The Snow Queen's Surprise

  Contents

  Chapter 1: First Day, Worst Day

  Chapter 2: Snow Queen or No Queen

  Chapter 3: Frost Fright

  Chapter 4: A Bark in the Park

  Chapter 5: Chill Out!

  Chapter 6: Bells and Spells

  Chapter 7: A New Leaf

  Chapter 8: Rebecca Takes a Bow

  1

  First Day, Worst Day

  Winter is my favorite season!” eight-year-old Nancy Drew shouted. She clapped her mittens together. A mist of snow tickled her nose.

  “Mine, too,” Bess Marvin said. “Besides summer, spring, and fall!”

  George Fayne tossed a handful of snow into the air. “And we have a whole week to have fun in all this snow,” she said. “Are we lucky or what?”

  Nancy knew they were. It was Monday and the first day of winter break. It was also the day after a really big snowfall.

  The three friends had come to the park. It was filled with kids pulling their sleds and racing down hills.

  “Let’s bring our sleds to the park tomorrow,” Nancy suggested.

  “Cool!” Bess said. “But what should we do today?”

  “We can make snow angels,” George suggested. She adjusted her red hat over her dark curls.

  Bess shook her head. “But that means lying in the snow. And getting snow all over my new purple parka,” she complained.

  Bess smoothed the pockets of her parka. She was wearing a matching hat over her blond hair.

  George rolled her eyes. “What are parkas for, Bess?” she joked. “The beach?”

  Nancy giggled. Sometimes she couldn’t believe that Bess and George were cousins. Bess had a closet full of pretty clothes. George’s closet was filled with jeans and soccer balls.

  “Would you rather build a snowman, Bess?” Nancy asked.

  “No,” Bess said. Her blue eyes sparkled. “I want to build a snow queen.”

  George wrinkled her nose. “What does a snow queen look like?” she asked.

  Bess pointed over Nancy’s shoulder and gasped. “Like that!” she said.

  Nancy spun around.

  Walking toward them was a girl wearing a white coat with a fluffy white collar. On one of her hands was a furry white muff. In the other was a wand with a sparkly snowflake on the tip. A shimmering tiara crowned her head.

  “That’s no snow queen,” George said as the girl got closer. “That’s Rebecca.”

  The girls knew Rebecca Ramirez from school. She was also in the third grade at Carl Sandburg Elementary School, but in a different class. Rebecca wanted to be an actress.

  “I am so a snow queen!” Rebecca declared. “I’m playing one at the Twinkling Stars Drama School.”

  Nancy knew about Rebecca’s drama school. It was on Main Street. The kids met twice a week after school, on Saturday, and even during winter break.

  “Why are you wearing your costume in the park, Rebecca?” Nancy wanted to know. “Is the snow queen play today?”

  “No,” Rebecca said. “We start rehearsals on Wednesday. But it’s never too early to practice my part.”

  Nancy watched as Rebecca waved her wand and twirled around.

  “What do snow queens do?” Bess asked. “Besides making people dizzy.”

  Rebecca stopped twirling. “For one thing,” she said, “snow queens can turn anything into ice.”

  “Great!” George joked. “Then make us snow cones. Cherry, lemon, and lime.”

  “In winter?” Bess giggled. “Brrr!”

  Rebecca put her hands on her hips. “It’s true,” she said. “We can turn anything into ice. And anybody!”

  “As in . . . people?” Bess asked.

  Rebecca nodded. “People and—”

  “Woof!” a bark interrupted Rebecca.

  Nancy pushed her hat up from her forehead. She saw a big dog peeking from behind a tree. His tail wagged as he leaped over the snow toward the girls.

  “Where did he come from?” Bess asked.

  Nancy thought the dog was beautiful. His fur was the color of butterscotch pudding. His long ears looked very soft.

  “Look.” George pointed. “He’s wearing a heart-shaped tag. That means he belongs to someone.”

  Nancy knew not to pet strange dogs, but she gave him a big smile. “Hi, boy!” she said. “You sure look friendly.”

  The dog looked at Nancy with warm brown eyes. Then he turned and hopped over the snow toward Rebecca.

