Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed Read online

  but he knew it was in there

  just under our noses.

  I thought about that.

  Your weed could have been in

  something close by,

  but we still could not see it.

  What was near the pot?

  What was just under our noses?

  Your weed book!

  But you gave me the biggest clue

  when you said you were using the book

  when the weed disappeared.

  When I saw your book,

  it was closed.

  I remember reading the title

  on the cover.

  It had to be closed

  for me to do that.

  But it should have been open

  because you were still using it.

  Rosamond closed her book

  when she was through with it.

  Why was your book closed

  when you weren’t through with it?”

  Oliver shrugged.

  “I, Nate the Great, will tell you why.

  The breeze blew it closed

  while you were getting the water.”

  “So what?” Oliver said.

  “After the weed fell into it!” I said.

  “What?” Oliver gasped. “Why would

  the weed do that?”

  “Because it was hit by the

  Certificate of Ownership

  sticking out of your back pocket.

  When you turned to go into your house,

  the certificate hit the weed,

  and the weed fell into the book.

  PLOP!

  Just like Rosamond’s can of water

  fell over when Sludge hit it.

  Turn your back to the pot, Oliver.”

  Oliver turned.

  “Aha! Your certificate is aimed

  directly at the pot. Perfect aim.”

  “I wasn’t trying,” Oliver said.

  “Your weed was sick,” I said.

  “It was in dry dirt.

  It was easy for it to plop.

  It was right under our noses.

  But we couldn’t see it.

  Just like Claude and his worm.”

  “So my weed didn’t go to China,”

  Oliver said.

  “I, Nate the Great,

  make a few mistakes.”

  Oliver stared at his weed.

  “This weed looks terrible.

  It will never reach the sky.

  I am going to Rosamond’s house

  to get my nickel back.”

  “I am going home,” I said.

  I said good-bye to Oliver.

  I liked doing that.

  “I will be over later,” he said.

  “I know it,” I said.

  Sludge and I went back to our garden.

  I started to weed again.

  But I was tired of weeds.

  Perhaps Rosamond could come over

  and pick them all.

  She would give them names

  and homes.

  That would make everybody happy.

  Especially me.

  I had better things to do.

  I, Nate the Great, went back

  to the library

  and took out

  a good, clean book.

  Nate’s Notes: Famous Weeds

  Nate’s Notes: Other Weird Plants

  How to Make Seaweed Salad

  How to Grow a Monster with Green Hair

  How to Make Worms on Toast

  How to Turn a White Flower Red

  How to Press Garden Stuff

  Library Riddles

  Go on a Library Treasure Hunt

  Weeds grow in the sea as well as on land. People collect them and dry them. Buy some seaweed at an Asian food market. Then make a salad!

  GET TOGETHER:

  • 3/4 ounce of dried seaweed (wakame, hajiki, and arame are good)

  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped up

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

  MAKE YOUR SALAD:

  1. Put the dried seaweed in a bowl. Cover with water. Let soak 5 minutes.

  2. Stir together the vinegar, soy sauce, oil, sugar, ginger, and garlic. This is your salad dressing.

  3. Drain the seaweed.

  4. Toss the seaweed with the dressing.

  5. Top with the sesame seeds.

  6. Enjoy!

  You want to grow something. Here’s a fun project to try.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • colored felt-tip markers

  • a Styrofoam cup

  • a knee-high nylon stocking

  • potting soil

  • alfalfa seeds*

  • a mister or a spray bottle filled with water

  * You can buy these at a health-food store

  MAKE YOUR GREEN-HAIRED MONSTER:

  1. Use the markers to draw scary eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the cup.

  2. Fill the stocking with potting soil until it is about the size of an orange.

  3. Tightly knot the stocking. Place it in the cup. It should look like the top of your monster’s head.

  4. Sprinkle the “head” with seeds.

  5. Place on a sunny windowsill. Mist lightly every morning for two or three days. Watch your monster grow “hair”!

  Worms help weeds—and other plants—grow. They loosen up the soil and recycle nutrients. What great things could they do inside your stomach?

  Makes one serving. Ask an adult to help you with this recipe.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • one hot dog

  • a plastic knife

  • a pot of boiling water

  • a slice of bread

  • ketchup

  MAKE YOUR WORMS ON TOAST:

  1. Slice your hot dog into about six worm-shaped strips.

  2. Place the slices in the pot of boiling water. Cook over medium heat. (Or microwave at 50% power for about 2 minutes.) The dogs are done when they curl up like worms.

