Puppy Pirates Super Special #3 Read online

  #1 Stowaway!

  #2 X Marks the Spot

  #3 Catnapped!

  #4 Sea Sick

  Super Special #1 Ghost Ship

  #5 Search for the Sea Monster

  Super Special #2 Best in Class

  #6 Pug vs. Pug

  Super Special #3 Race to the North Pole

  Coming Soon:

  #7 Lost at Sea

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2018 by Erin Soderberg Downing and Robin Wasserman

  Cover art copyright © 2018 by Luz Tapia

  Interior illustrations copyright © 2018 by Russ Cox

  Excerpt copyright © 2019 by Erin Soderberg Downing and Robin Wasserman

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us on the Web!

  SteppingStonesBooks.com

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  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Soderberg, Erin, author. | Cox, Russ, illustrator.

  Title: Race to the North Pole / by Erin Soderberg ; illustrated by Russ Cox.

  Description: New York : Random House, [2018] | Series: Puppy Pirates. Super special ; #3 | “A Stepping Stone book.” | Summary: “Wally and the Puppy Pirates compete in a dogsled race at the North Pole” —Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017048892 | ISBN 978-0-525-57920-5 (trade) | ISBN 978-0-525-57922-9 (ebook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Dogs—Fiction. | Pirates—Fiction. | Dogsledding—Fiction. | Christmas—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | North Pole—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.S685257 Rac 2018 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  This book has been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System.

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v5.3.2

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  For all the kids who have read and shared Puppy Pirates with friends and classmates—this magical adventure is for you! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it. —E.S.

  Cover

  Other Titles

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Map

  1. Splashing Through the Snow

  2. Steak Race

  3. North Pole Racers

  4. Search for a Sled

  5. Learning the Ropes

  6. Race Rules

  7. Dashing Through the Snow

  8. Winter Riddle

  9. The Final Stretch

  10. The North Pole

  11. The Greatest Treasure of All

  12. Sailing Through the Snow

  13. Frosty’s New Adventure

  How to Draw a Puppy Pirate!

  Mrs. C.'s Secret Message

  Present Delivery Race

  Excerpt from Puppy Pirates #7: Lost at Sea

  About the Author

  “Splashing through the snow, off our pirate ship—let’s go!” Captain Red Beard sang joyfully as he leaped across the deck of the Salty Bone. The gruff puppy pirate captain was in a very good mood. He and his crew had been sailing north for days and days. But they were finally here: the North Pole! It was time for a treasure hunt at the top of the world. Nothing made the captain happier than hunting for treasure.

  As a team of pups dropped the anchor, Captain Red Beard howled out another verse. “We’re on an icy quest, for a special treasure—” The shaggy terrier stopped. He scratched one of his reddish ears. “Hmmm,” he said. “What rhymes with quest?”

  A soft golden retriever puppy named Wally barked, “Chest, sir? We’re on an icy quest, for a special treasure chest?”

  “Quest and chest don’t rhyme, little Walty!” Captain Red Beard chuckled. “Silly pup.”

  Wally was pretty sure chest and quest did rhyme. But he didn’t like to argue with Captain Red Beard. On the Salty Bone, the captain was always right—even when he wasn’t.

  The crew lowered the gangplank onto a snowy dock. As soon as it was safe, all the puppy pirates raced ashore. Though life at sea was jolly, it always felt good to leap and bound and run free on land.

  Wally’s best friend, a human boy called Henry, scooped up a handful of snow. He packed it into a tight ball. Then he tossed it into the air for Wally to chase after. Soon everyone was playing fetch with the snow! But after a few minutes, the pups slowed down to sniff and snuff. It was exciting to have the chance to explore a strange, new world.

  Far off in the distance, Wally could see the edge of a small village. Near the docks there was nothing but snow, snow, and more snow! Usually, the puppy pirates’ adventures took them through tropical waters. But this trip was already full of wonderful new sights. They had sailed past icebergs and white-capped mountains. Now soft snowflakes swirled in the air around them. The air was so crisp that every time he took a deep breath, Wally felt like he might sneeze.

  “Here, pups!” Red Beard called out. “Gather around.” The puppy pirates bounded over to hear what their captain had to say.

  As soon as he stopped running, Wally noticed just how chilly it was. Many of his short-haired mates had to huddle together to stay warm. The pug twins squeezed into the warm space under Wayne the Great Dane’s belly. Spike the bulldog was busy playing blanket tug-of-war with his best mate, a tiny Boston terrier named Humphrey. Einstein, a clumsy wiener dog, was trying to squirm into a plaid sweater.

  Wally lay down in the snow and chewed at his paws. It was fun to bite at the tiny balls of ice stuck between his paw pads. Even though his feet felt a little cold, Wally’s body was warm and cozy. At times like this he was glad he had so much warm fur!

  “Welcome to the North Pole!” Captain Red Beard barked to his crew. “As you all know, we have sailed through icy waters to run in the Great Ice Race. Teams of pups have come from all over the world to compete, because the winner of the Great Ice Race wins the greatest treasure of all!”