  “What does he want?” Rebecca asked.

  The dog jumped. His paws landed on Rebecca’s shoulders. He barked playfully at her snowflake wand.

  “I think he wants to be a snow queen,” Bess said with a giggle.

  “Down!” Rebecca shouted.

  The dog’s ears flattened against his head. He whined and backed down.

  “You scared him,” Bess scolded.

  Nancy saw two brown smudges near Rebecca’s shoulders. Rebecca saw them, too.

  “Oh, no!” Rebecca cried. “That dumb dog got dirty paw prints all over my snow queen costume!”

  “Yuck,” Bess said. “I’m glad he didn’t jump on my new purple parka.”

  The dog seemed puzzled. He tilted his head and looked at Rebecca.

  “He didn’t mean it, Rebecca,” Nancy said. “He was just being a dog.”

  “A bad dog,” Rebecca added. She raised her wand over the dog’s head.

  “What are you doing?” George asked.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” Rebecca asked. “I’m casting a snow queen spell over Mr. Grubby Paws.”

  Nancy sighed. Rebecca was taking her part of snow queen a little too seriously.

  “Sugar is sweet, snow is nice,” Rebecca began to chant. “Turn this pesty dog into ice!”

  Rebecca pointed the wand at the dog. He turned and ran behind a row of bushes.

  “That will teach all dogs not to jump on me,” Rebecca declared. “And if they do—Pupsicles!”

  “Pupsicles?” Bess repeated.

  Rebecca tried rubbing out the stains with her hand.

  “Don’t worry, Rebecca,” Nancy said. “Those stains will come out.”

  “And if they don’t,” George said with a shrug, “cast a spell on them.”

  “Very funny,” Rebecca grumbled. Then she turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Nancy asked.

  “To meet my mom at the Double Dip,” Rebecca replied. “Even snow queens need a hot chocolate break once in a while.”

  Nancy’s mouth watered. The Double Dip made the best ice cream in River Heights, and the best hot chocolate in winter.

  The three friends watched Rebecca walk away in the snow.

  “Nancy? George?” Bess asked slowly. “What if Rebecca’s spell worked?”

  “Worked?” Nancy asked. “Rebecca was just play-acting—the way she always does.”

  “Sure,” George agreed. “Remember when Rebecca played a cow in the first-grade play? She wore a bell around her neck for a whole week.”

  “But what about the dog?” Bess asked. “Mr. Grubby Paws?”

  Nancy thought the name was funny. She decided to call him Grubby.

  “Grubby probably ran back to his owner,” Nancy said. “But we can find him if it will make you feel better.”

  “It would,” Bess said.

  First the girls checked behind the bushes. Grubby was nowhere in sight.

  Next they walked deeper into the park. There were more kids pulling sleds and building snowmen, but no Grubby.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Nancy called.

  The girls walked until they came to a big snowy field. It was empty except for something tall and white.

  “Maybe it’s a snow-covered wat
er fountain,” George guessed.

  “Or a snowman,” Nancy said. “Let’s check it out.”

  But as they got closer . . .

  “Hey!” George said. “That’s not a snowman. It’s a snow dog!”

  Nancy could see that George was right. The hard snow was shaped to look like a long-eared dog with a collar.

  “He looks so real!” Nancy gasped.

  “Wait a minute,” Bess said slowly. “Doesn’t this dog look just like Mr. Grubby Paws?”

  Nancy walked around the dog to get a closer look. “It does,” she agreed. “Same long ears. Same sweetheart tag—”

  “Then it’s true! It’s true!” Bess cried. “Rebecca turned that poor dog into ice. She is a snow queen!”

  2

  Snow Queen or No Queen

  No way!” Nancy said, shaking her head. “Rebecca did not turn Grubby into ice. And she is not a snow queen!”

  “Not until she changes all three of us into snow cones,” Bess said. “Cherry, lemon, and lime.”

  Nancy smiled at Bess. She was usually scared pretty easily, but George wasn’t.

  “There has to be a reason for this snow dog,” Nancy said. “Right, George?”

  George didn’t answer. Her dark eyes were still glued to the snow dog.

  “Huh?” George said.

