The Clue in the Glue

  Dopes with the Soap

  “Come on, you guys.” Nancy reached for the bottle of soap.

  Peter tossed it to Jason.

  “Give it back, Jason, you big creep!” Bess cried.

  Jason threw it to Andrew, and he threw it back to David.

  “Soapy-poo, soapy-poo,” David called out, holding the bottle above Bess.

  David threw the bottle back to Peter. But Peter missed catching it. The bottle hit George’s model of the sun and its planets, knocking it to the floor.

  The planet Jupiter cracked in half!

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Soap Bubbles

  Chapter 2: A Broken Planet

  Chapter 3: Smiley-Face Notes

  Chapter 4: Invisible Ink Tricks

  Chapter 5: Cheater! Cheater!

  Chapter 6: The Smell Will Tell

  Chapter 7: Art Store Surprise

  Chapter 8: Boys, Boys, Boys

  1

  Soap Bubbles

  Pssst! Nancy!” George Fayne pushed a folded piece of paper into Nancy Drew’s hand as George walked past Nancy’s desk.

  Nancy opened the note and read: “Boys are goony loonies.” She put her hand over her mouth and tried not to laugh out loud. But a small giggle escaped. Nancy looked up and saw Mrs. Reynolds, her third-grade teacher, staring right at her.

  “Nancy and George, you’re supposed to be working on the written reports for your science fair projects,” Mrs. Reynolds said, “not passing notes to each other.”

  “Sorry, Mrs. Reynolds,” Nancy said softly. She glanced at her best friend. George was connecting an orange Styrofoam ball to her project. It was a model of the solar system. It showed the sun and all its planets.

  Nancy looked at the colorful science projects set up on tables along the walls of the classroom. The two third-grade classes at Carl Sandburg Elementary School would be having a mini science fair the next day. Nancy couldn’t wait.

  “George, I had to speak to you twice last week about passing notes during class,” Mrs. Reynolds continued. “I don’t want you doing it again. Is that clear?”

  George nodded.

  “Place your report with your exhibit,” Mrs. Reynolds said, “then please return to your desk.”

  George put her paper down next to her science project. Then she quickly walked back to her desk.

  Nancy heard a soft chuckle. She looked over to see Brenda Carlton and Alison Wegman. They were watching George and giggling. Nancy thought Brenda wasn’t very nice. She liked to see other kids get in trouble.

  The bell rang, signaling the end of school. Mrs. Reynolds stood up from her desk. “Anyone who needs to continue working on his or her science fair project may stay after class.”

  Some of the students from the other third grade, Mrs. Apple’s class, wandered into the room. Students from both classes had been going back and forth for the last few days. They had been looking at the projects as kids were setting them up.

  Bess Marvin, George’s cousin and Nancy’s other best friend, leaned over. She sat across the aisle from Nancy. “We need one more frozen bubble,” Bess said. “It should be a really big one.”

  Nancy and Bess were doing their science fair project together. It showed how to make different soap bubble patterns and how to create frozen soap bubbles in cold weather.

  “Okay, Bess, you make one outside, and I’ll fix up our display,” Nancy said.

  She walked over to their project. It was set up on a table by the window. At the next table, Kyle Leddington and Andrew Leoni were working on their magnet project. On the other side, Brenda and Alison had set up their fossil bone display.

  Nancy heard Jason Hutchings suddenly call out, “Hey, David, hands off!”

  She looked over to where Jason had his invisible ink display. His friend David Berger, who was in Mrs. Apple’s class, was playing with the ink on scraps of paper.

  “Come on, let me write something with the ink. It’s cool,” David said as Jason pulled a bottle away from him.

  “Go work on your bug project,” Jason said.

  David and another boy from his class had made a display about cockroaches of the world. Nancy thought it was gross.

  Nancy saw Bess come back into the classroom. Bess was walking slowly as she carried a delicate frozen ice bubble that she’d just made outside. She’d blown a large soap bubble and then let it freeze in the cold air. Beautiful ice crystals had formed all over it.

