The Mystery of the Ball Python

By Jessica Lee Anderson and Alejandra Barajas

When Naomi gets a tip about a strange snake sighting in the neighborhood, she knows it’s a job for her snake-saving club. Naomi, Nolan, and Emma go to investigate and get a huge surprise. The snake isn’t a native Texas species—it’s a ball python! Did someone dump an unwanted pet, or did this snake somehow get lost? Naomi’s parents agree she can keep the snake if no one claims it. But can Naomi bring herself to solve the mystery if it costs her the pet snake she’s always wanted?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666349573

Jessica Lee Anderson

J. L. Anderson is the author of the award-winning novels Calli and Border Crossing, as well as many other books for young people. She graduated from Hollins University with a master of arts degree in children’s literature. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband, daughter, and two crazy dogs. Learn more at jessicaleeanderson.com.

Book preview

Chapter 1

PUPPIES!

Snake fact #1: Snakes come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes!

I sighed as I stared at the terrarium in our living room. It seemed so empty. It had been a while since Mom had brought home a sick snake or other recovering reptile from the Austin Exotic Animal Hospital.

Want to help me bake some cinnamon rolls? Dad asked as if sensing my mood. We can roll the dough out like snakes the way we used to when you were little.

Dad was an amazing baker, but I shook my head. Emma is coming over as soon as she’s done with her chores, I said. Thanks, though.

My best friend and I were supposed to be doing some work for our club, brainstorming ways to help snakes. We had started the club along with my older brother, Nolan. Snakes often found themselves in bad situations, and people sometimes hurt them if they didn’t know any better. We wanted to make our neighborhood a better place.

"Thanks, dough. Get it? Dough? Dad laughed at his own joke, then turned to my brother, who had his head buried in a book as usual. You want to help, Nolan?"

Nolan shook his head. I’m in the middle of a good story.

Would it change your mind if I let you eat as much as you want after? Dad offered.

Now you’re talking! I’m in, said Nolan.

I didn’t want to miss out. My brother could eat more than any other eleven-year-old I knew. If I didn’t help, I might not get a single bite.

Count me in too, I said.

I measured bread flour while Nolan reached for the quick-rise yeast and the sugar container. Dad warmed some milk. We worked together to combine the ingredients to form the dough.

We need to let it rise for a while, Dad said.

An hour later, our dough had doubled in size, but Emma still hadn’t shown up.

Where is she? I wondered.

I decided to roll the dough out like snakes after all. I would be nine in two months and wasn’t a little kid anymore, but it was still just as much fun.

I dusted the cinnamon mixture on top, making the dough look like young copperhead snakes. Then I twisted them into buns. They were so cute! They reminded me of a photo Mom had shown me of someone’s pet snake all coiled up. It had looked exactly like a cinnamon bun.

I wanted a pet snake that looked just like that. Not a copperhead, obviously. They were venomous. My hands were too messy to grab for the notebook I used to keep track of snake facts. I’d memorized lots of them, though.

Snake fact #76, I thought. A copperhead is a venomous member of the pit viper family found in central Texas and southeastern United States.

Nolan helped me twist the rest of the cinnamon snakes into coils. He accidently rubbed cinnamon onto his cheek. I motioned for him to wipe it off, but he ignored me.

Naomi rolls dough at the kitchen island while Dad and Nolan work at a counter the back.

Do you think we’ll ever get a pet? I asked.

I loved helping out animals in need, but remembering that pet snake made me want something more—my own snake.

"I know what you’re thinking, and a pet snake is not my dream pet," Nolan said.

Even though he was a part of the snake rescue club, my brother wasn’t a real fan of snakes. He used to think they were slimy and scary before he learned more about them.

Dad set the tray of cinnamon rolls into the oven. We’ve talked about this, Naomi. Your mom and I are committed to rescuing animals in need. The thinner we spread ourselves, the less we’ll be able to help, he said.

I thought of what Mom always said: A pet takes a lot of time and resources. As a veterinarian and wildlife rehabilitator, she knew a lot about that.

I sighed. I know, but it’s not the same as having a pet we get to keep and bond with.

Are snakes even capable of forming a bond? Nolan asked.

Is he being sarcastic? I thought.

Snakes can learn to trust their owners, I told him. No one knows what goes on in the mind of any animal—

There was a knock on our front door.