At tack of t he Pl a nt s

At t a ck of t he Pl a nt s

by AnnMarie Anderson

TM

Ms. Frizzle’s Class

Jyoti

Arnold

Ralphie

Wanda

Keesha

Dorothy Ann

Carlos

Tim

TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: First-Day Surprise Chapter 2: New Driver at the Wheel Chapter 3: Island Adventure Chapter 4: Booting Up Chapter 5: An Invasive . . . Teacher? Chapter 6: Time-Traveling Tourists Chapter 7: Double Invasion Chapter 8: Free-Falling Chapter 9: A New Balance Glossary Ask Professor Frizzle Questions and Activities

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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.” © 2018 Scholastic Inc. Based on the television series The Magic School Bus: Rides Again. © 2018 MSB Productions, Inc. Based on the Magic School Bus® series © Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. scholastic, the magic school bus, branches, and logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. No part of this publication may be reproduced, 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. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. This book 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 available ISBN 978-1-338-29080-6 (hardcover) / ISBN 978-9-352-75612-4 (paperback) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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First edition, October 2018 Edited by Marisa Polansky Book design by Jessica Meltzer

CHAPTER 1

FIRST-DAY SURPRISE

I

t was the first day of fifth grade at Walkerville Elementary School. Arnold burst into science class and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Everything looked the same as last year. “Thank goodness!” he said. “I was afraid of what I might find when I got here. Something could have changed over the summer!” 1

“Nope, nothing different,” Keesha replied with a smile. “Except Jyoti, of course!” Keesha gestured to the newest student in their class. “Hi, Jyoti!” Arnold said. Arnold worried a lot. He liked life best when it was the same as the day before. Still, he could handle one new person. “Welcome to your first day. I’ll show you around.”

“How exciting!” Jyoti said. “From what I’ve heard about this classroom, I expected things to be a little more, well . . . magical!” 2

“Don’t worry,” Arnold replied. “It will be! But first, the normal stuff. Everybody sits in the same place every day, and we all have jobs. It’s a delicate balance!” “Cool,” Jyoti replied. “It’s like you have your own balanced ecosystem.” “According to my research, you’re right!” Dorothy Ann chimed in, tapping on her tablet. She prided herself on having an answer for everything. “An ecosystem is—” “A community of plants and animals, all with a role to play!” Ralphie said.

“So what about me?” Jyoti asked. “Where do I fit in?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon,” Arnold said confidently. “You can have Phoebe’s old seat. She went back to her old school.” Jyoti was just about to sit when she heard a bus pull up outside. Honk! Honk! The kids all rushed to the window to see who it was. Then Jyoti watched in amazement as a yellow school bus landed in front of the school, just like an airplane! 4

“That’s awesome!” Jyoti cried. “Told you,” Arnold replied. “Get ready for the Friz and her mug in”—he glanced at his watch—“14.2 seconds!” “Ms. Frizzle always gets here at exactly the same time,” Wanda explained.

“Yup,” Tim agreed. “And she puts the mug that we made her . . .” “In the exact same spot on her desk!” Wanda finished, pointing at the corner of Ms. Frizzle’s desk. The kids all looked around, wondering where Ms. Frizzle would be coming from. 5

“In three . . . two . . . one,” Arnold counted down, looking at his watch. He stopped counting, but Ms. Frizzle hadn’t appeared. “That’s weird. She’s one second late!” A moment later, a skylight window opened and a woman with red hair and a brightly printed skirt climbed down a rope and into the classroom. She was holding a box of files and the class’s pet lizard, Liz. Arnold gasped in surprise. He took off his glasses, rubbed them on his shirt, and put them on again.

“But you’re not Ms. Frizzle!” Arnold cried. “Oh, but I am, Arnold,” the woman replied as she placed the file box on her desk. “And I’m very glad you didn’t stay home from school today. “Hey, Tim!” she said enthusiastically. “Love your artwork.” Then she faced Wanda. “How was your summer at the animal rescue?”

The woman whirled around the classroom, saying hello to each student by name. Finally, she came to Dorothy Ann. 7

“D.A.!” she greeted her, using her nickname. “According to your research, you must realize that it’s—” “—a whole different Frizzle!” Dorothy Ann exclaimed.

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, and the original Ms. Frizzle entered the room. “Ms. Frizzle!” the kids exclaimed in surprise. “Whoa!” Ralphie replied, looking from one woman to the other. “Total Frizzle overload.” 8

“Actually, you can now call me Professor Frizzle, PhD,” the original Ms. Frizzle replied. “It’s the first of many changes this year. Class, please welcome your new science teacher—and my little sister—Ms. Fiona Felicity Frizzle!”

CHAPTER 2

NEW DRIVER AT THE WHEEL

W

hat?!” the kids all shouted in surprise. “This can’t be happening,” Arnold moaned. The new Ms. Frizzle smiled and headed over to her desk. She hunted through her file box and pulled out a potted plant. “Hmmm . . .” she wondered, looking around the room. “Now, where do I put my magical, crazy-growing, must-stay-in-a-pot Frizzleium vine? How about . . . here!” 10

She placed the plant firmly in the spot on the desk where Professor Frizzle’s mug used to go.

“What?!” gasped Arnold. “But, but, but . . . no!” Arnold’s protests were drowned out by Professor Frizzle. “Now, there’s so much to do today, kids!” she said. “To the bus!” 11

Illustrated early chapter books that grow readers!

Next stop . . . The Galápagos Islands to learn about invasive species!

T

he class returns from summer break to find their beloved Ms. Frizzle has been promoted, and her younger sister, Fiona Frizzle, is taking her place. But Arnold is worried. What if the new Ms. Frizzle makes a mess of things? His fears come true when she takes them on a field trip and everything goes wrong! Can Arnold figure out how to make it right again?

Look out for other adventures with Ms. Frizzle!

Full-Color APPEALS TO

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Cover art by Artful Doodlers Design by Jessica Meltzer

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ISBN 978-93-5275-612-4

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GRADE 2

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