  “Ooh, Bess! That’s the best one we’ve made so far!” Nancy said. “Quick, put it in the ice chest before it melts.”

  “I love making these,” Bess said, carefully placing the frozen bubble in a small ice chest. The girls had put ice packs in the bottom to keep the frozen bubbles solid.

  “Bess and Nancy, that’s a great frozen bubble,” Mrs. Reynolds said.

  Nancy and Bess beamed with pride.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Reynolds,” Nancy said.

  Their teacher looked around the room. “As a matter of fact, everyone’s display is wonderful,” she said. “It will be hard to decide whose is the best.”

  Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Apple were going to judge the science projects the following morning. They would pick a best project from each class. The winners would get first-place ribbons. At the end of the week, both classes were going on a field trip to Chicago. They would visit the Adler Planetarium.

  “Okay, everyone should be finishing up,” Mrs. Reynolds called out as she walked to the door. “I’ll be in the other classroom for a few minutes if anyone needs me.”

  “Oh, Nancy,” Bess said. “My mom pulled into the parking lot while I was outside. She says we have to hurry up because she has to go to the doctor after she drops you and George off.”

  “Okay, we’d better tell George,” Nancy said, looking across the room. “She’s still working on her project.”

  “Hey, George,” Nancy called. “Bess’s mom is outside. We have to leave.”

  George nodded, shaking her dark curls. She was attaching the last foam planet to her model. “I’m almost done.”

  “Hiya, bubble girls,” Jason said, walking over to Nancy and Bess’s display.

  “Ha, ha,” Nancy replied.

  Jason grinned. “Blowing soap bubbles isn’t really science, is it?”

  Bess tossed back her long blond hair. “Huh! Your invisible ink isn’t science, either. And your ink is stinky.”

  Jason chuckled. “It’s better than a baby bubble project.”

  “Go drink your invisible ink,” Nancy said. She was arranging bottles of soap solution on the table.

  “Yeah,” Bess added. “Then maybe you’ll disappear!” The girls giggled.

  “Ooh! Inky, dinky, doo.” Jason danced around the display table. Suddenly, he grabbed a bottle of soap solution from the table.

  “What if I blow some bubbles myself?” he said, running to the back of the room with the soap bottle.

  “Hey, give that back!” Nancy ran after him. Bess was right behind her. Andrew, Kyle, and David also joined in the chase.

  Jason stopped by a table near George’s display. “David, heads up.” Jason tossed David the bottle.

  Bess tried to grab it but missed.

  “Get it, George!” Nancy called.

  George jumped up and tried to get the bottle from David. But he threw it to Peter DeSands.

  “Come on, you guys.” Nancy reached for the bottle.

  Peter tossed it to Jason.

  “Give it back, Jason, you big creep!” Bess cried.

  Jason threw it to Andrew, and he threw it back to David. The boys were laughing and hollering.

  “Soapy-poo, soapy-poo,” David called out, holding the bottle above Bess. She grabbed his arm.

  David squirmed awa
y and threw the bottle back to Peter. But Peter missed catching it. The bottle hit George’s project, knocking it to the floor.

  The planet Jupiter from George’s model cracked in half!

  2

  A Broken Planet

  My planet!” George yelled.

  Mrs. Reynolds came back into the room. “What’s all the shouting about?” she said. “What happened to George’s model?”

  “David threw the bottle and knocked over George’s model!” Nancy cried.

  “But it was all Jason’s fault. He took the bottle in the first place,” Bess added.

  Soon everyone was arguing.

  “Quiet!” Mrs. Reynolds said. “Now, Jason, why don’t you tell me what happened.”

  “I took their soap bottle,” Jason said. “But I didn’t mean to hurt anything.”

  “Jason, you should have been respectful of the girls’ projects,” Mrs. Reynolds said. She examined the broken piece. “Luckily, this doesn’t look too bad. George, I think it can be fixed.”

  “Sorry your planet got squished,” Jason said. “I can glue it for you.”

