Chapter One
The sky was blue and the air was cold. Big fir trees stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. In the tiny knothole of a huge pine tree, three little chipmunks were working hard. They had to store their nuts away before the full cold blast of winter set in. The weather was already chillier. They sang and chirped and tried not to shiver.
One of the chipmunks, named Alvin, suddenly stopped in mid-song and threw a worm-infested nut down to the ground. He folded his arms and looked out across the forest.
"Alvin, what are you doing?" asked Simon, his brother.
Alvin sighed. "I can't take this anymore!"
Simon, who was the oldest chipmunk, frowned. "Then by all means, stop." Simon paused and glared at Alvin. "I'm sure when you get hungry this winter you can order a pizza."
Theodore staggered over, his little arms full. His cheeks, too, bulged. "A little help, please," he mumbled.
"See, Alvin?" said Simon. "That's
Chapter One
The sky was blue and the air was cold. Big fir trees stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. In the tiny knothole of a huge pine tree, three little chipmunks were working hard. They had to store their nuts away before the full cold blast of winter set in. The weather was already chillier. They sang and chirped and tried not to shiver.
One of the chipmunks, named Alvin, suddenly stopped in mid-song and threw a worm-infested nut down to the ground. He folded his arms and looked out across the forest.
"Alvin, what are you doing?" asked Simon, his brother.
Alvin sighed. "I can't take this anymore!"
Simon, who was the oldest chipmunk, frowned. "Then by all means, stop." Simon paused and glared at Alvin. "I'm sure when you get hungry this winter you can order a pizza."
Theodore staggered over, his little arms full. His cheeks, too, bulged. "A little help, please," he mumbled.
"See, Alvin?" said Simon. "That's how it's done."
"Those are not nuts!" exclaimed Alvin.
"What?" mumbled Theodore, with his mouth full.
Alvin reached out and grabbed one from Theodore and shook his head. "These are rocks. Not nuts."
Alarmed, Theodore spat them out. "I thought they were a little crunchy," he said.
Simon squinted and peered at the little pile at Theodore's feet. "Yup," he said. "Rocks."
In his frustrated mood, Alvin kicked a rock off the branch. "I'm sick of struggling for survival. I'm sick of scratching around in the dirt searching for food." He kicked the branch of the tree he was sitting on. "And I'm especially sick of this stupid, stupid tree!"
The pine tree started to shake when he kicked it. Snow fell from its branches to the ground. But even after Alvin stopped kicking it, the tree kept shaking and a loud whirring noise roared through the forest.
"What's happening?" cried Simon.
"I think Alvin made it angry!" said Theodore, scared.
"What's it gonna do?" said Alvin.
The tree started to teeter, and Alvin clutched Simon and Theodore. "Whoa!" screamed all the chipmunks, and they jumped into their knothole at the very last moment. The pine tree, cut down by a chainsaw, toppled to the ground.
The huge fallen tree was quickly wrapped up in plastic netting by men in green jumpsuits. All together, they hoisted the tree up and carried it to a long, red truck already loaded with more firs cut for Christmas. When the tree was finally settled in the truck bed, Alvin poked his head out of the knothole for one last look at the forest. The truck sped away, winding its way down the mountain road, rolling through a tiny town, and finally speeding onto the highway. Skyscrapers loomed in the distance, as the truck rumbled past a billboard that said: Welcome to the city of Los Angeles!
Continues...
Excerpted from Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Junior Novelby Perdita Finn Copyright © 2007 by Perdita Finn. Excerpted by permission.
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