Maker Martha - Dream Machine

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 authors imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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First Little Simon hardcover edition August 2018

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Designed by Laura Roode

Jacket illustrations by Xindi Yan 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-5344-1731-1 (hc)

ISBN 978-1-5344-1730-4 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-5344-1732-8 (eBook)

Rrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Bella Diaz stepped on the gas. The engine roared and the race car zoomed forward.

Beaming happily, Bella adjusted a knob on the dashboard. She had designed and programmed the race car herself! Bella loved anything to do with computers: programming, coding, and beyond. And shed always dreamed of being able to program her very own race car!

She gripped the steering wheel with her purple leather racing gloves as she sped down the race track and into a tight turn.

Just then a light flashed red. Warning! Warning!

Oh no! She had taken the turn a little too fast. Bella spun the wheel, leaned hard, and...

THUMP!

Bella opened her eyes. She was on the floor next to her bed, twisted up in her blankets.

For a moment she was completely confused. Then she realized what had happened.

Whew, what a dream! Her heart was still racing, thinking about flying around the track. And thinking about that amazing car.

She untangled herself and stood up. Glancing at her alarm clock, she saw that it was still early.

Well, I might as well get up , thought Bella. I could grab a few more minutes of sleep, but theres no way Id have a dream that awesome again!

That morning Bella was the first to arrive in Ms. Gibbonss classroom. Still thinking about her dream, she pulled out a notebook. She began sketching a picture of her race car. She wanted to capture all the details before the dream faded.

Cool car!

Bella looked up. Her friend Emily Adams was leaning over the edge of her desk, trying to get a better look at Bellas drawing.

Thanks, Bella replied. Last night I dreamed I was driving it. But it was also sort of driving itself because I wrote the code so it would follow the race course. Only I might have miscalculated the turning axis, because

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Emily held up a hand. Slow down, Bella. Youre light-years ahead of me when it comes to programming. Though, if you want some help with the engineering, Im game. There are some pretty simple things you can do to make the car go faster. Like tapering the back, or adding a spoiler.

Bella grinned. When I do build my dream car, Ill definitely want you on the design team.

What design team? asked their friend Sam Sharma, who had just arrived. Sam loved to paint and draw. Clearly, the word design had gotten his attention.

Before Bella could explain, the bell rang. There was a sparkly purple blur in the classroom doorway as Maddie Wilson dashed in. She was wearing a sequined dress that Bella was pretty sure had been pink the day before.

Bella smiled. Leave it to Maddie to reinvent her outfit overnight!

Maddie slid into her seat, turned to her three best friends, and whispered, What did I miss?

Well tell you at lunch, answered Bella, Emily, and Sam at once.

Over sandwiches, Bella showed Sam and Maddie her race car sketch.

Its from my dream last night, she explained. I was thinking maybe it could be the inspiration for our next project!

The four friends met regularly to do craft projects together, and they were always on the lookout for new ideas.

Just then two older girls walked by. They were carrying stacks of neon green flyers. But it wasnt just the color that caught Bellas eye; it was the picture of a robot! If there was anything Bella loved more than the idea of programming a race car, it was robots!

Bella watched the girls go from table to table, passing them out. She couldnt wait until the girls got to their table.

But by the time the bell rang, no flyer. And the girls had already left the cafeteria.

Bella was disappointed. What was the robot flyer for? And why did the older girls skip their table? None of her friends seemed to noticethey were still discussing different types of cars they could build.

On the way back to their classroom, a flash of neon green caught Bellas eye. A flyer! It was taped to the wall above a drinking fountain. Bella read it quickly.