The Crook Who Took the Book Read online

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Big Book News

  Chapter 2: Seeing Mr. Sandback

  Chapter 3: The Mystery of the Missing Mystery

  Chapter 4: One Book Crook Gets Off the Hook

  Chapter 5: The Book Man in the Basement

  Chapter 6: A Book Full of Clues

  Chapter 7: A Clue Hunt

  Chapter 8: Suspect: Sandback?

  1

  Big Book News

  Fridays are the coolest,” Nancy Drew said. Her third-grade class was walking in single file through the hall of their school, Carl Sandburg Elementary.

  In front of Nancy marched her best friend George Fayne. George’s real name was Georgia, but she hated to be called that. Behind Nancy was her other best friend, Bess Marvin. Bess and George were cousins.

  “I know,” George whispered over her shoulder. “Friday is the day before Saturday. And Saturday means soccer.”

  “That’s true,” said Nancy, who was also on the soccer team. “But I love Friday because it’s library day.”

  Just as she said this, their teacher, Mrs. Reynolds, brought the class to a halt in front of the library. Nancy peeked through the door and saw that Mrs. Apple’s third graders were already inside.

  “Now, class,” Mrs. Reynolds announced. “Remember to keep your voices low while you choose your books. And at the end of our library time, Mrs. Goldstein has an announcement for us.”

  “Hmm,” Nancy whispered to Bess as the class poured into the library. “I wonder what the news is.”

  “Well, I wonder if a new Susie book has come in,” Bess said. She headed straight for the shelf where her favorite books were kept.

  George plopped down on the floor to peer at the animal books.

  Nancy wandered over to the mysteries. She pulled out a book called Tick-Tock Went the Missing Clock.

  “This looks good,” she murmured. Soon she’d forgotten all about Mrs. Goldstein’s news. She’d lost herself in the story. It was about a detective who had to find a clock before it struck twelve—or else!

  “Hey,” George said, popping up at Nancy’s shoulder. “Don’t you get enough mysteries in real life? I can’t believe you want to read them, too.”

  Nancy looked up and shrugged. “I guess I never get sick of solving mysteries,” she said. Then she pointed to the book under George’s arm. “What did you get?”

  “I found this neat book about giraffes,” George said. “Did you know giraffes are related to camels?”

  “Really?”

  “And their tongues are black!” George said. “I’m not sure why. I guess I’ll have to read the book to find out.”

  “Blech,” said a squeaky voice.

  Nancy and George turned to see Andy Nixon near the science-fiction shelf. Andy was in Mrs. Apple’s class.

  “Books are boring,” Andy scoffed. “Unless they’re comic books.”

  George rolled her eyes and muttered, “Boys.”

  “I have twenty-seven comic books at home,” Andy said. “They’re really old. I keep each one in its own plastic envelope so it won’t get bent or dirty. My dad collects comic books, too.”

  “Isn’t it hard to read a book that’s in a plastic envelope?” Nancy said.

  “That’s the point,” Andy said. “My comic books are totally special. My dad says they’re collector’s items. Someday I could sell them. Not that I’d want to. They’re mine!”

  “What good is a book if you don’t read it?” Katie Zaleski piped up. She’d been listening in from a nearby section. “I’m going to be a writer when I grow up. My books will be so great, everyone will want to read them.”

  “Like Morton Sandback,” Nancy said, nodding at Katie. “Every time one of his mysteries comes out, I just have to read it.”

  Just then Mrs. Goldstein, the librarian, walked up to them. Mrs. Goldstein had curly brown hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a bright blue cardigan sweater.

  “It’s funny that you should mention Morton Sandback, girls,” she said. “I was just about to make an announcement about him.”

  Nancy gave a little hop of joy. She couldn’t wait to hear the news.

  Mrs. Goldstein raised a slender arm over her head and snapped her fingers. “Children, please finish choosing your books and gather around,” she called. “I have some news.”

  All the third graders grabbed their books and crowded around Mrs. Goldstein.

  “Who here has been to the Book Nook?” Mrs. Goldstein asked.

  Bess, Nancy, George, and a bunch of the other kids raised their hands in the air.

