Dare to Read 2014 by sockying

S29 04L IL

I told you he’s gone! Subject: your parents built a working time Interrogator: You expect us to believe that machine? Where are you hiding the boy?

(Application of iron brand, eliciting Subject’s

distress.)

hine so they could go back to stop S: I swear, it’s the truth! They built the mac it! Stop, please! the plague but never got a chance to use vaccine carrier? Were you aware that Patient Zero was the I: S: Stop, please! Answer the question. I: it was him! Help! Somebody, help me! S: I didn’t know it was him! I didn’t know

ciousness.

ect to lose cons (Application of wooden rod, causing Subj Interview ends.)

Patient Zero. Vaccine sample is now Conclusion: Subject has no contact with tion with Project Hyde. unobtainable. Recommendation: Continua Report Submitted By:

1st June 2084

Complete all the 20 missions in this handbook. You can get extra help by using the information that can be found in the resource list of books and websites at the bottom of the page. Submit the completed missions to collect your prizes and save what is left of the human race. Good luck.

NAME CLASS Dare to Read is a Signature Activity of the National Library Board’s Read@School programme. All printed materials and prizes are obtainable only through participating schools.

Introduction 2 Mission 1: The Nightmare Begins

Mission 2: Crack the Code

Mission 3: Breaking Out

Mission 4: Deadly Fruit

Mission 5: Guards! Guards!

Mission 6: Firestorm

Mission 7: Cutting Edge

Mission 8: Eat Local

Mission 9: Crossing Bridges

Mission 10: Riddle Me This

Mission 11: Password Please

Mission 12: The Labyrinth

Mission 13: Open Sesame

Mission 14: What Lies Beneath

Mission 15: Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Mission 16: Lights On

Mission 17: Oh Brother

Mission 18: Let There Be Light

Mission 19: The Great Escape

Mission 20: Finale

Clearance Level 2 Name:

Lela Indy-Lee

DOB:

29 February 2072

Family: Deceased Classified â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Level 3 Current location: Clearance required Known skills:

Heightened athletic ability

NOTES: Following the escape of Brian Clark-Ang, Codename: Patient Zero, Subject is no longer of use. Subject to be released to Plague Procedure for disposal.

LELA

Name: Alex, [Last name Unknown] DOB : 28 July 2068 Family: Parents, deceased. Brother, MIA. Occupation: Soldier, Technical Support and Security Known Skills: Lockpicking, Computer Coding, Mixed Martial Arts

ALEX

NOTES: Plague survivor. Recruit has proven resourceful, with good instincts. Psychological evaluation shows introvert behaviour. To be kept on Surveillance Level 1 following promotion to Project Hyde.

MISSIONS

PRIZES

Missions 1, 2 and 3

Button Badge

Missions 4 and 5

Pencil Case

Missions 6, 7 and 8

Luggage Tag

Missions 9, 10 and 11

Pen

Missions 12, 13 and 14

3D Paper Toy

Missions 15, 16 and 17

Bookmark

Missions 18, 19 and 20

Notepad

THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS [ALEX]

DARE TO READ

mISSION 0 1

The only thing that mattered was finding my brother Xander. Like thousands of other Infected, he was placed under quarantine, and eventually “passed away peacefully”. Except I don’t think he’s gone. And I am going to find him. No one noticed as I left my guard post and crept to the Mayor’s door. I peeked around the corner, and there he was, before a lit fireplace. He wasn’t alone. “HIS BLOOD WILL BE OUR UNDOING!! We have been chosen, blessed with the powers of the night...and we have learnt to harvest the powers of the day. Do you seek to betray us, Mayor?” “Definitely not, my lord! My loyalty lies with you, with the Salvaged! “That is reassuring. But I cannot help but think that you are slowly reverting into a surface dweller. You have failed to realize there is an intruder.” A long skeletal finger pointed towards the door. “GET HIM!” A dark figure stood in the doorway, wearing a surgical mask. It carried a giant pair of bloody scissors, snapping them open and shut viciously. I fled, until I found myself in an unfamiliar corridor. I’d never been to this part of the Community before. I ran for a door and drew out my lock picks. Help Alex pick the lock! Help solve the grid using the numbers 1-8. No consecutive numbers may appear next to each other either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. E.g. “3” cannot be next to “1” and “2” diagonally. Also, each number may only be used once.