  “No way!” George replied. “I don’t want you touching my model.”

  “I’ll help George,” Nancy offered. She and George picked up the broken model.

  “You guys, we really have to leave,” Bess said, looking worried. “My mom has an appointment.”

  Mrs. Reynolds patted George on the back. “You can glue it in the morning.”

  “Sorry about your model, George,” Andrew said as he was leaving the room. “It was neat. I have some glue next to my display if you need it.”

  George didn’t answer. Nancy knew George was mad at all the boys. Nancy didn’t blame George. She had worked hard on her project.

  George had painted different-size Styrofoam balls to make the nine planets and the sun. Then she had put each planet on a stiff wire. The other end of the wires were stuck into the sun. Her dad had helped her make a wooden stand to hold up the sun. The model was cool-looking, Nancy thought. And now it was broken.

  • • •

  The next morning Nancy arrived at school just as Bess and George were getting out of the Marvins’ red minivan. “Hi!” Nancy called. “Cute hat, Bess.”

  Bess had on a pink knit cap with pretty pink and white roses on one side.

  “Thanks,” Bess said, smiling. “It’s part of my new skating outfit.”

  A group of kids was going to the ice rink after school. Nancy had worn her favorite red-and-white skating sweater with a snowflake pattern on it. She couldn’t wait to practice a new spin that she and Bess had learned in their last ice-skating lesson.

  The three girls walked toward the school entrance. A group of boys was having a snowball fight on the playground.

  Jason yelled to George, “Hey, George! Want a chewy, gooey Jelly Jet?” He waved a small box. Jelly Jets were Jason’s favorite candy. They were fruit-flavored jelly candies shaped like jet planes.

  “No. Don’t think some candy will make me forget about yesterday!” George called, and continued walking. Suddenly, a snowball hit her in the back. The girls spun around as the group of boys began to laugh.

  David stood there with a big grin. He raised his hands in the air and tried to look innocent. David gave Mike Minelli and Jason high fives and turned away.

  “Watch this,” George said. She made a huge snowball, took aim, and threw.

  Splat! David jumped as the snowball landed right in the middle of his back.

  “Hey!” He turned and looked at George.

  George raised her hands in the air, acting innocent, imitating David. “I wonder who threw that?” she said. Nancy, Bess, and George burst into laughter and ran into the school building.

  Nancy and Bess tossed their backpacks on their desks and joined George at her display table. She had a puzzled look on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” Nancy asked.

  “Someone glued Jupiter back together.” George held up the Styrofoam ball. “Mrs. Reynolds, did you glue my planet?” George asked the teacher.

  “No, but Jason and a few other boys were in here earlier,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “Maybe one of them did.”

  “Jason might have fixed it, George,” Nancy said. “He said he was really sorry.”

  George shrugged. “I have to get this planet back on my solar system. I’m going to get some wire from my desk.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Bess said.

  Nancy moved close to the table to look at George’s model. She stepped on something.

  It was an empty plastic glue tube. She picked it up. This could be a clue to whoever fixed George’s model, Nancy thought.

  Then she noticed something white sticking out from under George’s model. Putting the glue tube in her pocket, Nancy leaned close to the model. Just then Bess and George came back.

  “George, look. There’s something under your model.” Nancy pointed at the corner.

  George pulled out a folded piece of notepaper. It had little smiley faces at the top.

  “‘Sorry about your display,’” George read. She showed the note to Nancy and Bess.

  “Hey! We have that same kind of notepaper at my house,” Bess said.

  “There’s no name on it,” George said.

  “Somebody fixed your model and didn’t tell who they were,” Nancy said. “Why?”

  “I got a note on that same smiley-face paper in my cubby yesterday,” George said. “But I thought it was from Bess.”

  “Me?” Bess looked puzzled. “I didn’t leave you a note.”

  “Wait, I’ll get it,” George said.

  The bell rang for class to begin. Nancy and Bess sat down at their desks along with everyone else. George walked up the aisle to Nancy’s desk. She knelt down in the middle of the aisle and showed Bess and Nancy the other smiley-face note.

