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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Lost</strong><br />
<strong>Comic</strong> <strong>Book</strong><br />
by Jack Lennox<br />
illustrated by Scott Brooks<br />
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
y Jack Lennox<br />
illustrated by Scott Brooks<br />
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company<br />
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or<br />
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for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers,<br />
Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.<br />
Printed in China<br />
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02417-2<br />
ISBN-10: 0-547-02417-7<br />
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 <strong>16</strong> 15 14 13 12 11<br />
If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers<br />
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2<br />
At breakfast, Ava Madera’s father saw a picture<br />
of <strong>The</strong> Brick on a cereal box. <strong>The</strong> Brick is a comic book<br />
character. <strong>The</strong> picture reminded Ava’s father of his comic<br />
book collection. He loved his comic books. He began<br />
telling Ava about his collection.<br />
After breakfast, Ava and her father went to her father’s<br />
study. Ava’s father wanted to show his comic books to her.<br />
He opened a cabinet. He looked through the folders of<br />
comic books.<br />
“I remember the day I got my favorite comic<br />
book,” said Ava’s father. “One of my friends was moving.<br />
He had to sell some things. I found a comic book. It was<br />
one that I didn’t have.”<br />
Ava had heard the story before. But she still loved to<br />
listen to it. Her father told how he fell in love with comic<br />
books as a boy. He began collecting them. At the time, he<br />
had a job delivering newspapers. He saved money to buy<br />
comic books. He was always excited at the launch of a new<br />
series, or set of comic books.
Dad shows Ava comic books from his collection.<br />
Every few minutes, Ava’s father paused in his story. He<br />
showed Ava the comics in one of the folders. Ava knew that<br />
her father was looking for his favorite series. Finally, he found<br />
the folder he wanted. He grinned. “Here’s the folder,” he said.<br />
“I loved this series from the time I saw the first cover.”<br />
Ava knew which comic books her father meant. <strong>The</strong><br />
series was called Incognito. Ava’s father told her about this<br />
amazing superhero. Incognito could change his face. He<br />
could change his jaw, nose, forehead, skin color, and mouth.<br />
Incognito could become a square-jawed soldier. He could<br />
become a suntanned cowboy. He could become a long-faced<br />
farmer. Incognito could look like anyone he wanted to<br />
look like.<br />
3
4<br />
Incognito could look older or younger, male or female.<br />
He could change his look in an instant. He could go anywhere.<br />
No one recognized him. That was why he was called<br />
Incognito. His enemies did not notice him. <strong>The</strong>y thought he<br />
was one of them. If someone did notice him, he changed<br />
into someone else. He always defeated the villains.<br />
Ava looked at her father fondly. He loved to talk<br />
about his comic books. He loved to talk about his favorite<br />
episodes. Ava did not feel the same way about comics. She<br />
enjoyed mystery novels.<br />
Still, Ava loved to listen to her father. She sat beside<br />
him on the couch as he looked through the Incognito file.<br />
He took the books out of the file gently, one at a time.<br />
Each book was in a clear plastic envelope.<br />
Ava’s father talked about Tony Revere. Tony had<br />
written the words and drawn the pictures for the Incognito<br />
books. <strong>The</strong> series only lasted two years. It had only eight<br />
issues. Each issue was worth a lot. Ava’s father had every<br />
issue. His favorite was #3. He had bought #3 from his<br />
friend. That issue featured Incognito stopping jewel<br />
thieves from robbing royal tombs.
A picture on the cover of an issue of Incognito<br />
Ava’s father took each comic out of the folder. Ava<br />
looked at the covers in their plastic envelopes. <strong>The</strong> cover art<br />
was beautiful, she thought.<br />
“And here…” Ava’s father said. But then he frowned.<br />
He looked at the comic book in Ava’s hands. <strong>The</strong>n he<br />
looked through the folder again. He counted the books.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were only seven books! Issue #3 was missing!<br />
Ava’s father leaped up. He ran to the file cabinet. He<br />
thumbed through every folder. Ava held her breath. She<br />
thought, Please let my dad find issue #3! But it was no use.<br />
<strong>The</strong> precious #3 was gone.<br />
5
6<br />
“That comic must be somewhere,” Ava said. “Did you<br />
look through each folder? Maybe it’s stuck at the bottom of<br />
the drawer.”<br />
Ava’s father shook his head. He sighed. <strong>The</strong>n he said,<br />
“We probably lost that issue when we moved. I wish I knew<br />
who moved the files.” Ava’s father still held the Incognito file.<br />
He looked incredibly sad.<br />
“Don’t worry,” Ava said. She wanted to comfort her<br />
father. “I’m sure we will find issue #3.”<br />
But they couldn’t find it. Ava’s father looked through his<br />
files many times. Ava’s mother looked, too. Ava’s mother held<br />
the record for finding missing things. But even she couldn’t<br />
find Incognito #3.<br />
Ava wanted to help her father. She decided to find<br />
another Incognito #3. How hard is it to find a comic book? she<br />
thought.<br />
Ava developed her plan that evening. First, she would<br />
talk with Peter. Peter was the older brother of Ava’s friend<br />
Marcy. Peter knew everything about comic books. Ava also<br />
decided to search the Internet. A person could find anything<br />
on the Internet.<br />
Many people sold comic books on the Internet. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
were special sites for selling comics. <strong>The</strong>re must be other<br />
copies of #3 for sale. Assuming Ava did not find #3 on the<br />
Internet, she would go to comic book stores in Galveston.