Resources: • Dark Water by Koji Suzuki. Call No.: SUZ-[HO]. All Rights Reserved, Vertical, 2004. • The August House Book of Scary Stories for Telling Out Loud ed. Liz Parkhurst. Call No.: Y AUG. All Rights Reserved, August House, 2009. • Train Your Brain to be a Math Genius by Mike Goldsmith. Call No.: Y 510 GOL. All Rights Reserved, DK, 2012. • http://www.sudokuoftheday.com/pages/techniques-overview.php. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013. • http://www.wikihow.com/Solve-a-Sudoku. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013.

2014

mISSION 0 2 CRACK THE CODE [ALEX] I wasn’t ready for the sight behind the door. Dozens of people crammed together, gagged and bound. I recognized most of them; they were the latest Infected. Was this “the quarantine”? Was this what my brother had gone through? Then I saw a face I hadn’t expected to see. Lela. She was supposed to have escaped. So why was she here? I tried to untie her...except that there was no knot to untie. Her cuffs were electronic. Unpickable. I examined the cuffs carefully: Made in Singapore To release, key in code. Hint: Year of Independence.

What’s the release code for Lela’s cuffs?

ANSWER

Resources: • From Colonies to Independent Nations: Selected Studies in Southeast Asian History by Yong Mun Cheong. Call No.: Y SING 959.05 YON. All Rights Reserved, Pearson Longman, 2007. • The Illustrated Men in White: Selected Tales of Power, Struggle & Betrayal by Ng Tze Yong and Jonathan Roberts. Call No.: Y SING 324.25957 ILL. All Rights Reserved, Straits Times Press, 2009. • http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1064_2006-04-03. html?s=independence. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013.

mISSION 0 3 BREAKING OUT [ALEX] The numbers glowed green and the cuffs clicked open. As I got the lock off Lela, she struggled violently. “Get off me, you ruffian!!!!” “Would you cut it out! I’m trying to save you. STOP HITTING ME, LELA.” “Alex?” “We’d better get out of here,” I pulled Lela up. “Stay close!” We walked out of the room, ignoring the pleading looks from the others. I had a mission. “What’s the plan, Alex?” “That’s the plan,” I said pointing at the locked door. “Get out, and stay alive.” “No, no, no, not again...” I turned. The creature carrying the scissors stood in the doorway, staring at us. Crack the lock, quick!

DARE TO READ

LOCK

Arrange the numbers so that the product of all 3 numbers on each straight line is the same. You need only use 7 numbers.

Resources: • Stunts, Puzzles, and Stage Illusions (Inside Magic) by Nicholas Einhorn. Call No.: Y 793.8 EIN. All Rights Reserved, Rosen Central 2011. • The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. Call No.: Y BOS. All Rights Reserved, Little Brown & Co., 2008.

mISSION 0 4 DEADLY FRUIT [LELA] We dashed out, not looking back. “This way!” Alex called out. We were blinded by the light as we emerged. When our eyes adjusted to the light, we found ourselves in an enclosed courtyard. No way out, other than how we got in. With that scissors-wielding creature chasing us. “Up that tree!” I screamed. Alex knelt at the foot of the tree, arms ready, and I ran towards him. Using his arms as a springboard, I leapt and caught the lowest branch. Too late. The light gleamed off the bloody scissors.

Where would you normally find these snake-like creatures? What are they? ANSWER

“NO! I’m NOT going BACK!” I grabbed the strange-looking fruit growing on the tree, and hurled handfuls at the creature’s head. Alex backed up against the tree. “Lela, stop. STOP THROWING THAT.” I watched in horror as the fruit uncurled itself, into a long, eel-like monster with needle-sharp teeth. It grabbed the creature’s head and twined itself around the pale neck… and tore at the creature’s throat. “Lela, GET ME OUT OF HERE!” Resources: • Bloodsucking Creatures by Ron Knapp. Call No.: J 591.5 KNA. All Rights Reserved, Enslow Publishers, 2011. • Real-life Vampires (Edge Books. Vampires.) by Megan Kopp. Call No.: J 591.5 KOP. All Rights Reserved, Capstone Press, 2011. • Rip Tide by Kat Falls. Call No.: Y FAL. All Rights Reserved, Scholastic Press, 2011. • http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/videos/sea-lamprey-exterminator.htm. Last accessed on 20 Sept 2013. • http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/basalfish/petro.html. Last accessed on 20 Sept 2013. • http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/LampreyPie.htm. Last accessed on 20 Sept 2013.

