The Amazing Mexican Secret Page 3
“YOU KEEP THAT BULL AWAY FROM MY SON STANLEY!”
And then Stanley saw: His family was in the front row! Mrs. Lambchop was standing on top of a seat, waving her hands like a trapped octopus. Everyone in the arena was staring at her. Arthur looked the most horrified of all.
“Mom? Dad? Arthur?” said Stanley. “What are you doing here?”
“You think you can go away for a whole week without calling?” cried Mrs. Lambchop.
“Your mother is right, son,” Mr. Lambchop said. “We were worried about you.”
Carmen shuffled slightly to let the bull pass again.
“Of course, we were worried!” Mrs. Lambchop cried. “Our boy Stanley is about to get gored by a bull!”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “Well, I think what you’re doing is neat, Stanley,” he said.
“Thanks, Arthur,” said Stanley. It sure was good to see his brother.
“Mom, is it okay if I finish just this one bullfight?” said Stanley. “Please?”
“Yeah, Mom. Please?” chimed Arthur.
“I promise, Señora Lambchop,” said Carmen. “I will keep Stanley safe. He is a very special boy.”
Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop exchanged looks. Then, slowly, Stanley’s mother climbed off her chair and sat down.
A few moments later, Stanley’s toes lightly brushed the bull’s back as it rushed beneath him. He squeezed Carmen’s hands joyously.
Everyone in the stands went wild—even Mrs. Lambchop.
“Stay back, matador!” cried Carlos. He was standing on Stanley’s bed, holding Stanley by the feet like a giant knife and swinging him at Arthur, who stood a few feet back on the floor. “Or I will chop you in half like an onion with the flat American!”
“Oh yeah, Mr. Big Chef?” said Arthur. He grabbed Stanley’s hands and tugged.
“Ow!” said Stanley.
“I will never let you beat me!” cried Carlos, tugging back. “Never!”
“That’s what you think!” challenged Arthur.
“Arthur,” Mr. Lambchop appeared in the doorway. “Haven’t I told you no playing tug-of-war in the house? You’re going to stretch out your brother.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. “We’re not having a tug-of-war, Dad. We’re playing chef and bullfighter.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Mr. Lambchop, “because I’ve just received our photographs from Mexico.” He flipped through the pile in his hand and held up one so the boys could see.
It was Stanley being swung through the air by Carmen del Junco as an enormous bull passed inches beneath him!
“Whoa,” Carlos said.
“I told you it was cool,” said Arthur.
Stanley felt his cheeks turning red. He went over to his bulletin board. He pinned the photo right next to a piece of paper on which he had written, “The secret is not the ingredient. It is what you do with it.”
Stanley smiled. He felt as if he could still hear La Abuela’s laugh. He could still feel the grasp of Carmen’s hands. He could still smell the secret ingredient.
In fact, it was as if that smell was wafting right down the hall and into his room.
“Lunchtime!” Mrs. Lambchop called.
Stanley, Arthur, Carlos, and Mr. Lambchop stampeded for the kitchen.
THE END
MORE AMAZING MEXICAN SECRETS!
Besides being the third largest country in Latin America, Mexico is the country with the most Spanish speakers in the whole world!
Each of the three color stripes in the Mexican flag is deeply symbolic: The green stripe represents the ideals of victory and hope, the white stripe symbolizes purity, and the red stripe symbolizes the blood sacrificed by Mexico’s heroes.
Mexico is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region named for the vast amount of volcanic and seismic activity it contains, and is home to many active volcanoes, such as the Citlaltépetl (also called Orizaba) and the Popocatépetl.
Though Spanish is Mexico’s official language, there are sixty more indigenous languages spoken in this country, such Huastec, Maya, Mazahua, Mazatec, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Otomí, Tarastec, Totonac, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, and Zapotec.
Every year on November 1, Mexicans celebrate a national holiday called “Día de los Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead,” in which they honor loved ones who have passed away. Festivities include decorating their houses with pictures of those who have passed and eating treats shaped like skulls and skeletons!
Mexico is the original home of chocolate!
