The Pumpkin Patch Puzzle Read online

  Mr. Rickston sighed and gave his nephew a half smile. “Well, we will definitely have to talk to Mom and Dad about this. But I am sorry that you felt so upset about not being able to enter.”

  Aunt Claire nodded. “It must have been hard to see all your friends working on this,” she agreed. “How about you guys decorate a pumpkin, just for fun, tomorrow? We can still put them out, but they can’t be considered for the winning entry.”

  At that, everyone perked up. “You mean that the competition is back on?” Nancy asked eagerly.

  Aunt Claire smiled. “Well, I need to double-check with Mayor Strong, but I’m sure we can do it before the end of the festival. I’ll have him make an announcement. We just need to get all the replacement supplies to the tent!”

  The Clue Crew, along with several other kids, cheered.

  “I’m glad we can still have the contest, Miss Costello,” Nancy said. “Think we can help you with getting everything together?”

  Aunt Claire grinned. “I’ll have the fritters waiting!”

  • • •

  A few nights later, Nancy snuggled in bed with her trusty notebook and Chip. Her pumpkin, which had a very sparkly Chip face painted on it, sat on her desk. With a contented sigh, Nancy began to write:

  Well, the Clue Crew has solved another case: the pumpkin puzzle!

  Emma, Audrey, Dana, and Tommy ended up having a lot of fun, even though they weren’t able to be in the competition. Audrey and Tommy are grounded forever, but Aunt Claire and Uncle Rick didn’t seem too upset in the end.

  We helped round up all the contestants and supplies, and the contest happened the last day of the festival. Madison ended up winning, but George came in second with her MusicMate design! And she will be featured on one of the flyers for next year’s festival too!

  Next year’s festival will be even better! I can already taste the fritters. Mystery solved!

  Pumpkin DIY

  Nancy, Bess, and George had lots of fun coming up with cool pumpkin designs for the Fall Festival, and now you can too!

  All you need are a few basic decorating tools and your imagination:

  1 medium-size pumpkin

  Washable markers

  Permanent felt-tip markers

  Scissors

  Stencils with different designs

  Ribbon and decorative cloth, various sizes and patterns

  Glitter pens

  Beads and buttons of various sizes

  Nontoxic spray paint

  Glue gun

  First, have an adult carve out the top of your pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and “innards” of the pumpkin.

  Next, sketch out your design on the pumpkin using the washable markers. They are perfect because if you make a mistake or want to start over, it’s easy to erase!

  Once you have the design sketched out, it’s time to go crazy! You can draw in a basic jack-o’-lantern design, or make it more personal. Bedazzle your pumpkin with your initials, make a pretty pattern with the ribbon, or make the shape of your favorite animal.

  Some ideas and tips:

  You can fill in the design with more of the washable markers, if you want it to be a solid color.

  Spray paint adds a fun, shiny effect to your pumpkin. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area when you use it! Have an adult nearby to help.

  Add fun, sparkly touches with the different ribbon and glitter pens. Make sure the ribbon/decorative cloth stays put by using the glue gun, and make sure a grown-up helps you warm up the glue beforehand.

  Tasty Hint: After the pumpkin seeds are scooped out of the pumpkin, ask a grown-up to help you roast them for a tasty fall snack! Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Toss the seeds with two to three teaspoons of melted butter and a seasoning of your choice. You can season them with salt and pepper, cinnamon and sugar, garlic, or any other spice, or just have them plain. Spread them out evenly in a shallow cookie sheet or baking pan and roast for about forty-five minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Yummy!

  Join the Clue Crew

  & solve these other cases!

  #1 Sleepover Sleuths

  #2 Scream for Ice Cream

  #3 Pony Problems

  #4 The Cinderella Ballet Mystery

  #5 Case of the Sneaky Snowman

  #6 The Fashion Disaster

  #7 The Circus Scare

  #8 Lights, Camera . . . Cats!

  #9 The Halloween Hoax

  #10 Ticket Trouble

  #11 Ski School Sneak

  #12 Valentine’s Day Secret

  #13 Chick-napped!

  #14 The Zoo Crew

  #15 Mall Madness

  #16 Thanksgiving Thief

  #17 Wedding Day Disaster

  #18 Earth Day Escapade

  #19 April Fool’s Day

  #20 Treasure Trouble

  #21 Double Take

  #22 Unicorn Uproar

  #23 Babysitting Bandit

  #24 Princess Mix-up Mystery

  #25 Buggy Breakout

  #26 Camp Creepy

  #27 Cat Burglar Caper

  #28 Time Thief

  #29 Designed for Disaster

  #30 Dance off

  #31 Make-a-Pet Mystery

  #32 Cape Mermaid Mystery

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition September 2012

  Text copyright © 2012 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Macky Pamintuan

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo, NANCY DREW, and NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW are

  registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Designed by Lisa Vega

  Cover designed by Lisa Vega

  Cover illustration © 2012 by Macky Pamintuan

  The text of this book was set in ITC Stone Informal.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2012932253

  ISBN 978-1-4169-9465-7

  ISBN 978-1-4424-5715-7 (eBook)