<strong>The</strong> next day, Ava went to Marcy’s house. Peter was<br />
home. Ava asked Peter about comic books. Peter told Ava<br />
about some comic book stores in Galveston. Peter also said<br />
he would go to a store with Ava next week.<br />
“Look on the Internet, too,” Peter said. “A million<br />
websites sell comics.” Peter doubted Ava would find the<br />
comic at a garage sale, though.<br />
“Most comics at garage sales are not in good shape,”<br />
Peter said. “<strong>The</strong> Internet is a better place to look. Try to<br />
find a website you can trust.”<br />
Peter also told Ava about a magazine that listed comic<br />
books for sale. <strong>The</strong> magazine would show if someone had<br />
sold Incognito #3 recently. It would also list the price.<br />
Ava talks with Peter about comic books.<br />
7
8<br />
“Where can I find a magazine like that?” Ava asked.<br />
“I have an issue from last year,” Peter said. “I’ll go get it.”<br />
Peter brought out the magazine. But he could not find #3<br />
listed in the magazine. No copies of Incognito #3 were sold<br />
last year. A copy of #1 was sold, for a lot of money.<br />
“Wow,” Peter said. “A copy of #1 sold for $45. That’s a<br />
lot for an Incognito comic.”<br />
Peter talked more about comic book sales. Ava listened<br />
closely and made mental notes. When she went home, she got<br />
out a notebook. Ava wrote down everything Peter had said.<br />
Peter told her a #3 would probably cost as much as the #1.<br />
That night, Ava finished her homework early. <strong>The</strong>n she<br />
went online. Ava searched for “comic books.” She was<br />
stunned by what she found. Ava had no idea there were so<br />
many different comic books. She knew about Superbat and<br />
<strong>The</strong> Brick and Rubberneck and Millidigit.<br />
But there were thousands more. <strong>The</strong> Internet<br />
described many different comic books—Prototype and<br />
Chrysalizzy, Octopus Eye and Bole the Barbarian, and Blue<br />
Bison and Terminalis. <strong>The</strong>re were also foreign comics with<br />
superheroes like Tout Neuf and Archeo. <strong>The</strong>n there were<br />
comics from movies, too. <strong>The</strong>re were also thousands of<br />
manga comics from Japan. On the Internet, people bought<br />
comics every hour of every day.
All at once, Ava spotted Incognito. Her heart pounded<br />
with excitement. One icon showed what issues were available.<br />
Ava clicked on that icon. <strong>The</strong> issues #1, 2, 4, 7, and 8<br />
showed on the screen. But no #3. “Just my luck,” Ava sighed.<br />
She was very disappointed.<br />
Ava went to another website. <strong>The</strong>re were no copies of<br />
Incognito at all on that website.<br />
This website shows the issues of Incognito that are for sale.<br />
Incognito #1 ................... Very Fine $50<br />
Incognito #2 ............................ Fine $32<br />
Incognito #4 ................... Very Fine $27<br />
Incognito #7… ...............Near Mint $25<br />
Incognito #8 ...................Very Good $8<br />
9
10<br />
Ava stayed on the<br />
computer for another<br />
hour. Her brain became<br />
blurry. She finally<br />
stopped and went to bed.<br />
She dreamed about<br />
superheroes flying<br />
around her room.<br />
Every day, Ava went<br />
back on the computer.<br />
She checked every website<br />
she found. She found<br />
several Incognito #1s for<br />
sale. All these sold for about $50. Ava also found several #5s.<br />
But she could not find one #3 for sale. Ava felt discouraged.<br />
On Saturday, she called Marcy. Peter was there, too.<br />
Peter said that he would take Ava and Marcy to his favorite<br />
comic book store. That afternoon, the three friends went to<br />
the comic book store.<br />
<strong>The</strong> store was called Comix. It was located on Mission<br />
Street in downtown Galveston. <strong>The</strong> store was busy. <strong>The</strong><br />
various shoppers in the store amazed Ava. <strong>The</strong>re were many<br />
kids her own age. But there were older shoppers, too. Some<br />
looked like students from the university. Others looked like<br />
professors. Some seemed about her father’s age. Everyone in<br />
the store looked through stacks and stacks of comic books.<br />
Ava looks online for Incognito #3.
