Duck Derby Debacle Read online

“I guess the Henderson’s lucky number is three,” Bess remarked.

  “Three is our lucky number too!” Nancy said.

  “It is?” Bess looked confused.

  “How?” George asked, appearing just as baffled as her cousin.

  “Watch!” Nancy said. She took out the clue book, turned to a clean page, and wrote in big letters:

  NANCY + BESS + GEORGE = BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!

  More from this Series

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  A Star Witness

  Book 3

  More from the Author

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  Keep reading for a preview of

  Recipe Ruckus

  by

  Carolyn Keene

  “Are you sure you feel okay, Nancy?” Bess asked. “If you have a fever, you should be in bed.”

  “I said I have spring fever,” said Nancy with a smile. “That means I’m super excited for warmer weather, green trees, flowers—”

  “Spring break,” George Fayne cut in.

  “Spring clothes,” Bess said, striking a glam pose. “Like my brand-new spring jacket!”

  Nancy and her two best friends were walking together up Main Street. It was the first week of spring break, so the usually busy street was busier than ever.

  They had the same rules. They could walk up to five blocks from their houses as long as they were together. Since they were together most of the time, it was never a problem.

  “Don’t forget another awesome spring thing,” Nancy said. “The River Heights Cherry Blossom Festival this Sunday.”

  “Who can forget with so many neat cherry blossom trees around?” Bess stopped to point at a tree sprouting fluffy pink buds.

  “How did River Heights get so many of these trees in the first place?” George asked.

  Nancy had just had this same conversation with her dad the day before, so she was happy to fill her friends in. “About a hundred years ago, the mayor of a Japanese town visited River Heights. He liked it here so much, he gave our mayor a gift of two dozen sakura.”

  “That’s cool, I guess,” George said, “but what about the cherry trees?”

  Nancy giggled. “Sakura are cherry trees.”

  Bess scrunched her brow as she did the math. “Two dozen equals twenty-four,” she said. “That’s a lot of cherry trees.”

  “And since they were gifts, that’s a lot of wrapping paper,” George joked.

  The girls stood under the tree, catching the falling blossoms in their hands. They laughed as they gently blew them at each other.

  “Speaking of gifts,” Nancy said as they continued on their way, “that reminds me of my special mission today. I’m going to buy Hannah the perfect present for her birthday.”

  Hannah Gruen had been the Drews’ housekeeper since Nancy was three years old. Like a mother, she made sure Nancy ate a good breakfast before school and did her homework after. Hannah also told the funniest jokes and baked the yummiest treats. Her birthday present had to be perfect. Just like Hannah!

  “I have five dollars to spend on Hannah’s present,” Nancy said. “Any ideas?”

  “How about five donuts from the Hole in One Donut Shop?” suggested George.

  Nancy shook her head. “It’s not a bad idea, but Hannah bakes even yummier donuts than the Hole in One.”

  “Then get Hannah something to use when she bakes,” George said. “My mom uses tons of bowls for her catering business.”

  “Maybe.”

  Bess stomped her foot. “Maybe not! Instead of a boring bowl, how about a blouse or a scarf? New clothes are always a perfect gift.”

  “Or old clothes!” George said.

  “Old clothes?” Nancy asked.

  George pointed down the block. “The sign outside the March of Time thrift shop reads ‘vintage clothes for old-timey prices.’ ”

  The girls approached the store window, which displayed gently worn clothes from years ago. There were pastel-colored cardigans embroidered with pearls, sky-high platform shoes—even a beaded dress trimmed with fringe.

  “We were in this store before,” Nancy said. “When we worked on a mystery.”

  “When aren’t we working on a mystery?” Bess asked, smiling. “We’re the Clue Crew!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George loved solving mysteries, and had their own detective club to prove it. They even had their own clue book where they wrote down all their suspects and clues.

  “The owner of the store, Dulcie Wu, was a big help with our case,” Nancy said. “Maybe she’ll help me pick out a present for Hannah.”

  “We’ll help too, Nancy,” Bess said excitedly.

  “We as in me?” George asked. She shook her head. “You know clothes aren’t my thing.”

  “But old clothes are!” Bess said nodding down at George’s holey jeans and scuffed sneakers. “Which makes you an expert.”

  Nancy giggled. Bess and George were cousins, but as different as day and night. Bess had blond hair, blue eyes, and loved new clothes and accessories. Dark-haired George loved accessories too, as long as they were for her tablet or computer.

  “Okay, I’ll help.” George sighed. “But don’t expect me to pick out anything pink or sparkly!”

  When the girls entered the store, Dulcie was busy with a customer, so instead of being greeted by the owner, they were met by the musty smell of the vintage clothes hanging on racks and topping hat stands. Even the mannequins looked old-timey with their pencil-thin eyebrows and bright red lips.

  “How about this for Hannah?” Nancy asked, pulling a floral blouse from a rack.

  “Too frilly!” George said, shaking her head. She began sifting through the blouses herself, nixing them one by one. “Too stripe-y… too itchy…”

  “What do you like, Bess?” Nancy asked. She turned to find Bess gazing into a mirror as she tried on accessories.

  “I am soooo liking this super-cute hat! Have you ever seen a sunhat with a doll’s head stuck on top?”

  “Only in my nightmares!” George snapped. “Bess, take it off!”

  Continue Reading…

  Recipe Ruckus

  Carolyn Keene

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

  CAROLYN KEENE is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew series of books.

  PETER FRANCIS lives and works in the United Kingdom. When he’s not helping the Clue Crew solve mysteries, he can be found sketching frantically in his studio, investigating hidden landscapes, or growing his own vegetables.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Carolyn-Keene

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Peter-Francis

  Don’t miss a single

  Nancy Drew Clue Book:

  Pool Party Puzzler

  Last Lemonade Standing

  A Star Witness

  Big Top Flop

  Movie Madness

  Pets on Parade

  Candy Kingdom Chaos

  World Record Mystery

  Springtime Crime

  Boo Crew

  The Tortoise and the Scare

  Turkey Trot Plot

  Puppy Love Prank

  The Big Island Burglary

  The Great Goat Gaffe

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

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition
July 2021

  Text copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Peter Francis

  Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  NANCY DREW, NANCY DREW CLUEBOOK, and colophons are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].

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  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.

  Series designed by Karina Granda

  Interior designed by Tom Daly

  The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.

  Jacket illustrations copyright © 2021 by Peter Francis

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Keene, Carolyn, author. | Francis, Peter, illustrator.

  Title: Duck Derby debacle / by Carolyn Keene ; illustrated by Peter Francis.

  Description: New York : Aladdin, 2021. | Series: Nancy Drew clue book ; 16 | Audience: Ages 6 to 9. | Summary: “The Clue Crew solves a case of missing rubber duckies in the sixteenth Nancy Drew Clue Book”—Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020054978 (print) | LCCN 2020054979 (eBook) | ISBN 9781534450318 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534450301 (paperback) | ISBN 9781534450325 (eBook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Lost and found possessions—Fiction. | Toy ducks—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.K23 Duc 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.K23 (eBook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020054978

  LC eBook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020054979