mISSION 0 5 GUARDS! GUARDS! [LELA] 2014

I pulled Alex up the tree, and shimmied over to the courtyard wall. I tried to look over the wall but slipped and dropped into the arms of a huge cowled guard. Alex landed next to the guard, grabbed his arm and twisted it viciously. I fell and crawled to safety. The guard didn’t even flinch. Instead, he grabbed Alex with his other arm and turned towards him with a nasty grin, his breath smelling like rotten flesh. “Fresh meat at last… so hungry…”

Question: 1. What kind of monster is this guard? 2. How can Lela and Alex defeat it? ANSWER

Resources: • Wendigo by Q. L. Pearce. Call No.: J 398.2 PEA-[FOL]z. All Rights Reserved, KidHaven Press, 2009. • The Wendigo (Graphic Horror) adapted by Vincent Goodwin. Call No.: Y 741.5973 GOO. All Rights Reserved, Magic Wagon, 2014. • The Curse of the Wendigo (Monstrumologist, Book 2) by Rick Yancey. Call No.: Y YAN. All Rights Reserved, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010. • http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/lost-tapes/videos/ wendigo.htm. Last accessed on 20 Sept 2013. • http://library.ebonline.com/primary_source/gutenberg/ PGCC_classics/wendigo.htm. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013.

mISSION 0 6 FIRESTORM [LELA] Alex struggled, but the monster held him fast. Its jaw opened impossibly wide and it lowered its head slowly towards him. “Lela, use this!” I scrambled to my feet and caught the matchbox. A handful of matches would be no use against the creature. I needed to create a burning torch. Help Lela!

LIT LIT LIT

Torches are fixed everywhere at regular intervals in the courtyard, but you only have seven matches in your possession. Each torch that is lit will light up the square it is on, as well as the squares adjacent to it. The first torch has been lit for you; mark the remaining 6 squares which should have the torches lit. Resources: • http://layton.wikia.com/wiki/Puzzle:Sign_Flipper. Last accessed on 28 April 2014. • http://www.brainbashers.com/lightup.asp. Last accessed on 29 April 2014.

DARE TO READ

mISSION 0 7 CUTTING EDGE [LELA] I swung the torch at the monster’s face. He let out a high-pitched scream, and dropped Alex’s arm. I advanced towards the guard, but the wood would not burn for that much longer. A flash of red caught my eye, and a large red fox leapt at the other guard that had been creeping up on me. I darted forward with the torch again, sticking it into the monster’s face. He screamed again, and fled. I turned, to see the fox chewing on the other guard’s face, as Alex watched in disgust. Its teeth gleamed in the sunlight. “Alex, I think that fox’s teeth are metal.” “Wish we had some metal of our own.” The fox stopped mid-chew and stared at me. Whisking its tail, it padded off into the bushes, and dragged out bulging bags. “Whose do you think those are?” “Who cares?” Alex opened one, and drew out a wicked-looking scythe. “What else is in here?” Complete the Wordsearch to find 9 wicked weapons inside the bag.

Wicked Weapons S E Z J U L D I P C P C D L U

Y E C V R I K N F R R K W U H

I M L A V A S Y N O G T Q A U

I O E K M L Y U B S F X E J M

E P P U C F H A Q S O B H M R

S R P O K U T F P B H D J H L

T Z B A A T N P F O S C P Y E

J T W R L K C K O W V Q I R H

V F O E A T O X S L V V D U V

D O A H J Y X W M S E L E V J

T X X J I O D D E N A A J G M

E U Z H Q D A G G E R R X H G

BATTLEAXE BRASSKNUCKLES CROSSBOW FLAIL MACE MORNINGSTAR POLEAXE

I E U D W F S F S U O S B E G

O R R A T S G N I N R O M I I

H K V E U F Q Z S B E K Q H D

DAGGER SPEAR

Resources: • Sweaty Suits of Armour: Could You Survive Being a Knight? By Chana Stiefel. Call No.: J 940 STI. All Rights Reserved, Enslow Publishers, 2012. • http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages-weapons.htm. Last accessed on 20 Sept 2013. • http://www.medievalwarfare.info/weapons.htm. Last accessed on 20 Sept 2013.

