Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout (Book #8) by Megan McDonald Page B

every after.”

    *   *   *
    Sunday and Monday were no-frog days. Not even a toad. Tuesday, too. On Wednesday, Stink saw five more frogs crossing the road on the way home from swimming.

    On Thursday, Stink saw a picture of a giant two-foot-long Goliath frog in his
Geo Kids
magazine. It was almost half as tall as Stink! No lie. On Friday, Stink could hardly sleep, the frogs outside were so loud. He had to count frogs-not-sheep to go to sleep.
    Then came Saturday. Swim lessons again. Stink got wet up to his neck. He even dunked his left ear in the water. And he won a crab race across the pool (without putting his head under).

    After swim class, Stink talked Sophie and Webster into going on a nature walk.
    “Nature walk,” said Riley Rottenberger. “You don’t get to see anything on those walks except nature.”
    “That’s what we want to see!” said Sophie.
    “No, I mean, it’s just trees and plants and dead leaves. Not even poison ivy.”
    “Um, hello! Nobody wants to nature walk through poison ivy,” said Stink.
    “Maybe we’ll see a flying squirrel,” said Sophie.
    “Or a bobcat,” said Webster.
    “You guys! Trust me. There are no animals.”
    “Not even animal tracks?” asked Webster.
    “Not even animal scat?” asked Sophie.
    “Not unless you count mosquitoes,” said Riley. “I got about two hundred mosquito bites when I had to go on one. And a gnat went up my nose.”
    “Don’t worry, you guys,” said Stink. “This is different. It’s not even in the woods.”
    “It’s not?” asked Sophie.
    “It’s not?” asked Webster.
    “No,” said Stink. “It’s at a pool.”
    “But we’re already at the pool,” said Webster.
    “The kind of pool that has frogs and lizards and salamanders and turtles.”
    “And dead leaves,” said Riley.
    “Coolness,” said Sophie.
    “Coolness,” said Webster.
    “Have fun counting mosquito bites,” said Riley. She waved good-bye.
    Riley Rottenberger sure was a sour ball sometimes.



Later that afternoon, when Dad, Stink, and his friends got to the nature center, a young guy came out to meet them.
    “Hi, I’m Jasper,” said the guy. He was tall and had a tiny beard on his chin. He wore a hat with a wide brim, a vest covered with little pockets, and rubber boots up to his knees.
    Dad shook hands with him, and the kids all told him their names.
    “I’m a grad student at the local college,” said Jasper. “And I’ll be your guide. Looks like it’s just us today, huh? Everybody grab a bucket and a net. Let’s head over to the vernal pool.”
    The vernal pool was a small wetland surrounded by trees. Pussy willows and cattails lined the banks.
    “Are there bobcats here?” asked Webster.
    “Are there flying squirrels here?” Sophie asked.
    “You guys!” said Stink.
    “How about mosquitoes?” Sophie scratched an imaginary mosquito bite.

“Mostly amphibians,” said Jasper. “Luckily, they eat all the mosquitoes.”
    “Amphibians are my favorite!” said Stink. “Especially frogs. Also skinks. And newts. I even make up comics about this superhero called Stink Frog.”
    “Sounds cool. What does he do?”
    “Mostly he fights slime. But he’s really good at swimming and he can put his head all the way under and he can jump higher than the Empire State Building. And once he saved the earth from a giant spitball. You know, like Spider-Man and the asteroid.”
    “So, you’re into Spider-Man?” said Jasper. “I used to collect Spider-Man comics.”
    “Really? My dad did, too. I’m reading some of his from the seventies!”
    Dad nodded. “Stink, let’s give Jasper a chance to tell us about the pond.”
    “This is a vernal pool,” said Jasper. “That means it’s a wetland that’s here mostly from rain and melted snow. Vernal pools are great habitats for all kinds of frogs, toads, turtles, and salamanders.”
    “I have a Stuffed Animal Baby named Salamandra,” Sophie chimed in. “Made of crushed orange velvet.”
    They