  It said “Hi, George!” Nancy compared it to the note found under George’s model. “The printing looks the same on both notes,” she said.

  “Maybe the person who wrote George this note fixed her model, too,” Bess said.

  “Maybe.” Nancy stared at the notes.

  Suddenly, Nancy realized the class was quiet. She looked up. Everyone, including Mrs. Reynolds, was staring at them.

  “George, what did I say about passing notes?” mrs. reynolds asked.

  “I’m not, Mrs. Reynolds,” george said. “I was just showing this . . . uh . . .” George paused and looked around at the other kids staring at her.

  “I won’t tell you again,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “No more passing notes during class.”

  George went to her desk as Mrs. Apple and her third-grade class began to file into the room. Mrs. Reynolds announced that she and Mrs. Apple were going to start looking at the science projects to decide the winners. She invited all the students to look at the projects in the two classrooms.

  Mrs. Apple reminded everybody to be quiet as they went from one classroom to the other.

  Nancy remembered the glue tube in her pocket. Taking it out, she looked at the tube. She thought about who might have fixed George’s model. It certainly was a mystery, she decided.

  Nancy liked to solve mysteries, and she was good at solving them, too. The glue tube was a clue, she thought. A good detective always gathers clues.

  She tucked the small tube into a plastic pocket in her special blue detective’s notebook. Her father had given it to her. Nancy used it when she was solving a mystery.

  Nancy joined George and Bess.

  “Let’s go see the exhibits in the other class,” Nancy said. The girls went next door.

  “Oh, how cool!” George exclaimed, pointing to a display. “Look at Amara Shane’s plants and water project. Colored celery!”

  “That’s so fun!” Nancy agreed. The girls walked to another table.

  “Yuck! A spider exhibit.” Bess shivered. “They give me the creeps.”

  “Speaking of creeps,” George said, “here comes David Berger.”

  “
Hey, George, want to pet Tubby?” David held up a huge dead cockroach.

  “Yeeeew! No!” George cried. She jumped back from David and the insect. “Is that from your Cockroaches of the World project?”

  “Yep.” David grinned proudly. “Come on, give him a chance. Pet little Tubby.” He waved the bug at her.

  “She said no, so go away!” Nancy cried. “And take your yucky friend with you.”

  Andrew Leoni was checking out a weather project on a table nearby. Nancy saw him look up at David and George. “Leave George alone,” Andrew called.

  David shrugged and laughed. “Okay,” he said, walking back to his exhibit.

  “That was nice of Andrew to stop David from bothering you,” Nancy said.

  “Yes,” George agreed. “He was ‘bugging’ me!” The three friends giggled.

  The girls looked at some more projects. Then they went back to their own classroom. Finally, the teachers said it was time to announce the winners. The students from both third grades crowded into Mrs. Reynolds’s classroom.

  “The winner from our class,” Mrs. Apple said, “is . . . Amara Shane.”

  “Oh, I’m glad she won,” Nancy said, applauding with the rest of the students. “That red celery was cool.”

  Now the teachers were ready to name the winner from Mrs. Reynolds’s class.

  “I hope we win, Nancy,” Bess said.

  “Me, too,” Nancy replied. “Cross your fingers for good luck.” She held up both hands, fingers crossed.

  “Well, we found it very difficult to come to a decision about a winner from this class,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “So, finally, we decided it could only be . . .”

  Nancy held her breath.

  “. . . a tie!”

  3

  Smiley-Face Notes

  The winners are George Fayne and Jason Hutchings!” Mrs. Reynolds said. Everyone applauded again.

  Nancy was disappointed that she and Bess had lost. She was happy, though, that George had won.

  George, Jason, and Amara went to the front to get their blue ribbons. The ribbons had gold lettering that read first prize.

  “After lunch the three winners will present their projects to the two third-grade classes,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “If anyone would like to continue to look at the science projects, you have permission to come into the classroom during lunchtime.”