Tarantula Toes
Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers
P
ICTURE
B
OOKS
Annika's Secret Wish  ⢠ In Jesse's Shoes
Just Like Mama  ⢠ What Is God Like?
What Is Heaven Like?
T
HE
C
UL-DE-SAC
K
IDS
The Double Dabble Surprise
The Chicken Pox Panic
The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery
No Grown-ups Allowed
Frog Power
The Mystery of Case D. Luc
The Stinky Sneakers Mystery
Pickle Pizza
Mailbox Mania
The Mudhole Mystery
Fiddlesticks
The Crabby Cat Caper
Tarantula Toes
Green Gravy
Backyard Bandit Mystery
Tree House Trouble
The Creepy Sleep-Over
The Great TV Turn-Off
Piggy Party
The Granny Game
Mystery Mutt
Big Bad Beans
The Upside-Down Day
The Midnight Mystery
Katie and Jake and the Haircut Mistake
www.BeverlyLewis.com
Tarantula Toes
Copyright © 1997
Beverly Lewis
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6081-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Cover illustration by Paul Turnbaugh
Text illustrations by Janet Huntington
To
three of my young fans,
all in one family!
Chris, Collin, and Linsi Stoddard.
CONTENTS
ONE
Jason Birchall zipped through his homework.
I have to tell someone my secret!
he thought.
He didn't bother to check his spelling. He didn't even read over his work.
Jason was in such a big hurry. He slapped his name on the paper and pushed his homework into a folder.
Then he dashed outside.
It was still light, so he jumped on his bike.
His friends, Dunkum and Eric, were
already out riding. They zoomed up Blossom Hill Lane when they saw him. “Hey, Jason!” they called. “Wanna ride?”
“You bet!” Jason said.
“Did you finish your homework already?” Dunkum asked. He was always talking school stuff.
“Ya-hoo! It's done,” Jason hollered. “But let's not talk about that.”
He glanced around.
Was it safe?
He made his voice sound mysterious. “Listen up, guys.”
Eric stared at Jason. “Why are you talking like that?” Eric said.
“Because,” said Jason.
“Because why?” Dunkum asked.
“Because I've got a secret,” Jason said.
“So tell us,” Eric said. “I'm sure you're dying to.”
Jason smiled. His friends knew him well. “OK, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to say one word to the girls.”
Dunkum's face lit up. “You can trust us. You know that.”
Eric agreed. “We promise.”
Jason looked over his shoulder. “Are we really alone?”
Dunkum nodded. “It's just us guys.”
“Let's not take any chances,” Jason said. He motioned to Eric and Dunkum. And the three of them headed up the driveway. When they reached the garage door, Jason whispered, “I'm starting up a zoo.”
“
That's
your secret?” Dunkum said.
“Shh!” Jason peered around, checking for other Cul-de-sac Kids. “It's top secret.”
“Are we talking a real zoo?” Eric asked.
Jason leaned a little closer. “You heard right. June is Zoo Month, so I'm starting a REAL zoo in my room.”
Eric scratched his head. “Does your mom know about this?”
“My parents think it'll be an adventure.”
“You mean like a learning experience?” Dunkum said with a frown.
“That's exactly right.” Jason reached into his pocket. He unfolded a page out of the newspaper.
Eric leaned on his bike for a closer look. “Whatcha got?”
“Check out my super-secret,” Jason said. He pointed to a picture of a big, hairy spider. “I'm gonna buy
this
tomorrow.”
Eric did a gulp. “Is . . . is that what I think it is?”
“It's a tarantula, all right,” Jason said proudly.
“Hey, let me see.” Dunkum grabbed the paper. “Whoa, Willie Millie! I can almost see Abby Hunter's hair sticking straight up!”
Abby was the president of the Cul-de-sac Kids. Nine kids on one block. A really cool club.
Jason started jumping around. “Stacy Henry will freak out, too. So will Dee Dee and Carly!” he chanted.
“Wow, what a scary spider!” Eric said. “Are you buying him just to scare the girls?”
“Shh! How can you say that?” Jason said. But he didn't stop grinning or hopping. He felt good all over. “It's a pink-toed tarantula. And tomorrow he's all mine!”
“I don't know about this,” Dunkum said. He studied the picture a little longer. “A tarantula might not be such a good idea.”
Jason pushed up his glasses. “What do you mean?”
“They eat frogs, right?” asked Dunkum.
Jason started to laugh. “Oh, I get it! You're thinking about Croaker. But you shouldn't be. My new pet will NOT be eating frogs.”
Jason knew exactly what to feed Pinktoes. His spider book told all about tarantulas. Everything he needed to know. There was even a chapter on how to handle spiders.
“Crickets and earthworms are Pinktoe's favorite snacks,” Jason spoke up.
“Well, good luck finding insects like that around here,” Dunkum said. He handed the newspaper back.
Jason looked at Dunkum. His friend was probably right. Crickets needed plenty of oxygen. The air was thin in this part of Colorado.
“Don't worry,” Jason said. “I'll take good care of Pinktoes. You'll see. I might even let him crawl on me.”
Dunkum's eyes were big and black now. Really black. “What about fangs?” he asked. “Don't tarantulas bite?”
“
I'm
not afraid,” Jason bragged.
Eric looked a little pale.