The Case of the Messy Message and the Missing Facts

By Judy Bradbury and Gabriella Vagnoli

It's Fall now and the Cayuga Island Kids are busy with homework, projects, and after school activities. But there's still plenty of time for mystery and adventure! In the third book in the Cayuga Island Kids chapter book series, Julian is exploring food science as he experiments with recipes on his quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Being a cookie sampler takes Mac's mind off his troubles with fractions. Yoko is practicing gestures and facial expressions in anticipation of the school play tryouts. Maya is Ms. Choi's helper in the after-school Make-and-Take-Club for younger crafters. Lacey is taking care of the little community library that Gram built—and searching for the next mystery to solve.When two of Ms. Choi's glitter pens go missing, Maya turns to Lacey for help. The clues and evidence point to a suspect, but are they jumping to conclusions? When a classmate jumps to conclusions and shares false information about Julian's cookies, the Cayuga Island Kids join forces to set the facts straight. When the kids research explorers for a school project, they uncover misinformation that blurs the truth, and makes the reasons for being a fact detective crystal clear.As the fall leaves turn color, the Cayuga Island Kids come to realize that sorting through clues and evidence—just like research—means making sure information is factual, and not just a fraction of the truth. Young readers will cheer for the Cayuga Island Kids as they embark on this latest adventure involving faulty assumptions, missing facts, flour bugs, and chocolate chip cookies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cross Your Fingers
• Release date: May 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781952536335

Book preview

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To the Cayuga Island Kids, past, present, and future.

~ Judy

Cayuga Island Kids

Cayuga Island is just a few miles upstream from the mighty Niagara Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A narrow bridge leads on and off this tiny island. It crosses where the churning Niagara River narrows to a gurgling creek.

Four streets run the length of the island. Three are named for explorers of the Niagara Frontier. The fourth street is named after the Griffon, a ship with a mysterious history. Gravel alleys wind behind the houses.

But there are no schools or stores, no stoplights or movie theaters, or much of anything else on the island—except fun, adventure, and perhaps a bit of mystery, if you look for it.

It’s fall now, and that means school and homework for the Cayuga Island Kids—Lacey, Mac, Julian, Maya, and Yoko. But there’s still plenty of time for adventure, and even a bit of mystery.

Are you ready? Come along and join the fun!

My childhood is a part of my story,

and it's why I'm who I am today

and why my career is what it is.

~ Misty Copeland

Contents

Chapter One

The Cayuga Island Kids

Chapter Two

Practice

Chapter Three

Missing

Chapter Four

Cookie Research

Chapter Five

Specks

Chapter Six

Flour Facts

Chapter Seven

Messy Message

Chapter Eight

Research Explorers

Chapter Nine

Clues

Chapter Ten

Plans

Chapter Eleven

Mis- Dis- Information

Chapter Twelve

Fact Detectives

Chapter Thirteen

Suspect

Chapter Fourteen

Meet at the Scene

Chapter Fifteen

Feeling Good

Chapter Sixteen

Clue Review

Chapter Seventeen

Important?

Chapter Eighteen

Fraction of the Truth

Chapter Nineteen

Mystery Solved

Chapter Twenty

Kindness Rocks

The Story Behind the Story

Meet the Author

Meet the Illustrator

Chapter One

The Cayuga

Island Kids

For Lacey, one of the best parts of a new school year happens a few weeks before classes begin.

Store shelves overflow with school supplies.

Backpacks.

Scented markers.

Neon flexible rulers.

Pens with funny caps, like a kangaroo on a spring.

And best of all, shelves brim with notebooks in every possible size, shape, and design.

Lacey loves school supplies.

Gram knew this. That’s why at the store, she reminded Lacey, Let’s keep to the essentials. Lacey held the list provided by the teachers. Gram pointed to the shopping cart. Only items you absolutely need end up here.

Lacey walked up and down the school supplies aisles. She investigated, as all good detectives do. On a bottom shelf, she discovered bundled packs of notebooks. Lacey counted. There were enough for each subject, plus one extra. She did the math. The bundle was cheaper than buying single notebooks.

Lacey suggested they place the extra notebook in the Little Free Library that Gram had built for Cayuga Island Park. I’ll label it, ‘Little Free Library Sharing Notebook.’ Visitors can write messages about the books they like.

Gram approved, and they checked notebooks off the list.

Next, Lacey hefted a twelve pack of tissues into the cart. Each student had to bring in nine boxes. Lacey suggested they donate the extras to the pantry at the community center.

Gram had a coupon for a bonus pack of colored pencils.

Lacey found a reusable lunch bag with a mail-in rebate.

With all they saved, Lacey was able to convince Gram to let her add a nifty pen with three colors of ink to the cart. Three pens in one! It’s not essential, Lacey admitted, but it’s perfect for organizing.

Lacey didn’t mention what she intended to organize, but Gram agreed, and the pen made it into the cart. At the register, Gram plucked a small spiral notebook from a wire bin and added it to their pile of school supplies. That’s for your pocket, she said with a wink.

Lacey was ready for school.