Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up? by Henry Winkler Page A

don’t think I could run from one end to the other without having to stop and rest.
    I still couldn’t guess where we were going. As we walked out of the terminal and headed over to Fifth Avenue, I asked Papa Pete to give me a hint.
    â€œIt’s a place I used to go to when I was your age,” Papa Pete said.
    Wow, that means it had been there for a really long time.
    â€œRay’s Pizza,” I guessed, knowing how much Papa Pete loves pizza.
    Papa Pete shook his head. He gave me one more hint.
    â€œThe things inside can’t be judged by their covers,” Papa Pete said.
    â€œBooks!” I said. “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
    â€œOh, are you a smart kid, Hankie,” Papa Pete said. He may be the only person in the world who thinks so.
    â€œI know!” I said. “We’re going to a bookstore to buy a book on Albert Einstein!”
    By then, we had reached the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Papa Pete stopped and pointed to a huge building that stretched along the entire block. There were giant columns all along the front, and two humongous stone lions guarding the entrance.
    â€œThis looks like a really important building,” I said.
    â€œIt is, Hankie,” Papa Pete answered. “This is the New York Public Library’s main branch.”
    He said the words like he was saying something wonderful, such as “This is Disneyland, Hankie” or “This is Shea Stadium.” I watched Papa Pete as he looked at the library. He seemed really happy to be there. Then he turned to me.
    â€œGrandson of mine, I think it’s time,” Papa Pete said, giving my cheek a pinch.
    â€œFor what?” I asked.
    â€œIt’s time to get you a library card.”
    I had gotten a library card once when I was in kindergarten and Mrs. McMurray took our class to our local branch. But of course I lost it the same day. What do you expect? It’s me, Hank.
    This is going to sound really weird, but Papa Pete and I had a totally great time in the library. I know you’re probably thinking there’s nothing cool about a library. But trust me, this one was.
    First of all, it was actually cool in there. I was dripping with sweat from the hot air in the subway and the walk down Fifth Avenue. But inside the library, the air was very refreshing, as Papa Pete would say.
    After we went inside, we walked up a long marble staircase, like the kind they built for kings and queens in England. Upstairs, we found a giant room that was lined with books on all sides. Huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling. About a million computer monitors sat on long wooden tables, glowing like those strange fish that live in the darkest part of the ocean. It was the kind of place that makes you feel like you want to whisper, which is a good feeling to have, because it’s a library rule. There are signs everywhere that say “Sssshhhhh.”
    Papa Pete went up to the front desk and told them I wanted to check out some books. A really nice woman named Mrs. Patron told us that we couldn’t check out books at this branch. This branch was only for research. Oh, well, I thought, I could survive another few years without a library card. Wrong. Mrs. Patron directed us across the street to the lending library. There, another nice woman helped me fill out some forms. Then she went into a back room and was gone for a while. When she came out, she handed me my very own library card.
    Henry Daniel Zipzer, it said.
    It didn’t say whether or not I was a good reader. It didn’t say whether or not I had learning challenges. All it said was that I was a person who wanted to check out books from the library.
    If you ask me, that is pretty darn cool.

CHAPTER 13
    PAPA PETE AND I WALKED around the library. We ended up checking out six books on Albert Einstein. I looked for the ones that weren’t too thick and that had a lot of pictures inside. The librarian said it