The border between Mexico and the United States is the second longest border in the world (second only to the border between Canada and the United States), and it spans about 1,933 miles.
Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, is the second largest city in the world by population, with a population of about 18,131,000 people.
Read the Stories That Started It All!
A Flat Boy Can Do Almost Anything!
Stanley Lambchop is an ordinary boy. At least he was, until the night his bulletin board fell off the wall and flattened him. All of a sudden, Stanley can slide under doors, mail himself across the country in an envelope, and fly like a kite!
But flatness has its serious side, too. Sneak thieves have been stealing paintings from the Famous Museum of Art, and Stanley knows he’s the only one who can stop them. Will the robbers discover Stanley’s plan before he foils theirs?
Have You Seen Stanley?
One morning, after a dark and stormy night, Stanley Lambchop is nowhere to be found. But wait…what is that boy-shaped lump underneath his bedsheets? And where’s that giggling coming from? It’s Stanley and he’s…invisible!
At first there are great adventures for an invisible boy to have. Stanley becomes an unseen helper in a bike race, on a television show, and even fighting crime! But then Stanley starts to miss being seen, and wonders if he will stay invisible forever….
Stanley Lambchop Is Out of This World!
The United States has received a message from distant planet Tyrra: Will you meet with us? The President wants to send someone who is friendly, but also someone brave, adventurous, and clever—who better than Stanley Lambchop?
The whole Lambchop family bundles into the Star Scout spaceship with Stanley as Chief Pilot to voyage to far-off Tyrra. But do the Tyrrans simply want a friendly meeting? Or did they lure these intergalactic visitors for another, secret reason?
Stanley’s Back and Flatter Than Ever!
Stanley Lambchop thought he was back to being a normal, round boy for good—until one morning when, out of nowhere, he seems to have gone flat. Again. While being half an inch thick has its interesting points, Stanley can’t help wondering why he can’t just be like everybody else.
But when disaster strikes downtown and one of Stanley’s classmates is trapped, Stanley discovers that being different can definitely come in handy. After all, sometimes it takes a flat hero to save the day.
Stanley’s In For One Magic Ride!
Stanley Lambchop doesn’t realize that the old lamp he’s found is magic—until he rubs it and a genie appears! Of course the genie grants Stanley wishes—fame, superpowers, a magical pet, you name it.
But the more wishes Stanley makes, the stranger life becomes. Now Stanley’s adventure is a mess that will take more than just a wish to undo!
Can Stanley Save Christmas?
Stanley is astonished when a girl tumbles down the chimney two nights before Christmas. It’s Santa’s daughter, Sarah Claus, and she’s come for help! Santa says he’s not going to deliver any presents this year, and now it’s up to the Lambchop family to change his mind. They’re off to the North Pole—but will they be in time?
And check out Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures!
Saddle Up with Flat Stanley
Ever since Stanley was flattened by a bulletin board, every trip is an adventure! The whole Lambchop family is off to see Mount Rushmore. But when Flat Stanley and his brother, Arthur, team up with a scrappy cowgirl named Calamity Jasper, thei
r vacation turns into the Wild West experience of a lifetime. Pretty soon, they find themselves in a real tight spot—even for a flat boy like Stanley!
Ancient Pyramids Can Be Flat-out Dangerous!
Because Stanley’s been flattened by a bulletin board, there are places he can get to that no one else can. So when Stanley receives a letter from an archaeologist, he travels by airmail to Egypt to help find an ancient treasure deep in the heart of a great pyramid. But what if even the flattest boy on earth can’t wriggle out of this dark tomb—and the terrible mess he finds himself in?
A Flat Ninja?
Stanley and his brother, Arthur, are such huge fans of the movie star ninja Oda Nobu that they decide to send him something even better than fan mail—Stanley himself! Soon enough, Flat Stanley is in Japan, seeing the country with his idol. But when trouble surprises them, it will take a real hero to save the day.
Flat Stanley Goes North!
