Magic Tree House #49: Stallion by Starlight (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

opened the notebook and wrote:
    sword makers heat iron, hammer with
    Before Jack could finish his thought, Annie poked him. “Watch it, you’re drawing attention to yourself!” she whispered.
    “What?” Jack looked up.
    The blacksmiths were glaring at him.
    “Maybe they think you’re stealing military secrets,” said Annie.
    “Uh-oh,” said Jack. “Let’s go.” Clutching his notebook, he hurried down the covered walkway. Annie followed him.
    Jack looked over her shoulder. “They’re following!”
    “That way!” said Annie. She grabbed Jack’s arm and pulled him back into the crowded sunlit square. The two of them walked faster and faster, weaving around food stalls that sold stuffed grape leaves, eggs, fish, cheese, and bread.
    Annie glanced back. “They’re still searching for us!”
    The blacksmiths were standing in the crowd, looking around. “We’ve got to hide!” Jack said.
    “Where?” said Annie.
    “I don’t know! Duck down!” said Jack.
    Ducking their heads, they passed a group of teenage boys gathered under a canopy. The boys were listening quietly to a man with a curly beard.
    “Here! Here!” said Jack. He pulled Annie under the canopy, and they stood with the group.
    The boys were all taking notes on woodentablets covered with wax. They used pieces of bone to carve words into the wax.

    “Act like you’re a student,” Jack whispered to Annie.
    As the teacher lectured to the group, Jack pretended to take notes in his notebook.
    “As you all know, the earth is the center of the universe,” the man said in an easy, calm voice.
    “He’s wrong,” Annie whispered to Jack.
    “Shh,” Jack whispered. “In ancient times, everyone thought that.” He glanced out at the square and saw the blacksmiths passing by. When they were out of sight, he whispered to Annie, “Let’s go, quick, before they come back.”
    Annie didn’t budge. She was listening carefully to the teacher. “The sun and planets revolve around the earth,” the man said.
    “That’s
totally
wrong,” Annie whispered to Jack.
    “Who cares?” said Jack. “We have to go. We have to—”
    “But we can’t let him teach something
wrong
,” said Annie.
    “Forget it,” said Jack. “We—”
    Before Jack could finish, Annie raised her hand. “Excuse me!” she called out. “The earth is
not
the center of the universe!”

“H a-ha,” Jack laughed, as if Annie were crazy. “Don’t pay attention to her. We’re leaving now.”
    “Who are you to defy our teacher?” a boy shouted.
    “How dare a
girl
insult him!” another yelled. He shook his fist at Annie.
    “She wasn’t insulting anyone,” said Jack. “But don’t worry, we’re going.” He took Annie’s arm and started to pull her along.
    “Stay!” the teacher commanded.
    Jack and Annie froze.
    “Tell me more,” the man said. “It is rare that I am surprised—and you have surprised me. What do you mean, the earth is not the center of the universe?”
    “Well,” said Annie, “the earth is a planet, and all the planets in our solar system travel around the sun.”
    The teacher smiled. “Is that what you believe?” he said.
    “It’s not just what I
believe.
It’s what I
know
,” said Annie. “A trip around the sun takes a year.”
    The students laughed. “You are speaking nonsense,” one said. “And wasting our precious time with Aristotle!”
    Aristotle?
thought Jack. He knew that name. His mind raced, trying to remember who Aristotle was.
    “I’m just telling you the facts,” said Annie. “While the earth is circling the sun, it rotates.
Rotate
means it spins around. One rotation of the earth is one day.”
    The boys snickered, but Aristotle was quiet.“What a novel idea,” he said softly. Then he turned to the boys. “Our class is over for the day. I would like to speak to these two visitors alone.”
    The boys grumbled, but they tucked their tablets under their arms and headed out into the bright square.
    Aristotle stared at Jack and Annie. “Who are you? Where are you from?” he asked.
    “I’m Annie. This is Jack, my brother. And, um, we’re from Frog Creek.”
    “Frog Creek …?” said Aristotle.
    “It’s west of Greece,” Jack said.
    “And who are
you
?” asked Annie.
    “My name is Aristotle. I have come from Athens, Greece, to teach philosophy and science in Macedonia.”
    Jack gasped. Now he remembered! Aristotle was a great philosopher and scientist in ancient Greece! On a past mission, they had