Peter went to look for his favorite comics. Ava and Marcy<br />
waited for the store clerk. <strong>The</strong> clerk had spiky hair and a<br />
colorful T-shirt. On the T-shirt was a picture of Bole the<br />
Barbarian. Ava and Marcy tried not to giggle. <strong>The</strong>n the clerk<br />
came over to the girls. Ava told the clerk what she wanted.<br />
“Whoa, Incognito,” the clerk said. He looked at the girls<br />
with curiosity. “I haven’t heard that name in months. Where<br />
did you learn about Incognito?”<br />
“My dad,” Ava said. “Incognito is his favorite series. I want<br />
to get #3 for him.”<br />
“Ah,” the clerk said. “We don’t have #3 in stock right<br />
now. But maybe I could find it for you. It could take several<br />
days to look for that comic. Could you come back next week?”<br />
<strong>The</strong> store clerk talks to Ava.<br />
11
12<br />
Ava felt hopeful. She said she would come back to the<br />
store in one week.<br />
On the way home, Ava and Marcy talked with Peter.<br />
Peter warned Ava about two things. “First,” Peter said,<br />
“make sure all the pages are there. Second, watch out for<br />
fakes. I’ve never had any trouble with comics from that<br />
store. But these days it’s easy to make fake comics.<br />
Computers and color printers make it easy. Take a good<br />
look at your dad’s comics. Don’t buy anything that isn’t as<br />
good as his books.”<br />
That week, Ava kept looking on the Internet. But she<br />
still had no luck. Ava even went to a garage sale down the<br />
street. <strong>The</strong>re were no comic books for sale. Finding #3 was<br />
going to be very difficult.<br />
On Saturday, Ava and Marcy went by train to downtown<br />
Galveston. <strong>The</strong>y went back to the Comix store. <strong>The</strong><br />
store was full of people. <strong>The</strong> clerk was busy. When the<br />
clerk was free, the girls went up to him. Ava asked the clerk<br />
if he had found Incognito #3 yet. <strong>The</strong> clerk smiled. He<br />
reached under the counter and pulled out a comic. Like all<br />
the rare comics, it was in a clear plastic envelope.
<strong>The</strong>re it was! Incognito #3! “It’s in mint condition,” the<br />
clerk said. Ava knew what “mint condition” meant. This<br />
copy of #3 was perfect, like a coin just made at the mint.<br />
Ava’s father would be very happy.<br />
“Can I look at it?” she asked.<br />
“Sure,” the clerk said. “Just be careful. No smudges,<br />
huh?” <strong>The</strong> clerk looked at Ava’s hands.<br />
Ava thumbed through the pages. She tried to follow<br />
the story. Ava wanted to make sure every page was there.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first two chapters looked complete. But then, in the<br />
third chapter, Ava noticed a gap. <strong>The</strong>re was a break in the<br />
story. <strong>The</strong>n Ava looked back at the cover. <strong>The</strong> cover paper<br />
seemed different from the covers in her father’s collection.<br />
Ava looks carefully at the comic book.<br />
13
14<br />
Ava whispered to Marcy, “I think something is wrong<br />
with this comic.” Ava showed Marcy the gap in the story.<br />
Marcy nodded her head.<br />
Earlier, Peter had told the girls that they shouldn’t<br />
accuse people of selling fake comics. So Ava and Marcy had<br />
talked before going to the store. <strong>The</strong>y had agreed to tell the<br />
clerk they needed to think before buying the comic.<br />
“This issue looks pretty good,” Ava said to the clerk.<br />
“But I need time to think it over. It costs a lot of money.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> clerk looked angry. “Suit yourself,” he said. He<br />
put the comic back under the counter.<br />
Ava and Marcy left the store quickly. A block away,<br />
Ava stopped. She said, “Did you see the look on the clerk’s<br />
face? I thought we were in trouble!”<br />
Marcy said, “Why should we be afraid? <strong>The</strong> clerk is<br />
the crook!” <strong>The</strong>n both girls started laughing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> girls rode the train back home. On the way,<br />
Marcy called her brother, Peter. “Guess what?” she said.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> clerk at Comix tried to sell us a fake! <strong>The</strong> story had<br />
gaps. And the cover was printed on cheap paper.”<br />
“That sure sounds like a fake,” Peter said. “It’s a good<br />
thing you looked carefully. It’s hard to return a comic.”<br />
Peter was glad that the girls had followed his advice.
