Billy Sure Kid Entrepreneur and the Everything Locator Read online

  “I have to admit, I’m glad we didn’t move to Italy,” says Mom, pouring some wonton soup into a bowl. “Lots of lasagna, but we would have missed the food from here!”

  I nod and moan my agreement, lo mein dangling from my mouth. Everyone looks at my older sister Emily, waiting for her to comment—something that is always unpredictable— but she says nothing.

  “And I am completely unpacked!” Dad says proudly, dumping fried rice onto his plate.

  I wonder if he knows just how bad of a job he did with the unpacking.

  I reach in to grab an egg roll. That’s when I realize that not only is Emily quiet, but she also hasn’t had a single bite of food or even taken any to eat. Her plate is completely clean.

  Of course, the less Emily eats, the more there is for me, but it’s still weird since Emily loves Chinese food. She sits at the other end of the table, arms crossed in front of her. I wonder what she’s grumpy about today.

  “Come on, Em, at least try the lo mein,” Mom says. “The noodles are soft.”

  Emily grunts but remains tight-lipped.

  Maybe this is just Emily’s latest “thing,” I think. My sister is known for her “things.” Let’s see . . . some of Emily’s things have including wearing glasses without lenses, speaking only in a British accent, painting each of her fingernails different colors, and her latest (before whatever this one is now)—using random Italian words incorrectly when she thought we were all moving to Italy.

  After my fourth helping of lo mein, I’m full. I help clear the table. When I’m done, I head upstairs to resume my game. It’s time for level two where I’ll have to defeat the EVIL SUPER SAND FLY STORM!

  From the Sandbox to the Office

  A huge wave slams me in the back of the head, knocking me down into the ocean. I’m completely underwater, yet somehow I can still breathe. A colorful tropical fish swims by and I pause to admire its beauty.

  Just as I’m doing that, the fish turns into a shark. It races toward me with its mouth wide open!

  Sandbox! I think. I’m just playing Sandbox. The shark is not real.

  But wait! I’m in the game . . . not my avatar. And I’m about to be devoured by the shark!

  I swim as fast I can away from the shark and back to the beach, which is when a giant sand monster sends me back into the water!

  I’m going down . . . down . . . down. . . .

  Until another colorful fish swims up to me and says, “It’s only a game, after all.”

  A talking fish?! Something is wrong here.

  And that’s when I wake up.

  I sit up in bed and discover that I’m still dressed in the clothes I wore yesterday. Next to my pillow is my laptop, with Sandbox on the screen. The theme music is still playing.

  Okay, I know I only started yesterday, but I think it’s already time for me to put the game away for a while.

  I quickly shower, feed Philo, and grab some breakfast.

  “Wanna go for a walk, buddy?” I ask Philo as he finishes his breakfast and licks the bowl clean.

  Philo’s ears perk up at the word “walk,” and he scampers to the front door.

  I head outside, hop on my bike, and take off on a morning ride. Philo trots beside me. I start to daydream . . . and wonder what would happen if right now a three-headed sand monster showed up!

  Yeah . . . definitely a little too much Sandbox.

  As we continue our walk, Ding! I get an incoming text from Manny.

  HQ today?

  I glance at Philo, who has just finished his business, and text back:

  K. See ya in a few!

  I stop at home for a brief second to tell Mom where I’ll be and grab my laptop. Then I ride my bike to the World Headquarters of Sure Things, Inc.—a.k.a. Manny’s garage.

  When I get there, I hop off my bike and head inside. Philo follows me and immediately curls up in his doggy bed—just another day at the office for Philo.

  “Thanks for stopping by, Billy,” says Manny. Then he gets right down to business. “I’ve reviewed the sales figures for our inventions for the year so far, and come up with some pretty cool marketing strategies for all of our products, not just the new stuff. I’m talking about the All Ball, the Sibling Silencer, and all the others. We need to revamp all of our efforts across the board. You know, to remind people where it all started for Sure Things, Inc.”

  That’s my friend Manny. I love his dedication, though sometimes I worry that he works too hard and doesn’t have enough fun. Just don’t tell him I think that!

  “That all sounds great. But what do you need me for?” I ask.

  “Well, I’m thinking this marketing strategy would be best launched alongside a new product,” Manny begins.

  Uh-oh, I know where this is going . . .

  “So, even though it’s summer vacation, I think we should start working on our Next Big Thing,” says Manny, like coming up with a new invention is no big deal.

  I grimace.

  “I’m not really ready yet, Manny,” I say, figuring he’ll certainly understand. “I mean, you know how much I love inventing, but I don’t want to feel pressured. We both worked really hard all school year, not to mention everything that’s happened with Sure Things, Inc. I just want to chill. Play some Sandbox, ride my bike, you know. Just for a little bit.”

  This isn’t the first time I’ve wanted to relax. But come on. This is summer vacation we are talking about!

  Manny frowns, something he doesn’t usually do.

  “Billy, we can’t just stop inventing over summer break. We’re an invention company. That’s what we do. We don’t loaf around on the beach. We invent.” Manny shakes his head and continues. “Companies always need new products. That’s what being in business means. Customers and retailers have short memories. If we wait too long, we’ll lose valuable retail space to other companies. And once that happens we may never get it back.”