  “I said, there has to be a reason for this dog,” Nancy repeated. “Right?”

  “Don’t know,” George said. “But in the meantime, I’m staying away from Rebecca Ramirez.”

  “Me, too,” Bess said.

  “But Rebecca is our friend,” Nancy argued. “She lives near me.”

  Bess and George didn’t seem to listen. They spoke in serious tones.

  “We should tell a grown-up what Rebecca did,” Bess said. “But not her parents. They might have the same powers.”

  “I know!” George said. “Let’s tell Rebecca’s acting coach, Stella Logan. She ought to know that her snow queen is a real one.”

  Nancy couldn’t stand it anymore. “Time out,” she said. “Rebecca does not have special powers, and I’ll prove it.”

  “Prove it?” Bess asked slowly. “You mean like solving a mystery?”

  The word “mystery” made Nancy smile. She loved solving mysteries more than anything. She even had a blue detective notebook where she wrote all of her clues.

  “Yes,” Nancy said. “Proving that Rebecca isn’t a snow queen will be like solving a mystery.”

  “But how are you going to prove it, Nancy?” George asked.

  “Hmm.” Nancy tapped her chin thoughtfully. Then her eyes lit up. “I’ll start by following Rebecca around and watching her real close.”

  Nancy reached into her pocket and pulled out her detective notebook. She carried it everywhere she went.

  “Then,” Nancy went on, “I’ll write all of the reasons why Rebecca can’t be a snow queen. Any questions?”

  “Just one,” Bess said. “Does this mean we’re not going sledding tomorrow?”

  “Bess!” George sighed.

  The girls walked to a nearby bench. They brushed off the snow and sat down.

  Nancy opened her notebook. A pencil with a kitten eraser was tucked inside.

  She turned to a fresh page and wrote “Rebecca is not a snow queen” on the top.

  “What if you get clues that Rebecca is a snow queen?” George asked.

  Nancy didn’t think she would, but a good detective was prepared for anything.

  “I’ll make two lists,” Nancy said. “Then we’ll see which one fills up first.”

  Nancy wrote “Rebecca is a snow queen” on the opposite page.

  “You’ll have to work fast, Nancy,” George said. “If Rebecca is a snow queen, she can turn River Heights into a giant snow globe by tomorrow.”

  “And shake it, too!” Bess added.

  “Okay, okay,” Nancy said. “Today is Monday. I’ll prove that Rebecca isn’t a snow queen by . . . Wednesday morning.”

  “And if you don’t?” Bess asked.

  “I will!” Nancy said with confidence. “But if I don’t, then we’ll write a letter to Stella Logan. All about Rebecca.”

  “Then we’ll go sledding,” Bess said.

  Nancy smiled as she shut her notebook. The girls walked back to the snow dog to look for more clues.

  Nancy studied the dog from the top of his head to the tips of his paws. That was when she noticed something unusual.

  “Look!” Nancy cried. “There’s something carved into the dog’s paw!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George almost bumped heads as they bent down to look.

  The design was carved to look like a leaf—a leaf with a curled stem.

  “Maybe Grubby had a leaf on his paw before he turned into snow,” Bess guessed.

  “Maybe not,” Nancy said. “But however that leaf got there, it’s a clue.”

  Nancy wasn’t sure which list to add the leaf to. So she carefully drew the leaf on a clean page.

  “Don’t forget to write the snow dog clue in your notebook,” Bess said. “On the 'Rebecca is a snow queen' page.”

  Nancy didn’t want to add a clue to that page, but she had to be fair.

  “Okay,” Nancy said. She wrote the clue in her notebook. She held it up for Bess and George to see.

  Then suddenly—

  TWACK!

  Nancy gasped. Something had knocked her detective notebook right out of her hand!

  3

  Frost Fright

  Hey!” Nancy cried as her notebook landed in the snow with a thunk.

  “That was a snowball!” George said through her teeth. “And I think I know who threw it.”

  Nancy thought so, too. She turned and saw Jason Hutchings, Mike Minelli, and David Berger. They were standing behind a big mound of snow. The snow was so high it came up to their shoulders.