  3. Toast your bread.

  4. Put your hot dog worms on the toast. Squirt on some ketchup.

  5. Eat! Enjoy!

  Impress your friends with this cool trick.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • scissors

  • one or more white carnations*

  • a plastic cup

  • water

  • red food coloring

  * This trick will not work as well with other types of flowers—but you can try!

  TURN THE WHITE FLOWER RED:

  1. Use the scissors to trim half an inch off the bottom of the flower stem. Be careful! Scissors are sharp.

  2. Fill the cup halfway with water.

  3. Drop in some food coloring. Make the water fairly dark.

  4. Place the flower in the colored water.

  5. Wait a few days. You will see the flower slowly turn red.

  Oliver pressed Stupidweed by mistake. Some people press flowers and other things from the garden for fun. Here’s how to try it.

  Ask an adult to help you with this.

  STEP ONE: GO COLLECTING

  1. Grab a paper bag. Then head outside for a mini nature hike.

  2. Pick up some stuff to press. Good things include wildflowers, weeds, leaves, grasses, seeds, and dead bugs.

  3. In spring, look for dandelions and clover. In summer, try Queen Anne’s lace and wild strawberries.

  4. In autumn, find colorful leaves and small pinecones.

  5. In winter, pick up twigs from evergreen trees and holly bushes. Can you find a dead moth or bee?

  STEP TWO: GIVE IT A SQUEEZE

  1. Take what you found and make it flat.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • the stuff you collected in STEP ONE

  • a roll of wa
xed paper

  • two heavy books, such as phone books or encyclopedias

  Be careful! Live insects sting. Some plants can give you a rash. Don’t touch anything unless an adult says it’s safe. Never pick a flower someone has planted without asking. Angry gardeners can be dangerous.

  DO THE SQUEEZE:

  1. Place the stuff you collected on a piece of waxed paper.

  2. Cover with a second sheet of waxed paper.

  3. Place the waxed paper “sandwich” between the two heavy books.

  4. Wait a week.

  5. Take out your pressed stuff.

  STEP THREE: MAKE SOMETHING

  1. Glue pressed flowers onto heavy paper to make birthday cards.

  2. Squish pressed insects between sheets of contact paper to make bug bookmarks.

  3. Make a leaf collage for your teacher.

  4. Imagine your own project. Do it!

  Q: What building in town has the most stories?

  A: The library!

  Knock knock!

  Who’s there?

  Rita.

  Rita who?

  Rita lot of good books!

  Q: How many librarians does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

  A: I don’t know. But I know where you can look it up!

  Q: Where does a librarian sleep?

  A: Between the covers!

  Q: Why did the librarian slip?

  A: She was in the nonfriction section.

  Q: What did the detective do when he didn’t believe the librarian’s story?

  A: He booked her!

  Q: What’s a book’s favorite food?

  A: Bookworms on toast!

  Q: What is the astronaut’s favorite part of the computer?

  A: The space bar!

  Nate found Oliver’s weed in the library. What can you find at your library? Here are some ideas to get you started.

  Can you find the children’s room?

  What is the name of the librarian who works there? Can you discover one interesting thing about him or her?

  Find three storybooks you’d like to read. Does the library have any NATE books you haven’t read?

  Find three nonfiction books that look good. Can you find any books about weeds or plants?

  Find a magazine that looks interesting.

  Does your library lend videos or DVDs? Look for one you’ve never watched before.

  Does your library have a cozy place to read? Try a few of the chairs. Pick your favorite.

  Does the library have a space where people hold meetings or performances? Are there any upcoming events that sound like fun?

  Where are the restrooms?

  Weird Library Fact: The Boston Public Library is very old. It was founded in 1848. It was the first library to have a children’s room.

  Does your library have a copy machine? How much does it cost to make one copy?

  Is there a computer for kids? Can you surf the Internet on it? Try it out!

  Do you have a library card? If not, ask the librarian how to get one. That way you can take home books and other library stuff.

  Have you helped solve all

  Nate the Great’s mysteries?

  ❑ Nate the Great: Meet Nate, the great detective, and join him as he uses incredible sleuthing skills to solve his first big case.

