Zoo Clue

By Carolyn Keene, Michael Frost and Jan Naimo Jones

Nancy and her friends are on a class trip to the zoo. Everyone brought a camera and is excited because their teacher has announced a Best Photo contest. Whoever takes the best picture at the zoo wins a prize!

The trip is going great—until a flowerbed outside the monkey cage is wrecked and Nancy’s class is blamed! The zookeeper is mad and says they might have to leave the zoo if someone doesn’t come forward. Nancy is upset. Is one of Nancy’s classmates a crook, or is someone else digging up trouble?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Release date: Nov 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781442483507

Carolyn Keene

Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.

Book preview

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Contents

Chapter 1: Photos and Fun

Chapter 2: Monkey Business

Chapter 3: A Close Call

Chapter 4: Looking for Suspects

Chapter 5: Questions Without Answers

Chapter 6: Making Sure

Chapter 7: Case Closed?

Chapter 8: The Real Culprit

1

Photos and Fun

Say, ‘cheese!’" someone cried.

Eight-year-old Nancy Drew squinted as a flashbulb went off in her face. You’d better save some pictures for when we get to the zoo, George, she said when she could see again. You’ll never win the photo contest with a picture you took on the bus.

Her best friend George Fayne grinned. George’s real name was Georgia, but she didn’t like to be called that. Don’t worry, she told Nancy. I’m just warming up.

Nancy smiled. She knew that George loved to win, whether it was at sports or photo contests or anything else.

Their third-grade teacher, Mrs. Reynolds, had announced that they would be having a photo contest today during their field trip to the River Heights Zoo. Everyone was supposed to bring a camera along and take lots of pictures. The best photo of the day would win a prize.

Bess Marvin was sitting across the aisle from Nancy and George. Bess was George’s cousin and Nancy’s other best friend. A girl from their class named Emily Reeves was sitting in the window seat beside Bess, but right now Bess was leaning over Emily and peering out the bus window. We’re almost there, Bess exclaimed.

Cool, George said. Make sure you have your camera ready. We have to take plenty of pictures if we want to win the contest.

Brenda Carlton, who was sitting right in front of Nancy and her friends, turned around. You guys will never win, she said, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. I’m going to win first prize with my new digital camera. See? It’s a Ziperu 75-X. The battery lasts all day long. She held up a fancy-looking camera.

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Nancy scowled. She didn’t like Brenda much. Neither did George or Bess. Oh yeah? George said. A special 75-zip-whatever camera won’t help you that much. Not unless it takes the pictures for you.

Brenda shrugged. It practically does, she said. See? As soon as I take a picture, it shows up on this little screen here. She held up her camera and pointed. Then I can decide whether to keep it and store it, or delete it and try again.

Nancy looked down at her own camera. It was digital too, but it wasn’t nearly as fancy as Brenda’s.

Well, I think George is right, Nancy said, trying to be polite. The important thing is to take an interesting picture, no matter what camera you’re using.

I guess, Brenda said with another shrug. "But I don’t even care about the contest that much. I have more important

Reviews for Zoo Clue

[vandygirl_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nancy and her best friends, George and Bess, have always loved solving mysteries. In “The Nancy Drew Notebooks” the 8-year-old friends and amateur detectives solve short but sweet mysteries in familiar settings. In “Zoo Clue” Nancy and the gang are on a class field trip to the zoo when one of the flower beds is destroyed. The zookeeper blames the class, but Nancy is convinced none of her classmates could have done this and she sets out to prove it.

Fast paced and interesting, this story is easy to follow and flows nicely. Nancy repeats the clues she has found which will help young readers follow along with solving the mystery. This series will be great for younger readers who want to move on to Nancy Drew books, but aren’t quite ready. “Zoo Clue” is a fun book for young mystery lovers. Grades 1-3