  “The Book Nook is the best,” Nancy whispered to Bess. “What a great idea to put a bookstore in a big old house.”

  “A big, creepy house!” George said.

  “Nuh-uh,” Bess said. “I think the Book Nook is nice. I especially love the store mascot—Charlie the cat.”

  “Charlie?” Nancy asked. “He’s the grouchiest cat ever. He never gets off his cat bed!”

  “Well, he might be the grouchiest, but he’s also the prettiest,” Bess said. “He’s so white and fluffy.”

  “Does anybody know who owns the Book Nook?” Mrs. Goldstein asked.

  “Sure,” Mike Minelli said. “That tall, skinny lady with the red hair and freckles. She lives upstairs from the store.”

  Katie raised her hand. “I know the lady’s name,” she said. “It’s Julia. She’s really nice. Whenever I go to the Book Nook, she tells me about the latest books.”

  “You’re right, Katie,” Mrs. Goldstein said, smiling down at her. “But do you know Julia’s last name? It’s Sandback.”

  “Like . . . Morton Sandback?” Josie Blanton asked. She was one of Nancy’s classmates.

  “Yes,” Mrs. Goldstein said. Her hazel eyes sparkled. “Julia Sandback is the daughter of Morton Sandback.”

  “Wow!” Katie sighed. “Julia’s dad is a famous author!”

  “As many of you know, Mr. Sandback has just published a new mystery called Frogs, Dogs, and Mysterious Logs,” Mrs. Goldstein said.

  Bess giggled. “What a funny title.”

  “Mr. Sandback also happens to be visiting his daughter for a week,” Mrs. Goldstein continued. “So, as a treat, he’s going to appear at the Book Nook this Sunday at noon. He’ll answer questions and autograph copies of his books. This is a great opportunity, children. I know I’ll be there.”

  “Me, too!” Nancy cried. Bess and George nodded excitedly.

  The other kids were excited, too. Kyle Leddington turned to Orson Wong and said, “We should wear costumes on Sunday. I’ll be a dog.”

  “I’ll be a frog,” Orson said. “Ribbit, ribbit.” He jumped around wildly until he jumped right into Bess.

  Bess rolled her eyes at Nancy. “Boys!”

  “There’s one more thing,” Mrs. Goldstein said. “Julia has a special surprise for her father. She’s come across a very rare copy of Mr. Sandback’s first mystery, Foul-up at the Floss Factory.”

  “What’s so rare about it?” Katie asked. “I have that book at home.”

  “This is a first edition of the book,” Mrs. Goldstein said. “Most books are printed many times. But the first time is the most important. This first edition was published forty years ago, and only a few copies still exist. Even Mr. Sandback doesn’t have one. So, Julia is going to present her father with the book.”

  Andy wasn’t impressed.

  “Too bad it’s not a comic book,” he said. “A first edition is really rare. That’s what my dad says.”

  “Actually, Andy,” Mrs. Goldstein said, “Foul-up at the Floss Factory is more like a comic book than you think. There’s a picture on every page. The pictures are divided into boxes, just like a comic. That’s
called a graphic novel. You can see the story, as well as read it.

  “In the back of the book, Mr. Sandback writes about reading comic books when he was a boy. Those comic books inspired him to write Foul-up at the Floss Factory.”

  “Well,” Andy said, “it’s still a book. And if it’s a book, I don’t like it.”

  2

  Seeing Mr. Sandback

  Hurry, Daddy,” Nancy said, tugging at her father’s hand. It was Sunday morning. Carson and Nancy Drew were walking to the Book Nook with Bess, Mrs. Marvin, and George.

  “I don’t want to be late to see Mr. Sandback,” Nancy said.

  “It’s only eleven,” Mr. Drew said, “and Mr. Sandback doesn’t begin until noon. So, I think we’re safe, Pudding Pie.” That was one of Mr. Drew’s pet names for Nancy. He tousled her reddish blond hair as he teased her.

  “Sorry,” Nancy said with a giggle. “I’m just so excited to meet Mr. Sandback.”

  “I wonder what he’s like,” George said.

  “Well, we’ll find out soon,” Mrs. Marvin announced as they reached the end of Drake Street. “Here we are!”

