Questions

  Benji misses a lot of school to help Sir Robert. Do you think it was worth it? Is there a way that Benji could have kept his commitment to school AND solved the asteroid problem?

  Benji comes up with several ideas to save Earth from the asteroid headed toward it. Do you think he chose the best solution? Come up with some other solutions, and decide which one you think would work best if an asteroid really was about to hit Earth.

  Do you think that Sir Robert could have come up with a solution to stop the asteroid from hitting Earth on his own? Why do you think he asked for Benji’s help?

  Identify a problem that you’ve noticed in your home or classroom. Maybe your doorbell at home doesn’t work, or one of your classmates always mistakes your locker for hers. Now think like Benji! What can you do to solve this problem? What will you need?

  Benji knows his mom is trying to help out the town of Shiny Desert, so he lands the asteroid there so that it can be utilized as a tourist attraction and bring money to the town. Write a chapter that continues the story after the end of this book. What happens in Shiny Desert? Does Benji’s plan work?

  When they land the asteroid successfully, Benji doesn’t want the attention of the crowd. Write about a time when you succeeded at something. Were you embarassed by the attention it brought you?

  The fun doesn’t stop here!

  Discover more at...

  www.capstonekids.com

  Find cool websites and more books like this one at www.facthound.com. Just type in the BOOK ID: 9781434264183 and you’re ready to go!

  Benji Franklin: Kid Zillionaire

  is published by Stone Arch Books,

  a Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2014 Capstone.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on the Library of Congress website.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-6418-3 (library hardcover)

  ISBN: 978-1-4965-3941-0 (ebook)

  Summary: After inventing a best-selling computer app, Benjamin “Benji” Franklin becomes a ZILLIONAIRE! This twelve-year-old tycoon has the world in the palm of his hand. But when a meteor threatens Earth, Benji will need all his riches (and a superpowered rocket ship) to save the planet from certain doom!

  Graphic Designer: Brann Garvey

  Creative Director: Heather Kindseth

  Production Specialist: Laura Manthe