2014

mISSION 0 8 EAT LOCAL [LELA] Alex handed me a dagger, and hefted the bag over his shoulder. We wove carefully through the jungle, trying not to disturb the undergrowth. The fox followed us. I knew nothing about the new animal mutations the landscape had coughed up, and I did not intend to meet any more today, monster-eating fox or not. In fact… “I’m hungry.” Alex sighed. “We don’t have time to stop. And we don’t have much food left anyway.” “I’m hungry.” “You know what, FINE!” Alex stomped off. “Wait!” I found him in a bush, picking something off the bushes. Something that was still moving. “Here, chew on this.” Identify these edible bugs.

ANSWER

DARE TO READ

ANSWER

ANSWER ANSWER

Resources: • Baby Bug Dishes (Extreme Cuisine) by Meish Goldish. Call No.: J 641.3 GOL. All Rights Reserved, Bearport Pub., 2009. • Andrew Zimmern’s Field Guide to Exceptionally Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Foods by Andrew Zimmern and Molly Mogren. Call No.: Y 394.12 ZIM. All Rights Reserved, Feiwel and Friends, 2012. • http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/edible-insects-zebz1305znsp.aspx?PageId=1#axzz2jNfZCTut. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013. • http://books.worldlibrary.net/members.4/oca/h/halfhourswithins00pack.pdf. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013.

2014

mISSION 0 9 CROSSING BRIDGES [ALEX] I chewed happily. “You sure you don’t want any?” Lela shuddered. The path filled with light as we walked out into the open. We were on the edge of a cliff. The forest continued on the other side. At the bottom of the ravine, a raging river howled past. “There!” I followed her gaze and saw a rickety old bridge spanning the ravine. “It would never hold us!” The bushes behind us rustled, and we turned. The scissors-wielding creature stood there. Its mask was bloody, and fresh drops dripped from the scissors. The fox growled softly. Help Alex and Lela cross the bridge.

To cross the bridge, you will have to avoid stepping into the gaps. You may only step over a maximum of 3 steps at any one time. Start with your left foot. Indicate on the planks, with ‘L’ and ‘R’ where you will place your landing foot.

Resource: • http://layton.wikia.com/wiki/Puzzle:The_Shoe_Maze. Last accessed on 28 April 2014.

DARE TO READ

mISSION 1 0 RIDDLE ME THIS [ALEX] “Don’t look down!” “Don’t look back, either!” Lela returned. “What? Why?” I turned. The monster was cutting through the ropes of the bridge with its scissors. “Hold on!” The bridge shuddered, then the world seemed to fall out from under us. The water hit us like a brick, and between the pain and the icy cold, I could barely struggle to the surface. “Alex!” Lela had been swept further downstream than I had, and was tangled in a strands of weeds, cradling the fox. I reached out and snagged a handhold, hauling myself in. Then the weeds wrapped themselves around me and pulled me in next to Lela and a yellowing skeleton. The skeleton reached out both arms and caught my throat. It cackled, “Now that there’s two of you, we can play a game. I love games. If you win, I’ll let you go. If I win, I get to rip you both to shreds.” Win the game to live!

“My kind hail from the British Isles, but we have stalked fresh and salt waters for centuries. We shift our shape with ease, but we favour the shape of one animal, and use it to lure humans to their doom. Nothing tastes better than mortal flesh. One of my most recent kills was a man named Mutt. Tell me, child, what am I?”

ANSWER

Resources: • *The Spook’s Beastiary by Joseph Delaney. Call No.: J 133.4 DEL. All Rights Reserved, Bodley Head, 2010. • *The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Call No.: Y STI. All Rights Reserved, Scholastic Press, 2011. • The Black Stallion and the Shape-Shifter by Steven Farley. Call No.: J FAR. All Rights Reserved, Yearling, 2010. *Also available as an eBook. Please go to http://www.nlb.gov.sg to check the availability of this title.

