The Fifth Hero #1: The Race to Erase

Contents Cover Other Titles Title Page Copyright Contents Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Six Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-one Chapter Nine Chapter Five Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eight Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Twenty-two Four Ponies Fact Files Acknowledgments About the Author Landmarks Cover Cover Title Page Contents Start Copyright Print Page List ii iii iv v 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 127 128 129 130 131 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 
 
 
 
 
 TAKE ADVENTURE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS WITH BOOKS BY BILL DOYLE!
 Escape This Book! Titanic
 Escape This Book! Tombs of Egypt
 Escape This Book! Race to the Moon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 Text copyright © 2023 by Bill Doyle
 Cover art copyright © 2023 by Antoine Losty
 Logo lettering copyright © 2023 by Jacey
 All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
 Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
 Visit us on the Web! rhcbooks.com
 Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 Name: Doyle, Bill H., author.
 Title: The race to erase / Bill Doyle.
 Description: First edition. | New York: Random House Children’s Books, [2023] | Series: The fifth hero | Summary: Four kids with the power to speak to creatures, shake the earth, manipulate water, and control the wind are on a mission to save the earth from the evil Calamity Corporation—and readers must make a choice in three scenarios that change the course of the adventure.
 Identifiers: LCCN 2022012949 (print) | LCCN 2022012950 (ebook) | ISBN 978-0-593-48637-5 (trade) | ISBN 978-0-593-48638-2 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 978-0-593-48639-9 (ebook)
 Subjects: CYAC: Superheroes—Fiction. | Plot-your-own stories. | LCGFT: Superhero fiction. | Choose-your-own stories.
 Classification: LCC PZ7.D7725 Rab 2023 (print) | LCC PZ7.D7725 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
 Ebook ISBN 9780593486399
 Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
 Penguin Random House LLC supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to publish books for every reader.
 ep_prh_6.0_142201960_c0_r0
 
 
 Contents
 
 Cover
 Take Adventure into Your Own Hands with Books by Bill Doyle!
 Title Page
 Copyright
 Dedication
 
 
 Chapter One
 
 
 Chapter Two
 
 
 Chapter Three
 
 
 Chapter Four
 
 
 Chapter Six
 
 
 Chapter Six
 
 
 Chapter Seven
 
 
 Chapter Nine
 
 
 Chapter Ten
 
 
 Chapter Eleven
 
 
 Chapter Twelve
 
 
 Chapter Thirteen
 
 
 Chapter Fourteen
 
 
 Chapter Fifteen
 
 
 Chapter Eighteen
 
 
 Chapter Nineteen
 
 
 Chapter Twenty
 
 
 Chapter Twenty-one
 
 
 Chapter Nine
 
 
 Chapter Five
 
 
 Chapter Seventeen
 
 
 Chapter Eight
 
 
 Chapter Sixteen
 
 
 Chapter Seventeen
 
 
 Chapter Twenty-two
 
 
 Four Ponies Fact Files
 Acknowledgments
 About the Author
 
 
 
 
 For Caroline, thanks for the escape!
 
 
 
 CHAPTER ONE
 Vzzzt! Vzzt!
 The timer on the handlebars buzzed, and Jarrett felt the unicycle lurch under his butt.
 Uh-oh.
 He could still make it to a transfer spot and switch to a new guzzler. But the nearest guzzler station was in the opposite direction, way back down the empty road. Besides, Lina’s mansion must be nearby—or at least Jarrett hoped so. He didn’t dare waste time checking his phone. He was dangerously close to being late for the Climate Club meeting and, more important, Lina’s party for her eleventh birthday.
 The guzzler’s single tire started falling apart, like the tires always did after an hour of use. Bits of smoking rubber flew off, sizzling on the hot morning pavement. The burning smell made Jarrett’s eyes water.
 Time for a shortcut. He’d have to guzzle through the woods, which terrified him, but maybe the patchy grass would be softer on the fragile tire. Before he could overthink it, he veered off the road and bounced onto what looked like an animal path through the trees. A passing branch poked his arm just as the silver line of a security scanner ran over his body. He guessed he must be on Lina’s property now.
 Come on, guzzler, you can do it! he urged. Just a little bit farther to the