  “Treasure! Treasure! Treasure!” chanted the puppy pirates.

  Curly, the first mate, barked for order. The poufy mini poodle called out, “But there is a catch: the rules say we can only enter one team of six pups in the race.”

  “What is this hoodly-toodly nonsense? Only six pups?” howled the captain. He started to count his crew. “But we have one, two, three, forty-six, nineteen, eleventy…fifty-two on our crew! Fifty-two is more than six. That is a problem.”

  “Every problem has a solution. Right, Captain?” Curly said, nodding. “And you, Captain, have come up with the perfect solution. A plan.”

  “Yes, of course!” Captain Red Beard said uncertainly. “I have a great plan. Remind me, what is my plan again?”

  Curly faced the crew and said, “We have decided to hold tryouts to find the fastest runners on our crew. The five quickest pups will get to run with Captain Red Beard in the Great Ice Race.”

  “Tryouts!” Captain Red Beard said. “Yes, that is e
xactly what I was thinking. The first five pups to reach the finish line will be on my team. The rest of you will cheer us on.”

  Wally loved to run. He was very fast. He glanced around at his crewmates. There were many speedy and strong pups. Could Wally finish in the top five and earn the chance to run with his captain in the Great Ice Race?

  Curly howled, “The starting line is here.” Then she lifted a paw and pointed away from the village. Across a huge snowy field, Wally could just barely see a box. “On the other side of this field is a crate filled with steak. The crate marks the finish line. This isn’t just a race for a spot on Captain Red Beard’s team…it’s also a race to your dinner! Ready, set—”

  “Avast!” Captain Red Beard cried out. “Before you race, I want to remind everyone where we are.” The captain spoke very seriously. “This is the home of the Great Ice Race. It’s also the Christmas capital of the world. And Christmas is only days away!”

  The pups yipped and woofed. Wally wagged his tail. Christmas was always fun. But Christmas at the North Pole? That might be the most fun of all!

  Captain Red Beard said, “At the North Pole, it’s very important to do Christmas right. Who knows what that means?”

  Many pups started to bark an answer. But the captain barked louder than all of them. “I know. Doing Christmas right means giving…your dear ol’ captain the right gifts. This season is all about me getting exactly what I want. And what I want is to win that shiny, sparkly treasure!” He stomped his paw on the ground. “But also…”

  The captain pulled out a very long piece of parchment. He cleared his throat and read the list of all the things he wanted for Christmas:

  While the captain rambled on, the rest of the crew chattered about some of the presents they wanted. Wally didn’t really have anything on his own wish list. He had Henry and his puppy pirate family. He had a home on the Salty Bone and a life of adventure on the high seas. What more could a puppy need?

  But Wally did want to find a great gift for Henry. Henry was the best friend ever, so Wally wanted to get him the best gift ever. Something big! Something shiny! Something perfect.

  He just didn’t know what.

  As Captain Red Beard flipped over his list to read the other side, Curly stepped forward. She let out one sharp bark to get his attention. When that didn’t work, she whispered in his ear. But the captain was so focused on his gift list that he didn’t notice her—or the setting sun.

  Finally, Curly barked, “Arrrrf! Shiver me timbers, let’s get on with the tryouts, Captain. It’s getting late.”

  “What?” Captain Red Beard looked up from his parchment. “Oh, right, the race!” He lifted a paw and pointed across the snowy landscape. “Are you ready, puppy pirates? Get set…GO!”

  Wally and the other puppy pirates barked and yipped as they raced each other across the snowy field. At first, the whole pack stayed close together. But soon the quickest dogs began to pull away from the group.

  Wayne galloped through the snow on his long legs. “Arrrr-oooo!” The huge Great Dane whooped as he raced into the lead.

  Suddenly, Recess, a small brown Labrador retriever pup, zoomed past the pack. She cheered on her friends as she pulled out in front. “Run fast, mates!”

  Wally looked over his shoulder. Spike was catching up to him. “Spike?” Wally woofed in surprise. The chubby bulldog was strong. But who knew he was so fast?

  “Ahoy, Wally.” Spike’s breath came in quick huffs. “I don’t love runnin’, but Curly said the last one to the finish line gets the teeny steak! I better hurry.” Then Spike’s paw landed on an icy patch. The big bulldog slipped and slid, and Wally took his chance to zoom past. Spike howled, “Save me a steak, Waaaaaally!”

  Wally focused on the finish line. He was more than halfway there. If he could keep up this pace, he was sure to finish in the top five! He ducked his head and ran as fast as he could.

  But running was hard work. His legs whined. His lungs burned. Wally started to slow down. Then he heard Henry whoop, “You can do it, mate!”

  At the sound of his best friend’s cheer, Wally felt a surge of energy. He sped up enough to catch Recess—and dash past her!

  The finish line got closer and closer. Wally could almost smell the steak waiting for him. He glanced back and saw that he was way ahead of most of his crewmates. With a spring in his step, Wally took another leap forward and then…

  Huh? For a second, it had seemed like the crate of steak was moving! But he must have been imagining it.

