CHAPTER ONE Building a Robot Paisley Atoms tripped over a box as she walked into her house after school It had PERISHABLE and LIVE ANIMALS labels all over it You think Mom sent us a pet from Mexico she asked her best friend Ben Striker Paisley’s mom was researching plant species in Mexico and had sent them a few treats before plus stacks of field notes and plant specimens She’d even mailed some Mexican garden decorations Newton the Atoms rescued pet mongoose crouched low to sniff the new mystery box 6
Based on the size and shape of the box I think we can safely say it isn’t a jaguar Ben said Newton chattered Don’t worry Newton we’ll love you even if we get a new pet Paisley said Paisley opened the box with Ben’s help Looks like some kind of insect Ben said He loved insects He especially loved to watch his harvester ant collection They worked hard and were so organized They’re beetles Thousands and thousands and thousands of beetles Paisley said checking out the Dermestid Beetle Colony kit Flour dust clouded the air as Dad walked out of the kitchen Paisley could only imagine what the kitchen looked like at the moment Hey you two Dad said Hope school went well Oh good My flesh-eating beetles arrived He broke into his happy air-guitar dance Dad was the only person Paisley could think of that would dance for bugs Well other than Ben 7
Paisley studied the beetles Flesh-eating beetles huh They didn’t have fangs or look bloodthirsty or anything Newton licked his lips Don’t even think about eating them Dad said to Newton These beetles will be doing some important work for me They don’t bite do they Paisley asked Not humans They don’t carry any diseases either They’ll naturally clean some bones Dad said His office overflowed with lots of strange stuff these days including a deep freezer with parts of a bison skeleton He was working extra hours to put on an American Grasslands display at the university Ben watched the beetles and their larvae so long Paisley had to tug on his arm to pull him away Still want to run some experiments in the lab she asked Ben hesitated then followed Paisley She tripped over one of Newton’s squeaky toys as they squeezed through a hallway lined with overgrown plants to get to their basement lab The place was a mess 9