But Ava felt sad. Would<br />
she ever find Incognito #3?<br />
During the next week, Ava<br />
called many other comic<br />
book stores. None had<br />
Incognito #3. Ava also looked<br />
again at the online sites.<br />
None of the comic book<br />
websites had #3 either. Ava<br />
was ready to give up.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n one evening, Ava’s<br />
mother was looking for<br />
summer clothes. Some of<br />
these clothes were missing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> clothes were lost during<br />
the family’s move to the new house. “I wonder if we left<br />
some boxes at Grandma’s house,” Ava’s mother said.<br />
Ava had an exciting idea. Grandma’s house! During<br />
the move, Ava’s parents left some boxes in Grandma’s attic.<br />
Marcy calls her brother from<br />
the train.<br />
15
<strong>16</strong><br />
That Sunday, Ava and her mother visited Grandma’s<br />
house. Ava’s mother chatted with Grandma. But Ava went<br />
up to the attic. In the attic, she found many boxes from her<br />
old house. <strong>The</strong> boxes had labels written by Ava’s mother.<br />
One label read, Photos, books, magazines—Keep at Grandma’s.<br />
Ava cut through the tape and opened the box. She<br />
found old travel magazines inside the box. She also saw<br />
some old photos. <strong>The</strong> photos showed Ava’s father at the<br />
beach. <strong>The</strong>re were other photos, too. And a dead spider.<br />
Ava got near the bottom of the box. Another dead end,<br />
she thought.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n Ava’s heart skipped a beat. A plastic envelope<br />
was stuck under a bottom flap of the box. Ava carefully<br />
pulled the envelope out. Inside was a comic book.<br />
Ava carefully removed the book from its cover. Her<br />
heart beat fast. It was Incognito #3! <strong>The</strong> precious comic<br />
wasn’t lost after all! Maybe Mom or Grandma put it in the<br />
wrong box. Ava skipped down the stairs. She held the comic<br />
closely. Ava was very happy.<br />
That night after dinner, Ava went into the kitchen.<br />
Her father was making coffee. Ava held the comic book<br />
behind her back. “Guess what I found today?” she asked.
Ava is going to give her father the comic book.<br />
Her father smiled and joked, “A new galaxy?”<br />
“Better than that,” Ava said.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>n it must be really special,” said Ava’s father.<br />
“It is,” Ava replied. She slowly took Incognito #3 from<br />
behind her back. She placed it on the table. Ava’s father<br />
looked at the comic book. He was stunned.<br />
17
18<br />
“You bought this?” Ava’s dad asked. “How did you find a<br />
copy? On the Internet? <strong>The</strong> comic is too expensive. I’ll give<br />
you the money. Just look at this… I forgot how beautiful the<br />
drawings are. Have you looked at the drawings? So much<br />
beautiful detail. I’ve really missed this book!”<br />
“I know,” Ava said.<br />
“But where…? How…?” Ava’s father asked.<br />
“At Grandma’s house,” Ava said, laughing. “It was<br />
there all the time, in Grandma’s attic.”<br />
“At Grandma’s,” Ava’s father repeated. “How simple!<br />
Just like that.”<br />
“Yeah, simple,” Ava grinned. She winked happily at<br />
her mother.<br />
Ava’s father is pleased to have the comic back.
Responding<br />
TARGET SKILL Author’s Purpose Think about<br />
Jack Lennox’s purpose in writing <strong>The</strong> <strong>Lost</strong> <strong>Comic</strong><br />
<strong>Book</strong>. Copy and complete the chart below. Add<br />
details from the story that support the author’s<br />
purpose.<br />
Detail<br />
?<br />
Detail<br />
?<br />
Detail<br />
?<br />
Purpose to show that hard work can help<br />
people achieve goals<br />
Write About It<br />
Text to Self Think about a time when you or<br />
someone you know lost and then found a special<br />
item. Write a letter to a friend telling about what<br />
happened.<br />
19
20<br />
assuming<br />
developed<br />
episodes<br />
feature<br />
incredibly<br />
TARGET VOCABULARY<br />
launch<br />
mental<br />
record<br />
thumbed<br />
villains<br />
TARGET SKILL Author’s Purpose Use text details<br />
to figure out the author’s viewpoint and reasons for<br />
writing.<br />
TARGET STRATEGY Monitor/Clarify As you read,<br />
notice what isn’t making sense. Find ways to figure out<br />
the parts that are confusing.<br />
GENRE Realistic Fiction is a present-day story with<br />
events that could take place in real life.
Level: S<br />
DRA: 40<br />
Genre:<br />
Realistic Fiction<br />
Strategy:<br />
Monitor/Clarify<br />
Skill:<br />
Author’s Purpose<br />
Word Count: 2,655<br />
5.4.<strong>16</strong><br />
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN<br />
Online Leveled <strong>Book</strong>s<br />
ISBN-13:978-0-547-02417-2<br />
ISBN-10:0-547-02417-7<br />
1032318