PASSWORD PLEASE [ALEX]

2014

mISSION 1 1

“ON NAM NAC EPACSE EM. TAHW MA I?” ANSWER

The skeleton flung Lela and the fox angrily to the bank, and said, “I’ll let her go, but not you!” I slammed the mace through its jaw. Lela and the fox cut through the vines with dagger and teeth, and dragged me to dry land as the skeleton tugged at the mace. We broke into a stumbling run as the skeleton yanked out the mace with a sickening crack and promptly collapsed into a heap. We heard the pounding of hooves from a distance as we continued running. “Dead end!” screamed Lela, pointing at the towering rock wall overgrown with vegetation. The fox snarled and leapt forward, ripping at a section of vines and revealing a hint of gleaming metal. A door. Help Alex to answer the password prompt and open the door.

DARE TO READ

mISSION 1 2 THE LABYRINTH [ALEX] We leaned against the door, as the shape-shifted skeleton screeched and hammered away outside. “Looks like there’s only one way to go.” Lela pointed at a dark passageway. The three of us walked alongside in silence, feeling along the narrow walls and following the weak light from the torch. Soon, Lela came to an abrupt stop. “Don’t you think this place seems kind of familiar?” “How would I know? Everything looks the same in the dark.” “No. I’m sure we’ve been here before.” She was right. We had been walking in circles. Help Alex and Lela navigate through the labyrinth.

Resources: • *The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Call No.: Y DAS. All Rights Reserved, Delacorte Press, 2009. • The Mansion of Mazes by David Glover. Call No.: J 793.74 GLO. All Rights Reserved, QED Publishing, 2011. *Also available as an eBook. Please go to http://www.nlb.gov.sg to check the availability of this title.

mISSION 1 3 OPEN SESAME [ALEX] 2014

The fox trotted off into the darkness. “Wait up!” We ran after it, stumbling through the tunnels. I was dragging Lela along, exhausted, when we entered a huge cavern. “Wonder where that door goes…” It was huge and chained, to prevent intruders from going in – or people from getting out, I thought darkly. “We’re not far from the village. Maybe it’s an underground city of survivors!” I kept silent. I didn’t want to get her hopes up.

OPEN

ALARM

She dragged me over. “Come on, you can open this door, can’t you?” Help Alex to unlock the door.

Flip the switch in the correct direction to open the door, or risk activating the alarm! ANSWER

Resources: • Simple Experiments with Wheels and Axles by Chris Oxlade. Call No.: J 621.8 OXL. All Rights Reserved, Windmill Books 2014. • Put Wheels and Axles to the Test by Sally M. Walker and Roseann Feldmann. Call No.: J 621.8 WAL. All Rights Reserved, Lerner Publications Co., 2012. • Basic Robot Building with Lego Mindstorms Nxt 2.0 by John Baichtal. Call No.: 629.892 BAI. All Rights Reserved, Que, 2013.

mISSION 1 4 WHAT LIES BENEATH [LELA] The catch released with a loud click. “Ready?” Alex asked as he slid the chains from the door. Together, we pushed the heavy door and walked in. Behind me, the fox started snarling. Something was wrong. “Hello? Anyone there?” The silence gave me the creeps. I started backing slowly to the door, when I felt movement behind me. I turned around, and wished I had not. It had probably been human. Its skin was the same ash-grey as

I backed away. It reached towards me. Suddenly, I was pulled backwards and my mouth was covered. And I realised why. The thing was not alone. They were everywhere. We were surrounded! Complete the crossword to escape the creatures! 1 2 3

Across 3. Often full of precious stones and metals. (Hint: What’s not yours is…) 4. A fancy name for bat poop 5. Another word for “Underground” 7. Blind as a …. 8. A creepy-crawly that is a gardener’s friend

6 7 8

Down 1. This city in Scotland has an underground section too 2. How did Alex and Lela get here? 5. Hangs from cave ceilings (It’s not alive!) 6. Reflected sound 9. Naked _______ rat

Resources: • *Mountain of Bones (Gravediggers) by Christopher Krovatin. Call No.: J KRO. All Rights Reserved, Katherine Tegen Books, 2012. • Animals with No Eyes: Cave Adaptation (Fact Finders. Extreme Life) by Kelly Regan Barnhill. Call No.: J 591.75 BAR. All Rights Reserved, Capstone Press, 2008. • Vampire Bats, Giant Insects, and Other Mysterious Animals of the Darkest Caves (Extreme Animals in Extreme Environments) by Ana Maria Rodriguez. Call No.: J 591.75 ROD. All Rights Reserved, Enslow, 2012. • Paranormal Edinburgh by Gordon Rutter. Call No.: 001.94094134 RUT. All Rights Reserved, History Press, 2009. • http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Edinburgh-Vaults/. Last accessed on 29 April 2014. *Also available as an eBook. Please go to http://www.nlb.gov.sg to check the availability of this title.