  ❑ Nate the Great Goes Undercover: Who—or what—is raiding Oliver’s trash every night? Nate bravely hides out in his friend’s garbage can to catch the smelly crook.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Lost List: Nate loves pancakes, but who ever heard of cats eating them? Is a strange recipe at the heart of this mystery?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Phony Clue: Against ferocious cats, hostile adversaries, and a sly phony clue, Nate struggles to prove that he’s still the greatest detective.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Sticky Case: Nate is stuck with his stickiest case yet as he hunts for his friend Claude’s valuable stegosaurus stamp.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Missing Key: Nate isn’t afraid to look anywhere—even under the nose of his friend’s ferocious dog, Fang—to solve the case of the missing key.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail: Nate has his work cut out for him when his friend Rosamond loses the birthday present she was going to give him. How can he find the present when Rosamond won’t even tell him what it is?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize: The trophy for the Smartest Pet Contest has disappeared! Will Sludge, Nate’s clue-sniffing dog, help solve the case and prove he’s worthy of the prize?

  ❑ Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed: When his friend Oliver loses his special plant, Nate searches high and low. Who knew a little weed could be so tricky?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag: It’s no relaxing day at the beach for Nate and his trusty dog, Sludge, as they search through sand and surf for signs of a missing beach bag.

  ❑ Nate the Great Goes Down in the Dumps: Nate discovers that the only way to clean up this case is to visit the town dump. Detective work can sure get dirty!

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt: It’s Halloween, but Nate isn’t trick-or-treating for candy. Can any of the witches, pirates, and robots he meets help him find a missing cat?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Musical Note: Nate is used to looking for clues, not listening for them! When he gets caught in the middle of a musical riddle, can he hear his way out?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Stolen Base: It’s not easy to track down a stolen base, and Nate’s hunt leads him to some strange places before he finds himself at bat once more.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Pillowcase: When a pillowcase goes missing, Nate must venture into the dead of night to search for clues. Everyone sleeps easier knowing Nate the Great is on the case!

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine: Nate hates mushy stuff. But when someone leaves a big heart taped to Sludge’s doghouse, Nate must help his favorite pooch discover his secret admirer.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Tardy Tortoise: Where did the mysterious green tortoise in Nate’s yard come from? Nate needs all his patience to follow this slow … slow … clue.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas: It’s Christmas, and Fang, Annie’s scary dog, is not feeling jolly. Can Nate find Fang’s crunchy Christmas mail before Fang crunches on him?

  ❑ Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden: Can Nate solve his first-ever international case without leaving his own neighborhood?

  ❑ Nate the Great and Me: The Case of the Fleeing Fang: A surprise Happy Detective Day party is great fun for Nate until his friend’s dog disappears! Help Nate track down the missing pooch, and learn all the tricks of the trade in a special fun section for aspiring detectives.

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Monster Mess: Nate loves his mother’s deliciously spooky Monster Cookies, but the recipe has vanished! This is one case Nate and his growling stomach can’t afford to lose.

  ❑ Nate the Great, San Francisco Detective: Nate visits his cousin Olivia Sharp in the big city, but it’s no vacation. Can he find a lost joke book in time to save the world?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Big Sniff: Nate depends on his dog, Sludge, to help him solve all his cases. But Nate is on his own this time, because Sludge has disappeared! Can Nate solve the case and recover his canine buddy?

  ❑ Nate the Great on the Owl Express: Nate boards a train to guard Hoot, his cousin Olivia Sharp’s pet owl. Then Hoot vanishes! Can Nate find out whooo took the feathered creature?

  ❑ Nate the Great Talks Turkey: There’s a turkey on the loose, with Nate, his cousin Olivia Sharp, Sludge, and Claude in hot pursuit. Who will find the runaway bird first?

  ❑ Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club: Rosamond has started a book club. Nate and his dog, Sludge, attend a meeting as undercover detectives. The case: find out what “monster” has an appetite for ripping book pages and making others go missing.

  MARJORIE WEINMAN SHARMAT was born and grew up in Portland, Maine. She has
been writing since age eight and is the author of more than 130 books, which have been translated into nineteen languages. She is probably best known as the creator of the series about the world-famous sleuth Nate the Great.

  MARC SIMONT won the Caldecott Medal for his artwork in A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry, as well as a Caldecott Honor for his own book, The Stray Dog. He illustrated the first twenty books in the Nate the Great series.