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111 pages

English

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Readers will laugh along with all the misadventuresand sneak a peek behind the Hollywood curtainin this sweet and funny novel. When Mitchell Mathis moves to Hollywood with his academic parents, he soon realizes hes the only ordinary kid in a school of the powerful and famous. Theres Skywalker Wong, whose parents are special effects gurus. And Julia Jodie Schwartz, named after her agent fathers two highest-earning clients. And Dash Silverman, whose parents write the movies that everyone else seems to have memorized. In an attempt to feel like less of an outsider, Mitch goes to an open casting call, where he ends up being cast in a soda commercial that launches a popular catchphrase. Suddenly hes on TV, signing autographs, and riding in limos. But when the ad starts getting negative attention and he doesnt have time for his old friends and interests, fame doesnt seem like so much fun anymore. Hell need all his acting skillsand the help of his Hollywood-savvy classmatesto figure out how to go back to being a normal kid again. Praise for the work of Maiya WilliamsBookSense PickInternational Reading Association Intermediate Fiction AwardSouthern California Booksellers Association Childrens Book PrizeThe fast-paced plot and smooth transition from everyday life to fantasy adventure make this a good choice for reluctant readers. School Library JournalFast-paced historical hi-jinks . . . VOYAVivid . . . deftly combines fantasy and historical fiction . . . Its a trip well worth the time. New York Times Book ReviewAction-packed and laden with good-natured humor, Williamss tale is a journey worth taking. Publishers WeeklyPraise for TheFizzy Whiz Kid"Seriously committed film industry wannabes as well as erstwhile daydreamers will find a lot of good information here about how Hollywood magic gets made. TheBulletin of the Center for Children's BooksWilliams breezy tale is as addictive and bubbly as a Fizzy Whiz itself, and her experience in the entertainment industry packs real value into her descriptions of auditions, movie sets, and agent negotiations. Booklist

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Publié par	ABRAMS BOOKS
Date de parution	14 janvier 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781613120033
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

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THE FIZZY WHIZ KID
Maiya Williams
ALSO BY MAIYA WILLIAMS
THE GOLDEN HOUR THE HOUR OF THE COBRA THE HOUR OF THE OUTLAW
PUBLISHER S NOTE: THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. NAMES, CHARACTERS, PLACES, AND INCIDENTS ARE EITHER THE PRODUCT OF THE AUTHOR S IMAGINATION OR ARE USED FICTITIOUSLY, AND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS, EVENTS, OR LOCALES IS ENTIRELY COINCIDENTAL.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA WILLIAMS, MAIYA. THE FIZZY WHIZ KID / BY MAIYA WILLIAMS. P. CM.
SUMMARY: MOVING TO HOLLYWOOD WITH HIS ACADEMIC PARENTS, ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD MITCH FEELS LIKE AN OUTSIDER IN HIS SCHOOL, WHERE EVERYONE HAS CONNECTIONS TO THE POWERFUL AND FAMOUS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, UNTIL HE IS CAST IN A SODA COMMERCIAL THAT LAUNCHES A POPULAR CATCHPHRASE.
ISBN 978-0-8109-8347-2 [1. FAME-FICTION. 2. MOVING, HOUSEHOLD FICTION. 3. HOLLYWOOD (LOS ANGELES, CALIF.) FICTION.] I. TITLE. PZ7.W66687FI 2010 [FIC]-DC22
TEXT COPYRIGHT 2010 MAIYA WILLIAMS ILLUSTRATIONS COPYRIGHT 2010 MICHAEL KOELSCH BOOK DESIGN BY CHAD W. BECKERMAN
PUBLISHED IN 2010 BY AMULET BOOKS, AN IMPRINT OF ABRAMS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PORTION OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, MECHANICAL, ELECTRONIC, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, OR OTHERWISE, WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER. AMULET BOOKS AND AMULET PAPERBACKS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF HARRY N. ABRAMS, INC.
