The Magnificent 12 (16 page)

About the Author

MICHAEL GRANT
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of the Gone series. He has spent much of his life on the move. Raised in a military family, he attended ten schools in five states, as well as three schools in France. Even as an adult he kept moving, and in fact he became a writer in part because it was one of the few jobs that wouldn't tie him down. His fondest dream is to spend a year circumnavigating the globe and visiting every continent. Yes, even Antarctica. He lives in California with his wife, Katherine Applegate, and their two children. Visit him online at www.themichaelgrant.com.

 

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Also by Michael Grant

Gone

Hunger

Lies

Plague

Fear

Light

The Magnificent 12: The Call

The Magnificent 12: The Trap

The Magnificent 12: The Key

Back Ads

Credits

Cover art © 2013 by David McClellan

Logo by Jason Cook

Cover design by Amy Ryan

Copyright

Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

 

The Magnificent 12: The Power

Copyright © 2013 by Michael Grant

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Grant, Michael.

The power / Michael Grant. — First edition.

pages cm. — (Magnificent 12 ; 4)

Summary: “Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy and a team of other twelve-year-olds travel the globe to find the rest of the Magnifica so they can defeat the Pale Queen and save the world from destruction”— Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-0-06-183372-4 (hardback)

Epub Edition © JUNE 2013 ISBN 9780062239075

[1. Fantasy. 2. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 3. Good and evil—Fiction. 4. Humorous stories.] I. Title.

PZ7.G7671Pow 2013

2013014340

[Fic]—dc23

CIP

AC

13   14   15   16   17  
CG/RRDH
   10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

FIRST EDITION

 

 

1
She was not a nice person.

 

 

2
Why do they call it “the” Punjab rather than just Punjab? There's a perfectly good explanation, but it wouldn't fit in a footnote. Also, there's some more Punjab in Pakistan, but let's stick with India. One Punjab is plenty.

 

 

3
Nope. No idea what a carapace is.

 

 

4
“Disappear, beetles!”

 

 

5
No, not Mafia. Nafia assassins spit on Mafia assassins and call them “salami slicers,” an obscure sort of insult.

 

 

6
Some book authors have that.

 

 

7
She doesn't. Just a little down on her upper lip. You can barely see it.

 

 

8
You can't get any proofier than YouTube.

 

 

9
The Parisian Office of Glory, Magnificence, and Defense of the French Language. Totally a real thing. But don't bother googling it, because they don't have a web page.

 

 

10
Go, Fighting Pupfish!

 

 

11
Euros are considered by some to be a type of money, a little bigger than a dollar.

 

 

12
See how we came back to the Punjab? Still no idea why it's
the
Punjab.

 

 

13
A misdemeanor in France.

 

 

14
In Australian it's pronounced “bee-yud.”

 

 

15
Surely you know this is a favorite curry dish from the Punjab.

 

 

16
Paddy “Nine Iron” Trout. Pay attention; I can't keep giving you answers.

 

 

17
Go, Fighting Pupfish!

 

 

18
And whispering, “Choose Jacob, he's awesome!”

 

 

19
Google it. Seriously, you gotta see what lederhosen look like.

 

 

20
He did mean to.

 

 

21
Newton's fourth law.

 

 

22
Because Brussels is in Belgium, see. Get it? Never mind.

 

 

23
French for a crush.

 

 

24
I don't even have the heart to say, “Go, Fighting Pupfish.”

 

 

25
Or ever.

 

 

26
A large percentage of caves are underground.

 

 

27
Ha! Fooled you. You thought it would be gold.

 

 

28
Plural of
vortex
. In case you ever need to know.

 

 

29
Go, Fighting Pupfish!

 

 

30
The idea of “endangered species” hadn't really caught on yet.

 

 

31
Yes.

 

 

32
Metaphysics: a branch of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality. Lay that word on your teacher someday. Your teacher will call your parents in and tell them you're a genius.

 

 

33
Yep, an early form of Uggs.

 

 

34
Today the man would be in Congress.

 

 

35
Sneaking is often done quietly.

 

 

36
Girls sometimes do.

 

 

37
Seven rows among the more elderly Brembles.

 

 

38
There's a whole lot of English history. Unless you really like history, you should go to school in a country with a shorter history, like the United States or Australia. Or a country where nothing ever happens, like Canada or Switzerland.

 

 

39
Go, Fighting Pupfish. No, really: go.

 

 

40
Most people walk a dog; some people walk abreast.

 

 

41
French for “right?”

 

 

42
Ouch, Fighting Pupfish!

 

 

43
This involves putting the palm of your hand on your face, then sliding it slowly down while you mutter, “Give me strength.” Just watch your mom or dad next time one of the pets pees in the house.

 

 

44
You can go with flower or orange. Either works.

 

 

45
I'm picturing cheddar.

 

 

46
Not much chance of that happening.

 

 

47
Oooh, sorry, Fighting Pupfish.

 

 

48
Tricky language, English. Very tricky language.

 

 

49
Risky, duh.

 

 

50
Go, Fighting Magnifica!