  I don’t know what to say. Manny knows a lot more about business than I do, so he’s probably right about all this.

  But also I really want a summer vacation. “Okay, Manny, just let me finish this level and then we’ll talk about a new invention.” I pull out my phone and start playing the mobile version of Sandbox.

  But Manny isn’t done yet.

  “Billy, what’s the point of playing that video game?” he asks. “Or any video game, really? Why pretend that you’re doing something exciting when you can actually do something exciting, like invent a new product?”

  A tense silence fills the room. I try to focus on my game, but I feel Manny staring at me.

  “C’mon, partner,” Manny says, breaking the silence. “Can’t we think of something together? We always do.”

  I hear what Manny says, but I ignore him. Partly because I’m a little annoyed at how insistent he is. It’s like he’s not listening to what I have to say. And partly because I’m locked into Sandbox again, where I’m about to roll a giant ball of wet sand over an army of radioactive crabs. If I can destroy the creatures in the next ten seconds, I’ll advance to the next level.

  I steer the sloppy ball of sand toward the glowing red crabs, but they’re cleverer than I thought. They form lines and start crawling in a bunch of different directions. My wet sand ball rolls right past them.

  I want to make it to the next level, and I also really don’t want to be having this conversation with Manny right now. As I plan my next attack against the crabs, KER-BLAM! A brilliant idea pops into my head!

  “Why don’t you invent something, partner?” I say, anxious to remain focused on the game. “Instead of staring at your spreadsheets all day?”

  The running-out-of-time music starts playing. . . .

  Within seconds, I’m surrounded. Mutant radioactive crabs rush at me from all sides. There’s only one way out of this . . . and I take it. I dive into the water and begin my warrior’s magic chant:

  Ocean power within my hand, unleash your fury upon the sand!

  A huge wave rises up, cr
ashes onto the beach, and pulls all the radioactive crabs into the ocean.

  Bing-boong! the game rings out, indicating that I have advanced to the next level. I press pause, then turn to Manny. And that’s when it hits me.

  Did I just tell Manny to invent?!

  “All right,” Manny replies calmly. “Maybe I will. Maybe you’ll have to start calling me Manny Reyes, Kid Entrepreneur!”

  He’s not done yet.

  “Actually, I think it’s a great idea,” he continues. “And you, Billy, can manage the business side, since you also enjoy staring at screens all day.” He points to the screen on my phone, where giant jellyfish are starting to plan an attack against my avatar.

  Manny is smiling, but I feel bad.

  I can’t believe I was so short with Manny. I really didn’t mean to be, I think.

  “Manny, I’m sorry,” I say, putting my phone down. “I didn’t mean to be so snappy with you. I was just so locked into the game.”

  Manny shrugs. “No, I’m not upset,” he says. “I actually think that us switching roles is a pretty good idea. That way we can understand what we each do a little better. It can be a competition, a friendly switcheroo! You’ll get to see what I do up close, and vice versa. Actually, I think it could be healthy for the company.”

  I wasn’t really being serious when I said that Manny should invent something, but when Manny puts it that way, it actually might be a good idea.

  And how hard can it be? Sure, Manny is a marketing and business genius, but marketing and selling a product can’t be as tough as, I don’t know, inventing one from nothing, right?

  “Okay!” I say. “You’re on! What invention will you be working on? Maybe you can invent a video game that kids can play while also letting them pay attention to other people.”

  (I really do feel bad about snapping at Manny.)

  Manny smiles, letting me know that he realizes how terrible I feel. Reason #913 why I’m glad Manny is my best friend—we just get each other.

  “Actually, I do have an idea for an invention,” Manny says, turning serious.

  “Already?” I ask, a bit shocked and a little jealous that Manny is able to come up with something so fast.

  “Yup,” Manny says. “And you’re the one who inspired it. For my first invention as Manny Reyes, Kid Entrepreneur, I’m going to invent the Candy Toothbrush!”

  LUKE SHARPE is not a millionaire, but he has been trying to invent a machine that can teleport people anywhere in the world since he was eight years old. He has so far been unsuccessful but he has vowed never to give up. When he isn’t working, Luke enjoys Hawaiian pizza and skateboarding. He lives near Chicago with his wife and son (named Billy, of course), their gecko, Eddie, and their aquarium full of exotic fish.

  GRAHAM ROSS has grand plans for world domination through his illustrated inventions. Right now he’s having a “ball” hanging out with Billy Sure, the next sure thing! Graham lives in a little log home in the woods with his inventive family, just outside of Merrickville, Canada.

  Look for more books about Billy Sure Kid Entrepreneur at your favorite store!

  SIMON SPOTLIGHT

  Simon & Schuster, New York

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  SIMON SPOTLIGHT

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  This Simon Spotlight edition December 2016

  Copyright © 2016 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Text by Michael Teitelbaum. Illustrations by Graham Ross. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Designed by Jay Colvin

  The text of this book was set in Minya Nouvelle.

  ISBN 978-1-4814-6899-2 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-6898-5 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-4814-6900-5 (eBook)

  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2015950427