  With another burst of speed, Wally charged toward the finish line.

  Zip! The crate moved again!

  The faster Wally ran toward the finish line, the faster it seemed to glide away from him. “Avast!” Wally called. Then he realized he was yelling at a crate of steaks. He closed his mouth tight.

  That’s when Wally saw a flash of something tan hiding behind the crate. Whatever it was had a curly tail, a gold tooth, and a chubby belly. Wally was pretty sure he recognized that belly.

  Piggly was playing a prank again. Which meant Puggly couldn’t be far behind.

  Wally pulled up alongside the crate and spotted the pug twins. They had ropes tied around their chests. The other ends of the ropes were looped around the crate. The crate glided across the snow like a boat.

  The pugs were trying to steal the steaks! Wally had to stop them. He took a flying leap and caught his front paws on the very edge of the crate. He scrambled to pull himself inside, just as Piggly and Puggly tugged on their ropes. The crate jolted forward. Wally tumbled backward into the snow.

  Right away, he leaped to his feet again. Wally wasn’t going to let two naughty pugs steal the crew’s dinner!

  And he really wanted to win the tryouts.

  Wally chased after the pugs and their snow boat. With a mighty howl, he jumped. He landed inside the crate just as it picked up even more speed. A moment later, the pugs jumped in beside him. Wally looked back—all the other puppy pirates had stopped to stare and bark at them.

  “Hey, mates!” Henry hollered. “Wait for me!” The boy charged forward and grabbed on. Henry toppled in beside Wally, Piggly, and Puggly as the crate slipped and slid across the snow. Cold air and icy snowflakes stung Wally’s nose. The crate whizzed faster and faster…and then plunged over the edge of a giant hill!

  Wally howled as the crate barreled down, down, down. Piggly’s tongue flapped in the whipping wind like a long pink flag. Puggly’s ears fluttered and wiggled as the riders plunged through the snow.

  The wind sounded like thunder. Wally’s tummy felt bouncy, like when their ship went over big waves. He was excited but also a little nervous!

  “In case you were wondering?” Henry yelled. He wrapped a protective arm around Wally as the crate soared over a bump. “This is the biggest sledding hill I’ve ever seen!”

  Their snow boat raced past icy pine trees and frozen bushes. “Ar-ar-arrrr-oooo!” howled Piggly. Her gold tooth glinted in the glow of the setting sun.

  Would they ever reach the bottom? The hill felt endless. And then, suddenly, a giant snow pile loomed ahead of them. They were speeding straight toward it. “Watch ooooooooooooout!” Wally shouted.

  CRASH. The crate plowed into the heap of fluffy white snow. It toppled over, and the four friends tumbled out. Piggly and Puggly whooped with delight.

  Wally was amazed they were all still in one piece. “Woof!” he cheered. “That was fun!”

  Puggly shook the snow off her back. “Aye. And our plan worked. We have a whole crate of steaks all to ourselves.” She and Piggly giggled and bumped bottoms.

  Henry craned his neck, looking up at the top of the hill. Way up. “Riding downhill sure was fun. But I’m not looking forward to the climb back to the top.”

  “Well, shiver me timbers.” Piggly flopped onto the snow and groaned. “I never thought about that.”

&nbs
p; “We only planned out the part where we’d steal the crate and eat all the steaks,” Puggly pointed out. “We weren’t supposed to go flying down a hill!”

  “But we did slide down,” Wally said. “And our whole crew is back up at the top, waiting for their dinner. We better start climbing now, or it will be dark before we get there.”

  “In case you were wondering, winter days are supposed to be dark at the North Pole,” Henry said. “We should get back to the ship. It will be very cold out here in the snow if the sun goes down!”

  Puggly whined, “Can’t we eat a few steaks first, so the crate will be lighter to pull?”

  As soon as Puggly said the word steaks, Wally’s tummy rumbled. He decided Puggly had a good point. If the crate weighed less, it would be easier to pull up the hill. Wally was about to leap in and take out juicy steaks for everyone. But he stopped when a bunch of strange voices rang out nearby.

  “Mush!” one of the voices barked. “All right, let’s go! Haw! Haw!”

  Wally and the pugs froze. The hair on Piggly’s back sprang up as a warning. Wally sniffed the air. Did he smell danger?

  Seconds later, a pack of husky pups came racing toward the group. They were running in two lines. It looked like the pups were tied together. Wally and the other puppy pirates sometimes did that during a big storm at sea so no one would fall overboard. But why would dogs be tied together on land?

  Henry lifted his hand in greeting. “Ahoy!” His call echoed in the snowy canyon.

  The huskies ran toward Wally and his friends. They were moving very quickly! And they were towing a very large snow boat. Wally was sorry to see it had no steaks in it.

  Just as the husky crew reached Wally and his friends, one of them cried, “Whoa!” All the dogs stopped.

  “Ahoy!” Henry said again. “That’s quite a sled you’ve got there.”

  Wally wondered what he meant. Were snow boats called sleds?