Dunc and Amos Hit the Big Top by Gary Paulsen Read Free Book Online Page A

“That’s where the trouble starts. You didn’t exactly
do
the trapeze.”
    “I most certainly did! Willy and Billy both said it was the greatest trapeze act they’d ever seen.”
    “No.” Dunc shook his head. “What they said was it was the most incredible trapeze act they’d ever seen.”
    “It means the same thing.”
    “Not exactly.”
    “Close enough for me to call Melissa.”
    “Amos, you broke her ankle when you fell on her.”
    “I didn’t fall—Biboe threw me.”
    “Still—”
    “And I didn’t mean to break her ankle. It was an accident. And that’s what I want to apologize for—she’s just waiting for me to call. I can feel it.”
    Dunc leaned across the desk. “Look, Amos. She didn’t catch your name. She said if she ever found out who broke her ankle, she was going to break
his
ankle, and then his neck. The way it is now, she doesn’t know you—in other words, it’s normal. If you tell her your name, it’s all over.”
    He was going to say more, was going to tell Amos that it was better to be wise and wait—maybe until he was sixty or so. He was going to try and help Amos through this difficult time, was going to do all that he could—except that the phone rang.
    Amos’s nostrils flared, his head swiveled, his teeth bared.
    “No, Amos. It’s not your house. She couldn’t know you were here.”
    It didn’t help. Well before the second ring, showing excellent form even if there was a slight waffle look still on his face, knees pumping, spit flying out the side of his mouth—
    Amos was off.

Be sure to join Dunc and Amos in these other Culpepper Adventures:
    The Case of the Dirty Bird
    When Dunc Culpepper and his best friend, Amos, first see the parrot in a pet store, they’re not impressed—it’s smelly, scruffy, and missing half its feathers. They’re only slightly impressed when they learn that the parrot speaks four languages, has outlived ten of its owners, and is probably 150 years old. But when the bird starts mouthing off about buried treasure, Dunc and Amos get pretty excited—let the amateur sleuthing begin!
    Dunc’s Doll
    Dunc and his accident-prone friend, Amos, are up to their old sleuthing habits once again. This time they’re after a band of doll thieves! When a doll that once belonged to Charles Dickens’s daughter is stolen from an exhibition at the local mall, the two boys put on their detective gear and do some serious snooping. Will a vicious watchdog keep them from retrieving the valuable missing doll?
    Culpepper’s Cannon
    Dunc and Amos are researching the Civil War cannon that stands in the town square when they find a note inside telling them about a time portal. Entering it through the dressing room of La Petite, a women’s clothing store, the boys find themselves in downtown Chatham on March 8, 1862—the day before the historic clash between the
Monitor
and the
Merrimac
. But the Confederate soldiers they meet mistake them for Yankee spies. Will they make it back to the future in one piece?
    Dunc Gets Tweaked
    Dunc and Amos meet up with a new buddy named Lash when they enter the radical world of skateboard competition. When somebody “cops”—steals—Lash’s prototype skateboard, the boys are determined to get it back. After all, Lash is about to shoot for a totally rad world’s record! Along the way they learn a major lesson:
Never
kiss a monkey!
    Dunc’s Halloween
    Dunc and Amos are planning the best route to get the most candy on Halloween. But their plans change when Amos is slightly bitten bya werewolf. He begins scratching himself and chasing UPS trucks—he’s become a werepuppy!
    Dunc Breaks the Record
    Dunc and Amos have a small problem when they try hang-gliding—they crash in the wilderness. Luckily Amos has read a book about a boy who survived in the wilderness for fifty-four days. Too bad Amos doesn’t have a hatchet. Things go from bad to worse when a wild man holds the boys captive. Can anything save them now?
    Dunc and