DARE TO READ

the monsters, but streaked with mud and dirt. Its thin, jagged limbs were draped in rags, and ended in torn bloody fingers. It had no eyes.

2014

mISSION 1 5 JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH [LELA] I dashed towards the door, barely registering that it looked smaller. I turned, to see a couple of the creatures stumbling after me. The fox stopped and barked, but I quickly scooped it up and kept running. The tunnel sloped down steeply, and I slid down feet-first. At the bottom, I crouched and waited. Eventually, I heard their footsteps shuffle away. I scrambled up the slope, pausing at the top. Silence. Then a voice boomed, “The other one’s down here somewhere…” We ran for cover behind some rocks. I peeked over the top and saw Alex slumped between two larger figures, one holding a glowing torch. “BUT WE HAVE THIS ONE.” The torch was held up towards Alex’s face, as a third, bigger figure stepped out of the shadows to examine him. A grizzled hand with mismatched fingers grazed his cheek. “I WONDER WHAT COLOUR HIS EYES ARE. TAKE HIM TO ACCESSORIES.” They slowly moved towards a metal door, the only barrier between them and the darkness. I saw the guard press a combination onto the grid.

R O

S R

S B E D

How many seven-letter words can you find? Always use the middle letter in your permutations. One of the words is the password. Can you help Lela find it? Hint: The answer you seek is the only thing standing in your way.

ANSWER

Resources: • Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus by Gris Grimly. Call No.: Y GRI. All Rights Reserved, Balzer + Bray, 2013. • http://www.wordplays.com/help/boggle. Last accessed on 29 April 2014.

There was just enough light from the torch up ahead for me to creep behind them. Pale human figures lined the path - mannequins. Until I brushed against a bare hand and realised that the hand was not plastic. It was a real hand. They stopped in front of a set of glass doors. A small red light blinked steadily from a panel next to them. The light blinked green and the door opened. The guards dragged Alex inside, and I dove in. I crouched behind a low table as they strapped Alex onto a standing table, metal cuffs clinking shut. A guard beamed a lamp onto Alex’s dirt-streaked face. “START WITH HIS EYES, THEN HIS ARMS.” I looked around me and noticed a circuit box. I quietly prised the lid off the box to look at the switches inside. I needed to turn the lights on! Which sequence of switches should Lela pull?

ANSWER 1.

Instructions: • Never pull the Green and Red switches in sequence. • Pull the Green switch before the Blue switch. • A Red switch can only come after the Blue switch and never before. • The Red switch must be pulled twice. • The sequence does not end with the Yellow switch. • The sequence does not begin with the Blue switch. • Colours should not be repeated one after the other. • The sequence begins and ends with two different primary colours.

Resources: • **The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. Call No.: J DUP. All Rights Reserved, Random House, 2012. • http://www.wikihow.com/Solve-Logic-Puzzles. Last accessed on 1 Nov 2013. • Gross Brain Teasers by Marne Ventura. Call No.: J 793.73 VEN. All Rights Reserved, Capstone Press, 2013. *Also available as an eBook. Please go to http://www.nlb.gov.sg to check the availability of this title. ** The City of Ember is available as an eBook text.