PRINTED AND BOUND IN U.S.A. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
AMULET BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE AT SPECIAL DISCOUNTS WHEN PURCHASED IN QUANTITY FOR PREMIUMS AND PROMOTIONS AS WELL AS FUNDRAISING OR EDUCATIONAL USE. SPECIAL EDITIONS CAN ALSO BE CREATED TO SPECIFICATION. FOR DETAILS, CONTACT SPECIALMARKETS@ABRAMSBOOKS.COM OR THE ADDRESS BELOW.
FOR ROBIN AND BLAKE WITH LOVE
CONTENTS
1 The New Kid
2 The Force
3 The New me
4 Like a Bunch of Cattle
5 You Like Bubbles?
6 Don t Bump into the Furniture
7 Fizzy Whiz Kid
8 Celebrity
9 Enter the Agent
10 Arabian Nights
11 Welcome to the Jungle
12 King of the Hill
13 A Cold Winter in L.A.
14 Sugar
15 Crash Course
16 The Actor from Hell
17 The Last List
Acknowledgments
The Fizzy Whiz Kid
1 The New Kid
SOME PEOPLE RACE DIRT BIKES. SOME people collect snow globes. Some people build boats in a bottle. My mom s hobby is baking desserts. Man, do I love her hobby-it s so much better than boats in a bottle! My dad s hobby also happens to be his job. He s an entomologist, which is a scientist who studies bugs. I don t like his hobby as much; it s kind of weird. Actually, I have a pretty weird hobby myself. I make lists.
WHY I LIKE LISTS
1. Useful for organizing thoughts
2. Fast way to give information to others
3. Easier to read than paragraphs
I ve been making lists since first grade, when I first learned how to write. Nobody knows why; it s a family mystery.
OTHER FAMILY MYSTERIES
1. Why does my mom always get the hiccups when she laughs?
2. Why is my dad the only person on the planet who loves cockroaches?
3. What is that weird smell coming from the back of the refrigerator?
4. Why do people in uniforms make my mom nervous?
5. Why does my mom care so much about manners?
6. Why do we keep moving?
The family-mystery list could go on for pages. But instead of that, here s a list about me.
FACTS ABOUT MITCHELL MATHIS
Age twelve, sixth grade
Average height, weight
Pretty good student, but no Einstein
Pets: black Labrador retriever- Bandit
Favorite book: The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling
Favorite food: fried chicken, Mom s chocolate cake
Favorite sports: baseball, football, ice hockey
Favorite car: yellow Lamborghini
Favorite animal: big cats (jaguars, tigers, lions, cheetahs, etc.)
Favorite activities: making lists, handball, skateboarding, juggling, magic, playing with Bandit, playing guitar, going to the opera (no lie!), exploring, and discovering stuff
Biggest fear: looking like an idiot
Best personal trait: I ve got guts
FIVE THINGS THAT TAKE GUTS
1. Skateboarding on the highway
2. Staring down a pit bull with a pork chop tied to your neck
3. Standing in front of a 100 mph fastball, with no helmet
4. Eating fifty hot chili peppers with no bread or water
5. Starting a new school after fall session has already begun
Okay, I haven t done the first four things. But I ve done the fifth thing on the list many times, and when this whole mess started I was going to do it again. Frankly, I d prefer to eat the fifty chili peppers.
You may not think it s very hard to start a new school after it s already begun, but you would be very, very wrong. This has been my experience: Weeks before I even get there, somebody s know-it-all mom hears that a new kid (me) is moving into the neighborhood and will be attending the school. She tells her kid. Her kid takes this news to the classroom, and the rumors about the new kid (me) start flying: I m a genius, I m a dummy, I m rich, I m poor, I was kicked out of my last school, I m in the witness protection program, I have an identical twin brother growing out of my left shoulder. (None of these things is true. See Facts About Mitchell Mathis list.)
