by Ron Roy
September Sneakers
Bradley stared at the little green sneakers. They were just like the one they’d found in their barn.
“Us too!” Brian yelled. He waved his little green sneaker at the class. “Someone stole our hamster. They left us a green sneaker, too!”
“It seems we have a sneaker mystery in Green Lawn,” Ms. Tery said. She raised her skirt a few inches and pointed down at her feet.
Everyone in the class looked at her shoes.
Only they weren’t just any schoolteacher shoes.
They were giant green sneakers.
And they had orange lightning bolts on the sides.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2013 by Ron Roy
Cover art, map, and interior illustrations copyright © 2013 by John Steven Gurney
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone
Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roy, Ron.
September sneakers / by Ron Roy; illustrated by John Steven Gurney. — 1st ed.
p. cm. — (Calendar mysteries) “A Stepping Stone Book.”
Summary: Someone has been stealing and leaving behind little green sneakers, so Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy trail their new teacher, who wears the same shoes in normal size.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89970-6
[1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. Stealing—Fiction. 3. Sneakers—Fiction. 4. Teachers—Fiction. 5. Twins—Fiction. 6. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 7. Cousins—Fiction.] I. Gurney, John Steven, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.R8139Sf 2013
[Fic]—dc23
2012009242
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.1_r1
This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever given a child a book.
—R.R.
To Ruthie and Grace
—J.S.G.
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Map
1. Surprise at Sunrise
2. The First Sneaker
3. Ms. Tery’s Favorite Colors
4. We Don’t Bite
5. Trailing the Teacher
6. Brian Sees Broccoli
7. Sweet Feet
8. More Sneakers
9. Hunter Talks
Excerpt from Calendar Mysteries #10: October Ogre
“Come on, Pal, let’s go visit Goldi,” Bradley Pinto said to his dog. Pal followed Bradley and his twin brother, Brian, and their friends Nate Hathaway and Lucy Armstrong to the barn. It was the last day of summer vacation!
Bradley was keeping Goldilocks, his first-grade class’s pet hamster, over the summer. She lived in an aquarium in the barn. The Pintos’ pony, Polly, also lived in the barn.
The leaves on the maple trees near the barn were just starting to turn red. A September breeze bent the tall grass in the meadow. The kids were wearing T-shirts and jeans.
“I can’t believe summer is gone,” Lucy said. “But I can’t wait to meet our new teacher!” Lucy was staying with her cousin Dink Duncan for a year. Her parents were helping build a school on a reservation in Arizona.
“I wish we could have Mr. Vooray as a teacher again,” Nate said. “He tells good jokes!”
Nate was Ruth Rose’s little brother. Ruth Rose and Dink were best friends with Josh, the twins’ older brother.
“But we’re in second grade now,” Brian said.
The kids walked into the barn. Pal ran ahead. His long ears almost touched the ground.
“Pal is going to miss Goldi when we bring her back to school tomorrow,” Nate said.
Bradley walked over to the workbench. Goldi the hamster sat up in her cage and began squeaking. The kids carried the cage outside. Pal followed them.
They set the aquarium on the grass and took off the cover. Pal flopped down on his stomach. Bradley reached in and picked up Goldi. She felt warm in his hands. He put her down next to Pal.
Pal began poking the hamster with his nose. Goldi climbed up Pal’s nose and sat on his head.
“We should take pictures!” Brian said. “I’ll bet we have the only dog who lets a hamster sit on his head!”
The kids sat on the lawn and watched Goldi walk on Pal’s back. When she got to his tail, she turned around and walked back to his head.
Bradley pulled a leaf of lettuce from his pocket. He set Goldi on the ground and put it in front of her. Goldi started to nibble on the lettuce. Pal nibbled the other end.
“I wonder if Pal knows Goldi is leaving tomorrow,” Nate said.
“We should buy Pal a stuffed hamster so he doesn’t get lonely,” Brian said.
“Pal will know the difference,” Bradley said. “Stuffed hamsters don’t smell like real hamsters. Pal can smell Goldi a mile away!”
Just then the back door opened. “Lunch is ready!” Bradley and Brian’s mom yelled.
The kids put Goldi back in her cage and carried it into the barn. Pal followed them and barked.
“He’s saying good-bye,” Bradley said.
The next morning Bradley and Brian got up early for school. They were eating breakfast when they heard a knock at the back door. They looked through the glass and saw Nate and Lucy.
“Be right out!” Brian yelled. He slurped the milk from his cereal bowl. Both boys put their bowls and spoons in the sink. They popped their heads into the living room to say good-bye to their parents. Then they grabbed their book bags and raced out the back door.
“Let’s go get Goldi,” Bradley said. “We can carry the aquarium to school in my old wagon.”
All four kids were wearing new shirts and new sneakers. They carried new pencils and lunches in their book bags.
Bradley ran into the barn first. But then he stopped in his tracks. Lucy bumped into him. Nate and Brian peered over their shoulders.
The aquarium was gone.