DARE TO READ

mISSION 1 6 LIGHTS ON [LELA]

2014

mISSION 1 7 OH BROTHER [ALEX] The room was flooded with light and filled with unearthly howling. I saw Lela jump out from behind a table and smacked a button on the control panel. The clamps fell open, and I lunged at the fallen monster, one hand snatching the torch. I set its cloak ablaze. Hurling myself at the second guard, I slammed him into the empty stand. The clamp caught his wrist, just as he darted forward with a swipe of his jagged claws. “Let’s go!” We took the tunnels’ turns at random, until we were in the dark again, stumbling over our own feet. “Nice work,” I panted. “Those things… We need to find the survivors and free them.” “We’ll never –” I felt a flash of pain, and blacked out. When I came to, it was still dark and I had a pounding headache. Lela was next to me, bound. The scissors-wielding creature watched us impassively. “Now that was impressive.” I froze at the sound of that voice: it was the same one from the Mayor’s quarters. Where else had I heard it? “Who are you, and what do you want?” The smaller silhouette shuffled forward, and when it emerged into the light, I screamed. “Surprise, brother. Look! This is what happened after YOU ABANDONED US! The plague wasn’t a curse, but Salvation! We are Salvaged, and we are stronger than you now! All we require are a few spare parts, courtesy of your Mayor and his Project Hyde. We can no longer walk in the sun, you see — hyper-photosensitivity. We’ll literally corrode under sunlight, like my friend here. So, we are bringing your community underground, with some nice explosives rigged around the village. Let’s see how the villagers like being buried alive!”

FT F QEPK, GKJ NRQQB GRQK FXREV NIFV VIKB WFJ’V TKK VIFJ FXREV NIFV VIKB WFJ. - HEPUET WFKTFQ ANSWER

Resources: • Unwholly by Neal Shusterman. Call No.: Y SHU. All Rights Reserved, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012. • Codes and Codebreaking by Andrew Langley. Call No.: J 652 LAN. All Rights Reserved, Smart Apple Media, 2010. • Breaking Secret Codes by Jillian Gregory. Call No.: J 652 GRE. All Rights Reserved, Edge Books, 2011. • Julius Caesar: The Boy Who Conquered an Empire by Ellen Galford. Call No.: J 937 GAL. All Rights Reserved, National Geographic, 2007. • Julius Caesar: The Colossus of Rome by Richard A. Billows. Call No.: 937.05092 BIL. All Rights Reserved, Routledge, 2011.

mISSION 1 8 LET THERE BE LIGHT [ALEX] “You can’t, Xander! Those are people too! You wouldn’t kill Alex…” pleaded Lela. “If that’s what it takes, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the good of my people,” Xander sneered as he walked away, the scissors-wielding creature following. “Count down the minutes to the end of the world as you know it.” I waited until my brother was gone, and whistled. The fox bounded over and gnawed at the ropes on my wrists. Lela rubbed her arms. “We need to get out of here to warn the community!” “You can go,” I started down the tunnel. “But I’m not leaving here without my brother.” As we headed down the corridor, I saw a room filled with chemicals and bottles. There were flammable and radioactive signs everywhere. Apparently, this was some sort of underground government lab before the Salvaged arrived. Unarmed explosives lined the walls. “They don’t like light, right? Let’s see if we can bring the light down here.”

What chemical produces a bright light when lit, and can be used in underwater flares?

ANSWER

Resources: • Who Invented the Periodic Table? By Nigel Saunders. Call No.: Y 546.8 SAU. All Rights Reserved, Arcturus Pub., 2010. • Introducing the Periodic Table by Tom Jackson. Call No.: J 546 JAC. All Rights Reserved, Crabtree Pub., 2013. • Magnesium by Edward Willett. Call No.: Y 546.392 WIL. All Rights Reserved, Rosen Pub., 2007.

DARE TO READ

Solve the cipher to find out who Xander’s favourite dictator is, and what he once said. Each letter needs to be deciphered on its own.

2014

mISSION 1 9 THE GREAT ESCAPE Alex: I gave Lela three of the homemade flares; she would have to find a way back up to the surface and do whatever it took to overthrow the Mayor and help the Community survive. Meanwhile, I would provide the distraction, laying out the explosives through the tunnels, and taking out the Salvaged.

Lela: When we finally got to the exit, I stepped out… to a barren landscape. Where was the Community? I turned and saw it, silhouetted against the setting sun several kilometres away. No way to get there in time to warn them… A cold hand grabbed me as the fox growled. It was one of the blind creatures. I drew my dagger with my free hand. The creature spoke, ‘If you kill me, you’ll never find a way to save your Community.’” I hesitated. The creature released me and stepped back into the tunnel. “Follow me.”