Then the big day arrives. I check in at the office. The principal walks me down the hall, like a prisoner on his way to his execution. The principal opens a door, interrupting the class, and introduces me. He gets my name wrong, so I politely correct him. After he leaves, the teacher finds a seat for me, usually one within spitball distance of the meanest kid in the class. Then she assigns somebody to be my buddy, usually the class egghead. For the rest of the day, I m stuck walking around the school with the guy nobody else would be caught dead with, who tells me a lot of boring details about the school but leaves out the real important stuff.
STUFF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT A SCHOOL
1. Which bathroom is the good one (safest, least gross, etc.)
2. Which cafeteria food is nasty and which is okay
3. Which water fountains will spray you in the face, and which ones just give a dribble
4. Which yard monitors are the crabbiest
5. Which bullies deliver expert wedgies
This last point is important. I ve gotten a lot of wedgies in my day, and they are not pleasant. But I ve learned from my mistakes. The main thing I ve learned is that first impressions are everything.
TEN THINGS NOT TO DO ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (BECAUSE THEY MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A JERK)
1. Don t get a haircut the day before.
2. Don t wear brand-new white sneakers.
3. DON T HAVE YOUR MOM WITH YOU. (Seriously, don t.)
4. Don t wear pants that are too short.
5. Don t wear hats, jewelry, or cowboy boots.
6. Don t carry a lunch box with a picture of a TV show on it.
7. Don t reveal that you like opera music.
8. If you re really good at something, like, for instance, juggling, don t juggle until at least a month goes by, or people will think you re a show-off.
9. Don t hang around with the class egghead.
AND MOST IMPORTANT :
10. DON T STAND OUT.
But here s the thing about lists-no matter how much you try to use them to prepare yourself, sometimes they let you down. Sometimes they re not complete, and you don t know it until it s too late. I went over that list a hundred times, but nothing could prepare me for DeMille Elementary. I didn t know it then, but I was already doomed.
My family had just moved to Hollywood, California, and we hadn t fully settled in yet. Our house was filled with packing boxes, and I didn t know where anything was, so we had to buy a backpack, even though I already had one that I really liked packed in a box somewhere. Of course the stores didn t have very many backpacks left, but I managed to get one that didn t look too stupid.
Remember: First impressions are everything.
My mom dropped me off at the principal s office, where I met Principal Lang. He led me out of the main building and past a bunch of long, rectangular buildings called bungalows. Each one held two classrooms. He opened the door to bungalow twelve, and all eyes shifted to the source of the disruption: me. I can read people pretty well. You could even say I m gifted in that area. Those eyes were all saying the same thing: I m glad I m not you, you poor jerk.
Excuse me, Mrs. Samuelson, Principal Lang said. I d like to introduce your new student. This is Matthew Mitchell. He ll be joining your class .
It s Mitchell Mathis . I said.
What?
My last name is Mathis, I repeated a little louder. Mitch Mathis.
I m sorry. Anyway, Mitchell comes to us from St. Paul, Minnesota. I m sure everyone here will make him feel welcome. Principal Lang paused to admire the autumn wall decorations and then clapped his hands together. Well! I ll leave you to it! He couldn t get out of the classroom fast enough.
Mrs. Samuelson was middle-aged, with short, gray-brown hair, glasses, and a stocky build, and something about her made me like her right away maybe it was the fact that she kind of smelled like pancakes.
Mitchell, why don t you take that empty seat? Mrs. Samuelson pointed to the front desk in the third row, the one right in front of a kid with jet-black hair that fell over one of his eyes, making him look like a punk pirate. He wore a black T-shirt with a skull on it, black jeans, and green sneakers, and he had a diamond stud in his nose. He was fidgeting with a ballpoint pen, clicking it in and out, in and out, in and out, click click click . Already I wanted a new seat.
You came at a very good time, Mrs. Samuelson continued. We re right in the middle of social studies, and this week we are doing a lesson on heritage and family history. Today we are talking about our names. You see, your name says a lot about you, your parents, and their values. Everyone was given the assignment to find out where his or her name came from. She looked out at the class. Who would like to start?
A flurry o