The Cinnamon Bears

Review This is a rollicking space adventure, which is well conceived and well written. You won't be disappointed with this tale. -- Clarrisa Nelson, middle school librarian, Eugene,OR Product Description The Red Fox thinks that his problems are over when he accepts a job cooking for the four Cinnamon Bears and flies off with them in their spaceship, the Bearscout. But when the bears go into hibernation, he has to deal with the notorious pirate, the Cyber-Wolf, as well as a group of difficult pigs and a genetically perfect parrot. And that's only the beginning . . . About the Author Jeff Scott teaches in the English Department at California State University, Hayward. He paints (oil on canvas--check out his paintings on the Pere Bruin Web site) and is working on his next book, Canis Major. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter IThe Red Fox "The King wants to see the Assistant Chef in the dining hall." The Red Fox looked up in surprise at the herald. It was unusual to see the Kings herald in the kitchen. "Why does the King want to see me?" he asked. He was, after all, only the assistant chef to King Epsilon the Fourth of Ilium, King of the Seven Planets, and Lord of the Inner Galaxy. The Chief Chef normally came first in matters of precedence. "The guests of honor want to meet the cook who made the basil ravioli," the herald replied. "Thats you, isnt it?" "Yes," the Red Fox answered. He could see the Chief Chef scowling off to one side. These sorts of scenes were occurring more and more often now, as the Red Foxs dishes were praised and the Chief Chefs were not. "And which guests of honor are these?" the Red Fox asked. There were banquets like these most nights, so it was hard to keep track. "The Cinnamon Bears," said the herald. "Theyre four bears from some planet on the far side of the galaxy, and theyve been selling some rare cinnamon to all of the grain merchants. Youd better hurry; you know how the King gets impatient." "Ill be right out," the Red Fox replied. He wiped the bits of shaved chocolate off his paws and proceeded out of the kitchen, down the blue corridor, and out into the dining hall. There were actually about a dozen different dining halls in the summer palace of King Epsilon, but this was the largest and most sumptuous, the one used for state dinners, banquets, ceremonies, and other high, and not so high, occasions. Several hundred yards long, with high vaulted ceilings, adorned with murals of King Epsilons ancestors, the hall could easily hold several hundred dinner guests, as it did tonight. The Red Fox looked around. There was the King over near the head table. There were two brown bears standing near him. Around the room, as the remains of dinner were being cleared away, the guests were rising, drinks in hand, and mingling. The Red Fox sighed. It was nice to be complimented on his meals, but the Red Fox never felt very comfortable around the King. "Ah, my assistant chef," the King boomed out as the Red Fox approached him and the two bears. "Your majesty," the Red Fox murmured, bowing briefly. "Two of my guests tonight, two of the Cinnamon Bears, wanted to meet you." The King was in a good mood. "This is Django, of the planet Caithnor and . . ." "Djangos grandma," the other bear said. "The names Lavinia, but you can call me Grandma." The Red Fox smiled, momentarily forgetting that he was in the royal presence. These clearly werent the usual sorts of guests that visited King Epsilon. "Tell me about your basil ravioli recipe," Grandma said, taking the Red Foxs arm and steering him away from the King and Django. The Red Fox began explaining how he made the ravioli and wondered if Grandma bear was going to remember all of this, since she wasnt writing it down. "Look, I want to talk to you," she said, once they were clearly out of earshot of the King. "Do you like your job?" The Red Fox looked at the bear in surprise. What kind of questi