CHAPTER 1
An Exciting Opportunity
The Aldens were sitting in front of the Greenfield Ice Cream Café.
“You are the best brother ever. Thank you, Henry,” six-year-old Benny said, rubbing his tummy. Henry had taken Benny and their two sisters, Jessie and Violet, out for a bike ride and a treat. Now the four children sat together quietly enjoying their ice cream cones.
The calm was suddenly broken. “Help me!” a voice called. It was Josh Greene, their neighbor. He went soaring past on his bike.
“I can’t stop!” Josh called. “I think my brakes are out!” His bike was going fast.
The Aldens looked at each other. A split second later they were all running for their bikes.
Henry zoomed down the street on his mountain bike. “Hold on tight!” he shouted to Josh.
“We’re coming!” twelve-year-old Jessie yelled. She and Violet and Benny wanted to help Josh too.
“You can’t slow down at all?” Violet called out. She was ten and she rode her purple beach cruiser as fast as she could.
“No,” Josh called back. “I think I’m going to crash!”
Brinnnggg went the bell of Benny’s bike. “I’ll save you!” Benny said. His training wheels scraped against the sidewalk as he tried to catch up.
“You’re going to have to jump, Josh!” Henry yelled. He knew there was a steep slope ahead. If Josh went downhill, it would be even harder to stop.
“Josh, head toward the park,” Jessie called. “If you have to crash, at least it’ll be on grass.”
Josh nodded. Instead of shooting straight towards the hill, he made a left on Main Street. The park was only a block away, near the town square.
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny all stopped at the edge of the park. But Josh’s bike jumped the sidewalk and kept on going.
In a swift, daring move, Josh leapt off his bike and rolled safely onto a grassy patch by the playground. Without a rider, the old bike kept on going until it finally slammed into a tree. Josh’s bike tipped over in the dirt.
The Aldens left their bikes and went running.
“I’m fine,” Josh told them. He got up and wiped loose grass off his jeans. “How’s my bike?”
“Oh dear,” Violet said, as she saw the damage.
The bike’s frame was bent. Both tires had popped.
“Bad news, Josh. Your bike is dead. D-E-A-D.” Jessie said.
“What am I going to do?” Josh groaned. “I need my bike to do my paper route.” Josh had a messenger bag on his back. “I was making deliveries when my brakes gave out.” The bag was half full with the afternoon’s newspapers. “If I don’t have my bike, I can’t work.” Josh sighed.
Jessie put an arm around Josh’s shoulders. “Let’s take it to the bike repair shop. I bet they’ll know how to fix it.”
The Aldens gathered their bikes and walked along with Josh. His bike’s flat tires made a clump, clomp sound along the sidewalk.
When they got to Jim’s Bike Shop, Josh looked at the shiny new bikes.
“I wish I could buy a new bike,” he said. “But I don’t know how I can even pay for repairs.”
“Maybe it won’t cost that much,” Henry said. “Let’s go see what Jim says.” Henry and Josh went to the back of the store.
“I’ll call Grandfather and tell him we’ll be home a little later than we planned,” Jessie said. “I don’t want him to worry.”
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny lived with their grandfather. After their parents died, they ran away and hid in a railroad boxcar. They’d heard that Grandfather was mean and even though they’d never met him, they were afraid. The boxcar became their home. They even found a dog in the woods, took him in, and called him Watch.
When Grandfather located them, it turned out that he wasn’t mean at all. They gladly went to live with him. Watch went, too. Even the boxcar went to Grandfather’s house. Now it was a clubhouse in the backyard.
While they waited for Josh and Henry, Benny and Violet looked at the new bikes. Jessie began reading flyers posted on
An Exciting Opportunity
The Aldens were sitting in front of the Greenfield Ice Cream Café.
“You are the best brother ever. Thank you, Henry,” six-year-old Benny said, rubbing his tummy. Henry had taken Benny and their two sisters, Jessie and Violet, out for a bike ride and a treat. Now the four children sat together quietly enjoying their ice cream cones.
The calm was suddenly broken. “Help me!” a voice called. It was Josh Greene, their neighbor. He went soaring past on his bike.
“I can’t stop!” Josh called. “I think my brakes are out!” His bike was going fast.
The Aldens looked at each other. A split second later they were all running for their bikes.
Henry zoomed down the street on his mountain bike. “Hold on tight!” he shouted to Josh.
“We’re coming!” twelve-year-old Jessie yelled. She and Violet and Benny wanted to help Josh too.
“You can’t slow down at all?” Violet called out. She was ten and she rode her purple beach cruiser as fast as she could.
“No,” Josh called back. “I think I’m going to crash!”
Brinnnggg went the bell of Benny’s bike. “I’ll save you!” Benny said. His training wheels scraped against the sidewalk as he tried to catch up.
“You’re going to have to jump, Josh!” Henry yelled. He knew there was a steep slope ahead. If Josh went downhill, it would be even harder to stop.
“Josh, head toward the park,” Jessie called. “If you have to crash, at least it’ll be on grass.”
Josh nodded. Instead of shooting straight towards the hill, he made a left on Main Street. The park was only a block away, near the town square.
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny all stopped at the edge of the park. But Josh’s bike jumped the sidewalk and kept on going.
In a swift, daring move, Josh leapt off his bike and rolled safely onto a grassy patch by the playground. Without a rider, the old bike kept on going until it finally slammed into a tree. Josh’s bike tipped over in the dirt.
The Aldens left their bikes and went running.
“I’m fine,” Josh told them. He got up and wiped loose grass off his jeans. “How’s my bike?”
“Oh dear,” Violet said, as she saw the damage.
The bike’s frame was bent. Both tires had popped.
“Bad news, Josh. Your bike is dead. D-E-A-D.” Jessie said.
“What am I going to do?” Josh groaned. “I need my bike to do my paper route.” Josh had a messenger bag on his back. “I was making deliveries when my brakes gave out.” The bag was half full with the afternoon’s newspapers. “If I don’t have my bike, I can’t work.” Josh sighed.
Jessie put an arm around Josh’s shoulders. “Let’s take it to the bike repair shop. I bet they’ll know how to fix it.”
The Aldens gathered their bikes and walked along with Josh. His bike’s flat tires made a clump, clomp sound along the sidewalk.
When they got to Jim’s Bike Shop, Josh looked at the shiny new bikes.
“I wish I could buy a new bike,” he said. “But I don’t know how I can even pay for repairs.”
“Maybe it won’t cost that much,” Henry said. “Let’s go see what Jim says.” Henry and Josh went to the back of the store.
“I’ll call Grandfather and tell him we’ll be home a little later than we planned,” Jessie said. “I don’t want him to worry.”
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny lived with their grandfather. After their parents died, they ran away and hid in a railroad boxcar. They’d heard that Grandfather was mean and even though they’d never met him, they were afraid. The boxcar became their home. They even found a dog in the woods, took him in, and called him Watch.
When Grandfather located them, it turned out that he wasn’t mean at all. They gladly went to live with him. Watch went, too. Even the boxcar went to Grandfather’s house. Now it was a clubhouse in the backyard.
While they waited for Josh and Henry, Benny and Violet looked at the new bikes. Jessie began reading flyers posted on
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