“Where’s Goldi?” Bradley asked.
“She was right there!” Brian said, pointing to the space on the workbench. “Her food is gone, too!”
“What’s this?” Lucy asked. She picked up a tiny sneaker from the workbench. The three-inch-long sneaker was bright green. There was an orange lightning bolt on one side. The sneaker was attached to a chain with a key ring on the end.
Bradley looked around the barn. Maybe Josh had moved the aquarium. He saw a lawn mower, two old tires, and a few rakes and shovels. He did not see a golden hamster with shiny black eyes.
“It’s pet-nappers!” Nate cried.
“Search the barn!” Brian yelled. They all scattered, peeking in every dark corner.
Bradley thought of Polly. He sprinted to the pony’s stall. She was there, looking at him with big brown eyes. “At least they didn’t take you,” he said.
Suddenly Pal let out a howl. He sniffed the barn floor and raced out into the yard. A minute later he came back. He sat under the workbench and whimpered.
“Pal smells the hamster stealer!” Nate said.
“Maybe whoever took the aquarium left this little sneaker here,” Lucy said.
> “Dibs on the sneaker!” Brian said. He snatched the sneaker and attached it to his book bag.
“The kids at school are going to hate me!” Bradley said. “I was supposed to take care of Goldi!”
“It’s not your fault, bro,” his twin said. “The crook must have come during the night.”
The kids walked to school. Bradley felt an ache in his stomach. He had been so happy about the first day of school. Now he felt rotten.
They were all looking up at the leaves, which were starting to change to yellow and red. The sun behind them made their shadows long.
When they got close to the school building, Bradley noticed something. A pair of green sneakers was hanging from a tree branch. They were normal size, like an adult would wear.
Both sneakers had an orange lightning bolt.
“Look,” Bradley said, pointing up at the sneakers.
Brian grabbed the little sneaker hanging on his book bag. He held it up. “They’re exactly like this one!” he said.
“Who put them there?” Nate said. “They look brand-new!”
The kids heard a bell and ran toward the school. Mr. Dillon, the principal, stood on the front steps. He shook hands with each of them.
“Welcome back!” he said. “You’re second graders now, right?”
“Yes, sir,” the kids said.
“Wonderful! Your new teacher is Ms. Tery,” Mr. Dillon said. “I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her. Now scoot along and have a great first day!”
Bradley had seen Ms. Tery around the school last year. He hoped she was as nice as Mr. Vooray.
The kids hurried into the building. It was noisy. Kids were trying to find their rooms. A few moms and dads stood around looking worried. One little girl was crying as her mother tried to take her into a classroom. Some older boys were yelling at each other.
Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy headed for the second-grade classroom. They passed Mr. Vooray’s room.
“You guys go ahead,” Bradley said to the other kids. “I’ve got to tell Mr. Vooray about Goldi.”
“Not alone, you don’t,” Lucy said. “We’re all going to tell him.”
Lucy pushed open the door to Mr. Vooray’s room. Most of the seats were filled with first graders. They all stared at the four second graders.
Mr. Vooray smiled when he saw Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy. “Hello there!” he said. “Your new room is next door, remember?”
“We know,” Bradley said. “But we have something to tell you.”
“Sure,” Mr. Vooray said. He leaned against his desk. “I’m all ears.”
Mr. Vooray picked up a key ring from the desktop and attached it to his belt loop.
Bradley stared. Dangling from the ring was a miniature green sneaker with an orange lightning bolt.
Bradley didn’t know what to say. Why did Mr. Vooray have a little green sneaker?
“Tell him,” Nate said, giving Bradley a poke in the back.
“Um, when we went to get Goldi this morning, she was gone,” Bradley said.
Mr. Vooray looked confused. “Goldi is gone?” he asked. “Gone where?”
“We don’t know!” Bradley said. “We kept her aquarium in our barn all summer long. When we went to get her this morning, it wasn’t there!”
Mr. Vooray’s face went from happy to sad. “Who would steal a little hamster?” he asked.
“And look what the crooks left!” Brian said. He showed Mr. Vooray the green sneaker clipped to his book bag.
Mr. Vooray stared at the sneaker. He unclipped his key ring and showed the kids his little green sneaker. “I found this on my back porch this morning,” he said.
“Wow!” Lucy said. “It’s exactly like ours!”
Bradley stared and blinked. “Um, did … did they take anything?”
“Darn right they did!” Mr. Vooray said. “My favorite tennis racket was on the porch, and now it isn’t!”
“Oh gosh, there’s a maniac in Green Lawn!” Nate howled.
Mr. Vooray shook his head. “It’s probably someone pulling a joke,” he said. “Not a very nice one.”
“We really want Goldi back!” Brian said. “We loved playing with her in your class last year.”
“Yeah, my new first graders will be disappointed, too,” Mr. Vooray said. “Thanks for telling me.”
A loud bell went off. The four kids walked to the next room. A little sign on the door said WELCOME TO SECOND GRADE.
Bradley reached for the doorknob. But the door was yanked open before his fingers touched it.