Alex: I raced through the tunnels, flares in hand. I set each timer for 10 minutes, to give Lela time to evacuate the village. Suddenly, Xander’s leg connected with my head and I fell. The patchwork guards surrounded me. “Put out the fires and restore Accessories. I’ll have his eyes before we feed the rest of him to the guards.” A roar sounded from beyond the tunnel, and Xander whirled around. Lela raced into the room, the fox bounding after her. Behind them, a crowd of eyeless monsters surged like a tide, armed to the teeth with rocks, knives and gear from our pack. I stared as they attacked the patchwork guards.

6 12 6

7 10 16

7 17 16

19 19 17

20 22 17

15 11 13

13 12 1

5 10

DARE TO READ

Which of the lettered squares should fill the empty space: A, B, C or D?

Use the keylock to open the doors! Help Alex figure out the combination.

ANSWER

A B C D

16 17 9

13 22 16

16 13 18

8 18 6

10 12 1

13 5

9 12

15 2

Resources: • The Prey by Andrew Fukuda. Call No.: Y FUK. All Rights Reserved, Simon & Schuster Children’s, 2013. • Numerical Thinking: 50 Brain-Training Puzzles to Change the Way You Think by Charles Phillips. Call No.: 793.73 PHI-[REC] All Rights Reserved, Connections Book Publishing, 2013. • Brain Boot Camp by Terry Horne and Simon Wootton. Call No.: 793.73 HOR-[REC]. All Rights Reserved, Hodder Education, 2012. • Extreme Brain Workout: 500 Fun and Challenging Puzzles to Boost Your Brain Power by Marcel Danesi. Call No.: 793.73 DAN-[REC]. All Rights Reserved, Harlequin, 2011.

mISSION 2 0 FINALE [ALEX] I rolled away from the guards as the cavern echoed with screams and howls. The guards had arrived. “Not so fast, BROTHER!” Xander blocked my way, his eyes weeping blood. I stared coldly into his misshapen eyes, then at the detonator in his hand. “It doesn’t matter what you do, you’re all DEAD!” I got to my feet. “I’ll give you one chance. Swear fealty to us, give me an eye, and I’ll let you keep the other, and live. We might even spare Lela, just for old time’s sake.” I grinned in the light of fire and flares.

2014

“I’ve got a surprise for you too, bro. You’re going to need more than an eye transplant.” Xander turned as Lela flung her last tree lamprey at his head. The detonator slipped from his hand as he screamed. A creature turned at the sound, and grinned at the detonator. Before I could shout, it bent over, and pressed the button with one long, skinny finger. I grabbed Lela. “We have to go!” “But –” “Don’t you get it? The only way to stop Project Hyde and save all these people is to find an alternative vaccine. And there’ll be no one left to find it if we don’t leave now.” “You’ll never disable the shutdown protocol without the password…” I looked back. Xander pointed to us, his face a horrific mess. “They’re there! Get them!” “Let’s go!” I dragged Lela away. “Think about it, Alex! Who are the real monsters?” Xander’s laughter echoed through the cavern as we raced towards the exit. “We’ll need a crowbar to get through the emergency doors. We need more time…” “No, we don’t,” said Lela. “I know the password.”

What is the password?

“Eddie discovered one of his childhood’s greatest truths. _____________ are the real monsters, ...”

Resources: • *It by Stephen King. Call No.: KIN. All Rights Reserved, Hodder, 2011. • Scared Stiff: Everything You Need to Know About 50 Famous Phobias by Sara Latta. Call No.: Y 616.8522. LAT. All Rights Reserved, Zest Books, 2013. • https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/150259-it. Last accessed on 2 May 2014. *Also available as an eBook. Please go to http://www.nlb.gov.sg to check the availability of this title.

EPILOGUE

The earth shook as we raced through the tunnels, the fox nipping at our heels. The stalactites shattered as they hit the ground. As we tumbled out, the tunnel closed behind us. Lela sank to the ground, crying. I crouched next to her as the fox licked her tearstained face. “I’m sorry… but it was too late.” “It’s not fair. WE HAVE TO GET THE COMMUNITY OUT!” “I know. At least they won’t be alone. Those eyeless folks might help them.” Lela looked up at me, her face grim. “We’re finding a way back down, one way or another.”

To be continued…?

2014

NOTE

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