  “Surrender now!” Jason shouted. He waved another snowball over his head.

  “Or risk another attack by the Chill Commando!” David called.

  “The boys!” Nancy groaned.

  Most of the boys in Nancy’s class were nice. But Jason, David, and Mike were always making trouble.

  The boys snickered as they held up handfuls of wet snowballs. They were all wearing wool caps. Jason’s was red, Mike’s was green, and David’s was blue.

  “Should we fight back?” Nancy whispered to her friends. “We beat them in a snowball fight once before.”

  “We don’t stand a chance,” Bess said. “This time they have a fort.”

  “And I have an awesome pitching arm,” George said, scooping up snow.

  George grunted as she pitched a snowball. The girls laughed as it knocked Jason’s red cap right off his head.

  “This means war,” Jason muttered.

  Nancy helped George scoop up more snowballs. But Bess stood on the side.

  “Come on, Bess,” George ordered. “Put some hustle in your muscle!”

  “You know I hate snowball fights,” Bess complained. “And I’ll get snow all over my brand-new purple parka.”

  “Here we go again!” George groaned.

  Nancy didn’t feel like throwing snowballs either. Not when she had a new mystery to work on. So while George threw the snowballs she talked about her plan.

  “Let’s get some hot chocolate instead,” Nancy said as they ducked another flying snowball. “My dad gave me some money before I left this morning.”

  “Great,” Bess said. She looked around. “Hilda’s hot chocolate van is probably parked here somewhere.”

  The girls always bought hot chocolate from Hilda. But this time Nancy had another idea.

  “Let’s go to the Double Dip,” Nancy said. “Then we can drink hot chocolate and question Rebecca.”

  “Good idea,” George said loud enough for the boys to hear. “And we won’t be anywhere near the Chimp Commando!”

  “That’s Chill Commando!” Jason called, hurling another snowball.

  “Not when you’re always monkeying
around!” Nancy called back.

  The boys laughed. They scratched their heads and made monkey noises.

  “I wish Rebecca would turn Jason, David, and Mike into ice,” Bess said as they walked out of the park.

  “I told you—Rebecca is not a snow queen,” Nancy said. “Just a drama queen.”

  The Double Dip was a few blocks from the park. Main Street had been shoveled. But the girls still had to stomp snow off their boots before going inside.

  “There she is!” Bess whispered when they were inside. “There’s Rebecca!”

  Nancy saw Rebecca sitting at a table and drinking hot chocolate. Mrs. Ramirez was talking to a woman at another table.

  “Hi, Rebecca!” Nancy called.

  Rebecca waved back. She was still wearing her white snow queen coat.

  “Hi,” Rebecca said. She pointed to her shoulders. “Look! I got rid of that yucky dog stain.”

  “And the dog,” George whispered.

  “Shh!” Nancy warned.

  The girls stepped up to the counter. They ordered three hot chocolates with extra marshmallows. Very carefully they carried their cups to Rebecca’s table.

  “It’s cold outside,” Rebecca said.

  “Yeah,” George said. “My toes feel like pupsicles—I mean—Popsicles!”

  Nancy saw Rebecca’s snowflake wand lying on the table. She decided to get right to the point. “What else do snow queens do, Rebecca?” she asked. “Besides turning things into ice?”

  Rebecca licked off a hot-chocolate mustache. “Instead of tears,” she said, “we cry icicles.”

  George whistled. “That’s got to hurt,” she said.

  “And we have shimmering sleighs,” Rebecca said. She waved her hand. “Sleighs that fly high through the winter sky!”

  Nancy didn’t believe it. But Bess and George were staring at Rebecca with wide eyes and open mouths.

  “Why aren’t you drinking your hot chocolate?” Rebecca finally asked.

  “Too hot,” George blurted.

  “Yeah,” Bess said. “I blew on it, but it’s still too hot.”

  “That’s because you’re not a snow queen,” Rebecca said with a smile. “Snow queens breathe clouds of ice crystals.”

  “What?” Bess gasped.

  Rebecca took a deep breath. She leaned over the table and blew on all three hot chocolates. She blew so hard that a marshmallow popped out of George’s cup.