The Lambchops are in British Columbia, Canada, for some skiing and winter fun. But when Stanley and his new friend Nick go snowboarding—with Stanley as the snowboard, of course—they take a midair tumble just as the wind picks up…and find themselves in an amazing Canadian cross-country journey that might just be Stanley’s wildest adventure yet!
There’s No Place on Earth That a Flat Kid Can’t Go!
Don’t miss:
Turn the Page for a Sneak Peek!
The Search Begins
Stanley Lambchop was flattened against the wall outside the kitchen. He knew it was impolite to eavesdrop, but his mother sounded upset. And she was talking about him.
“I’m worried about Stanley,” Harriet Lambchop was saying to her husband, George. “What if he’s flat for the rest of his life? You know how difficult things can be for someone who’s special.”
Stanley thought of the morning, not long ago, when he awoke to find that the bulletin board over his bed had fallen on him during the night. Ever since, he’d been only half an inch thick. With his new shape, Stanley could do all sorts of things most people couldn’t do, such as travel via airmail. But his mother was right. Just yesterday, someone at school had called him “Boardbrains.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine, dear,” Mr. Lambchop said. “Just because Stanley has gone flat—”
“Become flat,” Mrs. Lambchop said. “Stanley hasn’t gone flat, George. He’s become flat. You know how improper grammar makes me—” She was overcome with emotion.
Stanley peeled himself off the wall and trudged down the hall. He felt like being alone.
A moment later, he was flat on his back beneath the couch in the living room. It may have been too low to the ground for the vacuum cleaner, but it wasn’t too low for Stanley…or for how he felt.
About the Authors
JEFF BROWN created the beloved character of Flat Stanley as a bedtime story for his sons. He has written other outrageous books about the Lambchop family, including FLAT STANLEY, STANLEY AND THE MAGIC LAMP, INVISIBLE STANLEY, STANLEY’S CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE, STANLEY IN SPACE, and STANLEY, FLAT AGAIN! You can learn more about Jeff Brown and Flat Stanley at www.flatstanleybooks.com.
JOSH GREENHUT once mailed Flat Stanley, in costume, to a Halloween party 300 miles away. He is now married to the woman who was host of the party, and they live in Toronto with their two children.
MACKY PAMINTUAN is an accomplished illustrator. He lives in the Philippines with his wife, Aymone, their baby girl, Alison, and their pet Westie, Winter.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
CATCH FLAT STANLEY’S WORLDWIDE ADVENTURES:
The Mount Rushmore Calamity
The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery
The Japanese Ninja Surprise
The Intrepid Canadian Expedition
The Amazing Mexican Secret
AND DON’T MISS ANY OF THESE OUTRAGEOUS STORIES:
Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure!
Stanley and the Magic Lamp
Invisible Stanley
Stanley’s Christmas Adventure
Stanley in Space
Stanley, Flat Again!
Credits
Cover art by Macky Pamintuan
Cover design by Alison Klapthor
Copyright
FLAT STANLEY’S WORLDWIDE ADVENTURES BOOK NO. 5: THE AMAZING MEXICAN SECRET. Text copyright © 2010 by the Trust u/w/o Richard C. Brown a/k/a Jeff Brown f/b/o Duncan Brown. Illustrations by Macky Pamintuan, copyright © 2010 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
Greenhut, Josh.
The amazing Mexican secret / created by Jeff Brown; written by Josh Greenhut; pictures by Macky Pamintuan.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(Flat Stanley’s worldwide adventures; 5)
Summary: Confident that Stanley can succeed where international spies and thieves have failed, Stanley’s mom who loves to cook mails him to Mexico to get a secret herbal ingredient that she must have.
ISBN 978-0-06-142999-6 (trade bdg.)—ISBN 978-0-06-142998-9 (pbk.)
[1. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 2. Mexico—Fiction. 3. Secrets—Fiction.] I. Brown, Jeff, 1926–2003. II. Pamintuan, Macky, ill. III. Title.
PZ7.G84568Am 2010 2010007035
[Fic]—dc22 CIP
AC
FIRST EDITION
EPub Edition © July 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-200800-8
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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