Helper Hounds: Robot Helps Max and Lily Deal with Bullies
CHAPTER 1 A flash of brown rumbled past the window I stretched my paw and rolled my best tennis ball toward my mouth I chomped the ball into position and jumped onto the window seat I knew it The brown truck was right in front of Ms Chen’s house The lady in brown shorts ran toward Ms Chen’s house Ms Chen Ms Chen I chomped and barked my best warning But it was no use Ms Chen opened the door smiled and took a tan box from the woman in brown Noooooo Robot Samuel said What’s going on 1
Samuel put his hand on my back and leaned into the window with me Ms Chen waved at the woman in brown shorts Aah worried about Ms Chen Robot Samuel said Good thing she has you to help scare away those trucks Samuel scratched my ears and told me to sit I sat He wiggled my best ball out of my mouth and tossed it across the living room Get it Samuel said I sprung off the window seat and got the ball I plopped it at his feet and sat Samuel turned the ball in his hands He squeezed it A crack opened into a wide smile Sure you don’t want to play with a new ball Samuel said I was sure I stuck my tongue out and wagged my stubby tail Samuel shook his head He and I had been over this before Sometimes Samuel would 2
throw me one of the bright yellow tennis balls from my basket I would go get it But I never choose those balls It takes a long time a lot of chomping and barking and slobber to get a tennis ball this good Samuel threw the ball I ran to get it So I dropped the ball at Samuel’s feet and sat just waiting for the next throw I could do this all day But before he could throw it Samuel’s phone buzzed A Helper Hounds Alert Samuel grabbed his phone He frowned and plopped onto our old green sofa Oh no Samuel said I munched up my ball and crawled onto the 3
sofa next to him He scratched my head Two kids Max and Lily are being bullied Samuel said I hate when kids are mean to each other Samuel used to be a teacher He’d seen a lot of kids getting bullied Samuel scrolled down on his phone One kid tells Max he’s skinny and that he could snap him in two Another girl makes fun of Lily because Max and Lily don’t live with their mom right now Terrible I barked my agreement Samuel held my snout in his hands and kissed my nose He walked to the hallway where my official red Helper Hounds vest and leash hung on hooks My stubby tail wagged Can you help these two learn to stop their bullies Samuel said My tail wagged so hard my butt shook the sofa cushion I jumped off 4