“Perfect timing!” a voice said from near the ceiling.
Standing in front of the kids was the tallest woman Bradley had ever seen. She looked like a basketball player on TV. She wore a green sweatshirt that said BOSTON CELTICS on the front. Her skirt was long and orange, almost touching the floor. Her red hair hung in a thick braid down her back. She had blue eyes that stared down at the kids.
The giant woman smiled. “Come on in. I don’t bite,” she said.
The rest of the second graders in the class laughed.
Bradley recognized a lot of the kids from first grade last year.
“I’m Ms. Tery. In case you’re wondering why I’m so tall, it’s because I eat all my vegetables!” she said. “Now find a place to park, please.”
The four kids all found seats, but not next to each other.
“You know who I am,” Ms. Tery said to the class, “but I don’t know you. When I point to you, stand up and tell us your name. Then tell us something interesting about yourself.”
She pointed to Julie, in the front row.
Julie hopped up. “I’m Juliette Jackson, but my friends call me Julie. This summer I learned how to swim. Almost!”
“Can I go next?” Bobby Arnold asked.
Ms. Tery smiled again. “Of course.”
Bobby stood up. “I’m Bobby Arnold,” he said. “My basketball got stolen last night! We live on Blue Jay Way. I left my ball in the front yard. It was gone this morning. I found this right where I left the ball.” He held up a little green sneaker.
“Me too!” a kid named Zack said. He held up a tiny green sneaker. “Somebody took my bathing suit right off the clothesline!”
Bradley stared at Zack’s and Bobby’s little green sneakers. They were just like the one they’d found in their barn.
“Us too!” Brian yelled. He waved his little green sneaker at the class. “Someone stole our hamster. Well, really Mr. Vooray’s hamster. We were keeping her over the summer. They left us a green sneaker, too!”
“Someone stole Mr. Vooray’s hamster?” Ms. Tery almost yelled. “That’s just awful!”
Caitlyn waved her hand. “My grandma called me last night,” she said. “I gave her a flower for her birthday and she kept it on her front porch. When she went to water it this morning, it was gone!”
“Goodness!” Ms. Tery said. “Did your grammy find a little sneaker?”
“Yes!” Caitlyn said. She pointed at Brian’s. “Like that!”
“It seems we have a sneaker mystery in Green Lawn,” Ms. Tery said. She raised her skirt a few inches and pointed down at her feet.
Everyone in the class looked at her shoes.
Only they weren’t just any schoolteacher shoes.
They were giant green sneakers.
And they had orange lightning bolts on the sides.
Bradley’s eyes got wide. Was he seeing things?
“But why are your sneakers like these little ones?” Bobby asked Ms. Tery.
“I don’t know,” the teacher said. “It’s very curious!”
“Um, there are other green sneakers, too,” Bradley said. He told Ms. Tery and the class about the ones they’d seen hanging from the tree branch. “Only those were regular size.”
“Well, I don’t know what’s going on,” Ms. Tery said. “But I think someone is having some fun with us.”
“But what about the stuff they took?” Caitlyn asked.
“And Mr. V
ooray’s hamster?” Brian added. “That’s not funny!”
“I wish I had an answer,” Ms. Tery said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next with the Green Lawn sneaker sneak!”
Ms. Tery walked to the chalkboard. “Take out your pencils, please.” Then she wrote:
CLASS RULES:
WE ARE POLITE.
WE DON’T FIGHT.
WE DON’T BITE.
“It rhymes!” Nate said. “Cool!”
“Who likes rhyming?” Ms. Tery asked.
Most of the kids raised their hands.
“Good! I do, too,” she said. “We’re going to write every morning. Today, try to write a rhyming poem. It can be about anything, even our sneaker mystery.”
She passed out paper. Kids opened their desks and book bags and pencil boxes.
“Be as quiet as mice,” Ms. Tery whispered.
The class hunched over their desks and began writing.
Bradley had never written a poem before. He stared at the boy in front of him. All he could think of was Goldi being stolen.
“How are you doing, second-grade writers?” Ms. Tery suddenly asked. She swooped down the aisles like a pterodactyl.
Bradley grabbed his pencil and wrote the first thing that popped into his head:
once i met a talking worm.
His name was sherm.
Ms. Tery’s shadow fell on Bradley’s paper. “That’s a nice beginning,” she said. “Capital O and capital I, please.”
“Thank you, Ms. Tery,” Bradley mumbled. He fixed the O and the I.
After a while, Ms. Tery had some of the kids read their poems.
Then they practiced adding and subtracting.
At noon, they all went to the school cafeteria for lunch. It was pretty noisy, so everyone ate fast, then went outside for recess. Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy sat under a tree.
Across the playground, they saw Ms. Tery talking with a few other teachers. She was at least a foot taller than they were.
Lucy sipped her milk. “What if Ms. Tery is the person who’s taking stuff and leaving the tiny sneakers?” she asked. “There has to be a reason why the little sneakers look exactly like hers.”
