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Making the Band

Illustrated by Xindi Yan
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About The Book

Maddie, Bella, Emily, and Sam create rock star–worthy instruments with found objects in this second book in the Craftily Ever After chapter book series!

Emily Adams, Maddie Wilson, Bella Diaz, and Sam Sharma are eight-year-olds with one special thing in common: they love to create. They each have unique talents, too! Emily is great at constructing and building; Maddie has an eye for fashion, fabrics, and sewing; Bella is a gadget whiz; and Sam is a gifted artist. Together, these four crafty friends dream up new projects to design, build, and create and through their experiences, they’ll learn how to handle various obstacles at school and in their everyday eight-year-old lives.

In the second Craftily Ever After book, there’s a talent show at school and for the first time, Maddie, Bella, Emily, and Sam can’t think of anything to do. That is, until an old tin can and some plastic tubing give them a musical idea!

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Craftily Ever After chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Excerpt

Making the Band Chapter 1 It’s a . . . Brushbot!


“Should we just . . . start?” Bella Diaz asked, glancing at her watch.

“Let’s wait a few more minutes,” Emily Adams suggested.

“Yeah,” agreed Maddie Wilson.

The three friends were at their craft clubhouse—formerly known as the old shed in Bella’s backyard. Usually, it was four friends, but Sam Sharma was nowhere in sight.



The craft clubhouse was filled with all sorts of materials the kids used for their crafty projects. They had a Sewing Station, where Maddie could often be found. There was a Coding Corner, with a computer that Bella had installed. Emily’s Carpentry Cabinet contained tons of tools, gadgets, and materials like nuts and bolts. And Sam’s Painting Pavilion housed different color paints and about a million brushes of different sizes.





But where was Sam?





“Sorry I am late!” someone shouted as the shed door flew open. There was Sam, breathless. “I had to clean my hamster’s cage. It takes forever!” he explained.

Maddie nodded sympathetically. “I know what that’s like,” she said. “I mean, having to do chores. It’s my job to set the dinner table every night!”

“You’re both lucky,” said Bella. “Since my dad is a chef, he uses every pot and pan when he cooks. And guess who has to clean up? But the other night, doing the dishes actually gave me an amazing idea for a new crafting project. Behold!”





Bella handed an object to each of her friends.

“Scrub brushes?” asked Sam, confused.

“Right now, yes,” said Bella. “But we’re going to transform them into: Brushbots!”

Bella opened her notebook to a diagram. “A Brushbot is a battery-powered scrub brush that can move on its own,” she explained.

“And sort of looks like a robot! That’s genius!” exclaimed Sam.



The first step was for each of them to attach a battery pack to a scrub brush. The kids continued working, carefully following Bella’s instructions.



“Before we decorate them, let’s try them out!” Bella suggested. “On the count of three. One, two . . .”

“THREE!” everyone yelled, flipping the switches.

Nothing happened.

“What did we do wrong?” Maddie asked.

“Maybe these batteries are duds?” suggested Emily.

Bella looked concerned. “But they’re brand-new,” she said.

“Are they the right kind of batteries?” asked Sam.

Bella pulled out a battery and examined it. Then she started to laugh. “I think I know what went wrong. You see how each battery has a plus sign at one end and a minus at the other?”



The other three nodded.

“Well, to make the connection, positive and negative need to be in the right positions. Once we do that . . .”

The friends rotated the batteries and flipped the switches. The Brushbots started working immediately!

About The Author

Martha Maker is a dedicated crafter who is always working on a project—or several! When she’s not writing books, you can often find her at her favorite community garden with her paint set. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family, which includes two kids, two dogs, and two guinea pigs.

About The Illustrator

Xindi Yan left behind a small city in China to realize her dream of being a published artist. Having always wanted to illustrate children’s books, she buried herself in countless books and drawings, collecting them even today. Xindi currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and dreams about having a puppy in the near future.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Little Simon (March 27, 2018)
  • Length: 128 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781534409118
  • Ages: 5 - 9

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Awards and Honors

  • Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best

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More books from this author: Martha Maker

More books from this illustrator: Xindi Yan

More books in this series: Craftily Ever After