Level 11Free online reader Tap ▶ to hear each page — words light up as they are read.
The end! 🎉 There are many more books like this in the app — with quizzes, a picture dictionary, and read & record.
The summer fair comes to our street again. Last year every ice cream melted into sweet soup. Juno and Kip open the Invention Shed. Neighbors remember sticky hands and sad cones. The twins promise a cold fix.
Grandpa Odie sits by the workbench and listens. The mayor visits the shed and frowns. He says, Keep treats cold this time, please. People are going to buy many scoops. Juno nods and writes the problem on paper.
Grandpa Odie tells a ship story from his work. Old ships carried ice inside special rooms. Sawdust filled the spaces and slowed melting. The ice stayed hard on long trips. People far away ate cold treats.
Grandpa also knows desert clay pot coolers. Two pots fit together with wet sand. Water slowly dries from the outside pot. That drying steals heat from the inside. Food inside gets cool, even without electricity.
Juno draws two test plans in her notebook. First, try a crate lined with sawdust. Kip brings a crate from the alley. Neighbors share clean sawdust from a shop. They pack ice and a small cream cup.
The crate feels heavy and hopeful. Juno writes the starting temperature on a chart. Kip says the cup looks frosty already. Cluckwork suddenly chirps and flaps on the shelf. Kip jumps, bumps the crate, and tips sawdust everywhere.
They sweep and check the cup again. The ice lasted, but grit got inside. Sawdust is tricky for food, Grandpa says. Juno frowns and marks Almost on the chart. They plan the clay pot test next.
Two clay pots sit nested on a tray. Wet sand fills the gap between the pots. A small jar waits inside for testing. Kip dribbles water around the outer pot. Juno starts the next chart with careful lines.
The air feels hot, but the pot feels cool. Juno reads the thermometer every ten minutes. The numbers drop, then stop dropping. Kip tests the jar by licking the spoon. Afternoon sun pushes the temperature up again.
Juno taps her pencil and thinks hard. Sawdust slowed melting. The clay pots cooled without ice. What if we join both ideas together? Kip grins and sketches a big Cold Box.
They plan pots inside a crate packed with sawdust. The sand stays wet for slow cooling. A white lid reflects the hot sun. A hinged flag shows when it is cold enough. Juno draws arrows and labels on the blueprint.
The street forms a team and brings materials. Pots come from a garden. Sand comes from a sandbox. An old crate and white paint arrive. Kip donates a spring from his coat.
They set the pots, sand, and crate together. Juno wets the sand with a cup. Cluckwork screams just as the lid dries. Kip jumps, the pots wobble, and nearly tumble. Grandpa steadies everything with calm hands.
They place a thermometer and strawberry mix inside. Juno closes the white lid gently. Kip clips the spring to the flag hinge. The shed grows quiet with waiting. A little wind passes over the lid.
Cooling starts as water dries through the clay. The inside air begins to feel crisp. The spring pulls the flag when metal shrinks. Snap! The red flag pops up. Juno records cold enough on the chart.
Morning comes, and the team rolls the Cold Box out. They paint stars and a sign, Fresh Cold Treats. Friends push the cart to the fair tents. Juno starts a fresh temperature chart. Kip promises to taste after customers.
The sun climbs, but the scoops stay frosty. Juno lifts the lid and checks the flag. The flag stands proud and red. Kip serves strawberry scoops with steady hands. People cheer for smart cooling without electricity.
Noon hits, the time everything melted last year. The scoops still hold their shapes. Grandpa Odie laughs and claps. The mayor smiles and brings a shiny blue rosette. He pins it on the Cold Box sign.
After sunset, neighbors share the last cold scoops together. Back home, Juno draws a How We Built It. The page shows steps and safe tips. It lists pots, sand, crate, sawdust, lid, spring, paint. Everyone signs the blueprint with thanks.
The twins hang a spare flag hinge on the wall. It joins the other parts from past builds. The blue rosette hangs by the door. Grandpa locks the shed and smiles. Cluckwork ticks softly, ready for tomorrow.
← About this book · More Level 11 books