  The girls gazed up at the Book Nook. It was in a house that was three stories high and painted several shades of blue. On the front porch were comfy wicker chairs and lots of flowering plants.

  “I love coming to the Book Nook.” Nancy sighed happily.

  George pushed open the front door. It had a tinkling bell on the doorknob. “I like to pretend that all those skinny aisles between the bookshelves are secret passageways,” she said.

  “I’m going to say hi to Charlie,” Bess called. She ran over to the store’s front desk and peeked behind it.

  Nancy followed her and took a peek, too. There was Charlie—a fat, fluffy, white cat with green eyes. As always, he was curled up on a plaid cat bed, looking grouchy.

  Bess dropped to her knees. “He’s so soooft,” she cooed, stroking Charlie’s thick fur.

  “Mrowr! Ssssss,” Charlie complained. Then he swiped at Bess with his claws.

  “Eeek!” Bess cried, jumping backward.

  “I don’t know why you like that cat so much,” George said. “He always tries to scratch you.”

  “And he never gets off that bed,” Nancy said, “so you can’t really play with him.”

  “Ssssss,” Charlie hissed, squinting his green eyes at Bess.

  “Um, maybe we should leave Charlie alone now,” Nancy said. She grabbed Bess’s arm to steer her away from the grumpy cat. Then she stopped in her tracks.

  “Hey, the Book Nook is all changed around!” she exclaimed.

  Usually bookshelves filled the first floor. Now a lot of them had been moved aside. In the center of the room stood a big wooden table stacked high with copies of Morton Sandback’s latest book.

  Facing the table were rows of folding chairs. A few people had already settled into their seats. Nancy saw that some of them were her classmates. Mrs. Goldstein, the school librarian, was there too.

  “Why don’t Mrs. Marvin and I save us some seats,” Mr. Drew said. “You girls can look around. Just be back down here in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” Nancy said. Then she turned to Bess and George. “Let’s go!”

  The girls headed for the stairs. The second floor of the store had rooms for unusual old books. There was also a room for kids. It had books and music as well as stuffed animals and toys.

  “Let’s check out the stuffed animals,” Bess said as they clomped up the steps.

  “I think we should go to that dark room at the end of the hall,” George said. “You know, the one with all the history books. That’s the spookiest.”

  “Ooh, no!” Bess exclaimed as they reached the top of the stairs. “Too scary.”

  “Come on,” George called. She dashed down the long, narrow hallway. “It’ll be fun. We can play hide-and-seek.” She headed into the last doorway on the left.

  “Ready or not, here I come,” Nancy called. She ran down the hallway, too, with Bess on her heels.

  At the doorway to the history room, Nancy and Bess peeked inside. Nancy led Bess down one aisle of books. They turned left. Then right. Nancy found herself staring at a wall.

  “Dead end!” she exclaimed.

  “Where did George go?” Bess asked.

  “George?” said a voice behind them.

  Nancy and Bess spun around to see a young man in a brown T-shirt and worn corduroy pants. He had spiky black hair, and the nametag on his T-shirt said Anderson Quilling.

  “Hi, Anderson,” Nancy said.

  Anderson Quilling worked at the Book Nook. He knew where to find any book in the cluttered store, and he seemed to know the name of every child who shopped there.

  “I just saw George sneaking into the science room,” Anderson said.

  “Hey,” George called from far away. Nancy peered across the hall. George was crawling out from behind a big chair. She came over to the history room doorway. “No fair, Anderson. You just gave me away.”

  Bess ran up to George and tagged her shoulder. “You’re it!” she announced.

  “Oops,” Anderson said with a guilty grin. “Hide-and-seek, huh? Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  Bess pointed to a box tucked under Anderson’s arm. “What’s that?” she asked.

  The box was rectangular and made of beautiful polished wood. It was exactly the color of caramel. Nancy saw a little silver lock on the lid.

  “I can’t tell you,” Anderson said. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Does it have to do with the rare book that Julia is giving to Mr. Sandback?” George asked excitedly.

  Anderson’s face fell. “Oh,” he said. “I guess you already know.”

