King's Courage
You can buy the Blast to the Past book "King's Courage" by clicking here!

Get Real with History!
Read all about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Wikipedia.

The bell rang. Class was over.

As we were collecting our books to leave, Mr. C asked Jacob, Zack, Bo, and me to hold back for a second. When we were alone, he secretly handed us a computer cartridge. It had a small picture of Dr. King on the front. 

“Do you have the computer?” Mr. C asked me. Of course I did! It was Monday after all.

“I need your help,” he whispered. “Things have gotten too hard for Dr. King, and he’s decided to quit. Right after school you need to make certain that martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t give up. He must lead the third march to Montgomery.”

So here we were, ready to go to Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Stuck with a sleeping toddler.

“Okay,” I said to Jacob, Zack, and Bo. “We can’t babysit and find Martin Luther King Jr. at the same time. We need a plan.”

Jacob put the computer and cartridge down on Mr. C’s desk. “I think one of use has to stay back with Gabe while the rest of us go on to Selma.”

I was bummed, but Jacob was right. Someone had to stay behind.

“I have a bad feeling about going,” Zack said. “But even so, there’s no way I’m staying here. I’d rather do almost anything in the universe than babysit Gabe. I’d eat live toads, roll in the grass with snakes, put my had in a beehive and – ”

“We get your point” I told Zack, cutting him off. “So Zack’s going.” I thought about Jacob and then quickly decided. “Jacob has to go. He’s the only one who knows how to use the time-travel computer.”

At that, Jacob looked down at the watch Mr. C had given him on our first adventure. “We have to hurry.” He tapped on the watch face.

We needed to make a decision. Fast.

Bo read a lot and knew so many useful things, he really should go. Plus, Gabe didn’t know him…

“Okay.” I sighed. “I’ll stay and babysit.” Sadness filled my heart.

The boys insisted they didn’t know how they’d ever convince Dr. King without me. I was bold and curious. I always had a millions questions-important questions that helped us on our adventures. But there was no other choice.

The boys said “Good-bye,” and Jacob went to get the computer from Mr. C’s desk.

It was gone.

We all turned just in time to see Baby Gabe slip the cartridge into the back of the machine. The time-travel hole opened in the classroom floor. Green smoke oozed out and floated around the room. Gabe was holding the computer, standing at the edge of the hole. Giggling.

I quickly reached out and snapped the back of his little blue pants. Unfortunately, the waistband was elastic. It stretched. And stretched. And stretched.

He kept pulling forward, teetering over the hole. If I stepped a fraction of an inch forward, we were both going to fall in.

Bo grabbed me around the waist to steady me. Jacob put his arms around Bo. Zack help on to Jacob.

It was no use. With a quick turn of his head, Gabe sunk his teeth into my skin, biting me on the hand.

“Ouch!” I shouted, opening my palm in pain.

Just like that, Baby Gabe toppled over and disappeared.

“We’ve got to go get Gabe!” I shouted to the boys, motioning to Zack to grab the diaper bag.

It was my turn to break the sound barrier as I quickly leapt, following Gabe down into the hole.

As I fell through time, I distinctly heard Jacob call out, “That mini-monster better not have broken Mr. C’s computer!”

CONTINUED...

Read about Dr. King and write the story the way YOU would make it turn out.

Then get the Blast to the Past book and see what happens with Zack, Jacob, and Bo.

You can buy the Blast to the Past book "King's Courage" by clicking here!

Read all about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Wikipedia.

Read all the Blast to the Past chapters here!

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