Read Online The Potato Chip Puzzles: The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin - Free Book Online Page A

path of that other team, but it was impossible. They could have come from anywhere.
    Winston turned in a slow circle, trying to figure it out. And then suddenly he was almost knocked over. He looked up to see Brendan Root and his team brushing by them.
    “Hey, Winston! Fun, isn’t it?” Brendan said, looking back at him as he jogged away. Winston was too stunned to reply.
    Brendan’s teacher looked as excited as a kid. Mr. Lester, that was his name. He jumped as he walked and pointed urgently toward the exit, as if his team wasn’t already heading there. “Come on, guys. Let’s go!” he said. He definitely had Mr. Garvey’s competitive spirit. Brendan waved at Winston again and then sped up to join his team.
    They watched them round the corner. “I told you he was going to be tough,” said Jake.
    “Do you know them?” said Mr. Garvey.
    “We met that one kid back at the factory.”
    Mal looked around. “So where did they come from? Did anyone see?” No one did. “This is starting to not be funny,” he said.
    “Maybe we can run and ask them where the puzzle is,” said Jake.
    Mr. Garvey laughed. “They’re not going to help us.”
    “Why not?”
    “Would you lend a helping hand to your competition?”
    Jake looked on the spot. “I wouldn’t tell them the answer, but I might tell them where the puzzle could be found. I mean, if they were really stuck.”
    Mr. Garvey shook his head. He patted Jake on the shoulder like a game-show host consoling a foolish contestant. “That’s very admirable,” he said. “You stick close to me, Jake, so I can stop you from doing things like that.”
    Jake looked like he had something to say in response to this, but then a voice from behind them said, “Have you found it yet?”
    They turned around yet again. This time, one of the Greater Oaks girls was standing there, watching them. She cocked her head. “You’re part of the potato chip thing, right?” she said. “Have you found the puzzle in here?”
    Winston shook his head. “No, we haven’t. Have you?”
    She shrugged, with an ironic little smile. “If we had, I wouldn’t be asking you about it. Do you want to look together?”
    All three boys looked to Mr. Garvey. Winston guessed he would have strong feelings about joining up with other teams.
    The math teacher cleared his throat. To Winston’s surprise, he said, “Well, I guess the more eyes, the merrier, right? Where’s the rest of your team, young lady?”
    She waved generally. “We split up. They’re all around here somewhere. Where are you guys from?”
    They began to walk, and there were introductions all around. The girl was Bethany Seymour. Winston was more than a little aware of how pretty she was, with her shining brown eyes and long, straight hair. He found himself simultaneously trying to walk next to her and not walk next to her, and cursed himself for his awkwardness.
    Mr. Garvey said as they continued to look around the planetarium, “You’re from Greater Oaks, is that right? That’s rather far away.”
    “Yeah, it was a long drive to get here,” said Bethany. “And then getting from the potato chip factory to here, Miss Norris made a wrong turn and we wound up somewhere with railroad tracks and a garbage dump. It took forever.”
    “Miss Norris is your teacher?”
    “Yeah, my English teacher. There she is, right there.”
    Indeed, the nervous woman with the thick sproing of curly red hair was marching over to them. She wore a wide-eyed expression that may as well have been a sign reading, I AM FRAZZLED.
    “Bethany,” she said, voice shaking with agitation, “where did you go?”
    “We said we were all going to split up, remember?”
    “But I said to stay close by! Didn’t I?”
    “I’m right here, ” Bethany said, rolling her eyes.
    “Where are the others?”
    “I don’t know. They’re somewhere. They didn’t leave.”
    Mr. Garvey jumped in. “Miss Norris, is it?” She looked at him, startled. “I’m Greg