  “It’s okay, Anderson,” Nancy said. “Even though we know about the surprise, it’s still exciting.”

  “Yes!” Anderson agreed. “A first edition of Foul-up at the Floss Factory. That’s a big deal. You know, I’m trying to be a writer myself,” he told the girls. “Maybe someday I’ll have a book published, too.”

  Anderson heaved a big, sad sigh. Then he shook his head and tried to smile cheerily. “Anyway,” he said, “a book like Foul-up can’t be presented in a plain cardboard box. So, Julia asked me to find a beautiful gift box.”

  “It is beautiful,” Nancy said. She reached out to touch the smooth wood, but Anderson pulled the box away.

  “Ah-ah-ah,” he said. “Nobody gets to see this book until Mr. Sandback opens the box himself.”

  Nancy checked the clock on the history room wall. “Well, if we don’t get downstairs,” Nancy said, “the big surprise is going to be no seats.”

  • • •

  A few minutes later Nancy and her friends were fidgeting in their chairs.

  “I wish Mr. Sandback would get here already,” Katie Zaleski said. She was sitting in front of Nancy. “I have so many questions to ask him.”

  Finally Julia Sandback stood up behind the wooden table. All the chattering kids and grown-ups fell silent.

  “If you think it’s fun to read a Morton Sandback mystery,” Julia said to the group, “imagine what it was like growing up with Morton Sandback as your father. My dad used to send my brothers and me on treasure hunts after dinner. The winner would get extra dessert.”

  “Ooh, good idea, Mom,” Bess said. She prodded her mother with her elbow.

  “My point is,” Julia continued, “that my father believes that adventures aren’t just for books. But see for yourself. Here he is—Morton Sandback!”

  With that, Mr. Sandback walked into the room. He was as tall and skinny and redheaded as Julia. He was dressed in plaid trousers and a black vest covered with felt patches. Some of the patches looked like books. Others looked like pens and pencils. Some looked like typewriters.

  The famous author peered at the audience over half-moon glasses. Then he broke into a big, friendly grin.

  “Thank you, Julia,” he said. “And hello there, kids. Let’s jump right in. Who has a good, juicy question
for me?”

  “I do, I do,” shouted a dozen kids, waving their hands. One of them was Nancy. But Mr. Sandback pointed to someone sitting behind her.

  “Mr. Sandback,” said a squeaky voice.

  Nancy twisted around in surprise. Andy Nixon was sitting right behind her, next to his dad. What was he doing here? He hated books!

  “Which do you think is better?” Andy asked. “Comic books or book-books?”

  Mr. Sandback laughed. “I guess most writers would say, ‘book-books,’” he said. “But I grew up reading comic books. I think they’re great. I even tried to make some of my early books seem like comic books.”

  “You mean graphic novels?” Andy asked.

  “Exactly,” Mr. Sandback said. “I’m impressed that you know that.”

  “Only because Mrs. Goldstein told us,” George whispered to Nancy and Bess. “Remember, she said Foul-up at the Floss Factory was a graphic novel.”

  “Shh,” Andy whispered. “I can’t hear Mr. Sandback!”

  “And guess what?” Mr. Sandback said. “I think that if I hadn’t read comics as a kid, perhaps I wouldn’t be an author today.”

  Next Mr. Sandback called on Katie Zaleski.

  “How do I become a famous writer like you?” she asked.

  “I don’t know about the famous part,” Mr. Sandback replied, “but I can tell you what to do if you want to be a writer. Just read as many books as you can. That’s the best way to learn how to write.”

  The next question came from George. “Do you write on a computer?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m old-fashioned,” Mr. Sandback replied with a smile. “I use good old number-two pencils to write my books.”

  Nancy thrust her hand in the air once more. This time Mr. Sandback pointed at her.

  “Mr. Sandback,” Nancy said, “how do you come up with all your mysteries?”

  “Why, look around you, young lady,” he said. “Life is filled with wonderful mysteries. They’re everywhere. I just take the time to write them down.”

  “Cool!” Nancy whispered.

  Many questions later Julia stepped to her father’s side. “In a few minutes, Mr. Sandback will autograph books for you. But first I have a special gift for my dad.”